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When we are competing in obedience, our dog's mindset should be both, animated and accurate.

I don't think our dogs can be in that perfect balance at all times. If training has been...

Last year, I talked to several competitors that were feeling unmotivated. Some had no upcoming trials to prepare for due to COVID, while others had an injured dog or recently started a...

When giving the down command, does your dog creep forward as he drops? This annoying problem can occur on the Signal Exercise in Utility or the Command Discrimination Exercise in Open. This...

Last fall, M and I made our Utility debut. In this video, she failed, and this performance offers me a great way to bring up and explain Herrnstein's Matching Law, which says;

"When there are...

Solving problems that occur in the ring is much easier when you use a well-conditioned Reward Marker. In today’s video, I offer you some examples.

As you start afresh in 2022, I hope I have...

What Exercise Do You Need Your Dog to Love to Perform? 

I remember being really discouraged with my inability to teach my dogs to perform in the absence of food or toys. Like most...

All of us want our dogs to enjoy obedience training and competition. Many of us can teach our dogs to perform the exercises, but how do we teach the dog TO WANT to perform? 

Last summer,...

Meet "Pan" deMonium! He's a 7-week old Border Terrier that I've agreed to raise for a family member. Pan will be with me until he is 16-weeks-old. His owner has expressed an interest in exploring...

This post is a continuation of "Raising a Performance Puppy". If you missed part one, check it out HERE.

Pan, the Border Terrier that I am raising for a family member, is now 9-weeks-old! Each...

Socialization is introducing your puppy to sights, sounds, and surfaces. In this video, I use some boxes that arrived to expose him to the skills of tunneling and climbing. Add to that, the...

Pan has left infancy behind and become a toddler. His coordination is improving, his attention span is growing, and his boldness and intensity are increasing. 
I am continuing to work on...

A puppy's brain is malleable in these early stages of development.  Concepts that they learn early become deep-seated and long-lasting. This week, I am building on his experience of taking...

Pan’s obedience lessons are getting a little more complicated as I am doing very little luring and expecting him to perform to earn reward. Practicing multiple skills in a variety of orders...

I consider all of the exercises in the sport of obedience to be included in five skill sets. That is,
1. Heeling skills,
2. Recall skills,
3. Stationary skills,
4. Jumping skills, and
5....