The simple truth: the devil is in the details, and the details lie in the basics. It wasn’t the fancy skills or sexy course analysis that got us, it was our foundational skills. Things that I have allowed to erode and deteriorate over the last 6 months as we’ve campaigned at one big event after another. So that’s why I hopped off those planes with a plan to break everything down. To stop trying to band-aid skills and keep things patched up for the next event, and to get back to our roots of 95% success rates, and teasing apart challenges to find where the gaps truly lie.

There’s nothing quite like the pressure cooker of Team USA’s European Open Team Tryouts. You’ve got just four runs to make it count. To make an impression. To show the coaches, the world, and yourself that you belong there. The results from the first day were incredibly disappointing, because I know what I am capable of, and I walked away knowing I did not uphold my end of the team.

There’s one lesson the universe keeps serving to me, it’s that everything happens in it’s own time. We don’t have control over the course design, the judges, the surface, or 10,000 myriad other factors that are essential to our sport. Hell, we certainly don’t have control over our dogs. And while I can understand that fact logically, sometimes there’s a huge gap between knowing it in my brain and knowing it in my heart.

I know for me, even when I’m at my best mental game, there’s a small moment of let down as a result, and then I have to work really hard to undo that moment. At my worst, that one comment, that one piece of noise could derail my whole day. It could shake my confidence in myself and my team, bringing up that ever present subtext “You’re not good enough” that I’ve tried so hard to dispel.

“I’m not just here for today”. What I mean by that is that I’m on a journey to be the best Agility handler in the world, and I know each day, each moment, each course, each skill, each challenge is a step I need to take on the road to becoming the best. It’s all a learning opportunity, and whether I am “successful” or whether I “fail” in that instance is irrelevant; it’s a lesson I need to learn to get where I’m going.

It’s funny how a thought can generate an emotion. What if instead of reacting to our thoughts, we re-engineered the picture? What if we decided how we want to feel, then figured out the thoughts that would create that feeling?

how can we ensure that we achieve a 95% successful rate? How do we keep our training sessions short and efficient, and keep our dogs happy and engaged? We need a model to help break our exercises down into their component pieces, which leads me to the complexity triad.

It’s that time of the year again. The snow is melting, the ground is thawing, and folks are looking for a new best friend to help them escape the long confines of winter. Whether your an experienced paw-parent, or a first time dog owner, there are a few easy steps you can take to make your pup’s transition to their new home as smooth as possible.

We talk a lot about how to train dogs to do things; how to sit, how to roll-over, how to go in a crate, or how to walk on leash. But eventually, there will come a time when we want our dog to NOT do something, especially nuisance behaviors like alarm barking or jumping on guests. This can pose challenges for new owners and seasoned dog handlers alike. So let’s talk through how to tackle some of these training struggles.

Course design deeply impacts our dog’s enjoyment and hence perception of play as it relates to this sport. Throughout the course, in fact, for the majority of the course, I should be able to stand on the dog’s path and see / commit to the next obstacle. This element of course design has the single biggest impact on a dog’s success and whether they perceive the game as fun.

We’ve all heard the adage “Dogs learn faster through play”. I wonder how many of us have truly taken a critical look at our training practices and evaluated whether our dogs are really “playing”? Let me tell you a secret….I have been critically evaluating my training practices…and I’ve found them lacking.

The COVID19 pandemic has taught me many things, like how to order anything for delivery, and that pants with buttons are entirely optional; but most recently, it’s taught me the importance of a good canine fitness and conditioning routine for performance dogs.

Allow me to formally welcome you as an athlete, competitor, student, and friend to the Hounds of Heck Barn.

Let’s stop labelling and limiting our teammates because we are frustrated with a behavior. Let’s drop the emotion, take a step back, and let our rational brain find a better solution. If we can all do this, then we and our teammates will live happily ever after, steadily crushing our goals one day at a time.

Do you ever walk into the ring for training, or competition, set your dog up on the start line, lead out, and then…..nothing? So how do you know if your dog is really with you? How do you know if they are ready, engaged, and willing to work? How can you be sure before you even unclip the leash?

Winter is finally upon us, and for many folks that means your home Agility set ups are packed away and safely tarped. But now, what to do with your Border Collie puppy who thinks ice skating Agility would be the best? Or maybe you’ve got big goals for your experienced dog, and this winter is a great opportunity to fill in some foundation gaps! If you’re in this pickle, you’ve come to the right place!

When I started in dog training, I was so impressed to see someone get their dog to sit, stay, and release in TOTAL SILENCE! I’ve since learned that its actually very easy to train your dog to respond to hand cues, and the real challenge lies in training them to respond to your words alone.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of trainer, friend, and competitor I want to be in this sport. And I want to change the message that I’m putting out there. My life is far from Instagram perfection, and I’m going to change the picture you see. For the month of November, I’m going to post raw, unedited videos of life with my dogs. If you’d like to join me, use #NakedNovember and tag me in your unedited videos.

What I am feeling is a crazy swirl of thoughts about expectations, frustration, puppy training, and taking breaks. I’m frustrated, burned out, and overwhelmed. There I’ve said it. When I look back at this year, I can recognize that it’s been an awesome year, with amazing adventures, some big competitions, and running my heart out. But I can also say that my performance, and that of my teams, is not where I want it to be.

In this installment, I want to talk about the fun stuff…exploring European cities with your 4 legged companion. Let’s start out at the highest level…if you’re unsure whether traveling with your dog is worth all the hassle, let me put your mind at ease, IT’S FREAKING AWESOME!!!! Absolutely 100% recommend. There was literally nothing better than hiking through the forests of Bavaria, with my best friend by my side.