Dog Obedience Trainer Curriculum for Employees

This lesson is designed to help your learners become successful Penn Foster students, including learning how to use all available tools and resources.

 

By the end of this lesson, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Understand how to use your Student Portal
• Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers
• Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites
• Know the structure of the dog
• Understand the different types of training
• Know the history and ethology of the dog

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Recognize how dogs see, hear, taste, detect scents, and use touch
• Understand how to use your knowledge of a dog’s senses in the training process
• Know how to recognize hearing loss or poor eyesight
• Understand how and why dogs communicate
• Evaluate a dog’s demeanor by watching “from head to tail”
• Understand a dog’s relationship with its human “pack”

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Recognize the way in which dogs learn
• Identify and employ scientific theories of psychologists and behaviorists
• Understand how to use a dog’s learning abilities to teach and motivate
• Understand conditioning and how it relates to dog obedience training
• Recognize the difference between classical and operant conditioning
• Understand drive theory and its application
• Understand applied dog behavior
• Know the difference between punishment and reinforcement
• Understand the difference between nature and nurture
• Recognize the effects of genetics
• Explain clicker training and the scientific principles behind it

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Explain temperament testing
• Know how to use temperament testing to evaluate puppies
• Understand how to select the best dog for a particular client
• Recognize proper housetraining techniques
• Understand how to train a dog to go on command, in a litter box, or in one place
• Know how to choose and use a crate

 

Graded Project: Dog Selection

Make recommendations to clients about what dog would be best for them.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Recognize the various types of equipment on the market
• Know how to choose proper food and water bowls, leashes, and toys
• Identify common grooming equipment
• Understand basic obedience training
• Differentiate between traditional, modified traditional, and clicker training methods
• Demonstrate hand signals

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Know how to ensure a positive human/dog bond at an early age
• Demonstrate puppy house training
• Understand socialization and how to prevent problems in adult dogs
• Instruct clients to teach tricks to their dogs
• Identify positive reinforcement techniques for the dog and handler
• Demonstrate fun and useful tricks
• Recognize play behavior
• Understand play in the context of obedience training
• Know how to increase the dog’s motivation for training

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Identify common behavior problems
• Recognize strategies for the prevention and treatment of behavior problems
• Create treatment plans for behavior problems
• Recognize signs of illness or distress
• Demonstrate how to respond in the case of an emergency
• Explain reproductive science, medications, and how to care for dogs in old age

 

Graded Project: Behavior Analysis

Determine behavioral problems in three scenarios.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Know the origination of individual breeds
• Recognize physical and temperamental characteristics
• Identify the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) seven major groups of breeds
• Understand the basics of competition obedience
• Explain the various exercises required for different classes of competition obedience
• Know the scoring process for competition obedience trials

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Identify the various hunting breeds
• Know the rules and regulations of various field trials and hunting tests
• Demonstrate different training methods
• Identify guide, hearing, service, seizure alert, and therapy dogs
• Recognize how dogs can assist in medical emergencies
• Understand the legal aspects of working with an assistance dog

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Recognize navigating agility courses as a sport
• Understand speed and accuracy in competition
• Understand communication between dog and master
• Understand techniques in ground and water searches
• Identify which dogs are suitable for a particular rescue mission
• Identify organizations involved in search and rescue around the world
• Recognize certificates associated with this work
• Understand sharing “down-time” with dogs
• Recognize different recreational activities, including catching flying disc and walks in the park
• Identify organized activities for the dog and owner

 

Graded Project: Agility Handling and Courses

 

Learn the symbols used to represent agility obstacles and how the symbols are used to create a variety of courses.

By the end of this course, your learners will be able to do the following:

 

• Identify the demographics related to starting a dog training business
• Know how to develop a business plan
• Understand advertising and marketing issues
• Identify legal issues related to a small business
• Understand customer relations
• Recognize the requirements for boarding your clients’ dogs
• Know cleaning, feeding, exercise, and grooming schedules
• Understand canine day care center staff requirements and management
• Identify various training programs, including at-home, boarding (in-house), and group and puppy classes

 

Graded Project: Creating a Business Plan

 

Evaluate the demographics of different geographical areas as they pertain to starting a dog training business.

 

Gather information that you would need to have for a business plan if you were going to have a dog training business of your own.