OB425: From TEAM to Trials: Building Chains for the Open Ring
Course Details
Obedience can be fun!! Even if you are just starting your journey and think that getting past novice sounds like a pipedream, you want to start this class! Get unstuck from the boring stuff in novice and start teaching your dog (and you!) just how joyful obedience can actually be.
Start a retrieve! (Stuck on the boring hold?! Come learn it a completely different way! No trying to click a 1/2sec longer than last time!)
Use cones and cookie tosses to teach an amazing drop on recall, and feel fancy while doing it!
Teach the foundations for the retrieve over the high before you even finish (or start!) your dumbbell work!
This class will teach you how to take your TEAM foundations skills in levels 1 & 2 and use those to dive into the open obedience exercises*. We'll use skills such as cone sends, backing up, and "reverse sends" to break down exercises that look complex and scary and make them very doable and fun!
This class welcomes students who have never set foot in a trial and don't know what the final picture looks like for each exercise, as well as students who are actively prepping for the ring and are struggling to problem-solve an exercise or just want it more polished!
You do not need to have taken the TEAM classes or be interested in the TEAM program to take this class. Take a look at the prerequisites to see if this class is right for you!
*Note: Heeling is not a topic in this class.
Look at all the fun stuff in this class!
Teaching Approach
Lectures are released at the start of each week. The lectures are broken down by each skill, often in multiple parts. I have written objectives and then written instructions for each step followed by multiple video examples for each step from dogs still learning the behaviors. The videos are usually between 30sec to 2min long and are taken from training sessions of a variety of dogs. I rarely use voiceover in videos, but if it is added I have added/edited subtittles. At the end of each lecture is a homework summary with the steps quickly summarized in order.
Laura Waudby (she/they) trains and competes in obedience, rally, and agility. She was halfway to her OTCH with her UDX corgi, Lance, before his uexpected early retirement. She also has championship titles in USDAA and UKI. By day...(Click here for full bio and to view Laura's upcoming courses)
Each week will discuss 2 open exercises (plus various other foundations) and how to use your TEAM foundations to finish building the formal chain. This is a front loaded class, meaning that most lectures will be published by week 3 of class in order to give people plenty of time to train what they want!
It's ok if you spend all 6 weeks on just the retrieve or whatever topic you want!
The Order of lectures is roughly as follows:
Week 1:
Backing up: Solidifying the backup cue
Reverse Sends
Command Discrimination: Building Distance & Reward Strategies
Command Discrimination: Fading the Prop
Command Discrimination: Adding the Walk Away & The Formal Chain
Retrieve 1: Building up to Lifting Object off the Ground
Retrieve 2: Lift off to an Informal Delivery
Retrieve 3: Hold
Retrieve 4: Hold & Hand Motion
Retrieve 5: The Formal Delivery
Week 2:
Backup in a down
Using Backing Up in Chains
High Jump: Teaching All the Angles Without a Retrieve
Drop on Recall: Introducing Motion
Drop on Recall: Combining Motion and Distance
DOR 3: Adding Formality
Week 3:
ROH 2: Jumping with a Dumbbell
Broad Jump 1: Introduction
Broad Jump 2: Adding Space & Encouraging Extension
Broad Jump 3: Independence from Handler Positions & Prop Discussion
Having gone through the TEAM foundations program is not a requirement for this class! Many of the exercises in this class (retrieves, broad jump, retrieve over the high) are started from step 1.
You also do not need to have a novice obedience title or even be close to starting trialing!! I highly recommend training for the open exercises well before you step foot in your first trial. It's way more fun to start all the foundation pieces at the start!
The following skills will be assumed to be started in these lectures. They don't need to be perfect!: You also do not need every skill started to join.
Finding front position with a platform
Sending around a cone at a distance
Position changes with a prop at a small distance (we can build from where you're at!)
Position changes in heel (prop is fine!)
Jumping a low jump without the handler moving
Stay while the handler walks away
Beginning understanding of a "zen bowl" cue- aka look to the handler for permission to be released to food in a dish. Ideally some "work" with the zen bowl on the ground such as doing a hand touch or other simple cue.
Backing up away from the handler, to a target
Supplies Needed:
Handlers do not need to work on every exercise in the class so all props are optional. However the following props will be discussed frequently in the lectures:
2 Cones or similar items the dog knows to send around
Dumbbell or any non-toy item the dog will be trained to retrieve such as a wooden dowel.
Foot targets or platforms the dog is used to performing position changes on
Zen bowl and/or food robot
Standard jump (Ok if not an official panel or high jump!)
Broad jump (instructions for building one out of PVC here!: If you don't have a broad jump you can follow instructions here (Sadly pictures are missing!)
Lots of stuff you can start in your living room such as retrieves, position changes, beginning drop on recall steps, backing up, and sending back behind them!
For the jump work (broad jump and "retrieve" over the high jump) and advanced stages of the drop on recall, you will want a space at least 8 x15, ideally bigger. Many students will work on these exercises just once a week and focus on other skills the remaining days.
This is part 1 of a 2 part lecture on the retrieve over the high (ROH) exercise.
Description
In the Open level, there is a retrieve over the high jump (ROH) where the dog will go over the jump to get the thrown dumbbell and then must come back over the jump to deliver it to the handler. The difficulty typically comes in when the dumbbell (db) isn’t thrown straight and the fastest path to the dumbbell or back to the handler would be going around the jump instead of taking it!
The typical formal exercise looks like this:
The handler can stand 8ft+ back away from the jump. The judge will order the handler to throw their db, and the handler can then verbal+signal their dog to stay before they toss the db over the jump. The db must land a minimum of 8ft past the jump. As long as it is still in the ring, the judge will not order a rethrow if it lands crooked. If it doesn’t go far enough, the judge will pick up the db and bring it back to the handler to try again (and the handler can briefly release the dog if needed during that time.)
With a good throw, the judge will order the handler to send their dog, upon which the handler will use a single verbal OR signal to cue the retrieve and must then remain silent with arms at their side until the dog returns with the db and fronts. The handler will wait until the judge cues the handler to take the db, and then orders the finish.
In these example videos with Zumi I swing my arm holding the db before the judge asks me if I’m ready because it was very hard for her to wait and this helped remind her to stay still!
The goal of this lecture is to teach the dog that taking the jump in both directions is important, no matter what angle they are starting from.
We will start this without a retrieve to teach the dog the importance of jumping without worrying about other criteria!
TEAM Skills Needed:
Jumping: Dog should send to the jump from a stay with the handler on the take off side of the jump, not moving.
Cone send and/or target send: This will be used in place of a retrieve item so you don’t have to focus on their retrieve skills. If you have started the TEAM 3.7 exercise (the target-jump-cone send and back over the jump), you have a huge jump start on this skill!
Retrieve to front (Although this skill will not be talked about in this lecture!)
Jump to Cone/Target
My favorite way to teach the skill of taking the jump in both directions is to use an item to send the dog out to. This can be a cone, a foot target/platform, or it can even be their zen bowl or food robot. This splits out the skill of learning to take the jump from the act of retrieving. I will use “target” in this lecture to refer to the object, but use whatever works best for your dog!
Stage 1: Jump to the chosen target
Start with a jump and place a "target" (cone, foot target, or zen bowl!) roughly 3-6ft past the jump. Use a low jump height as your focus is on sending on to the target, not the difficulty of the jump. The higher the jump is, the more distance you would need to place the target so that the dog doesn’t have to worry about landing on the target as they take the jump, or crashing into the jump on their return!
If you’re using an item like a foot target or a cone, you will want to stand past the jump, off to the side, at first before gradually moving yourself back towards the take off side of the jump. This will help prevent your dog from wrapping the jump standard.
You can start your dog either in a stay (on a target is fine!) or with a cookie toss behind them.
Here is Vito working on adding in the cone after the jump. Note on the first one he is actually correct in coming to me as I don't give him any additional cues! Sorry Vito for not realizing that! On the next two reps I use his "out" cue before he takes the jump and also help him with taking a step towards the cone.
This might be easier to use a food robot or their zen bowl as the dog should find it easier to move past you and continue on towards their reward.
Once they eat their cookie, send them back over the jump with another cookie toss behind you.
Jump to Target- (move back to landing side)
When your dog is starting to easily send to the target, move your position back to being on the take off side of the jump and towards the dog’s start position.
Here is Zumi working on this as I start even at the jump and start to move further back but still off to the side. This position also allows me to toss the reward so the dog takes the jump on the way back in order to get it!
Here is Ginny's first lesson with me working on moving back. At first I use my obvious treat hand to help her wrap the cone tight enough to take the jump. Since the cone is pretty close to the jump at this point she doesn't have to be that wide to miss it!
Work on increasing the distance of the cone/food bowl to roughly 6+ft past the jump. The closer you have the target, the lower the jump needs to be in order to not make the jump a physically difficult skill. While I generally practice this with a low jump regardless, I have it extra low if the cone is close!
If you’re using a food bowl, this should be easy to progress back to the dog’s starting point. As the dog eats their cookie, cue them to come back to you for a hand touch and then reward them again.
Stage 2: Around the Clock
At this stage you are going to start challenging your dog’s ability to take the jump in both directions. Previously the target has been placed at 12:00/straight on and the dog should have been consistently taking the jump in both directions.
Now you can start moving the target to the left and to the right of that center line. Think of a clock with your start position at 6:00, the jump in the middle of the clock, and your target will be slowly moved from 12:00 to 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, etc all the way until you reach roughly 2:30/almost even with the jump itself. Repeat this the other direction too, going backwards from 11:30 all the way to 9:30!
The target should be placed several feet away from the jump still, at least 6ft or more. If I have the space I like to do around 10-15ft away from the jump!
Keep in mind your dog’s natural turning direction! If they turn to their right/clockwise then the easier angles will be 9:30-noon as their turn won’t take them further away from the jump! When the angle gets further to the right just a little, their right turn has the potential to exaggerate it even more unless it’s a very tight turn.
If you are using a food robot/zen bowl, cue the dog to come back over the jump after they eat their cookie, and then reward that return over the jump!
Here Grace shows this with a cone. I have the jump very low here. Part of that is because I’m on concrete, but it really doesn’t matter that the jump is low as the focus is on finding the jump, not the height! The low jump also allows the cone to be closer to the jump which makes the send to the cone portion easier. Grace misses the jump at 1.08 and I attempt to direct her over it with my hands but Iom too late!
And Loot works this with a cone as well and a very low jump since the cone is still at 6ft. He carries a toy in his mouth as it prevents him from overthinking so much! By the end of the video is the cone is at a pretty big angle off camera and I use a small hand signal to help him. I dont' want to make it any harder until I don't feel I need that signal
If they are doing a cone send, you shouldn’t need to give any additional cue for the return to you, but it’s ok if you choose to do so!
And here Grace is doing it with a food robot! She struggles a bit with the return over the jump so I use some hand signals (my directed jumping signals!) and at one point I even have her wait in a sit by her robot so I can practice just that portion.
For most dogs, coming back over the jump will be the harder part. If you find that your dog easily takes the jump to go to the target, but needs help from you to get the return, progress slowly! You can also start each rep by walking your dog out to a setup spot (use a platform!) to have them wait while you return to your spot by the jump.
Here Grace shows starting from a platform. Without the added speed and disconnect during a turn around a cone or eating from a target, it’s a lot easier to get her start angle way off to the side!
Keep progressing to severe angles!! I don't do quite 3:00 and 9:00, but do work until at least 2:00 and 10:00 or even slightly harder!
Ginny shows a great example of a severe angle in her last rep here:
Overview
1. Work on jump to "target"- start on the landing side and move back to the starting side over several sessions if needed. Target can be a platform, a cone, or a zen bowl/food robot.
Once you're on the landing side, call the dog to come back to you for a hand touch after they take the jump and are at the "target"
2, Around the clock- gradually move the target of your choice from 12:00 (straight ahead) to different angles. Goal is to hit every angle from 9:30ish to 2:30ish!! Work both sides!
A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...
Laura is a great instructor who breaks things down into small bits then shows you the whole picture. I love that she has example videos with different dogs that have different learning styles. This class was great because it brought TEAM and Competitive Obedience together and showed how the TEAM program prepares you for Obedience in the ring. I feel more prepared to take our TEAM skills into the ring when I get the chance.
This is a great class. Laura’s lectures and many videos are easy to follow and packed with information. Laura gives very helpful feedback. She is an amazing coach and I would highly recommend this class.
This is an excellent class. Laura provides the requirements for each of the exercises in open obedience. She gives instruction and guidance to build each exercise from its beginning to ring-ready complete performance. She is kind and encouraging and has excellent ideas to help the individual student (both canine and biped) with their specific challenges. She is also knowledgable about each of the different obedience venues and its rules. We've been having a good, fun, and successful time in class and are both sad that its nearly over!
Loved this course! Materials were released in a way so that one could work on selected things at own pace. Laura’s feedback was detailed, encouraging and always super helpful - to the point that she made spontaneous videos or added content if questions raised. If you are ever planning on showing in open class or just want to learn or polish some new skills, this is your class.
Laura is amazing at breaking skills down into tiny pieces to keep the dogs successful and promote confidence while learning. Furthermore, she is exceptional at giving helpful feedback and finding creative solutions for a wide variety for dog handler teams.
This is an outstanding class. Laura's lectures were detailed but easy to understand, and her many video examples clearly demonstrated how to train each exercise whether your dog was a beginner or more advanced.
Laura breaks down things into small pieces as needed. I was able to make awesome progress for the exercises I chose for me to concentrate on.
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Instructor: Laura Waudby
