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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Rally Master class has lots of fun signs, including the sidestep front signs! I like to teach my dogs to move laterally (sideways) in both heel and front as I feel it gives the dogs a better understanding of the heel and front positions. Once a dog understands...
If you play rally, obedience, or TEAM, your dog will need to understand how to do a moving sit, when the dog stops motion and sits facing you. There are two components to this exercise: a sit out of motion and the ability to sit in place at a distance without...
There are several obedience and rally behaviors which require a send to a target. In rally you’ll teach your dog to send to a cone, and in obedience you’ll be teaching the dog to run straight across the ring away from you. Generally this behavior is taught to a ring...
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...
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...
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...
Have you ever said the following words out of frustration? “He only does this at a trial!” Why does your dog act so differently in the ring than he does in training? What steps can you take to improve ring performance? For each team the answers to these questions...
Tips for Remembering Courses! For some, remembering the course is the most difficult skill in rally, especially when having to pay attention to the dog while navigating the sequences. I’ve put together a few tips to help you remember the course! Know The Signs! If...
One sign that causes a lot of frustration in Excellent Rally is the Moving Down. In this blog post I’ll show you how break down the skills needed for the moving down into manageable chunks.
