Trouble Teaching Your Dog to ‘Focus’?
What is ‘Focus’? A very frequent comment I hear from dog handlers is that their dog can’t ‘focus’. Their dog is ‘distracted’ by the environment or specific things within it. So, I’d like to take a closer look at this very common problem. This is especially...
What is Competitive Obedience?
Ok, so I’m totally biased here! Competitive obedience is my passion. I love to watch and train happy, enthusiastic dogs performing precise moves and exercises with attitude and pizazz. There is something about having a dog so tightly and joyfully synchronised...
What is Rally-O?
Rally-O, short for Rally – Obedience, is a relative newcomer to the dog sport world. Unlike traditional competitive obedience and agility, which have been around for many decades, Rally-O has only been officially recognised as a sport here in NZ for a few...
What is ‘Nosework’?
Nosework is the sport of scent detection. Although it is not available as an actual competitive discipline here in NZ just yet, the benefits of teaching it as a skill are many. It is easy and cheap, requires very little space or equipment and any dog can do it. In...
Dog Sports For Fun. Why Sports Training is Worth it – Even if You Never Compete.
I hear it all the time. People take their dog to training classes or see a private trainer to fix problems and get the basics. And then they stop. Just like that. The problem is fixed. The dog civilised. Why do more?