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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...
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? ...
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Articles Written by Nicole for other websites
The 3 D’s and Why They Matter in Dog Training
Got Stay? Walking Around Your Dog
Spins in Heel Position for Rally Masters
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More Blog Posts
My Dog Just Messed Up – What Do I Do? How to Handle a Mistakes in Training Part 2 Examples
Last week we discussed why dogs make mistakes, and some general guidelines on how to handle mistakes in training. This week I want to get into a little more detail on what exactly you can do to make success more likely. We listed out a few reasons that dogs...
My Dog Just Messed Up – What Do I Do? How to Handle a Mistake in Training
Your dog just made a mistake in training. What do you do? How do you handle it? Knowing what to do in the moment is not always easy! It generally requires some thinking about what happened and where the dog’s understanding of what you were asking fell...
Ready from the Start: The Importance of Having a Ring Entrance and Setup Routine
If your dog knows exactly what to expect from the moment you step through the ring gates, and is comfortable with your ring entrance and setup routine, you’ll be much more likely to have a strong performance. When I am thinking about this particular piece in my...
How To Create a Relaxed Down Stay: Reduce Reinforcement!
Do you want to know the secret to a relaxed down stay? The ones where the dog just lays down and snoozes while you carry on with your activities? Let me tell you… Reduce reinforcement. Get rid of the treat. No more cookies during the stay! If the dog knows...
Do You Compete in Rally? Repeat After Me – Don’t Forget to Pause!
I find the walk around signs to be the most common incorrectly performed signs in rally. I think people get nervous on the walk around signs and they forget to pause. It’s such a simple thing but it’s one of the most common handler errors. My goal for you is that...
How Stations Can Save Your Sanity – Part Two!
Part Two: Adding Duration to the Station Your dog loves the station and will happily race across the room and hop on. What’s next? It’s time to add some duration! After all, the behavior is pretty useless if the dog won’t stay on the station! If...
How Stations Can Save Your Sanity – Part One!
Part One: Building the Behavior Do you ever wish that your dog would just leave you alone? Wouldn’t it be nice to eat supper in peace? Or would you like to train one dog and keep the other out of your hair? Maybe you need to think through a training problem...
10 Tips to be a Successful Dog Trainer
Being a dog trainer is fun, rewarding, and sometimes not very easy! I started training my first dog in 1995 and started training other people and their dogs in 2008. There are certain things that I am constantly reminding both my students and myself, so I decided to...
Break It Down and Build It Up: Splitting Behaviors
One thing most, if not all, trainers are guilty of is lumping behaviors or adding too much criteria at one time. To us, it doesn’t seem that complicated, but to a dog, each piece of every behavior needs to be taught before putting it all together.
Problems and Solutions: Thinking Through a Training Plan For Unwanted Behaviors
Have you ever had a problem with your dog that drives you nuts? Something that you wish you could change, but you aren’t quite sure how? This blog will help you learn how to think through a training plan to solve your problems! Case Study - Training Plan for...
Are You Ready? Opting in to Work
I start each and every training session by asking my dog if he is ready to work. Different trainers refer to this process by different names, such as ready to work, start button behaviors, or engagement, but all this really means is that the dog is opting in to...
Hurry Up! Training Dogs that Lag
Lagging during heeling is a common problem with dogs. There are multiple reasons that dogs lag, but it usually comes down to one issue: the dog does not truly understand heel. A dog that understands heel will stay in heel position regardless of how the handler is...
What is the Two-Cookie Game and How Can it Help You?
The Two-Cookie Game is a great way to teach your dog several important lessons. First, the dog will learn that he should reorient to you after a distraction. Second, the dog will be less likely to disconnect after the first reward if he knows another may be coming. ...
Get a Great Tuck Sit With a Sticky Nose Touch!
Does your dog rock back into a sit during halts, ending up behind you? This can be a frustrating problem! Not only do you lose points, your dog is also behind when you heel forward! What if I told you there was a great way to break this habit? The answer?? Sticky...
I Don’t Have Time to Train! How to Balance Dogs and Life
There are only so many hours in the day, and there is always something to do! How do I find time to do it all? Well...the short answer is, I don’t! But I do the best I can! As I sit down to write this, my 6 year old foster daughter runs into the room. “Mom, I’m...
Happy Holidays!
This year has been hard. I don’t know about you, but I am going through total dog show withdrawal. I miss my dog friends. I miss their dogs. I miss stepping into the ring with my best partner. And as much as I love them, I even miss the breaks from my kids on...
Calm Down! How Food Reduces Arousal for Excited Dogs
Imagine this. You’re pulling into your driveway after a long stressful work day. When you walk into the house, your 65 pound lab starts frantically jumping at you while whining. He’s just so happy and excited to see you, but nothing you do calms him down. The more...
All About Props and Proper Sizing for Your Dog
Welcome to the wonderful world of props! Before you start using props, you'll want to make sure they are appropriately sized for your dog. In this blog, we'll discuss different options and sizing, and will also cover how to make or where to buy props! Pivot...
Get Your Stays Off to a Good Start: Foundation Games!
There are several fun foundation games that can help you dog's stay get off to a solid start! If your stays need work, or if you're training a young dog that doesn't know stays yet, try these games to help increase your dog's understanding of being still! Sit...
Clear Communication is Key: How Props Help Explain Criteria to Your Dog
Dogs communicate with each other largely by using body language. Do you run agility with your dog? Have you ever run toward the tunnel screaming “teeter, teeter!!!”? We’ve all done that at some point, and what does the dog do? He doesn’t run away from the tunnel...
