KEYSTONE CANINE CLUB
NOVICE OBEDIENCE INFORMATION SHEET
Novice Obedience is for the dog and handler who did well in Basic, really enjoyed it and want to keep learning more about dog obedience. Each of the skills learned in Basic Obedience is reinforced and hen given a more challenging twist: sits and downs are competition-length...stays have to be held despite an instructor waving toys and hot dogs in the dog's face...and heeling and recalls are done off-lead as well as on. Novice Obedience also introduces new skills such as speed changes during heeling, German about-turns, Figure 8 exercises and hand signals for the most common commands.
The style of the class is "learning by doing." Teaching techniques are very different in Novice than in Basic Obedience. The Novice level instructors do not lecture; instead they call commands in the same way that an Obedience judge does at a match. There is no "Week 1 through Week 7" sequential curriculum; students practice variations of the same skills in every session. This repetition gives muscle memory a chance to develop in both dog and human. This style of learning also gives the handler a chance to experience his dog in action and to correct any bad habits before they become firmly entrenched.
Novice Obedience also de-emphasizes treats as the primary source of positive reinforcement that the dog receives from the handler. Marker words are used more and more as the partners develop the teamwork necessary to perform a the higher levels of Obedience.
Please remember: since Novice Obedience requires a mastery of Basic Obedience, the Training Director will have to evaluate the skill level of any dog who did not complete Basic Obedience at Keystone Canine Club.
