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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
Why would you want to use props to teach front? Because, used PROPerly, using props for fronts can make your life a lot easier! Keep reading to find out why I love using props so much! Easier to Fade In my opinion, it’s easier to fade a prop than it is...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
Does your dog move toward you when you reward? Maybe he gets up from a down, or comes into you on the go-outs. If you’re heeling, does she move in front of you to collect her treat, or excitedly jump on you as you grab the toy? Is your dog frantic and hard to take...
If you’re looking for a way to get a faster drop on recall, better signals, and solid waits, check out how placement of reward can be helpful for you!
“Bee” is one of my favorite reward markers! I have golden retrievers and coming to me is super high value for them. They get joy from interacting with me, getting treats from me, and playing with me. Because all the value is attached to me, getting them to do stuff out there without creeping in toward me can be difficult.
Left Turns! Teaching the skills needed for a good left turn is just one small piece of your heeling, but they are important! If you take the time to teach the foundation needed for a great left turn, those skills will transfer over to many other heeling pieces,...
