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The AKC Rally Master Class brings exciting challenges, testing the handler and dog with intricate maneuvers, distractions, and complex behaviors. For many teams, the key to success is building the dog's confidence to handle the complexity and maintain focus in the ring. A confident dog is a focused and eager teammate, ready to tackle every sign enthusiastically. Let's explore how to build and sustain that confidence in your dog. 

Rally is a fun activity that is an excellent introduction to other dog sports. Dog sports are not only a fantastic way to bond with your furry friend but also to engage their minds and bodies in meaningful activities. Among the various dog sports available, rally stands out as an excellent introductory sport for several compelling reasons. Whether you're new to dog sports, looking for something fun to do with your dog, or trying to expand your dog's skills, rally can pave the way for a rewarding journey into other disciplines.

 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! 

Here's the thing…

With so many dog sports out there, each with their own pros and cons, it can be hard to decide which to choose! If you enjoy teaching precision and control, maybe you'd like obedience. If you enjoy fast and dynamic behaviors, agility may be more your speed.

Exploring the world with your dog? Maybe you'd like parkour! Fascinated with how your dog can use their innate skills? Give nosework a try!

So, what about treibball?

The challenge (and fun!) in treibball is about getting control at a distance… having a dog that can follow cues even in motion with a balance between keeping their attention on you and independently performing complex behaviors.

It's that time of year again when I the most common question I get is, "What camera should I buy for Shoot the Dog?"

The question seems simple, but the answer can be mind-boggling in its complexity.

If you are here to just get an answer and then race off to the camera store to make your purchase, I'll start with my recommendations. If you want to know the *why* behind my recommendations, stick around a little longer for more details. 

Rally is a fun and captivating dog sport that requires not only obedience skills but also excellent memory recall abilities. Not only do you as a handler need to remember how to properly execute the signs, but remembering the rally course is essential for seamless performance and achieving top scores. In this blog post, we will explore practical strategies to help you improve your memory and successfully remember rally courses. Let's dive in and unleash your memory power!

Jennifer Henion joins me on the podcast today for a conversation about hunt tests — what they are, how she wound up focused on them, and managing the culture that comes with them.

 This is a guest post written by FDSA Student and developer of TailScribe, Chris Tiller. We're thrilled to have Chris share the details of how the app came to be and how you can implement it as part of tracking your training!

I have two dogs, Stanley, a more sensitive, shy, reserved little guy, and Missile, a much more "in your face," excited bombastic crazy little man. They both have entirely different personalities on opposite ends of the spectrum.

I also enjoy training both of them. I've been working with Stan on reactivity-based issues for several years, but as you'd guess, Missile is very much the exact opposite of Stan. Not reactive, super tolerant, and obnoxious in the best way.

So this means there are zero overlaps in their training, and they both have some very long-term far-off goals that I need to be aware of, which leads us to...

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! 

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. 

If you want to learn the sport of K9 Rally, there are so many great resources out there! I see this question all the time: "I want to learn rally, where can I start?" There are YouTube videos, phone apps, free blogs and articles, and so much more. So why consider taking a rally class or working with a coach? 

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.

This is an excerpt from the book Positive Herding 101: Dog-friendly training by Barbara Buchmayer, shared with permission.

As I read the short email in 2011, I had no idea that destiny was knocking at my door. The message was from a woman in South Africa asking if I would help her train a herding dog using positive methods. She had never trained a dog for herding, nor had she even worked a herding dog. In fact, she knew virtually nothing about herding. I immediately realized it would be foolish to get involved with this project because we would be limited to using email, video, and Skype to communicate tons of precise information and complex concepts. Yet I was deeply into figuring out how to train herding using positive reinforcement and I knew it could be done. So the question became: could two people with the same vision, but very different backgrounds, turn a rambunctious border collie pup into a useful herding dog while 9,000 miles apart?

I have whippets and have been lure coursing for 17 years now. Most dogs and owners love lure coursing and the AKC's all-breed version of the sport, the Coursing Ability Test (CAT). But before you get out to your nearest CAT trial, participants should understand the risks to make an informed choice about whether the sport is right for them. 

It is EXTREMELY dangerous from an injury standpoint. In fact, it is one of the most dangerous sports I do. I love it, my dogs love it and were bred for it, but people should be aware of the potential for injury before jumping in.

The sporting dog group encompasses many beloved breeds, including some of the most popular. Whether you already own one of these wonderful dogs, or are considering a breed from this group, it's important to understand what these dogs were bred for so you know what to expect.

​This post originally appeared on The Dog Trainer's Umbrella.

Your website can be a highly effective and engaging tool in your sales process.

But all too often, it's… well, not.

When a website fails to lead to clients, many business owners decide it's the website's fault — they need a new one. The design is too busy; the content is too riddled with mistakes; they need better pictures; they need to give potential clients more information; they need to quit overwhelming clients with too much information… the list goes on (and on).

However, I'm here to let you in on a secret — for many of those businesses, it's not the website that's the problem.

It's a lack of traffic.

If you've never entered a rally trial before, it can be a bit overwhelming! In this blog I'll lay out the steps for entering a trial and knowing what to expect when you walk in the door.

The days of cancelled dog shows due to COVID-19 have led to several opportunities for virtual titling in various sports, including Rally.

Virtual trials can have so many advantages, so this is a really exciting opportunity! Some dogs can't compete at normal dog shows, and this is a great way to show off their skills. For dogs that struggle with reactivity, or severe ring stress, or ones who find the dog show atmosphere too distracting or scary, the virtual titling program is perfect. 

These two words were recently added to my vocabulary by a fellow dog trainer. In a nutshell, the idea is that people have a natural tendency to make topics either simple or complex as a personality trait.

I am a complexophilephobic. My third newest word!

And I have friends who are theoretical complexophiles with applied simplophile tendencies.

How long did it take you to read those words, break them into pieces, and then process what I was trying to say? Was it intuitive and obvious or are you still puzzling them out?