Conquer the Challenge of Agility
Conquer the Challenge The Human Half of the Agility Team By Angelica Steinker, M.Ed., C.D.B.C, CAP2 edited by Kimberly "Kim" Archer, CPDT-KA, CTDI Agility is about a dog and a human navigating a course. We spend hours preparing the dog for competition, but little to no focus is on the human part of the team. Our dogs are massaged, fed ideal foods, [...]
Is Your Dog Bored?
Is Your Dog Bored? Enrich Your Dog’s Life! By Kimberly Archer, Dog Behavior Technician Have you ever wondered what a day is like through your dog’s eyes? You may wake up, have breakfast, catch up on the news, do work, socialize with coworkers, relax with your partner, eat dinner, watch TV or read a book, and maybe even do some more socializing at a [...]
Agility for Dogs with Issues
This means that for some dogs playing the game of agility around other dogs can make other dogs seem fun also. The same thing can happen if a dog is afraid of people, being around people when doing agility can come to signal fun.
AKC Offers a New Agility Program for Newcomers to the Sport
The American Kennel Club has begun offering a new program that makes agility more accessible to newcomers. According to the AKC’s website (https://www.akc.org/events/agility/act-program/), the ACT will be available in two levels. “ACT1 is designed for the beginning level dog to show beginning sequencing and performance skills. ACT2 requires an increased skill level shown by the additional obstacles to be performed.” The ACT is not [...]
Million Dollar Dog Games
Million Dollar Dog Games is looking for dogs to compete in a cross discipline competition featuring Agility, Dock Diving and Flying Disc for CASH. Read more about it >
Tighten Those Turns
By Brenna Fender Several dog sports benefit from tight turns. Agility is the most obvious one, but rally and traditional obedience also include about turns that are best done tightly around the handler. Turning tightly is not necessarily a natural behavior because it requires a dog to collect their stride (taking smaller steps) rather than moving in extension, which dogs often do naturally. Fortunately, there [...]
Homemade Agility
By Brenna Fender Before you could buy agility equipment online, and even before plans for making agility equipment became available, people practiced agility for fun in their backyards, and you can too! As long as you keep safety in mind, you can keep your dog active, help him get in shape, challenge his mind, have fun, and do a little training all at home without [...]
A Quick Guide to Agility Organizations
By Brenna Fender The United States offers many agility sanctioning organizations, which means that American competitors have lots of options for different agility experiences. There are more similarities than differences between the organizations. Most are open to all breeds and breed mixes, although there are some exceptions. All organizations require registration and a registration fee for any dog competing in a trial they sanction. Every [...]
Tampa Dog Trainer: Dog Travel Safety
Dog Travel Safety is an important concern Tampa Dog Trainer: Dog Travel Safety By Brenna Fender Dog s often travel with their pets to competitions, on vacation, or just about town while on errands, but they may not realize that the way they travel can mean the difference between life and death. Do you drive with Fido loose in the back seat or [...]
Tampa Dog Trainer: Brenna Fender – Unexpected Effects of Recording and Sharing Your Training Sessions on Social Media
The Unexpected Effects of Recording and Sharing Your Training Sessions on Social Media By Brenna Fender, Tampa Dog Trainer Do you whip out your cell phone at training practice or set up your video camera when training in the yard? If you’re like me, you love to shoot a video of your agility weave pole progress, advances in nosework, or sharpened heeling to share with your doggie [...]
Tampa Dog Trainer: Brenna Fender – Is Humility at Odds with Success?
Is Humility at Odds with Success? By Brenna Fender, Tampa Dog Trainer When you walk off an agility course, out of an obedience or rally ring, or away from your dog training class, do you dwell on your shortcomings? Do you gloss over your successes and focus on your failures? Do you think only about what went wrong and rarely about what went right? I am [...]
Tampa Dog Trainer: What’s My Dog Motivation?
What’s My Dog's Motivation? You can’t choose what motivates your dog. By Brenna Fender When I first got my Beagle from Tampa Bay Beagle rescue, I had to carry him off of his comfy spot on the sofa to deliver him to his crate every time I left the house. My other dogs all ran to their crates when cued in order to enjoy a bite of [...]
