I have a crazy, busy, wonderful life, filled with love and learning. What can you expect to read about here? You’ll be treated to glimpses into my thought processes, training plans and videos, updates, and escapades from my babies (both 4 and 2-legged). There will no doubt be some brags, and probably at least a few rants.
I hope that you will find my words helpful, or at least entertaining. We’ll see what the future holds! For now, I’ll leave you with this quote from Neil Degrasse Tyson, which also describes my philosophy.
“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”
The power of a different perspective
Evaluate these two statements: 1. "My dog is not toy motivated." 2."Our tugging behavior is not yet strong enough to use as a reinforcer." One implies a characteristic of the dog. The other describes the behavior. One is a fixed, unchangeable fact. The other gives us...
Getting started with “splitting”
Bob Bailey says “be splitter, not a lumper. “ And that is the ideal to which we all aspire. However, many of us are lifelong members of Lumpers Anonymous, and chronically struggle to find ways to "split "our behaviors as we train them and avoid the pitfalls of...
Avoid These 3 Mistakes Before Your First Dog Show
Of course, there are obvious things like “don’t enter before you are ready” and “read the rulebook” (if you haven't read it, you can find the AKC rulebook here), but you don’t need me to tell you that. And frankly, I’ve been told that many times, and it just irritates...
Interview with a Dog Training Goddess: Leslie McDevitt
Is there a trainer out there that has significantly influenced you in a major way? I have several, but one of the top women that changed the way I look at training is Leslie McDevitt. I loved her book and, as soon as I finished it, I purchased the accompanying DVD...
Authenticity… Well crap.
You know how on Mondays after a trial weekend, your Facebook feed is filled with smiling(/smug) photos of dogs with ribbons? Well, this time I have no such photo. And I stayed off Facebook entirely on Monday. Why? I had a crappy dog show weekend. Yes, it happens to...
Backing Up Like a Boss! Part 2
Do you break into a sweat when you see this sign on a rally course? Out in the open, with not a single ring gate or wall near by? Backing up in heel position is a challenging exercise for both dog and handler. We don’t always move too smoothly in reverse on our own,...
Backing Up Like a Boss!
Why should we bother teaching the dog to “back up”? It’s an important movement skill, which helps the dog learn to use his body safely and efficiently. It’s a skill that is used in rally directly (the dreaded “3 Steps Back”), but it's also helpful in strength and...
A Weekend Brag – Rugby’s First Trial
This past weekend, the pups and I traveled down to Catawba, SC to show in the C2P2 CDSP trial weekend. It's one of my favorite clubs to show with. Good people, great facility, and a lot of fun. And I have to admit we had a pretty successful weekend. Spark struggled a...
Straightness Is The Essence of Rightness (And Leftness)
This started out as a short post, but somehow got away from me. #SorryNotSorry. TLDR version: Strive for equilibrium (I like that word better than “balance”), and teachers should (at least occasionally), put their money where their mouth is. Really, this is all Alex...
Just. One. More.
You’ve seen it before. You started the session as planned. At first the dog is a little rusty, takes a few reps to get in the groove. Then you find that sweet spot. He hits the target 5, 6, 7 times in a row. Maybe even 10 or 20 times. Then all of a sudden, you cue the...
Legit Luring: The “Treat Magnet”
But wait! I thought luring was “illegal” for clicker trainers? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?? Whoa, whoa, whoa… Hold your horses (or llamas or whatever). Luring, or putting a treat in front of the animal’s nose to guide a movement or behavior, is a tool and it has it’s...
Camp Lethimmakeachoice
Ok, so I have almost recovered from the 3.5 days of insanity awesomeness that was FDSA Sports Camp. I couldn’t decide what to write about this… it’s impossible to thank and acknowledge everyone without forgetting someone important, and a full summary of the experience...