Rally Freestyle Elements

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Meet Judge Carrol Haines

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When dog sports people tell you they’ve been involved in a sport for 15 years or more, chances are good that they’ve competed- or at least trained- more than one dog in the sport. Carrol Haines and I became friends in 2006 when her partner was a miniature poodle. That may surprise some because although… Continue reading…

Love Your Dog First

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“Love your dog first and the sport second.” Every now and again this quote makes the rounds on social media. I’ve seen it attributed to various sources. I’m not sure who gets the credit, but I’m always happy to see it shared.   In a sport like freestyle, because the rules are written broadly to encourage… Continue reading…

Meet Judge Judith Stoodley

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If you’re an RFE member, you’ve no doubt interacted with Judith. She not only judges and competes in both Musical Freestyle and Rally-FrEe, she’s also the admin for the Rally-FrEe for All, and both the Rally-FrEe and Freestyle Spotlight Groups on Facebook. Judith is knowledgeable, friendly, and she’s one of a core group who’s been… Continue reading…

Get a Cue

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I believe the primary reason so many trainers have difficulty creating effective verbal cues is a lack of understanding. How to place behaviors on cue is the most misunderstood and misapplied process in training. And when done incorrectly or incompletely, the dog’s response to a verbal cue can be inconsistent at best, or completely unpredictable at… Continue reading…

What’s Your RFE IQ?

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It’s our birthday! The end of the month will mark a decade of Rally Freestyle Elements. While we’ve grown and evolved over the past 10 years, much about this organization has remained unchanged. For example, it’s important to me to maintain a supportive, family atmosphere. Newbies to RFE are swathed in encouragement and given tons… Continue reading…

Tricks of the Trade

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“Does my dog have to know a lot of tricks to do freestyle?” “Why teach tricks, shouldn’t we be working on heeling if we want to do freestyle?” “My dog knows a ton of tricks so we’re ready for freestyle, right?” People ask me a lot of questions about trick training. And I won’t lie,… Continue reading…

Meet Judge Nancy Marston

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Our judges embody the true definition of community:  Everyone doing their part for the betterment of all. Theirs isn’t an easy job. They spend long hours ensuring the accuracy of their scores, contributing to discussions in the judges’ group, answering exhibitor questions in the Rally Free for All Facebook group, and still find time to train… Continue reading…

Shaping Success

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I’m often asked why I use shaping when my dogs already know so many cued behaviors. My answer is that, besides being fun and creative for me, the trainer, shaping teaches my dogs to think. And this greater cognitive capacity makes their future learning of more advanced or complex skills quicker and easier.  Improved communication, the… Continue reading…