E344 - Nicole Wiebusch: Dogs Get FOMO Too

Have a pup that struggles to wait their turn? Nicole and I talk about the forms that FOMO (fear of missing out) can take when it comes to our dogs, how to prevent it, and what we can do about it. 

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  4324 Hits
4324 Hits

Improving Handler's Balance: As Easy as 1, 2, 3

Balance can feel elusive. It gradually walks towards the door, slipping behind other guests and furniture unnoticed until it's gone or thinking of leaving. A loss of balance can significantly reduce your quality of life and the activities safely available to you. It's helpful to look for ways you have power in situations, from both a physical and a mental standpoint.

Balance is important for handlers for a number of reasons. The first one that comes to mind is injury prevention! Nothing will sideline your team faster than injuries and staying ahead of that is so important. Speed is improved, a reduction in trip or fall risk, a better ability to handle powerful dogs all improved through better balance.

When you think of building better balance does your mind drift to standing on a balancing device? Or perhaps standing on one foot with your eyes closed? Or walking in a straight line with your eyes closed? While these are all ways to work on balance, there are things you can do to expedite balance improvement.

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  2220 Hits
2220 Hits

E343: Ashley Escobar - Conditioning for Sports Dogs

Ever wondered why canine conditioning matters, or why it's become so popular? In this episode Ashley and I dive into its importance for sport dogs of all types.  

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  1742 Hits
1742 Hits

Precise Position Changes: Foundations

Position changes are a skill needed in both rally and obedience. Taking the time to teach a good foundation will make the more advanced position changes much easier. In this blog, I'm working with Excel, who wasn't quite two when I videoed these sessions.

Excel is a dog who finds movement very reinforcing, and therefore, stillness is difficult. For this reason, I spend a lot of time reinforcing him for doing nothing. This helps with anticipation and also helps him keep his body quiet and still. If your dog is like Excel, reinforce for waiting for the next cue and stillness even more than you reward the movement behaviors.

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  2782 Hits
2782 Hits

E342: Karen Deeds - When Behavior Goes Wrong

Behavior problems can wreak havoc on our lives with our dogs. So when issues occur what options are there? How do we decide which to pursue? Karen and I take a deep dive into what factors to consider when making those difficult decisions, including the choices no one ever wants to make: rehoming and behavioral euthanasia. 

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  2947 Hits
2947 Hits

What Now? My Dog has behavior problems and I don’t know how to decide what to do!

Serious behavior problems are not the norm in the competitive sports world, but they do happen. Training can certainly affect behavior, and behavior can influence training! They are not the same!

Most behavior problems have underlying 'emotional' issues and training alone isn't the answer. If your dog is barking at someone, which is commonly a 'distance increasing' behavior that comes from the place of fear, we need to acknowledge that emotion, not suppress it. We can certainly use positively trained skills like obedience to replace an undesired behavior, but it needs to come from a place of confidence and choice, not force or coercion. 

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  2237 Hits
2237 Hits

E341: Janice Gunn - "Maintaining Connection in the Obedience Ring"

This week Janice Gunn joins me to talk about how she evolved her finger follow method to encourage connection while competing in obedience — from ring entrances to exercise transitions to leaving the ring for your jackpot! 

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  3004 Hits
3004 Hits

E340: Kayla Dever - Balancing Trialing and Training

Join me for a conversion with Kayla Dever as she shares her story - starting in the service dog world, evolving in flyball, and now hosting and competing in nosework!  

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  2715 Hits
2715 Hits

E339: What is a Confident Dog, Anyway? with Dr. Amy Cook, Julie Daniels, Petra Ford, and Sara Brueske

In preparation for the upcoming confident dog conference at FDSA, I invited 4 of the presenters for the conference on the podcast to talk about what confidences looks like in our dogs, how much of it is innate vs. something we can instill, and what the process of building confidence looks like. Join us for this fascinating conversation!  

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  3709 Hits
3709 Hits

E338: Preparing Young Sports Dogs for Competition (Part 2)

Join me, Megan Foster, Stacy Barnett, Barbara Lloyd, and Hélène Lawler for a continuation of our conversation about preparing young sports dogs to compete - including the good, the bad, and the ugly! Note: This episode ran long so we've split it into two parts.

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  1766 Hits
1766 Hits

E338: Preparing Young Sports Dogs for Competition (Part 1)

 Join me, Megan Foster, Stacy Barnett, Barbara Lloyd, and Hélène Lawler for a conversation about preparing young sports dogs to compete - including the good, the bad, and the ugly! Note: This episode ran long so we've split it into two parts.

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  1755 Hits
1755 Hits

E337: Lucy Newton - Follow That Track!

Looking for another way you can teach your dog to use his nose? In this episode Lucy and I talk about teaching your dog to track! Join us to learn a little about training your dog for competition tracking. 

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  2143 Hits
2143 Hits

E336: Jennifer Summerfield, DVM - Gut Health and Your Dog

Microbiome and gut health has become a hot topic in recent years — join Dr. Jen and I to talk about what you need to know about your dog's digestive health. 

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  1909 Hits
1909 Hits

Why Do Dog's Disconnect After Reinforcement?

Why is it that dogs often disconnect after reinforcement? Have you ever noticed that your dog checks out after he or she has received a reward? This is a pretty common problem, and it can be exhausting to keep your dog in the game. So, why do dogs disconnect after reinforcement?

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  2801 Hits
2801 Hits

E335: Petra Ford - Getting Started on Competition Heelwork

Petra and I talk about what it takes to get really pretty heelwork — namely, position, a good focal point, and strong engagement skills.  

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  2872 Hits
2872 Hits

Mastering Lateral Movement in Front: Beginning Steps

Teaching your dog advanced commands can be a rewarding experience, and one valuable skill for rally is lateral movement in front of you. This blog post will explore a training approach involving mats or props to guide your dog through this challenging but achievable behavior.

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  2290 Hits
2290 Hits

E334: Irith Bloom - What is Arousal?

In this episode Irith and I dive deep into what arousal is, what it means, and what we can do about it. Irith breaks down both the science and the practical, applicable skills we can apply. 

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  2889 Hits
2889 Hits

E333: Julie Symons - Lost Item Recovery

Come learn all about this new nosework game! Julie and I chat about what's involved, how to get started, and answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the new sport! 

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  2265 Hits
2265 Hits

E332: Laurie Huston - Teaching Commitment in Agility

What can commitment do for your agility team? Laurie and I chat about what it means and the difference it can make when playing the game!  

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  2171 Hits
2171 Hits

Wait Your Turn: A FOMO Foundation Game

Dogs like us, dogs can experience frustration when they are not part of the action. This is commonly referred to as FOMO (fear of missing out).

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  8182 Hits
8182 Hits

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