Course Catalog
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Course 1: History, Stages of Development and Dog Selection
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the fundamentals about dogs, their developmental stages, and considerations for selecting, raising and caring for them.
- Canine Domestication and History
- Breeds and Purposes
- Developmental Stages
- Socialization Concerns
- Important Considerations for Acquiring Dogs from Breeders or Rescues
- Considerations for Raising Dogs for Task-Specific Purposes
- Common Health Issues and Behavioral Concerns
- Understanding Dog Selection, Re-Homing and End of Life Concerns
Prerequisites: None. If you have completed/graduated/been certified by another formal academy, you may be able to skip this course when it is applied to one of our programs.
Course 2: Training Concepts
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the fundamentals of dog training. Discover how they dogs learn and what factors influence their learning process. Learn various positive approaches for acquiring behaviors and the stages of training that follow that acquisition. Gain useful practive training another species.
- Learning Theory
- Factors that Influence the Learning Process
- Methods of Acquiring Behaviors
- The Stages of Training … from Acquisition to Maintenance
- Training Pigeons
Prerequisites: None. If you have completed/graduated/been certified by another formal academy, you may be able to skip this course when it is applied to one of our certificate programs.
Course 3: Functional Skills for Life (Obedience 1)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the purpose of, and techniques for, training skills such as sit, down, stay, come, whoa, heel, etc. You also will learn to develop these skills to a level that is conducive to utility in both indoor and outdoor environments.
- Understanding Obedience Cues and Their Purposes
- Training Obedience Cues for Utility
- The Stages of Training Obedience Cues
Prerequisites: Course 2 is required. If you have completed/graduated/been certified by another formal academy, you may be able to skip this course when it is applied to one of our certificate programs. However depending on your actual proficiency at training these cues skillfully, we may require you to take this course for our certificate programs. Video proof of proficiency may be required. Ultimately, this course is highly advised in our programs, as it begins to cover some training and methodology variations that are specific to the FetchMasters approach.
Course 4: Positively Developing Reliability
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn positive ways to develop reliability and control amidst strong distractions without the use of e-collars, choke chains, prong collars and other aversive devices or harsh techniques.
- The FetchMasters Approach to Developing Reliability
- Developing functional obedience in High-Distraction Environments
- Developing and Controlling Motivation/Drive
- Advanced Principles of Positive Training
Prerequisites: Courses 2 and 3 or equivalent education and experience are required. We highly recommend Course 3 be taken through FetchMasters School of Dog Training. Video proof of your proficiency in training included obedience cues to a sufficient level may be required in order to allow you to opt out of Course 3.
Course 5: Field-Grade Obedience (Obedience 2)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
This course teaches outdoor, high distraction obedience at the level FetchMasters is nationally known for. It will teach you to approach training high-drive dogs in difficult environments at a professional, competent level.
- Drastically Advancing Distance, Distraction and Duration
- Developing Reliable Behaviors in Difficult Environments Positively
- Attaining Reliable Recall
- The Misunderstood Nature of Off-Leash Reliability and How to Attain It
Prerequisites: Course 2 and 3 or equivalent training or experience. Highly recommend Course 3 be taken through FetchMasters School of Dog Training (video proof of proficiency may be required). Course 4 is required.
Course 6: Scent Work and the Positive Trained Retrieve
Duration and Price: 1 Weeks ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
This course covers two of the most useful and fun elements in any dog trainer’s repertoire: Scent Work and Retrieving. Both can be used for work, fun and even behavior modification.
- The Importance and Uses of Scent Work
- The Fundamentals of Odor Detection
- Developing Air and Ground Scenting Capabilities
- Primer on Competition Nosework
- Primer on Outdoor Tracking
- Intro to Shed Hunting and/or Bedbug Detection
- The Importance and Uses of a Trained Retrieve
- Processes for Building Motivation/Drive
- Multiple Methods for Training the Retrieve Positively
Prerequisites: None.
Course 7: Solving Common Behavior Problem (Behavior Modification 1)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Every good dog trainer needs to know how to solve common dog behavior problems. House training, nuiscance barking, jumping on guests and furniture, digging up the back yard, and many others are covered in this course. You will learn how to use FetchMasters’ behavior modification strategies to quickly and decisively stop most common behavior problems.
- Ethics and Solving Behavior Problems
- FetchMasters Comprehensive Behavior Modification Strategies
- Common Problems and Solutions
- Thinking Outside the Box
Prerequisites: Courses 1, 2 and 3 or equivalent education and experience. Highly recommend Course 3 be taken through FetchMasters School of Dog Training (video proof of proficiency may be required). Course 4 is required.
Course 8: Solving Advanced Behavior Problem (Behavior Modification 2)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn to assess and help dogs suffering from fear, frustration and anxiety. Many concepts from previous courses come together to form a strong system for working with more advanced behavior modification cases.
- Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning
- The Causes and Manifestations of Fear, Frustration and Anxiety
- BMod Techniques for Fear-Based Issues
- Working With Separation Anxiety
- Fixing Leash Reactivity/Leash Aggression
- Overcoming Faulty Socialization Problems
- A Management/Obedience-Based Approach for Aggressive Dogs
Note: While we do teach strategies for handling and controlling aggressive dogs, we do not specialize in curing overt dog-on-dog or dog-on-human aggression issues. We are particularly skilled in solving leash reactivity/aggression issues.
Prerequisites: Courses 1, 2 and 3 or equivalent education and experience. Highly recommend Course 3 be taken through FetchMasters School of Dog Training (video proof of proficiency may be required to opt out). Courses 4 and 7 are required. An understanding of Course 6 material is useful.
Course 9: Running a Successful Dog Training Business
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the proven and hard-won concepts, marketing strategies, legal considerations, attitudes, ethics, principles, technology and tools that have helped FetchMasters to become a successful, respected business across the United States. We won’t hold anything back. No business question left unanswered.
Prerequisites: Offered only as part of one of our certificate programs.
Course 10: Gun Dog Acquisition, Exposures and Upbringing (Positive Gun Dog 1)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn everything you need to know about choosing a breed, selecting the right dog and getting it off to a good start. This course will keep you from making the mistakes that result in massive disappointment for gun dog owners.
- Gun Dog Breeds and Purposes
- Considerations for Acquiring a Puppy or Adult Dog
- Raising and Managing a Gun Pup vs. an Older Dog
- Helpful vs. Counter-Productive Play and Activities
- Formal Gun Dog Assessment Process
- Proper Environmental Exposure
- Correct Social Exposures
- Proper Exposure to Birds
- Correct Exposure to Guns
- Water Introduction (lecture only)
Prerequisites: None
Course 11: The Started Positive Gun Dog (Positive Gun Dog 2)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the essential elements of training a dog to the Started Gun Dog level without the use of e-collars, choke chains, prong collars or other heavily aversive tools or techniques. Covers both pointers, flushers and retrievers. The focus is on upland dogs, but principles for training waterfowl dogs is included.
- Bird Finding and Building Hunting Drive
- Quartering and Working the Field
- Drawing Out and Developing the Pointing Instinct
- Developing Steadiness to Wing-Shot and Fall (Part 1)
- Building Retrieving Drive and Starting the Positive Trained Retrieve (Part 1)
Prerequisites: None. Highly recommend Course 10 prior to this course. To train gun dogs professionally, you absolutely will need to material in Courses 2, 3, 4, 5 and 12.
Course 12: The Finished Positive Gun Dog (Positive Gun Dog 3)
Duration and Price: 1 Week ($1250 as a single course, $1000 as part of a certificate program)
Deposit: $200 when taken as a stand-alone class (non-refundable)
CEU’s: Yes, with CCPDT (Authorization Pending)
Learn the essential elements of training a dog to the Finished Gun Dog level without the use of e-collars, choke chains, prong collars or other heavily aversive tools or techniques. Covers both pointers, flushers and retrievers. The focus is on upland dogs, but principles for training waterfowl dogs is included.
- Tracking Cripples
- Developing Steadiness to Wing Shot and Fall (Part 2)
- Hunting in a Brace and Honoring/Backing
- Finishing the Positive Trained Retrieve (Part 2)
- Sending and Casting
- Multiple Retrieves
- Two Types of Blind Retrieves
Prerequisites: Course 11. To train gun dogs professionally, you absolutely will need to material in Courses 2, 3, 4, and 5.