Do you need separate exercises for doing body awareness work with your dog? Or can you build balance, precision and good coordination into everything you do, just by tweaking the way you train? Find out in this episode of The Moving Canine.

Beyond Dog Sports program link: https://training.themovingcanine.com/bds

Most dog sport enthusiasts believe that dog training happens only with the dog. That we, the trainers, cannot improve our skills without having our dogs in the training session. But believing that dog training is a skill only learnt with the dog, not practicing handler skills separately, alone and without your dog first, could actually slow down your progress, cause a whole lot of frustration problems and take away the joy in training - the main thing you’re looking for when spending time with your dog.

Listen to the whole episode to find out what to do instead!

I bet every single one of us has, at some stage of the dog training journey, heard the saying that “You should be ready to do lots and lots of repetitions to nail this exercise”. I recall having heard this several times, especially linked to precision behaviors like a running contact or training position changes for obedience…

This belief is so often ingrained into our brains that we don’t even think there may be something wrong with it… But the truth is - learning should happen fast. We are talking about within a couple of repetitions kind of fast. Here I don’t mean you should get a stellar running contact performance within a couple of repetitions… But you should definitely see progress in your desired direction very, very quickly and in every single training session. If you don’t then there’s something wrong...

In this episode learn the essential elements you need to have in place to move forward quickly in your training instead of being stuck in the repetition land!

Last 2 weekends I had a chance to participate in a Science Camp with Alexandra Kurland. While there were many interesting and eye-opening topics, I most enjoyed the small pieces of information on balance.

It looks like we've both discovered that when the handler mechanics is really clear and we use behavior loops in the training (the topic of the previous episode), then our learners develop good balance all by themselves!

Now, how exactly does that work? Find out in this episode of The Moving Canine.

Being aware of the training concepts is crucial for everything we do with our animal learners. And, in fact, knowing how to use different concepts deliberately can help us not only improve the training experience in general, but also help to develop excellent physical skills within the sports training exercises.

Meet behavior cycles! A super powerful training concept that helps you train more efficiently and allow good motor skill development.

Over the years I've seen very many dogs who look extremely uncomfortable while doing even the most basic exercises. And it wasn't because they had health problems. It was because they had learnt that them looking for balance was bad and not desirable during the training.

How could something like that happen? Find out in this episode of The Moving Canine.

In this episode you will learn:

- how is your dog's mindset linked to his movement, speed and precision during sports

- how to get your dog to perform with confidence and focus on the obstacles

- how do your training choices affect your dog's ability to move with awareness and control

- find out the most common mistake in dog training

And lots more!

Here's the link to the Beyond Dog Sports program mentioned in the episode:

https://training.themovingcanine.com/bds

Want your dog to have a long and healthy sports career?

You need to do some fitness training for that, right? Not only!

There are other elements to your training that actually affect your dog's ability to navigate between those nasty potential overuse injuries...

Learn more in this episode of The Moving Canine!

Here's the link to the Beyond Dog Sports program mentioned in the episode:

https://training.themovingcanine.com/bds

Ready to get perfect, frustration free training sessions with your dog?

Want focus, speed and precision in dog sports while also prolonging your dog's career?

In this episode I'll be sharing the first part of my free 3-part video workshop "Performance Through Clarity".

You will learn:

- how to avoid frustration behaviors like barking and sniffing in your training

- what are The Flow and The Red and which one you need for success

- why does knowing where to look for the reinforcement matter to your dog

- the No1 training tip to keep your dog in the focused and engaged mindset during training

And lots more!

The free workshop will be available until the 5th of February. Better hurry ;)

Join me now for this 100% free workshop by clicking this link:

https://training.themovingcanine.com/clarity-part2

One of the key goals of any fitness trainer is to help reduce the risk of injuries in our canine companions. I don’t know a more torturing feeling for me as a pet parent than making my dog hurt through activities and sports that I’ve chosen for her. To me, reducing the risk of injuries is one of the key motivators for fitness training. Yet, strengthening work is only one part of it. If we don't pay attention to the other end of the equation, we undermine our work. Listen to the full episode for the whole story.