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CC150: FUNctional Foundation Fitness

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  • Syllabus
  • Prerequisites & Supplies
  • Sample Lecture
  • Testimonials & Reviews
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CC150: FUNctional Foundation Fitness

Course Details

This class will focus on a solid foundation of the essential fitness skills. This means your dog will be able to perform the most important skills in excellent form. It’s the perfect class for those new to fitness, and wanting to master the basics well without getting super geeky and having HEAPS of exercises to remember and master. The focus will be basics, done well, to help with functional life. This class will also be perfect for younger dogs, older dogs, and potentially dogs with minor issues or recently completing rehab (pending veterinary approval). 

There is a TA for this class: Kirstin Rider

Teaching Approach:

Kelly uses a combination of written, video, and pictures to help students understand concepts and exercises. Lectures are detailed, and released in 'chunks' of 1-2 lectures over the first few days of each week. 

Feedback is given in a variety of ways, to best suit the students homework post, and also their individual needs. This can include written feedback, annotated screenshots, and / or Loom video feedback. 

 

Kelly DanielInstructor: Kelly Daniel

Kelly Daniel (She/her) is a learning and dog training addict. She has been training and competing with her dogs (of various shapes and forms) for around 15 years ...

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus

Week 1

  • Fitness guidelines: keeping it safe and appropriate! 
  • Different ways of teaching new skills in fitness
  • Texture desensitisation
  • Nose targets
  • Looking at form
  • Structure matters! 

Week 2

  • Front feet on equipment
  • Back feet on equipment
  • Going around a cone
  • Desensitisation to being handled

Week 3

  • Standing on equipment
  • Perfecting sits
  • Starting movement patterns around cones
  • Chin rests
  • Stationing: Relaxation protocols

Week 4

  • Downs
  • Reversing
  • Cavaletti poles
  • Gym squat sit to stands
  • Looking at gaits

Week 5

  • Pivoting
  • Side stepping
  • Figure 8’s 
  • Front paw exercises and targeting

Week 6

  • Down to stands
  • Tuck sit / kickback stands
  • Some harder exercises!
  • How to progress exercises
  • Workouts

Each week we will also look at how these exercise link to functional real life, and have a fun challenge! 

 

Prerequisites and Equipment

There is lot’s of flexibility in equipment, Kelly is happy to suggest options and help you with what is suitable for your dog

  • A longer stable platform like an aerobic stepper
  • Two smaller and shorter stable platforms
  • Some cones or upright items
  • Some textured silicone target mats
  • Cavaletti

 

 

Sample Lecture

More

 

1.3 Texture and surface desensitisation

 

For some dogs, texture can make learning new equipment, or travelling over certain surfaces more challenging. You also need to consider that some dogs are MORE sensory sensitive than others. Sensory input, like texture through their paws can cause discomfort. 

 

Exposing dogs to different surface and textures in a fun way can be useful for many reasons, including: 

  1. Desensitisation to textures
  2. Increased proprioception (awareness and control of limbs in space)
  3. Exposure to equipment that they will need later in life
  4. Giving you information to if there are textures and surfaces that your dog finds challenging
  5. Life! Dogs in an urban environment often have to be comfortable moving over surfaces that naturally they might find challenging, such as metal sidewalk grates, slippery floors etc. 
  6. We can use this as an enrichment activity
  7. Confidence boosting

 

My favourite way to desensitise, and safely expose dogs and puppies to different sensations, textures, and surface under their feet, and build proprioception and general body confidence is in proprioceptive pathways. 

In essence this is a series of equipment or items that we reinforce a dog for moving safely over. Here’s some information about setting this up, and some examples. 



Proprioception pathway set up

Ricky - proprioception pathway for confidence

Grid - scatters on different equipment and surfaces

Chace - older dog proprioception pathway

Grid

Tori and Tripp

 

Your mission: create a safe and appropriate proprioception pathway for your dog. 

  • Decide how to make it safe and meet their needs: do you need to have a harness on them to keep them safe? Do you need to sprinkle treats first? Would reinforcing targeting or movements be useful? Maybe just reinforcing effort?
  • Create, film and have a go, and evaluate! Was this useful? What was surprising? Do you need to try something different next time?

Testimonials & Reviews

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New class for the June 2025 session.

Registration

Next session starts: June 1, 2025
Registration starts: May 22, 2025
Registration ends: June 15, 2025

Registration opens at 10:00am Pacific Time.

CC150 Subscriptions


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Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
Enrollment Limits 12 25 Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials ✔ ✔ ✔
Access to discussion and homework forums ✔ ✔ ✔
Read all posted questions and answers ✔ ✔ ✔
Watch all posted videos ✔ ✔ ✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum ✔ ✔ ✖
Submit written assignments ✔ ✖ ✖
Post dog specific questions ✔ With video only ✖
Post videos ✔ Up to 2 ✖
Receive instructor feedback on
  • Questions
  • All videos
  • Questions
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✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.

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