My goal in this class is to help you and your dog find rides and waiting in the car less stressful and more fun. We will maximize the dog's choice, which will also help them (and you!) be more confident. The more confident both ends of the leash are, the calmer, safer, and happier.

We'll be using Control Unleashed pattern games, developed by Leslie McDevitt, to help acclimate our dogs to car set-ups and give them really clear ways to say "I'm ready! Let's go!" or "Gosh, I'm not sure yet. Give me a second!" or even "Heck no, that was too much." By using patience and predictability, we'll empower our dogs to develop much more enthusiastic opting in, so we'll end up with many more "Let's go!" responses than when we started.

The games provide simple frameworks of familiarity and good feelings so that when we start to weave in more complicated or novel elements, the dogs can not only handle it, they'll feel good about it. We will use careful arrangements to invite them to participate and ways for them to opt out. No trickery or distraction needed!

While each game has a particular set of rules and I'll be giving guidance on approaches that tend to succeed, the beauty of Control Unleashed and good training more broadly is that it welcomes creativity. We will tailor things to you and your dog.

Ready? Let's go!