Course Details
Most dogs know how to do the exercises. They even have a foundation in engagement. But when they compete, things often fall apart. Competition requires another level of engagement. Dogs must maintain engagement while performing a complex series of behavior chains. Many distractions at trials are unpredictable and cannot be replicated in training. It’s impossible to prepare for every eventuality.
In this class you will learn to bring your dog’s engagement to another level. I will teach you how to get and maintain engagement from the beginning to end of every exercise. We will work on teaching your dog the concept of generalizing engagement. You will learn how to get engagement outside the ring, during your ring entrance and transitions. The goal is for your entire run to be connected and engaged. We will look at implementing skills that will help you regain engagement should you lose it in the ring. We will use a number of games as well as shaping, tricks and offering. I will provide you with a variety of techniques so you can choose what works best for your dog.
To succeed in this course your dog should have a basic understanding of engagement. It’s also recommended that you go to different locations with distractions (can be stores, parks, training buildings, etc.). Whether you are starting out on your training journey, or your dog is a seasoned competitor, this course will bring your dog’s engagement to the next level!
Teaching Approach:
Instructor: Petra FordPetra (she/her) graduated from Rutgers School of Health Related Professions 17 years ago with a degree in physical therapy and has experience working with an extremely varied caseload including pediatric through geriatric clients with a vast range of diagnoses. Her areas of expertise included in-patient rehabilitation, orthopedics and neurology. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)
