NOTICE - No local seminars are scheduled at this time.

Clicking to a UD - A progressive series of four weekend seminars, held every three months, on competitive obedience skills. Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, covers all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers. The homework is available to non-camp participants, but only for the full observer fee.

This year, we've scheduled makeup sessions, so that if you have a conflict and cannot attend one of the seminar weekends, a weekend already is set aside for a makeup session that will still give you time to work on the homework for the next seminar. Because the makeup sessions will be shorter (12-5 on Saturday, 9-noon on Sunday) and will not include food, the fee will be $90 per participant. People are encouraged to try to attend the full camps, because they will feature more people and more dogs - more distractions for proofing stays and other exercises.

Repeat offender discount: Anyone who has attended two or more of the Obedience Series weekends in the past may attend this year's series for $100 per weekend or $75 per makeup session.

You may bring more than one dog but can only participate in any specific exercise with one dog (can't trade dogs in the middle of an exercise). Prior clicker experience is not required.

The series is designed so that if a handler starts out with a dog that is 18-24 months old but knows only household manners, the dog will be trained through Utility at the end of a year and ready to show in Novice. If you start with a younger dog, you can still participate but you'll have to wait for your dog to grow up and for the growth plates to close before showing in Open and Utility. Pups should be at least 6 months old to participate; this is just not fun for younger puppies.

The series includes detailed step-by-step homework to work on between seminars, on average, about 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The series builds a solid foundation of advanced work from the very first seminar, chaining behaviors together, as the series progresses, for final competitive exercises.

Camp One and its homework: Basics of heeling, Doggie Zen (foundation for proofing for destraction), record-keeping, the retrieve, stays, handler exercises, paw whacks (used later in go-outs).
Camp Two and its homework: Anti-targeting to steer the dog's rear for better positioning, more heeling, beginning fronts and finishes, distance work for drop on recall, signals, etc., ring showmanship.
Camp Three and its homework: Turns, heeling, fronts, finishes, jumps, scent articles, directed retrieve.
Camp Four and its homework: Polishing all, problem solving on any given exercise.

Camps Two, Three and Four include extensive group stay exercises at all levels with a variety of distractions. Shirley also will address any behavioral issues (fear, stress, hormones) that may hamper a dog's ability to compete in the ring. Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.

Brown Bag Weekend - General clicker training with an agenda customized to suit the participants. $75 per participant with dog or dogs; $40 for observers. This new "economy" weekend is designed to appeal to people within a half-day drive of Grinnell who are looking for cost-effective training opportunities and want to train in a small group. The fee is lower (no food provided) and you'll only have to stay overnight on Saturday.

Note: If a group of six full participants get together on their own (say, six who work with another trainer) and book the weekend, there is a 10 percent discount on the fee. Advance registration will be required because that will close the weekend to anyone else.

The weekend training times are from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Brown Bag Weekends require a minimum of three participants but are limited to a maximum of six. Training will include sessions on clicker timing, increasing rate of reinforcement, addressing general behavior issues, and probably loose-lead walking, crate behavior, attention, Doggie Zen. But much of the agenda will depend upon the interests of participants.

These training weekends are open to dogs of any age, breed or mix and any level of training (or no training) and to handlers of any skill level. In other words, these weekends are open to anyone. Contact Anita Schrodt for registration information.

Conformation Clinic - A full-day working clinic (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) designed to improve both dog and handler performance in the show ring. Fee is $100 for participants with one or more dogs, $50 for observers. Anyone who brings a bitch in heat will receive a $10 discount on the clinic fee (since bitches in heat are often a major distraction)!

Exercises will focus on getting a good ring gait for each dog (putting trot in cue if necessary), heads-up attitude on the trot and for the judge, free-stacking and fine-tuning stacking, accepting judge's handling, dealing with distractions. The clinic should be helpful to people with a range of show handling experience - from newcomers through veterans. Contact Anita Schrodt for registration information.

Mind Games - A variation of Shirley's popular Behavior Camp weekends, but the focus here is on dog-people behavior instead of dog-dog behavior. All day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner, $125 per participant with dog, $60 for non-dog observers. People are encouraged to bring multiple dogs - the more dogs the better!

Using Shirley's Mind Games leadership program as a foundation, this weekend will focus on building the bond between you and your dog (or dogs), to build confidence in dogs who need more confidence, to build a willing-to-please work ethic in dogs who may have a bit too much confidence. It will address such issues as separation anxiety, temperament testing, evaluating rescues and fosters, tug-of-war and how to get the dog to release tug items, the retrieve, chase games, how to read dogs' reactions to people, how to handle shy dogs, how to evaluate dog temperaments, pack behavior and how that affects interactions with people and other dogs.

If your dog was a character on a TV show, which one would he be??? Contact Anita Schrodt for registration information.

Doggie Zen & More - Addresses basic "control" training that makes life with your dog more enjoyable. All day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner, $125 per participant with dog or dogs, $60 for non-dog observers. For dogs of any size, age, breed, or mix.

Using operant conditioning methods and the clicker, Shirley will conduct sessions on Doggie Zen (teaching dogs how to exercise self-control), attention and eye contact, name recognition, responsible heeling and following the owner, quiet crate behavior (open-door crate training), jumping, loose-lead walking, settle, putting your dog to sleep, holding feet, the retrieve and tug of war, among others. Special agenda items will be added based on participant interests. Contact Anita Schrodt for registration information.

Camp Terrier - For terrier breeds and mixes, and their non-terrier canine companions. Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers.

This will feature general clicker training (prior clicker experience NOT required) on loose-lead walking, behavior, stays, Doggie Zen, with much of the agenda customized based on participants' interests, which may include conformation, obedience and agility; special focus on the opportunities and challenges of terrier-specific behavior (attention, digging, barking, etc.) Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.

Camp Herding - For herding breeds and mixes, and their non-herding canine companions. Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers.

This will feature general clicker training (prior clicker experience NOT required) on loose-lead walking, behavior, stays, Doggie Zen, with much of the agenda customized based on the stated interests of participants. There also will be special focus on the opportunities and challenges of herding-breed characteristics, such as dealing with herding tendencies, activity levels, calming and settling, barking; and additional work on herding groundwork, such as working away from you, directional signals, turns and stops at a distance. Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.

Camp Small Dog - For dogs generally 20 pounds and under; all breeds and mixes; a great place for training toy dogs without worrying about the presence of large dogs! Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers.

This will feature general clicker training (prior clicker experience NOT required) on loose-lead walking, behavior, stays, Doggie Zen, with much of the agenda customized based on participants' interests, which may include conformation, obedience and agility. There will be special focus on little dog issues and instilling self-confidence to help little dogs become big dogs at heart, instead of prey. Big dogs - except for our local dogs used for socializing sessions - will not be allowed to participate at this camp. Big dog companions are allowed but will be required to be kept separated from little dogs in the building and in the field. Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.

Camp Belgian - For all Belgian breeds and mixes and their non-Belgian canine companions. Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers.

This will feature general clicker training (prior clicker experience NOT required) on loose-lead walking, behavior, stays, Doggie Zen, with much of the agenda customized based on participants' interests, which may include conformation, obedience, agility and herding. There also will be special focus on the opportunities and challenges of Belgian-breed characteristics, such as dealing with herding tendencies, activity levels, calming and settling, barking. Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.

Camp Rottie - For Rottweilers, Rottie mixes, and their non-Rottie canine companions. Fee: $125 per participant with dog or dogs, all day Saturday and Sunday, two lunches and Saturday night dinner. $60 for no-dog observers.

This will feature general clicker training (prior clicker experience NOT required) on loose-lead walking, behavior, stays, Doggie Zen, with much of the agenda customized based on participants' interests, which may include conformation, obedience, agility and service work. Special work on tricks, meeting and greeting, calming, and other methods that will help your dog be an appealing representative of this great breed. Contact Anita Schrodt for more registration information.