Information for all three Oriole Barn Hunt fall trials are now posted:

Sep 23 at Branchwater: Entries for this trial close in one more week.

Oct 10-11 at Branchwater: This is a new trial for which entries open TODAY.

Nov 7-8 at SuperPup: This is our normal November fall trial and entries for it open on Monday.

See our Barn Hunt Trial Information page for links and more information or visit barnhunt.com

This fall’s Artful Dodgers Oct 3-4 USDAA trial is happening.  It has been moved outside to a different location for safety.  Event details and the entry form are available on-line at

https://www.usdaa.com/events/event-calendar-details.cfm?e=109453

The time period for entering this trial is short and the U.S. Mail is not extremely reliable at the moment so email entries will be accepted.   (Hand delivered entries will also be taken at the Mid-Atlantic MADness trial).  Instructions for entering via email as well as other details about this trial are located here:

https://orioledogclub.org/usdaa-agility-trial-information-page/

We’ve just added a new Barn Hunt trial on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 to be held at Branchwater Farm in Reisterstown, Maryland.  You can view the Premium and link to the online entry form generator on our Barn Hunt trial information page.

Maybe you’ve heard about Barn Hunt and would like to learn more and even try it out?  Oriole (and the Oriole Rats!) are supporting an Intro workshop given by BHA judge and Oriole club member Colin Ratcliffe to be held at Branchwater Farm on Saturday, Sept 5.  Check it out here!  After this workshop, you and your dog will be well prepared for the Rat Instinct Test at the new September trial 🙂

As we are all aware, the U.S. Mail is not currently being reliably delivered as usual. Although the trial is full one day and nearly full the next, our barn hunt trial secretary is concerned that not everyone’s entry made it to her in time. All entries received by today, 24 Aug, have been processed and confirmations have been sent out. If you believe you have entered this trial this weekend and have not yet received a confirmation , please email Charlene at odtcbhsec@gmail.com and she will work with you on this.

If you haven’t entered, and are interested, you can also contact Charlene to inquire about the few remaining spots on the one trial day.

Virtual AKC Novice Trick Training and Testing
With Rachel Lachow

Tricks are a great way to build a relationship and have fun with your dog, and why not earn an AKC title while doing it? Rachel Lachow will be presenting a 6 week virtual AKC Novice Trick Training and Testing Class.  You will teach your dogs all they need to know to earn the AKC Trick Dog Novice title (TKN). The classes will be held on Zoom with support in a private Facebook group. Testing will be through video or Zoom. All classes will be taped and available for one week after the session. This is a reward-based class and will be teaching the use of clickers. There is a minimum of 4 to hold the class. This class is for dogs 4 months and older.

Class Limit: 10
Start Date: Sept 14th
Day/Time: Mondays 2 to 3pm
Fee: Non-Members – $90, Members – $60, Contributing Members – $40

Click here to register: [OB108] Virtual AKC Novice Trick Training and Testing

More virtual classes starting this Fall are listed below. Auditing is also available.

[AG055] Foundations for Dog Sports: Clicker FUNdamentals. – Live Online. Instructors: Rose Kane, Kat Edrington, Ashley Musser. 6weeks. This will be an online virtual learning interactive course with live lessons offered Thursday evenings.  This class is for dogs aged 3 months & up. Handlers will be introduced to clicker training and fundamentals of shaping behaviors. Dogs will be introduced to the basic relationship building and foundation skills needed to be competitive in timed, physically active dog sports such as agility, flyball, rally, and disc dog.  Foundation training includes target training; building coordination and precision; canine fitness training; impulse control games; drive games with recalls and sends; emphasizing tugging as a reward; and rear-end awareness. Dogs can and should be entered in this class at a young age (although it is reasonable to expect very young dogs to rotate through it twice to expose them to each foundation exercise twice during their “puppy brain” stage). This class is primarily taught using a clicker to shape behaviors. If you do not own a clicker, it is requested that you purchase one prior to the first class. Graduation criteria: (1) trainer ability to build small incremental criteria in order to train a more complex behavior (2) dog exhibits ability to learn by shaping (3) dog exhibits body control coordination through demonstration of class exercises (4) dog stays focused and engaged with handler (5) student exhibits sound coordination and timing for effective clicker training.  Students planning to move ahead to Foundations of Dog Training: Skills for Success have the additional criteria of (1) actively engaging with a toy and (2) dog assumes and maintains a 2 on 2 off position using a target plate and travel board.  Note: You can still have a working sport if you are unable to “attend” the live lessons on Thursday. Via Zoom Lives and a Private Facebook Group “Working Spot” Students are invited to submit 1-3 weekly videos and receive feedback to work through roadblocks, progress to complex versions of behavior, and improve timing and marking. If you don’t have a facebook account, all you need is an email address to create one at facebook.com.

[AG056] Foundations for Dog Sports: Skills for Success – Live Online. Instructors: Rose Kane,  Kat Edrington, Ashley Musser. 6weeks.  This will be an online virtual learning interactive course with live lessons offered Thursday evenings.  Dogs and handler teams will be introduced to the relationship building and foundation skills needed to be competitive in timed, physically active dog sports such as agility, flyball, rally, and disc dog.  Foundation training includes travel board & nose target training; fitness training; impulse control games; drive games with recalls and sends; emphasizing tugging as a reward; rear-end awareness and body coordination exercises. Dogs can and should be entered in this class at a young age (although it is reasonable to expect very young dogs to rotate through it twice to expose them to each foundation exercise twice during their “puppy brain” stage). This class is primarily taught using a clicker to shape behaviors. Students will be exposed to a variety of “proofing” techniques to improve their dog’s performance. Prerequisite: This class is for dogs aged 6 months & up who have graduated from Foundations: Fundamentals or completed a clicker based Basic Obedience or Puppy Kindergarten class. This class presumes a handler has sound understanding of shaping principles and good clicker coordination and timing. If you do not meet this criteria, AG053 is for you! Graduation criteria: (1) ability to hold a “stay” position with handler at least 10′ away; (2) dog exhibits body control coordination through demonstration of class exercises (3) dog can stay focused on handler while working (4) dog sends around an object from at least 5′ away (5) student exhibits understanding of training principles. Students planning to move ahead to Agility 1 have the additional criteria of (1) actively engaging with a toy and (2) dog assumes and maintains a 2 on 2 off position using a target plate and travel board.  Note:  You can still have a working sport if you are unable to “attend” the live lessons on Thursday. Via Zoom Lives and a Private Facebook Group “Working Spot” Students are invited to submit 1-3 weekly videos and receive feedback to work through roadblocks, progress to complex versions of behavior, and improve timing and marking. If you don’t have a facebook account, all you need is an email address to create one at  facebook.com.

AKC Virtual Novice Rally Runs
at Oriole DTC
(Time Scheduled)

DATE:            Sunday, Sept 27, 2020

TIME:             8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  (teams will be scheduled on the hour and half hour; 20 minutes will be allotted for the walk-thru and run; the additional 10 minutes will allow for sanitizing the building)

COST:             $10.00 per run (only one run per dog)

Registration Opens:          Friday, August 21
Registration Closes:          Sunday, September 20

Come to Oriole DTC and play rally in the air-conditioning!!  One of the five approved AKC Novice Virtual Rally courses will be available to those who wish to earn a Rally Novice leg while trials are still few and far between.  A Club member will be available to videotape your run on your own phone/video camera to submit to AKC.  If you feel more comfortable, you may bring a tripod to hold the device instead.  Exhibitors are responsible for submitting their entry form and fee to AKC, along with a link to their video (after uploading to YouTube).

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT MASKS THAT COVER YOUR NOSE, MOUTH AND CHIN MUST BE WORN THE ENTIRE TIME YOU’RE IN THE BUILDING, INCLUDING WHILE YOU ARE COMPETING WITH YOUR DOG.

For more information on AKC’s Virtual Rally Program, see link below:
https://www.akc.org/sports/rally/rally-virtual-entry-pilot/

If you have questions or need assistance setting up your own YouTube account, please contact Debbie Kaminski at dekamin@aol.com or (410) 917-3775 (cell).

The premium for the Oct 30-31, 2020 NACSW trials in Spencerville, MD is now available on our NACSW Information page.   NW3 is offered on Friday Oct 30 and NW2 is offered on Saturday Oct 31.  Entries are limited to 30 dogs each day.

The premium for the Sept 24-27, 2020 FAST CAT tests is now available on our FAST CAT page.  Entries are limited to 70 dogs per test (2 tests offered per day) and open on September 1st at 6:00 AM.

We are planning to resume a limited schedule of classes this fall.  Make sure you review our COVID-19 policies, practices, and waiver so you are prepared to comply with them as we all get back to training dogs!

More information on the registration signup dates and links to the course catalog can be found here.