Suggested use for Rally Task Packs...

I just love talking with my Tasks Customers because they show me new and cool ways to use my products that I haven't thought of. I get to hear about great ideas from various sources. When someone purchases anything from Train 'Em Tasks, they get an invite to our Tasks Customer Community Group on Facebook. The Tasks Customers group is a great place to bounce ideas off of other Tasks users and they come from all different walks of dog training: Obedience, Rally, Agility, IPO, French Ring, Herding, Mondioring, and etc. I get Facebook messages and emails from past customers where they share how Tasks have changed their training sessions. Lastly, past customers find me at trials, run thus, and when I'm out and about training my own dogs and we chat about how we are using Tasks stuff. I think sharing info between trainers is so valuable. Sometimes having someone's different perspective on something you have been working on or through can help us see it on a much different angle.

One awesome idea that was passed on was for the different rally task packs we offer. This customer has the Train 'Em Tasks AKC Rally Novice Task Card Pack, a small Train' Em! grab bag, and the Full Sized AKC Rally Novice Sign Packs from us.

They were using the AKC Rally Novice Task Pack and grab bag to pull different task card signs so they could build their own course at home. Once they had enough cards that they could have a full sized AKC Rally Novice Course (10 - 15 signs,) they would arrange them on a table like they would be on a map you would get at a trial. They took a photo of what they pulled and built with their phone and then headed outside with their full sized signs. Using their phone pic of the tasks, they can build a rally course on their own.

This is brilliant and I love it. The more I do Train 'Em Tasks, I find that people do not have regular access too classes and run thrus like we do here in New England. A lot of people are going forth and learning rally on their own because they are in remote areas or in places where competitive dog sports is not popular. Using our rally task packs and our full sized signs with the exercise descriptions on the back can totally work for someone who doesn't have access to rally maps because they are new to the sport. It can also work for someone who may have a limited amount of rally maps or outdated (pre 2012) rally maps from past trials. I have blogged in the past about using Tasks in the classroom. This method of using rally tasks and signs could absolutely work there too. The students could pull the task cards and arrange them into a course they want to work on. For anyone who is in levels higher than AKC Rally Novice can do this same method of pulling cards with the AKC Rally Taskmaster Collection (Novice - Excellent and a large grab bag) and our Full Sized Complete AKC Rally Sign set.

Right now we have task card packs and full sized sign packs for WCRL (formerly known as APDT) rally and using them this way would totally work too. I'm hoping to finalize the task packs and full sized sign packs for the other venues of rally we carry in Prep Pack form this fall.

Train 'Em Tutorials - AKC Rally Signs #3 and #4

Over the past couple of weeks, Ocean, Lars and I were able to video the next two signs in AKC Rally Novice. Sign #3 is the "Halt/Sit" sign and Sign #4 is "Halt/Sit/Down" sign. Both of these exercises are considered stationary exercises. I'm getting a bit more fancy with the editing of the videos. Now...at the end of the video, the sign graphic is shown as is the exercise description. 

Sign #3 - Halt/Sit

Sign #4 -Halt/Sit/Down

This past week, time slipped away since I was kind of more busy than I expected. The videos for the turns will start to be recorded this week! As always, if you have any feedback or questions regarding the Tutorials, please don't hesitate to drop us a note. :)

Train 'Em Tasks in the classroom

When I started creating Train 'Em Tasks and its products, I assumed that they would be used by people training their dogs at home or by themselves. It wasn't long before task packs, prep packs and rally/BN sign packs were being purchased by professionals in dog training. I discovered then, that Train 'Em Tasks had a legitimate place inside dog training facilities.

One rally instructor had purchased the Train 'Em Tasks AKC Rally-O Prep Pack (which has sign images/descriptions, scoring and jump height regs) to use in her Intro to Rally Obedience class. With the beginning of each class, the instructor will pick out several of the cards in the prep pack and teach the differences between the similar signs. Or, she will choose a group of signs that require similar footwork and work on those that class. She uses the prep pack for herself to review signs when she's building a course. Then she carries around the prep pack while people are working on a rally course so she or students can read from the descriptions to clarify what each sign means when questioned about it in class.

Other trainers and facilities have purchased our full sized Rally Obedience and AKC Beginner Novice sign packs so they can offer run thru or drop in classes with courses for their customers. Another instructor uses both the full sized rally signs with the little rally task pack cards. They will pull several of the rally task cards so they get a random mix of rally exercises and then build their course from them. They don't get in a rut with using the same course maps over and over. 

Stranger approaching carrying an object at Rob Cary's

Rob Cary Pet Resort in San Antonio, Texas both uses Train 'Em Task products in their classes and also sells our training task packs and grab bags in their retail store! For their classes, they use the AKC rally packs, the WCR/APDT rally packs, AKC Beginner Novice pack, CGC pack, CGCA pack, and basic obedience manners task packs. Their instructor has the students pull the task cards at random and what exercises they pull from the bags are the exercises they work on for that class.
Rob Cary Pet Resort said it was a nice way to change up their classes. On occasion, they grouped some of the task cards together to create additional group challenges. For example, a dog and owner picked "Walking past distraction dogs." So, the other four dogs and owners did "PLAY" (with toys) - while the "Walking past distraction dogs" team worked on heeling around the dogs playing.  Their trainer notes each card drawn, then observes and offers critique and/or pointers to the students. 

Leave it! at Rob Cary Pet Resort

There have been trainers who specialize in private home settings for their clients and their dogs who have referred and/or purchased the task packs and grab bags. They find that the card packs make training on their own at home less intimidating and easier to get motivated since what they are going to work on is decided for them by the bag of cards. They have told me the bag of cards is fun for children who are involved with training their dog with their parents. Parents will let their kids pick the task cards and they stay involved with the training better. Breeders have also contacted me about using puppy training task packs as gifts for their new puppy owners. I know that isn't class room related but...hey, it will get the puppy and owner off on the right foot for training! :)

The Train 'Em Tasks in-boxes on Facebook, Etsy, and Gmail get questions on a regular basis from trainers all sorts of backgrounds. I've talked with 4-H level dog trainers, trainers who work with shelters and PTSD veterans who help train the dogs so they can be adopted out. With all of those trainers there is a place for Tasks products in their teaching environment. If Train 'Em Tasks is something that you would like to incorporate into your classes you teach or something that you would like to offer for retail sale to your customers, please feel free to contact me! I am more than happy to discuss wholesale orders with dog training facilities. I also do have a "professional trainer" coupon code on etsy. Just drop me a note and we can discuss that as well!