Rally Obedience Training

Have you always wanted to compete in a sport with your dog but didn't know where to begin?
Rally Obedience (Rally O) is an excellent place to start with! It's fun to train, builds teamwork & trust between you and teaches you both handling skills for other sports as well.  It's a great sport for breeders to get titles to show that their lines have working ability.

Rally O can be done with dogs of all ages, sizes and yes is open to mixed breed dogs! I did it with my senior Golden (starting at 10 years old) and she enjoyed learning something new. My two current mixed breed dogs sure love it and Lucy will be ready for a trial this fall. It's a great way to introduce young dogs to competition settings, probably the calmest venue for reactive dogs and ideal for dogs and handlers with disabilities. Got a tripod dog, no problem! Are you in a wheelchair or have other disabilities? Adaptations for moves are made by judges as long as you let them know ahead of time.

There are several different versions of Rally (APDT, AKC, UKC, CKC, CARO for example). Just choose the one that is most convenient for you (find out which version is most commonly held at trials close to you)and let me know so I can make sure you are learning the corect version of each move!

In my classes, I offer videos of each move from all three angles so you can refer to it as you practice. I also provide a template for recording training sessions and emotionbal support for trialing.

Find out more about my private Rally O classes & register.

Look forward to meeting you!

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Help with High Level Distraction Training

High Level Distraction Training (3x 30 min sessions) $51

Do you have a dog that is destined for the competition ring or a dog that is highly sensitive to distractions or overly alert to sights and sounds around him? Whether training for canine freestyle, agility, competition obedience or just around a busy home, your dog needs to learn some skills on how to handle distractions and you will learn how those same distractions can be turned into high level rewards! Uses some of the tools from “Control Unleashed”.

You will:
*Learn what criteria are and how to break a distraction into its various components
*Create a plan to systematically train your dog to her highest distractions
*Apply tools that teach your dog to be operant in the face of distractions
*Discover why the traditional training approach of getting your dog to focus only on you can backfire, especially with fearful or reactive dogs.

Click Here to go to the "classes" page to register and pay for courses.

Benefits of Starting Training at Home

One of the foundations of the learning theory is to start training in environments with no distractions. So why do most people feel they should start training thier dog in group classes?

Pets would have better success if they are first trained at home, then taken to dog class to generalize known behaviors. That way, they are relearning the behaviors, not learning from the beginning in a new and stressful environment.

When a child learns algebra, the teachers don't take them to the schoolyard playground and start teaching them there. They start in the classroom, a familiar, low stress environment. Then, when the students are ready, they release to the playground as a reward for focussing and to burn energy. They then call them in, and release them again at lunch. They are, in fact 'premacking' focus and learning behavior.

Wouldn't that make sense to do that with puppies and dogs? Use the classes with social interaction as a reward for their successful learning at home as well as distractions for generalizing known behaviors in class?

I did this with my rescue dog Lucy (2 yrs with no training in her previous home) and she was the star of the class and got so much more out of being there than she would have if she went in without any prior training. The instructor was amazed at how much focus I got after having her just 3 weeks! She was also able to work in very close proximity with other dogs much more quickly that she otherwise would have.

Jessie (then 7 mos) also had a few behaviors before puppy class and this was good since she was very fearful with other dogs around (to the point of freezing). She was able to learn to focus on me, perform a few simple behaviors she knew and ended up ahing a positive learning experience with other dogs nearby. Had she not had any prior training, she would have had no behaviors to fall back on to have success and the experience would have ended far differently for her.

For puppies that have not yet had their final vaccinations (you can start as young as 4 weeks old while they are still with their littermates with clicker training) or those dogs that are fearful, training at home provides a physically and mentally safe place to start. Getting a jump start before classes really helps them succeed. And your job as their life teacher is to help them do just that!

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