Canine Handler Fitness Podcast

Every spring we make ambitious plans. We're going to work out more. Train the dog. Travel. Garden. Go to trials. Tackle projects around the house. Spend more time outside. Then summer arrives and suddenly there aren't enough hours in the day. If your routine has disappeared, your workouts are inconsistent, and you're wondering where all your time went, you're not alone. The problem usually isn't m...

Most people think getting faster means doing more. More running. More intervals. More workouts. More effort. But what if the problem isn't that you're not doing enough? What if you're simply repeating the same movement mistakes over and over again? In this episode, we're exploring one of the biggest misconceptions in speed training and discussing what actually contributes to becoming a faster runn...

Do you ever feel like you're working incredibly hard when you run, but not getting much speed in return? In this episode, we're diving into a concept I call energy leaks—the movement habits that quietly steal speed, increase fatigue, and make sprinting feel far harder than it needs to. Many handlers assume they need more fitness, more conditioning, or more miles. Sometimes that's true. But often t...

Summer arrives and suddenly the workouts that felt easy in the spring feel harder. Your heart rate is higher, your energy is lower, and between trials, travel, and hot weather, staying consistent can feel impossible. The good news? You're probably not losing fitness as quickly as you think. In this episode, we're talking about what heat actually does to performance, why your workouts feel harder t...

Your dog has a conditioning plan. They have warm-ups, recovery days, fitness exercises, and maybe even a few supplements. You know what they weigh, how they're moving, and whether they're ready for the next trial. But what about you? Many handlers spend so much time caring for their dog's physical health that they forget they're part of the team too. We wouldn't expect our dogs to stay strong, ath...

Your dog loves toys. So why is toy training still a struggle? A lot of dogs love chasing, grabbing, and carrying toys. But loving toys and knowing how to play with a human are not the same thing . If your dog runs off with toys, plays keep-away, struggles to return them, or gets so excited they stop thinking, you're not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Shade Whitesel to talk about toy play,...

Ever said “I can’t do it all.” ... And when you can’t do it all, it’s really easy to do nothing. That space between wanting to keep going and not having the time is where most people lose momentum. Not because they don’t care—but because they’re trying to hold themselves to a version of their routine that just doesn’t fit right now. This episode is for that exact moment. When your schedule is tigh...

Most people have a system issue, both in scheduling and in their headspace around fitness. Because if you’ve ever planned to work out and then didn’t know what to do opened your phone to “pick something” and got overwhelmed skipped it because you weren’t sure how long it would take felt like if you couldn’t do a full workout, it wasn’t worth doing …this episode is for you. This isn’t about discipl...

There are two types of people when it comes to working out. People who stop… and stay stopped. And people who stop… and then keep going. The difference isn’t motivation. It’s not discipline either. It’s what they do next. Because at some point, everyone misses workouts. Life gets busy, routines break, things get messy. That part is normal. What isn’t inevitable is turning a few missed days into a...

You can’t fix your habits until you understand what’s actually driving your behavior. Because if you’ve ever: started a routine and couldn’t stick with it felt motivated one week and completely flat the next chosen scrolling or sitting over doing your workout wondered “why is this so hard for me?” …this episode is for you. This isn’t about willpower. It’s about dopamine . Dopamine isn’t just a “fe...

What if the way you raise your puppy is quietly deciding your entire agility future? If you want to go deeper into this, join Bree and I for Kelly's class this term through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. It’s a great next step if you want guidance on how to actually apply this with your own puppy and build a body that’s strong, capable, and ready for the demands of sport. Because here’s the truth… most...

Spring is coming. Which means more running… more sprinting… more time moving with your dog outdoors. And every year, I see the same thing happen: Handlers go from winter → straight into running. And suddenly: things feel harder than expected your body feels heavy and slow you’re out of breath quickly or something starts to hurt Because your body wasn’t prepared for the jump. This episode is about...

Ever feel completely fine on the treadmill… and then five minutes into your first outdoor run you’re thinking, Why does this feel so hard? Why do my legs feel heavier? Why am I more out of breath at the same pace? Did I just lose all my fitness? If spring running has you second-guessing yourself, you’re not alone. The shift from treadmill to outdoors changes more than you think — even if your dist...

Watching the Olympics can do one of two things: Make you feel small… Or sharpen your plan. And if you’re a dog sport handler watching world-class movement — whether that’s Olympic athletes or agility excellence at World Team Tryouts — you’ve probably felt both. That spark. And that quiet voice saying, “I should be in better shape.” Today we’re talking about that fork in the road. If you’ve felt th...

You’ve been told to just “do Tabata burpees.” Work harder. Sweat more. Push your anaerobic system. So why are you still exhausted at trials? Why do your knees and Achilles feel unreliable? Why does your confidence drop when your body feels unpredictable? In this episode, we talk about why high-intensity workouts don’t always transfer to agility performance — especially for women 40+. We break down...

Winter hits. You want to stay fit. Your dog is bouncing off the walls. And somehow “I’ll just go to the gym” never quite works. In this episode, I sit down with Tanya Dobrzanski to talk about harness dog sports — one of the most underrated ways to build real conditioning with your dog instead of leaving them home. We cover: • What harness dog sports actually are • Who they’re right for (and who th...

Have you ever thought, “I should be further along by now”? You start again. You ease in. And it feels harder than you expected. In this episode, I talk about the gap between what we expect our bodies to do — and what they’re actually ready for. We discuss: • Why starting from zero feels confronting • The mismatch between memory and current capacity • Why easing in isn’t weakness • How to build mom...

You’re playing tug. Your dog hits the toy hard. And suddenly your wrist, shoulder, or back lights up. Tugging isn’t just a reward skill for your dog — it’s a physical skill for you. In this episode, I sit down with Shade Whitesel to talk about how to keep tugging fun while reducing injury risk on the handler side. We cover: • Why handlers get hurt during tug • How stance and bracing matter more th...

You set the goal. You feel motivated. Two weeks later… it’s stalled. It’s not because you don’t care. In this episode, I sit down with mental performance coach Heather Sumlin to talk about why most fitness goals fail — even for high-achievers. We discuss: • Why motivation was never the problem • How “should” goals sabotage follow-through • Why big goals don’t translate into daily action • How to a...

As we head into a new year, a lot of handlers start thinking about how to improve — speed, endurance, confidence, clarity on course. In this episode, Liz shares a short list of high-ROI focus areas that help handlers move better, react faster, and feel more confident on course — without spending endless hours in the gym or grinding through workouts that don’t transfer. This isn’t about doing every...

This episode isn’t about “new year, new you” hype. It’s about honest reflection, meaningful change, and creating momentum in a way that actually lasts. We walk through how to look back at the past year with clarity (without beating yourself up), how to notice when you’ve slipped into valleys of low energy, discouragement, or feeling stuck, and how to build your environment so inspiration doesn’t r...

Most runners — even experienced ones — are doing core work that doesn’t actually translate to better running. In this episode, Liz breaks down what your core really needs to do when you run , why traditional core exercises like planks and crunches often fall short, and how to train your core in a way that directly improves running efficiency, stability, and agility performance. You’ll learn why co...

Most handlers think “strong legs” just means squats and lunges, but agility demands strength that works in every direction. The goal is power, control, and stability when the dog changes speed or the course forces quick transitions. You need single-leg stability far more than bilateral strength Deceleration strength prevents slipping, sliding, and knee strain Power + quickness beat “strong but slo...

Your Friends Are Your Biggest Fitness Hack This episode kicks off our second All Access Pass monthly challenge! December’s All-Access Challenge: Do Something Active With Someone You Care About Once a Week. We explore why your social circle is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and fitness, and why shared movement builds sustainable habits far better than willpower alone. You’ll le...

Do you think you can skip upper-body training because agility is “all legs and core”? That’s a trap. Your upper body is just as critical for speed, posture, and handling. In this episode, you’ll learn: How your arms and torso affect sprinting, stride, and turning Why upper-body strength is more than just big arms — it’s posture, stabilization, and reactive power How unexpected forces from your dog...