Can You ‘Here’ Me Now?
Good!
Developing a dependable recall with your dog opens new doors for adventure and gives you an added layer of safety everywhere you go.
Join us at Chasin’ Tails for this two-class workshop where we will explore the fundamental steps to teaching your dog a recall that will work!
We will focus on the following in this short course:
- Connection to handler independent of a leash: Teaching your dog to auto-check (i.e., offer attention) despite distractions, as well as teaching them a specific cue for attention.
- Precision recall behavior: Using the foundation skill of a nose-touch target to your presented hand, your dog will understand that their recall cue means to come right to you and stick around.
- Lowering response time and building speed: You don’t want a recall that dilly-dallies! You want an immediate response and speed, especially for an emergency recall.
- Layering in distractions to your emergency recall behavior: Once a behavior is learned, the only thing left to do is to proof your new behavior to distractions. You’ll learn how to layer in distractions (mild, moderate, to high) in a controlled environment.
- Putting it all together: Using all foundation skills, auto-check-ins, auto-recalls, learn how to handle your dog in an off-leash space with distractions.
Our certified trainers teach using only the most humane and up to date methods. Dogs must be wearing a harness with a six-foot leash. No choke collars, prongs collars, or Flexi-leashes in the classroom. Please bring a variety of bite-sized treats, a mat for your dog to lie on, and something for your dog to do between turns (i.e., a stuffed Kong.)
Classes run for 2 weeks and each session is 1.5 hours long. Proof of up-to-date vaccinations and payment are required upon registration.
“Walk ‘This Way’”
Loose leash walking is very often the most challenging behaviour to teach your dog. It’s built upon a number of foundation behaviours in a dog’s repertoire. Moreover, all the smells, sights, and sounds of the environment present a challenge, since environment impacts behaviour.
Join us at Chasin’ Tails for this two-class workshop where we will go over the shaping process involved in teaching your dog to walk with you!
We will focus on the following in this short-course:
- Teaching connection to handler in any environment: Leslie McDevitt Pattern Games, which are built upon name attention. Group exercise at individual stations.
- Learn the Cue “Follow”: Built on the foundation behaviour of nose touch targeting, your dog will learn to follow a moving target (i.e., the hand by your side). Group exercise at individual stations, with rotating between stations.
- Walk “This Way” Straight Path: Introduction of the verbal cue to walk close to you using the “Follow” foundation behaviour – first off- leash, then dropped leash, then with leash handling. Single then two working Teams in the training space at a time.
- Walk “This Way” Variable Path: Circle work, adding about-turns and 180-degree pivots to your loose leash walking skills. Single then two working Teams in the training space at a time.
- Long-Line Handling and Sniffy Walks: Loose leash walking isn’t all about walking close to your side; you want to stimulate your dog mentally by allowing them to sniff and explore the environment…but without face-planting you! Using an appropriate long-line, you’ll learn how dogs perceive a slide or slow-stop as a tactile cue to turn back to you, so you can amble along pacing yourself to their investigation. Also discussed is how to use the Sniffy Walk to reward the Close “This Way” loose leash walk and the long-line handling skills needed to alternate between the two. Single Team in the training space at a time.
What you’ll need for class:
- Your dog in a harness with shoulder freedom.
- Standard 6 foot (or 1.8 metres) walking lead.
- Appropriate long-line (i.e., Mendota 15-foot-long line ½ inch thickness for large breeds, 3/8 inch for smaller breeds). Flexi-leashes are not permitted.
- Bring plenty of food reinforcers. Some of the behaviours are dynamic so something they can gobble readily while on the move (soft, such as real meat or cheese) is recommended.
- Treat pouch.
Prerequisites (all students must have completed one or more of the following):
– Chasin’ Tails’ “Elementary Manners” class
– Chasin’ Tails’ “Elementary Manners Teen- Edition” class
– Chasin’ Tails’ “Can You ‘Here’ Me Now?” Recall workshop
– An otherwise approved introductory manners with a marker/reward methodology and foundation behaviours (please contact us by e-mail at [email protected] prior to registration to ensure that your previous training meets the requirements of this workshop.)
Key foundation behaviours in the workshop will be name attention, nose touch targeting (i.e., “touch”), reliable recall, and basic impulse control (i.e., leave it).