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| BEGINNER II GRADUATE CLASS HOMEWORK |
| Graduate / Post Graduate Obedience Week 1 Homework: The 3 “D’s”: Distance, Distraction, & Duration. We all want wonderful, obedient dogs who are well-behaved both in the home and out in public! We need to teach your dog to listen and obey even though they are in an unfamiliar place with new sights, sounds, and distraction. We will build on the behaviors learned in Beginner Class and add strengthen those behaviors to have a happy and obedience dog! Now is the time to work on the 3 “D’s” and teach your dog to obey these behaviors at a longer distance from you, regardless of distractions, and for a longer time. This will help you out in the real world! When working on the 3 “D’s” remember: NEVER TRY TO WORK THEM ALL AT ONCE!!!!! Choose 1 to work on at a time - if you work 2 or 3 it will be too confusing for your dog. Gradually, with a lot of patience and practice you will be able to incorporate all 3 “D’s” at once! ATTENTION: 1. Distance: Slowly move around dog and hold eye contact for 10 seconds. 2. Distraction: Stand in front of your dog and hold eye contact as someone walks by. 3. Duration: Stand in front of your dog and work up to 1 minute solid eye contact. SIT STAY: 1. Distance: Put your dog into a sit stay and take one step off to the right, return to C & T! 2. Distraction: Put dog into sit stay and hold position as someone walks by. 3. Duration: Put dog into sit stay and hold position for 10 seconds. DOWN STAY & STAND STAY: Work the 3 “D’S” the same as the sit stay! CONTROLLED WALKING: 1. Distance / Duration: Have dog walk nicely at side for 5 - 10 paces. 2. Distraction: Have dog walk nicely at side as someone walks or jogs by. WAIT FOR RECALL: The goal is to teach your dog to pause before a recall. Ask your dog to sit - do not C & T. Pivot in front of your dog, pause for a brief moment and then back up a few steps, calling your dog’s name and the word “Come” in an excited, happy voice. When your dog takes a step toward you, C & T. Work to add the word “Wait” and a hand signal. 1. Distance: Put dog in a sit / wait - go to the end of the leash and call dog. 2. Distraction: Set up your own “tunnel recall” as demonstrated in class. 3. Duration: Work the “popcorn recall” as demonstrated in class. OFF / MEETING & GREETING: 1. Distance / Duration: Have dog in a sit stay, have people stand 5 feet away. See if dog can hold the sit stay while you engage the person approaching in a conversation for 10 seconds. If dog goes to jump, tell your dog “OFF” and ask them to sit. C & T dog’s stay! 2. Distraction: Have dog in a sit stay, have people approach quickly, laughing or talking loudly and have that dog hold the position. If dog goes to jump, tell your dog “OFF” and ask them for a sit. If dog holds sit stay, C & T. Graduate Obedience Week 2 Homework: This week we will continue with the 3 “D’s”: Distance, Distraction, & Duration. We will also start introducing you to the Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) test requirements. ATTENTION: 1. Distance: Slowly move around dog and hold eye contact for 15-20 seconds. 2. Distraction: Stand in front of your dog and hold eye contact as someone walks /jogs past. 3. Duration: Stand in front of your dog and work up to 1 minute solid eye contact. You should be around 30 seconds while under distractions. SIT STAY: 1. Distance: Put your dog into a sit stay and take one step off to the side, return to dog C & T! Tell your dog to stay, take a step off to the front of your dog. Return, C&T. Tell your dog to stay, walk half-way around dog. Return, C&T. Tell your dog to stay, walk completely around your dog. C&T if successful. 2. Distraction: Put dog into sit stay and hold position as someone walks by quickly or jogs past. 3. Duration: Put dog into sit stay and hold position for 15-20 seconds. Work the 3 “D’S” in the DOWN STAY and STAND STAY the same as the sit stay! CONTROLLED WALKING: LEFT CIRCLES: With your dog on your left, make a nice, large circle to the left. (Your dog on the inside of the circle.) RIGHT CIRCLES: With your dog on your right, make a nice large circle to the right. (Your dog on the outside of the circle.) This is tougher because your dog will want to cut in front of you. 1. Distance / Duration: Have dog walk nicely at side for two left and two right circles. 2. Distraction: Have dog walk nicely at side while you circle around a person. RECALL: 1. Distance: Put dog in a sit / wait - If in a secure area, go just beyond the end of your leash and call dog. This is where a long lead comes in handy, especially for outdoor work. If in an unsecured area, have someone hold dog’s leash and run with him as he comes running to you. 2. Distraction: Have someone walk near the dog as you call him to you. If he goes to that other person instead, make sure he doesn’t get unintentionally rewarded! 3. Duration: Work the recall several times a day. You want a dog who automatically comes to you without really thinking about it! LEAVE-IT: Continue this exercise while increasing the difficulty for your dog. Use something that he seems to be drawn to, like a dirty tissue or sock. Remember, you always need to have something better than the leave-it item means to your dog! This is only until your dog learns what leave-it means and eventually, we will fade them off the reward by going to a variable reinforcement schedule. Graduate Obedience Week 3 Homework: This week we will continue with the 3 “D’s”: Distance, Distraction, & Duration. We will also continue introducing you to the Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) test requirements. ATTENTION: 1. Distance: Slowly move around dog and hold eye contact for 25 - 30 seconds. 2. Distraction: Stand in front of your dog and hold eye contact while someone claps hands once. 3. Duration: Stand in front of your dog and work up to 1 minute solid eye contact. SIT STAY: (Work the 3 D’s in a DOWN STAY & STAND STAY as well!) 1. Distance: Put your dog in a sit stay and take 2 steps off to the side, return to dog, C & T! Tell your dog to stay, take 2 steps off to the front of your dog. Return, C & T. Tell your dog to stay, walk half-way around dog. Return, C & T. Tell your dog to stay, walk completely around your dog. C & T if successful. 2. Distraction: Put dog into a sit stay and hold position as someone walks or jogs past. 3. Duration: Put dog into a sit stay and hold position for 25 - 30 seconds. CONTROLLED WALKING: 1. Distance / Duration: Have dog walk nicely at side for 15 - 20 paces. 2. Distraction: Have dog walk nicely at side as someone walks toward you while swinging / holding a bag or similar object. AUTOMATIC SIT: The goal is to have your dog sit when you stop walking. Hold your leash & clicker in your right hand, treats in your left. Walk nicely with your dog - take a few strides, and the stop. Tell your dog to “Sit” and use your right hand to give your dog the hand command. When your dog sits, C & T, and continue to walk! 1. Distance / Duration: Have dog walk for 5 paces then sit, 10 paces and sit, 15 and sit, etc. 2. Distraction: Have dog walk nicely at side and sit as someone walks by. RECALL: 1. Distance: Put dog in a sit / wait - If in a secure area, go just beyond the end of your leash and call dog. This is where a long lead comes in handy, especially for outdoor work. If in an unsecured area, have someone hold dog’s leash and run with him as he comes running to you. 2. Distraction: Have someone walk near the dog as you call him to you. If he goes to that other person instead, make sure he doesn’t get unintentionally rewarded!!! 3. Duration: Work the recall several times a day. You want a dog who automatically comes to you without really thinking about it. PASS-BYS: This is part of the CGC test. This lets people know that your dog is under your control at all times, even when faced with having to walk past another dog. Sometimes the dog you are passing may not want your dog to visit him. This is for safety and is also part of being a well-mannered pooch! We will demonstrate this in class and we ask you to practice it when you are out in public with your dog. Ask a friend who owns a nice dog to help you with this exercise. Graduate Obedience Week 4 Homework: THE AKC CANINE GOOD CITIZENSHIP TEST (CGC): The purpose of the Canine Good Citizen program is to ensure that our dog is a respected member of the community; trained to act mannerly in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs. The CGC Program welcomes both pure-bred and mixed-breed dogs of all ages. All dogs who pass all 10 items of the test receive a certificate from the AKC. If your dog doesn’t pass all 10 items, they will fail the test. There is no penalty for failing the test, and it can be re-taken if necessary. Dogs are not required to perform items on the test with the precision required in formal obedience. Proof of vaccinations and town licensing is required. TEST 1: ACCEPTING A FRIENDLY STRANGER: The dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The evaluator and handler shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness, and must not break position. TEST 2: SITTING POLITELY FOR PETTING: The dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler's side the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to the dog. The dog may stand in place as it is petted but not show shyness or resentment. TEST 3: APPEARANCE AND GROOMING The dog will permit someone as in a veterinarian, groomer or friend, to handle and groom the dog. This demonstrates the owner's care, concern and sense of responsibility. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if it is clean and groomed. The dog must appear to be in healthy condition (i.e., proper weight, clean, healthy and alert). The handler should supply the comb or brush commonly used on the dog. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog, lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot. It is not necessary for the dog to hold a specific position during the examination, and the handler may talk to the dog throughout. TEST 4: OUT FOR A WALK ON A LOOSE LEAD The handler should be in control of the dog. The dog may walk on either side of the handler, need not be perfectly aligned with the handler, and may or may not sit at each halt. The dog’s position should show the dog responds to the handler’s movements and change in direction. The evaluator may use a pre-plotted course or may direct the handler/dog team by issuing commands. The course should have a right turn, left turn, and an about turn with at least one stop in between and another at the end. The handler may talk to the dog, offer praise, and give quiet commands. TEST 5: WALKING THROUGH A CROWD The dog should move about politely in pedestrian traffic while under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to at least three people. The dog may show some interest in the strangers but should continue to walk with the handler without over-exuberance, shyness or resentment. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise the dog throughout the test. The dog should not jump on anyone or strain on the leash. TEST 6: SIT AND DOWN ON COMMAND AND STAYING IN PLACE The dog will respond to the handler's commands to sit, down, and stay in the place. Prior to this test, the dog's leash is replaced with a 20 feet lead. The handler may take a reasonable amount of time and use more than one command to get the dog to sit and then down. The handler may not force the dog into position but may touch the dog to offer gentle guidance. When instructed by the evaluator, the handler tells the dog to stay and walks to the length of the line, turns and returns to the dog at a natural pace. The dog must remain in the place in which it was left (it may change position) until the evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog. TEST 7: COMING WHEN CALLED The dog should come when called by the handler. The handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face the dog, and call the dog with encouragement for success. Handlers may choose to tell dogs to "stay" or "wait" or walk away with no instructions to the dog. TEST 8: REACTION TO ANOTHER DOG The dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and say hello before continuing on for another 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest or go to the other dog or its handler. TEST 9: REACTION TO A DISTRACTION The dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The evaluator will select and present two distractions such as dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. The dog may express natural interest, curiosity and appear slightly startled. The dog should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness, or bark. The handler may talk to the dog throughout the exercise. TEST 10: SUPERVISED SEPERATION The dog can be left with a trusted person and will maintain training and good manners. Evaluators will say something like, "Would you like me to watch your dog?" and then take hold of the dog's leash. The owner will go out of sight for three minutes. The dog does not have to stay in position but should not continually bark, whine, pace unnecessarily, or show anything stronger than mild agitation or nervousness. Evaluators may talk to the dog but should not engage in excessive talking, petting, or consoling. Equipment All tests must be performed on leash. Dogs should wear well-fitting buckle or slip collars made of leather, fabric, or chain. Pinch collars, head halters, and harnesses are not permitted in the CGC test. The evaluator supplies a 20-foot lead for the test. The handler should bring the dog's brush or comb to the test, as well as proof of current vaccinations and town licensing. Encouragement Handlers may use praise and encouragement throughout the test. The handler may pet the dog between exercises. Food, treats, and toys are not permitted to be used as lures during testing. Failures - Dismissals Any dog that marks or goes to the bathroom during testing will not pass the CGC. The only exception to this rule is that elimination is allowable in test Item 10 if they are outdoors. Any dog that growls, snaps, bites, attacks, or attempts to attack a person or another dog is not a good citizen and must be dismissed from the test. |
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