Browsing all posts in Dog Training.
Disc Dog Flip Tutorial
How to get your dog to flip. Flipping is a great example of something that is easy and complicated. The basic idea of the flip is simple, the varied mechanics and influences make for a dynamic and challenging skill to master. The good news is your dog could be flipping in a day, assuming proper health and disc drive are already in place.
Choosing a Superstar – Kai Bear
Have you ever seen that movie Sliding Doors? The movie basically points to the notion that each little choice you make can completely change the future. I think about that concept a lot.
Lilli Leaping A disc dog jump drill
Lilli’s jump has always seemed a little off to me. In her defense, this is likely a result of inconsistent disc placement. We really never considered placement of the disc in our first 6 months of throwing discs for Lilli. That and she does not seem to be an explosive leaper naturally.
Pawsitive Vybe Disc Dog Camp
At the heart of the 3700 mile drive was disc dog camp with Ron Watson and Apryl Lea in Grand Rapids Michigan. As I mentioned before, I was usually a no to this kind of expedition due to the costs and we were not exactly rolling in it at the time. Thanks to Andrea’s enthusiasm and to the regular and inspiring talks with Ron, I saw that the cost was a small price to pay to pursue what we love. The opportunity to learn from Ron and Apryl and the adventure itself were worth more than whatever the expenditure would be.
Why The Cross Country Dog Training Trip?
Because we love our dogs. I had wanted a frisbee dog since I was a little boy. I never imagined I would do more than just throw the disc over and over , and I had no idea the skills and training required to make it happen.
Frisbee to Shape Contacts
When we first started training Lilli in agility it just sorta happened. We did obedience classes first and agility sounded fun so we took that class then kept going. We thought it would just be something fun to play with between frisbee trainings. In our advanced agility course, I brought the disc out once as a reward motivator while in class and Lilli went bonkers and wouldn’t work. I decided then that we needed to keep the two sports separate and never even brought discs to the field when we went to practice agility.
My Dog Can Do What?!
Since we’ve moved to our new house and have a huge yard to train the girls, Lilli has just blown up. Even her body is intense now – no fat at all – solid muscle and bones. Her endurance, even in the 95 degree Florida summer, is fantastic and she demands play at least 2x a day.
Re-Teaching my Dogs to Sit
My dogs sit…sometimes. They used to sit more. I think somewhere along the way they got sick of sit. Not the action, the cue word. For example, if my dogs do not sit, I or some other member of household will repeatedly encourage them to “sit”… So imagine I saw you sitting in a chair and said “Flumbar!”. Which of course means stand up and give me your seat. And each time you were sitting in that chair and I came up to you, I would say, Flumbar. Eventually Flumbar would come to mean, you sitting in the chair. Because each time i am using the cue word, your are sitting in the chair.
Trading Leila and Neo for Food
That’s something we would never do of course but sometimes we do trade creature comforts for criteria. Meaning sometimes it is easier to let them barge through a door or bark than it is to take the time to correct the behavior. Same thing with rewarding good behavior. A phone call, the dishes, dinner, House episode…
Training on Purpose
We have a story for our dogs. Their careers and our lives plotted out over the next few years, ridiculous and unrealistic and inspiring. I get that friday feeling whenever I think about our future adventures. I can’t wait for the challenges and experiences. That can be part of the problem.
