| Shadowland Obedience |
| Tuesday, June 5th, 2012. 7:00 PM the first night. After the first night, if we have enough students, we break into two groups, one for puppies at 6:30 and one for adults at 8:00 PM. Note: We will not have class July 3rd. |
| Next 8 Week Beginner Obedience Class Starts- |
| Want to get started before that? Come to a K-9 Basics Seminar Next Seminar-Monday, May 7th Basics is a great way to get a head start or get a comprehensive overview of what you need to be working on if you can't come to the 8 week class. This session will help you with all of the basic issues that people generally struggle with during the initial period after acquiring a new puppy or dog. |
| Shadowland offers a range of obedience and agility classes. We have been instructing obedience classes in Oskaloosa since 1993. Over 100 students participate in classes each year. Our Beginner Obedience classes have evolved from the Motivational Training Methods of Jack Volhard. Over the years we have adapted these methods to develop a comprehensive and challenging class that sets the owner and dog up for success each step of the way. Our methods help the owner develop a means of communication with their dog so that both dog and owner better understand the relationship. We believe in giving people ways to deal with problem behavior so that the owner earns respect through leadership and the dog understands his place in the home without sacrificing their bond. We try to help the owner understand 'how' their dog thinks so that they can find better ways to communicate. Thus, establishing a solid foundation for a life long relationship. Helping to keep dogs in their homes forever is one of our primary goals. Julie McVay heads the Instruction of classes with Lead Instructor: Shannon De Penning. We also have an experienced core of Assistants who help with classes or teach additional classes. Shadowland Kennels is also home to Shadowmyst Labradors. Shadowmyst Labradors compete in several performance events including Obedience, Agility, Hunt Tests and Conformation. |
| Goals: Our Beginners class is an 8 week course designed to meet 4 primary goals by the end of the 8 weeks. Walking on a loose lead (not pulling), coming when called, staying when told to stay and leadership. These are the four basic tools an owner needs to have a well behaved dog. Our class uses many exercises to help attain these goals. We include hand signals as an additional fun way to train the down, sit, stand, recall and heel commands. Leadership and energy are emphasized as the foundation for building a balanced relationship with your dog. |
| Class Size, Ages and Cost: Class size is limited to about 12. Puppies as young as 8 weeks can attend classes (as long as they have current vaccinations and deworming) and are usually in their own class (8 weeks to 6 months) separate from dogs over 6 months. A training lead is included with class. Upon finishing the class, you will recieve a certificate of completion. Beginners Class is $100.00. We encourage owners to begin classes as soon as possible. Your dog is learning as soon as you bring them home and it's always best to start the right way! |
| For information about the classes, please access our online information on the right of this page. If you cannot access this information by internet, email us and we can email or snail mail the information. You will receive everything you need to know about class and a registration form that needs to be completed and returned to get signed up for class. You can return the form via email as well. |
| All dogs must be up to date on vaccinations and parasite free prior to coming to class. |
| Click here to read General Instructions for the class. |
| Click here for information about Housetraining |
| Click here for a Registration Form. (HTML) |
| Or as a word document- Registration form |
| Intermediate Obedience: Shadowland also offers an Intermediate Level Class periodically. This class is a continuation of Beginners class and designed to get more control with your dog and develop a working relationship beyond basics that includes teaching TRICKS and incorporating play. You must have graduated from beginners and/or be able to pass a series of test exercises to go into Intermediate. Figure 8's, finishes, turns in place, off leash stays and recalls are some of the exercises covered. We also teach TRICKS in this class as a way to reward and motivate the dog. This is a good class to attend if you are interested in competition obedience or just improving your dogs on and off leash control as well as have a blast training. We highly recommend this for dogs that thrive on training and/or need a continuation of routine training. This class is usually a 5 week session and the cost is $60.00. Please email Julie to add your name to the email list for notification about upcoming Intermediate Obedience Classes and Agility sessions. |
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| Methods: The class is a step by step approach and each week lays the foundation for the next week's lesson. Progressions are easily accepted by dog and owner since they are gradual and the owner can always go back a step if necessary. Food or toys are used to motivate and reward the dog and are gradually tapered down in use as class progresses to proofing the exercises. An appropriate balance of positive and negative reinforcement is used as we progress through the class. Because exercises are broken into sequences and small steps, the dog and handler are put in a position to succeed. Confidence, respect and trust grow mutually between dog and handler each week. The end result is a dog that respects and trusts his owner, understands the exercises and an owner who knows what to do if the dog ignores a command. When: Beginner sessions are held 4 times per year. Normally we have classes beginning in January, March or April, June or July, and September. Our usual schedule is Tuesday night classes. |
| For those of you who were lucky enough to meet our Shiloh, we'd like to let you all know that Shiloh has passed away and is waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge. Shiloh was my right hand in teaching classes for the past decade. |
