E434: Julie Symons - Evaluating What Your Nosework Dog Really Knows

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. 

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  99 Hits
99 Hits

E433: Ashley Escobar, Erin Lynes, and Irith Bloom on Puppyhood & Adolescence

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!

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  1086 Hits
1086 Hits

E432: Crystal Wing - "Mindset and Mechanics: Thinking About Training"

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.  

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  1291 Hits
1291 Hits

E431: Kathy Sdao - "What Happens When They Won't Go"

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. 

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  1428 Hits
1428 Hits

E430: Liz Joyce - "Starting A Handler Fitness Habit"

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

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  562 Hits
562 Hits

E429: Heather Lawson - "CGC & Therapy Dog Work"

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.

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  849 Hits
849 Hits

E428: Kim Palermo - Advancing CU into the Real World

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! 

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  1465 Hits
1465 Hits

E427: Ashley Escobar - Fitness, Agility, and Jump Training

Agility puts a lot of strain and stress on our dogs' bodies... but fitness training can go a long way to ensuring they still enjoy a long sports career. Join me and Ashley for a conversation on how workling on canine fitness can improve your dog's agility skills, especially when it comes to technical jump training!

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  1448 Hits
1448 Hits

E426: Karen Deeds and Dr. Sophie Liu - A Real Look at Negative Reinforcement

Talking about Negative Reinforcement can cause some big feelings in the positive training community - but in this episode Karen and Sophie take a look at when it's inevitable in our dogs' lives and what we should be thinking about for our own dogs. 

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  1959 Hits
1959 Hits

E425: Erin Lynes and Tracey McLennan - Meeting Your Dogs Needs

Dogs with a lot of interest in the environment, who come to the outside world with big feelings or who need an outlet but aren't safe off leash are our topic in this episode! Erin shares how dog powered sports can help and Tracey shares insights from working with prey-driven dogs. 

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  1194 Hits
1194 Hits

E424: Michael Shikashio - Arousal and Aggression (Plus a Peek at CANIS 2026!)

Michael Shikashio joins me for a conversation around the impact arousal has on aggression, and how we should think about the two when working on behavior cases... plus, he shares a bit of behind-the-scenes info on the planning for the 2026 CANIS conference!   Transcription Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the F...
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  2841 Hits
2841 Hits

E423: Julie Flanery - "Building A Musical Freestyle Routine"

Curious what musical freestyle is and whether it might be for you? Join Julie and I for a conversation that includes tips and tricks for laying out your routine, choosing which tricks to train, and more!

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  2788 Hits
2788 Hits

E422: Petra Ford - Competing in Obedience at the Top

In this episode, we talk to Petra Ford, the 2025 National Obedience Champion, about her recent win and what it takes to compete at the top levels of obedience here in the US, how she approaches training, and more!
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  1862 Hits
1862 Hits

E421: Jane Ardern - Anticipation vs. Relaxation: Training Release Cues

Jane Ardern joins me for a conversation about how our release cues can influence our dog's state of mind and ability to learn. She shares what the field-bred spaniels she's owned have taught her about frustration, frantic behavior, anticipation, and relaxation... with several helpful takeaways bound to apply to any dog sports team. 

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  2234 Hits
2234 Hits

E420: Sharon Carroll - "A Real Look at Reducing Reinforcement"

If you plan to compete, you need a plan for reducing reinforcement - but so often this is where trainers go wrong! Join us for a conversation about how Sharon recommends you reduce reinforcement to maintain attitude and correctness.  

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  3078 Hits
3078 Hits

E419: Nancy Little - "Weave Pole Performance"

Thinking about weave pole training? Whether you're troubleshooting a problem or beginning to teach weaves to a new dog, in this episode we dive into Nancy's thoughts on how to approach things... and where so many teams seem to go wrong.

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  2094 Hits
2094 Hits

E418: Irith Bloom - "Getting Geeky On Behavior Change"

What is Applied Behavior Science? Learning Theory? Why bother, if folks have been training dogs for more than 10,000 years? Irith and I get into all that and more in this episode on the science of behavior change!

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  3016 Hits
3016 Hits

E417: Focus and Engage with Denise Fenzi, Petra Ford, and Karen Deeds

With the upcoming Focus & Engage one-day online conference only a few days away, join us for a preview of what you can expect, and an in depth conversation on acclimation, arousal, focus, and engagement.  

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  4412 Hits
4412 Hits

E416: Tracey McLennan - "A Framework for More Efficient Training"

Tracey McLennan joins me for a conversation on how her software background has informed her approach to dog training and led to her framework for smarter, faster, training progress. 

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  2243 Hits
2243 Hits

E415: Denise Fenzi - Contact Heeling v. Precision Heeling: What's the Difference?

Precision heeling and contact heeling may seem similar in some ways - but they're also very different. Join me for a conversation with Denise Fenzi on when she uses which one and how (and why) she approaches training both!  

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  3504 Hits
3504 Hits