Competition

Another season of ClickerExpo is coming! In 2008, ClickerExpo will be in Los Angeles, California, February 1-3 and in Lexington, Kentucky, March 28-30.

Dogs smile. Just like people, dogs pull the corners of their mouths up high toward their eyes, partially open their mouths, and smile. In 1872, Darwin wrote of the universality of facial expressions in The Expressions of Emotions in Man and Animals. Roughly 130 years later, Dr. Patricia McConnell authored For the Love of a Dog in which she compared human and dog facial expressions using the methods developed by Paul Ekman, the world's leading scientist on the topic. The truth is out: dogs smile, and, of course, experience emotions.

An obstacle that can cause a great deal of difficulty for agility dogs is the teeter. If you think about it, it makes absolutely no sense to run up a board that slams to the ground when you reach the top. Any smart dog would have to wonder why he should do such a ridiculous thing.

The first-ever ClickerChallenge in Switzerland took place the weekend of May 19-20, 2007. It was quite an exciting event—and what an exciting evolution clicker training has been through in our country!

Among the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed groups, the Sporting Group is by far the most popular, and these dogs are bred to hunt. But don't be discouraged if you have one of these great sporting dogs but you're not a hunter. You can choose from a variety of field sports, including both organized and individual activities that will put your dog's talents to good use.