This class will teach each student the basics of ‘clicker training’. It will teach the student how to apply these basics to teaching his dog to pay attention to him, to sit, to down, to come, to wait, to leave items alone, and to walk easily on a loose leash. The format of each class session is a mixture of demonstration, discussion, and practice of the techniques with the dog. Special needs of the students and their dogs will also be addressed.

If there is sufficient interest, KerrKlickers will schedule a "puppies only" version of the Dog Manners I Class.

 Paying Attention to your Owner

This behavior is frequently called "watch" or "look"; the dog learns to look at his owner's face on command and to maintain the 'look' until released.  If a person can get their dog to focus on them, they can  keep the dog from focusing on other things in the environment (e.g. other dogs, squirrels, people, deer).  Generally, a dog that may not respond to a "recall" command will stop its current behavior to focus on the owner when asked to "watch".

  Sit

The dog learns to put his fanny on the ground in response to a command and to keep his fanny on the ground for a period of time, including while his owner moves away from the dog. 

 Down

The dog learns to lie down in response to a command and to keep his body on the ground for a period of time, including while his owner moves away from the dog.  Both a relaxed down and a fast down will be introduced in class.

 Come to me

The dog learns to come to his owner on command and to accept the owner touching his head and collar when he arrives in front of his owner.  This behavior is more formally termed a "recall".

 Wait

The dog learns to stop his current motion when asked to "wait".  This behavior is especially useful at doors (of a home, of a car, of an RV, etc.)  The dog moves again when released by the owner.

Leave Items Alone

The dog learns to not touch an item when asked to "leave-it".  This behavior allows an owner to tell her dog not to pick up something on the ground outside (e.g. dead animals, scat, sticks) or not to touch something in the house (e.g. kleenex tissues, pens, pencils).

Walk on a Loose Leash

The dog learns to walk at her owners' side without having the leash tight.  The dog does not pull at the leash and is responsive to changes in her owner's direction.

Basic Targeting Skills

The dog learns to touch and follow the owner's hand.  This allows the owner to position the dog and also to move the dog around -- simple tricks that also provide conditioning exercise for the dog are taught using these basic targeting skills.

Class Application