Agility: Beginner | Intermediate
2026-05-14 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
This class continues the elemental work from the Foundation class and builds on it towards full size equipment. The curriculum will progress with a focus on Distance, Distraction, and Duration of training behaviors that will be built in agility. These are the 3D’s of training a fluid performance in the future. In this class the A-frame will be going upwards towards a full height when dogs are confident as well as the dog walk. Teeter banging and climbing will be built towards performing a complete teeter. Jump work will continue with small skill sets building up towards sequencing. Participants in this class will be directed to add a jump towards weaves and a jump toward contacts and vice versa when teams are ready. Dogs will begin to perform angles towards obstacles and turns upon exits. Handlers will learn to train and perform common sequences to add confidence for the dogs towards doing coursework. Progress in weave-pole training with emphasis on this continuing at home to allow for a confident weaver will be ongoing.
Note, it is difficult to train a dog to weave in a once-a-week class, so it is VERY important for teams to follow up at home or a rental time with this as homework.
Handlers will continue with handling skills on an ongoing basis with importance on connection with the dog, cuing the obstacles, and support of those cues to help the dog with commitment. Obstacle discrimination will be introduced. The handler will learn how to change directions with a post turn, a front cross, a rear cross, and a blind cross is. The handler will begin to learn how and when to perform these handling moves.

Prerequisite: Previous foundation class and director/instructor approval.

Obedience: Puppy
2026-05-14 18:35 - 19:15, 2026-05-14 19:15 - 19:55
Puppy Class is for puppies 6 months and younger. Puppies must have proof of vaccinations appropriate for their age, which would include two DHPP vaccines.
Puppy class is a non-formal class that covers more than sit, down, stay, but also encompasses socialization, building trust, confidence and building a positive connection to the handler with positive training methods that shape behaviors. Your puppy will learn all foundation exercises to move on to beginners class after puppy graduation.

Agility: Intermediate
2026-05-14 19:00 - 19:50

Obedience: Pre-Novice
2026-05-14 20:00 - 20:50, 2026-05-18 09:00 - 09:50, 2026-05-18 17:00 - 17:50, 2026-05-18 18:00 - 18:50, 2026-05-19 12:30 - 13:20
Prerequisite: Mastery of Beginner Obedience objectives.
As well as learning new exercises, Pre-Novice students will refine the skills they learned in the Beginner Obedience class.
Students in Pre-Novice class must master a level of criteria prior to advancing to a Novice level class with Instructor approval.

Heeling Skills:

Focus on handler/engagement between handler and dog (use of high-value treats)
Appropriate marking and rewarding of behavior
Proper leash handling
Use of commands
Heel position; auto sit in heel position upon halting
About turn, U-turn, Quarter turns on a pivot (left and right)
Gait changes (slow/fast)
Reverse and call to front
Dog is under control at all times

Commands:

Heel position (set up, get in, etc.)
Sit
Down
Sit and stand for exam
Finishes (swing and around)
Stay/wait at end of leash (one minute stay on sit and down)
Front/come at 40 feet (recalls)

Figure Eight:
Handler pacing remains the same while dog speeds up or slows down to accommodate the handler.

Agility: Advanced
2026-05-14 20:00 - 20:50

Obedience: Utility Drop-in Training
2026-05-15 10:00 - 12:00
Drop-in training takes place every Friday from 10:00a.m. to 12:00p.m., with Sits and Downs taking place at 11am. Please sign-in as you enter the building.
Watch our Facebook Group page for announcements of any possible conflicts or cancellations.
We have 3 drop-in rings available:

Utility (sign-in, 15-minute time slots)
Open (work together as desired)
Novice (no jumps—use as needed)

Fees:

Non-Members - $10.00 (unlimited number of dogs)
Members - $5.00 (unlimited number of dogs)

Free Fun Match Certificates
Free Fun Match certificates given to workers at NOCI Agility Trials will be honored at Friday Drop-In Training in the following way:

Non-Members - 1 certificate = 1 Friday Drop-In Training session
Members - 1 certificate = 2 Friday Drop-In Training sessions

Drop-in Supervisors
Debbie Fields
doodles382@gmail.com
Phone: 847-651-3607
Nancy Taylor
bikeandkayak@aol.com
Phone: 815-245-0411

Obedience: Utility
2026-05-16 12:30 - 13:20, 2026-05-18 13:00 - 13:50
Prerequisite: The dog must have earned at least one leg in the Open class toward their CDX, be able to execute scent discrimination among several articles, and have a general understanding of the Directed Retrieve & Directed Jumping exercise, or with the approval of the NOCI Director of Training.
All the skills covered in the Pre-Utility class will be refined to prepare the student to show at the Utility level.

Skills:

Heeling with no verbal commands to their dog (all signals)
A drop, sit, & come using no verbal commands (all signals)
A stand at the halt in the heeling & signal exercise
The scent discrimination exercise, where the dog is trained to find & retrieve an article scented by the handler
The directed retrieve exercise, where the dog will learn to retrieve the correct glove from the three placed out
The moving stand exercise, which includes a more thorough exam than at the Novice level
The directed jumping exercise, which consists of a 40’ go out, and then a directed recall over either the high or the bar jump

Obedience: Beginner
2026-05-18 10:00 - 10:50, 2026-05-18 19:00 - 19:50, 2026-05-18 20:00 - 20:50, 2026-05-19 19:00 - 19:50
The skills taught in this class that are necessary to move up to the next level are:
1.) Limited use of luring
2.) Automatic sits during heeling
3.) Down on command
4.) Heeling appropriately during a simple heeling pattern
5.) Handler is able to walk around the dog to heel position when returning to dog from a stay (dog remains in Sit position)
6.) Sit for exam
7.) 30 second sit/stay and down/stay
8.) An on leash recall
Our training method is to mark & reward correct behavior, so food rewards will be used. For information about any of our Obedience classes contact the Training Hall Secretary.

Obedience: Novice
2026-05-18 11:00 - 11:50, 2026-05-18 21:00 - 21:50, 2026-05-19 17:00 - 17:50, 2026-05-19 18:00 - 18:50, 2026-05-19 20:00 - 20:50
Prerequisite: Pre-Novice class skills and approval from the Pre-Novice instructor or with approval from the NOCI Director of Training.
In this class you will refine the skills developed in the Pre-Novice class and ultimately have the skills necessary to show your dog at the Beginner Novice or Novice level in AKC or UKC to achieve the Beginner Novice (BN) title, or Novice level to achieve the Companion Dog (CD) title.
Showing your dog is certainly not mandatory, but that is the standard you will be training up to. Anyone who has met the criteria to be in a Novice class is welcome.

Exercises to be Refined:

On and off leash heeling
Figure eights
Sit & stand for exam
A 40′ recall on the flat and a recall over a high jump
Group exercises consisting of a one-minute sit/stay and one minute down/stay
A sit/stay while the handler walks around the room
Sit/stay — get your leash exercise

Handler Skills:

Footwork
Hand position
Non-verbal cues

Nose Work: Intermediate
2026-05-18 17:00 - 17:50
Nose Work was developed to provide all dogs with an outlet to use their natural hunting and scenting abilities and is modeled after working detector dogs. All dogs can take part in a nose work class; young, healthy, old, timid, or reactive. The purpose of nose work is to engage the dog in the game, teach the handler how to read their dog, and build a team relationship all while having fun. The sport and instructors of K9 Nose Work® are overseen by the National Association of Canine Scent Work.
Before you say “yes” or “no” to taking a Nose Work class, there is one hard and fast rule that we must insist on — all dogs must be crated or in your car when they are not searching. There are two reasons for this:

Nose work is instinctual for dogs. Any dog near the search area could be perceived as competition and could change a dog’s behavior. Safety first!
So much can be learned by observing another dog’s work and you really can’t do that if you are focusing on your own dog.

Please note: All teams new to nose work have a wait list and limited spaces are available to experienced teams. Contact the Director of Nose Work (jadoes55@gmail.com) to be added to the wait list.
More Information:
If you would like information about nose work or information about classes at NOCI, please contact Jim Doescher directly at jadoes55@gmail.com.
For more information on Nose Work in general, you can go to www.NACSW.net.

Nose Work: Intermediate | Advanced
2026-05-18 18:00 - 18:50, 2026-05-18 19:00 - 19:50, 2026-05-18 20:00 - 20:50

Rally: Advanced | Excellent
2026-05-19 10:00 - 10:50
Rally is a new dog sport that was created to promote a positive relationship between the dog and its owner. Emphasis is on fun and excitement. The dog and handler learn to negotiate through a course that has a series of stations with signs that display a particular skill exercise to be performed, healing such as heeling, right turns, about turns, halts, jumping, recall, walking between pylons, obstacles or people, etc. Almost like Simon Says on paws!
Note: Rally Classes are combined (but have two instructors).

Rally: Novice | Intermediate
2026-05-19 11:15 - 12:05

Obedience: Open
2026-05-19 19:00 - 19:50
Prerequisite: The dog must have earned at least one leg in the Novice class toward their CD, be holding and retrieving the dumbbell, and be started on the Drop on Recall, or with the approval of the NOCI Director of Training.
All skills introduced in the Pre-Open class will be refined so that eventually the dog can compete at the Open level in AKC or UKC.

Skills:

The drop on recall
The command discrimination exercise (stand, sit, & down from a distance)
Introducing the dumbbell to the dog, and how to get them to hold it
The retrieve on the flat & retrieve over the high jump
The recall over the broad jump
The open version of the stay and get the leash exercise
Variations of these exercises that are used in the UKC Open class
