Latest Post
It's a new year, so everyone is talking about goal setting. I'm not into "new year new you" type goals. I'm constantly working on a new version of myself, so I don't contain these transformations to the beginning of the year only đ On December 30th, I was a part of...
What is cue escalation? This is what happens when a handler gives a dog a cue, and the dog responds with the âwrong behavior", and when the handler reattempts to give the cue, the cue has changed. It has gotten bigger, louder, slower, faster, more obvious, etc. The...
My least favorite thing about agility is that the standard practice is to teach the humans and the canines at the same time. Not only is this incredibly inefficient, it can be frustrating for all involved: instructor, handler, & dog. Itâs time to change this...
When we are setting up a training session, we should be paying close attention to the following details: Antecedent: how are we going to arrange the conditions so that the desired behavior is most likely to occur? Behavior: what behavior are we looking for from the...
If youâre taking an agility class, youâve probably heard your instructor say âreward your dogâ. Many times, this is because the handler has perceived an error (either our own or the dogâs), and the handler has momentarily forgotten that they have a dog with them, and...
Over the years, I have had the chance to prepare for many of training sessions and competition runs, with a wide variety of dogs. They have all needed something different from me, and overtime, I've become very open to having my dogs tell me how ready they are. I...
FOUNDER, SYNERGY DOG SPORTS
I have been training in agility nearly my entire life. With seventeen years of experience, I have had the opportunities to work with hundreds of dogs within a large variety of breeds.
I began my agility journey with an American Eskimo and a Westie. In 1999, I began competing with my first Shetland Sheepdog, Buddy. Buddyâs lesson to me was about connection and bond. While running him, I knew that agility was what I was meant to do.
