Here are some examples of the seminars they have already presented.
Others can be customized to meet the needs of your students.
Full Day Seminars / Workshops:
Introduction to Agility / Essential Foundation
for Puppies and Young dogs
This is a two part seminar. It is our preference to hold this seminar over 2 mornings to give the puppies a rest, but it could also be offered as a full day seminar (6 hours).
This seminar is newly designed to give you as much information and as many ideas possible about essential training for your new young agility hopeful.
Part one (3 hours) will focus on helping you to create a thinking dog, one who is ready and eager to learn and focus and have fun with you. We will also begin to look at essential ground work for agility.
Part two (3 hours) will continue with ground work and begin to discuss introduction of obstacles. No jumping will be required, but we will discuss how / when to begin jump training with your puppy and try to address the oft-asked questions - "What do I do next? When do I start to train formally? etc."
Which Cross When / Course Analysis – Starter / Novice level
Walking the course and trying to determine which cross to use at which
point can be daunting – especially when there is so much conflicting
advice! We feel that there are no absolute rules that will fit every
dog and handler. So, use this seminar to help you to decide which
cross is best for YOU and YOUR DOG in any given situation. We will walk, run and discuss choices in a variety of short sequences and a full course.
Patterns in Agility – Novice level
This seminar will help teach your dog to recognize and be able to work
basic agility patterns independently. It will help you, the handler,
to recognize these basic patterns when walking the course and will
help take some of the uncertainty out of running the courses at
trials. We will look specifically at pinwheels, double boxes and serpentines. More detailed work on any of the patterns can be arranged on request.
Course Analysis and Handling – Masters / Excellent level
Course handling, including tightening turns, for Masters / Excellent
level dogs and handlers. Work on challenging sequences and handle sequences in a variety of ways to find out: Which is faster? Do I have all the necessary skills? How can I make this clearer to my dog?
Weave Workshops - Start to Finish
This workshop goes into the process of teaching weaves from start to finish. Practical work will include introducing dogs to the weave channel, closing the channel and proofing entries. We will demonstrate how to achieve independence and drive through the weaves from the earliest stages through to the proofing stages.
Three-Hour Seminars / Workshops:
Think on Your Feet – Masters / Excellent or Open / Advanced levels
Ever discovered that you are not quite where you planned to be when
running your course at an agility trial or in training? Then this is
the seminar for you. You will have lots of fun gaining the confidence
to literally "Think on Your Feet" as unpredictable situations are
presented to you throughout the session.
Rear Cross Revealed
Have you ever experienced your dog or seen others mysteriously turn completely in the wrong direction when you were least expecting it? Has your dog ever turned the wrong way when you were on course?
Perhaps something like this: [just click on the play button below for a short video clip]
This seminar will highlight the real reasons that some of your dogs just do not seem to read this signal clearly and how to teach it so that it is more clear to your dog.
The Front Cross
Learn where to cross and when you should do it. We'll address common problems and concerns, such as: why does it matter where I put the front cross? What is a positional cue?
Weave Workshops - multiple levels
This workshop can be tailored to the needs of the group.
You might wish to book a 3 hour workshop to include 1 hour for each of
the following or focus on one or two particular areas. If you wish to
hold a session on trouble shooting, this could also be arranged.
For complete beginners (1 hour)
A short discussion of the methods available to teach weaves and
a fuller explanation of the method we teach. Practical work will
include introducing you and your dog to the weave channel. We will
show you how to achieve independence and drive through the
weaves from the earliest stages.
Moving On (1 hour)
This session will be purely practical using the above method to
continue to build on your skills. We will adjust the width of the
channel according to the needs of each dog / handler team and
address any problems you may be having as we go along.
Advanced (1 hour) - weave entries
This session will be for those whose dogs already weave uprights and
we will focus purely on teaching the dog to enter the weaves
independently.
Contacts /Tables Workshops - multiple levels
This workshop can be tailored to the needs of the group.
You might wish to choose from the following. A session on trouble
shooting could also be arranged.
For complete beginners (1 hour)
A short discussion of the methods available to teach contact and a
fuller explanation of the method we usually teach (2o2o). Practical
work will include target work, shaping rear end awareness and how
this is applied to the end of contact behavior. How we encourage
independence from the beginning.
Moving On (1 hour)
This session will be purely practical. We will work with dog / handler
teams to help them to improve their current contact performance.
Advanced (1 hour)
This session is for those who consider that their dogs have reliable
contacts and need proofing. Not for the feint hearted!
Basic Boxes –
As with the seminar above, this seminar looks at some of the limitless
training drills that can be practiced using the basic box and double
box patterns. Once again, front crosses, rear crosses, layering,
straight lines etc. will be among the possibilities.
Serpentines and Threadles
This seminar will give you a variety of ways to handle these
combinations. It will also help you to recognize less obvious
serpentines on the course.
Know all the Obstacles? Now what?
Learn how to begin sequencing in a logical and consistent way so your dog will understand your signals and what they mean so you achieve more fast, clean runs.
The What, Why and How of Clicker Training
Discover what clicker training is, why it works and how you can use it to better communicate with your dog. With this introduction to clicker training seminar, you'll find out about the endless possibilities of clicker training while gaining several insights into how dogs learn.
Learn the science of clicker training and get a chance to practice the mechanical skills necessary to make you successful in your training. Watch live demos in action and see why commercial animal trainers have been using this type of training for years. Whether you have a puppy or a senior dog, you'll leave with the basic principles and skills to get started clicker training right away.
Troubleshooting with the Clicker
Gain more confidence and understanding of clicker training from the only trainer in North Carolina who is a certified Karen Pryor Academy Training Partner. You’ll learn some more advanced clicker training skills including:
• When to add a cue
• How to increase the speed of behavior
• What to do when things go wrong
• How to improve your timing
• Why some dogs “throw” behaviors and how to establish control of
your dog’s behaviors• How to cut down on your training time
• How training can be fun and effective
In addition to lecture and demos, this seminar will offer more opportunities for practical experience clicker training your dog.
* All seminars and workshops can be presented at a level to suit your students. Please discuss your needs on booking.
Prices:
Three-hour seminar for $400. Full day (six-hour seminar) for $800 plus
travel, food and accommodation expenses. Travel is charged at 40 cents
per mile. $200 non-refundable deposit due upon booking. 50%
non-refundable seminar fee due two months prior to seminar date.
