Sports Skills Master Class with Michael Ellis

Common Skills Used in Various Dog Sports

+20 Hours | +300 Videos

10 Modules

Unlock your dog’s full potential with our brand-new Sports Skills Master Class, led by legendary trainer Michael Ellis. This comprehensive online course is designed for dog owners, sport enthusiasts, and aspiring trainers who want to build strong foundational skills used across a wide range of dog sports — including IGP/Schutzhund, AKC Obedience, and Ring Sports.

Whether your interest lies in competitive obedience or protection work, this course provides a complete roadmap to teaching and refining the core skills needed for success.

This online course covers essential skills commonly utilized in various dog sports, including Heeling, Retrieving, Jumping, Send Aways, and Scent Discrimination. These foundational skills are key components in many dog sports, with each discipline applying them in unique ways. Michael will guide you through the process of introducing these skills to your dog and offer insights on how to tailor their development to suit your specific focus, whether it be Protection or Obedience Dog Sports.

In this course, Michael teaches students the foundational principles of learning theory and demonstrates how these principles are applied to each skill being taught. Each skill will have its own dedicated module, where you will find a combination of lectures from Michael, student dog work demonstrations, and related Q&A sessions to reinforce your understanding.

Please note that this course does not cover bite work skills. For more bite work-specific training, we recommend checking out our Protection Skills Class 1 and Class 2. This course focuses on the complementary skills commonly expected in dog sports such as AKC Obedience, Schutzhund (IGP), and the various Ring Sports.

What You Will Learn:

In this course, we have a full spectrum of information to help new dog trainers wrap their minds around the details of teaching various obedience-based sport skills. Michael is one of the best instructors in the world, and this course was designed for brand-new dog trainers to give them a solid foundation in how to teach their dogs new sport skills.

Module 1: Introduction to the Course - We begin with an introduction to the expectations of the course, key terminology, and the training equipment you'll see be used throughout the program. Any questions that were asked that aren't specific to the skills covered in this course can be found in this module. 

Module 2: Learning Theory - Understanding learning theory is a core element of behavior creation. This module reviews key concepts like markers, operant conditioning, and the learning phases.

Module 3: Heeling -  You will be introduced to the concept of leash pressure and applying it to developing a solid Heel. In this module, we will discuss the foundations of heeling, stages of training, applying corrections for position, and the differences between No-Contact and Contact Heeling. 

Module 4: Foot Targets - In this hands-on module, we will introduce you to an essential behavior creation tool, foot targets. Learn how to use foot targets to better modify the behaviors you are teaching like Heeling, Retrieving, Jumps, and Send Aways.

Module 5: Retrieve - In this module, we explore the foundations and stages of teaching a formal retrieve. Learn how to back chain the retrieve and develop precise fronts. 

Module 6: Jumps - Learn how to pattern the jump behavior and slowly build up the behavior until your dog is leaping through the air. We will show how to take your dog through the stages of teaching the jump while discussing the physical limitations of some dogs and breeds. 

Module 7: Fronts & Finishes - In this module, we will explore terminal behaviors like fronts and finishes. We will show you different styles of fronts and finishes and discuss common troubleshooting issues.

Module 8: Scent Discrimination - In this module, we’ll explore the concept of teaching scent discrimination for the Little Woods exercise, most often seen in Mondio Ring sports. We will also discuss how to balance training this exercise while teaching the formal retrieve.

Module 9: Send Aways - The final skill taught in this course is the Send Away. In this module, we show you the foundations of teaching a send-away using touch pads. We will discuss how to fade a raised touch pad to a flat one and then how to slowly and precisely add distance to the send away. Michael also addresses the common challenges of generalizing the send-away in a variety of places and new environments.

Module 10: Where to Go From Here - The course concludes with guidance on how to continue your education in dog training. You’ll get recommendations for further courses from experts like Ed Frawley and Michael Ellis.

By the end of this course, you will have a well-rounded understanding of the various dog sport obedience skills, how they are taught and introduced to your dog. This course is great for those interested in dog sports but unsure of where to start. 

Who This Course Is For:

This course is ideal for:

• New and aspiring dog trainers
• Sport dog enthusiasts exploring AKC, IGP, or Ring Sports
• Dog owners seeking structured, reward-based training methods
• Anyone looking to build a solid training foundation before progressing to additional advanced work

By the end of this course, you’ll not only understand how to teach essential obedience-based sport skills—you’ll have the confidence to begin or elevate your journey in the world of dog sports.