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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...
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Articles Written by Nicole for other websites
How to Handle Mistakes in the Rally Ring
Props for Precise Fronts!
The 3 D’s and Why They Matter in Dog Training
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More Blog Posts
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...
Reducing Jumping Up by Teaching an Incompatible Behavior
As a pet dog trainer, one common problem for which people seek out training is jumping up. It’s annoying when dogs jump up, and if the dog is large, it can be downright dangerous. So, how do you train your dog not to jump up on you and your family/friends? ...
Pay Attention! Teaching Your Dog Eye Contact
If I could pick one behavior that is most important to teach your dog, it would be eye contact. More importantly, it would be offered eye contact, in other words, you don’t cue it, but rather the dog does it on his own. Eye Contact Starts Work I use...
Planning Ahead: Reducing Reinforcement for the Ring
The process of reducing reinforcement in preparation for entering an obedience or rally ring is something it’s easy to overlook and rush. Most dogs act very differently when their handler has treats versus when the handler does not have treats, yet many people go straight from training with treats in their pockets to leaving treats on their crate and going into the ring.
A Simple Process for Generalizing Behaviors
If your dog can give you a reliable cute sit in the kitchen, but can’t do it in the backyard, you might need to work on generalizing behaviors! Generalization means the dog can apply a concept in many different situations. When you teach a dog a new behavior,...
Just What are Reinforcement Cues Anyway?
Knowing exactly what reinforcement cues are and how they work will result in faster learning and less frustration. The clearer we can be with our dogs about what and how we're rewarding, the better it is for everyone! If you're looking to clean up your training, read...
Pivot Bowl Next Step: Movement!
You've spent some time teaching your dog the value of the pivot bowl and your dog understands how to stay on it. (If you missed this blog on introducing the pivot bowl, be sure to check it out!) Next, we'll focus on movement! Teaching Movement on the Pivot...
Introduction to Pivot Bowls: Your Best Friend for Heeling Foundation
There is one method that has become extremely popular for teaching heel position, left turns, pivots, and rear end awareness. Different trainers call it different things. I’ve heard the terms brick work, perch work, pivot bowl, pivot disc, and more. I refer...
Canine Enrichment: Keep Your Dog’s Brain Happy!
Enrichment - such an important topic! But what exactly is enrichment? Enrichment can mean a lot of things, but basically it refers to different ways to satisfy some of the needs of your dog. By stimulating the dog mentally and physically, your dog will be less...
Manage Your Puppy for a Happy Household
Did you recently get a new puppy, or are you planning on one soon? Puppies are so much fun, but they are also a LOT of work. Sometimes you wonder if you’ve brought a little velociraptor into your home as you survey the damage and destruction your innocent little...
A Peek Into Rally Master: Dog Circles Right Handler Circles Left
The Dog Circles Right Handler Circles Left is one Master sign that many people dread, but it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems! If you think of this sign as two left about turns in place, you’ll realize your dog already has the skills he needs to be able to...
Where’s Your Brain? Asking Your Dog “Are You Ready to Work?”
The one question you should ask your dog before every single training session is, “Are you ready?” I call this the Where’s Your Brain? game; other people call it ready to work or start button routines. I start each and every training session by asking my dog, "Can you...
A Journey to a Dream Come True
Life Long Passion I fell in love with training dogs back when I was a teenager working with my large German shepherd. Actually, the passion was ignited well before that, when I was a small kid growing up in Rochester. Our neighborhood had lots of dogs, and I, having...
Teach Your Dog to Find Heel Position From Anywhere!
Teaching dogs to find heel position is important for so many reasons. It will help your heeling, setups, and finishes. It’s important that your dog has a lot of value for being in heel position and that he or she can find heel position from many different angles....
