Ravi just turned 5 months! I don't know how he keeps getting leggier than he already is!

Loot is still on a hiatus from trialing as we work through his fear of dogs barking that started this past February and quickly got bad. Medications are helping to some degree, and we are working on box feeding in certain conditions.

Here he's working on doing his box feeding while a dog he knows is running in an agility seminar and doing only occasional barking. This pitch of barking isn't his main trigger (high pitched is the scariest) and he's able to be successful.

Reset Routines

In case you've missed it, I have a Ring Confidence training group on Facebook!

One of the bigger things I've been thinking about this month is on reset routines. What will we do if the dog makes an error in a trial and continuing on in flow just isn't an option? This could be anything from the dog popping the weaves to freezing on course, or in obedience the dog freezes on a position change or maybe my dumbbell needs to be rethrown!

Click to join the group and read

Different types of acclimation. How do you handle your dog when you get somewhere, before you even start the warmup?

Does your dog do best with movement and sniffing around? Structured stations? Structured acclimation games?

Click to read!

August Training Videos

Here are 9 videos from the past month's daily uploads of training. Just click on the picture to be taken to youtube. (And if you prefer the unedited versions, head to facebook or instagram!) I hope these videos give you some helpful tips to try or inspire you to train something new!

This session with Ravi looks at fading the perch for his heelwork pivots. I initially had the towel folded, now it's unfolded! This allows me to gradually step around him less and less until I am the one pivoting in place and he's backing around me. Not quite there in this session!

Freya started to work on Trick Dog titles! She earned her novice, intermediate, and advanced this month! Primarily these were put together from "tricks" she already had with a few new variations quickly learned like jumping through a hoop. We will start work on "masters" for each level, and look at training some things to get an expert title as well.

Sideleg lifts is a fun trick! I find it a great fitness tool as well as just furthering understanding of how to move his body. Ravi is working on this and I went from the Cato board to this softer platform so that he would "slide" down when all 4 feet were on. I gradually took it from flat to this angle. Still a work in progress, but I see some understanding!

Before Ravi got scared of his toys, we were working on a give to my hand to get the 2nd toy. I started with offered drops to the grounnd so this was more "pressure"

Fronts!! Now that Ravi is off the perch for his heelwork, I am bringing it back out to teach front pivots! He's at the very early stage, although a bit further than most dogs new to fronts as he already knows clockwise pivoting because of his right-sided heelwork.

Teach a sidestep from a pivot foundation! Ravi is just starting this stage

And Freya is starting to nail the sidestep in heel!

Chin rests with ignoring my hand motion is an important foundation for exam/measuring prep!

Need to spice up your heeling? Make sure you're working a lot to the right for more energy, and mix up games where you can "escape!"

Upcoming October Classes

Registration will open September 22nd, put it in your calendar now before you forget!

Thinking about showing in obedience or agility someday?

Don't let your prep for the exam be crossed fingers and hoping they have a really good stay.

Break down the skill and use a start button to make sure your dog is fully confident with every step!

Confident Exams and Measuring!!

Follow me on the social media platform of your choice to try and catch all my daily training videos. I hope they inspire you to try something fun with your dog! And join my free facebook group on building ring confidence for dog sports!