This week we started the second half of the Clicker Novice Obedience class. I am very impressed by the progress this class has made in just four weeks and I would stack them against a traditional training class for quality of performance any day. Their clicker timing has improved since the first class, but a few still have problems with where to deliver the treat.
This week I had my sheltie Casey present. The conformation class follows our class and it was a good chance to have someone else go over him. He was supposed to stay quietly in a crate chewing a rawhide as I taught class, but as we have not worked on that much and I wanted to be heard he got to be my demo dog. It actually worked out for the best because he is a bit further along than these dogs and the students got to see how a dog in training looks. (One of my students was telling her dog, "Watch Casey!")
Tonight was the first night the class did turns combined with straight line heeling. They did an L pattern and did very well. Casey and I demonstrated so they got to see when I clicked and treated him, and how I handled him getting out of position. The students did very nice turns, moved at a brisk pace, and overall did a pretty good job. We added some duration to the stand stay and I went over the dogs as they stood. Casey and I showed them what the exercise will look like from a handling point of view. This is the first time they got to see the return. We went over both the right (around) and left (swing) finish. I think it helped that I did have Casey to demo for this. After explaining what a finish was we worked on all the parts and backchained them. Casey and I demonstrated as I provided commentary. The class finished with group stays: two 30 second sits and two 30 second downs. The first of each handlers stood right in front of the dogs, the second of each the handlers were six feet away.
For next week I'd like to do stays off leash but still close, start the figure 8, introduce speed changes, and finish the recall exercise. Between now and the end of class I want to go over simple handling skills such as holding the leash and footwork. They may not be ready to step into the Obedience ring when we get through but I think they are better at the fifth week of class than the traditional classes I attended. I am thinking of encouraging them to enter our local Rally trial. They will have the basic skills for Rally Novice when we finish. Maybe I can schedule a "Rally sign" night before then.
Class graduates!!
My Novice Obedience Clicker class graduated Tuesday night and I am very pleased with them. I did a novice runthrough for each of them, minus the off leash heeling although I'd have loved to have done it. We did a shortened version of group stays. This was the first time any of those in class had done an obedience run-through and they did very, very well. I don't know how many will continue but I have hopes.