We’re almost done with our second go-around of this class and it’s one of my new favorites! I pulled self control related activities from basic class, agility class, and a few other activities. Most of the dogs taking the class have already had some (or a lot) of training, making it a more advanced type of class than a manners class.
The activities alternate between stationary and moving activities. We do holding still for different types of distractions and scenarios, as well as releasing to toys or treats. There are a lot of moving activities, going to and past distractions and being challenged with stimulus control.
I also listed all the areas where teams are most likely to have trouble with self control and we spend time working on variations of those scenarios. Self control when greeting strangers, when going through the door, during play time, near other dogs and animals.
It’s been fun to find out the challenges for the individual dogs and to build self control for those dogs. And in many ways, it’s an easy class. Dogs who have trouble with self control typically -really- like at least a few things, making it much easier to find appropriate reinforcement than for some dogs in basic training class. We’ll be starting another round in a couple weeks – I can’t wait!