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Staying Connected to Your Dog: Games to Play on the Start Line
Staying connected to your dog is so important. If you start off with connection, it will be easier for you to maintain that connection throughout your run! You walk into the agility ring, running through the course in your head. Your dog, too, is looking at...
Fun and Effective Jumping Games for Agility, Rally, and Obedience Training
Before delving into the specifics of jumping exercises for agility, rally, and obedience, it's essential to instill in your dog the idea that jumping is not only enjoyable but also rewarding, which can be done by incorporating jumping games into your training! These...
Crate Training 101: A Pawsitive Start for Your New Puppy
Bringing a new puppy into your home is an exciting and rewarding experience, but it also comes with its fair share of challenges. One of the most valuable tools in your puppy parenting arsenal is crate training. What is Crate Training? Crate...
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Guest Posts
Articles Written by Nicole for other websites
Mastering Side Steps in Rally: A Step-by-Step Guide to Precision Lateral Movement
Building Value for Heel Position: Engaging Games to Teach Your Dog to Find Heel
Teaching Dogs Generalization: Expanding Behaviors Beyond Contextual Cues
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More Blog Posts
Four on the Floor: 5 Tips for Teaching Your Dog to Stop Jumping
Do you often struggle to get your dog to stop jumping when you walk through the door? While it's natural for dogs to be excited and want to greet you enthusiastically, jumping can quickly become a nuisance. Fortunately, with the right training and techniques, you can...
Understanding Puppy Body Language: What Your Pup is Trying to Tell You
As puppy owners, we all know that our adorable furry friends have their unique ways of communicating with us. While they may not speak our language, they are experts in expressing their needs, emotions, and desires through their body language. Understanding what your...
Station Training: Teach Your Dog to Go to Their Place
Station training is a valuable skill that can significantly benefit you and your dog. By teaching your dog to go to a specific area and remain there until given permission to release, you can address various situations more effectively. Whether you're enjoying a meal,...
Building Canine Focus: Teaching Your Dog to Ignore People
In the realm of dog training, one hurdle that frequently challenges our furry friends is their tendency to get easily distracted by other people. Training your dog to ignore these distractions can prove invaluable when you're out and about. Whether you participate in...
A Comprehensive Guide to Potty Training Your New Puppy
One of the most common inquiries I receive as a dog trainer when someone brings home a new puppy is, "How do I go about potty training my puppy?" This is often followed by the question, "How long will it take for my puppy to be fully potty trained?" First, let's...
Mastering Fly: Teaching Your Dog to Circle Around a Cone
In dog training, there is a valuable behavior known as fly which involves teaching a dog to circle a cone. This skill has proven incredibly useful in various training sessions, such as heeling and front games, introducing the concept of striding out on the broad jump,...
DIY Puppy Toys: Engaging and Budget-Friendly Fun for Your Canine Companion
Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting experience, and providing them with engaging toys is essential for their physical and mental development. However, you don't need to break the bank to keep your puppy entertained. In this blog, we'll explore a variety of...
Mastering Loose-Leash Walking: A Guide to Enjoyable Walks with Your Dog
Walking your dog should be a pleasant and relaxing experience, but for many dog owners, it can turn into a battle of tugs and pulls if your dog isn’t great at loose leash walking. A loose-leash walking technique can transform daily walks into enjoyable bonding...
Distracted by Cones: Keeping Your Dog in Heel Position
It's not uncommon for dogs to be distracted by cones during rally or other training exercises such as the obedience figure 8. There could be a few reasons why dogs may be distracted by the cones rather than staying in the correct heel position. Why Might...
Want Better Heeling? Pivots to the Rescue!
Pivots for Better Heeling! If there's one skill you could train for better heeling, it would be pivots. Teaching the skills needed for a good pivot is just one small piece of your heeling, but these skills are important! If you take the time to teach the foundation...
Want To Do Better in Rally? 5 Tips to Improve Your Scores!
Everyone would like to improve their scores in the ring! It might be surprising to learn that many points are lost to preventable things, like completing the sign incorrectly. Handler errors are by far the most common reason for deductions in rally. Read on to learn...
Got a Puppy? Let’s Talk Socialization!
With the advent of puppy kindergarten classes, the topic of socialization became a hot one. Based on the recommendations of the American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinarians started discussing socialization and encouraging their clients to attend puppy...
Play the Sit Game to Reduce Jumping!
Do you need to reduce jumping with your dog? Teach him or her to sit instead using this fun simple game! In my Basic Manners classes, one common complaint that people have is their dog jumps on people. If we want to prevent a dog from doing something that we don’t...
Gates: A Useful Tool for Fronts and Finishes
Wire training gates can be a very useful tool for teaching and maintaining many obedience, rally, and agility behaviors. In this blog, we’ll discuss how I use gates to train fronts and finishes. What are Training Gates? First, what are training gates and where...
Lose the Leash: Off-Leash Obedience and Rally Training
In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have our dogs on leash when we train for obedience and rally. Right from the beginning our dogs would learn to stay by our sides and pay attention to us. I consider myself very fortunate that I have a facility in which I can train off...
Six Fun Games For Bonding Between Kids and Dogs
It’s so heartwarming to watch your dog and kids grow up together, the best of friends. Games between kids and dogs can be a great way to foster that relationship. When playing these fun games together, kids and dogs should be supervised. NOTE: Don’t play...
Fun Front Games: No More Drilling!
Are you frustrated with your fronts? You're not alone! Fronts can be tough to teach because they require a lot of practice. However, you can teach fun fronts without that boring drilling! Incorporate fun games into your practice and you'll have happier fronts in...
Get a Close Front with Your Small Dog
It’s unfortunate but it’s true - teaching a nice close front requires a bit more creativity for a small dog! Often the littles are a bit more pressure-sensitive (and we are a lot bigger to them!) and aren’t comfortable coming into your space. It’s a bit more...
Staying Connected in the Rally Ring
It's not easy to navigate a rally course while staying connected to your dog. Many dogs need a lot of connection from their handlers, and if we don't give it to them they will often disconnect and their attention will wander. When there are a whole bunch of...
5 Games to Teach Your New Puppy!
Puppies are so much fun, and they are such little sponges. I LOVE working with puppies who soak up everything you teach them. Plus, they are adorable!! It’s important to start training right away with your little cutie. Puppy training isn’t a whole lot different...
