Blogs

A training gem I picked up many years ago from Patti Hatfield Mah was that our seasoned dogs still need to have baby dog training days. Pick one day a week where you go back to training your foundations skills. Foundations is everything! Without a strong base,...

With many teams getting ready for NACSW NW3/L3 or AKC Master/Detective levels, having a solid search strategy and a strong mental game plan is key! At these higher levels, you will have unknown number of hides - very different from knowing how many in each search...

In my nosework classes, I talk more and more about how important handler mechanics are. Mechanics include your handling (position, movement, leash), timing, markers/cues, and delivery of reinforcement (having them ready, not dropping treats).  This is very ingrained...

As discussed in my last blog on how training methods need to make sense to you ... I'd like to chat about how I handle false alerts in nosework and why the approach makes sense to me. You need to decide what makes sense to you. A false alert is the dog's incorrect...

Scent detection training is rapidly growing in popularity in the competitive dog sport community. Known as Nosework or Scent Work, the sport involves searching for essential oils or handler scent, using training methods similar to what professional K9 detection...

If you are a dog trainer, how many times do you feel you are dragging yourself out of bed early to go train when you really just want to stay under those warm covers and sleep some more? Sometimes it may be training after a long day of work when  you'd rather just...

We all know we need to be an advocate for our dogs ALWAYS. This means not putting them in an unsafe situation or not letting someone treat them inappropriately, etc. When we are trialing and under rules of an organization/exercise we can sometimes lose our judgement...

Last month Savvy earned her NACSW NW3 Elite title.  With trials few and far away, I was thrilled not only for all our skills and preparation, but not having to drive 9 hours to the next one we got into months later!  And her previous NW3 trial was 8 months prior!!...

What I've learned about training my young intact male: I'm not more interesting than dog pee or dog smells. Food is not always a motivator, nor worth eating at meals. Toys are not always a motivator. Trying to get him to stop sniffing is futile and adds conflict....

Why do you like being with your dog(s)?  So much has changed with dog "ownership" since my childhood. Let's call it companionship, as that sounds more like what it means to me! My dogs are my companions. More than a pet and a teammate, but also those too! Dogs have...