Totally Positive Advanced Beginners: 7 PM
Current Instructor: William Short

This is a class for dogs and handlers who have completed a beginners' class or an equivalent, and who wish to continue elementary obedience work.

There are several goals and objectives for this class. They are:

1. We will provide instruction in the methods of positive reinforcement to teach, reteach, and practice all of the skills learned at the beginning levels of obedience training.
2. Opportunities will be provided to learn how to improve one's relationship with his dog so that both parties learn that obedience training is fun and rewarding.
3. We want all to learn additional skills that will enable the dog and handler to move onto higher levels of obedience training.
4. Handlers will learn of the six step process by which a dog learns new exercises; i.e., capturing, rewarding, marking, repeating, naming, and using that name.
5. Handlers will learn how to break down exercises into simpler parts thereby ensuring the dog's success at each step.
6. This class will provide the basics of positive reinforcement training using the clicker (marker) approach.

Class activities vary somewhat from week to week, but always with the aim to help handlers improve their obedience skills and their relationships with their dogs. There is an emphasis on heeling, both on lead and off including the figure 8. We work on the static exercises such as sit, stand, and down while paying careful attention to time, distance, and distraction factors. Come on command and all of the canine good citizen exercises are worked on regularly, as well as fronts and finishes. There will be opportunities to explore many of the rally obedience exercises also.

This class stresses the use of operant conditioning, especially the use of positive reinforcement (good behavior = a reward) and negative punishment (incorrect behavior = something the dog likes goes away). There is also emphasis on classical conditioning—rewarding what we want; ignoring what we do not want. Handlers are encouraged to use buckle collars and/or gentle leaders on their dogs and to bring a generous supply of treats.