Expert-Led Training: Proven Methods, Real Transformations

Increase Your Rally Scores with Confidence

This class is all about a ROADMAP TO SUCCESS…. What does that mean? It means that we will delve into how to build an outstanding search dog and then how to trial effectively. This class has been developed so that you can figure out how NOT to struggle through the levels and how NOT to get stuck without reaching your team’s potential.

Shaping is the art of teaching by reinforcing small, incremental steps toward a final, goal behavior—letting the dog take the lead in the learning process. It builds problem‑solving, confidence, creativity, and true engagement. When we shape, we’re not just teaching behaviors; we’re teaching the dog how to learn, how to experiment, and how to trust that their ideas matter. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have as trainers.

Does your dog seem uncomfortable with men? Is she afraid of the teeter, plastic bags or enclosed spaces? Does he seem stressed out? Many performance dogs (and companion dogs, too!) develop challenges like these, and solving these issues positively will hinge on your understanding of the fundamentals!

Anyone who has a fearful dog needs a thorough grounding in basic behavior modification concepts before attempting rehabilitation. How does desensitization work in real life? Is it ok to comfort a fearful dog? In this course we will go over the fundamentals of fear in dogs, what we often do as owners that makes it worse, and modern approaches to fixing it. This will be a Silver and Bronze level course only, with lecture and discussion, and is a pre-requisite for the Practical Applications course. 

Open IS fun!! In this class, I deconstruct all the exercises into manageable pieces. Each piece is taught and maintained like a trick. This makes the exercises accessible for us and the dogs. Your dogs will understand the exercises and perform them with joy and energy. As we put the pieces together, we will maintain that light attitude. We will use backward chaining and forward chaining to pull the exercises together. All while maintaining the quality of the pieces that make up the chain. This approach makes it easy to problem solve and “fix” pieces within an exercise.
We will look at games that teach dogs how to handle pressure in a positive way. We will also look at games that maintain drive, especially for behaviors that are in the middle of the chain.