Blog

Jane Ardern joins me for a conversation about how our release cues can influence our dog's state of mind and ability to learn. She shares what the field-bred spaniels she's owned have taught her about frustration, frantic behavior, anticipation, and relaxation... with several helpful takeaways bound to apply to any dog sports team. 

If you plan to compete, you need a plan for reducing reinforcement - but so often this is where trainers go wrong! Join us for a conversation about how Sharon recommends you reduce reinforcement to maintain attitude and correctness.  

Thinking about weave pole training? Whether you're troubleshooting a problem or beginning to teach weaves to a new dog, in this episode we dive into Nancy's thoughts on how to approach things... and where so many teams seem to go wrong.

What is Applied Behavior Science? Learning Theory? Why bother, if folks have been training dogs for more than 10,000 years? Irith and I get into all that and more in this episode on the science of behavior change!

With the upcoming Focus & Engage one-day online conference only a few days away, join us for a preview of what you can expect, and an in depth conversation on acclimation, arousal, focus, and engagement.  

Tracey McLennan joins me for a conversation on how her software background has informed her approach to dog training and led to her framework for smarter, faster, training progress. 

Precision heeling and contact heeling may seem similar in some ways - but they're also very different. Join me for a conversation with Denise Fenzi on when she uses which one and how (and why) she approaches training both!  

Looking to improve your relationship with your dog and improve your teamwork? In this episode, Crystal breaks down the factors that go into fostering that relationship in a healthy way. 

 Have a dog who likes frisbees? Join us for a conversation about UpDog — including What's UpDog and how you can compete!

Do you find your dog tends to fall flat as you continue to raise criteria in training? Or maybe you have a dog that is SO enthusiastic that precision feels like an impossible dream? Join us for a conversation on balancing motivation and precision in your sports training. 

If you've found yourself thinking, "I'm gonna do that differently with the next puppy," or "Next time I'll do this perfectly," you're not alone. Join me, Kim, and Erin for a discussion on what they prioritize with future sports dogs, why there's always something they'd do differently "next time," and how they're tackling things right now.  

Jumps make up a significant percent of every agility course - yet so often they receive only a small percentage of our training time. If you've ever wondered what jump grids are, how to teach your dog collection, or whether cavalettis might improve your dogs performance... give this episode a listen!  

The more tools in your toolbox the more dogs you can help — in this episode Karen shares her experience using box feeding (aka the "dopamine box") to build confidence, desensitize to sounds, develop duration as a concept, for scent work, tracking, and to develop working under pressure. 

With the upcoming one day conference on matters of motivation, Denise, Crystal, and Jane joined me to share their takes on what motivation really is and why it matters.  

There are certain topics in the dog training world that feel almost taboo - among them is the topic of behavioral euthanasia. In this episode Deb and I have a frank but thoughtful conversation on evaluating the severity of a behavior issue and what factors go into that sort of decision. 

Give this episode a listen to learn a bit more about Jessica, her background, what Circle Work is and what led her to develop it! 

Join me and Dr. Amy Cook for a conversation on where her ideas for The Play Way came from, the science that inspired it, and how it's evolved (and continues to evolve). We also discuss the one letter that Amy thinks every trainer should add to their conversations about reactivity and thresholds.

Join us for a serious conversation on all things play! Denise and Crystal share how play impacts our relationships and our training with our dogs.

Nosework competitions require the ability to focus and work independently in new and novel locations — so Julie joined me for a conversation on how to build the necessary levels of environmental resilience.