Agility Seminars with Rachel Pearson

We are excited to have Rachel Pearson up from Texas for a weekend of learning and fun! We’ve got a great lineup of seminar sessions that offers something for nearly everyone. We start of Friday with a mid-day workshop for TEENAGERS, for dogs 5-12 months of age. Friday evening, join us for an informative and engaging lecture (with pizza!) on the 3Ds: DISTANCE, DURATION, and DISTRACTION. Saturday morning kicks off with a working session on the 3Ds, applying the principles discussed in the Friday evening lecture. Saturday afternoon we’ll turn our focus to the WEAVES with a session on training weaves from the ground up. And we’ll wrap up on Sunday with a focus on perfecting REAR, FRONT, and BLIND CROSSES. Details on each session is below:

Friday, Dec. 6, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Teenagers: Teenage months are a “transitional” stage for our dogs, both in terms of develop as well as training. This time period is when we are applying concepts and foundations that we taught in puppyhood and now beginning to apply those to the foundations for our obstacles and verbal discrimination cues. Every teenager is at a different place in their training, and this workshop will adjust to suit the level in which each dog is at. We will look at polishing our reinforcement mechanisms (issues with toy skills will not be addressed in this seminar), applying duration concepts to behaviors such as start lines and contact positions, commitment to obstacles such as jumps (no bars) and tunnels, and beginning shaping behaviors for obstacles. We may not get to it all, but we will adjust to where the group of dogs is at. There will be no jumping, and no sequencing beyond chains of 2-3 behaviors. **Prerequisites include only that the dog is able to engage with the handler off leash. For dogs ages 5-12 months. Working spot $150/Auditors $30. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Friday, Dec. 6, 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.:  Lecture: Fluency and the 3Ds: Distance, Duration, and Distraction: So often our dogs can perform a behavior in one context but not in another. They can be “fluent” in a behavior under certain conditions, but not other others or with additional stimulus. How do we isolate and train for these factors? That’s what the Three D’s are all about!

• Distance: Learn the three elements of distance and how to address each of them individually.
• Duration: Learn how to slice down position-based behaviors to truly teach your dog through success.
• Distraction: Handler motion, verbal cues, environmental changes, presentation of reinforcement – there are so many things that can distract our dogs! Learn how to help your dog maintain behaviors despite changes in conditions.

The lecture is open to anyone. It is required for anyone participating in the 3Ds working session Saturday morning. $80 per person includes pizza. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Saturday, Dec. 7, 8am-1p: Fluency and the 3Ds working session: Participants in this workshop must have attended the lecture from Friday evening. No exceptions. See above for description of the seminar content. Dogs ages 6 months and up are welcome. Dogs should be able to stay engaged with the handler off leash. Short stay and short lead-out are recommended. Ability to wrap a cone/wing and do a tunnel are recommended. Highly encouraged to bring and use Treat N Train (trained). This seminar is highly adjustable to individual dog’s skill levels. $140 working spot/$25 audit spot. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Saturday, 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.: WEAVE SKILLS: Weaves are one of the obstacles that require true independence in performance. Because weaves are a complex chain of behaviors that the dog must perform without aid from the handler, they are often one of the obstacles that handler’s struggle to train to true fluency, and create frustration and stress in the dog. This workshop will look at how to train the weaves from the ground up, addressing entries as well as the drive through the rest of the 12 poles. We will discuss distractions such as handler distance, motion, and the dog’s commitment to the end of the poles. Geared toward dogs just starting out with weaves or dogs going back to address issues in their performance. Appropriate for dogs 6mos plus (no weaving body motion will be permitted on dogs under 12 months.) Dog must have ability to go to a placed reinforcement  20+ feet away from them on cue, in the form of a placed toy or Treat N Train/Ready Treat. $140 working spot/$25 audit spot. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Sunday, Dec. 8, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: THE PERFECT 3:  Every agility handler has heard the age-old line “you’re late!” from a teacher/coach when we execute a cross/side change. We often recognize what “late” is, but what does “on time” look like? When should we be cuing turn to the dog, and where should we be executing it? What does the footwork look like, and what path will mostly accurately show the dog where to go next? Learning front crosses, rear crosses, and blind crosses might SEEM elementary to a lot of agility handlers, but this seminar will deep-dive into these crosses, and teaching the HANDLER the mechanics and timing of the three crosses that are the basis of agility handling, no matter what your handling system is. Dogs must be 12mo and older, and completing sequences of 6-8 obstacles at a time. $280 working spot/$50 audit spot. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

*NOTE: No refunds will be issued unless we can fill your spot.

**if you are not sure if you and your dog have the skills for a particular workshop, Rachel encourages you to contact her directly at info@strategicdogsports.com. She is happy to answer your questions and may even schedule a private lesson to help you prepare.

Learn more about Rachel Pearson here.