When I began training my first dog for obedience competition, I wanted to play the game but train using positive reinforcement. I quickly discovered that traditional methods weren’t for me.
Clicker trainers like me look at the problem completely differently. We break down skills into easily mastered bits and pieces that we then link into behavior chains to produce flashy heeling and snappy drops on recall.
So – I built a new training program from the ground up. The results are awesome. My dogs have competed successfully at the national level, earning High-in-Trial awards and advanced titles through several organizations. I’m proud that these strategies have transformed training for hundreds of teams, who also believe in the power of positive reinforcement and good training practices.
In Awesome Obedience: A Positive Training Plan for Competition Success, I lay out all the components to build the behaviors needed to go as far in obedience training as you want.
You’ll learn:
- How to create a happy, reliable partner using motivational games
- Where to put your efforts (hint: not in Fronts and Finishes)
- How the mechanics of exercises affect training
- How to fine-tune your dog’s arousal level for maximum performance
- How to train your dog to ignore ring distractions (like that judge following you around)
- How to train the critical, unscored transition portion of your performance between exercises
- Most of all, how to have a blast with your dog while you train
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