Springfield Dog Training Club Offers the Following Classes

This class is for puppies under 4 months of age and meets once a week for six weeks. The class is based on the AKC S.T.A.R. Program, and the instructor is an approved AKC CGC Evaluator. Owners and puppies will earn an AKC STAR Certificate with the successful completion of the class. We emphasize activities that encourage the development of a confident, well cared for and well adjusted puppy. The class deals with house-training, crate training, grooming, proper socialization, and beginning obedience. This class is limited to 12 puppies.

This class is for puppies 4 to 6 months old and meets for 7 weeks. The exercises taught in this class are the same as Home Manners, with the only difference being that it’s for the younger dogs. As in Home Manners, do not bring the pup the first night. This class is limited to 12 puppies.

This class is for dogs over 6 months of age. Exercises taught are sit, down, stay, walk on leash, come when called, and home manners. This is a 7-week class--1 night a week--with a book and a workbook. The first class is orientation, so do NOT bring your dog the first night of class. This class is limited to 12 dogs.

This class is for those wishing to progress further with their training and gain more control over their dogs. This class helps to prepare dogs to pass the Canine Good Citizen test given the last night of class. The CGC is a certification offered by the American Kennel Club. The class also offers more work toward off-leash comes and stays as well as introducing some fun background exercises for competition training. This class is limited to 12 dogs.

This class teaches the dog the skills required to continue on into either the Beginner Novice class or the Rally class. Methods are motivational yet are geared for precision. This challenging class involves different methodology than learned in the pet classes and requires that the dog be worked between classes in order to keep up. This class is limited to 12 dogs.

This class prepares the dog and handler for the Rally ring. The class primarily teaches how to perform the signs properly, rules and running courses. The skills, or maneuvers, the dog must do to properly perform these exercises are taught in O/R Skills. This class is limited to 12 dogs.

This is a pay-as-you-go class which has no start or end date. It meets once a week for 1 hour. The class is limited to 12 students.

This class concentrates on teaching the Novice exercises for those with the goal of competing in Obedience Trials. The foundation skills learned in ORS are built upon and formed into formal exercises as done in trials. The goal of this class is to get the handler and dog to the point that all they need to show in Novice is polishing and proofing.

This is an on-going class with no start and no end dates. This 30-minute class consists of ring preparation and proofing for Novice, Open and Utility heeling. This class is concurrent with Open/Utility and is included in the class fee for those classes. Novice handlers are expected to work in Open on exercises other than heeling.

These are on-going classes that concentrate on teaching the exercises needed to participate in Open competition for a Companion Dog Excellent title, and the exercises needed for Utility competition for the UD title.

Obedience/Agility Skills
Prerequisite: Public Manners. This course will help handlers and their dogs build on the basic skills they began learning in Home Manners/Public Manners or in the three consecutive puppy classes (Puppy Socialization, Agile Pup, and Versatile Pup) and show how these skills may be applied in agility training. This course also introduces the majority of the UKC agility obstacles. While this course will serve as a foundation for those wishing to continue their agility training, it is also intended to improve general handling skills, build confidence in both handlers and their dogs, and enhance the relationship between people and their canine companions. This class is designed for one working dog per student due to simultaneous exercises. The limit for this class is 8 students.

Prerequisite: Obedience/Agility Skills OR Demonstrating to a member of the Agility Committee before class starts the following exercises: Go to the Table for a 10 second sit stay and a 10 second down stay, controlled walking on a loose leash, recalls to handler over a jump and on the flat, demonstrate an understanding the target plate, demonstrate hand awareness flat work, demonstrate contact touch command on the low dog walk, and demonstrate good jumping skills and send to the tunnel. The purpose of this class is to start or re-learn the contact obstacles in agility, channels weaves and open and closed tunnels. This class is designed for one working dog per student due to simultaneous exercises. The limit for this class is 10 students.

Prerequisite: Obedience/Agility Skills OR Demonstrating to a member of the Agility Committee before class starts the following exercises: Go to the Table for a 10 second sit stay and a 10 second down stay, controlled walking on a loose leash, recalls to handler over a jump and on the flat, demonstrate an understanding the target plate, demonstrate hand awareness flat work, and demonstrate good jumping skills and send to the tunnel. The purpose of this class is to introduce on the ground skills or flat work skills along with an understanding of cues and body language to use when jumping your dog. This class will continue to work on the channel weaves and open and closed tunnels. This class is designed for one working dog per student due to simultaneous exercises. The limit for this class is 10 students.

Agility Weaves
This class is for the handler and dog to improve their weave performance. In order to enroll in this class, the dog must be 80% on their weave performance. This means that the dog can successfully complete a set of weaves--6 or 12 poles--80% of the time. This is not a class that teaches the dog to weave, but rather it is a class to proof and improve the dog's performance in the weaves.

Pre-Novice Agility Class
     Proofing Contact Distance and Setting up Courses Safely. Prerequisites: Successful completion of the ABC and ABJ classes per the Instructor’s signoff. This class is also for students that need work on proofing obstacle distance, would like to learn how to set up a course safely and read a course layout map.
     Purpose and Goals of the Pre Novice Agility Class: To proof all the obstacles in agility with handler distance to include an emphasis on using a verbal release from all the contacts. The Student will learn accurate, exact and consistent body language for all obstacles. The weave poles will go from 4 poles, to 6 poles, and finally to 12 poles during this class. Students will start building independent obstacles completion no matter the handler location. Students will learn to always release the dog from a contact with a verbal release. One focus will be on teaching “between the obstacles” and how to handle the dog “between the obstacles.”
     This class will provide handouts regarding; agility rules, regulations, obstacles, and how Agility Judges…judge agility runs in AKC, UKC and NADAC, also training opportunities and record keeping. Students will learn how to set up an agility course and how to read a course map. To this end, students will be asked to help set up the agility ring for each class and take down the agility ring at the end of each class. Students will each have a course layout map to learn how to read and prepare to train for agility.

Novice Agility Class
Prerequisite: Agility Basics-Contacts & Jumps, and dog must be able to run short sequences of agility obstacles off leash in order to start preparing to show at the novice level. Thus, off-leash control of the dog is required. We will now add handling and actual course layouts. This is a class to stay in until you receive your first title. The limit for this class is 8 students.

Advanced (Competition) Agility Class
Prerequisite: completion of one agility title. This class is designed for students competing in Advanced Agility classes. We will concentrate on more handling and more involved course layouts. The limit for this class is 8 students.

Tracking Class
Tracking classes prepare dogs and handlers to earn the AKC TD (Tracking Dog) title. This class has limited enrollment.

Special Classes
The Springfield Dog Training Club also offers special classes on occasion, including obedience handling, clicker training, come when called, motivational retrieving, and childrens' classes, etc. Check our web pages for up-coming events!