FE450: Training Levels - Level 1

 If you're looking for a structured course designed to teach your dog the basic skills that every dog needs to know for success as a pet, sport or working dog, or all three, then this course is for you.  This class will teach the trainer "how to teach," and how to prepare your dog to perform under increasingly challenging circumstances.  

Sue Ailsby's Training Levels are being used by pet trainers, sport instructors, and working dog schools all over the world. Now you can let Sue's program guide you through them!

The training levels are designed to create a training base for ALL dogs. There are four Levels with behaviours designed to teach both dog AND trainer. Every lesson supports later lessons, with early behaviours taught, diversified, and proofed to provide a solid foundation for all later lessons, be they pet, sport, or working behaviours.

The focus of this course is not only the actual behaviors taught; the core is teaching YOU how to ensure that your dog can still perform under distracting conditions and when the "picture" looks different.  We'll take a variety of basic behaviors (which we'll teach for those who need them and expand for those who have them) and teach you how to get them under a wide range of circumstances.  In a nutshell, proofing, and generalization!

No matter what the future has in store for your dog, there are basic skills that will make both your lives easier, if your dog can perform them reliably under a variety of circumstances.

For example, a good pet needs to know how to be handled, to be groomed and cared for. She needs to come when she's called, to park herself on a dog bed and stay there while you eat or have visitors. She needs to ride calmly in a car, to stay away from your food, and...a few tricks to impress your friends wouldn't hurt either.

In addition, a good pet trainer needs to know how to apply the principles of training to new problems that crop up.

A good sport or working dog needs to be able to handle distractions, to stay focused on her performance, and to quickly and cheerfully learn new skills as you progress through the levels of your chosen sports 

This class is the "correct" choice for almost anyone who wants to develop their dog to her fullest potential; regardless of future career path!

School? Already? Will that be fun?

Oh my yes, little one! You have no idea how much fun we're going to have!

NOTE:  Class lecture materials are as originally prepared by Sue Ailsby who has now retired from active teaching.  Sue will not participate in any of the homework or discussion forums.  All class forum feedback will be handled by FDSA instructor Heather Lawson.

Teaching Approach

Lectures are released at the start of each week with the majority of lectures released within the first 4 weeks. The lectures are broken down by each skill; highlighting multiple parts.  Each lecture has the objective of the exercise, applications followed by written instructions, and video examples for each of the steps.  The videos are generally 1 to 2min long and show actual training sessions.  No voiceover is used during the video however, subtitle explanations are part of the video content. Homework summaries can be found at the end of lectures. 

Instructor: Sue Ailsby

Susan Finlay Ailsby (she/her) has retired from active teaching for FDSA.  She is a retired obedience and conformation judge.  She has been "in dogs" for 54 years, having owned and trained Chihuahuas, miniature pinschers, miniature longhaired dachshunds, Australian cattle dogs, miniature schnauzers, giant schnauzers, and Portuguese...(Click here for full bio and to view Sue's self-study courses)

Instructor: Heather Lawson

Heather Lawson (she/her) is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) and also a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), a CGN evaluator and a free-style judge.  She has been training dogs and their humans for more that 20 years after deciding that...(Click here for full bio and to view Heather's upcoming courses)