Course Details
Conformation classes usually involve a lot of walking around in circles, stopping, and showing your dog's teeth to somebody. That's fine as far as it goes, but what about all the skills the dog needs to show himself to his best advantage? Hand stacking, free stacking, shifting centre of gravity, giving attention and expression, gaiting, baiting, being comfortable with being examined - as well as incidental arts such as relaxing on the grooming table, sleeping quietly in a crate, and peeing on cue - these are skills that winners have.
If you're ready to teach your dog to show everybody the best he can be, this class is for you. This is NOT a showmanship class. The training here is for your dog. You've seen dogs in the ring who don't know why they're there, don't know what's going to happen next, and don't know why the judge is staring at them. And you've seen them lose. I can't guarantee that training your dog will make him win in the show ring, but I can guarantee that without training, you're wasting your time and money.
Nobody in any other dog sport would take an untrained dog in the ring. Why should you? It's called a dog SHOW, so go in there and show them what a well-trained, happy, confident dog looks like!
Registration
Registration is now closed.
Enrollment limits: Gold: 15 students, Silver: 25 students, Bronze: unlimited. If you are interested in bronze level, you can sign up any time during the registration period.
Class begins on June 1.
Syllabus
Brief Pre-Class Lessons:
Clicker Basics
Ring Rules
Structure And Movement
Type
Dogs Who Want To Be Touched
Dogs Who Don't Want To Be Touched
Teaching Stand
Teaching Comfort On The Table
Introduction:The Triple Threat - Focus, Stacking, and Gaiting.
Lesson 1 - FOCUS:The YES hand and the NO hand.
Lesson 1 - STACK:Hand stacking - holding the muzzle with no resistance.
Lesson 1 - GAIT:Leash Zen, moving off pressure.
Lesson 2 - FOCUS:Putting YES and NO hands together.
Lesson 2 - STACK:Hand stacking - moving the muzzle and the dog.
Lesson 3 - FOCUS: The YES floor and the thrill of the chase.
Lesson 3 - STACK: Hand stacking - moving and anchoring the front end.
Lesson 3 - GAIT: Pushing into pressure.
Lesson 4 - STACK: Hand stacking - moving and anchoring the back end.
Lesson 4 - GAIT: Meeting the lead.
Lesson 5 - FOCUS: The NO floor.
Lesson 5 - STACK: Free Stacking - inserting the carousel pole.
Lesson 6 - FOCUS: Close encounters of the judging kind.
Lesson 6 - STACK: Showing the bite.
Lesson 6 - GAIT: Teaching the Magic Circle - correct position, attitude, and attention.
Lesson 7 - STACK: Stepping forward on the arc.
Lesson 7 - GAIT: Leashing the Magic Circle
Lesson 8 - STACK: The Knick Flick, pulling forward, and personal space.
Lesson 8 - GAIT: Confility
Lesson 9 - FOCUS: Personal conversations with judges.
Lesson 9 - STACK: Balanced backing.
Lesson 9 - GAIT: Straight lines and diagonals.
Lesson 10 - STACK: Steering backwards and forwards into the stack.
Lesson 10 - GAIT: Uturns
Lesson 11 - STACK: Combining free and hand stacking.
Lesson 11 - GAIT: Review all behaviours
Lesson 12 - FOCUS: Review all behaviours
Lesson 12 - STACK: - Review all behaviours
