Welcome to D S P N

Laurie Williams on Pet Life Radio


Dog Sports & Performance Network

DSPN Channel (Dog Sports & Performance Network) - DSPN is for the dog sports and performance enthusiast in all of us! Have you and your dog been skijoring lately? How about mushing? There might even be a scootering competition coming to your town! Are you boggled? Not to worry, now you can learn all about the multitude of dog sports and activities out there that you can try with your best four legged friend! We'll hear from the leading sports and conformation dog show stars who are at the top of their game as well as learn training tips and get the scoop on their secrets to success! Time to get Fido off the couch and JUST DO IT!

"DSPN" Theme Song Written & Produced by Mark Winter
© Copyright Song-O-Saurus Music (ASCAP)

Episode 18 -

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Episode 17 -

Coming soon


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Episode 16 - Does Your Dog Have C.L.A.S.S.?

Join DSPN host Laurie Williams and her guests, Mychelle Blake, CEO and Ann Allums, Special Programs Coordinator of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) as they discuss C.L.A.S.S. (Canine Life and Social Skills), its new and innovative educational dog training program. Developed by the APDT to help strengthen the bond between humans and their canine companions, C.L.A.S.S. promotes the use of positive reinforcement as a means to enhance a dog's basic manners and real life skills. It encourages humans and trainers to take training out of the classroom and apply it to everyday life situations.  Find out how your dog can have C.L.A.S.S. too! 


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Episode 15 - Doggie Destinations & Vacations

Traveling is one of the most fun activities you can do with your dog!  Laurie Williams talks to Carol Bryant, PR and Social Media Director for FIDO Friendly Magazine, about all the fun places you can travel to with your dog for this holiday and winter season. Learn tips on how to help your dog settle in on the road and how you two can be great travel ambassadors!


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Episode 14 - Agility Right From The Start

Have you been looking for a way to get your dog started off on the right paw in agility?  If so, Starting Off on the Right Paw may be just the book for you!  Says renowned animal behaviorist and author Karen Pryor, "With this book any competitor can qualify sooner, with fewer errors and faster runs. With this book any dog owner and dog, competing or not, can reach new levels of teamwork and understanding. The authors build a rock-solid foundation of dog and human skills and reliability before going anywhere near an obstacle. Above all, what they are doing is FUN. This is training the way it ought to be.”  That's an amazing endorsement from one of the most well respected pioneers in clicker training!  Join us as we chat with its authors, Eva Bertilsson and Emile Johnson Vegh as they share some of the wonderful techniques and exercises included in this book.


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Episode 13 - Your Dog Oughta Be in Pictures

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.  But more importantly for those of us who love our pets, a prized photo of a pet having fun, or us participating in an activity we share together can capture the moment for a lifetime.  In this episode, listen in as we chat with Jim Poor, of Jim Poor Photography.  Jim is a highly sought after dog sports photographer based in Northern Virginia but travels throughout the U.S. shooting a myriad of dog events from agility to herding, lure coursing and herding trials.  Jim shares some insight from the other side of the camera and offers tips to pet owners wishing to capture their own special "Kodak moments" of their wonderful companions.


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Episode 12 - Those Greatest American Dogs, 1 Year Later - Where Are They Now? Part 2

Well, the finale was a year ago, and by now most fans  have probably
figured out what I knew the moment I drove away from  that televised Canine Academy: there’s not going to be a second season of  Greatest American Dog. Even though nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to the  premiere, the show’s ratings experienced a steady decline throughout the season  and ended with an average of 5-6 million weekly viewers. Comparing that  to other popular dog-themed television shows like the The Dog  Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel (which barely averages 1 million  viewers weekly), GAD was one of the most watched TV series about dogs  ever!  Join us as we catch up with some members of the cast and  get the 4-1-1- on what they've been doing for the past year.


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Episode 11 - Those Greatest American Dogs, 1 Year Later - Where Are They Now? Part 1

Well, the finale was a year ago, and by now most fans  have probably
figured out what I knew the moment I drove away from  that televised Canine Academy: there’s not going to be a second season of  Greatest American Dog. Even though nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to the  premiere, the show’s ratings experienced a steady decline throughout the season  and ended with an average of 5-6 million weekly viewers. Comparing that  to other popular dog-themed television shows like the The Dog  Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel (which barely averages 1 million  viewers weekly), GAD was one of the most watched TV series about dogs  ever!  Join us as we catch up with some members of the cast and  get the 4-1-1- on what they've been doing for the past year. 


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Episode 10 - Midwest Rally and Obedience Tournament

What do you get when you add all the most positive, dog and human friendly sports and activities together with the most enthusiastic dogs and their people?  You get the Midwest Rally and Obedience Tournament to be held on September 26 and 27, 2009 at the Dupage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Illinois.  Learn all about this first time, premier event from judge and rally and obedience instructor and enthusiast, Kay Weber of K9 Petiquette in Elburn, Illinois.  Everything fun and positive you can do with your dog under one roof - this is something you don't want to miss!


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Episode 9 - C-Wags: A Little Work And A Lot Of Fun!

If you could take everything dogs love to do like run, jump, and play, all while getting praised and rewarded, and put it all together, you'd get C-Wags.  C-Wags, or Canine Work and Games is one of the newer dog sports and activities that is catching on across the United States.  Combining traditional obedience, rally, games and play, C-Wags focuses on team work between the dog and handler, and is open to all breeds of dogs, purebred, mixed breeds, and even dogs with disabilities.  Join us as C-Wags judge and exhibitor Laurie Buchele shares insight about this wonderful new venue.


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Episode 8 - Making The Cut

The AKC National Agility Championships includes 750 of the country's top agility dogs that have met a highly competitive and criteria regarding titles, scores, speed and performance. Meet Cindy Briggs, CPDT, owner of All Dog Adventures dog training facility in Richmond, VA and her Golden Retriever, Jody as she tells us all about their trip to this year's competition. Cindy shares some training secrets and foundation building skills that can help you achieve a winning relationship with your dog, whether on the agility course or at home!


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Episode 7 - Pint Sized Agility Stars Have Their Day!

Limited to dogs no more than 17" tall at the withers, the Teacup Dogs Agility Association was created to encourage and provide an alternate competitive agility venue for small dogs that offers the same challenges on size appropriate equipment and courses that ensures greater safety and a much more level playing field. Join Laurie and her guest, Donni Breaden, TDAA judge and avid exhibitor to learn more about this exciting sport that is sweeping the country!


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Episode 6 - The Skye's The Limit

Meet Michael Pesare of Gleanntan Kennels in South Central PA where he and his partner (wife) Maida Connor own, breed and exhibit TOP winning Skye Terriers.. I ran into Michael and Maida at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last month where they were showing their dogs "Tony," Ch. Finnsky Gladiator, and "Bee," Ch Gleanntan GiveMeBusyBee. Active in the sport of dogs since 1990, Pesare and Connor have been instrumental in preserving this magnificent breed of dog with a deep history dating as far back as the 1600's. During the past 19 years they have shown Gleanntan Skyes to Best in Show, Multiple Best in Specialty Show and numerous group wins. They have also handled Skyes of their own breeding and/or co-ownershpi to #1 ranking in the U.S. in 2003, 2007 and 2008.


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Episode 5 - Westminster Tails - The Inside Scoop on the Westminster Dog Show with dog show expert Billy Wheeler

This year's 133rd Westminster Dog Show promises to be one of the most exciting ever! The top dogs in contention have run a tight race and have been battling it out all year in shows throughout the country and the world. But it all comes down to one final night, center stage at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. Dog show expert Billy Wheeler shares secrets and gives us the inside scoop on this year's events, as he lets us in on all the front runners, underdogs, and even some of his own predictions.


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Episode 4 - Come Play in Our Toy Box!

A visit with top Yorkshire Terrier breeder and exhibitor Pauline Imbro-Allen, just back from a huge win at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia dog show! One of the oldest and largest dog shows in existence, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia plays host to the A.K.C.'s National Dog Show, the most widely viewed dog show in America. The show attracts over 2,000 of the top dogs from across the country.


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Episode 3 - Sports Camps Have Gone to the Dogs

It's an age old tradition for parents to pack up their kids' bags and send them off to camp in the summer. Well now camps have gone to the dogs! Now you can pack up your dog's bags, and yours too, as the two of you head off to camp together! The popularity of dog sports camps, weekend to week long camps and retreats where dogs and their people can try out, practice and learn new skills to give them that competitive edge continues to grow. Today we talk to Bud Houston of Country Dream Agility Retreat in southeaster Ohio and Jeanne Richter of Camp Gone to the Dogs in Vermont about the benefits of attending a sports camp with your dog.


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Episode 2 - On the Road to Best In Show - The Life of a Conformation Dog Show Champion

Some might consider conformation dog shows nothing more than "beauty pageants" for dogs, but that description does this long standing and popular sport a tremendous disservice. The fact is, next to the Kentucky Derby, the Westminster Dog show is the oldest, continuous sporting event held in the United States. Each breed of dog has a standard, and in conformation dog shows, each dog is judged individually on how closely he or she matches the breed standard. Conditioning, training and preparing a dog for a show career takes time, diligence and patience.... and it starts before the dog is even bred! Come learn all about this sport with a history steeped deep in tradition with our guest Terry Patton of Felicity English Springer Spaniels and breeder and owner of Ch. Felicity's Diamond Jim, aka "James," winner of the coveted Westminster Best in Show title in 2007.


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Episode 1 - The Ability For Agility

In the premier episode of DSPN, Laurie talks to obedience and agility trainer Shirley Murphy about the popular dog sport of Agility. Tune in!


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