Balanced Training

Hi loyal readers! Thanks for the comments. I'm consumed with getting my dog Flips ready to compete in the Canadian National IPO Championships in Vancouver at the end of the month, but will get back to putting more videos on the QR code pages. Hang in there and keep up your good training. If you have any questions or clarification is needed, feel free to write.

New Intermediate-Advanced classes starting Wednesday evening! I'm looking forward to helping our competition students get ready for the May 3 - 6 obedience matches. Entry deadline is April 18th. Hurry! Picture of one of our top performers - Kate's Bailey; mixed breed.

Here is one of our 3 narcotic dogs during a validation test for 1 of 10 substances - in this case, cocaine. He searched the length of the trailer (about 2 minutes) to find it hidden between the rear wheels. All 3 dogs scored 10/10 on all their substance detection tests. The basic principles used to train them are also used in our obedience training.

https://youtu.be/HCIl1at7zmE will take you to a video of my dog and I getting a 30/30 on the Stand for Exam exercise in a trial. Nowadays, it's done off leash. The overall performance gained me a 197.5 score, a High in Class, but a half point off High in Trial. To see all the resources for this exercise, use your QR code reader or go to www.balancedtraining.org.

If you head over to www.balancedtraining.org you will be able to see some of the pages that have resource content, and then test yourself to see if you know the answers to the questions I've posed for each of the training sequences. Some of the videos are from training classes, and others are from actual competitions. Below, I'm getting an icy kiss on a -22 degree day.

New resources up for those who have the book. Hit your QR codes for Chapters 18, 19, and 21. Directed Jumping, Stand out of Motion, and Signal Exercises. More will be added to other sections as time goes by and busy-ness subsides.

New videos on the Signal Exercises page of a failing and a passing dog. Can you answer the questions about the performances?

Thank you, students, instructors and all 40 or so folks who showed up to visit me at the book launch last night. It was so nice to see you and get a chance to chat. Your support is greatly appreciated! Way to go students on your 6 High in Class awards and 2 new obedience titles at last week's OB trials.

From the book: Instructor (and club member) Holly demonstrating how to align her dog so it sits straight in the heel position. We talk about this in terms of two parallel roads with the reward placed in the middle of your dog's road.

The QR code pages shown in the book are gradually being loaded with resources. I've put videos of students at work on the Pack Drive page and on the Recall page. I ask questions about what students are doing correctly and incorrectly, and refer readers to the chapter that teaches each exercise. You can see the pages at www.balancedtraining.org

I got invited for an hour's show on our very popular radio talk show with host John Gormley yesterday to discuss my book and answer questions about dog problems and management. The podcast address is https://soundcloud.com//gormley-barry-gay-on-dog-training-

The book is now available! Step by step instructions for every CKC obedience exercise from Novice to Utility, plus some general advice about human relationships to our favorite pets. Available at our kennel office in Saskatoon, by request for mailing, and at our local McNally-Robinson, as well as from FriesenPress.com. They have to charge half of one arm to mail it out, but I'll send it to you for cost. The book price is $24.95 at the moment, but all the North American publishers are starting to increase prices. There are QR codes in the book so readers can access videos and pictures for each topic, and I'm slowly loading content as time allows. Those pages can be seen at www.balancedtraining.org.

What can this handler do in order to get his dog's attention in heeling? See Chapter 4, in Balanced Training. The book will be available in soft and hard cover before the end of January, and is available in an E version now at Friesen Press.

Which of the two methods of correcting the dog for moving is correct? Can you see the difference between the actions of the two handlers? One method is better than the other; why?

Here's Alisha doing a perfect score in her Figure 8 exercise. No lagging, no forging, and straight sits.

Our publisher surprised me, saying that the book is now available on their site; https://books.friesenpress.com/sto/title/119734000043547669 I'll hold a book launch at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon in February (TBA), and will order some books for on hand distribution here. The not so great news is that the book can't get to you in time for a convenient Christmas present. Its cost will be equal to a lunch for two at McDonalds, but will give you much, much more to digest over the coming year.