Bad Dog Agility Podcast

In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban explain what "call-offs" are and how they impact our handling and our dogs on course.

• 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.

• Episode 246: Should You React or Anticipate in Dog Agility?

In this episode, Jennifer and Sarah help Esteban overcome his lack of motivation to train.

• How to motivate yourself to train when you don't feel like.
• How to schedule your training.
• Why you should set the bar low.

• 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, 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.

• 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.

• 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, 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.

• 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.

• 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, 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.

• 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.

• New Online Course: The Invitational Prep Course

In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban talk about cheerleading in dog agility.

• 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, 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.

• 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, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban explain why dogs head check when they run on course, and how you can eliminate this problem.

• Why your dog head checks on course.
• When a head check is not a problem.
• How to eliminate problematic head checking.

• Episode 246: Should You React or Anticipate in Dog Agility?
• Episode 170: Homeostasis in Dog Agility

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.