Dog Days Training Association
Course Descriptions
Dog Days Policies
All classes are taught using positive reinforcement and a clear understanding of
how dogs learn (Operant Conditioning).
Focus is always on building a strong relationship based on leadership,
trust, and cooperation.
Class sizes are small so everyone gets lots of individual attention.
Puppy Kindergarten
Beginning
Companion Obedience
Canine
Good Citizen Prep
This is an intermediate level class. There are four weeks of practice
on the CGC test elements with eht test given on week five. Your dog
should be very prepared and almost ready to test before attending the
class.
The CGC skills are:
Prerequisites: Dog should be very prepared with the required CGC skills
before attending the class.
This class is focused on polishing those skills in
preparation for passing the CGC test which is given on week 5 of the class.
Dogs must be be people and dog friendly and under control on leash.
Freestyle Dancing with your Dog
Leah began Freestyle over eight years ago, and has competed with her
Australian Shepherd, Flare. She is well known and liked in the Pacific
Northwest Freestyle community, and is teaching this class in response to
numerous requests from Freestyle enthusiasts.
Some of the moves taught in the class will be circling, weaving, walking
between the legs and turns. How to pick music for you and your dog to
dance to will be discussed also. Advanced choreography and private
lessons available.
Prerequisites: Dogs must demonstrate basic obedience skills including
heeling, attention, and the ability to work around other people and dogs
off leash.
Timid dogs or dogs who react
aggressively to other dogs nearby or people are not appropriate for this
class.
Feisty
Fido
Prerequisites: Before enrolling, interested handlers will
individually communicate with the instructor to determine whether the
class is appropriate for them and their dogs. This class is not
appropriate for dogs with significant fear of or aggression toward
humans.
Feisty
Fido 2
Prerequisites:
Admission is by instructor approval, and class size is
limited.
Beginning
Therapy Dog
Characteristics incompatible with being a therapy dog:
Class descriptions:
Practice the canine and human skills needed to take a therapy dog
program evaluation. Exercises are based on those used in the Delta
Society's Pet Partner program. This class will also discuss the
practical issues involved with being a therapy team.
Participating dogs must have passed, or be ready to take, the AKC Canine
Good Citizen test and be friendly, people-oriented, enjoy petting, be
tolerant of strange sounds, smells and unusual human behavior and be
able to remain calm and focused in a distracting environment.
Start Smart Pre-Agility
You've seen agility and, wow!, does it look like fun! Maybe you'd like to
give it a try but you don't know where to get started. This class is
designed for those new to the sport and those who want to start their young
dogs out right.
Objectives:
Have fun with your dog! Learn the basics of the sport. Develop
the foundation skills needed for success in a beginning agility class.
Those skills include:
Prerequisites:
Rally
Obedience
Distractions!
This is an intermediate level class, designed to prepare your dog for
more real life experiences. This is not a class designed for people
doing competition obedience. The class is customized for the people and
dogs attending each five week session. Each week there are distractions
which test the wits, curiosity, and fortitude of the dogs enrolled. The
distractions consist of at least one sight, one sound, one textural or
surface, and one auditory distraction per class. Every week the
distractions get more difficult, but within the reach and reason of the
class.
Prerequisites: Dogs should be at least 5 months old, 6 months is
preferred. They should have comppleted a Beginning Obedience class
from Dog Days, CJ's, or Happy Go Lucky, or consent of the instructor.
Dogs must be people and dog friendly and under control on leash.
Tricks and Games!
Tricks are taught by luring, shaping, and capturing, and clicker
training technology is used.
Prerequisites: Dogs should be at least 5 months old, 6 months is
preferred. They should have comppleted a Beginning Obedience class
from Dog Days or Happy Go Lucky, or consent of the instructor.
Dogs must be people and dog friendly and under control on leash.
Small Breed Dog
Class
No baby woogums, shivering wrecks or armpit piranhas in this group --
we're fun, happy, brave, and bright! And we can walk on the ground!
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Competition
Obedience
(Association of Pet Dog Trainers) combines elements from basic obedience
training, competition obedience, free style dance and agility. Prepare
for competition or just have fun learning new moves with your dog.
You will learn how to teach your dog all the unique moves required to do
well for rally (such as quick left pivots and sidesteps) and get comfortable
with the signs so as to be able to perform a fast and smooth rally course.
Prerequisites: Novice Competition obedience. Your dog must know some
heeling, fronts and finishes, and pay good attention to her handler around
distractions.
Flyball
Prerequisites:
Flyball is not suitable for dogs with significant aggression toward
or fear of dogs or humans, for dogs with serious sound phobias, for
significantly overweight dogs, or for dogs with certain veterinary/
orthopedic issues (feel free to email instructor to see if your dog
is a good candidate, even if you are not sure).
Clicker Basics
Prerequisites: No training prerequisites, but dog must be at least 12 weeks
old and current on all shots.
Objectives: Build a strong relationship with your new puppy based
on trust and cooperation. Puppy classes are an indispensable foundation
for the rest of your dog's life. All training is gentle and fun, and
you will learn how to help your puppy blend into your family.
Topics include:
Objectives: Build a strong relationship with your dog based on trust
and cooperation. The dogs learn self control and good manners in a fun
atmosphere. A clicker is used to enhance efficient communication
between dog and owner. Skills include:
Prerequisites: Dogs should be at least 4 months old at the first class.
Limited to 8.
Objectives: This class strengthens the dog-owner bond by increasing
communication skill and practicing the behaviors required to pass the
AKC's 10-step CGC test (given on the last week of class).
The American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen program is open to all
dogs regardless of breed (or mix) and is designed to educate and reward
dogs to have good manners at home and in the community.
Taught by Leah Atwood
Objectives: This class will teach handlers management, handling and
training techniques to reduce reactive and aggressive behavior by
their dogs toward other dogs, especially while on leash. Group
sessions will be combined with private sessions with each dog/handler
team. Handlers will learn how to identify aggression triggers and
discern their dogs' body language in trigger situations. They will
receive coaching in teaching their dogs to relax around triggers, and
will learn techniques for improving their relationships with their
dogs to help enable their dogs to relax. The first class meeting
will be without dogs.
Objectives:
Feisty Fido 2 is only for graduates of the Feisty
Fido class at Dog Days. It is intended for dogs who have made
progress in the first class, but could still use some more practice
before taking walks in the park or mainstreaming into regular group
classes.
"Ideal" therapy dogs are friendly, greet people politely, enjoy being
petted, have good obedience skills, remain calm in unusual environments,
are unworried by unpredictable people and tolerate being thoroughly
groomed frequently.
Shy, afraid of some kinds of people, sound/noise sensitive, sensitive to
hard or clumsy touching, don't like people, don't like being groomed or
greets people too enthusiastically - cannot keep feet on the floor or tongue
in the mouth when greeting, is very stimulated by new environments, cannot
follow basic obedience commands when stimulated or
possessive of people, objects or environment, ever trained to use mouth
for bite-work, aggressive to any person or other dog.
Special Note: We will not be jumping in this class or learning to perform
the agility obstacles. Obstacle work will be for the purpose of getting the
dogs comfortable on various pieces of equipment.
Objectives: The newest sport offered by the AKC and the APDT
Objectives: If your dog already knows the basic exercises -- sit/stay,
down/stay, come, walking on leash or heeling -- but needs more proofing on
distractions, this class is for you. Many people will say that their dogs
know how to
obey at home, but when they are in the veterinarian's office, the park, the
competition rign, or out on a walk around the neighborhood, its a different
story. This is the class that will help your dog understand that these
commands still apply in the face of more enticing opportunities.
Limited to 8.
Objectives: This is an intermediate class for you and your dog.
You will learn to teach your dogs at least three new tricks and play
three games per week. All the classics are here (shake, crawl, roll
over, play dead, etc), plus some new fancy tricks. The games are a blast
for everyone! If you have a trick request please speak up (WOOF!).
Limited to 8.
Objectives: "I wanna be a real dog, dang it!"
This is a beginning level obedience class. The goal of this class
is to teach owners and their small dogs to be
confident, aware, prepared, polite, and talented. We want to show off
our dogs to theier best advantage and be the best they can be. Plus we
want to blow apart the expectations of others who think little dogs
can't do anything!!
Limited to 8.
Objectives: These classes prepare you and your dog to compete in
AKC/UKC obedience trials. Dog and handler work as a team to earn titles
by performing a series of obedience exercises. Each team is judged on
accuracy, precision and enjoyment as they perform the exercises
individually. Classes are offered for all levels;
Novice, Open and Utility.
Novice:
Prerequisites: None for novice. Novice classes are limited to 8;
Open/utility classes are limited to 6.
Objectives:
Flyball is a fun, intense sport for dogs of all breeds and
mixes. Not just for dogs who love tennis balls, flyball is wonderful
for dogs who like to run, jump and tug, and for many dogs who need a
job. The class is a
mix of all levels and will introduce jumping, the flyball course,
foundations of a proper box turn, and handling skills.
Objectives: You will learn to the fundamentals of
clicker training (positive reinforcement training using a clicker).
This class will also help you to:
The clicker training principles you will learn can be applied to other types
of training, including all types of dog sports as well as service dog work.
If you're new to clicker training, or if you've tried the method but don't
feel you understand it very well, this workshop is for you!