OBEDIENCE WITH ELLEN

 

  FROM  AKC® OBEDIENCE REGULATIONS CHAPTER 2  REGULATIONS  FOR PERFORMANCE  AND JUDGING STANDARDS  AND  PROCEDURES  Section  1. Standardized  Judging.    The Obedience  Regulations are the basic guide to judging but do not contain explicit  directions for every possible situation and only list the more common and serious faults.  They clearly define the exercises, their order and the standards  by which they  are to be judged.  If a decision  depends on the exact  wording of the Obedience  Regulations,  the  judge  is  expected  to  look  up  the  specific regulation  prior to making the decision.  Standardized  judging  is of paramount  importance.  Judges are not permitted  to inject their own variations  into the exercise  but will see that each handler and dog perform the various exercises e...

 AKC® OBEDIENCE REGULATIONS CHAPTER 2 Regulations for Performance and Judging  Section 18. Heel Position.   The heel position as defined in these regulations applies whether the dog is sitting, standing, lying down or moving at heel.  The dog should be at the handler’s left side straight in line with the direction the handler is facing.  The area from the dog’s head to shoulder is to be in line with the handler’s left hip.  The dog should be close to but not crowding its handler so that the handler has freedom of motion at all times.   Section 19. Hands and Arms.   The Heel on Leash and Figure Eight exercise specifically states that the hands must be in a natural position but do not require that  they  be  at  the  handler’s  side  while  heeling  on leash.  On the other hand, no judge should consider that a handler is unnatural just because they do not perform with the hands and arms in the same p...

AKC® OBEDIENCE REGULATIONS CHAPTER 16 BEGINNER NOVICE  OPTIONAL TITLING CLASS   (Established  July 1, 2010)  Section 1. Beginner Novice Class.   The Beginner Novice classes are optional  titling  classes that  may  be  offered  by clubs  at  obedience  events.  If eligible as defined in these regulations, dogs entered in Beginner Novice A or Beginner Novice B may also be entered  in any other obedience  classes.  At the listed start time for the class, a walkthrough of up to 10 minutes will be allowed  for handlers without their dogs.  The judge must be available  in the ring during this period to brief the handlers and answer any questions they may have.  This  class may  be  judged  by  anyone  approved  to  judge  Novice obedience  classes.  Section 2. Beginner Novice  A Class.   The Beginner  Nov...

AKC® OBEDIENCE REGULATIONS CHAPTER 16  BEGINNER NOVICE OPTIONAL TITLING CLASS  (Established  July 1, 2010)   Section 6. Heel on Leash.    The principal  feature of this exercise is the ability  of the dog and handler to work as a team.  The orders are: “Forward” and “Exercise  Finished.”  Rally  signs will  be  used  for this  exercise  and  will  be  placed  to  the  right of the  handler’s  path  except  for those  indicating  a  change  in  direction, in which case the sign will be directly  in front of the team  to aid in that change.   The  “Start”  sign,  while  not  required,  may  be  used  to  signify  the starting  point for the heel  on leash exercise.  Signs  to be used are “Right turn,” “Left turn,” “About turn,” “Slow,” “N...

 

 One of the great exercises in the Beginner Novice Class is the Stay and Walk Around the Room! Put your dog on a sit stay and start by calmly returning, Marking and Paying. Walk around your dog in a big circle, get back into heel position and Mark/Pay! Put a treat behind the dog's tail. Tell him to stay step out -- Mark the Stay and Pay by releasing to the treat. Go to a store with your dog. Just do one Sit/Stay -- not asking too much -- step in front, return and Mark and Pay! Don't overdo it -- just let him know things are good when you work as a team.

 I highly recommend each of you attending this Seminar. Connie Cleveland is a highly respected trainer. I started with her taking regular lessons in 2014. She has a common sense approach to everything. She's funny. She's smart. And she communicates well. I've never seen a better teacher. CONNIE CLEVELAND - Connie will share with the participants her proven methods of systematically teaching each skill and technique at every competitive level while also injecting fun into the process.  Her discerning eye for detail will motivate you to elevate your standards of training to bring out the very best in your dog! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a seminar right here at Cape Fear Dog Training Club. The Two-Day Working Spot is $195. Auditing is $125. Here is the flyer -- Questions, contact Roberta Pylate , or call her at 910-987-1936

    This is called "Brick Work." But we actually use an upside down rubber bowl. These can be purchased at  Tractor Supply This trick will teach our dogs to do a Left Turn without tripping the handlers! The finished product will be a dog who's front feet stay still, while his back feet cross step.  

 

  MORNING! Many of you told me previously that you were unable to come to the first week of class. AS A REMINDER, starting with the coming Saturday, September 25, 2021, we are switching our sessions to MORNING for the remainder of this session : 9 AM: BEGINNER NOVICE Tracy West & Bri Robin Brown & Kiss Sally Peace & Maisie Robbie Sternlicht & Alenka Tanya Bowen & Taser Rebecca Rodan & Roo 10 AM: NOVICE Tracy West & Melman Tanya Bowen & Clive Anita Adcock & Levi Robbie Sternlicht & Slava Ginny Wuss & Yuri Kelly Davis & Gallagher 11 AM: OPEN INTRO Tracy West & Lexi Tanya Bowen & Jet Andrea Pogue &   As a reminder, the remaining class dates: September 25 October 2 October 9 October 16 October 23

 It's an ongoing challenge!!! When working with a larger dog, anchor your leash with the right hand, while guiding with the left. The closer your left hand comes to the collar, the more control! If the big dog forges, slide the left hand down and pop upward (not back) If he gets too close, slide the hand down and push outward. When working with a smaller dog, hold leash in your left hand, holding it straight down. You can maneuver from a finger or your pinky (as though you are reining).

 We start by putting a cookie in your left hand and allowing your dog to get into position. BRIBING v. REWARD The video above is an example of Luring or Bribing. STAGE 1: We are shaping the dog's activity through the lure - but to the dog, it is all about "chasing the cookie." This is NOT natural. We are asking them to walk with their heads up.  Once you believe your dog understands that in order to get the reward, he has to follow the reward it is time to to the cookie in your left hand against your body. STAGE TWO:  TAKE THE FOOD OUT OF YOUR LEFT HAND POP FOR ATTENTION. Heel Slowly. As the dog is in position, say good, good. Good will come to mean that he is correct, and that he should continue to do what he's doing. The MOMENT he looks away, POP to attention. And the MOMENT he looks back at you, praise effusively GOOD ( this is VERY important ).  MARK AND PAY = Positive Marker then Reach for Reward, then GIVE reward.  In the beginning, he will get paid more ...

  A TRAINING SESSION WITH JUSTICE We started with the intention of doing chute fronts, and soon saw an opportunity to enhance his knowledge of: Straight Fronts Positive Markers Negative Markers Attention / Focus Want To & Have To We set up the chutes because it is a good way to get straight fronts just the way you want them in the ring, with the dog seeing the same picture he will in the ring: You facing him  Your hands are not moving Hands at your side. Chutes can be utilized to make the dog take responsibility for his own fronts, as opposed to you guiding him with subtle and not-so-subtle cues. The equipment is two broad jump boards. I will reduce the size of the equipment as Justice progresses. Do you have any questions or comments? Use the comment section! Happy training! Ellen

  Who doesn't love a great toy? There are so many options out there -- check out K9 Design's site I use a combination of Toys, Treats (usually string cheese, but sometimes my Doggy Crack - recipe to come) and lots of praise when I train.  There's a lot that I LOVE about training with toys. The stakes are HIGHER!  Dog tries HARDER High Drive Dogs get tired. . . and it can be great for conditioning. It can take the place of luring, depending on body placement. And THIS is why I love using Magnet Toys. But like everything else good in life, there are also RULES: It is MY toy, not theirs. It is only used when we are training. It is not their chew toy. Dog not allowed to grab the toy until I give him his command or a positive marker. Avoid being bitten! Hold the toy in a way that the dog has PLENTY of room to grab it. Then give the cue (yes, ok, get it or whatever you wish). Tug for short periods (many of us don't wish to be in traction). Hold the collar tab or the leash at ...