E274: Dogs with Big Feelings

Join Julie Daniels, Sophie Lui, Karen Deeds, and Sharon Carroll for a chat about living with and loving dogs with big feelings — and for a sneak peek at what each will cover during their sessions at our upcoming conference.

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  1482 Hits
1482 Hits

E273: Fundamentals for Training a Sports Dog

Join Chrissi Schranz, Deb Jones, PhD Julie Flanery and I for a discussion on the fundamentals of positive training — including the things most trainers overlook when working with their canine partners.

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  853 Hits
853 Hits

Breed, Behavior, and Mutt Genomics

Note: the author of this summary is second author on the paper

This paper describes multiple studies, which assess the effects of genetics and breed on canine behavioral traits; assess the difficulty of visual interpretation of mutt breed ancestry, and the morphological traits people use to guess breed ancestry; and find new genomic regions associated with behavioral traits in dogs.

As is typical of papers published in the prestigious journal Science, this paper contains several related studies that inform each other.

The researchers collected and analyzed:

  • 16,000+ owner surveys on their dogs' physical and behavioral traits, through the website darwinsark.org
  • 2000+ genetic sequences of dogs with surveys (a subset of the first, larger set of dogs)
  • Guesses from the public via the website muttmix.org about the top three breeds in a set of 31 highly mixed mutts, based on images, video, and short descriptions of the dogs
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  1404 Hits
1404 Hits

E272: Laura Waudby - "Creating a Positive CER for the Ring"

It's never too early to begin building a positive conditioned emotional response to the ring. Laura and I discuss exactly how to go about that in the latest podcast episode. 

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  996 Hits
996 Hits

Master the Moving Down!

The moving down is incorporated into both obedience and rally exercises. Having a prompt response to the down cue, even in motion, is important but sometimes difficult to achieve.

Let's talk through some games that you can use to teach or improve your dog's moving downs!

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  1371 Hits
1371 Hits

E271: Sara Brueske - What Does it Take to do Mondio OB?

Sara and I talk about training for Mondio Obedience - including who can compete and how varied the trials can be! 

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  855 Hits
855 Hits

E270: Dresden Graff - Training for the Sensitive Soul

National Agility Competitor Dresden Graff joins me to talk about his training journey and share some tips for training the see-saw when you have a more sensitive dog. 

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  1397 Hits
1397 Hits

Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes: A discussion with Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD (2nd Author)

If you've seen the buzz over the recent study, "Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes," join Dr. Jessica Hekman, 2nd author on the paper, for a discussion on the topic.

What does it say? What does it not say? Let's get the facts!

Jessica will share her knowledge and help you understand this fascinating topic during this FREE Q&A discussion. 
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  2058 Hits
2058 Hits

E269: Amy Cook, PhD - "A Deeper Look at The Play Way"

Ever wondered how The Play Way differs from other methods for treating reactivity? Amy and I talk about how she developed the ideas from her work on her PhD in Psychology.

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  2079 Hits
2079 Hits

Is a Tired Dog Really a Good Dog?

We've all heard it, the advice that says "run him out, a tired dog is a good dog". Well, if the dog is actually asleep then yes, he is a good dog – sleep being incompatible with hyper, pain-in-the-bum type behaviours. However, usually it doesn't work like that.
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  2136 Hits
2136 Hits

E268: Sharon Carroll - "When Competition Performance Falls Apart"

Common advice is that a green dog just needs more ring experience but... is that really true? What's going on when a dog gets gradually worse the more they compete? Sharon and I talk about breaking that down and more!

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  1651 Hits
1651 Hits

Failure is my Friend: Redefining the meaning of Failure

Failure is a word that has a bad bad bad rap. I mean the poor word really did get the short end of the stick. People just have it all wrong. They see failure as something bad. Failure means you're not good enough, you didn't try hard enough, people look down at you, you're a loser. 

Failure evokes a host of negative feelings… depression, unworthiness, fear, anxiety, shame, disappointment, being less than, not measuring up, thinking that everyone else has achieved while I have not… I have "failed". We obsess about how it makes us look in other people's eyes. We define our self-worth by external accomplishments and when we don't achieve them, once again we have failed. 

The truth of the matter is everybody's got it all wrong.

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  1171 Hits
1171 Hits

E267: Ashley Escobar - Talking Canine Fitness & Cavalettis

Ashley and I talk about what led her to become interested in fitness and she shares why cavalettis are such a powerful tool for canine fitness. 

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  884 Hits
884 Hits

E266: Stacy Barnett - Advancing in Nosework

What skills do you need as you build from the basis to more advanced levels in nosework? Stacy and I talk about breaking that down and more — PLUS we share an exciting new announcement from FDSA! 

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  1391 Hits
1391 Hits

E265: Dr. Chris Zink - Evaluating Puppy Structure

Your dog's structure factors largely into how long they can compete in dog sports — this week Dr. Chris Zink and I talk about how to judge structure in a puppy when choosing your next sports partner! 

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  1417 Hits
1417 Hits

Dog Sports For Fun: Why Sports Training is Worth it – Even if You Never Compete

"But I don't want to compete!!!" 

I hear it all the time. People take their dog to training classes or see a private trainer to fix problems and get the basics. And then they stop. Just like that. The problem is fixed. The dog civilised. Why do more? 

Well, there are some VERY good reasons to continue training after 'the basics' have been installed. Let's look at some...

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  1692 Hits
1692 Hits

E264 - Petra Ford - "Thriving Under Pressure"

Walking into the competition ring comes with pressure! Petra and I talk about how to create a positively conditioned emotional response to pressure... and how to prep for Utility with your obedience dog!  

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  1391 Hits
1391 Hits

Boring Fronts? Use These Games to Mix it Up!

Fronts are one of those behaviors that just need practice. There's no way around it. However, practicing fronts doesn't have to be boring! I play all sorts of front games with my dogs to keep fronts fresh and fun!

You can play these games with or without props, depending on what stage your dog is at. Play with several different props to increase generalization skills. Pick and choose which ones you like, or play them all, just have fun!

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  2190 Hits
2190 Hits

E263: Denise Fenzi, Heather Lawson, Alycia Rogal, and Nicole Wiebusch - "Year 6 of TEAM + A New Program..."

This year is the 6th anniversary of the founding of the Fenzi TEAM titles program — and we take a look at how it's grown and reveal a new, up-and-coming addition! 

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  834 Hits
834 Hits

How to Train Two Dogs Simultaneously

Do you have a new dog or puppy? Are you struggling to find opportunities to train with them because your older dog kicks up stink? When a second dog is added to a household, things can change in unexpected ways. One of those is that training stops. 

Why is that? 

Usually it is because the first dog objects strongly to being 'left out' while the new addition receives attention and play/food.

This is both difficult to deal with and causes us to feel guilty. Training is no longer fun and rewarding for us so we stop doing it. Rest assured, the guilt thing is totally normal. If you've not had two dogs before it can be a bit of a shock and the dynamics certainly get turned upside down.

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  1305 Hits
1305 Hits

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