Think Pawsitive

This class builds on and extends the proficiencies and exercises learned in Agility Foundations I. Successful completion of this course prepares you for Foundations III.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations I. Suitable for dogs of all ages.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

This class builds on and extends the proficiencies and exercises learned in Agility Foundations II. Successful completion of this course prepares you for the special skills classes (Contacts, Weave Poles and Jump Grids) that follow it in the curriculum. NOTE:

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations II. Suitable for dogs of all ages.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

In this class, you will learn techniques and skills for successful contact performance. Consistent execution will be sought by using teeter games, building your understanding of contact end-behavior criteria, and building your dog’s confidence and drive over contacts. Continuing Contacts students will advance your progression on back-chaining to full height contacts, increasing lateral and forward handler movement and proofing your dog’s contact end-behavior with distractions, distance, movement and speed.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations III at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

You will work progressively through various foundation jump grids inspired by Susan Salo. This class will work on your dog’s strong understanding, desire, and mechanics of jumping. You will perform Set Point, Bounce, and Slice grids.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations III or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

You will continue to work progressively through additional jump grids inspired by Susan Salo. You will increase your dog’s confidence on the previous grids and introduce One-stride and Bending grids. If your dog is performing the foundation grids with stability and speed, we may incrementally interject some handler movement into your exercises.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Intro to Jump Grids or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Key ideas and components of the 2×2 Weave Pole training method will be presented. We will discuss how to plan, set up and progress your training sessions, the “allowing your dog to fail” learning process, and we will practice the mechanics of reward placement and properly sending your dog. This lecture must be completed before attending Getting Started With Weave Poles.

PREREQUISITE: Dog is at least 11 mos. old and you’ve completed Agility Foundations III.

This class is 1 week, approximately 45minutes and is for handlers only (no dogs).

This class is for students that are just starting their weave pole training and will progress to the performance of 4 poles straight-up. You will learn: The mechanics of training weaves with 2 x 2’s, the difference between shaping and luring, how to help your dog understand difficult weave pole entries and to maintain his/her drive and focus through the entire set of poles. Successful completion of this course has your dog successfully performing 4 poles straight-up from a variety of angles and distances.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations III at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

This class is for students whose performance is 4 poles straight-up and are working on progressing toward full 12-pole performance. It is a problem-solving class that will focus on entries, placement of rewards, maintaining consistent weave pole performance, adding additional sets from 4 poles straight-up to 6 and 12 pole sets. Depending on the skills of your dog, we may also add obstacles before and after the weave poles.

PREREQUISITE: Dog/handler teams must have completed the Weave Poles: Getting Started class at Think Pawsitive.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Circle work is the main foundation skill that is the ABSOLUTE key to gaining success for both dog agility and off-leash control in real life with your dog. This ONE important skill revolves around your dog wanting to run to you and responding quickly, learning that your Reinforcement Zone (RZ) is their PAY OFF! It is an essential skill that will teach them RZ is the most important thing in their life and responding to it results in them earning all of their $$$! This skill is one that most people struggle to do and keep up with. WHY circle work?

• Teaches dog to follow RZ (Reinforcement Zone)
• Understand not to Blind Cross, Cut Across your feet, or Flick Away from you!
• Prevention of spinning
• Prevention of barking
• Prevention of biting
• Prevention of flanking out wide
• Teaches dog not to react to your running style
• The dog understands to respond to a shoulder rotation as a turning cue
• Works on acceleration and deceleration cues
• Inside circles teach the dog how to take pressure on RC diagonal line and not flick
• Agility handler fitness

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations II or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

You will learn how to connect all of the “DOTS” (prerequisite classes listed above) to help you and your dog maintain obstacle criteria, lateral distance, desire and accuracy. You will work on small sequences that will link all of the skills you have learned thus far. You will improve your team’s relationship, understanding, confidence, speed and overall agility performance. On successful completion of this course, you will be ready for Putting It All Together where you will learn and practice the details of the Derrett Handling System. NOTE: This class will be repeated until your dog successfully performs all skills from previous classes.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Contacts, Jump Grids II, Agility Foundations III: Jump Drills, and have at least 6 straight up weave pole performance.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

This class will cover exercises that will relate to the following: Acceleration /Deceleration Front Crosses Rear Crosses Serpentines Blind Crosses 270’s (Backsides) Threadles Lead Out Pivots Skills and Drills Dog and handler teams will work on building a strong understanding of exercises while developing your skills/mechanics on jumps, tunnels, weaves and contacts to improve your dog’s responses to your position and motion cues. Once practiced and comprehended, we will apply these techniques on a variety of obstacle sequences and situations. The first time you take Putting It All Together classes, please select a Beginner group if available.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Connect the Dots or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Now that you know all the obstacles and handling positional cues, we will prepare you to take your skills to the next level and compete at agility trials. This class is designed to help you understand when and where to apply specific handling cues. Sequences consisting of 8 – 12 obstacles will be analyzed and performed with your dog. Your instructor will help you develop a better understanding of applying these skills in competition.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed all Putting It All Together classes OR must get an evaluation and approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Now that you know all the obstacles and handling positional cues, we will prepare you to take your skills to the next level and compete at agility trials. This class is designed to help you understand when and where to apply specific handling cues. Sequences consisting of 8 – 12 obstacles will be analyzed and performed with your dog. Your instructor will help you develop a better understanding of applying these skills in competition.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed all Putting It All Together classes OR must get an evaluation and approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Now that you know all the obstacles and handling positional cues, we will prepare you to take your skills to the next level and compete at agility trials. This class is designed to help you understand when and where to apply specific handling cues. Sequences consisting of 8 – 12 obstacles will be analyzed and performed with your dog. Your instructor will help you develop a better understanding of applying these skills in competition.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed all Putting It All Together classes OR must get an evaluation and approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Agility workshops, leagues and competitions are a great opportunity to showcase your training and test your skills, but can also be very distracting for new dog and handler teams. Join us for a series of TRAINING MEMBERS ONLY Fun Matches to prepare you and your dog for the next level of training and trialing. Throughout these fun matches we will address: · Working through distractions (music, bar setters, leash runners & much more!) · Developing routines that will set you and your dog up for success throughout your agility career · Managing your event day (what to bring, helpful hints, volunteering, crating, etc.) · Preparing your dog to enter the ring (pre- and post- run routines) · Engagement at the end of your run · Mental preparation and strategies for success · Choosing to run NFC – Not For Competition · Understanding agility trials (venues, registration, entry forms, classes and games, etc.) These fun matches will include a combination of learning and working activities to engage both you and your dog. Come train in a fun environment and prepare both you and your dog for your future in agility!

PREREQUISITE: Must be enrolled in Connect the Dots or higher OR OR must get an evaluation and approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

In this class, we will advance the foundation skills you learned from the Intro to Scent class and start basic container and interior room searching.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Nose Work I: Intro to Scent or the Think Pawsitive Nose Work Workshop.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

This class will work on building the interior and container search skills taught in Nose Work I. We will also introduce both exterior and vehicle searching where handler/dog teams learn to navigate outdoor scent scenarios. We will introduce your dog to the odors of “Anise” and “Clove” and teach leash management, understanding your dog’s signal language and in the importance of varying search environments. This exciting class will help you expand your dog’s searching capabilities and build more confidence in your teamwork. NOTE: This class will be repeated a minimum of 2 sessions.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Nose Work I: Basic Searches at Think Pawsitive.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

This class progresses your dog’s confidence in searching and applies his/her skills to new scent puzzles. Dog/handler teams will test their searching skills on both box and non-box containers, vehicles, exteriors, and interiors both with and without distractions. Expand your knowledge of the fun sport of canine scent detection and develop your dog’s searching with multiple hides, overlapping scent cones, combination hides, inaccessible hides, height and combinations of the previous items. Select classes will be held at pre-determined offsite locations.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Nose Work II at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.

Nose Work workshops, leagues and competitions are a great opportunity to showcase your training and test your skills, but can also be very distracting for new dog and handler teams. Join us for a series of TRAINING MEMBERS ONLY Element Nights to prepare you and your dog for the next level of training and trialing. Throughout these fun matches we will address: · Working through distractions · Developing routines that will set you and your dog up for success throughout your Nose Work career · Mental preparation and strategies for success · Planning your search patterns Come train in a fun environment and prepare both you and your dog for your future in nose work!

PREREQUISITE: Must be enrolled in Scent Puzzles OR approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.

Please register for each individual session you wish to attend.

Class Cost $52.50 or upgrade one week of class to attend.

Part of being successful in nose work is taking your training on the road and working on new and challenging scent puzzles. This class will give you the opportunity to expose your dog to both new and challenging puzzles. It takes the nose work fundamentals learned in the foundation classes and uses them in new environments. The class will meet at various locations to allow the dog/handler team to expand their experience and knowledge with container, interior, exterior, and vehicle searches. Your instructor will contact you with location information and details prior to each session. The focus of this class will be NW1/NW2 searching. Dogs need to have been introduced to container, interior, exterior, and vehicle searching. Dogs must also understand Birch, Anise, and Clove.

PREREQUISITE: Must be enrolled in Scent Puzzles at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval based on a skills evaluation.

Please register for each individual week you wish to attend.