A common complaint about using food in training is “My dog only comes when he sees the treat!” This is generally because the dog was taught by luring. The lure has become the prompt for the dog to perform the behaviour. The dog is dependent on the lure, and if the lure is not present, [...]
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Acknowledgements
While I have learned from many dog trainers over the years, a few stand out. Thanks to Glen Johnson, who early in the 80s taught me about inducive training. And also to Bill Dotson, who introduced us to Schutzhund and Search & Rescue.
Thanks Tracey Louper for letting me help teach classes, and being my friend and sounding board for new dog training ideas.
Special thanks to friend and mentor Michael Ellis. Michael is a gifted dog trainer and teacher, and almost everything I use and teach these days comes from Michael.
And thanks to Ivan Balabanov, who started our club, Big Sky Schutzhund Club, on the way to becoming thinking dog trainers.



Corbie the show dog!
Corbie took (intact) Reserve Winner’s Dog under longtime Judge Mardee Ward-Fanning at the Big Sky Australian Shepherd Club‘s inaugural show Saturday. The judge said she liked the planes of his head and his strong, level top-line. “While he’s a little rough in places”, she said “this dog would work for me all day.” I couldn’t [...]