Our dogs are our best teachers, and I've been learning from Tater who jumped off a cliff chasing a chipmunk recently. Now, Tater's choice to chase could have ended his life, so we're back in Ruff Love with Mr Potato Salad. I took a video on one of walks this week to cover some misconceptions about the program I outline in my book.
It is not a coincidence that people who have been in agility for a long time have success dog after dog. They have figured out how to rehearse success from the ground up. I'm sharing my quick and easy guide to handling by the number so you can nail running a course the first time.
A jump bar coming down is one of the most common things that will incur a fault on the agility field. If a dog is dropping bars, and it is not because of a physical challenge, then it is either a lack of education or an environmental challenge. We're looking at the top 10 reasons why a dog will knock a bar, and how you can determine when it is most likely happen so you can help your dog
I'm showing you five very easy games that are super for a puppy. Playing games will mentally and physically exhaust your puppy, teach him he can be brilliant and that learning is fun. These games will fix “puppy brain” and let you get some work done while your puppy naps.
Recently, my friend and fellow dog trainer, Kamal Fernandez, had the idea to do a series of video interviews to share ideas collectively. The chat Kamal and I had centred on running a dog training business, and we've got the video on my blog for you.
Sometimes people who are introduced to my ItsYerChoice game wonder what the difference is between educating our dogs they can make good choices, compared to using the traditional “leave it”. It’s such a common question that a couple of years ago I did a short video with the answer. I decided the video should be on my blog to be easily accessible to everyone who has the question.
This might be a strange blog topic from someone whose life has been devoted to being an expert dog trainer. As we all know, there's a lot that goes into being a "dog trainer" ... years of education, continual professional development and learning, years of [...]
I'm often asked about where my dogs sleep at night. The short answer is "anywhere they want" which might be a surprising response. Of course, it does not start that way. We can't bring a new puppy or rescue dog into our home and have them sleep anywhere they want as that is not safe and does not create confidence or security for our new family member! So, I thought I'd give the long answer by way of a blog.
Well, I'll have to say that this is a blog post I was not planning on doing, but thanks to Pinterest, here we are! It's a look at the crates I have built into my home, so they are part of the furniture. It happens that in our Agility Nation membership program, I did a segment showing the built in dog crates and how they work, and a video clip is in this post for you.
Learn a game to grow ItsYerChoice in daily life. It's especially useful if you find your dog staring at your pocket or the toy in your hand, or any "cookie" that you may have out. It will help make you aware of your responses to your dogs responses.
We all love our dogs, therefore it is difficult not to indulge them occasionally. However, I have often said, "dogs are far better at shaping people, than people are at shaping dogs!" Learn a game to to change your dog's unwanted behaviour around the house, and replace frustration with fun! This game is going to make you aware of your responses, and how you can use what your dog finds reinforcing for the benefit of both of you.
Understanding the Reinforcement Zone is one of the KEYS for success in dog sport. Our dogs having value for RZ is going to be a reinforcer in it's own right for the competition ring! Your dog being by your side because he wants to be there is going to exponentially increase your joy and performance in the sport as a team.
