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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  484 Hits
484 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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  622 Hits
622 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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  1066 Hits
1066 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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  1710 Hits
1710 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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  1334 Hits
1334 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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  1389 Hits
1389 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

E371: Crystal Wing - Learning to Play

 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.

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  1437 Hits
1437 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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  904 Hits
904 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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  1412 Hits
1412 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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  1302 Hits
1302 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

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