Go Dogs! - Obedience Date and Time of classes: Bare Bonz (a/k/a beginners): Mondays, 7:00 p.m. Family Dog (a/k/a adv. Beginners): Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Bare Bonz (Puppy/adolescent): Tuesdays, 7:45 p.m. Current Class Applications: Application for Obedience Classes - Bare Bonz, Family Dog (03/10) What is it? Obedience training is a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between dog and owner. It teaches the basic commands that make living with your canine more enjoyable. We work on strengthening the relationship between you and your dog, whether you are interested in basic obedience or competition training. Go Dogs! is one of the first training clubs in the area to use positive reinforcement methods (also sometimes referred to as shaping) for training obedience. The method we use was originally developed for training marine mammals (such as dolphins and whales) for exhibitions and shows at aquariums. We do not use any physical corrections; instead, we reward correct behavior with a "click" or with a marker word, and then give the dog a treat. Incorrect or undesirable behavior is ignored. Training with this method allows our dogs to think; it also makes it more enjoyable for dog and trainer. Our classes are also unique in that dog/handler teams are able to start classes pretty much as soon as possible. We do not have specific start dates; dog/handler teams can join classes as soon as we have received your application and class payment and, if you have never taken a class at Go Dogs, completed our Introductory Class. Introductory Class: Whether you are training a puppy or an adolescent or adult dog, prior to attending your first obedience class, you must attend a mandatory "Intro" class. You DO NOT bring your dog to this class. During this 45-minute session, you are given an Introduction packet, information about the club and our classes is discussed, and then you are sent home with a homework assignment for you and your dog to work on. Class Requirements: Only one handler should train the dog throughout the class. However, other family members are encouraged to attend classes along with the main handler so they can also see what we are teaching the handler and dog. Children under the age of fourteen are not allowed to be handlers unless they have permission from the training director. If permission is granted, that child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18. Aggressive dogs will not be accepted into group classes but will be referred for private instruction. If you have an aggressive dog, please contact the Club for information on private trainers No abuse of dogs will be tolerated in our classes. It is up to the class instructor’s discretion to excuse anyone from class who is seen abusing their dog. Bitches in season may be excused from class. Obedience Class Descriptions: Puppy/Adolescent Bare Bonz Class: (9 weeks to 32-36 weeks, depending on the breed and size of your puppy) Puppies in this class should be no younger than 9 weeks (and should not have been taken from their mothers yet) and no older than 32-36 weeks of age if you have not taken an obedience class with them before. All young pups must have had at least their first two sets of shots. The maximum age may be adjusted at the discretion of the training director or class instructor depending on breed and size of your puppy/adolescent. In Puppy/Adolescent Bare Bonz Class we work on establishing the trainer-dog relationship. We teach you the importance of eye contact between you and your dog. We also focus on teaching the "marker word" to open up the lines of communication between the two of you. Puppies will also learn sit, down, settle, collar-grab, touch, corrected jumping, and the beginning of coming when called. An optional short period of playtime at the end of class is available. Adult Dogs: (6 months and up) Go Dogs! pet dog classes are unique in the Omaha area. They are taught in progress-at-your-own-rate stages: Bare Bonz Family Dog Our first class for dogs over 6 months of age is called Bare Bonz. The exercises taught in this class consist of eye contact, marker word/click, sit, down, settle, collar-grab, touch, corrected jumping, and the beginning of coming when called (recall). Family Dog is the next class after Bare Bonz. In addition to continuing to work on those exercises learned in Bare Bonz, the main concepts taught in our Family Dog class include loose leash walking (controlled walking), sit for petting, leave it, backing up, fronts, wait, stay, finish, hand signals, "go to your place", stand, and "get around". As always, the relationship between you and your dog continues to be a topic of importance and something we continue to work on in all of our obedience classes. Each of the above training levels has a set of specific exercises that the team (dog and trainer) must accomplish and then demonstrate successfully in order to advance into the next class. Each level blends from one class right into the next class. These classes are no longer taught in the setting of a structured six- or eight-week class. Instead, they are taught continuously on specific nights/days and times, as scheduled on the calendar available on this website and as posted at the Go Dogs! training building. Costs for Puppy/Adolescent/Adult: For Go Dogs! Members, a card containing six (6) classes may be purchased for $65.00 plus $4.55 tax, totaling $69.55. The cost for non-Go Dogs! Members is $80.00 plus $5.60, totaling $85.60. You will be given two months during which to use up the six classes purchased. Students progress at their own pace. Instructors will work with students in a group setting as well as one-on-one for the students having particular needs. Successful demonstration of specific exercises will be needed to pass from one level to the next. Applications can be downloaded below (or above), or we can mail one to you. Just call 393-0507, and leave your request along with your name and mailing address. There are different applications for the Adult class and for the Puppy/Adolescent class, so please specify which one you would like. Send payment along with your application to the address on the application. Your signature is necessary and indicates to us that your dog is current on all shots required by the City of Omaha. Exceptions may be made in regard to a home address that is different than Omaha and allows for a different set of required shots. Rally Ho ! (prerequisite: completion of Family Dog or with permission of the Rally class instructor) Rally Ho! is our class that teaches Rally Obedience, the newest venue for fun and competition. The AKC calls it a bridge between the Canine Good Citizen recognition and competitive obedience. It is mainly fun for everyone! Rally Obedience was created by taking the idea of a numbered course from Agility and exercises from competitive Obedience (and adding a few unique ones that are not part of competitive Obedience). Put those both together, and you have Rally Obedience. It is not as strict as formal competitive obedience; you can talk to and encourage your dog by patting your leg, giving hand signals and verbally praising him/her in the ring. You can compete in Rally with purebred dogs in AKC trials and with purebred and mixed breed dogs in APDT trials. If your dog is proficient with basic obedience exercises, including sit, down, controlled walking (walking beside you and not pulling), stays and finishes, then you are set to take the class. If you have been taking obedience from Go Dogs!, you would need to have completed Family Dog. If you have not taken classes at Go Dogs!, you will need to have permission to take the class from either the venue coordinator or the class instructor. Costs for Rally Ho!: The Rally class will consist of a six-week session for $60.00 plus $4.20 tax, totaling $64.20 for Go Dogs! members and $75.00 plus $5.25, totaling $80.25 for non-Go Dogs! members. We currently are not offering a specific Rally class, but if you are interested in a class like this, please contact Kris at kwoodke7618@yahoo.com to be put on a waiting list. As soon as we have enough participants for a class, we will contact you about scheduling one. For more information about Rally, check out these links: American Kennel Club (AKC) Rally Info Association Of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Rally Info Competition Classes: Intro to Competition Obedience and Rally (Novice) Class: In this class, the dog and handler are learning the Novice exercises for competition Obedience and Rally. The first three weeks of this class cover the basics of traditional obedience trials for the AKC "CD" (Companion Dog) title, the UKC Novice title and the CDSP Novice title. The second three weeks builds on those exercises and also introduces the exercises for the Novice levels of AKC, APDT and UKC Rally. Costs for Intro to Competition and Rally (Novice) Class: The cost for a 6-week session of this class is $60.00, plus tax of $4.20, totaling $64.20 for Go Dogs! members, and $75.00, plus tax of $5.25, totaling $80.25 for non-Go Dogs! members. Please contact GoDogs Obedience for more information on this class and when the next session will be starting, Breed Requirements: Any dog can learn obedience, and now the AKC, which used to allow only purebred dogs to compete in the obedience and Rally rings, has now opened up these companion events to all dogs, purebred or mixed breeds.. The United Kennel Club (UKC) maintains the AMBER Registry, which is for mixed-breed dogs, and would allow them other venues in which to compete besides AKC. Also, CDSP (Companion Dog Sports Program by St. Hubert’s) is the newest venue for purebred, mixed breed and handicapped dogs to compete in obedience. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) also allows both purebred and mixed breeds. Join a class: Click on the link below to download a PDF application for any of the above classes. Print it out, fill it out, and mail it in. If you have questions about any of our Obedience classes, please send an e-mail to GoDogs Obedience or call the Club 402-393-0507 and leave a message. Please note that the Club is staffed by volunteers only so your phone call may not be returned immediately. We try to return all calls within 48 hours. Please make sure to leave a number at which you may be contacted after 5:00 p.m.