Course Details
In Rally-FrEe and musical freestyle, everything flows from four core positions: left heel, right heel, center, and behind. But the real magic—and the real challenge—comes when your dog can move with accuracy and confidence from those positions in any direction.
If you’ve ever struggled with:
- Inconsistency in positions
- Losing position in laterals or when backing
- A dog who is unsure of where heel position is
- Losing precision when you remove food, targets, or props
…this class is designed to solve those problems at their root.
We’ll break down the mechanics and give you the handler skills to clearly communicate what you want—so your dog understands, not guesses. Through thoughtful use of props, shaping, and reinforcement, you’ll build strong value for accuracy, then systematically transfer those skills to reliable verbal cues without dependency on training aids.
You and your dog will develop:
- Clean, well-defined positions
- Smooth, controlled pivots and lateral movement
- Confident, straight backing
- Clear communication that holds up under pressure
Not a freestyle team? You’ll still benefit. These are foundational skills for obedience, Rally, and any sport where precision and teamwork matter.
Teaching Approach
Lectures are released weekly and include written and video descriptions of each exercise in a step-by-step approach. Lectures and exercises (both specific weekly exercises and the entire course) start at a foundation level and take you through the process to the more advanced skills. The skills in the first couple of weeks benefit the team’s success in the last few weeks. Supplemental lectures may be provided depending on need.
Each team works at their own pace and at a level where their dog is showing understanding and confidence for the exercises for that week. Each week contains several exercises depending on dog and handler skill level.
Students will be provided with both general and specific written feedback, often including timestamps for clarity. Students will be able to show their work for any previous weeks as well as the current week’s exercises for continued feedback.
The exercises can generally be completed in a small space. The equipment list is very specific to the class exercises so you will want to be sure to check your equipment ahead of time to get the most benefit from the class.
This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining will be in the classroom after you register.
Instructor: Julie FlaneryJulie Flanery (she/her), CPDT-KA has been working professionally with dogs and their handlers since 1993. She focuses on the needs of the dog and helping people form a strong relationship, through clear communication, and positive reinforcement. She has placed Obedience...(Click here for full bio and to view Julie's upcoming courses)
