TrickyTailz

29/08/2025

In this video, Danielle is describing how to teach a foundational training skill, front feet on a platform. This skill is the launching point for many, many other skills across many disciplines.

Danielle shows how to teach front feet on a platform. This is a critical first step for many different dog training skills.

27/09/2024

This is Danielle’s Advanced run. One jump and the signs are easier. There are two classes below this, Novice and Intermediate where the handler moves through a shorter course with the dog on leash

25/09/2024

This is Danielle’s excellent run. There are two jumps in excellent and an additional sit-stay at the end to test the dog’s ability to stay when the handler walks off.

25/09/2024

This is Danielle’s master run.

23/09/2024

Danielle and Rabbit returned to the Rally Ring today for the first time in three years due to Rabbit’s multiple rehabs. He only needed 7 Masters points to get his Rally Champion (RACH) title but Danielle was unwilling to risk his health even for something she spent three years trying to obtain. Rabbit started his Rally journey as a novice in 2019.

Great things come to those who do things the right way, regardless of the time and effort it takes.

Danielle and Rabbit earned three perfect scores of 100 in Masters, Excellent, and Advanced… along with High Combined Triple for the trial and their RACH. It was an unbelievable performance and a great day.

If you are interested in learning more about Rally, we’d be happy to help! Message us for more information!

02/09/2024

Rabbit’s shockwave vet recommended using an air mattress to work on his stability and core strength. (We have been working on stable surfaces for over a year now.) So, I bought a $14 inflatable twin mattress from Amazon, and placed two solid surface boards on top. This makes it just a little easier for the dog, while still challenging core and stability. (Stable surface on an unstable base, like a slightly more stable Bosu ball that’s turned upside down)

In these pics, Rabbit is just standing still in a square stand, but he’s still working pretty hard to keep from tipping over. You can see the board under his front feet is dipped slightly lower than the one under his rear feet. Dogs should carry about 70% of their weight on the front end, so I can see he’s perfectly distributing his weight here.

As part of this exercise, I also walked around him in each direction. He follows me by turning his head, which shifts his weight in each direction and from front to back as I move around him.

I am so incredibly pleased at his posture, stability, and proprioception. Sometimes, it’s hard to see how far you have come until you have an ‘Ah ha!’ moment like this!

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If there were some way to shrink the air mattress to a more manageable size, then I would include this particular setup and exercise in my next class. 😪

16/08/2024

This is a short clip showing Danielle doing some stretching with Rabbit. Stretching is as important for dogs as it is for humans during physical activity.

If you’d like to learn more about canine fitness and how to reduce the chances of injury for sport dogs, please contact us!

23/07/2024

Interested in learning a little more about canine fitness and how it can improve your sport or conformation dog? Danielle will be presenting information about the square stand to the Lagotto Romangnolo Club of America during the Carolina Foothills Dog Show Cluster this Friday, the 26th, at 3:30 PM. The event is free to enter, but there is a fee for parking.

Come on out to the Greenville Convention Center to learn more about what a square stand is, what muscles are being used, and how to teach your dog to stack without any physical manipulation from the handler.

19/04/2024

Happy Spring everyone! Danielle will be teaching another Canine Conditioning Foundations class at Happy Dogs Training Center. The first day of class will be April 28. It will be a 6 week class that meets weekly with a break in the middle to give time to practice skills from the first 3 weeks.

The cost is $160 and you can register here:

https://booking.trickytailz.com

There are only 4 student slots available so Danielle has plenty of time to devote to each student so register today!

Book an appointment with Trickytailz using SETMORE

29/12/2023

We’re partnering with Happy Dogs Training Center to offer our first ever canine conditioning class. It’s going to be a blast!

We are pleased to announce that Danielle Daws, CPCFT of Tricky Tailz will be offering a Canine Conditioning Foundations class at Happy Dogs beginning January 9th, 2024.

When: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Class Limit: 5 students (each team will be separated by ring gates, but dogs should be able to work with other dogs in the adjacent ring). Only three spots remain open as of today! If there is enough interest, a second class may be added.

Cost $150 / 6 weeks

For more information about the class, contact Danielle at [email protected]

To register before the class fills, https://trickytailz.com/trickytailz-classes/

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween ya’ll! This is a cute picture but it shows a side benefit of trick training.

This picture took 3 minutes to snap because we already had queues for staying still while wearing props and holding unusual objects.

03/09/2023

Everything you train to perfection requires the dog to make it through the "learning phase." This time is different for every dog and can be frustrating for both the dog and the handler.

In this video, you can see the difference in Rabbit's performance between when he first starts working on Pivots with Step Up in March of 2023 and now.

You can also see Danielle working through her own frustration. Notice how she deals with Rabbit's over arousal by ending the session with a series of nose-to-hand touches (a skill he knows very well) and rewards.

Ending your sessions on a good note for your dog ensures they will always want to participate in the future 🙂