Clicker and Agility Intro Workshop
The heat and rain did not stop a great turnout at the clicker intro workshop held by PATS Mackay. This workshop was made possible thanks to several members of the TOADS agility club of Townsville who made the long trip down to the Marian grounds. There was a great turnout by dogs owners in the Mackay district with quite a variety in dog sizes and breeds.
Teegan and Bella doing target training with the clicker. This requires good timing and lots of treats.
Lucy demonstrating the results of positive training to heel.
Lucy demonstrates breaking down a training exersize.
Theory sessions of the workshop preceded practical sessions so that handlers understood the basis of clicker training.
Clicker basics were put into practice in the Practical sessions.
Teegan demonstrates tricks with Bella, showing how tricks are a good starting point for clicker training.
Lucy demonstrating the training of various tricks and how these are broken into smaller tasks.
Handlers were then able to put what they learned into practice with their own dogs.
Heavy rain put a bit of a hold on the afternoon training session.
Learning basic handling techniques for agility.
All training involved positive techniques such as toys or food rewards.
Independent jumps taught with the clicker. This involves allowing the dog to think for itself in order to receive it's reward.
