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
STAR Puppy
Training
The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is an exciting new program designed to get dog
owners and their puppies off to a good start. The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy
Program is an incentive program for loving dog owners who have taken the
time to take their puppies through a basic training class.
The Benefits of Training
Beginning
Companion Obedience
Tellington TTouch Training Method Classes
This class is for you if your dog
Focus is on building a strong relationship based on 2-way communication,
trust, and cooperation. The class will address the individual needs of
the attending dogs and people with a small class size to ensure
individual attention.
Please bring a 6-foot, fixed length leash (double-ended is great) and a
flat or limited slip collar. Head collars and harnesses are welcome.
If you feel your dog needs to wear a different type of equipment, please
discuss it with the instructor before signing up for the class.
Prerequisites:
Beginning Companion Obedience or consent of the instructor
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.
Constructional Aggression Treatment (C.A.T.)
C.A.T. is a functional approach to changing aggressive behavior. It
acknowledges that the dog is already receiving reinforcement for
aggression and sets up a procedure in which the same reinforcer that
currently supports the aggression is arranged to follow only desirable,
safe behaviors. As the procedure progresses, the ultimate outcome is a
once-aggressive dog that is now friendly.
The C.A.T. method for treating dog aggression works on the assumption
that dogs who display aggression are doing so to increase distance
between themselves and the other dog or person. To oversimplify, the
idea is to have the trigger go away when the dog is doing something we
want, namely not barking and lunging.
C.A.T. can be used successfully to treat separation anxiety, dog-dog
aggression, and dog-human aggression.
C.A.T. is done in a series of private training sessions with an expert
trainer.
Really Reliable
Recall
RRR building a strong, reliable recall (COME!) regardless of distraction.
This will be a positive, bonding experience for both dog and handler.
Have fun 'playing recall' with your dog. Train while you play!
Prerequisite: Completion of a Beginning Companion Obedience class at Dog
Days or consent of the instructor.
Sniff Class!
What do all dogs like to do? Use their noses!! In this class we will
explore ways to teach your dog to recognize a specific scent(s),
indicate where that scent is coming from and alert you to where it is by
their behavior. This class will have you and your dog working together
as partners and will give them an outlet to do what comes naturally to
them...Sniff!!
Prerequisite: Completion of a Beginning Companion Obedience class at Dog
Days or consent of the instructor.
Feisty
Fido
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.
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.
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).
Feeling
Outnumbered?
Living with a group of dogs is different than living with only one.
There
are certain challenges that come with living with a group of dogs.
Does your house seem chaotic? Do you dogs compete for your attention?
Is there tension between your dogs?
This class emphasizes specific and practical exercises you can do to
teach your dogs to be polite and patient rather than pushy and demanding,
adding peace and control to your home.
Positive reinforcement is used in training these exercises and keeping
the joy in owning more than one dog.
Students may bring 2 dogs to class, each dog must be accompanied by a
human, unless prior approval of the instructor.
Exercises are taught in class and homework will be included each week.
Students are expected to train these exercises at home, between classes,
to
be able to follow the progression of the class.
Prerequisite: Dogs need to have some basic training. No aggressive dogs.
Beginning
Tracking Class
This class is held at Frenchman's Bar Riverfront Park near Vancouver,
WA, and each class lasts 2-3 hours.
Limited to 4 dog/handler teams.
Prerequisites: none
Workout with your
Dog!
In addition to the handlers exercises there will be exercises for your
dog to improve their body awareness, muscles strength and tone, better
balance on all four feet and decrease the chance of injury.
Stretching for handler and dog will be demonstrated along with an
explanation of duration and how often to stretch. All levels of
fitness will be accommodated with modification of each exercise where
necessary.
All balls, aerobic steps and core discs will be provided.
Prerequisite: Dogs need to have some basic training. No reactive or
aggressive dogs, this will be an active class.
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:
Training classes teach you how to best communicate with your puppy.
Organized training classes also provide an opportunity for your dog to
socialize with other dogs. In classes aimed at earning the AKC S.T.A.R.
Puppy distinction, you’ll be able to get information on all of your
puppy-raising questions including housetraining, chewing, and the most
effective way to teach practical skills such as coming when called. AKC
S.T.A.R. Puppy training is a natural lead in to the AKC® Canine Good
Citizen® Program
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.
The TTouch Training Method is a framework to look at the whole dog
(body, brain, and emotions) and the relationship between dog and
handler. In this class we explore the basic TTouch body touches,
awareness aids, and groundwork exercises in order to promote awareness,
balance and self-control in our dogs. If you've heard about TTouch and
want to explore it, bring your curiosity and your dog to this class!
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.
Contact Julie
Wilcoxson for information.
Objectives: This class will teach handlers management, handling and
training techniques to reduce reactive and aggressive behavior by
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.
"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, APDT, and UKC!
These classes prepare you and your dog to compete in
AKC/UKC Rally obedience trials. Dog and handler work as a team to earn titles
by performing a series of exercises on a course designed by the judge..
Each team is judged on accuracy, precision and enjoyment as they perform
the exercises individually. Classes are offered for all levels;
Novice, Advanced and Excellent.
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: 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: Learn the fundamentals of AKC tracking. Learn how to
teach your dog to track with a goal of an AKC TD (Tracking Dog) title.
Dogs will learn to follow a track in a straight line and add corners in
both directions. Handlers will learn the fundamentals of tracking,
including scent makeup, effects of weather and various covers, and
beginning line handling.
A GREAT way to bond with your dog. Learn exercises you can do
with your own body weight to tone and strengthen your muscles, increase
your endurance and improve your balance.