I often hear from readers who want to do something fun with their dogs and teach new behaviors using positive reinforcement, but who don’t have access to good trainers in their area.
While I don’t recommend that you seek assistance for severe problems like aggression, reactivity, or separation anxiety without meeting a qualified behavior professional in person, I do suggest that you check out these amazing online education programs to improve your skills as a trainer as well as your dog’s behavior. All of these programs were developed by fantastic trainers and focus on improving your relationship with your dog by using reinforcement to create reliable behaviors.
+ CyberDog
CyberDog is a basic manners course based on the beginners’ curriculum from the Karen Pryor Academy. KPA-certified training partners Sarah Owings, Helix Fairweather, and Lynn Martin will help your dog learn basic skills like targeting, recall, loose-leash walking, waiting at a boundary, and settling on a mat. The eight-week program costs $250.
This is exactly what it sounds like: agility instruction from the comfort of your home. Also created by Helix Fairweather, this fun online course costs $160. Using clicker training, shaping, targeting, and other positive training techniques, not only will you learn new games to play with your dog, you’ll graduate with better training skills!
This internationally renowned agility champion offers two online courses. Puppy Peaks is a great focus- and teamwork-building program created for puppies but helpful for dogs of all ages, while Recallers is designed to help you build a reliable recall, regardless of distraction or environment.
These fantastic courses are available only a few times a year, and while I haven’t taken them myself, I’ve heard rave reviews! Sign up for Susan’s newsletter on her site to make sure you don’t miss out.
I had the pleasure of contributing to this great new course from Karen Pryor Academy. It’s designed as a clicker course for devoted pet owners or competitors who want to hone their training skills, or it can be a prerequisite for those who lack training experience and are interested in enrolling in the dog trainer program. It aims to give attendees a solid understanding of clicker principles, and how to clicker train “the Karen Pryor way.” Registration is $359 for seven lesson units that take eight to twelve weeks to complete.
Two-time world agility champion Sylvia Trkman offers online educational programs for a variety of skill levels, including puppy training, tricks, agility, and foundations. You can enroll as a participant, submitting videos and receiving feedback on your training from Sylvia and classmates, for $220 to $250 per course, or as an auditor for $120 to $150.
Sumac Johnson’s Wag It Games program offers online classes throughout the year, including Rally Obedience, Homeopathy, Living Room Agility, Sniff It, and even my new favorite, Treibball — there is something fun for every dog and dog owner to try! You can attend classes as a student, or as an auditor at a reduced price. Check the site for details and start dates.
Donna Hall is a talented Canadian trainer offering customized online classes in subjects including Service Dog Training, Treibball, Basic Clicker Skills, and Foundation Manners. I’m a big fan of her YouTube pages and videos.
Are you interested in signing up for an online program? Have you participated and would like to share some feedback about your experience? Please tell us in the comments. Until next time, happy training!
No description available for this title.