Anytime I get frustrated that I can't find a training class for what I want, I end up teacihing a class.
So it was that I volunteered to teach a clicker novice obedience class for my club while preparing Casey, my first clicker-from-scratch sheltie, to enter the obedience and rally rings. I've trained obedience using traditional methods; I'm a fairly experienced clicker trainer; I'm willing to teach the class.
The response was greater than I expected and eight students signed up for the class. All but one had done clicker training for less than a year, and all but that one had no experience with competition obedience. They are enthusiastic and willing to learn. The class is scheduled to go eight weeks and in that time my goal is to have the dogs doing all AKC novice obedience exercises fairly well. Secondarily I'll teach the owners some handling skills as we go along and help with clicker training skills as they crop up. I plan on tossing some novice rally skills in there too along the way since I think rally is an excellent way to practice obedience skills.
The first night we worked on tucked sits, heel position, sit at heel, sit at front, and captured stands. I want to keep luring to a minimum, but given the experience level of my students I think we will need to do some. Most of them come from our pet classes where a lot of luring is used, so I will really need to help some of them fade lures as we go along.
The second night followed two weeks later due to a snowstorm that dropped a record 12.5" on us. Began duration work on sits and downs, biggest problem as usual is to keep people close to the dogs. Everyone wants to step away. We worked on fronts and I suggested that they start deciding on a cue that they would use for their recall command. Practiced heeling across the ring, requring the dogs to be closer to owners. Really pushed rewarding the dogs in the heel position. Worked on turns; right, left, about, U. We're working on them separately, clicking as the dog is in the turn. We worked more on stands. I showed how a stand could be lured or targeted. We also did our first group stays. I had everyone line up across one side of the ring and we did a 3 second sit and down stay with handler's beside their dogs. For some of these dogs this is a big step.
I'm hoping most of the class will want to continue once the eight weeks is over. I'm taking notes so we can offer this class again. Who knows, maybe it will become a regular class!
Update on Clicker Novice Obedience Class--week 4
We had our fourth clicker obedience class Tuesday night and I must say I am very impressed with these people. They pay attention and they work hard; it shows in class. Heeling in a straight line is going marvelously and we added an about turn to it. We used some Rally exercises-the spirals to practice turns. They did so well that we did the serpentine-and I had them do it off leash! Everyone was nervous about that, this was our first off leash exercise but they did very well. We did stands with me doing the exam, a few are still using a lure for the stand and a few use a hand target. We did angle fronts. We started adding a bit of distance to the group stays. Every class begins with some attention work. We take about a minute to capture, then a minute to use a lure or noise to get it. Finally I walk around the ring being a progressively worse distraction, this week I was swinging around a hula hoop and whooping a little. The students are to regain their dog's attention and c/t it. I told them about Leslie McDevitt's Look at That game and we may do some of that too.
Also I've had two people who are not in this class ask when the next one will be. :)