With all of the millions of behavior choices available to our dogs in any given instance, it never ceases to amaze how frequently the behaviors they chose are ones that are pretty darn wonderful. That isn’t to discount the moments…
Falling in the Pond
Often when we look at or make plans for behavior modification with our dogs the focus is on management and gradual exposure to stressors that allow the dog to practice alternate coping skills below threshold working to change the dog’s…
Get Earth Friendly with Your Dog!
It’s Earth day and seems an opportune time to bring up a subject I love chatting with people about: eco or carbon footprints. Footprints are something left behind after you’ve traveled through. So an eco footprint refers to the impact…
Buy In
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…
It’s in the Tone!
“It has to do with your tone of voice! Dogs respond to the tone not the words!” How many times have you heard that in the past? I’ve heard it many times. Most often in reference to the way a…
Alternative Agility equipment descriptions
Inspired by this awesome think outside the box exchange: “That waffle thing” Me, with confusion, “I have no idea what you are talking about…” “That waffle thing on the stand, there are two of them with a stick across…” A…
Connection
Connection: the relationship of a person, thing or behavior to something or someone else. Connection is an all the rage buzz word in the current world of dog training. In years past the word instead was “Attention”. Attention: the act…
Where's the water dish?
I’m a big fan of modifying environments so you don’t have to train the dog. Or more a big fan of modifying environments so you don’t have to train the dog on niggly bits of life that go against what…