Weaves and Contacts From the Ground Up

Pre-Requisites:
Dogs with no prior contact or weave experience are welcome but should have some experience in short sequences and be able to send to a jump or tunnel (for dogs with no agility experience, the Level 1 class is recommended). Dogs must be at least 10 months old (12 months recommended for large dogs). Handler must have prior agility experience (taken a dog through Level 1 or equivalent or competed in agility with this dog or a previous dog).

Class Description:
This class will focus on teaching weaves and contacts from the start, and is also appropriate for experienced dogs who would like to go back to basics to build better contact and weave skills. The class will be geared to the individual students; each student will progress at their own rate, going on to the next step only when the previous one is mastered.

Weave training will start with the 2 x 2 method (following Mary Ellen Barry’s modifications) and progress to include channels and approaches from jumps and tunnels. Contact training will focus on the 2on2off position. Students will start with shaping position on a practice plank, then progress to putting the behavior into short sequences, followed by transitioning to lowered and then full-height contacts. Students who master the basic contact and weave skills will have opportunity to practice more advanced proofing (such as distractions and harder weave entrances).

This class is progressive and may be repeated as needed; repeat students will pick up where they left off in the previous session.