Bad Dog Agility Podcast

In this episode (31:41) In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban show why the tunnel may be a far more complex obstacle than most competitors realize. You Will Learn The handling impact of curving or straightening a tunnel. How tunnels interact with different dog heights. Whether you should train on light or dark-colored tunnels. How to properly bag and anchor your tunnel. What length tunnel you should train on. If “tunnel suckers” actually exist. Why handlers shouldn’t get too close to the tunnel. How to cue tight turns after the tunnel. When to time your verbal cues for the next obstacle after a tunnel. How to handle common tunnel traps. Mentioned/Related Sarah’s Tunnel Bag Recommendation: https://www.tunelypropsy.cz/en/articles/stabilization-bags/fixation-bag-sara/. Customers in the USA can contact Mary Ellen Barry at mebarry@kineticdog.com to place an order. Water bags are becoming a popular way to weight your bags rather than dirt. You can pour out the water before transporting bags and refill an

In this episode (26:00) In this podcast episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban help you prepare for winter training! You Will Learn How to create a plan for your winter season. Why you should tailor your training to the individual dog. Which agility behaviors can be taught without equipment. Why top competitors focus on conditioning. How to develop drive, focus, and motivation away from equipment. When you should take a complete break from agility.

In this episode (20:04) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban explain what “call-offs” are and how they impact our handling and our dogs on course. You Will Learn The definition of a “call-off”. The pros and cons of call-offs. The difference between proactive and reactive handling. How various dogs respond differently to call-offs. Mentioned/Related Episode 246: Should You React or Anticipate in Dog Agility?

In this episode (19:05) In this episode, Jennifer and Sarah help Esteban overcome his lack of motivation to train. You Will Learn How to motivate yourself to train when you don’t feel like. How to schedule your training. Why you should set the bar low. Mentioned/Related Episode 146: Record Keeping Trick for Dog Agility Episode 82: What To Do When You Feel Overwhelmed And YES, Esteban DID train his dog!

In this episode (37:41) In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban have a detailed discussion on why some dogs have better contacts in training than in trials, and how you can fix that. You Will Learn Common mistakes made when trainers try to fix contact issues. How to reward your dog for good contacts at a trial without taking food into the ring. Why and how to leave the ring with your dog for a contact error. Why you should leave the training field with your dog for a contact error. How to properly reward your dog in training during contact work. Mentioned Episode 111: The Myth of the Ring-Wise Dog Episode 247: Interview with Greg Derrett on UKI At Home Agility Program Episode 257: Consistent Contact Criteria

In this episode (50:28) In this episode, the team discusses the impact of Covid-19 on major dog agility events in the United States, highlighting various adjustments and postponements including the recently announced changes for Westminster 2021. You Will Learn How Covid-19 has impacted major agility events. How the US Open went 100% virtual. What Covid-19 precautions are in effect at the AKC Invitational. When European Tryouts for Team USA have been postponed to. Westminster’s new date and location for 2021. Why dog agility is being featured on a South Korean variety show. The important of mask wearing to the future of dog agility. Esteban’s thoughts on vaccine development. Mentioned Westminster Date/Location Change Announcement Episode 247: Interview with Greg Derrett on UKI At Home Agility Program AKC Agility Invitational COVID Guidelines AKC Agility Mask Policy 2020 Idol Star Dog-agility Championships on Viki.com BDA Preview: 2020 Idol Star Dog Agility Championships

In this episode (39:25) In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban highlight the challenges of dog agility’s “extending” obstacles: the tire, the double/ascending, the triple, the panel, the wall/viaduct, and the broad/long jump. You Will Learn Why these obstacles tend to cause dogs to extend their jumping/striding. How dogs measure their take off point: which bar do they consider the “main” one? How to overcome problems with specialty jumps. Mentioned New Online Course: The Invitational Prep Course

In this episode (19:40) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban talk about cheerleading in dog agility. You Will Learn Why people use cheerleading in dog agility. Why cheerleading may not be the fix you think it is. When cheerleading is okay. Which BDA instructor was a cheerleader in the movie Bring It On.

In this episode (19:43) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban discuss the three elements of “wise feedback” in dog agility. Learn how you can give yourself (or your students) more valuable feedback that leads to immediate improvement. You Will Learn What the three elements of wise feedback are. Common feedback mistakes that handlers make. Why high standards are important for feedback. Why instruction is more helpful than evaluation.

In this episode (23:21) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban explain why dogs head check when they run on course, and how you can eliminate this problem. You Will Learn Why your dog head checks on course. When a head check is not a problem. How to eliminate problematic head checking. Mentioned/Related Episode 246: Should You React or Anticipate in Dog Agility? Episode 170: Homeostasis in Dog Agility

In this episode (15:35) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban talk about how you can make the best possible use of your training time when you rent a facility or field for agility practice. You Will Learn Why you should have a plan before you arrive at the field. Tips for pre-training preparation. When you should quit before your rental time expires.

In this episode (55:04) This podcast is taken from a live video presentation. In this podcast, Sarah, Esteban and Jennifer use the front cross as an example to show you how to advance from one stage of competence to the next. You Will Learn How to use the knowledge-execution paradigm to advance your skills. The how, what, where, when, and why of front crossing. Why you should practice without the dog. How you add speed to your own handling. Mentioned/Related Episode 258: Four Stages of Competence You can watch the video replay here (available until June 30th, 2020): “Moving Toward Mastery“. What was your biggest take away from this workshop video? Leave us a comment on the replay page! Click here for the Front Cross Training Video.

In this episode (38:23) This podcast is taken from a live video presentation. In this podcast, Sarah, Esteban and Jennifer discuss how handlers acquire competence in dog agility. Instructors usually talk about training the dog, but we believe the handler has even more to learn than the dog! You Will Learn How to apply the four stages of competence to dog agility. How determining your stage of competence can reduce your frustrations. How agility handling is like driving a car. The stage where most agility trainers get stuck. Mentioned/Related You can watch the video replay here: “What Stage Are You In?“. What was your biggest take away from this workshop video? Leave us a comment on the replay page! Click here to request the worksheet.

In this episode (42:42) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban share their thoughts on two buzzwords for contact performance: “consistency” and “criteria”. You Will Learn Why instructors emphasize consistency. How altering your criteria at a trial creates a range of behaviors from your dog. How to fix broken contacts. Why dogs creep down contacts. Mentioned/Related Sarah Stremming and CogDog Radio Episode 111: The Myth of the Ring-Wise Dog

In this episode (34:37) In this episode, we share numerous examples of proofing that you can do with your dog while training. Proofing in practice will give you better performance in the ring as your dog will feel more confident. You Will Learn Why you should proof against distractions that you will likely see at agility trials. The most common distractions a novice dog faces in the ring. At what point in training you should start proofing. Mentioned/Related Episode 204: How to Use Proofing in Your Dog Agility Training Episode 73: How to Generalize Behaviors with Your Novice Dog Episode 73: How to Generalize Behaviors with Your Novice Dog Why Your Dog Performs Better at Home Than at Trials Download the Proofing Checklist

In this episode (46:42) All information is researched but not exhaustive and not reviewed by an outside expert. Although Esteban is a licensed physician, this is NOT medical advice → you should get medical advice specific to your situation and health from your doctor, not from us or this podcast.  CLICK HERE to download this outline as a PDF Why Should We Wear Masks? Study came out 3 weeks ago titled “Universal Masking is Urgent in the COVID-19 Pandemic:SEIR and Agent Based Models, Empirical Validation, Policy Recommendations” The authors (who are from Hong Kong, UK, France and Finland) compared countries with high levels of mask-wearing to ones with low levels. Using computer modeling and real-world data, they found masks could reduce transmission. The study concluded that if 80% of the population wore masks, there would be more than a 90% drop in infection rates. Etiquette and Politics Concerning Masks Wearing a mask does not give sick people permission to attend a trial. Allergies and upper respiratory

In this episode (19:37) In this episode, Sarah Baker joins the podcast to explain the difference between management and training, and how you should apply those concepts to addressing behaviors, from barking in the crate to missed weave pole entries. You Will Learn When you should “manage” and when you should “train”. How good management protects your training. Why management is not just for puppies. How management can halt your progress in training. Mentioned/Related Let’s Talk Puppies!

In this episode (26:44) In this episode, Sarah and Jennifer discuss different learning patterns you may see in your training and how they affect your planning. You Will Learn Why you should not panic when things seem to fall apart in practice. Why it may be important to keep things the same when your dog struggles. How to recognize when you need a new training approach. Mentioned/Related Episode 78: The Power of Latent Learning

In this episode (24:55) In this episode, Sarah and Esteban help you integrate tugging into your agility training. You Will Learn The 5 aspects of tugging. Why tugging has become more valuable in AKC agility. How to overcome weaknesses in your tugging chain. How to avoid a common mistake when using a second toy in retrieve work. Where you can learn how to teach tugging to your dog or students. Mentioned/Related Facebook Live: Let’s Talk Tugging! Our online course: The Complete Guide to Tugging