OB155: The Power of Foundations: Creating a Resilient Performance

In this six-week class, we’ll explore the core foundation skills for competition and learn how to strengthen them in practical, engaging ways. Foundations are not “just for beginners.” They are the bedrock of every great performance. Experienced trainers understand the importance of maintaining and reviewing fundamentals throughout a dog’s career.

Strong foundations create:

• A fluid, confident performance
• Clear communication and teamwork
• Focus and resilience under pressure
• Reliable habits that hold up in competition

In this course the handler will learn to:

• Improve timing, use of reinforcement and reinforcement placement, and communicate with clarity to build confidence and handle errors for success.
• Examine how your movement, cues, and handling influence your dog, and develop smoother, more coordinated teamwork.
• Learn how to read and understand your dog and adjust your training to maximize their potential.
• Help your dog solve a variety of challenges, recover from mistakes, and build resilience during training and competition.
• Learn how to build active attention, connection, and responsiveness so your dog chooses to work with you, even in distracting environments.

And the dogs will learn:

• How to problem solve through shaping;
• How to successfully overcome challenges;
• To push through when the work gets a bit difficult;
• Commitment to task;
• How to develop a positive relationship with pressure;
• Focus and engagement;
• That errors are just part of the learning process.

Who This Class Is For

• New teams who want to build strong habits from the start
• Experienced competitors who want to build confident & resilient teammates
• Handlers who want to revisit and refine the skills that matter most

Building strong foundations from the start is important. But that’s not where foundation work ends. Experience gives you context. You begin to notice where focus breaks down, where timing is unclear, or where teamwork could be smoother. This class helps you reassess those roots with more experienced eyes - not to start over, but to strengthen what’s already there.

Time spent on foundations is never wasted. The habits and understanding you build here will support you and your dog for years to come.

Teaching Approach:

This class will have written and video lectures each week. Each lecture will be broken down into small pieces. There will be video examples with instructions demonstrating all exercises. Because everyone has their own learning style, I encourage students to move at their own pace. Students will need to move around with their dog. However, I am happy to work with you to modify the training to your abilities. A few of the games will require quick physical movement from the trainer for short periods and distances. I understand that each dog and handler are unique and will do my best to accommodate their needs. Students will need access to distractions for later lectures.

Instructor: Petra Ford

I have been training and competing for several decades in a variety of sports including Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Nosework, Agility and Rally. My first love has always been competition obedience. I have been fortunate to win the AKC National Obedience Championship four times with three different dogs. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)