- Does your dog zone out when you're working together?
- Do you have a stressed or high dog?
- Does your dog leave you to go sniff or visit ring crew?
- Do you have a hard time catching your dog at the end of the run?
Then it's time to get into the connection zone! Get ready to have fun and improve the connection with your dog. You can transform your working partnership to create a thinking, calm, and connected teammate.
Regardless of what sport you compete in, you want to be connected as a team before you begin working. There are many connection exercises that we can do in both training and trialing situations to create a thinking and connected dog. We do not want a crazy high dog or a slow, motivationally challenged dog. (I have had both!)
In this class, we will go over connection games to do with your dog to keep your dog in the connection zone inside and outside the ring. What happens outside the ring can be as important as what happens inside the ring. We will go over pre-run routines as well as what to do what things don’t go as planned in practice as well as in competition. The more tools you have in your box the better!
Why take this class?
- Learn to create a calm, thinking, responsive, and connected dog
- Get the tools you need to help you reconnect with your dog when your dog disconnects from you
- Improve your connection with your dog as you walk into the ring, while in the ring, and while exiting the ring
- Understand what to do when your dog is disconnected, distracted, or high
You can start this self-study lesson whenever you like. It includes 8 lessons that you can compete at your own pace. There are no fixed deadlines or due dates.
What is included with your purchase?
- Access to all course materials on both mobile devices and your computer
- Downloadable content for off-line access when you're out training
- Keep what you buy—No expiring content; you can go back any time to read and watch lessons. There is no time limit.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites. This class is for all performace sport teams not just agility. It's great for both dogs and puppies.
Equipment and space needed
- Food rewards, toys, and target/mark buckets
- Your living room, hallway, or garage will work so it's perfect for winter training
How do I access my Learning Center purchase?
After you complete your purchase using your credit card or PayPal, you will receive 2 email confirmations: the first is a receipt acknowledging that your order has been received and the second email contains the link for your Clean Run Learning Center program. Click on the link in the email to complete enrollment. If you already have a Learning Center account, then you will go directly to your educational program. If you do not, then you will enter your email address and a password to use for this Learning Center program and any future ones your purchase. Please be aware that this is a separate account you are establishing on https://cleanrunonline.com/home and it is not the same as your Clean Run website account (although you can use the same email and password for both accounts).
If you have a Clean Run website account, then you can also access your program at anytime by signing in at cleanrun.com and selecting Classes/Webinars from the My Account menu.
Refund Policy
Please be aware that there are no refunds for on-demand/self-study courses, on-demand lessons, or webinars.
We suggest that you read the information provided carefully before making your purchase. If you have any questions about whether the content is right for you, please email us.
I have to admit I was dubious about online agility classes and how a connection class would benefit my dog when we were working alone during the pandemic, but Lisa's Connection class turned out to make a huge difference for our "team." Here's how:
- Learning not to stop and fix, but keep running has made a huge difference—I just circle around and redo anything while still running
- My dog picked up the connection tricks easily and we continue to use them every day
- Using the bucket for focus and doing connection exercises while waiting for our turn to trial helped to keep both of us from getting anxious
- Our start-line routine is now set and includes two connection exercises that help focus my dog
- My dog still sometimes disconnects to wander off in search of random treats lost on the agility field, but "touch" is indeed a better recall than "come"
—Patty
"So glad I took the In The Connection Zone class with Lisa Schmit. The lessons are well organized and Lisa’s feedback is timely and very helpful. Always positive! Learning and practicing the exercises has strengthened my bond with my Cairn Terrier. We’ve been using the exercises in training and at classes. I’m excited to try them at trials." —Debbie
"Thank you so much for the course! I haven’t gone through all of it, but have picked out some things to work with! I have used some of them in my pups training! Very helpful!! Also, loved the tip about Cheerios!!! Thank you again and will continue to use the tips for my pup! Hopefully, one day we will be able to trial!! Until then, we will continue practicing our focus activities." —Tracy
"Zippy, Peppy, and I loved the connection class. We learned so many new training ideas to help us stay connected while working. Zippy had 1 trial day since starting the class. I could definitely see the difference in his starts in his first 2 runs. By the 3rd run we were both tired so we both a bit distracted at the start but it was certainly a good start to learning to beef up our connection. We Q'd in all 3 runs! Thank you!" —L.L.