Proofing our verbal cues is a necessity for sports like Rally-FrEe and Musical Freestyle. As handlers, we work hard to build and maintain value in our verbal cues, but we don’t often take our efforts to the next level and teach our dogs to work through cue interference.  Read on to find out how to… Continue reading…

The economics of behavior! The Cost of Behavior As cool as Freestyle and Rally-FrEe are, they can also be challenging sports for both dog and handler. We ask our dogs to stay engaged while training complex behaviors and while putting those behaviors into longer sequences and routines. That’s a proper challenge! It’s no wonder our efforts to keep our… Continue reading…

Why and how to set up for success We’ve all heard it – maybe even said it. “Dogs learn through their mistakes” With any luck, we all learn from our mistakes! But is it really the best way to learn? Should we embrace errors as an effective form of learning? In training for performance, there’s no time for… Continue reading…

Cue fluency and how to tell if your dog has it Let’s talk fluency. It’s something we all strive for in our behaviors. Fluent behaviors are: consistent, dependable, and reliable. They have been generalized to various location and contexts. In short, the dog has honed their skill in executing the behavior beautifully. We not only need to… Continue reading…

Using Training Aids for Speedier Success Some trainers seem to be naturally gifted. Their dogs learn fast and it seems like they communicate almost effortlessly with their dog. So, how do they do it? Most likely? They use training aids… and they use them well. What is a training aid? It’s anything a handler uses… Continue reading…