This course is designed to divide the exercises in foundations into three large categories: relationship building, handling skills and canine body awareness. You can do the exercises in any order in the first three weeks of lessons. The second three weeks of lessons build on the skills from the first three weeks. Each week a new set of lessons will be revealed.
Post questions and video homework in the section after each topic. The instructor will respond the question and/or video within a day.
These exercises can be done with puppies or adult dogs. Some exercises will be easier for puppies than for adult dogs and vice versa.
Our Agility Foundations courses are designed so you and your dog can learn in the comfort of your home many of the basic skills needed for future agility training. There are many things you can practice at home to prepare you for doing the obstacles. Many agility competitors are successful without having a dogwalk, aframe or teeter at home.
Equipment you will need for this course:
White plastic lid from any plastic container such as cottage cheese.
Black rubber tub used to feed livestock. Ideally two tubs of the same size.
Four orange traffic cones available at most large hardware stores.
A board 12" wide and 3 to 4 feet long painted with a nonslip paint such as textured marine paint.
Lids to pots and pans.
Mat for the dog to lay on.
Clicker - a training tool available at most pet stores that makes a unique clicking sound.
Many small treats.
Tug toys if your dog likes to tug.
Course Syllabus:
Week 1 – Building Relationship Basics
Marker Words
Toy Play
Shaping/Clicker Training
Eye Contact
Hide N Seek
Sit Stay
Week 2 Intro to Handling Skills
Going around a cone/pylon
Forward sends
Nose touch to hand
Send & Stay on a mat
Week 3 Canine Body Awareness
Backing Up
Front feet on a tub
Pivots
Cavalettis/Ladder
Empowerment – movement and noise
Week 4 More focus please...
Ready 123 – start line stay game
Race Game
It’s Your Choice
Loose leash walking
Week 5 Follow me
Front cross around a cone
Sends to a tub
Multiple targets – go where I send thee
Shadow Handling
Week 6 Where are your feet?
Backing up to a board
Walking around while on a board
Turning around on board
Wobbly things
Side passes
Your Instructor
I have been training dogs in agility, obedience and herding since 1990. I have had Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Jack Russell Terriers, Pyrenean Shepherd and a French Brittany. I have competed in AKC, ASCA, CPE, NADAC, UKI and USDAA and earned championship titles in all of these organizations. I currently have 3 young dogs who are about to start competing at the end of 2019 and early 2020.
My training philosophy for agility involves positive training and motivation to build drive as well as impulse control. Agility is not natural for dogs so it is important to find what the dog likes and use that to motivate them to learn about agility. Having good timing is very important and the hardest part about dog training. Agility is a complex sport because there are specific skills the dogs need to learn in order to perform obstacles safely and quickly. There are also skills the handler needs to learn in order to communicate effectively to the dog where to go on a course. This is why I like training my dogs to do agility. It is very much a team sport.
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