Classes Archives | NYOC Dog Training

Puppy Kindergarten (8 to 24 weeks old) Thursdays @ 7:30-8:15pm

Ideal for puppies up to 6 months of age, this class will get you and your puppy off to a good start while learning

basic obedience cues such as sit, down and stay/wait
coming when called; introduction of a variety of distractions such as other puppies, people, toys and food
walking on leash without pulling
settling and relaxing on a mat
fun, interactive games to enhance bonding with your puppy and to help in dealing with distractions
support with common puppy issues such as nipping and jumping up

Obedience 201 Thursdays @ 6:45-7:30 pm

Building on skills taught in our Obedience 101 class, this class is designed for those who want to continue bonding with their dog through training, as well as handlers who are interested in building a solid foundation for competition obedience and/or other dog sports.

The course is structured around the needs of those in the class. Fun, motivational exercises are used throughout. Specific skills include:

a continued emphasis on teaching dogs to focus on their handlers, even with distractions
solid loose-leash walking and an introduction to precision heeling
teaching dogs to continue to work well in the absence of obvious food lures and constant treats

In addition to the above, the Spring session of this class also includes the exercises required for the Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) test, as offered by the Canadian Kennel Club.

Prerequisite: Obedience 101 or permission of the instructor. Please contact us at nyoc.training@gmail.com for further clarification.

Basic Obedience 101 Thursdays @ 8:15- 9:00pm

This class is suitable for dogs over the age of 6 months. It involves teaching you to train your dog in basic obedience and good manners. The classes are designed for both family pets and for dogs who will eventually be competing in formal obedience trials.

Included are:

- How to get and maintain your dog’s attention
- Coming when called
- How to use praise effectively when training
- How to teach a dog to take treats/toys gently
- How to sit and/or lie down when asked to
- How to maintain a position until told they are free (Wait and Stay)
- Walking on a loose leash (or heeling for performance dogs)
- Keeping 4 feet on the floor (not jumping on people)
- Choice of equipment to use for training for your dog
- Advice on how to train your dog outside of class, how to maintain behaviours taught and how to add new behaviours as needed.

Minor distractions are used to ensure success.

Foundation Skills for Competitive Obedience – Tuesdays @ 8:30 – 9:15pm

The purpose of this class is to prepare you and your dog to compete in the dog sport of obedience trialling.

In order to be successful, the following prerequisites are required: reliable “sit”, generally loose leash walking on handler’s left.

The content of each session will be chosen according to the needs of the students attending. Key elements will include:

Precision heeling, on and off-leash
Motivated recalls with a formal finish
Learning effective handling skills
Sit stays and down stays of varying duration with distractions

Lessons will progress towards refining details of each exercise while increasing dog/handler connection and reliability despite distractions.

Students who are new to trialing will learn how to enter, participate and succeed at a trial. Helpful hints such as warm-up exercises, calming and motivating your dog will be covered.

For dog/handler teams ready to enter trials, particularly the NYOC Trial in June, there will be opportunities to work through all the exercises together in partial/full runs

Note: The exercises you’ll learn in this class (Loose Leash Heeling, Figure 8 Heeling, Standing still for Examination by Judge, Recalls, Sit/Stay, Down/Stay.) will also help you managing and enjoying your dog each day around the house, out walking, in social and public settings, vet visits etc.)

Rally Advanced – Tuesdays @ 7:45 – 8:30pm

This class teaches you and your dog to negotiate a more challenging course than the Rally Beginner class and helps you move towards off leash work. Intermediate, Advanced and Excellent level exercises will be covered.

For instance, the class will include jumps and use signs such as: Halt – 90° Pivot Right- Halt; and Figure 8s with toys as distractions. Even if you never enter a trial, this class is a great way to interact with your dog and learn some fun moves that you can demonstrate to family and friends.

Prerequisite: Dogs and handlers must have earned a Rally Novice title or a Companion Dog Obedience title.

Rally Beginner – Tuesdays @ 6:45 – 7:30pm

Our Rally Obedience Beginner class is an exciting way for you and your dog to try out a dog sport. You will learn to work more effectively as a team while refining and enhancing skills learned in previous classes.

Rally Obedience is a dog sport in which you and your dog negotiate a course consisting of signs that instruct you to do various things such as sit and stay or weave through pylons. Each week you will learn new skills or reinforce existing ones while enhancing the team work between you and your canine partner. You and your dog will have so much fun you might even want to enter our rally obedience trial in June.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Beginner’s 2 or equivalent. Dogs should be able to heel on a loose leash.