Obedience

Fun Front Games: No More Drilling!

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...

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Get a Close Front with Your Small Dog

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...

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A Simple Process for Generalizing Behaviors

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,...

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Just What are Reinforcement Cues Anyway?

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...

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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....

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Props for Fronts!

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...

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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...

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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...

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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. 

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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...

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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...

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Want a Faster Drop on Recall, More Solid Signals, and a Great Wait? “Bee” to the Rescue!

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.

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Teach One Move that Will Improve Your Heeling Dramatically

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,...

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