E330: Shade Whitesel - "From Toy Skills to a Formal Retrieve"

Shade Whitesel joins me to talk about how fluent toy play skills allow for more two-way communication during training, and how toy skills can be used to build a faster, better formal retrieve. 

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  389 Hits
389 Hits

Mastering Side Steps in Rally: A Step-by-Step Guide to Precision Lateral Movement

Mastering side steps in rally can be a source of immense joy for both the participant and the audience. While teaching a proficient side step may pose some challenges, the effort invested is worthwhile.

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  716 Hits
716 Hits

E329: Amy Cook, PhD - "Thresholds and Decision Making with a Reactive Dog"

What is a threshold? Does it matter? Join Amy and I for a fascinating discussion on how what we know can impact or enable our choices when we're out with our dogs. 

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  531 Hits
531 Hits

E328: Megan Foster - "Building & Maintaining Your Agility Startline Stay"

What do position changes have to do with maintaining a startline stay? Join Megan and I as we chat about teaching and maintaining your startline... even once you begin competing! 

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  433 Hits
433 Hits

E327: Jennifer Henion - "R+ Training for Retriever Hunt Tests"

Jennifer Henion joins me on the podcast today for a conversation about hunt tests — what they are, how she wound up focused on them, and managing the culture that comes with them.

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  312 Hits
312 Hits

E326: Hélène Lawler - Start Buttons, Stop Buttons, and Arousal, Oh My!

Hélène joins me to talk about the power of start buttons, stop buttons, and arousal checks when training our dog sport behaviors... and our life skills.

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  770 Hits
770 Hits

E325: Deb Jones, PhD - "Canine Cooperative Care"

Have a problem when you want to do your dog's nails? Or maybe for you it's some other aspect of grooming or vet care! In this episode Deb and I talk about cooperative care training — what it is and why it matters. 

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  876 Hits
876 Hits

Building Value for Heel Position: Engaging Games to Teach Your Dog to Find Heel

Staying in heel position is a fundamental behavior in rally and obedience training. To ensure your dog maintains heel position throughout a course, building value and enthusiasm for being in that position is essential. In this blog post, we'll explore engaging games to increase your dog's excitement and success by finding and staying in the heel position. You'll enjoy happier and more successful performances by teaching your dog these games!

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  1249 Hits
1249 Hits

E324: Other Dog Sports with Melissa Breau, Hélène Lawler, and Sara Brueske

Join Teri Martin, Melissa Breau, Hélène Lawler and Sara Brueske for a conversation about the "other" dog sports offered at FDSA — treibball, herding, and disc!  

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  410 Hits
410 Hits

E323: Nancy Gagliardi Little - "Startlines Under Stress"

What do you do when your agility startline breaks down? Whether your dog is the type to anticipate their release, stress sniff, freeze, or leave the line to visit the volunteers, this episode with Nancy is the one for you! 

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  837 Hits
837 Hits

Teaching Dogs Generalization: Expanding Behaviors Beyond Contextual Cues

Generalization is a crucial aspect of dog training that enables dogs to apply learned behaviors in various situations. When teaching a new behavior, the environment and cues significantly shape the dog's response. However, if the cues are too closely associated with specific contexts, the dog may need help generalizing the behavior. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of generalization and provide practical tips on teaching dogs to respond to cues regardless of the environment or contextual cues. 

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  595 Hits
595 Hits

E322: Liz Joyce - Fitness for Your End of the Leash

If you've thought about leveling up your personal fitness level so you can be a better dog sports competitor, but have been consumed by "yeah buts" (yeah but my knees... yeah but my age... yeah but my weight) this podcast is for you! 

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  672 Hits
672 Hits

E321: Tracey McLennan - "Studying Prey Drive"

What is prey drive anyway? Tracey McLennan has spent years studying prey drive in our canine companions and this week she joined me to talk about what it is, why we breed for it, and both the pros and cons of having it in our dogs. 

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  1012 Hits
1012 Hits

E320: Julie Flanery - "Learning to Love Heelwork"

Julie joins me to talk about the importance of building enthusiasm into your heelwork right from the start, and how to avoid (or overcome!) training plateaus during the process of training your dog a beautiful heel. 

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  893 Hits
893 Hits

E319: The Truth About High Drive Dogs

Join me, Crystal Wing, Denise Fenzi, Hélène Lawler and Jane Ardern — all presenters in the upcoming High Drive Dog Conference — for a honest conversation about the best and worst parts of living with and training high drive dogs.

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  2018 Hits
2018 Hits

E318: Aleks Woodroffe - "Canine Massage for the Sports Dog"

 In this episode, I interview Canine Bodyworker and Scent Work Trainer Aleks Woodroffe on the benefits and application of canine massage for our sports dogs.

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  677 Hits
677 Hits

E317: Petra Ford - "Fit for Obedience"

The level of fitness a dog needs to do well in obedience is often overlooked - but the level of core work and conditioning required for obedience exercises shouldn't be ignored. In this episode Petra and I talk about her approach to keeping her dogs fit for obedience.

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  1290 Hits
1290 Hits

E316: Michael Shikashio - "When Housemates Fight"

It's rarely talked about — but intra-household dog-dog aggression is more common than many realize. Join me and Michael Shikashio for a deep dive into why, what to do, and how you can prevent issues. 

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  1882 Hits
1882 Hits

Attitude and Precision - You Can Have Both!!

Is precision important to you in rally or obedience? It's true, most of us would like our dogs to be precise and accurate! Sometimes, however, the way we go about achieving that goal of precise behaviors can affect the dog's attitude. So how can we get both precise behaviors and happy dogs?

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  1497 Hits
1497 Hits

E315: Sara Brueske - Making the Most of the Summer

Traveling with your pup this summer? Looking for other fun activities to capitalize on the awesome summer weather? Sara and I talk about preparing to travel, the benefits of road tripping with a young dog, and more!

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  796 Hits
796 Hits

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