In The Zone Agility

06/05/2024

Rev Rocking a Chances Bonus
https://youtu.be/FspW3ucOV6U
✔️Want to learn how to keep your senior dog active and running well?
♥️ If you have a senior dog and want to learn about how and what exercises to do with your senior to enhance their quality of life, sign up here: https://inthezonedogtraining.teachable.com/

06/01/2024

♥️ Do you have a senior dog? Do you want to enhance their quality of life?

🐾 Checkout my new Senior Dog Fitness Online Class with new workouts with 14 year old Tandem and 11 year old Revolution!!

🌈Do you have an older agility dog and want to make sure you keep him in good shape?

❓Did you know that a senior dog benefits from a fitness program targeted specifically for senior dogs!

❌Senior dogs cannot do what they once did as young dogs so we must be mindful to create an exercise plan geared toward their physical and mental ability.

✅ Senior Dog Fitness Class will teach you how to do safe, fun exercises for senior dogs to:
✔️Maintain and improve body awareness, flexibility and balance
✔️Maintain and increase front, hind and core strength
✔️Maintain and increase lateral strength and stability
✔️Provides mental stimulation to keep our senior dogs mind working well too!!

♥️ If you have a senior dog and want to learn about how and what exercises to do with your senior to enhance their quality of life, sign up here:

02/19/2024

The ITZ trial in Millersville MD March 15-17 still has room!!
Come play!!!

12/15/2023

I do not sell any items. I have been getting spammed. I don’t know what to do. May disable this page …. So do not buy anything !!!

09/20/2023

🐾The Connection Zone is one of my best online classes and definitely one of the most important!! 🐾

* Does your dog zone out when you're working together?
* Do you have a stressed or high dog?
* Does your dog leave you to go sniff or visit ring crew?
* Do you have a hard time catching your dog at the end of the run?

Then it's time to get into the connection zone! Get ready to have fun and improve the connection with your dog. You can transform the partnership with your dog to create a thinking, calm, and connected teammate.

⚡️Join me and learn fun exercises to get and stay connected with your dog!!

❤️ https://www.cleanrun.com/product/in_the_connection_zone/index.cfm

03/16/2023

Training

I have been meaning to write this up to share with my dog training students.

While training horses and dogs are not exactly the same, there are many similarities and the body reacts the same way (as do humans)

Any physical activity involves specific muscle contractions that need to occur in order to perform that action. The brain fires an electrical charges that travels through a neuro-pathway in a specific sequence to do the task. It involves a precisely timed electrical signal that moves from neuron to neuron to create a expressway of directions and information.
The more you do this specific action, the more insulated the pathway gets. This basically means the more you do ‘something’ the more paved the road gets from the brain to the body which increases signal strength, speeds up and automates the action. This makes the ‘drive’ on the highway smoother, quicker and more efficient.

When first doing or learning a skill, it takes longer for the action to happen. The body has to create a new road from the brain to the body to perform this action so it takes more time. This is analogous to city driving. There are stop signs, slower speed limits which constrains the speed and efficiency of the ‘drive’.

So the more the action takes place-the more paved the road gets is like going out of the city and getting on the expressway! The signals go fast ! So it is easier, quicker and more ‘natural to perform the task that has been done many times.

The body doesn’t know or care if you are driving on the correct ‘highway’ to your destination. It only knows what has been done multiple times which paves the highway. So if you are going in the wrong direction, the body still paves that highway.

From a training perspective, this is extremely interesting and useful information. As it is VERY IMPORTANT to do the CORRECT things over and over to pave that highway. This means really breaking down skills so that each component is insulated -paved’ to create an automated efficient movement.

What becomes interesting (at least to me) is that this is a great way to think about NOT CONTINUING to do the ‘wrong’ actions. Like I said above, the brain doesn’t know or care if what it is doing what you ‘want’. It is doing its ‘thing’. So it important NOT to continue to do the “WRONG” thing over and over again as you are paving the neuro-pathway to the brain for that WRONG action. It will take LONGER to create the new (and correct) neuro-pathway that can override the ‘wrong’ one.

From a dog training perspective, if you let your dog spin, bark, switch the wrong way etc and continue to do this, the brain is creating and paving a neuron-pathway for this action. So this becomes the ‘dominant’ action. So the dog’s body ‘thinks’ this is the correct action as it has been paved over and over again..which automated this action.

So when my dog does a ‘wrong’ action ( spins, barks, switches the wrong way) I will STOP and fix it. I don’t continue with my current training plan. I stop and fix the issue. If dog is spinning, I stop the spinning by breaking the skill down even more. Get targets out, work 1 or 2 obstacles. I don’t want to create an expressway from the brain that is doing the ‘wrong’ thing. I want to override this action with a more smoother, quicker and more paved highway for the CORRECT action.

Highway driving is much easier and faster than driving in the city with a bunch of one way streets!

So when you are training and a ‘mistake’ is made, fix it RIGHT AWAY. If you let the ‘wrong’ thing happen over and over again, you are creating an expressway for this action to happen more often.

There are differences between handler error and dog errors. I define dog ‘mistakes’ as undesirable actions such as barking, spinning, switching the wrong way etc. I don’t consider off courses, missed obstacles as ‘mistakes’ as these are probably handling issues. If the dog goes off course, it is probably handler error not a physiological reaction from the dog. So we need to work on ourselves as well! We need to be better with our understanding of our handling system and our cues… what , when and how to cue our dog to perform what we want.
�The brain is so interesting!

03/14/2023

Come play NADAC at the IL State Fairgrounds !! I am sure Bernie will bring some fun courses!!! The trial officially closes Monday !
Premium can be found here: https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/events

02/09/2023

01/28/2023

❌The following ITZ trials are now open !
🔴ITZ March MD trial
🔵ITZ March trial in Springfield IL
🟢ITZ April trial in Paola KS
🟠ITZ May trial in NJ
🟣ITZ June trial in Mechanicsburg IL
‼️are available here:
https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/events

01/25/2023

I am Clean Run's Feature Trainer this month!

01/11/2023

🏋️Lateral Strength & Stability is an extremely important element to fitness training especially for Senior Dogs.
🌠 Lateral Strength and Stability is what keeps your dog from splaying out.
🐾 As dogs age, they tend to lose their lateral strength and stability so working on exercises that enhance the muscles that support these movements is extremely important.
✅Want to learn lateral strength and stability exercises
✔️ Check out my Senior Dog Monthly Fitness Class at Bobbie Lyons Canine Campus https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com
https://youtu.be/2hOEzw9nmJ0

Schmitwww.inthezoneagility.com In The Zone Dog Training All Access Mem...

01/09/2023

⭐️Tandem rocking agility at 13 years old!!

📕Do you want to find out how to keep your senior dog fit?

♥️ If you have a senior dog and want to learn about how and what exercises to do with your senior to enhance their quality of life, sign up here:

https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com

https://youtu.be/4D0-wte5rnQ

Lisa Schmitwww.inthezoneagility.com...

12/19/2022

Guess they are not ready to get up

12/09/2022

🏋️Pivot on the Ground

🌠Before doing pivoting on props, it is important for your dog to understand your cues on the ground first.

🐾 The goal of the exercise is to have dog pivot with their back feet around.

✅Benefits
-Great lateral strength and stability exercise
-Engages rear limb musculature
-Enhances balance
-Recruits the adductors and abductor muscles in rear legs
-Works stabilizer muscles in shoulders

🔘 Feel free to post a video, a picture or your thoughts !

✔️ Coming in January : Senior Dog Monthly Fitness Class at Bobbie Lyons Canine Campus https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com

✅Want to learn more? Check out In The Zone Dog Training All Access Membership:
https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/

🔶 Check out individual online classes at In The Zone Dog Training https://inthezonedogtraining.teachable.com

♥️ Check out my webpage: www.inthezoneagility.com

12/01/2022

🏋️ Shoulder and Hip Push

🌠This is a fantastic low impact exercise for our senior dogs to improve lateral strength and stability.

🐾Goal of Movement: Dog stands in a balanced stand while handler gently pushes on the shoulder (hip) to shift weight from one side of the body to the other side.

✅Benefits
-Improves lateral strength and stability
-Recruits the postural and stabilizer muscles of the shoulders and hips
-Stimulates the fascia, tissues, ligaments and tendons of the shoulders, back and hips

💪Form: Make sure your dog is in a balanced stand. ( You can use foot targets to give dogs a target for their feet and help you know if they are in a balance stand)

❓How to: Place your open hand onto one side of your dog’s shoulder then hip. Slowly apply enough pressure so can see your dog shift weight to the other side but not too much to push the dog to move his feet. Release your hand slowly. If your dog is taking steps or moving his feet, you are probably applying too much pressure, your movements are quick or jerky or your setup is too challenging (if using equipment)

Equipment: Start on the ground (use foot targets) then can progress to stable and unstable props.

🔘 Feel free to post a video, a picture or your thoughts !

✔️Coming in January : Senior Dog Monthly Fitness Class at Bobbie Lyons Canine Campus https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com

✅Want to learn more? Check out In The Zone Dog Training All Access Membership:
https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/

🔶 Check out individual online classes at In The Zone Dog Training https://inthezonedogtraining.teachable.com

♥️ Check out my webpage: www.inthezoneagility.com

11/03/2022

Ipsilateral Stands

🐾Standing in an ipsilateral (same side feet) stand is a great exercise to work lateral stability and strength

‼️Goal Movement: Dog stands with same side feet (so left front, left back or right front and right back) on ‘something’.

🐕 Body Position: The dog stands with good form with same side feet on a prop. The dog should maintain a flat topline (for breed). We do not want a curve in the spine. The head should be in line with the spine and the dog should be standing on their feet-not hocks or wrists.

♦️Benefits
-Improve proprioception- front and hind end body awareness
-Strengthen core and spinal muscles
-Works lateral stabilizer muscles of the hips and shoulders
-Increase coordination and balance

🔘 Feel free to post a video of you doing the exercise or your thoughts after watching the video

🔘 Feel free to post a video, a picture or your thoughts !

✔️ Check out my Senior Dog Fitness 6 week online class at Bobbie Lyons Canine Campus https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com

✅Want to learn more? Check out In The Zone Dog Training All Access Membership:
https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/

🔶 Check out individual online classes at In The Zone Dog Training https://inthezonedogtraining.teachable.com

♥️ Check out my webpage: www.inthezoneagility.com

11/02/2022

🐾 Senior Dogs Need Fitness Too! 🐾

♥️ Do you have a senior dog? Do you want to enhance their quality of life?

🌈Do you have an older agility dog and want to make sure you keep him in good shape?

❓Did you know that a senior dog benefits from a fitness program targeted specifically for senior dogs!

❌Senior dogs cannot do what they once did as young dogs so we must be mindful to create an exercise plan geared toward their physical and mental ability.

✅ Senior Dog Fitness Class will teach you how to do safe, fun exercises for senior dogs to:
✔️Maintain and improve body awareness, flexibility and balance
✔️Maintain and increase front, hind and core strength
✔️Maintain and increase lateral strength and stability
✔️Provides mental stimulation to keep our senior dogs mind working well too!!

♥️ If you have a senior dog and want to learn about how and what exercises to do with your senior to enhance their quality of life, sign up here:

https://www.bobbielyonscaninecampus.com

💲$129 to audit $179 to work

📚 taught by Lisa Schmit
Lisa Schmit,
PhD Public Policy Analysis
Certified Canine Fitness Trainer
Certified Pet Massage Practitioner
Certified Canine & Equine Myo-Manipulative Functional Practitioner
Certified Animal Cold Laser Practitioner
Certified Canine & Equine Craniosacral Practitioner
Certified Canine & Equine Kinesiology Tape Practitioner

11/01/2022

Peppa and Grandpa

10/31/2022

🐶This week I am focusing on senior dogs in the ITZ facebook group! To join go to : www.facebook.com/groups/IntheZoneAgility/

❤️I am very passionate about senior dogs! I love keeping my own dogs as well as helping my student’s dogs stay functional, fit and happy!

✅ I am a huge quality of life person so I am deeply invested into doing whatever I can to keep my seniors moving and happy.

💕 I currently have 3 senior dogs: Tandem who is almost 13 and brothers Revolution and JP7 who are 10 years old. While Tandem is nearing retirement, he still plays in a few classes a day at trials and keep practicing to keep him fit and happy. You would never know JP7 and Rev are 10 years old. They still are rocking agility and bonuses with speed and drive. They run like 5 year olds!

‼️I am dedicated to keeping my dog’s fit and functional by making sure they get good nutrition, lots of exercise, structured fitness, massage and chiropractic adjustments and of course lots of love!!

10/04/2022

❓What am I working on this week? ❓

🔶Zoomy and Key learning discriminations for the first time

🔷Refining cues, rewarding and pushing distance with Emmy

♦️Pushing distance and rewarding with Rev, JP, Spy and Tandem

🔘 Feel free to post a video, a picture or your thoughts !

✅ I have an online Discrimination Class here: https://inthezonedogtraining.teachable.com

✅Want to learn more and have access to all of my classes? Check out In The Zone Dog Training All Access Membership:
https://inthzonedogtraining.homesteadcloud.com/