E311: Erin Lynes, Megan Foster & Shade Whitesel on Puppies!

Thinking about your next sports dog puppy? Join us for a conversation on choosing your next puppy, what skills to start out with (depending on your sport), and what a day in the life looks like!  

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  1620 Hits
1620 Hits

E310: Kelly Daniel - Fitness for Performance

Years of competition led Kelly to a focus on fitness — join us as we talk about her journey in this new podcast episode!  Transaction Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau, and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high quality instruction for co...
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  983 Hits
983 Hits

E309: Crystal Wing - FUNctional Obedience

Crystal shares the story of how she ended up doing bitey sports and Search and Rescue, and then gives us a sneak-peek at what she plans to cover in her upcoming FDSA-hosted webinar! Transcription Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau, and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online scho...
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  1625 Hits
1625 Hits

E308: Chrissi Schranz - From Free Roaming Dogs to Recalls

Chrissi joins me for this episode to talk about their recent adventures and observations — and to talk about training a recall that will stand up even out in the real-world.  

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  1711 Hits
1711 Hits

E307: Stacy Barnett - Understanding Airflow in Nosework

Most people know heat can impact air flow — but what else can impact where odor pools and how it moves? Join me and Stacy for a discussion on everything air flow... and the balancing act between learning to read your dog and training them.

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  2287 Hits
2287 Hits

E306: Erin Lynes - "Shed Antler Hunting with Your Canine"

Searching for and retrieving antlers — either as a pursuit in the wild or for competition — is one of the fastest growing activities that appeals to a large variety of dogs. If you enjoy being outdoors with your dogs, this may be the game for you! Erin and I talk about the ins and outs of teaching your dog to hunt shed antlers in this podcast episode. 

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  1566 Hits
1566 Hits

How to Handle Mistakes in the Rally Ring

You're in the middle of a rally run, and something goes wrong. Your dog makes an unexpected mistake, and you're left frantically wondering what to do! Making those split decisions in the moment can be hard, but those decisions can make the difference between a qualifying and non-qualifying run! Let's talk about the best way to handle some of the more common mistakes that happen in the rally ring! 

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  2169 Hits
2169 Hits

E305: Shade Whitesel - Raising A Pushy Puppy

There's raising a puppy... and then there is raising a pushy, drivey sports dog puppy. In this episode Shade and I talk about her experience raising bitey breeds and what she recommends for raising these puppies in a way that brings out their best selves for life and sports. 

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  1095 Hits
1095 Hits

Props for Precise Fronts!

Why would you want to use props to teach front? Because, used PROPerly, they can make your life a lot easier! Keep reading to find out why I love using props to teach fronts!

In my opinion, it's easier to fade a prop than it is to fade extraneous body movements and cues. Trying to show your dog where "front" is with treats and your hands isn't easy!

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  1819 Hits
1819 Hits

E304: Petra Ford - Confidence for the Obedience Dog

Being able to successfully compete in obedience requires a dog who has a confident understanding of each skill and exercise. In this episode Petra and I do a deep dive, talking through what, why and how to build confidence for training and the ring! 

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  1456 Hits
1456 Hits

E303: Deb Jones, PhD - Grief, Focus, and Negative Reinforcement

Deb and I chat about her latest book, currently running workshop, and upcoming webinar... and yes, it really is possible to build better focus in just 7 days.

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  1390 Hits
1390 Hits

E302: Diamond in the Ruff: Loving and Living with Sensitive Dogs

Living with and loving a sensitive dog comes with pros and cons, lessons and blessings. This week Hélène Lawler, Barbara Lloyd, Amy Cook, PhD, and Dresden Graff joined me to talk all about sensitive dogs.  

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  1543 Hits
1543 Hits

E301: Chris Zink, DVM - "What Your Dog's Gait Can Tell You"

Why is trotting the most important gait to teach your dog? Dr. Chris Zink and I talk about why understanding gaiting is critical for the dog sports handler. 

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  1887 Hits
1887 Hits

6 Dog Training Vests: An FDSA Student's Honest Review

 I am always looking for a good vest for dog training. Ideally, I love it when I can find a vest that can hold all my things without needing to rely on additional clothing pockets, backpacks, treat pouches, fanny packs, etc. I also personally have great danes, so most of my gear (lotus ball, toys, volume of treats) is super-sized.

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  13122 Hits
13122 Hits

E300: Mari Valgma - Teaching Your Dog to Move"

Sometimes dogs totally grasp our criteria - they just can't do the thing we're asking at speed. Mari and I talk about how she works with dogs to teach them to use their bodies more skillfully... and therefore more quickly in sports like agility! 

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  2648 Hits
2648 Hits

6 “Magic” Dog Training Tricks

Recently I posted this question in the FDSA Alumni Facebook group – "What training tip or approach gave you that magic touch or simply surprised you with how easy it was to implement and see results?" 

Rarely are there training hacks or magic wands in dog training, but sometimes there is something THAT simple that gets results. Based on the responses to my post, here are the top 6 most popular "magic" training tricks!

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  2347 Hits
2347 Hits

E299: Julie Daniels - Every Baby's a Genius

 Can you create an optimistic dog? How DO you get to know a new puppy? What are the first steps to teaching quiet crating? Julie Daniels and I discuss all that and more in this episode.

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  1249 Hits
1249 Hits

Core Foundations for Canine Handler Fitness: Where to Start If It All Feels too Hard

Where do you start when the most basic core exercises you're exposed to are too tricky?

Like dog training, revisit foundations!! Foundations are critical when people are looking to build strength. When the foundations aren't fluent, the more advanced exercises can remain inaccessible, and/ or can cause discomfort.

What I'm going to share with you today are the foundation steps my clients go through, our non negotiable criteria and exercises you can do that are generally well tolerated by most bodies. In a most sincere effort to make this accessible, there are as many standing exercises as possible.

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  2298 Hits
2298 Hits

E298: Nicole Wiebusch and Petra Ford - "Proofing for Performance"

Nicole Wiebusch and Petra Ford joined me to talk about what goes into training fluency that will hold up under the pressures of competition. 

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  1128 Hits
1128 Hits

Five Ways Truffle Hunting Helps Reactive Dogs & Their Owners

When I decided to begin truffle hunting, I never imagined how much our lives would change.

I became fascinated with truffles after tasting them on a trip to Italy. I joked that I was going to teach our dogs to find truffles. One day, in a random internet search, I discovered that truffles grow where I live, here in the Pacific Northwest. I was certain this path was the right fit for us, and I never looked back. I learned everything I could about truffles and scent detection. The adventure began.

During that time, Callie, my Border Collie, was injured in an agility accident and was on restricted activity for several months. We needed an activity to keep her happy while complying with her restrictions. Truffle hunting is a scent detection activity where a handler and dog work in partnership to locate underground gourmet fungi called truffles. It was perfect! Little did I know that learning to truffle hunt would not only satisfy her mentally and emotionally during her recovery but also change our relationship. 

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  1804 Hits
1804 Hits

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