One of the most daunting aspects of obedience and rally competition is fear. “Is my dog good enough,” “am I ready.” “What if I fail?”  Most of these fears are unfounded. The long-term-diehards of the sport do not fear. They have learned that failure is part of the sport. But do you need to go…   Continue

I always wanted a German Shepherd, mostly because I think they are the most beautiful dog around but also because they are strong and noble, loyal, intelligent and protective.  In the late 1990s, I spoke to a breeder who told me a German Shepherd maybe wasn’t the best first dog because they really required a…   Continue

I wanted to share my experience with my Cane Corso Cairo. After extensively researching which breed would suit our lifestyle best we decided we wanted a CC. We understood and accepted that this dog would be a huge part of our lives and looked forward to being involved with some sort of sport and training…   Continue

Almost every dog training facility has a puppy socialization class. But not all of these classes are created equal. Not all classes achieve what you want them to. The problem is that everyone has a basic idea of what they want to accomplish, but the average dog owner does not know how to go from…   Continue

One of the most misunderstood aspects of dog training is that the trainer is teach both you, and your dog, a series of problem solving tasks. At one time trainers felt that the owner could start an activity. If the dog didn’t understand it was punished. Ultimately the dog would ‘figure it out’ and then…   Continue

One of the most frustrating ‘left overs’ from the days when dogs were treated as an animate object is the belief that the leash is a switch, steering wheel, or brake. If you hank it hard enough the dog will magically respond in a positive, obedient manner. I’ve seen dogs progress wonderfully through obedience training,…   Continue

Rally obedience is for pet owners who want to have fun. Where to train and compete. All 3 organizations allow unregistered and cross/breed dogs. Canadian Kennel Club Rally Obedience CARO – Canadian Association of Rally Obedience United Kennel Club Little Known Facts about Rally Obedience or Rally O You can treat in some Rally competitions…   Continue

Before any obedience training we need to calm our dog. A dog won’t focus on us if it is worried that something will come around the next bush or building. A dog will forget to stay at our side and heel if it is watching another dog play ball. The first step to an obedient…   Continue

Do you use a choke collar? Can you explain the reason? Is it because you feel that you have more control? But the question is, do you?  Does your dog walk quietly beside you obeying even when it is excited? Probably not. The problem with force training is that dogs are very associative, and they…   Continue

One of the biggest misconceptions is that force free dog training does not mean you cannot, and should not, correct your dog when it misbehaves.  It does mean that you are working to help your dog learn an appropriate behavior using reinforcement instead of an alpha (master/slave) relationship. Force Free Dog Training Does Not Use…   Continue