Bad Dog Agility Podcast

In this episode (1:08:31) In this episode, newly crowned AKC National Agility Champions Jennifer Crank, Betsey Lynch, and Amber McCune talk about the NAC experience in this big wrap up podcast! You Will Learn How competitors felt about the dirt surface. How the color of the dirt may have impacted dogs. What the champions thought about the Finals course. What the venue was like. Mentioned/Related The 20 Foot Trap Episode 305: Interview with Judge Sheyla Gutierrez Train with Amber at American K9 Country

In this episode (41:23) In this podcast, Noreen Bennett of PawPrint Trials joins the podcast to educate competitors about the role a trial secretary plays at AKC trials. You Will Learn The responsibilities of the trial secretary. How management of trial entries and results have evolved over the years. Why most trial entries are not handled electronically. The future of agility trial management. How Jennifer feels about her brief stint as a trial secretary. Mentioned/Related Podcast #1 in our Behind the Scenes series: Episode 305: Interview with Judge Sheyla Gutierrez PawPrint Trials

In this episode (54:19) In this podcast, AKC judge Sheyla Gutierrez shares how she came to be a judge at the National Agility Championship as well as her thoughts on course design and responsibilities of a judge. You Will Learn Why AKC courses can be difficult to design. What course design trends are happening in AKC agility. How Sheyla came to judge at the upcoming NAC. What judges can and can not control. Mentioned/Related Sheyla’s Website

In this episode (49:53) UKI co-founder Greg Derrett joins the podcast talk about UKI in North America, including the US Open, cup events, and the new West Coast Open. You Will Learn How UKI started as an organization created by competitors, for competitors. Why UKI created the West Coast Open. How many members UKI has in North America. The difference between a “Cup” event and a “Classic” event. How the bye system works in UKI. Mentioned/Related Episode 12: Interview with Greg and Laura Derrett Episode 150: The Global Judging Program with Lee Gibson The UKI Website: https://ukagilityinternational.com/ Bye Tracker Episode 42: The Internet, Dog Agility, and You

In this episode (44:02) Swedish champion Enya Habel and German champion Anna Hinze join the podcast to talk about European agility, course design trends, jump heights, breed diversity, and how Covid-19 impacted the sport in their countries. You Will Learn What course design trends that FCI competitors are seeing. How many jump heights are in FCI agility trials. How many people compete at the Swedish and German national championships. How Covid-19 affected training and competition in Sweden and Germany. Mentioned/Related Episode 137: Swedish Jump Heights and Its Effect on FCI Follow Enya on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enya.habel Follow Anna on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clickerjunkies Enya’s Training Diary Anna’s Online Courses

In this episode (32:04) In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk about Whac-A-Mole and dog agility. You Will Learn Why training your dog can feel like playing Whac-A-Mole. The difference between training sequentially vs in parallel. How you can use problem-based training to fix your issues. Mentioned/Related Never heard of Whac-A-Mole? Here’s the wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole Episode 226: Sequential vs Parallel Training On the Job Training using Placement of Reward Episode 139: The Test/Train/Adjust Cycle

In this episode (15:25) In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk the difference between OVERUSE and MISUSE and dive deeper into what your instructor may mean when using these terms. You Will Learn Why instructors (including us!) should be careful with terminology. Why “overuse” may be misuse in disguise. Why it’s problematic to have one cue for a wide range of responses. Mentioned/Related Episode 63: A Newcomer’s Guide to Handling Systems Episode 30: Analyzing Mistakes and a Look at Systems

In this episode (29:45) In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk how having goals for trialing, beyond ribbons and titles, can help you improve your dog agility performance. You Will Learn How being clear on your trialing goals can save you time and money. What Jennifer and Esteban do with their ribbons. How your goals can shift through a dog’s career. How you can structure your goals leading to big events. Mentioned/Related Episode 182: Choose Your Own Agility Adventure

In this episode (33:17) In this podcast, Sarah, Jennifer and Esteban talk about “playing it safe” when you’re running an agility course. When should you play it safe? What are the pros and cons of playing it safe? You Will Learn What it means to “play it safe”. When handlers should or should not play it safe. Why Esteban changed his approach in recent years. How Jennifer changed her approach over the years. How to determine what is best for you and your dog. Mentioned 2014 AKC NAC Round 1 Wrap Choice – Pace vs Gitchi Episode 182: Choose Your Own Agility Adventure

n this episode (25:29) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban discuss the evolution of how people manage their dogs during classes—when it’s NOT their turn. You Will Learn Different strategies for managing your dog, including a leash, cot/bed, or crate. Pros and cons of each strategy. What the BDA team prefers to use when training alone vs in a class or seminar. Mentioned Episode 1: Using a Crate During Training

In this episode (35:33) In this podcast, the BDA crew share how the sport shapes their fashion choices on course! You Will Learn Why Jennifer never wears sunglasses. How people with long hair might benefit from a ponytail. How your clothing choices may affect your dog’s performance.

In this episode (34:06) In this podcast Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban answer your question “When do most people move their dog to preferred/performance/select for the lower jump height?” You Will Learn The most common reasons people move their dogs to a lower height class. How your dog may benefit from jumping a lower height. Factors to consider as your dog ages. Mentioned Jennifer Crank and Bee Place in all Four Rounds at the AKC European Open Team Tryouts Sarah Baker’s Online Course: Agility Foundation for Puppies and Young Dogs (featuring 2022 EO Team Member Skeptic) ETO –> Early Take Off

In this episode (30:26) In this episode, Sarah and Esteban discuss the timing of verbal cues. You Will Learn Whether or not you need verbal cues. Why it’s important to know how verbal your dog really is. When to give verbal cues. Common mistakes people make when using verbal cues. Mentioned Episode 76: Verbal Cues in Dog Agility The 20 Foot Trap How Committed Are You? Episode 187: Physical and Mental Commitment

In this episode (54:21) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah and Esteban talk with Kathy Keats about dogs, sport, and life. You Will Learn Why mindset is important for beginners. How handlers can improve their mindset. What it means to be “in the zone”. Why handlers underperform at big events. How to separate your agility results from your self-worth. Mentioned/Related The Kathy Keats Show (Podcast) Kathy Keats’ Website Episode 159: Handler Muscle Memory for Dog Agility

In this episode (17:30) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban explain how they use back-chaining and forward-chaining to help dogs learn more quickly. You Will Learn What back-chaining is and when to use it. What forward-chaining is and when to use it. Which technique is more favored by Bad Dog Agility instructors. Mentioned A Quick Training Tip for Improving 2 On 2 Off Contact Performance

In this episode (19:40) In this episode, the BDA coaches give handlers advice on what to do when things start off poorly at a trial that’s very important to them. You Will Learn How the format of the event impacts handler psychology. Jennifer’s 3 step plan for dealing with early disappointment. Esteban’s key tip for moving on after a bad run.

In this episode (32:14) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban highlight recent and upcoming events in the agility world. You Will Learn When and where USDAA Cynosport, UKI’s US Open, the AKC Invitational, Westminster, and the European Open team tryouts will be held. Where Jennifer was last weekend. How COVID affects these events. Mentioned Previous discussion on the Incredible Dog Challenge: Episode 199: How to Speed Up Your Agility Dog

In this episode (29:17) In this episode, the BDA team talks about the relationship between speed and accuracy in dog agility. You Will Learn Why many people believe speeding up a dog will decrease accuracy. How techniques for improving your course time depends on your situation. The #1 easy thing to fix to improve your dog’s course time. Why it’s easier to speed up your dog if you’re a really bad handler. Mentioned Swift winning all fours rounds at tryouts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riu4GoeiCyA Episode 179: Which is Faster, a Front Cross or Rear Cross? Episode 199: How to Speed Up Your Agility Dog

In this episode (25:48) Instructors at Bad Dog Agility have been using the Coach’s Eye app to analyze maps and videos of runs for years, but no longer! Coach’s Eye is being retired and users have one year of support from the company. Not to worry, Sarah has already found a replacement app, OnForm. You Will Learn What is happening with Coach’s Eye. Sarah’s recommended app to replace Coach’s Eye. What Jennifer and Esteban think of the new app. Upgrades and differences between Coach’s Eye and the new app. Mentioned Our Recommendation: OnForm An example video analysis from our archives: AKC NAC Finals Map Analysis An example of side by side analysis (at time 8:45): Did 75% of dogs go the wrong way at AKC Nationals?

In this episode (42:46) In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban are joined by Lisa Topol, the 2021 AND 2019 Highest Scoring All-American dog at the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. You Will Learn How Lisa is like Lebron James. What you should expect from your rescue dog. How Plop got his name. Why shelters and rescues are full of great agility prospects. Why it is important to know your goal for every agility run. Mentioned/Related https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/training-agility-apartment/ Lisa will soon be offering training at her new facility. Check out the website https://www.weavegottheruns.com/ for details (currently under construction!)