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Need a strategy for getting reinforcement off your body? Wondering what other skills you should have on board before that first competition? In this episode Nancy and I talk about all of the pieces that go into preparing our dogs to perform their best.

The core of the Control Unleashed program is the use of patterns to help our dogs feel more comfortable in our crazy world. Patterns allow a dog to use voluntary behaviors to initiate a simple, repetitive chain that creates a predictable pattern. This will help to normalize the environment and allow the dog to process information from the safety of the pattern.

Shaping: People either love it or hate it! Join Julie and I for a conversation on why it should be a tool in your training toolbox and how you can build your skills so you and your dog can become a talented shaping team.

You've likely heard the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," and it couldn't be truer when it comes to preventing FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in dogs! Once a dog develops strong feelings about being left out—whether it's during training or playtime—it can become challenging to manage.

Whether you're raising a young puppy or addressing FOMO with an older dog, the key to success is consistency. You can't expect progress if you address FOMO inconsistently while allowing barking and restless behavior at other times. Follow these practical tips to keep your dog content and anxiety-free.

As positive reinforcement trainers we often use food for everything! In this episode Irith and I talk about desensitization and counterconditioning... and why Irith actually prefers not using food for these cases unless we need to. 

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? 

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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!

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.

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. 

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! 

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. 

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.

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! 

 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.