A member recently told me, “I never wanted to compete, but once we entered our first event and I got positive, helpful feedback, I couldn’t wait to try again!” That’s the experience I want for everyone who enters an RFE event. Our judges are a knowledgeable and supportive group that gives clear, achievable suggestions about how… Continue reading…
Can You Hear Me Now?
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…
Finding Flow
One member’s story of realizing how Rally-FrEe makes for Flowing Freestyle! Member Teresa Hall and her dog, Holly, are embarking on their first Freestyle routine. Through training for Rally-FrEe and Freestyle, Teresa had an epiphany! Here’s what she had to say: “So, before I start, let me tell you I have not done Freestyle….yet. I’m… Continue reading…
Acing the “Into” Position Signs
And why they’re fab for Freestyle, too! What are the “Into” Signs? More specifically, the “Free Choice Into…” signs refer to Rally-FrEe signs #11, #12, #13, and #33. They cue the handler to choose a transition to move the dog into one of the four basic positions: Front, Left Heel, Right Heel, and Behind. The primary transitions are:… Continue reading…
Mini-Course Challenge- January 2021
Mini-Course Challenge! Every month on the RFE Facebook Page, we’ve been posting a Mini-Course Challenge! You can try these challenges as-is, in Rally-FrEe format, or put them to music for some Freestyle fun. Here’s the most recent Challenge Course! (If you’ve done it, we’d love to see it! Post it in the Group!)
Paying Your Pup
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…
The Judges Speak
Top tips for overcoming common struggles It doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re competing by video, it’s easy to just start over every time there is a mistake. But that can be demotivating for both teammates. Sometimes the best things come out of spontaneity! Be sure the person filming you knows to orient the camera… Continue reading…
Building Bonds and Overcoming Odds
An interview with Claudine Illg Tell me a little bit about yourself and your dog. Augie is a five year old Australian Shepherd and I adopted him from a shelter; I’m actually his third mom. He’s the reason that I got started with any kind of dog sports. If you know anything about Australian Shepherds,… Continue reading…
Trial and Error? No Time for That!
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…
Smooth Moves July 2020
Train Your Dog Some Smooth Moves! We’ve been having fun with #smoothmovesmonday and How-To Friday videos on our Facebook page! Monday features a dog fluently performing a RF and/or MF behavior, and on Friday I share my top training tips for it! Check out how to train “tween” in this How-To!