What to listen for:

“I don’t just pet them, I go, ‘this is why you train the way you train, remember that’”

Today, two-thirds of the Dames of Detection, Stacy Barnett and Crystal Wing, welcome back obedience trainer Petra Ford to talk about why she believes in a “you do you” approach to dog training.

When her dog Zesty dropped eye contact during their first championship run, instead of demanding compliance, Petra simply said, "You do you,” acknowledging that forcing the moment would only add pressure to an already exhausted dog. This mindset shift from control to partnership transformed what could have been a frustrated correction into a moment of trust.

Petra's approach challenges conventional wisdom at every turn. While others proof their dogs by setting them up to fail, she builds confidence by making her dogs right. When Zesty struggled with imperfect fronts just weeks before nationals, instead of drilling precision, Petra threw parties for effort. "Close enough, here's a cookie" became her mantra because she understood that confidence creates precision, not the other way around.

This path hasn't been easy. Training in isolation, facing constant scrutiny, Petra has walked the lonely road of positive reinforcement in a sport increasingly dominated by punishment. But her results speak louder than critics: three different dogs, multiple championships, all trained through partnership rather than dominance.

Petra encourages trainers to ask themselves, "Would I want to be my own teammate?" She treats her dogs as partners, not tools—reading their communication, respecting their limits, and celebrating their individuality. When the pressure mounts and 130 dogs compete for 20 spots, she doesn't add stress. Instead, she becomes her dog's safe space.

Trust, not force. Not "do it my way," but simply: "you do you."

Key Topics:

• Mental Management Under Championship Pressure (01:40)
• The "You Do You" Philosophy in Action (10:00)
• Building Confidence vs. Creating Pressure (16:31)
• Training Two Opposite Dogs Successfully (23:09)
• Walking the Path Less Traveled Alone (26:02)
• About Petra’s Podcast and Other Resources (40:14)
• Petra’s Message to the Next Generation of Dog Trainers (47:38)

Resources:

• Petra Ford on FENZI
• Petra Ford on Facebook
• Petra’s podcast, Canine Connection

We want to hear from you:

• Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!
• K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer Academy
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• Crystal Wing (CB K9) can be found here!
• You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com