Say NO to boring drills! Spark up your training, and create fun courses that challenge and build the dog-human relationship with CONNECTION COURSE CARDS.

Created by Suzanne Clothier to add fun to boring classes, Connection Course Cards are suitable for any age or training level. Full color, with cheerful designs that will have you smiling, printable on 8.5 x 11? or A4.

Do you practice by yourself? Ever run out of ideas or find yourself doing boring drills with your dog? Connection Course Cards to the rescue! Grab a few cards, set up a course, and challenge yourself and your dog while having fun.

By challenge, we mean work on the quality of connection. How long can it be maintained? What interrupts the connection? Why is the leash tight? When are extra signals necessary? What pulls your dog out of connection? If you just want to march along practicing a drill of behaviors without focusing on quality, these cards are not for you. If you are a trainer who understands that connection is the foundation for everything, if you’re interested in setting the bar higher, and asking your students (or yourself) “What’s the best you can do?” these cards are a great tool.

Increase the difficulty by adding more cards, or increasing the distance between them. Handlers learn that even going a short distance in high quality connection is hard – but it’s what makes for great performance. If you have connection, you have the dog. Then you simply need to practice and polish those skills under greater complexity and for longer periods.

Smart instructors will love what Connection Course Cards can do for their groups and classes. Train without boring drills! Your students will love the fresh, creative approach to building skills. Run entire Connection Course classes with endless variations – ideal for a drop-in class.

Mix & match the cards to create Connection Courses that build teamwork, connection and skill for handler and dog. Countless variations are possible. Build simple courses or complex, challenging ones.

BENEFITS of Connection Course Cards
• ORGANIZES HANDLER INTENT Clear intent organizes the handler’s signals and movement. Handlers learn to use their body language, gestures, voice and intention to create clarity for the dog.
• PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE Connection Courses create purposeful practice through a series of specific goals. Experiential learning allows the handler and dog to experiment and learn how to find their best solution.
• AUTHENTIC BEHAVIOR The cards provide the motivation for authentic behavior. To achieve the goal, handlers automatically organize themselves in a way that is comfortable and natural for them and their dog. For example, when “walking on ice” a handler changes their posture, gait, balance, breathing and more. Dogs respond enthusiastically to authentic behavior.

Connection Course Cards make it easy to add fun and creativity to your training sessions.

Note: This is a digital download product. You will need to print out the cards and have them laminated or put them into page protectors.

SET THREE focuses on teamwork to accomplish more demanding tasks for the handler. The handler is challenged to remain engaged with the dog even when the task requires cognitive effort. An excellent addition to the Foundation Set and Set #2. 15 cards, plus Tips on Using & Training with Connection Course Cards. Includes:

• Add It Up!
• Solve Puzzle
• 5 Things Name
• Walk Backwards
• Hello!
• Something Green
• Rain Dance
• Build A Treat Trail
• Check My Paws
• My Dog’s Name
• Alphabetize
• Sort by Word
• Hoop to Hoop
• Halt at X
• Containers