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Ever wondered how arousal impacts performance? Debated whether jackpots are worth using? In this episode I ask Petra Ford about both topics — and we do a deep dive on how to keep your dog at an optimal arousal level then chat about the trade offs that come with choosing to use jackpots in training. 

With the Active Dogs: Fitness and Injury Prevention one day conference happening on Jan 10th, we took the time to sit down with 2 of the presenters to talk about what it means to keep our sports dogs in good health so they can play our games as long as possible.

Join me for a fascinating conversation with Denise on the ins and outs of engagement — from pre-engagement strategies to help young dogs to prepping for competition. We talk about the importance of acclimation, how the process differs for low drive vs. high drive dogs, and more! 

Does your dog struggle to regulate their own arousal? Join me and Sara for a conversation on how to help them manage things, and then (ultimately) teach them to manage it themselves!  

Join me as I interview Erin Lynes about building confidence in our canine partners — we talk about clear communication, natural levels of confidence (and how much you should expect to be able to move the needle), the "Mr. Rogers" technique, and more!  

It's common to ask, "Does my dog understand the cue?" — especially when a dog performs a behavior perfectly at home but struggles anywhere else. Often, we assume our dogs have a deeper understanding of a behavior than they actually do. When a dog can't perform a cue to criteria, it usually means a building block in the training process was skipped, not that the dog is being stubborn or uncooperative. 

In this episode Ashley walks us through why she's turned to conditioning to help her young dogs develop impulse control, body awareness, and precision — and how she's adapted it to help any dog that would benefit from strengthening those three skills.  

As a behavior consultant working in sport, working-dog, and pet-dog environments, one theme remains consistent: we want to set our dogs up for success. Whether we're training for obedience, rally, agility, disc, detection work, or tackling big behavior concerns, positive-reinforcement trainers break training into small, achievable steps. By minimizing mistakes, we reduce stress and build confidence.

To make this simple for dog guardians, I often rely on a simple framework I call the Four C's of Behavior Modification: Control, Continue, Change, and Create.

If you're working on heelwork, you're going to encounter mistakes. Crooked sits, forging, lagging, loss of attention — they're all part of the process. The key to handling heeling mistakes is recognizing that errors aren't failure; they're feedback. When a dog makes a mistake during heeling, it usually means the criteria were too high, the environment too challenging, or the dog wasn't prepared for that level of difficulty.

Instead of pushing through or correcting the dog, use mistakes as information. Occasional blips are expected. But if mistakes start happening repeatedly, that's your cue to pause and reevaluate your training plan. Backing up a step or two is not a setback — it's how you build clarity. 

Whether working with your first agility dog or your fifth, the right foundation can play a huge role in your team's success. Join us for a conversation on how to build the skills you'll need as a team... even if you have minimal access to equipment. 

It's easy to fall into the habit of only practicing skills you know that you and your dog are good at — in this episode, Julie and I talk about how to avoid that issue, and how to continually evaluate where your nosework dog is strongest, identify holes, and ensure you continue to progress in your training together. 

The life stages our young sports dogs go through can come with dramatic changes and significant transitions - so what's normal? How do we decide what to prioritize? What are the current best practices when it comes to socialization? Join us for a conversation on all things puppy and adolescent!

Crystal Wing joins me for a conversation on how to build your training around a great relationship with your dog by balancing mindset and mechanics.  

Ever have a situation where your dog refuses to move forward? In this episode Kathy Sdao and I talk about what balking is, why we think dogs do it, and what we can do about it. 

Join handler fitness trainer, Liz Joyce, and me for a podcast all about how you can start — or restart — your fitness journey, gently.  

When you and your dog reach the Master level of rally, you'll face a whole new challenge: master rally signs. These signs go beyond the basics of sit, down, and heeling. They ask for precision, teamwork, and independence all at once. For many teams, this level is where rally really gets exciting—but it can also feel a bit intimidating. The good news is that with the right training plan, you and your dog can tackle these signs with confidence and even have a lot of fun along the way. 

Heather and I discuss what skills you need to earn your CGC, the sticking points that can cause trouble for some teams, and how to decide if your dog is a good fit for therapy work from there.

Using props for stays isn't required, but it can be incredibly helpful when you're first introducing the concept of stillness. Props provide structure, give dogs a clear physical boundary, and act as reminders to hold position. From platforms to gates and stations, the right prop can make teaching stays easier, clearer, and more effective.

Control Unleashed games and patterns can be a powerful tool whether you're working to rehab reactivity or build bomb proof sports behaviors. But how we do go from just learning the games to actually using them in the real world? Kim and I discuss exactly that in this week's podcast!