Seriously Dogs has a training program that is proven time and time again to be effective in training dogs to obey commands by teaching their owners how to handle their dog, not only in obedience training, but becoming a strong pack leader.  Beginners Obedience teaches dog owners the critical components needed to understand their dog and their dog's behaviour.  Simply put, there is not enough theory taught in most dog training programs.  Most classes are polluted with cookies and treats to get dogs to listen.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of using cookies and treats and I use a ton of them in my lessons BUT, there is a difference between REWARD and BRIBERY.  Too many dogs taking obedience classes are begged and bribed to obey. By the end of the class the dog is no better behaved than he was when he started; he just knows a few new tricks.  In my Beginners Obedience class you can expect to learn not only the technique of obedience training, but the crucially important theory of basic dog behaviour and obedience training.


Beginners Obedience Level One

Level One of Beginners Obedience starts with a lesson on the basics in dog behaviour.  We cover how a pack functions, understanding what your dog expects from you, understanding how to read your dogs signals and what he is communicating to you.  You will receive a training manual that will further cover what we discuss and you will receive homework in your manual that will prompt you to do some research on your breed and some basic personality tests on your dog that will help you learn more about him.

After our initial week, we will focus on training your dog in the first 3 basic commands: SIT, DOWN and STAY.  By the end of the next 6 40 min. lessons your dog will be capable of:

Sit -verbal and hand command
Down - verbal and hand command
Sit/Down (stay) walk away 100 ft.
Sit/Down (stay) timed 3-5 min. (you can walk away during this time too)
Sit/Down (stay) in distracting areas, we achieve this:
                                -in front of grocery stores
                                -at the sports field
                                -around other dogs (we use my dogs so your dog can be distracted)
                                -at the coffee shop in Willow Point
Sit, walk away (up to 100ft or more!) then give a Down command.  Dog obeys the command from a distance and lays down on the spot.  We teach this so the dog is reliable under distractions in the real world.  Believe it or not this is related to coming when called (known as recall).

We also cover walking on the leash and basic manners in this course.

The manual you receive is packed full of obedience training information and  homework.  The best part about the homework is that it's broken into detailed checklists so, not only do you completely learn what you were taught during your lesson, you are able to expand upon that continuing to challenge both yourself and your dog. 

The manual for this level covers both behavioural theory and at home exercises for you and your dog, as well as obedience training theory so you can better understand the different methods used to train dogs and achieve well trained obedience.  We will cover: Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, How To Train with Motivation, Proofing Obedience.

Beginners Obedience Level Two

Once you and your dog have learned the foundation of obedience we move onto teaching him COME in Beginners Obedience Level Two.

Why don't you learn COME, or RECALL, in the first level??

Well, recall is the hardest basic command for a dog to learn reliably because it involves the dog understanding the rules of obedience very well.  In order for your dog to learn to recall he has to have the basics of focusing under distraction, obeying a command from a distance and the concept of reward and correction.  Once he has the basics from Beginners Obedience Level One, he can build on those to achieve recall.  In this course we teach you and your dog how to condition a speedy and enthusiastic response to his recall command; we teach the dog that the recall command actually has a destination and position (sitting automatically in front of your feet when he gets to you); and we teach you how to train your dog to recall from distractions... other dogs, birds, bunnies, kitties, people, etc.

Recall will save your dog's life one day.  It's worth the effort to have a dog that comes back on command with reliability, not just when he wants to, or on his own time.

Leave it, and leave it at a distance is also covered in this course.

Once you have finished learning the basic commands in Beginners Obedience One & Two you can move into the Intermediate Obedience levels.  These levels introduce you and your dog to a higher level of obedience training and give you the foundation for competitive obedience.  As you progress through the levels in Intermediate Obedience you will learn new exciting skills.