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The Charlotte Dog Training Club presents:

Balance Point – an Obedience seminar with

Linda Koutsky

To download an application to attend this seminar in .DOC format please click this link

To download an application to attend this seminar in .PDF format please click this link

THIS IS A WORKING SEMINAR.  Saturday: Foundation work and attention (workbooks with handouts will be included).  Sunday: More on foundation/attention, and then progress to pure problem solving in Novice, Open or Utility work.

Topics on day one include:

• Using a Balanced approach in training to close the gap between practice and performance (i.e. how to get ring carryover).
• Handler Criteria:  What will you do with your 200 points?
• Games to develop drive, speed, and attitude.  How to become the center of your dog’s world and the motivating force behind his work.  (This includes group work sessions.)
• The proper use of food; how to use it and not abuse it.
• Rewarding “effort” vs. rewarding “behavior” – a new twist on reinforcement training.
• An understanding of how to use compulsion to get behavior and build drive.
• Creative Compulsion:  a game based method that will allow you to build your dog’s WANT to work while correcting any lack of effort error that may occur.  (Group work sessions.)
• Hands On!  How to physically touch, mold; help your dog to be right! (Group work sessions.)
• Body Awareness:  Teaching the dog how to use its body for accurate heelwork, fronts and finishes.  (Group work sessions.)
• Attention:  From puppy nibble heeling to the finished competitive product.  Using food, hands on, and proofing to achieve results.  This is a complete attention program focused on “moving” attention.  This program includes ideas for trainers with dogs who do not like food.  (Group work sessions.)
• The elements of competitive heelwork
• Speed:  How to get it and keep it.
• The truth about stays:  putting responsibility on the dog instead of pressure.
• Flashsessions: short, highly motivational sessions that anyone can do!

Areas of special interest will be those required to develop a confident working team.  The teaching of Attention will play a key role, as will drills designed to increase the dog’s body awareness.  Proofing techniques will be used to increase confidence and to reduce ring stress.  The use of food will be covered in great detail.  Teaching will include an understanding of the lure, reward, and random reinforcement stages, as well as an understanding of the pitfalls of food usage and how to avoid them. Discussion will include moving beyond Operant Conditioning as we focus on the “cognitive” dog.  Hands on play techniques will be taught to enable the handler to become the motivating force behind the dog’s work.  The proper use of “anger free” corrections that motivate and build the dog’s attitude will be taught.

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Copyright © 2006 Charlotte Dog Training Club
Last modified: 06/24/08