Once clients are introduced to the concept of dog sports, a common question is: do I need my dog to be confident before tackling dog sports or will dog sports make my dog more confident? This is actually a rather meaty question and we delve into different ways you can tackle it in this podcast episode! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Once clients are introduced to the concept of dog sports, a common question is: do I need my dog to be confident before tackling dog sports or will dog sports make my dog more confident? This is actually a rather meaty question and we delve into different ways you can tackle it in this podcast episode! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

What Comes First, Confidence or Dog Sport?

For those of us involved in dog sports, we know that oftentimes the skills obtained in one sport will carry over to other sports. This can include such things as increased confidence, better body awareness and more. In this episode, Lori Timberlake walks us through how training and playing in Canine Parkour can translate to a more a confident and successful Scent Work dog, especially for those dogs were naturally more reserved and sensitive. Learn more about the International Dog Parkour Association here. Enroll in the Intro to Canine Parkour course here. Check out Scent Work University for online courses, seminars, webinars, blogs, podcasts and training tips all focused on one thing: Scent Work! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

For those of us involved in dog sports, we know that oftentimes the skills obtained in one sport will carry over to other sports. This can include such things as increased confidence, better body awareness and more. In this episode, Lori Timberlake walks us through how training and playing in Canine Parkour can translate to a more a confident and successful Scent Work dog, especially for those dogs were naturally more reserved and sensitive. <a href="https://www.dogparkour.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn more about the International Dog Parkour Association here</a>. <a href="https://www.dogsportuniversity.com/index.php/canine-parkour-program" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enroll in the Intro to Canine Parkour course here.</a> Check out <a href="https://www.scentworkuniversity.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> for online courses, seminars, webinars, blogs, podcasts and training tips all focused on one thing: Scent Work! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Play Parkour, Improve in Scent Work!

With so many different dog sports to choose from, it can be overwhelming to try to decide which ones play with your dog. But, if you are looking for something that will really take your training chops, and the relationship with your dog, to the next level, Treibball is for you! In this episode, we speak with Michael McManus, founder of the Treibball competition organization, PUSH Treibball, and someone who is truly passionate about this sport. Michael discusses how he personally got involved in Treibball, the history of the sport as a whole, mistakes that have been made in how people were training and how the sport itself was being described and promoted. At the core of it though, Michael breaks down the benefits of this gem of a game, why he is so passionate about it and how it is a great game for all dogs to play. You definitely need to check out this episode! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

With so many different dog sports to choose from, it can be overwhelming to try to decide which ones play with your dog. But, if you are looking for something that will really take your training chops, and the relationship with your dog, to the next level, Treibball is for you! In this episode, we speak with Michael McManus, founder of the Treibball competition organization, PUSH Treibball, and someone who is truly passionate about this sport. Michael discusses how he personally got involved in Treibball, the history of the sport as a whole, mistakes that have been made in how people were training and how the sport itself was being described and promoted. At the core of it though, Michael breaks down the benefits of this gem of a game, why he is so passionate about it and how it is a great game for all dogs to play. You definitely need to check out this episode! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Why You Need Treibball

There is a fun new game in town and it is Canine Parkour. It helps build confidence. It cultivates and nurtures the relationship and bond between dog and handler. It is FUN! Learn more about Canine Parkour in this podcast episode. We speak with Lori Timberlake who points out how wonderful this activity is, who should be playing this game (hint: everyone) and provides some previews of the new Canine Parkour program she is developing for Dog Sport University. You want to listen to this episode, you NEED to listen to the episode. Enjoy!   ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

There is a fun new game in town and it is Canine Parkour. It helps build confidence. It cultivates and nurtures the relationship and bond between dog and handler. It is FUN! Learn more about Canine Parkour in this podcast episode. We speak with Lori Timberlake who points out how wonderful this activity is, who should be playing this game (hint: everyone) and provides some previews of the new Canine Parkour program she is developing for Dog Sport University. You want to listen to this episode, you NEED to listen to the episode. Enjoy! ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Get In On Canine Parkour!

You've got plans for your puppy or dog. A long list of dog sport activities that you will train and tackle, jammed into an otherwise full schedule. Always looking ahead, you find yourself flying through life. That is until life throws you a heart-wrenching curve ball that stops you dead in your tracks.  In this podcast episode, we discuss how difficult it can be balance choosing WHAT you will do with your dog, WHY you are doing it, HOW you are going to it and WHEN you are going do it. No absolute answers are provided in this episode, rather a plea that we all be more mindful of how we are spending time with our dogs...since that time may be cut shorter than we care to admit. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

You've got plans for your puppy or dog. A long list of dog sport activities that you will train and tackle, jammed into an otherwise full schedule. Always looking ahead, you find yourself flying through life. That is until life throws you a heart-wrenching curve ball that stops you dead in your tracks.  In this podcast episode, we discuss how difficult it can be balance choosing WHAT you will do with your dog, WHY you are doing it, HOW you are going to it and WHEN you are going do it. No absolute answers are provided in this episode, rather a plea that we all be more mindful of how we are spending time with our dogs...since that time may be cut shorter than we care to admit. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Being Mindful

No dog sport is without risk for physical injury. However, it is our job, being the caretaker for our dogs, to be mindful of this possibility and to make the best decisions possible for them. In this episode, Dianna shares an experience where her personal dog was injured at a CAT (coursing ability test) lure coursing test and outlines ways all dog owners can better advocates for their dogs. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

No dog sport is without risk for physical injury. However, it is our job, being the caretaker for our dogs, to be mindful of this possibility and to make the best decisions possible for them. In this episode, Dianna shares an experience where her personal dog was injured at a CAT (coursing ability test) lure coursing test and outlines ways all dog owners can better advocates for their dogs. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Injured at Trial

When we are choosing which dog sport, or dog sports, to do with our dog, it is important to give our dog a vote. However, it can be incredibly painful when what our dog wants to do, and enjoys doing, is drastically different from what our preferred dog sport may be. We delve into this touchy, tricky and emotional topic in this podcast episode. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

When we are choosing which dog sport, or dog sports, to do with our dog, it is important to give our dog a vote. However, it can be incredibly painful when what our dog wants to do, and enjoys doing, is drastically different from what our preferred dog sport may be. We delve into this touchy, tricky and emotional topic in this podcast episode. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Give The Dog a Vote

Trick Dog Titles are one of the newest options in the dog sport world and have been met with both enthusiasm and a fair amount of grumbling. In this episode, we discuss if tricks as a whole have a value and whether they should be welcomed within the dog sport realm (hint: they should). ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Trick Dog Titles are one of the newest options in the dog sport world and have been met with both enthusiasm and a fair amount of grumbling. In this episode, we discuss if tricks as a whole have a value and whether they should be welcomed within the dog sport realm (hint: they should). ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be!

Tricks Have Value

With the start of a new year, many of us will begin creating trialing goals, such as our desire to obtain a certain title by a certain date. In this podcast, we discuss the benefit of designing smaller, obtainable goals that are laser focused on building specific skills for both you and your dog, and how these smaller goals will ultimately help you achieve the "big" goal of earning your desired title. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be! PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the All About Dogs Sports &amp; Training Podcast. In this podcast, we talk about all things dog sports as well as all things dog training. We'll provide you a behind-the-scenes look at what your instructor may be going through, what your trial officials may be going through, provide you some training tips and much more. In this episode, we're gonna be talking about how in a new year, we can start designing some trial end goals and how we have to make certain that those are ideal goals and that we're not setting ourselves up and our dogs up for failure. Before we start diving into the podcast, I'm just going to do a very quick introduction to myself. My name is Dianna Santos. I'm the Owner and Lead Instructor for both Dog Sport University and Scent Work University. Dog Sports University is an online dog training platform where we provide online courses, webinars and seminars covering such topics as dog sports, such as agility, competition obedience, treibball and tricks as well as good manners courses such as our Family Dog Program, our Perfect Puppies Program, Canine Good Citizen Prep, Real Life Skills, Shaping Behavior and much more. In addition to being a professional dog trainer, I'm also an approved trial official and have actually worked with a competition organization. So, now you know a little bit about me, let's dive into the podcast. So, at the start of the new year, it's very common for all of us to start designing some goals, some resolutions, things that we would like to do. And when we're involved in dog sports, one of the most common things that people do is that they will start designing some trial end goals, some things that they want to achieve in that given year in regard to dog sports if they happen to compete. And that may be that they're going to start competing or that if they are competing, they want to obtain a certain goal as far as a certain title. What I'd like to do in this podcast is to really nail down what I would claim would be a better way of designing those goals, so that you can actually achieve them in training and so that you're not setting your dog and yourself up for failure. Because sometimes when we put out a goal post, it's just so incredibly vague such as, "I want to obtain that title," it can be a little difficult in order to put together a plan to actually achieve that goal. So, in this podcast, we just wanna talk about some of the better ways that you may be able to design your new year goals, so that you can maybe ultimately obtain that title, but you're actually working towards very specific goal points instead. I'm going preface this by saying I personally have a love-hate relationship with competition. I personally can take or leave dog sports a lot of the time as far as the competing piece. I really enjoy the activities, I enjoy the training part of it. And there are times when I really enjoy trialing and there are other times where I find it really super stressful. And a lot of that just has to do with the fact that I get stuck in my own head a lot of the time. My dog is brilliant. If he had a better handler, he would have a lot of letters behind his name. By coming at it from that perspective and because the titles themselves don't hold any inherent value all within themselves in that I need to have a title in order to get up the next day. That's just not how I'm wired. I can come to the place of putting together goals a little bit differently than someone who really thinks that having the titles is really, really, really important. And it's not to say that either approach is wrong. It's not. What I'm hoping to do in this podcast is just outline some of the ways that all of us can at least do a better job of our designing our goals so that they can actually be obtained. I have actually done the whole thing of saying, "Oh, well I would like to achieve this title by this date." This has never worked for me. Now, the argument could be made that maybe that's just because I don't have a good approach, maybe it's because I'm competitive enough. Who knows? My guess is going to be that for me personally, and this is probably true for a lot of people is that that goal didn't provide me with a whole lot of information. It was just a date on a calendar that seemed to get closer and closer way too quickly 'til all of a sudden, we were there and there was no way that we were gonna be prepared in order to obtain that goal, in order to do well in whatever sport it may be. Whether it be rally, obedience, barn hunt or scent work. So, what I want do in this podcast is to outline some of the things that I've found to have been successful as far as helping me really design some good goals that can be obtained through training and practice that are all pointing towards ultimately ending up at that title. So, the way that this would work is you, of course, will have a big goal. And the big goal can absolutely be the title. So, for instance, in scent work, one of the goals that I would have for 2019 is that we do go back to trialing. That would be goal number one. And goal number two would be that for one of the competition organizations, which is NACSW, that we would obtain our NW2 title, which is the level two title. So, that is a big goal. But from that, what I need to do is I need to figure out well, why are we obtaining that right now? What is missing? What is missing training-wise? What is missing skill-wise? Why is it that we don't have that already? What is it that we need to do as a team, both on the dog training side and on my skill side together, what is it that we need in order to obtain that title? And this is where I think designing some very specific goals will help, so for instance, for NW2, you're gonna be dealing with more distractors within the search area, so we would need to have a very specific exercise set up where we are working on those kinds of things where now there are distractors within the search area itself. So, then we have a general premise, but now you need to break that down into smaller goals. An example of that would be I would like my dog to work a container search where there is two distractors out within the container search and he successfully finds the hide without hitting on the distractors. Perfect. And then from there, you can start making it a little bit harder. There's going to be five distractors out and there's only going to be one hide. He successfully finds the hide. He does that, great. That goal is checked off. Then, we wanna do it within a time limit, then we wanna do it when he's both on leash and off leash. Then, we wanna do it where the hide is actually blind to me where I don't know where it is. So, I hope you can see that even with this very simple example, that's starting with the big goal of we would like to obtain our NW2, you can then from that, figure out what your actual actionable goals would be. And then, from there, you can make it even more specific where you can actually come up with a game plan of how it is that you're going to be developing your training program so that you can obtain those skills. And the key here is that it shouldn't just be focusing on the dog. Nine times out of 10, with dog sports, it's a team effort. It involves both the dog and the handler. You both have to be showing up and doing well. You have to have good skills. So, you want to make certain that you're focusing on both. You're not putting all of your emphasis on the dog and you're just kinda sitting at the sidelines saying, "Eh, well we'll figure it out." You wanna make certain you're working on both of you. So, to take another dog sport as an example, one of the things that I would like to do this year is to get more involved in our rally and our competition obedience trialing and a lot of that's gonna depend on my body, whether or not it decides to cooperate or not. But instead of just falling back on that excuse, so saying, "Well, there's a really good chance that my body isn't going to cooperate, so we're just not even gonna try." This year, I'm actually going to put a training plan in place where we are going to at least training wise be prepared to go into certain trials. Whether or not we actually make it on trial day is an entirely different question. That all depends on what my body says that day, but it's no longer going to be an excuse of saying, "Well, you know, we don't need to perfect this stuff, because I probably won't be able to do it anyway." Just recognizing that if this is an important goal that we have to work on it and it's going to require work. I'm going to have to make certain that I have a certain period of time of practicing these specific skills that I am videotaping my practice sessions, that I'm seeing where things could be improved, where it is that there are weaknesses either within the training itself or even with my own handling. What am I doing with my body? So, particularly with rally or a competition obedience, one of the things that I tend to do when I'm heeling, is I'll tend to look over my shoulder down at my dog. And what that does, it pushes him back, because I'm looking backwards. The other thing I've had an issue with is having a very good rhythm when I walk and that can make things very difficult for the dog, because they're constantly flowing between a fast walk and a pace and a trot whereas if you can just find a really good rhythm, it makes things a lot easier for them. So, what I would need to do, because we would like to go forward and actually compete in both rally and competition obedience is I need to do two different things: I need to work on my dog skills, so that he understands the various things that he would need to do both at the entry level of that dog sport as well as a level ahead of it, because you never wanna just prepare for the bare minimum. You don't wanna go in there just by the skin of your teeth. You want to be able to go into that trial knowing that your dog could actually enter the level above and do well. That way, it's easy peasy. So, I need to work on those things with him. A lot of it's just cleaning it up and finessing stuff. But a lot of it's gonna be on me, that I need to make sure that my handling skills are up to par, that I'm doing my piece. So, those are the kinds of things that all of us can do where if you have said to yourself, "I want to obtain this title in 2019," that's great, that's fine, but what is it you're actually going to do to obtain that title? And then be really brutally honest about it. Where are you right now? Where will you and your dog be able to go within a reasonable period of time? And it very well may be that you may not be able to obtain that goal within that time frame and that's okay. That's one of the big things that I think a lot of us put way too much pressure on ourselves and our dogs, because we're worried about the calendar and a lot of the calendar stuff is because we're worried about other people. So, we're thinking about what other people would think about us, whether it be our dog's breeder, whether it be our friends, our colleagues, whatever. None of that matters. You wanna make certain that you're doing this in a way that both you and your dog can be successful, you're not biting off more than you can chew and you're designing goals that are actually obtainable. So an example of an unobtainable goal would be if you had just purchased a 12-week-old puppy from a breeder and you wanted to obtain your OTCH or your MACH within that year. That's not going to happen. Now, are there people who have done a MACH in a year? There are. It's really very rare and it's not a really good idea. You're not gonna be able to get your OTCH in a year. It's just not gonna happen. It doesn't mean that you and your dog are bad. It just means that it's gonna take more time to develop those skills. So, make certain that you're being realistic with your goals. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by asking what would take normally two, three, four years of skill building to be jammed all into one for no other reason than to say that you did it in that time frame. You're just gonna drive yourself crazy, you're gonna make it so that your dog hates whatever activity that you're doing and it's probably not gonna work out for the best. Just be realistic with these sorts of things. Design goals with the undercurrent that you're going to enjoy this. The one thing about dog sports is that this entirely elective. You don't have to do any of this. It's supposed to be fun, even for people who do this for a living. They enjoy doing it, even if this is what they do in order to pay the bills. They still like the sport. They still enjoy it. Don't design goals that are basically guaranteed to make you miserable at the end of the day, because they're so incredibly difficult. And that also doesn't mean that your goals should be really gimme, like, "Oh, I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna feed my dog a treat today. Oh, I did my goal." You know, there has to be a balance. But make certain that it's being realistic, you're keeping in mind all the various things that are gonna go into obtaining that goal and then it's not just such a broad thing such as, "I'm going to obtain this title by this date." That's not going to help you. You need to be able to break that down into very specific skill sets that both you and your dog are gonna have to work on and ideally when you're designing your goal, you have an idea of how it is that you can then obtain that goal and you may even wanna break it up into smaller steps. The more short-term goals you can set, the better it is. Because that way, it feels as if you're making progression. If you only have giant goals, it's never going to feel as though you're getting there. It's gonna be like three months down the line, you're gonna be like, "I'm nowhere even close to where I wanna be right now." But if you actually break that up into smaller pieces, you can keep track of it whichever way works best for you, on a piece of paper, on your smartphone, however. But just jotting it down, we've done this, we've done that, we've done the other thing. You know what, we're making pretty darn good progress. But by also keeping track of it, you can see when you're back sliding. You can see when you're not on track. You can see when you veered off the path completely and you ended up in Osh Gosh Land. So, the whole premise behind this is with the start of a new year, a lot of us are gonna start making goals and we're gonna be saying how we would like to do this, that, and the other thing. And there's nothing wrong with that. All I'm suggesting is that we be a little bit more mindful of it, particularly when we're interested in competing. It's great that people do a reset and that people have nice, fresh eyes in the new year and there are things that they would like to try and do with their dog. Maximize on that positivity and this is coming from someone who is a lifelong pessimist, but maximize on the fact that you do feel this sense of revival. Maximize on the fact that you are excited to try these new things. That you are excited to try to obtain these different goals. But set yourself and your dog up to succeed by breaking those up into smaller pieces, so that you can actually obtain them. So, I hope you found this podcast helpful. Thank you so much for listening. Happy training and we look forward to seeing you soon.

With the start of a new year, many of us will begin creating trialing goals, such as our desire to obtain a certain title by a certain date. In this podcast, we discuss the benefit of designing smaller, obtainable goals that are laser focused on building specific skills for both you and your dog, and how these smaller goals will ultimately help you achieve the "big" goal of earning your desired title. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be! PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the All About Dogs Sports &amp; Training Podcast. In this podcast, we talk about all things dog sports as well as all things dog training. We'll provide you a behind-the-scenes look at what your instructor may be going through, what your trial officials may be going through, provide you some training tips and much more. In this episode, we're gonna be talking about how in a new year, we can start designing some trial end goals and how we have to make certain that those are ideal goals and that we're not setting ourselves up and our dogs up for failure. Before we start diving into the podcast, I'm just going to do a very quick introduction to myself. My name is Dianna Santos. I'm the Owner and Lead Instructor for both Dog Sport University and Scent Work University. Dog Sports University is an online dog training platform where we provide online courses, webinars and seminars covering such topics as dog sports, such as agility, competition obedience, treibball and tricks as well as good manners courses such as our Family Dog Program, our Perfect Puppies Program, Canine Good Citizen Prep, Real Life Skills, Shaping Behavior and much more. In addition to being a professional dog trainer, I'm also an approved trial official and have actually worked with a competition organization. So, now you know a little bit about me, let's dive into the podcast. So, at the start of the new year, it's very common for all of us to start designing some goals, some resolutions, things that we would like to do. And when we're involved in dog sports, one of the most common things that people do is that they will start designing some trial end goals, some things that they want to achieve in that given year in regard to dog sports if they happen to compete. And that may be that they're going to start competing or that if they are competing, they want to obtain a certain goal as far as a certain title. What I'd like to do in this podcast is to really nail down what I would claim would be a better way of designing those goals, so that you can actually achieve them in training and so that you're not setting your dog and yourself up for failure. Because sometimes when we put out a goal post, it's just so incredibly vague such as, "I want to obtain that title," it can be a little difficult in order to put together a plan to actually achieve that goal. So, in this podcast, we just wanna talk about some of the better ways that you may be able to design your new year goals, so that you can maybe ultimately obtain that title, but you're actually working towards very specific goal points instead. I'm going preface this by saying I personally have a love-hate relationship with competition. I personally can take or leave dog sports a lot of the time as far as the competing piece. I really enjoy the activities, I enjoy the training part of it. And there are times when I really enjoy trialing and there are other times where I find it really super stressful. And a lot of that just has to do with the fact that I get stuck in my own head a lot of the time. My dog is brilliant. If he had a better handler, he would have a lot of letters behind his name. By coming at it from that perspective and because the titles themselves don't hold any inherent value all within themselves in that I need to have a title in order to get up the next day. That's just not how I'm wired. I can come to the place of putting together goals a little bit differently than someone who really thinks that having the titles is really, really, really important. And it's not to say that either approach is wrong. It's not. What I'm hoping to do in this podcast is just outline some of the ways that all of us can at least do a better job of our designing our goals so that they can actually be obtained. I have actually done the whole thing of saying, "Oh, well I would like to achieve this title by this date." This has never worked for me. Now, the argument could be made that maybe that's just because I don't have a good approach, maybe it's because I'm competitive enough. Who knows? My guess is going to be that for me personally, and this is probably true for a lot of people is that that goal didn't provide me with a whole lot of information. It was just a date on a calendar that seemed to get closer and closer way too quickly 'til all of a sudden, we were there and there was no way that we were gonna be prepared in order to obtain that goal, in order to do well in whatever sport it may be. Whether it be rally, obedience, barn hunt or scent work. So, what I want do in this podcast is to outline some of the things that I've found to have been successful as far as helping me really design some good goals that can be obtained through training and practice that are all pointing towards ultimately ending up at that title. So, the way that this would work is you, of course, will have a big goal. And the big goal can absolutely be the title. So, for instance, in scent work, one of the goals that I would have for 2019 is that we do go back to trialing. That would be goal number one. And goal number two would be that for one of the competition organizations, which is NACSW, that we would obtain our NW2 title, which is the level two title. So, that is a big goal. But from that, what I need to do is I need to figure out well, why are we obtaining that right now? What is missing? What is missing training-wise? What is missing skill-wise? Why is it that we don't have that already? What is it that we need to do as a team, both on the dog training side and on my skill side together, what is it that we need in order to obtain that title? And this is where I think designing some very specific goals will help, so for instance, for NW2, you're gonna be dealing with more distractors within the search area, so we would need to have a very specific exercise set up where we are working on those kinds of things where now there are distractors within the search area itself. So, then we have a general premise, but now you need to break that down into smaller goals. An example of that would be I would like my dog to work a container search where there is two distractors out within the container search and he successfully finds the hide without hitting on the distractors. Perfect. And then from there, you can start making it a little bit harder. There's going to be five distractors out and there's only going to be one hide. He successfully finds the hide. He does that, great. That goal is checked off. Then, we wanna do it within a time limit, then we wanna do it when he's both on leash and off leash. Then, we wanna do it where the hide is actually blind to me where I don't know where it is. So, I hope you can see that even with this very simple example, that's starting with the big goal of we would like to obtain our NW2, you can then from that, figure out what your actual actionable goals would be. And then, from there, you can make it even more specific where you can actually come up with a game plan of how it is that you're going to be developing your training program so that you can obtain those skills. And the key here is that it shouldn't just be focusing on the dog. Nine times out of 10, with dog sports, it's a team effort. It involves both the dog and the handler. You both have to be showing up and doing well. You have to have good skills. So, you want to make certain that you're focusing on both. You're not putting all of your emphasis on the dog and you're just kinda sitting at the sidelines saying, "Eh, well we'll figure it out." You wanna make certain you're working on both of you. So, to take another dog sport as an example, one of the things that I would like to do this year is to get more involved in our rally and our competition obedience trialing and a lot of that's gonna depend on my body, whether or not it decides to cooperate or not. But instead of just falling back on that excuse, so saying, "Well, there's a really good chance that my body isn't going to cooperate, so we're just not even gonna try." This year, I'm actually going to put a training plan in place where we are going to at least training wise be prepared to go into certain trials. Whether or not we actually make it on trial day is an entirely different question. That all depends on what my body says that day, but it's no longer going to be an excuse of saying, "Well, you know, we don't need to perfect this stuff, because I probably won't be able to do it anyway." Just recognizing that if this is an important goal that we have to work on it and it's going to require work. I'm going to have to make certain that I have a certain period of time of practicing these specific skills that I am videotaping my practice sessions, that I'm seeing where things could be improved, where it is that there are weaknesses either within the training itself or even with my own handling. What am I doing with my body? So, particularly with rally or a competition obedience, one of the things that I tend to do when I'm heeling, is I'll tend to look over my shoulder down at my dog. And what that does, it pushes him back, because I'm looking backwards. The other thing I've had an issue with is having a very good rhythm when I walk and that can make things very difficult for the dog, because they're constantly flowing between a fast walk and a pace and a trot whereas if you can just find a really good rhythm, it makes things a lot easier for them. So, what I would need to do, because we would like to go forward and actually compete in both rally and competition obedience is I need to do two different things: I need to work on my dog skills, so that he understands the various things that he would need to do both at the entry level of that dog sport as well as a level ahead of it, because you never wanna just prepare for the bare minimum. You don't wanna go in there just by the skin of your teeth. You want to be able to go into that trial knowing that your dog could actually enter the level above and do well. That way, it's easy peasy. So, I need to work on those things with him. A lot of it's just cleaning it up and finessing stuff. But a lot of it's gonna be on me, that I need to make sure that my handling skills are up to par, that I'm doing my piece. So, those are the kinds of things that all of us can do where if you have said to yourself, "I want to obtain this title in 2019," that's great, that's fine, but what is it you're actually going to do to obtain that title? And then be really brutally honest about it. Where are you right now? Where will you and your dog be able to go within a reasonable period of time? And it very well may be that you may not be able to obtain that goal within that time frame and that's okay. That's one of the big things that I think a lot of us put way too much pressure on ourselves and our dogs, because we're worried about the calendar and a lot of the calendar stuff is because we're worried about other people. So, we're thinking about what other people would think about us, whether it be our dog's breeder, whether it be our friends, our colleagues, whatever. None of that matters. You wanna make certain that you're doing this in a way that both you and your dog can be successful, you're not biting off more than you can chew and you're designing goals that are actually obtainable. So an example of an unobtainable goal would be if you had just purchased a 12-week-old puppy from a breeder and you wanted to obtain your OTCH or your MACH within that year. That's not going to happen. Now, are there people who have done a MACH in a year? There are. It's really very rare and it's not a really good idea. You're not gonna be able to get your OTCH in a year. It's just not gonna happen. It doesn't mean that you and your dog are bad. It just means that it's gonna take more time to develop those skills. So, make certain that you're being realistic with your goals. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by asking what would take normally two, three, four years of skill building to be jammed all into one for no other reason than to say that you did it in that time frame. You're just gonna drive yourself crazy, you're gonna make it so that your dog hates whatever activity that you're doing and it's probably not gonna work out for the best. Just be realistic with these sorts of things. Design goals with the undercurrent that you're going to enjoy this. The one thing about dog sports is that this entirely elective. You don't have to do any of this. It's supposed to be fun, even for people who do this for a living. They enjoy doing it, even if this is what they do in order to pay the bills. They still like the sport. They still enjoy it. Don't design goals that are basically guaranteed to make you miserable at the end of the day, because they're so incredibly difficult. And that also doesn't mean that your goals should be really gimme, like, "Oh, I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna feed my dog a treat today. Oh, I did my goal." You know, there has to be a balance. But make certain that it's being realistic, you're keeping in mind all the various things that are gonna go into obtaining that goal and then it's not just such a broad thing such as, "I'm going to obtain this title by this date." That's not going to help you. You need to be able to break that down into very specific skill sets that both you and your dog are gonna have to work on and ideally when you're designing your goal, you have an idea of how it is that you can then obtain that goal and you may even wanna break it up into smaller steps. The more short-term goals you can set, the better it is. Because that way, it feels as if you're making progression. If you only have giant goals, it's never going to feel as though you're getting there. It's gonna be like three months down the line, you're gonna be like, "I'm nowhere even close to where I wanna be right now." But if you actually break that up into smaller pieces, you can keep track of it whichever way works best for you, on a piece of paper, on your smartphone, however. But just jotting it down, we've done this, we've done that, we've done the other thing. You know what, we're making pretty darn good progress. But by also keeping track of it, you can see when you're back sliding. You can see when you're not on track. You can see when you veered off the path completely and you ended up in Osh Gosh Land. So, the whole premise behind this is with the start of a new year, a lot of us are gonna start making goals and we're gonna be saying how we would like to do this, that, and the other thing. And there's nothing wrong with that. All I'm suggesting is that we be a little bit more mindful of it, particularly when we're interested in competing. It's great that people do a reset and that people have nice, fresh eyes in the new year and there are things that they would like to try and do with their dog. Maximize on that positivity and this is coming from someone who is a lifelong pessimist, but maximize on the fact that you do feel this sense of revival. Maximize on the fact that you are excited to try these new things. That you are excited to try to obtain these different goals. But set yourself and your dog up to succeed by breaking those up into smaller pieces, so that you can actually obtain them. So, I hope you found this podcast helpful. Thank you so much for listening. Happy training and we look forward to seeing you soon.

New Year, New Trialing Goals

Trainer. Instructor. What's the Difference?

Discuss all things dog sports and dog training related! #allaboutdogsportspodcast #dogsportu #dogsportuniversity

Here is a shocker for you: dog training is a rather polarized activity. It is common for everyone to retreat to their respective camps, defensive, backs up, lips curled back with their teeth showing. In my opinion, this is the wrong way to go about things. Do I have preferences on how I will train my dog and my client's dogs? Yes. Are there certain techniques and tools I simply will not use in my training program? Yes. Does that mean the people who use those techniques or tools are inherently evil and incapable of having any value in their overall knowledge about dogs or dog training? No. In this podcast we will discuss how, as your dog's advocate, you owe it to them to always have an open mind, so you will be able to pick out the diamonds among the poop piles. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our website and look over our Dog Sport Online Courses. You may also be interested in our informative webinars as well as the Dog Sport University blog.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, Scent Work University where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out Family Dog University where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be! PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the All About Dog Training and Dog Sports Podcast. In this podcast, we'll be talking about all things dog training. We'll also be giving you a behind the scenes look as far as what your instructor may be going through, a variety of dog training tips, how you can succeed in various dog sports, and much more. In this episode, we'll be talking about finding diamonds in poop piles. Now, I don't mean this literally, but rather we'll be discussing how it is that we can go about approaching dog training in a way that we are not discounting valuable information, and that valuable information could actually be hiding in some pretty obscure places. Before we get started in the podcast, let me just do a very quick introduction for myself. My name is Dianna Santos. I'm the owner and lead instructor for Dog Sport University. Dog Sport University is an online dog training platform where we cover everything from good manners training to helping you succeed within a variety of dog sports. We provide online courses, webinars, and seminars. So, we urge you to check that out if you do have any dog training needs. But without any further ado, let's get started in the podcast. The whole purpose behind this podcast episode is to talk about finding diamonds in poop piles, and no, I don't want you running out and actually going through all of your dog's poop piles to see whether or not there's a diamond in there and you could retire. This is a metaphor. So, the one thing that I'm hoping that we can achieve with this podcast is an understanding that knowledge is knowledge. It can always help us regardless of where it may have come from. One of the themes that I'm noticing within the dog training community as a whole is that we can be very cliquey and we can also blind ourselves to potentially good information simply because of who is saying that information. So, there's a couple of topics within this general idea that I'd like to cover. The first is the fact that it would be helpful for anyone involved in dog training, whether they be handler, a dog owner, a competitor, or an instructor, or a trainer, to just be open-minded, and that someone may have a completely different approach to training than you do, but they may also have something valuable within their bag of tricks that will be valuable for both you and your dog. It could even just simply be looking at things through a different lens. Or you may discount everything else that they do, but that one thing, that one different perspective, may be able to help you and your dog. It's also taking away some of the portrayal that we are all displaying all too often in our conversations about other types of training. So, for me, personally, I am a proud member of Karen Pryor Academy. I'm a Karen Pryor-approved instructor. I use positive reinforcement training and I adore clicker training, but that doesn't mean that if someone is a balanced trainer or if someone uses corrections that by default, I think that they're evil. I don't. I simply disagree with how it is they go about training. That also doesn't mean that if those people are doing those things, that there is absolutely nothing that I couldn't learn from them. There very well could be. There could be things that they're doing intertwined within their approach that could actually be valuable, not that I'm suddenly going to start using corrections. I'm not. But there could be something of value in there. But I'm also going to be valuing them as a fellow dog lover. Just because someone uses corrections doesn't mean they don't love dogs. They just have a different approach than I do, and that's okay. And for anyone else who is a positive reinforcement trainer, just a word from someone within your community, make sure you're not looking down on anyone else, and this is very hard to do because, quite frankly, positive reinforcement training is still on the newer side. It's been a revolution within the dog training community, but it hasn't been around that long in the grand scheme of things, so there are a lot of people who are making a transition into positive reinforcement training, and that can be a very painful process for that person because they're almost shamed during the process. "Oh, well, you finally saw the light. What took you so long?" That's terrible. I would never wanna talk to someone who talks to me like that. That's not helpful in any way, shape, or form. So, we all can do better, and the same applies for those who are balanced trainers or are using corrections who say, "Ah, those stupid cookie feeders," and, "Oh, they do their little click, click, click, and ... What's next? They're just going to throw some essential oils on the dog and we're all gonna sing Kumbaya and everything's gonna be great?" There's, again, a level of just venom of how people talk about each other that just isn't helpful at all 'cause at the end of the day, I'm pretty sure everyone just wants their dogs to be better behaved, so that we can all have a better life co-existing with these little aliens who share our homes with us. That's the whole point of all this stuff. So, if we can bring the temperature down a little bit as far as how we talk about one another and we start seeing each other as dog lovers first who just simply disagree on how you can get to the same point, then that's a much better approach than what, typically, is happening out in the community right now. The other thing to be mindful of is the fact that there are many different ways to achieve the same goal in dog training, even within the same method of training. So, what I mean by that is, for myself, I use positive reinforcement, I use reward-based training, I use clicker training. If I'm trying to train a dog how to sit, there's multiple ways that I can do that, even under that umbrella. There is no 100,000% way, everyone must do it this way, and there's no other way that you can do it. Of course not. That's not the way that dog training works because every single dog is different. Teaching a standard poodle how to sit may not be an issue. Teaching a greyhound who's off the racetrack how to sit could take you a little bit more time. You have to be mindful of those things and be careful not to think that your way is the only way. Always be open-minded. Someone may have a suggestion for you. It could even just simply be something easy that you do with your body as far as how you hold yourself, maybe with where you look, maybe with where you step, maybe if you're using treats, where you hold the treat, when you deliver the treat. There's all these little intricacies that if you have an open-minded and an open approach to training, if you go to a lot of seminars, if you watch a lot of videos, if you talk with other professionals, even as colleagues, you can pick things up. Always be learning. Don't ever think, "Oh, I know how to do that. I don't ever need to know about that ever again." The second that you do that, that's the second that you're basically turning your back on you being a better professional or a better trainer, and I'm not just speaking to professionals. I'm speaking, also, to dog owners. The second that you think you know everything, your dogs have a very good way of humbling you, so make certain that you are figuring out ways that can help you and your dog be successful. The other big thing that I really want to ensure that we understand, hopefully, by the end of this podcast is that simply because you do not agree with someone, even within your camp of training ... So, let's say that you are talking with another positive reinforcement trainer and you are also a positive reinforcement trainer, but you start talking about training a particular behavior, and you simply have a disagreement on how you can do that, you both have completely different approaches, doesn't mean that either of them is better than the other, they're just different. That doesn't mean that that person is now somehow lesser than you are or that you are lesser than they are. It's just, simply, different. Instead, honestly listen to the person as they're giving what their approach would be and see how that may be able to apply to either your personal dog or your clients or your future students. Is this an approach that maybe you could have in your back pocket and take out if your normal go-to approach doesn't work? Again, the more tools you have in your toolbox, the better, but you're only gonna be able to develop those tools if you can learn them, and the best way of learning them is from other people. The other thing I really wanna nail down this podcast is a need for everyone to really understand that just because you disagree with someone, even if it's something as touchy as training methodology, so positive reinforcement versus balanced training as an example, just because you disagree with them doesn't mean that you have to hate them. Those are two completely different things. Again, just because someone wants to train differently than you doesn't make them inherently evil, it doesn't make them inherently hate dogs or want to hurt dogs or want to do terrible things to the owners or steal the owner's money or waste their time or whatever other outlandish thing that people may think. That's not the case. They simply train differently than you do. Nothing more, nothing less. On the flip side of that, if you happen to agree with someone 'cause they do the same type of training that you do or they would approach a problem the same way that you do, that doesn't mean that you have to love or idolize them. Be very, very careful about idolizing anyone. This can be almost more detrimental than if you despise someone because if you idolize someone, then you're basically going to be looking at everything that they do through these rosy glasses where, in reality, maybe there are things that they do that don't make sense or they wouldn't apply well to you or your dog, but then you're trying to emulate what you see, and lo and behold, it doesn't work. So, you have to be careful with both of these extremes. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean that they're the devil incarnate, and just because you agree with someone doesn't mean that they're a saint. We have to be realistic about these things, and the dog world is a very passionate one, and we're all very passionate about dog training, and that doesn't mean that I want you to be less passionate, I just want you to be rational in your passion and see these people as for who they are. They are people. Take everything with a grain of salt. Just because someone has a lot of accolades and a lot of achievements, whether it be certifications with different organizations for training, whether it be titles and ribbons if they're doing dog sports, that doesn't mean that's going to translate into them being a good teacher. So, a better way of thinking about it is this. If you have someone who is an instructor, my opinion of an instructor is someone who can actually take knowledge they have and then teach it to a handler who can then train it to their dog. That's really hard. You then have a trainer, which, again, from my definition is someone who primarily is working directly with dogs, so they can take the knowledge that they have on how they can manipulate behavior and they can train the dog. You then have people who are competitors or trainer competitors, who are working, primarily, with their own personal dogs, so they're campaigning out with a variety of different dog sports and things, so they have the knowledge of how they can manipulate the behavior of their own individual dog. So, from these three different categories, those are three completely different skill-sets. Can I, for the trainer competitor, can I actually communicate to my own personal dogs, so we can achieve our goals? For the trainer who's working with other people's dogs, can I take my knowledge and then relay that to these dogs that I may or may not know. And then for the instructor, can I take the knowledge that I have, translate it into human terms, so another human being can understand it enough to train their dog? Those are all really super complicated, and quite honestly, there's very few people who have all three all bundled up into one. For instance, there are people who are excellent trainer competitors, meaning that they have achieved the highest accolades within their given sport. They're amazing. They and their dogs are an incredible team. At the same point, they would never in a million years be able to translate that to anyone else. They wouldn't be able to share that knowledge in a helpful way to someone else. There's also some times where you may be able to have all the accolades and titles in the world, but if somewhere else were to watch that team work, go like, "I can't learn anything from you. That handling is not very helpful. Nothing you're doing is helpful to anyone else but you." and there's nothing wrong with that. But we have to be mindful of these things. So, as consumers, even if you are a professional trainer, even if you are a professional instructor, if you are taking any classes, seminars, webinars, whatever else with anybody, be mindful of who it is. Know what they're saying and see what is valuable and then leave behind the rest, and that's okay. That doesn't mean the person giving the information is bad and that doesn't mean that you're not loyal enough 'cause you're not taking it hook, line, and sinker. Just look at things through a critical lens. What is valuable to you and what isn't? The big thing that I'm hoping that everyone can walk away from this podcast understanding is that there really is an art to all this dog training business. I say it a lot in my classes for both Dog Sport University and Scent Work University, but it's true. You have to be an artist when it comes to training dogs, but it also applies to how you understand dog training and how you're able to internalize that, really understand it, and then apply it to whatever dog is in front of you, and if you're an instructor, to another human being, who can then translate it to their dog. This is hard stuff. This isn't easy. So, we have to learn how to take in information so that it's helpful to us and it's useful and then how we can customize it so that it's even more helpful in the end, and that can be really challenging because there's all these other things that are attached to it. There are personalities, there are allegiances, there are groups, and cliques, and all kinds of stuff. Try to ignore all that stuff. Even if there's someone who you vehemently disagree with 99.9% of the things that they do, there may be that 1% of things that either they do, they talk about, or concepts that they at least bring to light that could be extraordinarily beneficial. Use those to your advantage. That will help you in the end. I hope that these concepts make sense. The big thing is that the way that, in my opinion, we should be approaching dog training is how it is that we can get the most information that we can so that we can better help our dogs. For me, personally, I learn a lot about what not to do in a situation. So, even if there is someone that I don't agree with as far as how they train, I'm not looking only for what I could do in a given situation, I'm also gonna be looking for what not to do. That's still just information. It's still learning. So, having an open mind and approaching this without all the emotion attached to it, that you are simply just learning, that you are trying to be the best trainer that you can be to help either your own personal dog or to help your clients. It takes some of the pressure off to join into these camps, and the more that we can get away from that really negative association of the other, "You don't do it the way that I do it; therefore, you are bad," the better it would be for our community. It can be challenging, particularly if people vehemently disagree on things, but if you can just remind yourself that the person on the other side of that topic or that stance more likely than not also loves their dog, you can still see them as a fellow dog lover, and it can help prevent a lot of issues down the line, and particularly if you are in your own journey of training. If you have more of an open mind, you will be more open-minded to other ways of training, of other ways of achieving that goal, but if you're very steadfast in how you approach things, you may actually be limiting yourself as far as any potential options or solutions that are out there for both you and your dog, which could cause issues down the line. So, again, the whole point of this podcast is to just try to remind everyone that we're all dog lovers. At the end of the day, we are just trying to figure out the best way to live with a completely separate species within our homes and to maybe do some other fun things that are dog sport specific and how it is we can achieve our goals, whether it simply be just living at home peacefully without us pulling our hair out or it's achieving the highest title and accolade, and again, in dog sport. But we're all in this, typically, for the same reason, that we love dogs, and if we could look at one another in that lens, it can really help. So, I hope this podcast was helpful. Happy training. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Here is a shocker for you: dog training is a rather polarized activity. It is common for everyone to retreat to their respective camps, defensive, backs up, lips curled back with their teeth showing. In my opinion, this is the wrong way to go about things. Do I have preferences on how I will train my dog and my client's dogs? Yes. Are there certain techniques and tools I simply will not use in my training program? Yes. Does that mean the people who use those techniques or tools are inherently evil and incapable of having any value in their overall knowledge about dogs or dog training? No. In this podcast we will discuss how, as your dog's advocate, you owe it to them to always have an open mind, so you will be able to pick out the diamonds among the poop piles. ----more---- Want to learn more about Dog Sport University? Check out our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> and look over our <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport Online Courses</a>. You may also be interested in our informative <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/online-webinars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">webinars</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.dogsportu.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dog Sport University blog</a>.  Have you heard about Scent Work and want to delve deeper into that activity? Perfect, we have just the thing! Check out our sister online dog training platform, <a href="https://www.scentworku.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scent Work University</a> where you will find courses and webinars suited for both those dog owners who simply want to have fun, and those who are seriously competing with their dogs. Maybe you're looking to help your puppy or dog in the manners department. Then your need to check out <a href="https://www.familydogu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Dog University</a> where we provide a variety of programs to help your dog be the best canine family companion they can be! PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the All About Dog Training and Dog Sports Podcast. In this podcast, we'll be talking about all things dog training. We'll also be giving you a behind the scenes look as far as what your instructor may be going through, a variety of dog training tips, how you can succeed in various dog sports, and much more. In this episode, we'll be talking about finding diamonds in poop piles. Now, I don't mean this literally, but rather we'll be discussing how it is that we can go about approaching dog training in a way that we are not discounting valuable information, and that valuable information could actually be hiding in some pretty obscure places. Before we get started in the podcast, let me just do a very quick introduction for myself. My name is Dianna Santos. I'm the owner and lead instructor for Dog Sport University. Dog Sport University is an online dog training platform where we cover everything from good manners training to helping you succeed within a variety of dog sports. We provide online courses, webinars, and seminars. So, we urge you to check that out if you do have any dog training needs. But without any further ado, let's get started in the podcast. The whole purpose behind this podcast episode is to talk about finding diamonds in poop piles, and no, I don't want you running out and actually going through all of your dog's poop piles to see whether or not there's a diamond in there and you could retire. This is a metaphor. So, the one thing that I'm hoping that we can achieve with this podcast is an understanding that knowledge is knowledge. It can always help us regardless of where it may have come from. One of the themes that I'm noticing within the dog training community as a whole is that we can be very cliquey and we can also blind ourselves to potentially good information simply because of who is saying that information. So, there's a couple of topics within this general idea that I'd like to cover. The first is the fact that it would be helpful for anyone involved in dog training, whether they be handler, a dog owner, a competitor, or an instructor, or a trainer, to just be open-minded, and that someone may have a completely different approach to training than you do, but they may also have something valuable within their bag of tricks that will be valuable for both you and your dog. It could even just simply be looking at things through a different lens. Or you may discount everything else that they do, but that one thing, that one different perspective, may be able to help you and your dog. It's also taking away some of the portrayal that we are all displaying all too often in our conversations about other types of training. So, for me, personally, I am a proud member of Karen Pryor Academy. I'm a Karen Pryor-approved instructor. I use positive reinforcement training and I adore clicker training, but that doesn't mean that if someone is a balanced trainer or if someone uses corrections that by default, I think that they're evil. I don't. I simply disagree with how it is they go about training. That also doesn't mean that if those people are doing those things, that there is absolutely nothing that I couldn't learn from them. There very well could be. There could be things that they're doing intertwined within their approach that could actually be valuable, not that I'm suddenly going to start using corrections. I'm not. But there could be something of value in there. But I'm also going to be valuing them as a fellow dog lover. Just because someone uses corrections doesn't mean they don't love dogs. They just have a different approach than I do, and that's okay. And for anyone else who is a positive reinforcement trainer, just a word from someone within your community, make sure you're not looking down on anyone else, and this is very hard to do because, quite frankly, positive reinforcement training is still on the newer side. It's been a revolution within the dog training community, but it hasn't been around that long in the grand scheme of things, so there are a lot of people who are making a transition into positive reinforcement training, and that can be a very painful process for that person because they're almost shamed during the process. "Oh, well, you finally saw the light. What took you so long?" That's terrible. I would never wanna talk to someone who talks to me like that. That's not helpful in any way, shape, or form. So, we all can do better, and the same applies for those who are balanced trainers or are using corrections who say, "Ah, those stupid cookie feeders," and, "Oh, they do their little click, click, click, and ... What's next? They're just going to throw some essential oils on the dog and we're all gonna sing Kumbaya and everything's gonna be great?" There's, again, a level of just venom of how people talk about each other that just isn't helpful at all 'cause at the end of the day, I'm pretty sure everyone just wants their dogs to be better behaved, so that we can all have a better life co-existing with these little aliens who share our homes with us. That's the whole point of all this stuff. So, if we can bring the temperature down a little bit as far as how we talk about one another and we start seeing each other as dog lovers first who just simply disagree on how you can get to the same point, then that's a much better approach than what, typically, is happening out in the community right now. The other thing to be mindful of is the fact that there are many different ways to achieve the same goal in dog training, even within the same method of training. So, what I mean by that is, for myself, I use positive reinforcement, I use reward-based training, I use clicker training. If I'm trying to train a dog how to sit, there's multiple ways that I can do that, even under that umbrella. There is no 100,000% way, everyone must do it this way, and there's no other way that you can do it. Of course not. That's not the way that dog training works because every single dog is different. Teaching a standard poodle how to sit may not be an issue. Teaching a greyhound who's off the racetrack how to sit could take you a little bit more time. You have to be mindful of those things and be careful not to think that your way is the only way. Always be open-minded. Someone may have a suggestion for you. It could even just simply be something easy that you do with your body as far as how you hold yourself, maybe with where you look, maybe with where you step, maybe if you're using treats, where you hold the treat, when you deliver the treat. There's all these little intricacies that if you have an open-minded and an open approach to training, if you go to a lot of seminars, if you watch a lot of videos, if you talk with other professionals, even as colleagues, you can pick things up. Always be learning. Don't ever think, "Oh, I know how to do that. I don't ever need to know about that ever again." The second that you do that, that's the second that you're basically turning your back on you being a better professional or a better trainer, and I'm not just speaking to professionals. I'm speaking, also, to dog owners. The second that you think you know everything, your dogs have a very good way of humbling you, so make certain that you are figuring out ways that can help you and your dog be successful. The other big thing that I really want to ensure that we understand, hopefully, by the end of this podcast is that simply because you do not agree with someone, even within your camp of training ... So, let's say that you are talking with another positive reinforcement trainer and you are also a positive reinforcement trainer, but you start talking about training a particular behavior, and you simply have a disagreement on how you can do that, you both have completely different approaches, doesn't mean that either of them is better than the other, they're just different. That doesn't mean that that person is now somehow lesser than you are or that you are lesser than they are. It's just, simply, different. Instead, honestly listen to the person as they're giving what their approach would be and see how that may be able to apply to either your personal dog or your clients or your future students. Is this an approach that maybe you could have in your back pocket and take out if your normal go-to approach doesn't work? Again, the more tools you have in your toolbox, the better, but you're only gonna be able to develop those tools if you can learn them, and the best way of learning them is from other people. The other thing I really wanna nail down this podcast is a need for everyone to really understand that just because you disagree with someone, even if it's something as touchy as training methodology, so positive reinforcement versus balanced training as an example, just because you disagree with them doesn't mean that you have to hate them. Those are two completely different things. Again, just because someone wants to train differently than you doesn't make them inherently evil, it doesn't make them inherently hate dogs or want to hurt dogs or want to do terrible things to the owners or steal the owner's money or waste their time or whatever other outlandish thing that people may think. That's not the case. They simply train differently than you do. Nothing more, nothing less. On the flip side of that, if you happen to agree with someone 'cause they do the same type of training that you do or they would approach a problem the same way that you do, that doesn't mean that you have to love or idolize them. Be very, very careful about idolizing anyone. This can be almost more detrimental than if you despise someone because if you idolize someone, then you're basically going to be looking at everything that they do through these rosy glasses where, in reality, maybe there are things that they do that don't make sense or they wouldn't apply well to you or your dog, but then you're trying to emulate what you see, and lo and behold, it doesn't work. So, you have to be careful with both of these extremes. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean that they're the devil incarnate, and just because you agree with someone doesn't mean that they're a saint. We have to be realistic about these things, and the dog world is a very passionate one, and we're all very passionate about dog training, and that doesn't mean that I want you to be less passionate, I just want you to be rational in your passion and see these people as for who they are. They are people. Take everything with a grain of salt. Just because someone has a lot of accolades and a lot of achievements, whether it be certifications with different organizations for training, whether it be titles and ribbons if they're doing dog sports, that doesn't mean that's going to translate into them being a good teacher. So, a better way of thinking about it is this. If you have someone who is an instructor, my opinion of an instructor is someone who can actually take knowledge they have and then teach it to a handler who can then train it to their dog. That's really hard. You then have a trainer, which, again, from my definition is someone who primarily is working directly with dogs, so they can take the knowledge that they have on how they can manipulate behavior and they can train the dog. You then have people who are competitors or trainer competitors, who are working, primarily, with their own personal dogs, so they're campaigning out with a variety of different dog sports and things, so they have the knowledge of how they can manipulate the behavior of their own individual dog. So, from these three different categories, those are three completely different skill-sets. Can I, for the trainer competitor, can I actually communicate to my own personal dogs, so we can achieve our goals? For the trainer who's working with other people's dogs, can I take my knowledge and then relay that to these dogs that I may or may not know. And then for the instructor, can I take the knowledge that I have, translate it into human terms, so another human being can understand it enough to train their dog? Those are all really super complicated, and quite honestly, there's very few people who have all three all bundled up into one. For instance, there are people who are excellent trainer competitors, meaning that they have achieved the highest accolades within their given sport. They're amazing. They and their dogs are an incredible team. At the same point, they would never in a million years be able to translate that to anyone else. They wouldn't be able to share that knowledge in a helpful way to someone else. There's also some times where you may be able to have all the accolades and titles in the world, but if somewhere else were to watch that team work, go like, "I can't learn anything from you. That handling is not very helpful. Nothing you're doing is helpful to anyone else but you." and there's nothing wrong with that. But we have to be mindful of these things. So, as consumers, even if you are a professional trainer, even if you are a professional instructor, if you are taking any classes, seminars, webinars, whatever else with anybody, be mindful of who it is. Know what they're saying and see what is valuable and then leave behind the rest, and that's okay. That doesn't mean the person giving the information is bad and that doesn't mean that you're not loyal enough 'cause you're not taking it hook, line, and sinker. Just look at things through a critical lens. What is valuable to you and what isn't? The big thing that I'm hoping that everyone can walk away from this podcast understanding is that there really is an art to all this dog training business. I say it a lot in my classes for both Dog Sport University and Scent Work University, but it's true. You have to be an artist when it comes to training dogs, but it also applies to how you understand dog training and how you're able to internalize that, really understand it, and then apply it to whatever dog is in front of you, and if you're an instructor, to another human being, who can then translate it to their dog. This is hard stuff. This isn't easy. So, we have to learn how to take in information so that it's helpful to us and it's useful and then how we can customize it so that it's even more helpful in the end, and that can be really challenging because there's all these other things that are attached to it. There are personalities, there are allegiances, there are groups, and cliques, and all kinds of stuff. Try to ignore all that stuff. Even if there's someone who you vehemently disagree with 99.9% of the things that they do, there may be that 1% of things that either they do, they talk about, or concepts that they at least bring to light that could be extraordinarily beneficial. Use those to your advantage. That will help you in the end. I hope that these concepts make sense. The big thing is that the way that, in my opinion, we should be approaching dog training is how it is that we can get the most information that we can so that we can better help our dogs. For me, personally, I learn a lot about what not to do in a situation. So, even if there is someone that I don't agree with as far as how they train, I'm not looking only for what I could do in a given situation, I'm also gonna be looking for what not to do. That's still just information. It's still learning. So, having an open mind and approaching this without all the emotion attached to it, that you are simply just learning, that you are trying to be the best trainer that you can be to help either your own personal dog or to help your clients. It takes some of the pressure off to join into these camps, and the more that we can get away from that really negative association of the other, "You don't do it the way that I do it; therefore, you are bad," the better it would be for our community. It can be challenging, particularly if people vehemently disagree on things, but if you can just remind yourself that the person on the other side of that topic or that stance more likely than not also loves their dog, you can still see them as a fellow dog lover, and it can help prevent a lot of issues down the line, and particularly if you are in your own journey of training. If you have more of an open mind, you will be more open-minded to other ways of training, of other ways of achieving that goal, but if you're very steadfast in how you approach things, you may actually be limiting yourself as far as any potential options or solutions that are out there for both you and your dog, which could cause issues down the line. So, again, the whole point of this podcast is to just try to remind everyone that we're all dog lovers. At the end of the day, we are just trying to figure out the best way to live with a completely separate species within our homes and to maybe do some other fun things that are dog sport specific and how it is we can achieve our goals, whether it simply be just living at home peacefully without us pulling our hair out or it's achieving the highest title and accolade, and again, in dog sport. But we're all in this, typically, for the same reason, that we love dogs, and if we could look at one another in that lens, it can really help. So, I hope this podcast was helpful. Happy training. We look forward to seeing you soon.

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