Agility Program
Kim Seiter Dog Agility Training Program for puppies and Dogs
Requirements for teams (Dog and Handler) who want to enroll in Beginner Agility training. Dogs MUST be friendly to people and other dogs, if you are not sure of this, you must schedule and pay for an evaluation before signing up for Beginner class. Dogs will be asked to leave class if they are aggressive or extremely reactive. Dogs need to be “fit’ and is good physical shape as they will be performing athletic skills, so they must have good fitness.
The Kim Seiter Dog Agility training program teaches you how to effectively communicate with your dog using positive reinforcements. This training program is the most through foundation training program for agility. It will teach you how to put your dog’s behaviors on cue while your dog learns how to use their body effectively for training the sport. In the beginner class each dog is evaluated, and training is geared to focus on your dog’s individual needs. The beginner agility program consists of a series of classes that a student MUST complete before taking any higher-level elective class.
*The difference between puppy and adult classes are that some skills and obstacle training is modified to accommodate young dogs who are still growing. Puppies are grouped 8 weeks-20 weeks, and 5 months to a year old.
AGILITY TRAINING PROGRAM
Beginner Agility (Puppy-Adult)
Beginner Agility introduces the trainer and dog to clicker training. This is an established training concept where you mark the behaviors your dog produces with a “click” and food reward. This class teaches you how to train your dog to perform a variety of tricks. These tricks help your dog learn how to use their body in preparation for more advanced training in the sport. Training will include; impulse control hand touch, nose touch, foot targeting, right and left turns, sit, down, stand, go in a crate, crawl forward and backward, sit up and beg, get in a box, balance boxes, balance disk, balance peanut, tunnels, front cross, rear cross, blind cross, and single jump collection.
Advanced Beginner Agility (puppy-Adult)
Advanced Beginner takes the skills of Beginner Agility and advances them. All Beginner skills will be reviewed and taught perfected in combination. This class focus is on building the dogs confidence while learning to fluidly offer behaviors on cue. Training includes; Sit, down and stand on verbal and hand cues, crawl forward and backward 5 feet, roll over, body awareness positions on balance equipment, right and left turns around a cone, weave pole entries, introduction to plank, stopped contact position, hand stand, A-frame, see-saw, dog-walk. This class may be repeated.
Intermediate
The Intermediate class continues to train all the skills in Beginner and Advanced Beginner, while combining more complex behaviors for the dog to perform. This class may be repeated until dogs are ready to proceed to the more specific aspects of the sport which are divided into five categories.
Introduction to Sequencing
Sequencing consists of teaching the dog to read obstacle lines. This training will use jumps and tunnels only and teaching straight running and turning lines. Handlers learn how to use motion to drive the dog through the obstacles lines and the dog learns how to run at speed with the handers motion.
Required Skill after completing Beginner- Intermediate training.
Independent Contact training
Contact training will include learning the challenge of each obstacle and performing it to the skill and safety required in competition. All equipment will be at a low height and progressed to competition height once dogs are able to perform the following skills; the obstacle off the right and left side, recall and send positions. Students are taught a stopped contact position, with some running A-frames if it suits the team. This class will let the instructor and you decide what contact training is best for you and your dog.
Independent Weave Poles
This class will take the foundation behavior of weave pole entry positions and systematically advance the skills until fluent weaving is performed. Each team has its own time line on how long this training will take. Variables include, access to weave poles for training, the dogs physical structure and motivation for weaving, and handlers ability to train each. Weave pole training consists of angulated weave pole entries, 360-degree independent entries on two poles with distance, 4 pole weaving with guide wires or operant shaping, 4 pole weaving of the right, left, recall and send, front cross and rear cross. All behaviors will be on 4 poles until dogs are fluent before going to 6 or 12 poles.
Handling skills
Handling skills class will teach you (the handler) how to use your movement and position to tell the dog where to go on an obstacle line or ground path. This class can use a variety of obstacles while teaching the handler key positions as the dog performs independent obstacles or turning skills. Dogs will learn how to go forward, lateral, and turn away from of the handler. Instructor discretion for which obstacles are used.
Independent Jumping
Jumping skills with include training on all jump obstacles, tire jump, panel jump, broad jump, triple jump, double jump, wall jump, and ascending jump. Dogs will learn to perform collection, extension, front, rear and blind crosses on each jump obstacle as well as perform sequential jumping on different jump combinations. This will include foot work exercises, bounce jumping, and specific jump handling cues like serpentines, threades, and back-sides.
The Kim Seiter Dog Agility training program teaches you how to effectively communicate with your dog using positive reinforcements. This training program is the most through foundation training program for agility. It will teach you how to put your dog’s behaviors on cue while your dog learns how to use their body effectively for training the sport. In the beginner class each dog is evaluated, and training is geared to focus on your dog’s individual needs. The beginner agility program consists of a series of classes that a student MUST complete before taking any higher-level elective class.
*The difference between puppy and adult classes are that some skills and obstacle training is modified to accommodate young dogs who are still growing. Puppies are grouped 8 weeks-20 weeks, and 5 months to a year old.
AGILITY TRAINING PROGRAM
Beginner Agility (Puppy-Adult)
Beginner Agility introduces the trainer and dog to clicker training. This is an established training concept where you mark the behaviors your dog produces with a “click” and food reward. This class teaches you how to train your dog to perform a variety of tricks. These tricks help your dog learn how to use their body in preparation for more advanced training in the sport. Training will include; impulse control hand touch, nose touch, foot targeting, right and left turns, sit, down, stand, go in a crate, crawl forward and backward, sit up and beg, get in a box, balance boxes, balance disk, balance peanut, tunnels, front cross, rear cross, blind cross, and single jump collection.
Advanced Beginner Agility (puppy-Adult)
Advanced Beginner takes the skills of Beginner Agility and advances them. All Beginner skills will be reviewed and taught perfected in combination. This class focus is on building the dogs confidence while learning to fluidly offer behaviors on cue. Training includes; Sit, down and stand on verbal and hand cues, crawl forward and backward 5 feet, roll over, body awareness positions on balance equipment, right and left turns around a cone, weave pole entries, introduction to plank, stopped contact position, hand stand, A-frame, see-saw, dog-walk. This class may be repeated.
Intermediate
The Intermediate class continues to train all the skills in Beginner and Advanced Beginner, while combining more complex behaviors for the dog to perform. This class may be repeated until dogs are ready to proceed to the more specific aspects of the sport which are divided into five categories.
Introduction to Sequencing
Sequencing consists of teaching the dog to read obstacle lines. This training will use jumps and tunnels only and teaching straight running and turning lines. Handlers learn how to use motion to drive the dog through the obstacles lines and the dog learns how to run at speed with the handers motion.
Required Skill after completing Beginner- Intermediate training.
Independent Contact training
Contact training will include learning the challenge of each obstacle and performing it to the skill and safety required in competition. All equipment will be at a low height and progressed to competition height once dogs are able to perform the following skills; the obstacle off the right and left side, recall and send positions. Students are taught a stopped contact position, with some running A-frames if it suits the team. This class will let the instructor and you decide what contact training is best for you and your dog.
Independent Weave Poles
This class will take the foundation behavior of weave pole entry positions and systematically advance the skills until fluent weaving is performed. Each team has its own time line on how long this training will take. Variables include, access to weave poles for training, the dogs physical structure and motivation for weaving, and handlers ability to train each. Weave pole training consists of angulated weave pole entries, 360-degree independent entries on two poles with distance, 4 pole weaving with guide wires or operant shaping, 4 pole weaving of the right, left, recall and send, front cross and rear cross. All behaviors will be on 4 poles until dogs are fluent before going to 6 or 12 poles.
Handling skills
Handling skills class will teach you (the handler) how to use your movement and position to tell the dog where to go on an obstacle line or ground path. This class can use a variety of obstacles while teaching the handler key positions as the dog performs independent obstacles or turning skills. Dogs will learn how to go forward, lateral, and turn away from of the handler. Instructor discretion for which obstacles are used.
Independent Jumping
Jumping skills with include training on all jump obstacles, tire jump, panel jump, broad jump, triple jump, double jump, wall jump, and ascending jump. Dogs will learn to perform collection, extension, front, rear and blind crosses on each jump obstacle as well as perform sequential jumping on different jump combinations. This will include foot work exercises, bounce jumping, and specific jump handling cues like serpentines, threades, and back-sides.
For more information email Kim at [email protected]