One thing that often gets people confused is the difference between a coach and a trainer. Whilst these are similar titles I refer to myself as a coach and I will tell you why below.

My background is in helping people, before coming into dog training I actually had my career set out as helping humans! I have qualifications in psychology and counselling and this is what I thought I would do until my dog Milo came into my life, but I’m sure you will hear all about that story soon 😉📕.

Dog training is as much about the handler as it is about the dog. Our dogs are super clever things and they not only pick up on our behaviour and see that as clues to what is happening next, they also pick up on our emotions and how we are feeling!

So with this in mind I work on both ends of the dog lead!

As a coach I help people to understand their individual dog. No two dogs are the same and by understanding your individual dog you will learn how to train them more successfully and therefore get the results you require.

Agility is made of up of all manner of things with the majority of them being nothing to do with the jumps! There is a reason my logo is made up of lots of jigsaw pieces, because that’s exactly what you need for any kind of training success, you need each piece to fit together to achieve the bigger picture 🧩🧩🧩🧩.

Each piece of my logo represents a different element of training and when this all comes together you achieve fantastic results! This isn’t just limited to agility, what I teach you will transfer to everyday life! Win, win! 🏆🏆

A lot of agility trainers focus on the actual agility and yes this is important but what if I told you what you did before you left the house, what you feed your dog in the session, whether you use food or toys to reward or even what their journey is like to training could actually be hindering any success you have in that session?!

This is what makes me different as a coach.

Yes I could train your dog to do a certain trick or behaviour but my role is to coach owners to understand their dog inside out. This is what will give you success regardless of if you want to go to an agility competition or to just get a clear round in my training arena.

This is why I specialise in agility foundations, it is where the magic happens! 🎩🔮

Watching owners have those light bulb moments and seeing their relationship with their dog go from strength to strength is the best thing ever!💡

Understanding your dog is key!

With lockdown upon us there is no better time to become your dogs geek with my range of online training options.

Click here to see my range of Online Coaching.

Dogs really are man’s best friend, we owe it to them to understand them and train them in a way they not only enjoy but that builds their confidence and relationship with us.

Happy Training

Katrina 🐾

On reading this I hope you have all had as good a Christmas as you can in these strange times!

I don’t know if your anything like me but as soon as boxing day is over I’m wanting to take down the decorations and get planning my goals for the new year!

It is such a strange time at the moment and because we have no idea what is happening with future restrictions and events that there is little point planning anything.

When it comes to dog training it is so important that you have not only long term goals but short term goals too. This could be as short term as what you want to achieve by the end of the day!

Setting goals not only gives us something to aim for but it provides a measurable outcome for what your wanting to achieve. Having a measurable goal is an easy way to keep track of success even on days when it feels like you aren’t getting success at all! It enables us to look at where we are now compared to when we started and tweek the plan if necessary.

Setting any goal enables us to break down the task into smaller tasks to work on to help us achieve the desired end result. Many people make the mistake of lumping lots of skills together rather than breaking each task down into micro tasks.

In my agility geek club I encourage students to not only have short term goals but to have long term goals to. It must be said that although we are set on the desired end goal in dog training we may need to be flexible in the approach we take to get there and this is why I love club! It enables me as a coach to advise my clubbers what is right for their individual dogs needs.

Along with setting goals geek club is packed full of vital information on understanding your dogs individual personality and needs and incorporating this in training.

As a coach I’m there to guide students on the best way to break down their goal and work on each element to achieve their desired result and if things take a sideways step I’m there to guide them back on that path of success.

My passion lies in agility foundations – your never done when it comes to foundation training! It is something we constantly revisit and they are key in enabling success in your training whatever level your training at.

A lot of people are keen to get the foundations done and out of the way so they can move onto the more exiting bits of kit, however these are the same people that I see failing time and time again in the competition ring!

It doesn’t have to be limited to the competition ring, in training if we are too quick to move on then the probability is that your not going to succeed as well as what you could do by not rushing things and working on foundations as part of your training.

This is summed up perfectly in one of my favourite quotes:

Foundation training is essential in EVERY training session and I teach my students how to incorporate foundation training as part of their training routine.

Your never done when it comes to foundations (or learning for that matter!)

Agility is like a big jigsaw of tiny little bits and each piece needs to be worked on to enable you to get the bigger picture.

Back to goal setting, what is it that you would like to achieve in your training in 2021?

I am hosting an online seminar in January specifically about goal setting and how to enable you to make 2021 your most successful year yet! If you are interested in joining us simply click the link below and as soon as the details have been finalised I will send you all the information you need to join us!

I am only opening up a few spaces on this seminar to ensure I can give everyone attending my full attention so make sure to register your interest so you don’t miss out!

Click here to register your interest via email and you will be the first to hear when the bookings go live!

If you’d like to receive my Top 10 Tips for Successful Agility Training and be added to our monthly newsletter mailing list then simply click here! Our newsletter will feature training tips, recommendations and our latest news!

Whatever your training plans are for 2021 I wish you lots of success and fun times with your 4 legged friend 😊❤.

Happy Training

Katrina 🐾

Yesterday I trained my own dogs in an indoor arena. It is only the 2nd time that they have trained in this venue so when packing my treat bag I needed to think carefully about my choice of reinforcement.

The arena has a very nice AstroTurf floor so my choice in which food I used had to have careful consideration.

I needed something that is high value and motivating enough for my dogs but I didn’t want to use wet food such as ham as I didn’t want it leaving any residue on the floor (out of respect for the venue) I also didn’t want something that is too crumbly as I don’t want it to leave crumbs all over the floor that could distract my dogs or other peoples who were there after us.

Here is my choices:

As you can see in the picture I have a range of rewards! These range from medium value right through to high value.

We have:

Platinum sticks – I’d say these are medium value for my dogs and possibly the lowest in my food choices. These will be used for established behaviours that the dogs are confident with in any environment.

Next we have our own branded fish treats. In today’s selection I’d say these were the next level up, however we do use these as high value rewards too in different scenarios. What I like about them is their small size as they enable me to deliver a high rate of reinforcement without the worry of giving lots of food.

We then have the Kronch salmon treats and cheese. I’ve put these in the same bracket as I think for my dogs they hold the same value.

Then I have the liver paste which will be used for close work, for example if I want to keep them employed in heelwork or during or circle work for a warm up.

Then at the top of the list we have dehydrated steak. I love my dehydrator – I use it a lot for creating high value treats without the wetness they would have without the dehydration. They also enable me to give a highly motivating reward very easily with no fuss or mess.

It is important to say that the dogs normal food intake will be reduced to allow for them having this, they obviously won’t eat all of what I take to that training session.

What do you use in your training to motivate your dog?

Do you have a selection of food that you use in training or do you always reward with the same thing? Do you use the same thing for your agility training each session?

It is important to always have a variety and to mix up the type of rewards you use each time, I mean I love steak however I would get bored of it fairly quickly if I had to eat it for each meal or even if I had it every single time I went to a restaurant for dinner!

The other thing some people struggle with is using treats when their dogs are raw fed. this is also because of the value of the food the handler uses compared to what they get at home for free.

Raw fed dogs are getting such a high quality food when at home and for doing nothing, no work, no training (if owners haven’t ditched the bowl) yet their owners take them out into extremely distracting environments and then expect them to recall or learn new skills for a dried treat! These are usually the dried treats that have been purchased from the supermarket with minimal nutrition or taste for the dog! (Think chewing cardboard!!)

I am always quite confused when owners ask me when they can stop using food in training and I often reply “the same time you go to work for no pay” Yes we may reduce the frequency of rewards given in training but we always reward with the dogs highest motivator. I can’t understand why owners get so hung up on giving food… it is food not gold!

Maybe your dog likes toys better than food when training which is fine. Toys can be a fantastic motivator and reward when agility training.

However toys come with their own little warning label and it is important they are used correctly.

Toys increase arousal and when arousal is increased the dogs have a diminished ability to think clearly unless we have taught them specific skills for this. Beginner handlers sometimes get frustrated as the dogs then don’t listen and frustration in training will over time break down the relationship and could even deplete the dogs desire to play with the toy at all or even do agility!

The other thing with toys is that unless trained correctly the dog sees them as something to enjoy on their own. You may have experienced this yourself, your dog gets the toy and then runs round for what seems like hours having a great time with it. Then they won’t come back into you, they do that super fast fly past and any hope of you getting the toy back relies on your ability to catch them.

In agility we need to use the toy as an extension of us, that the dog has a big desire to retrieve it as fast as they can and get back to the handler for a game of tug.

If you’d like to know more about any of the subjects I’ve covered in todays blog then keep an eye on our website for our new online courses and webinars.

Happy training 🐾