Specialty Classes

*The below classes are offered intermittently when there is sufficient interest to do so. 

Watch for updates with additional information and availability.

Prerequisite:  Completion of the club's Star Puppy or Beginner Obedience class OR with instructor approval. 

Class Length: 6 weeks 

Cost: $80

Class Size: Minimum of 5, maximum of 10 dogs

Day/Time: Tuesday, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Class Dates: March 21 - April 25, 2023

Instructor: Shelley B.

Class Description: Focus is the most important thing in dog sports and for many the most challenging to attain. This course will help you develop focus and a better working relationship using a variety of fun games that both you and your dog partner will enjoy playing.

All classes are held in the San Diego Zoo Parking Lot.

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.

THIS CLASS IS FULL

Ready to have some fun, teach your dog some tricks, and earn the new AKC trick dog titles? Tricks are a great way to have fun with your dog and burn off some energy.  In this class we will start with basic trick skills such as paw targeting (shake), nose targeting (close doors, spin in circles), and tricks that tire them out (fetch, sit pretty, and bow). 

Along the way, we’ll cover many of the tricks on the AKC’s novice and intermediate trick dog checklists, allowing students to get titles by the end of the classes. 

Class Offering: Novice/Intermediate Trick Dog

Prerequisite:  Beginning Obedience

Class Length: 6 weeks  

Cost: $80 

Class Size: Minimum of 6, maximum of 8 dogs

Day/Time: Thursday, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Dates: March 23 - April 27, 2023

Instructor: Sandy G.

Class Description:  You can now earn AKC Trick Dog titles thru the OCSDC's Trick Dog Class. Novice/Intermediate Trick Dog class will cover training of the tricks from the Novice or Intermediate Tricks Checklist. Each week you’ll get a chance to demonstrate the tricks your dog has mastered. If you’ve demonstrated 10 of the tricks by the end of class (only 5 tricks are needed if you already have your CGC title!), you’ll earn your official AKC Novice or Intermediate Trick Dog title!

All classes are held in the San Diego Zoo Parking Lot.

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.

AKC's Canine Good Citizen certification program is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community.  

The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs.  All dogs who pass the CGC test can receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club and they are automatically recorded in the AKC's Canine Good Citizen Archive.

The purpose of the CGC Program is to ensure that our favorite companion, the dog, can be a respected member of the community. All dogs, including both purebred and mixed breed dogs are welcome to participate in the CGC program. 

Dogs must be old enough to have received necessary immunizations such as rabies vaccines, and there is no age limit on the test.  A dog is never too old to be a good citizen.

The Obedience Club of San Diego County (OCSDC) offers the CGC test to those interested in taking it at the end of each Intermediate Obedience class.  

Click here for more details on the CGC test. 

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.

The AKC Community Canine is the advanced level of AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program. This class practices the skills in the 10-step test for the CGCA title.

Prerequisites: 

To participate in the CGCA class, dogs must meet the following requirements: 

• Must already have a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate or title on record at AKC.
• Must have good obedience skills and be under control. This is a step up from the CGC.
• Must have an AKC number of one of 3 types (AKC registration number, Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number, or AKC Canine Partners number). All dogs, including mixed breeds, can get an AKC number. The reason for the AKC number requirement is that this is how we create titles at AKC; we attach the titles to the dog’s number. 

Class length:  5 weeks with test on week #5 

Cost: $70

Class size:  Minimum of 5, maximum of 8 dogs (current members only)

When:  TBD

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Where:  see below, locations will vary weekly

Instructor: 

Note: This class will meet in 5 different locations & requires attendance at the restaurant for appetizers/dinner in order to meet the requirements of the class. This class is scheduled for 2 hours, but can go longer due to the nature of the class. The cost of any food/drink is not included in the price of the class and each students will be responsible for their own bill. 

• Night 1: Balboa Park
• Night 2: Shelter Island
• Night 3: Canyonside Park
• Night 4: Liberty Station
• Night 5: CGCA Evaluation - Old Town
  

Class Description:

The AKC Community Canine program is all about ensuring you have a well-behaved dog while you’re out and about in the community. Where CGC happens in a simulated environment, the 10-step AKC Community Canine test is conducted in real life situations—like walking on a busy sidewalk or through a local park–giving you and your dog the confidence to enjoy every day to the fullest, no matter what comes your way. The class concentrates on fun & motivation, communication & increasing basic skills, and testing the dog’s skills in preparation for the CGCA test.

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.

There will be no CGCA class offered in March. Check back in April for our May offerings

Prerequisites:  

To participate in the Urban CGC (CGCU) class, dogs must meet the following two requirements:  

• Must already have a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate or title on record at AKC.
• Must have an AKC number of one of 3 types (AKC registration number, Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number, or AKC Canine Partners number). All dogs, including mixed breeds, can get an AKC number. The reason for the AKC number requirement is that this is how we create titles at AKC; we attach the titles to the dog’s number.  

Class Length:  4 weeks Cost:  $50 (current members only) 

Class Size:  Minimum of 5, maximum of 8 dogs 

When: TBD

Where:  This class will meet in 4 locations to meet the requirements of the class:

• Night 1: Zoo parking lot (7:30 pm)
• Night 2: Shelter Island (7:30 pm)
• Night 3: Liberty Station (7:30 pm)
• Night 4: CGCU Evaluation- UTC shopping center (6:00 pm)  

Class Description:  

AKC Urban CGC is a title in the Canine Good Citizen family of awards and titles that also include AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen and AKC Community Canine.  

AKC Urban CGC requires that the dog demonstrate CGC skills and beyond in a setting that includes traffic, crowds, noises, smells and other distractions that are present in a city or town. As with Canine Good Citizen, AKC Urban CGC is a 10-step test of skills that dogs must pass to earn the official AKC Urban CGC title. This is a title that appears on the dog’s title record at AKC.  

AKC Urban CGC is a test that demonstrates dogs are well-behaved and well-trained when in public settings. All skills are tested on leash. AKC Urban CGC should be administered in a place where there are cars, streets to be crossed, noises, elevator/public buildings, and distractions. This test is administered in the real world.

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.

There will be no CGCU class offered in March. Check back in April for our May offerings

Was Rally or Obedience easy at first, but now your performances have declined leaving you wondering what happened? This class is for teams that have hit a wall, handler, dog, or both!  In this class we’ll be going back to ground zero and discussing how to clean up your training and communication.

Prerequisite:  Completion of the club's Intermediate class or CGC Title.

Class Length: 6 weeks

Cost: $80

Class Size: Minimum of 4, maximum of 8 dogs

Instructors: TBD 

Class Description:  Among the many things we’ll cover are:

• Marker systems
• Reward placement
• Clean loops
• Frustration in shaping:
  • Lumping vs. splitting
  • Prompting vs. pure shaping
    • Using targets for prompting, target needs to be dog’s choice, not forcing dog to be correct, dog should need to think
    • Use food to set up, but not lure for prompting
  • How to use reward placement and clean loops
• Frustration in handlers - Tilt
• Frustration in dogs - body language and avoidance
• Consistent cues and body language
• Fluency - when can you say your dog really understands a cue?
• Stimulus control - this not that
• Building distractions - how to build fluency
  • What type of distractions
    • Reinforcement as a distractor
    • Pressure - handler, environment, ring
    • Location - and making sure your dog feels safe
  • When and how to introduce them
• How to use all this to rebuild poisoned behaviors/cues
  • Start at the beginning
  • Really thinking about what conditioned emotional response they’re getting
• How to use this to get better performance in the ring!
• All of this will be taught via behaviors common to the obedience and rally ring.

All classes are held in the San Diego Zoo Parking Lot.

No Aggressive Dogs Allowed, No Females in Heat.