Last night I taught an agility workshop, kicking off the start of agility lessons here. It was a nice small group of competitors preparing for this weekend’s trial. I had a lovely time with them all and we had good…
How to Be Bored
Often times life for dogs involves a fair amount of “hurry up and wait.” Waiting for meals to get prepared, walks to happen, car rides to end, owners to return home, balls to be thrown, for neighbors to stop chatting…
More than One Way
In any activity humans are passionate or invested in you’re going to get strong opinions. Expressions of the way things have, or should, or must be done. Dog agility is no different. Yet many, likely majority, of those expressions are…
Listen for Stillness
This is starting to look like the season of stays. With stay instruction and training working its way into many lessons. Stays are an integral foundation behavior and a part of nearly all performance sports. And the bare bones basics…
Role Models
This morning we joined a friend and her 5 month old lab pup on a walk. He’s a fun, bouncy pup. At that age where social graces are often a quite bit of a struggle. Observing him shift from in…
The Pain (and Power) of Shunning
This is Rey Rey can sometimes be a bit of a snot rocket. Really she can be a bit of a resource guarder if you want to get all technical. With other dogs. She’s lovely with people. Except she likes…
Formula for Earning Qualifying Scores
I talk with my agility students and students considering competition often about defining what success in the ring means for them, their dog and their team. As I feel that definition can have a huge impact on not only your…
Taking Turns
I adore using mats or dog beds or other place type spaces to teach and then remind dogs about taking turns. Tom and Zora have both been getting rather nudgy, pushy and whiny lately around the concepts of sharing my…
Showing up to class
I’m always impressed when week after week, reliably, people and their dogs show up for classes. Have practiced homework. Have even just managed to get themselves out the door to come to lessons. Let alone to be on time, to…
Circus Dogs!
I think I need to consider renaming my Thursday night advanced class “Mechanics.” Or maybe “Laugh till you cry” as that seems to be what we do each week. Lol. Last night, per the group’s request, we focused on teaching…