How Movement Works - Syllabus

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Weekly

New movement exercises will be covered. For each exercise, the following will be covered:

• How to set up the environment
• Suggestions for how to teach each behavior
• Proper alignment (you and your learner)
• Benefits of the movement
• Possible challenges and how to address them

Homework will include teaching your learner the exercise and submitting video. Along with your video, you’ll include observations of:

• Your learner’s engagement
• Your teaching challenges
• Your dog’s alignment
• Any challenges in the environment

Week 1

• Review of the ABCs
• How to get behaviors
  • Movement behaviors
  • Reinforcement strategy
• Mechanics
  • Practice: without and then with your learner
• Setting your dog up for success
  • Injuries (current or previous)
  • Veterinarian checkup
  • Nails
  • Weight Management
• The training environment
• Getting baseline data
  • Informal and documented
    • Written, photos, and video
  • Behavior challenges
• Movement work
  • Targeting
    • Nose-to-hand targeting
    • Following your finger

Week 2

• Teaching movement behaviors
• Alignment
  • Observing alignment
  • Changing alignment for the better
• Training sessions
  • Video
  • Length of training sessions
• Shaping and luring
  • Use of nose-to-hand
  • Use of following your finger
• Orientation to platform and why it matters
• Movement work
  • Targeting
    • Four paws (platform)
    • Front paws (platform)

Week 3

• Proprioception
• Circuits
  • Movement is fitness
  • Benefits of circuits
• Movement work
  • Targeting
    • Hind paws to target
    • Paw to hand (dog lifts a paw to your hand)
  • Cavaletti/pole work

Week 4

• Raising criteria
• Frequency, repetitions, and duration
• Observation
  • Honing your observation skills
• Movement work
  • Chin rest
  • Spin
  • Sphinx-down to stand

Week 5

• Taking it ouside
• Finding balance
  • Adjusting their own alignment
• Working with fearful dogs
• Movement work
  • Targeting
    • Backing up to target

Week 6

• Engagement and frustration
• Working with aging dogs
• Movement work
  • Rock-back sit to stand
  • Side-Stepping

Week 7

• Variations and creativity
• Unstable equipment
• Movement work
  • Cavaletti variations
  • Tuck-sit to stand

Week 8

• Case studies
• Fear to confidence
• Reactivity to confidence
• Generalization
• The big picture
• Observation using video examples
• Movement work
  • Ipsilateral targeting