Obedience Levels
Basic Obedience Tracts
Any student older than 16 weeks of age at the start of their training class should enroll in Level 1. This is the first of three levels that make up our basic obedience and house manners tract. Each level consists of six to seven skills that you are required to train your dog to know before moving into the next level of training.
Level 1
- Name Recognition: Dog looks to owner for direction when he hears his name and is able to hold his attention on his owner for 10 seconds with low distractions (other dogs stationary in class): Dogs focus is on the owner – facial recognition, not looking at hands or treat bag.
- Polite Greeting: Dog is able to remain calm in a sit or a stand position while a visitor walks up and converses with his owner. Dog does not come into visitor’s personal space or lose self-control and begin jumping. Visitor is not to talk to dog.
- Sit & Down: Dog responds to cue w/ verbal or hand signal (non verbal), owner upright.
- Come: Other dogs will be stationary in class while the instructor holds the dog and the owner walks out 15 steps, turns and calls his dog. Instructor will be ignoring the dog.
- Loose Leash Walking (LLW): Dog should be able to walk across width of training room without pulling on leash. Other dogs in class will be stationary.
- Wait: Dog does not try to cross threshold until owner releases dog. Owner is not to prompt his dog to sit, but the dog may choose to sit on his own.
Level 2
Dog must maintain all Level 1 skills plus
- Name Recognition: Dog looks to owner for direction when he hears his name, owner says “watch” and dog is able to hold his attention on his owner for 20 seconds with moderate distractions (other dogs (moving in class). Dogs focus is on the owner – facial recognition, not looking at hands or treat bag.
- Polite Greeting: Dog is able to remain calm in a sit or a stand while a visitor walks up to and speaks with the owner. Visitor will proceed to pet the dog. Dog does not come into greeter’s personal space or lose self-control and begin jumping while being petted and talked to by stranger.
- Stay: Dog should be able to maintain position for a duration of two minutes with low to moderate distractions – owner bends down to tie his shoe, takes three steps back and returns to release the dog, sits down in a chair.
- Come: Other dogs will be stationary in class while the instructor holds the dog and offers verbal praise and attention. The owner will walk out 30 steps, turn and call his dog.
- Leave It: Dog responds to cue while stationary and out for a walk. Owner is able to drop or walk past food, a toy or another dog and use the Leave It cue to redirect their dogs focus.
- LLW: Dog should be able to walk one time around the training school or outside with 2 other dogs and maintain a loose leash and watch owner’s direction changes.
- Place: When rug is presented, dog will walk over and lie on mat on his own for one minute with low to moderate distractions – owner bends down to tie his shoe, takes three steps away and comes back, sits in a chair and reads. Owner may use verbal cue to send dog to mat.
Level 3
Dog must maintain all Level 1 & 2 skills plus:
- Polite Greeting: Dog should automatically, without being cued, offer a sit as a visitor walks up to speak with his owner.
- Leave It: Dog responds to cue while stationary or moving and from a distance of at least 10 feet from the owner.
- LLW: Dog is able to maintain a loose leash while the owner changes pace, walks past high distractions (bill jac, other dogs walking past, toys on ground, food on table etc) and offers automatic sits when owner stops walking. Dog should be able to successfully meet another dog/ owner team while out for a walk. Dog maintains a sit or standing position while the owner speaks briefly with the other.
- Place: Dog responds to cue off leash in the real life room as “visitor” enters and greets owner.
- Stay: Dog will respond to verbal cue by maintaining position for duration of five minutes with moderate to high distractions. Other dogs may be moving in class, owner will walk out six feet and return to release, pet another dog.
- Come: Dog is able to respond to cue indoors, off leash or outdoors on a long line. Owner may be out of sight and/or the dog can be interacting with other dogs - 20 – 30 feet away.
- Canine Good Citizen Evaluation
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