How Control Unleashed Helped Me Build a Better Recall

If you could choose only one activity to enjoy with your dog for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My answer - I wouldn't think twice before choosing hiking with my dogs off-leash! And had someone asked me this question 20 years ago when I got my first dog as an adult, I would have answered the exact same way.

Over any dog sport, competition, or activity, there's nothing I'd rather do with my dogs than to go for a long, off-leash walk.


So for that reason, I put more work into raising my dogs to be wonderful hiking partners than absolutely anything else. I want our lifetime of off-leash walks to be fulfilling, meet their needs, and on top of everything else, safe!

It wasn't until I began teaching my dogs Control Unleashed skills (for entirely different reasons) when I began to notice the significant improvement in my dog's recall skills, as well as their general hiking etiquette.

So how does a program that focuses on helping dogs with arousal challenges work so well for our off-leash endeavors? 

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3013 Hits

E382: What Do We Mean By Big Feelings?

Join us for a fantastic panel discussion with Dr. Amy Cook, Denise Fenzi, Kim Palermo, and Petra Ford on sports dogs, their big feelings, and how to help them thrive.  

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  1916 Hits
1916 Hits

E381: Dr. Jennifer Summerfield & Dr. Jessica Perry Hekman - "Anxiety in Our Dogs"

What do we know about anxiety in our canine companions? Join us for a conversation about what causes anxiety and what we can do about it. 

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  2068 Hits
2068 Hits

E380: Bobbie Bhambree - "Creating a Resilience Framework for More Resilient Dogs"

What do we know about resilience and what it takes to build more of it in our dogs? Join Bobbie and I for a conversation on what factors we need to consider when it comes to our dogs and helping them deal with stress — and why that's SO important for our sports dogs.   Transcription Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau, and you're listeni...
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  2524 Hits
2524 Hits

E379: Angelica Steinker - "Handling Hearing and Vision Impairments in Dogs"

Have you ever wondered how unilateral deafness might impact learning? What a dog with vision impairments might face? Angelica shares her experiences with both and shares her story in this episode. 

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  1893 Hits
1893 Hits

E378: Loretta Mueller - "Multi-Dog Households: Adding a New Dog"

Having a peaceful household when you live with multiple dogs can be tough — join Loretta and I for a conversation about what it takes, and tips on how to introduce a new dog to your household even if there may be a significant size difference. 

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  2317 Hits
2317 Hits

Teaching Around for Rally: Building a Fast and Solid Behavior

In rally obedience, the "around" behavior is one of the most frequently used skills, second only to heeling. It is most commonly seen in the right finish, but many other signs also incorporate the dog circling the handler. Teaching around as a solid behavior will be a valuable investment as you and your dog progress through the rally levels.

When competing in higher-level events, having a speedy and reliable around behavior is crucial. Dogs that circle their handlers slowly lose precious time on this one move. By incorporating games and exercises that focus on speeding up your dog's around, you can enhance their performance in the ring.

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  2783 Hits
2783 Hits

E377: Karen Deeds - Advanced Reactive Integration: Bringing The Pieces Together

You've heard of Fight or Flight and maybe Freeze, but did you know there are actually 5 F's that dogs can exhibit under stress? Join us for an interesting conversation on working with reactive dogs!

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  2534 Hits
2534 Hits

Design Your Training Session for Success

Effective dog training techniques for success are all about building your dog's confidence through small victories. When your dog experiences consistent success, they become more motivated, eager to learn, and confident. Achieving these small wins makes training feel rewarding for both you and your dog. Our goal should always be to train in a way that sets our dogs up for success and ensures they know how to "win" during each session.

While perfection isn't always possible, rehearsing correct behaviors as often as we can is key to developing a solid foundation. By learning to read your dog's abilities and responding to them, you can ensure each training session is a productive one.

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  2863 Hits
2863 Hits

E376: Irith Bloom - Creating Confidence and Calm for Anxious Dogs

In this episode Irith and I talk about what anxiety looks like in dogs and what we can do to help our dogs feel safe and build confidence. Plus, I ask Irith to talk about what factors influence how long these behaviors take to work and what factors influence prognosis. 

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  2017 Hits
2017 Hits

E375: Liz Joyce & Kelly Daniel - Core Fitness for Both Ends of the Leash

Core strength is important for both ends of the leash — so for this episode, Liz and Kelly both joined me to talk about their relative expertise... Kelly shared what to consider and why it matters for our four-legged teammates, and Liz talked about fitness for the human-half of the team! 

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  2613 Hits
2613 Hits

E374: Deb Jones, Jennifer Summerfield, and Julie Symons on Living With and Loving Your Senior Dog

We hear so much about puppys and adolescents, but it's rare to focus on seniors — in this episode, that's exactly what we do. We take a deep dive into what it means to live with and love our dogs in their golden years. 

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  2012 Hits
2012 Hits

E373: Erin Lynes - "Surviving Canine Adolescence"

Teenagers get a bad rap — join me and Erin for a conversation about what you can really expect and how to survive canine adolescence and then come out with an awesome sports dog on the other side.

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  2423 Hits
2423 Hits

E372: Kamal Fernandez - Teaching the Concept of Duration

If you've ever struggled to convey to your dog that you want them to keep doing a thing... Whether it's a stationary behavior or a moving one, this episode is for you. Kamal and I break down why he teaches duration as a concept and what it means to approach training duration that way! 

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  2367 Hits
2367 Hits

E371: Crystal Wing - Learning to Play

 It's easy to assume we're all born knowing how to play - but sometimes reclaiming that childlike sense of fun is harder than it looks! Join us for a conversation on the skills we need to rediscover and those we need to teach our dogs to get toy play everyone involved can enjoy.

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  2066 Hits
2066 Hits

E370: Jennifer Henion - Breaking Down the Blind Retrieve

 One of the skills you'll need for retriever hunt tests is the blind retrieve — where the dog retrieves downed game that they didn't see land. In this episode Jennifer talks me though exactly what that means and how she approaches it in training.

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  1553 Hits
1553 Hits

Rally: A Great Introduction to Other Dog Sports

Rally is a fun activity that is an excellent introduction to other dog sports. Dog sports are not only a fantastic way to bond with your furry friend but also to engage their minds and bodies in meaningful activities. Among the various dog sports available, rally stands out as an excellent introductory sport for several compelling reasons. Whether you're new to dog sports, looking for something fun to do with your dog, or trying to expand your dog's skills, rally can pave the way for a rewarding journey into other disciplines.

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  2821 Hits
2821 Hits

E369: Shade Whitesel - Choosing Location Specific Marker Cues

Wondering what the hype is about when it comes to Location Specific Marker cues? Shade and I talk about what they are, what they can offer your training, how to decide when it's time to consider adding a new one, the role of anticipatory behaviors and more!  

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  2235 Hits
2235 Hits

E368: Tracey McLennan - Overcoming Critter Distractions for the Real World

Have a dog that's easily distracted or driven to chase prey-like critters? In this episode Tracey and I talk about overcoming critter distractions and building behaviors so you can both enjoy the outdoors again.

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  1951 Hits
1951 Hits

Teaching Stillness as a Concept

For many dogs, stillness is a challenging concept to grasp. Especially in sports-bred dogs, which are highly motivated by movement, training methods often focus on encouraging and rewarding action. As a result, teaching stay behaviors can be more difficult. However, introducing the concept of stillness can help your dog remain calm, composed, and focused in various situations, benefiting high-energy or anxious dogs in particular.

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  2352 Hits
2352 Hits

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