E384: Julie Flanery - Shape Up Your Training

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.

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  223 Hits
223 Hits

E383: Irith Bloom - Changing Feelings: When to Use Food to Change Emotions

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. 

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  486 Hits
486 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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  624 Hits
624 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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  817 Hits
817 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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  881 Hits
881 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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  739 Hits
739 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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  999 Hits
999 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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  1343 Hits
1343 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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  1068 Hits
1068 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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  1712 Hits
1712 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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  1336 Hits
1336 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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  1390 Hits
1390 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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  1339 Hits
1339 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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  906 Hits
906 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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  1414 Hits
1414 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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  1304 Hits
1304 Hits

E367: Julie Symons - "One of a Kind Hides & Creating Clarity in Nosework"

Ever wondered if your dog can remember which hides they've already found? In this Episode Julie and I dive into problem solving multiple hides and using contrast to create clarity in nosework. 

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  1051 Hits
1051 Hits

E366: Deb Jones, PhD - Redefining Focus: What Training for Focus Looks Like

What really goes into having a focused dog? Join us for a conversation what it means to train focus — and how we can split a complex behavior down into component parts to build a strong but flexible skillset every sports dog needs.

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  1277 Hits
1277 Hits

July 4th, 2024: Ask Me Anything with Denise Fenzi (featuring Crystal Wing!)

 For those who were planning on spending the Fourth with their dog on the couch, hiding from the fireworks, or those not in the US, but interested in a chance to talk training with Denise we hosted a live Ask Me Anything with Denise Fenzi on July 4th! 

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  1474 Hits
1474 Hits

E365: Dr. Amy Cook, Crystal Wing, and Erin Lynes - "The Power of Play"

What's the big deal about play, anyway? Join us for a conversation on the benefits of play... and how to tap into your inner child, so both you and your dog can enjoy playing together! 

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  1331 Hits
1331 Hits