Sydney All Breeds Dog Training Club
Level 1
After Beginners Level
The owner uses clear hand and/or voice cues. The owner uses treats and luring instead of leash pressure. Dog performs behaviour on the first command.• "Watch Me"• Sit (hold for 3 seconds)• Down (hold for 3 seconds)• Stand (hold for 3 seconds)
• Heeling pattern with Right About Turn (180 degrees)
• Recall on a leash, the owner runs backwards, the dog sits in front of the owner
Level 2
After Level 1
• Heeling pattern with Right and Left About Turns; Right and Left (90 degrees) turns; halts with sit, down, and stand.• Recall from 6 metres (tester may hold dog's leash) with the front finish.
• Sit stay, end of the leash, 10 seconds• Down stay, end of the leash, 10 seconds• Stand stay, end of the leash, 10 seconds• "Leave it" food offered by handler 50cm away.
Level 3
After Level 2
• Heeling pattern with Right and Left About Turns; Right and Left turns; fast, normal, and slow paces; halts with sit, down, and stand.• Recall (dog in sit-stay), 5 metres, front finish and return to heel• Sit stay, 5 metres, 30 seconds, owner returns around dog• Down stay, 5 metres, 30 sec., owner returns around dog• Stand stay, end of the leash, 15 sec., owner returns around the dog
• "Leave it" food placed on the ground by the handler, 50cm away.
Advanced
Competition Level - 9:00 a.m. Class
Competition obedience is a precision sport where the handler and dog do a series of standard exercises as directed by a judge. Handlers are not allowed to speak to their dog’s other than to give each command (heel, stand, down, stay, etc). As a club member, you have an opportunity to help out or just come and watch at our September Obedience Trials; and see the wonderful bond between dog and handler working as a team.
Ready to start ?
Enrolment on First Sunday of the month
Basic Principles
Training your dog requires a good deal of persistence.
Here are some dog training tips to help guide you.
Get your dog's full attentionBefore you can start the actual physical process of training your dog, you must first ensure that you have his full and undivided attention. This is vitally important.
Be generous with your praise and rewardsAlways praise your dog a lot when she/he succeeds in mastering a new behaviour. For quicker results, tasty food treats and/or toys can be used as a reward. see high value treats
Clear signals and tone of voiceAlways use the same "cue" for a specific task you require of your dog. Don’t confuse your dog by using different cues for the same behaviour. Hand cues should be used at the same time as the voice cue to help your dog understand.
The tone of your voice is very important and should be "happy" and encouraging.
TimingTiming is critical to successful training. Praise your dog whenever he/she is doing something right. The praise or reward must happen immediately or your dog will not know which action earned the reward.
Be consistentEvery interaction with your dog is a learning experience, not just what you do in class, so consistency is very important for successful training.
Once you’ve established a rule such as not jumping up on people or coming when called, you must, enforce it consistently. If the dog learns that he/she can get away with it now and then, your previous efforts will go down the drain.
Do not give a cue you can't enforce as you just end up 'training' the dog that he/she doesn't have to obey.
Consistency doesn't just mean every time. It also means by everyone. Your dog will find it hard to learn if some members of the household do one thing, whilst others do another.
Find time to play with your dogThere is nothing a dog (particularly a youngster) enjoys more than playing with you and it is an excellent way of building a bond between you. Any such understanding that is built in this way is in itself an extremely useful aid to your future dog training and obedience regime.
See more on the importance of play and why games and dog toys are important
A little bit of training every dayTry not to rush your efforts. Take it one day and one cue at a time and, in particular, never give up on teaching that one cue until you are absolutely sure your dog understands exactly what is required of him/her.
Be patient, take one step at a time, and never try to push your training program along too quickly.
Training should be fun for both you and our dog. If either of you aren't in the mood, don't train. Short sessions of 5-10 minutes work best. Daily or even twice daily sessions will give the best results. You can practice in your kitchen, backyard or include a session at the start of your daily walk, followed by the usual more relaxed walk. Try to train in different locations to give variety and allow your dog to generalise, although when starting out keep distractions to a minimum..
Be patientIf your dog seems to be learning too slowly, or does not seem to be able to understand what it is you require, never lose your patience or temper. Keep calm, and move along at a pace your dog can handle, even if you believe that she/he should be making much swifter progress.
Training should be funTraining is a time to help build a positive relationship with your dog.
If either you or your dog aren't in the mood then don't train.
Get your dog's full attentionBefore you can start the actual physical process of training your dog, you must first ensure that you have his full and undivided attention. This is vitally important.
Be generous with your praise and rewardsAlways praise your dog a lot when she/he succeeds in mastering a new behaviour. For quicker results, tasty food treats and/or toys can be used as a reward. see high value treats
Clear signals and tone of voiceAlways use the same "cue" for a specific task you require of your dog. Don’t confuse your dog by using different cues for the same behaviour. Hand cues should be used at the same time as the voice cue to help your dog understand.
The tone of your voice is very important and should be "happy" and encouraging.
TimingTiming is critical to successful training. Praise your dog whenever he/she is doing something right. The praise or reward must happen immediately or your dog will not know which action earned the reward.
Be consistentEvery interaction with your dog is a learning experience, not just what you do in class, so consistency is very important for successful training.
Once you’ve established a rule such as not jumping up on people or coming when called, you must, enforce it consistently. If the dog learns that he/she can get away with it now and then, your previous efforts will go down the drain.
Do not give a cue you can't enforce as you just end up 'training' the dog that he/she doesn't have to obey.
Consistency doesn't just mean every time. It also means by everyone. Your dog will find it hard to learn if some members of the household do one thing, whilst others do another.
Find time to play with your dogThere is nothing a dog (particularly a youngster) enjoys more than playing with you and it is an excellent way of building a bond between you. Any such understanding that is built in this way is in itself an extremely useful aid to your future dog training and obedience regime.
See more on the importance of play and why games and dog toys are important
A little bit of training every dayTry not to rush your efforts. Take it one day and one cue at a time and, in particular, never give up on teaching that one cue until you are absolutely sure your dog understands exactly what is required of him/her.
Be patient, take one step at a time, and never try to push your training program along too quickly.
Training should be fun for both you and our dog. If either of you aren't in the mood, don't train. Short sessions of 5-10 minutes work best. Daily or even twice daily sessions will give the best results. You can practice in your kitchen, backyard or include a session at the start of your daily walk, followed by the usual more relaxed walk. Try to train in different locations to give variety and allow your dog to generalise, although when starting out keep distractions to a minimum..
Be patientIf your dog seems to be learning too slowly, or does not seem to be able to understand what it is you require, never lose your patience or temper. Keep calm, and move along at a pace your dog can handle, even if you believe that she/he should be making much swifter progress.
Training should be funTraining is a time to help build a positive relationship with your dog.
If either you or your dog aren't in the mood then don't train.
The Importance of Play
How you play with your dog (and how you don't) makes a big difference in how your dog behaves, both in and out of play sessions. Play can enhance your relationship, increase your dog's willingness to do what you ask, teach emotional control, and in general make life a lot more fun.
However, inappropriate play can teach bad habits and create dogs who are emotionally out of control. So make sure you stay in charge of the play session and stop immediately if your dog gets too excited or bites.
Many games with your dog will involve toys. Some of your dog's toys should be of hollow, indestructible rubber into which you can stuff food (they are called Kongs). These are great at keeping your dog occupied when you don't have the time to play with your dog.
Have plenty of toys around, but only leave 3 or 4 out at any one time, and rotate in some 'new' toys every week, even though you bought them months ago.
Although all dogs should have toys they can play with by themselves, the best kind of play is interactive play with you. It's not only fun for both of you, it's full of opportunities for your dog to learn and become more responsive and better able to control him or herself when being emotionally aroused. It's also a great way to enhance the bond between you and your dog.
You can play games such as fetch and hide and seek together.
Teaching tricksTeaching tricks is another wonderful way to play with your dog. Trick training has the advantage of feeling silly and fun for both of you, while still teaching your dog that it's fun to pay attention.
Tricks are also great mental exercise, and dogs need mental exercise as much as they need physical exercise. The tricks you can teach your dog are limited only by your dog's physical condition and your imagination. You can teach your dog to sit pretty, to take a bow, roll over, shake or even close a door.
There's no reason not to think of sit and lie down as tricks too, and that might be a good thing. People seem to be more relaxed and cheerful when they are teaching their dogs 'tricks' rather than 'obedience'. They also have more realistic expectations about tricks, rather than expecting their dogs to obey out of respect and submission.
Remember, you get back what you put in. If you want your dog to be enthusiastic, then be sure to be enthusiastic yourself.
Good dogs are made not born, and they rely on you to be their coaches, supporters and benevolent leaders. So for a long, wonderful life for both you and your dog, keep practising and playing together to forge the relationship you want.
Sourced from canineconcepts.co.uk
However, inappropriate play can teach bad habits and create dogs who are emotionally out of control. So make sure you stay in charge of the play session and stop immediately if your dog gets too excited or bites.
Many games with your dog will involve toys. Some of your dog's toys should be of hollow, indestructible rubber into which you can stuff food (they are called Kongs). These are great at keeping your dog occupied when you don't have the time to play with your dog.
Have plenty of toys around, but only leave 3 or 4 out at any one time, and rotate in some 'new' toys every week, even though you bought them months ago.
Although all dogs should have toys they can play with by themselves, the best kind of play is interactive play with you. It's not only fun for both of you, it's full of opportunities for your dog to learn and become more responsive and better able to control him or herself when being emotionally aroused. It's also a great way to enhance the bond between you and your dog.
You can play games such as fetch and hide and seek together.
Teaching tricksTeaching tricks is another wonderful way to play with your dog. Trick training has the advantage of feeling silly and fun for both of you, while still teaching your dog that it's fun to pay attention.
Tricks are also great mental exercise, and dogs need mental exercise as much as they need physical exercise. The tricks you can teach your dog are limited only by your dog's physical condition and your imagination. You can teach your dog to sit pretty, to take a bow, roll over, shake or even close a door.
There's no reason not to think of sit and lie down as tricks too, and that might be a good thing. People seem to be more relaxed and cheerful when they are teaching their dogs 'tricks' rather than 'obedience'. They also have more realistic expectations about tricks, rather than expecting their dogs to obey out of respect and submission.
Remember, you get back what you put in. If you want your dog to be enthusiastic, then be sure to be enthusiastic yourself.
Good dogs are made not born, and they rely on you to be their coaches, supporters and benevolent leaders. So for a long, wonderful life for both you and your dog, keep practising and playing together to forge the relationship you want.
Sourced from canineconcepts.co.uk
High Value Treats
High value treats are very tasty and desirable foods your dog really likes. Generally human food is considered much more desirable than dog treats. Hot dogs, roast chicken, cabanossi, cheese are all very good.
Treats should be soft and bite sized. They have to be big enough to be worth working for yet small enough that they don't take long to chew/eat. It is also good to alternate what you use for treats or use a variety, to keep it interesting for the dog.
Make sure you factor in treats as part of your dog's daily food intake.
If your dog isn't motivated by food, you will need to find something else that he or she gets excited about. It could be a ball or a toy, or simply a cuddle and praise from you.
Balls and tugsBreeds with high prey drive often get quite excited by chasing a ball or tugging on a rope or toy. All these can be used as a high value reward.
See more on the importance of play and why are games and dog toys important?.
Treats should be soft and bite sized. They have to be big enough to be worth working for yet small enough that they don't take long to chew/eat. It is also good to alternate what you use for treats or use a variety, to keep it interesting for the dog.
Make sure you factor in treats as part of your dog's daily food intake.
If your dog isn't motivated by food, you will need to find something else that he or she gets excited about. It could be a ball or a toy, or simply a cuddle and praise from you.
Balls and tugsBreeds with high prey drive often get quite excited by chasing a ball or tugging on a rope or toy. All these can be used as a high value reward.
See more on the importance of play and why are games and dog toys important?.
Why are games and dog toys important?
- Many people do not fully appreciate the importance of play sessions with your puppy or young dog. Dog and puppy games allow each player to discover and learn about each other and build familiarity of strengths and weaknesses, as well as general traits.
- Not only does this ensure your dog grows up to see humans as a source of pleasure and enjoyment, it also helps build a bond of trust between you that will become important for effective training in the future.
- Also, if your dog sees you as a consistent source of amusement, he/she will want to be near you waiting for the next interesting thing to happen. This has obvious benefits in terms of recall and avoiding your dog seeking amusement elsewhere (i.e. chasing other animals, wandering off, etc)
- When and how often?
- Playing should be seen as a reward for good behaviour, so don't start if your dog is being a nuisance. Three or four short sessions a day should be sufficient, but also encourage other people and visitors to play games with your dog.
- What sort of dog toys should I get?
- Dog toys are an instrumental part of playing games with your dog. There is now an enormous range of dog toys you can buy. So much so, it is often difficult to decide which to purchase and which dog toys your dog is most likely to be interested in. This is a guide to the different types of toys available:
- Activity Dog Toys
- These toys are intended to encourage your dog to play on their own. Many of these toys hold food or treats and some require your dog to experiment to understand how the treats are released. 'Kongs' are a good example- they are flexible rubber products that have a small hole through which they can be filled with different things (food, treats, etc). These are particularly well suited for dogs when they are left alone or for dogs that are under-stimulated and have a low boredom threshold. It is a good idea to have a number of these toys and keep some of them aside and only introduce them when your dog is to be left alone or is required to keep itself amused. This helps build a positive association with being left alone.
- Dog Chew Toys
- Chewing is essential for your dog to maintain healthy teeth and jaws. It is also a very useful distraction from boredom and a means of focusing their concentration and excess energy. Dog chew toys focus your dog's natural chewing instinct on the toy, rather than on being destructive with other, more valuable, items.
- Play Toys
- These are generally toys you use to play with your dog or for dogs to play with each other. Most dog breeds have been bred for specific working purpose (hunting, retrieving, guarding etc). As they grow into adolescence, dogs tend to show a preference to games which accommodate the instinct for which they were bred. When buying dog toys, it is worth bearing in mind the games your dog is most likely to want to play:
- Herding dogs, gun dogs and hounds - have a preference for hunting, chasing and retrieving games. Toys that can be easily thrown or rolled work best for these games. Examples are balls, Frisbees and slings.
- Guarding and hunting dogs - like possession games such as tug-o-war. Toys which can be held by two or more players are best suited for this. Examples are rope knots and pull toys.
- Terriers - like kill games which are best simulated with soft toys that can be grabbed, shaken and thrown around. Squeaky toys are often a favourite.
- Puppy Toys
- Puppy teething occurs between the ages of 3-7 months. There is now an increasing range of toys and chew products specifically targeting the requirements of puppies which help ease the discomfort of teething. Generally the younger the puppy, the more pliable the chew toy needs to be. It is now even possible to get toys that can be frozen, thus having a mild numbing effect on the puppy's gums.
- Useful tips when using dog toys
- Always allow some toys to be readily accessible to your dog.
- Keep some 'super toys' to one side and only introduce them when you are playing with your dog.
- Rotate toys, put away those your dog has lost interest in, then re-introduce them at a later date to allow your dog to rediscover them.
- Work on training your dog to stop playing and release toys at your request.
- Withdraw and replace any toys that overexcite your dog or toys that your dog becomes obsessed with.
- During chase games, train your dog to immediately come back when called
- Always introduce new toys now and then to keep their interest up.
- All toys should be large enough not to be swallow.
- Toys should not be constructed of any material that can break into sharp pieces.
- Always replace toys when they start to disintegrate into small pieces. This is especially important for puppies, to prevent them swallowing or choking on these pieces.
- Sourced from canineconcepts.co.uk