Course Details
It’s time to move away from thinking of obedience as serious. An open run is really just a long chain of pet tricks! Breaking the exercises into small pieces and teaching each piece as a trick keeps it fun for both you and your dog. Dogs love it and you will too! Eventually the pieces themselves become inherently self-reinforcing. In this class we are going to lay the foundation for all the Open Exercises (EXCEPT for Heeling and the Figure 8). Each exercise will be broken down. Mastering all the pieces will give your dog confidence. I will also introduce dogs to the idea of backing into pressure and being comfortable waiting while we move away from them. Set a solid foundation and you will have an awesome Open dog!!
This class will have a TA!! That means extra help for everyone, especially Silver and Bronze students!!
Teaching Approach
This class will have written and video lectures each week. Each lecture will be broken down into small pieces. There will be video examples demonstrating all exercises. Because everyone has their own learning style, I encourage students to move at their own pace. I understand that each dog and handler are unique and do my best to accommodate their needs. Students will need to move around with their dogs as is required for open exercises. I will work with you to modify the exercises to your abilities. A few of the games will require quick physical movement from the trainer for short periods and distances. Later in the class students will need access to a space large enough so they can play games that involve the dog running and jumping over the broad and high jumps.
Syllabus
WEEK ONE
- Breaking It Down
- Importance of a Strong Foundation
- Establish a Clear Picture Before You Start.
- Say What?? Clear Marking
- Don’t Reinvent the Wheel.
- Positions as Tricks:
- Developing Precues
- DB: Teaching Hold
- CD: End Picture
- Creating Motor Patterns
- Introducing Mat to Handle Pressure
- DOR: End Picture
- Motor Pattern for the Drop
- High Jump: Cookie Toss Out and Back
- Broad Jump: Run With Dog
- Stay On Left
WEEK TWO
- DOR: Back Down on Mat
- Or Behind Stick
- DB: Hold Continued
- Add Duration
- BJ: Toss or Target for Drive
- Around cone
- CD: Isolate the Combos
- CD Chute
- Back to mat: Down and sit on mat:
- Positions to mat
- HJ: Angles With Cookie Toss
- Flat Retrieve: Perfect Retrieve
- Spinback With Cheese
- Precue: Tricks or Offering in Heel for Engagement
WEEK THREE
- HOLD: Different Orientations
- Handling Errors
- CD: Down to stand
- Down to sit
- Sit to stand
- Sit to down
- DOR: Down in Motion
- Stick or Rug
- HJ/FR: Discrimination Between High and Flat
- Backing Into Pressure:
- Barrier
- Person
- Fronts Deconstructed
- Using a Prop
- Precue: Add Trick/Offering to Precue
- Stand Stay Kickback Stand
WEEK FOUR
- DB Lowering to Floor:
- Different Orientations
- ON Floor
- BJ: Your side, My Side
- Fronts Around Cone
- Fronts With Stick
- Fronts Up Close With DB
- CD: First Position Sets the Tone
- Stand
- Down
- Back Into Corner (2 barriers)
- DOR: Cookie Toss to Drop
- Use a Prop
- Distance Attention Games
- Release to Cookie/toy
- Focus on Left Hand
- Platform
WEEEK FIVE
- Hold: Add Motion
- Hold: Becomes Retrieve
- Distance Attention Errors
- Angle Fronts With DB Close
- Fronts Off DOR
- Precue: Dog Offers Behavior Without an Extra Cue
- BJ: Maintain Drive!
- Stand Stay Leaving
WEEK SIX
- Precue: Balance Precue With Calm Cue
- CD: Back Into Pressure Human & Barrier
- DOR/CD: Back Into Human Pressure
- DB Tosses: Flat - High
- DOR: Balancing “Recall” with “Drop”
- Stand Stay backchain return
Prerequisites & Supplies
Sample Lecture
Breaking It Down: Trainers are always in a rush to put the pieces together. Not realizing that it’s far more difficult for dogs to learn this way. Putting the pieces together (i.e. chaining) degrades the quality of the pieces and the dogs lose motivation. Training AND maintaining the pieces will yield superior results. The dogs will learn more quickly, and they will maintain enthusiasm. I teach all the pieces until they are fluent. I continue to work on the individual pieces throughout my dog’s career. In this class you will see that every piece of every exercise is broke down into small behaviors. Think of each piece as a fun trick!! I teach the pieces as tricks AND the dogs think of the as tricks. As well know, tricks are fun! Obedience training should be fun too!!
Importance of a Strong Foundation. A strong foundation sets the tone for your dog’s career. We must create a strong foundation, and nurture it forever!! Professional athletes do this. Just because they are superstars doesn’t mean they don’t work on fundamentals. They actually do…. ALL THE TIME!! The same is true in dog sports. People are generally in a huge rush to get their dogs in the ring. They don’t put enough time into the foundation. And once they consider the dog “trained” they don’t return to them. That never works out well…I promise you!! Patience, patience, patience. If you want your dog to have a long career, then put time into the foundation. Learn to love working on the foundation. Learn to love the process.
Positions as Tricks: Many of our dogs know many tricks. They love tricks! Why? They are heavily reinforced. We think they are cute and funny which gives them great feedback. We are totally relaxed about the tricks. If they aren’t perfect, we don’t get upset. We often use tricks as a warmup. So let’s make Down, Sit, Stand a trick as well!! When we put them in the “exercise” the dogs will be happy. I know this! It’s a fun trick! And hopefully we will be happy too 
Remember, to maintain the same attitude. Your dog’s will feed off that.
Instructor
Petra Ford
Faculty
I have been training and competing for several decades in a variety of sports including Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Nosework, Agility and Rally. My first love has always been competition obedience. I have been fortunate to win the AKC National Obedience Championship four times with three different dogs. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)...