FF220 Tricks for the Thinking Canine

This class is designed to get your dog thinking by teaching fun tricks that you'll both enjoy. Training tricks isn't just about showing off during parties anymore, it's about teaching your dog how to learn, keeping them active, exercising their brains as well as giving them body awareness. You can even get titles for performing tricks now through the AKC!

Course Details


The class format will be structured into 6 separate skills each week. These skills will be the foundation for different tricks of which samples are provided. However, tricks are all about creativity! So you get to choose your own creative spin on your trick for each skill, or you can train one of the example tricks. For example, week three's skill is "mouth targeting" with the example behaviors of "pull" and "put this thing in that thing". It's up to you whether you train one of those tricks or you come up with your own trick with the skill of mouth targeting!

The behaviors in this class will be taught via shaping and via luring, depending on the behavior. I will show both methods for as many of the tricks as I can.

Syllabus

  1. Luring vs Shaping
    1. Shaping review
  2. Front paw targeting
    1. Close door
    2. Walk with me
  3. Head targeting
    1. Sad dog
    2. Nose press
  4. Mouth targeting
    1. Pull
    2. Thing in thing
  5. Rear paw targeting
    1. Back around
    2. Reverse leg weaves
  6. Body movement
    1. Back up
    2. Crawl
  7. Miscellaneous
    1. Dead dog
    2. Speak (counting)

Prerequisites & Supplies

You will be more successful in this course if you and your dog already understand how to free shape behaviors. However, I will go over a brief review at the beginning of the course and will give feedback on mechanics if needed from homework videos.

Instructor

Sara Brueske (she/her) has been training dogs for over 15 years, and has experienced a large variety of breeds and sports during that time. Having graduated as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner ...

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