• 22Dec

    Bailey, the unknown reindeer- this is one of the cutest videos ever!

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  • 20Dec

    Dogs are a joy to have around you, underfoot and at your heels, but sometimes even the best-trained dog just needs some crate time, for their sake as well as yours.To ensure quality crate time, make the dogs’ crate (or crates) special. They go in when you say, and how you say, and do not come out until you say! Train your dog to love their crate.  I give my dog a special bone that is only for crate-time. No matter which crate she’s in, she gets her treat-bone. She has the fastest ‘kennel-up’ around, and in the past, when she’s escaped, hollering “Nova! Kennel up!” has, sadly, worked far, far better than “Nova, COME!”  I’ve worked to get both my dogs used to the popup kennels as well, so I don’t have to lug a really heavy folding crate with me.

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  • 17Dec

    Today’s National Underdog Day- weird day, I know, but hey! every dog has their day!

    There are definite ‘underdogs’ in Agility- and we’re not talking about the dogs that like to duck under the bars!  Some dogs don’t take to agility like ducks to water.  They enjoy it, they do their best, but somehow, they just can’t make that Q, or they bounce off their contact every time in class. They run time after time, and never quite make it.

    This post is for you.  It may take a while, but what’s important isn’t the Q’s, it’s your dog and you doing agility together.  At the end of the run, your dog tried to please you, and isn’t that what counts?  That said- cheer for the underdog!  Every time a dog does agility, they’re a champion in my book.  It’s not easy!  And so long as you don’t give up, your dog won’t either.  You’ll learn a lot along the way, and all of us are cheering for you, too.  When underdogs win, they win *big* Keep up the good work!

    Share your underdog story!

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  • 15Dec

    The dog in the video is fast as fire, but as you can see, has about as much damage control! How could this run have been improved? What handler errors can you catch? What ‘tricks’ could the handler use to handle a dog that fast?

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  • 13Dec

    My sheepdog Diva is nearly two years old. I started training Diva when she was ten months and gradually brought the jumps up from the ground to full height. All was well until we started competing. She would rather do a piece of contact equipment than jump hurdles. She loves doing contacts and runs under most of the jumps to get there. Should I train with the double bars? She doesn’t have a problem with the lower height jumps so I can’t see that there’s much to gain from bringing the height down again.

    When a dog starts competing, she starts making mistakes and exposes all the holes in a training program. Your contact training must have been thorough, but lots of fun. Diva loves the contacts and she can’t wait to get there. Did you invest as much time and thought into your jumping exercises? I’m not surprised she runs under the poles to get to an A-frame on the other side. Continue reading »

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