TRAINING AS PART OF A GROUP OR CLUB

If a group of you are training together, or you are a trainer doing Dog-Games at your local dog club (even on an occasional basis), the trainer will be responsible for sending the entry fees and Entry Forms for the successful tests to Dog-Games.

LOCATION

The main consideration for training Dog-Games is that it there should be no visual or noisy distractions around that may break dogs concentration and interest while they are being trained (eg. Passing traffic, pedestrians, loose dogs that may come over to "say hello" at an awkward moment, members of its family suddenly appearing, dogs standing too close to each other or the training area etc.) See Where and When to Train Dog Games

PUBLICITY

You can download two publicity leaflets from this website to help promote your training sessions -

• A4 double sided leaflet which gives a brief explanation about the Games.



• A5 leaflet which can also be used as a small publicity poster. We have had a very good response from leaving these leaflets at local vets, pet shops etc.
  

• Print out a Summary of the Games that you wish to train for.
  
  
• Either a First Entry Form or a Main Entry Form
  
  
• Each dog's Training Record Sheet to record what the dog has done in the past and in this session.
  
  
• You may also like to print the relevant training pages from the website (eg. Recall Starters) to help you plan the training.
  
  
• The trainer (or a member of the dog's family) will act as the helper, and will also be the tester/witness for the Entry Forms.
  
  
• To check the Game's Equipment Needed section of the website to make sure they have everything they need (eg. Recall Equipment)

A training session or a test for a Stage consists of a maximum of five attempts in a row, with both the handler and the trainer making sure that the dog does not become too tired or over excited.  To pass a Starters stage, the dog must do 3 correct runs out of a maximum of 5 attempts.  Meanwhile, the rest of the stages require the dog to do all 5 attempts correctly to pass.

• Step-by-step instructions of how to train each of the Games can be found on this website via the link to Our Games.
  
  
• Encourage those who are waiting to be trained to stand/sit some distance from the training area, or (ideally) to leave their dogs in well ventilated cars until it is their turn to train. Make sure that dogs do not get too close to one another.  By managing the environment where the dog is waiting to be trained, so that it does not become over excited by seeing or hearing another dog working, the whole training experience is far less stressful for the dogs and they are able to relax and concentrate on what they are doing in the training area. 
  
  
• Once their turn comes up, the handler and dog enter the training area and the dog is then given time to relax and explore the environment (see Where & When) while the Trainer assesses the dog's behaviour and body language and discusses the dog with the customer. 
  
  
• The training can then begin and should be kept short (eg five "runs" maximum) whilst giving the handler and dog the opportunity to return for more training later on once it is their "turn" again. 

• If this is the dog's very first entry of any Dog-Games, ask the handler to fill in the Handlers section of the First Entry Form (make sure that the handler includes their post code) and then fill in the Testers/Witness section. Collect the fee (adding on your own training fee, which is not forwarded on to DOG-GAMES) then send us the completed entry form and cheque/postal order (or pay on line by using our web shop and e-mail us the details)
  OR
• All other entries must be put on the Main Entry Form (making sure that the Tester/Witness's details are on the form as well). Collect the fee (once again, adding on your own training fee which is not forwarded on to DOG-GAMES) from the handler and fill in the Main Entry Form in at home later (by looking through all the dog's Training Record Sheets and seeing what each dog achieved). Once again, the Dog Games fees can be paid by using our web shop and the entry details can then be e-mailed to us.

  This is one of the reasons why Trainers Record Sheets are so useful and quick to fill in while training. It is also useful to record on the sheet the time of day that each dog is trained so that no dog is asked to do another attempt within one hour of the last one.

  Do not be tempted to do another stage with a dog for at least an hour. Let it go and relax somewhere quiet and get it's breath back. If it does pass another stage make sure you fill in the Main Entry Form once more - the rule is one line on the entry form for each successful attempt - and send us £2 for each line.
  
  Would all Testers/Witnesses please remember to write their name and telephone number on the Entry Form so that DOG-GAMES can contact them should there be a query or need for further proof of the attempt.

• If a dog is only training, or the dog fails the stage, no forms or fees need to be sent in.
  
  
• Handlers need to be reassured not to worry if their dog is unable to do the stage within the five attempts.
  
  
• Try to finish the session asking the dog to do part of the Game that it feels happiest doing, so that it can go and rest without feeling that it has displeased or "failed" either of you. Always finish on a good note.
  
  
• Don't regard the test as a failure - look at it as a learning opportunity for the humans and the dog. It has highlighted an area of the dog's training that needs more practice or a different approach to how it is trained. Stand back and assess where the dog went wrong and make plans for how you can train the dog to understand what you want it to do in later training sessions. Maybe the dog has not yet grasped what it should be doing and you have asked the dog to do a stage before it is capable of succeeding. Or it could have been distracted and unable to concentrate on what it was doing - were you able to do the test under the correct conditions for the level it was attempting?

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