Bad Dog Agility Podcast

In this episode (47:35) In the third live podcast of the Run Happy series, Esteban, Sarah, and Jennifer walk through the eight things happy handlers do differently, then take on real problems submitted by listeners, from weaves that fall apart in the ring to start line stays that disappear at trials. It is the practical follow-up to the Valley of Despair: how to think about the work, and what to a...

In this episode (35:10) In this episode, Sarah, Esteban, and Jennifer go deep into the lowest point of the Emotional Cycle of Change. They cover what it looks like in agility, why it happens, and the two ways out, only one of which actually works. You Will Learn How to recognize the valley of despair in your own training, and why landing there doesn't mean something is wrong with you or your dog T...

In this episode (27:55) In this episode, Sarah, Esteban, and Jennifer kick off the Run Happy series, a special three-part run of podcasts taped live on video. They walk through the emotional cycle of change, from the honeymoon phase of a new dog all the way through the hard middle and out the other side, and explain why losing the fun in agility hurts both your enjoyment and your training. You Wil...

In this episode (29:04) In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban tackle a question from a VIP member about life in an agility desert and what it means to live hours from the nearest instruction or trial site. You Will Learn What actually defines an agility desert, and why distance from trials and distance from instruction are different problems How community keeps remote handlers connected an...

In this episode (24:06) Course maps are one of those tools every handler uses but few of us really think about. On this week's episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban dig into how they each use course maps, when course maps actually help, and when staring at one might be holding you back. You Will Learn How to use a course map Jennifer's "changes in concavity" theory Sarah's "no 2 plan A's" theory M...

In this episode (29:33) A listener wrote in asking for advice on planning their first long-distance trip to a major event, and the three of us had a lot to say. We talk through how dogs and humans experience the same travel day differently, whether you're better off with fewer long driving days or more shorter ones, and whether it's worth stopping to practice along the way. If you've got a big tri...

In this episode (45:24) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban address a question from a listener who felt overwhelmed at a big event under the bright lights of the cameras and the importance of the moment. The team shares their own experiences competing on live televised finals and dig into what the research says about choking under pressure and the techniques that actually help. You Will...

In this episode (17:25) Sarah and Jennifer tackle a listener question about timing: when is the right moment to add a puppy to your pack, and how will it affect your relationship with your current competition dog? They share their own histories with bringing in new dogs and talk through what they'd recommend. You Will Learn The age range for your current competition dog that Sarah and Jennifer thi...

In this episode (1:17:56) In this episode, Sarah and Esteban welcome Dr. Arielle Pechette Markley and Dr. Abigail Shoben to discuss their CARIS research update analyzing data from 1,385 trials and over 300,000 runs per obstacle. They break down the findings from the largest coordinated safety study in agility history on contact obstacle incidents and what the numbers actually mean for handlers and...

In this episode (28:03) The AKC International Sweepstakes Class launched mid-2023, bringing European-style FCI course design to AKC trials at three levels of difficulty. Now, with two full years of data in hand, Sarah takes a deep dive into the numbers to see where the program stands and what the trends might tell us about where it's headed. You Will Learn How ISC entries compare to overall AKC pa...

In this episode (37:31) Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban are joined by Chris Durkee of 4 Legged Flix to talk about Video Assisted Review (VAR), a technology now being used at the highest levels of agility competition in the United States. VAR was deployed at both the recent AKC National Agility Championship and the UKI Invitational, with video services provided by 4 Legged Flix. You Will Learn Why con...

In this episode (26:28) Esteban, Sarah, and Jennifer share personal experiences and unpack the common stereotypes around male and female dogs in agility. With Esteban running girls, Sarah running boys, and Jennifer having trained both, the trio brings a range of perspectives and lands in the same place: the sex of a dog matters a lot less than people think. You Will Learn Why Esteban, Sarah, and J...

In this episode (57.15) In this episode, Esteban, Sarah, and Jennifer sit down with Peter Wirth, the handler of that amazing Corgi, 8″ National Champion Welly. We also discuss the challenges of this year's courses, including the low Q rates, multiple falls off the dogwalk, and the weave pole challenge that eliminated half the Finals field. You Will Learn What Peter and Jennifer thought about the h...

In this episode (27:08) Does the difference between 4-foot and 5-foot bars really matter in dog agility? In this episode, we dig into how bar width impacts everything from course design to your dog's performance, and why this seemingly small difference can have bigger implications than you might think. You Will Learn How 4-foot vs 5-foot bars affect course design and handling decisions Whether bar...

In this episode (27:08) In this episode, Sarah, Jennifer, and Esteban explore what a dog agility series on Netflix or another streaming platform could look like. They discuss several possible formats and why agility has the ingredients for mainstream success. You Will Learn Different formats a dog agility series could take on a streaming platform The kinds of stories and personalities that would m...

In this episode (32:17) In this episode, Esteban and Sarah explore what dog agility can learn from Olympic swimming, two fast sports where performances last seconds but preparation takes months or years. They discuss how tiny technical details, mental preparation, and strategic training decisions can dramatically impact performance when the margin for error is so small. You Will Learn Why the swim...

In this episode (30:21) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban talk about the realities of raising and training puppies alongside someone else. We explore how shared puppy journeys can strengthen relationships, strain them, and ultimately teach us a lot about expectations, pressure, and perspective. You Will Learn Jennifer's experience raising littermates with her mom and later with her bes...

In this episode (41:20) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban dive into the often-debated world of purpose-bred sport mixes, purpose-bred mixes in general, and how they compare to rescues, mutts, and "All American" dogs. We explore why these dogs exist, why they generate strong opinions, and how much of the controversy is rooted in history, philosophy, and expectations. Most importantly, w...

In this episode (18:10) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban break down how the format of the AKC National Agility Championship impacts strategy, especially for handlers with medium-speed dogs. Most competitors at Nationals are not the fastest dogs in the country, and they're not the slowest either. They're somewhere in the middle. And that middle is where smart strategy matters most. We...

In this episode (45:48) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban are joined by Masters Agility Champion Amber McCune to break down the 2026 Westminster Masters Agility Championship. The conversation ranges from course design and footing to venue history and how the event experience has changed over the years. You Will Learn How course design, footing, and venue choices shape both performance...

In this episode (26:49) In this episode, Jennifer, Sarah, and Esteban talk about the often ignored reality of agility: most of the time, dogs are not running, they are waiting. They explore why "waiting your turn" is a human concept, how dogs experience these in between moments through anticipation or regulation, and why early anticipation can lead to anxiety for some dogs while others switch on a...

In this episode (28:39) This week on the podcast, we take a closer look at how dogs actually run a course and what handlers can do to help them run it faster and with more confidence. We explain why dogs run lines rather than individual obstacles and how understanding your dog's stride, structure, and turning ability helps you choose the best line for any sequence. We also talk about why the faste...

In this episode (30:01) In this episode, we break down why so many handlers walk to the start line with a clear plan and instantly forget everything the moment the run begins. You Will Learn Why your brain blanks on course and how stress shuts down the prefrontal cortex, reducing timing, sequencing, and decision-making. How adrenaline affects handling, including tunnel vision, and reversion to def...

In this episode (20:34) In this episode, Esteban and Sarah talk about what it really means when things go wrong in the ring. A knocked bar, a wrong course, a dog that runs straight to the leash—none of these moments predict your future in agility. Instead, they're feedback about where you and your dog are in your training journey. You Will Learn The key difference between formative and summative f...

In this episode (37:02) Burnout isn't just something that happens at work—it happens in dog agility, too. In this episode, we dive into what burnout looks like for handlers, why it happens, and how to recover in a healthy way. You Will Learn The three major predictors of burnout identified across 30+ studies: Why agility is uniquely vulnerable to burnout (and what's missing compared to other sport...