The StudioDaily 50 is populated by executives and producers who make great work happen; directors, cinematographers and editors who push the creative envelope; and scientists, engineers, inventors and other innovators who keep pushing the state of the creative arts. With this crowd, most of them spend their professional lives crossing boundaries on a daily basis.

Adding to an already long list of production industry awards, Doug Calhoun, the innovative producer, cinematographer and editor at Canine Training Systems (Forest Run Productions) is gaining his own notoriety and has been named to StudioDaily’s esteemed Top 50 list. The inaugural list was compiled by the leading and award-winning news source for creative digital media, StudioDaily, with a focus on innovation in the production of movies, TV shows, commercials and music videos.

Doug Calhoun, who is President at Canine Training Systems, the world-renowned firm responsible for crafting the industry standard in instructional videos for sport, service and pet dogs has been honored in The Specialists category. “Producing content in what’s considered a Specialist category is about passion for dogs and dedication to our customer base. We love the variety of dog sports that not only we enjoy, but our customers participate in. It’s incredibly gratifying to get testimonials from our customers and resellers about the caliber of teamwork our titles help create, strengthen and demonstrate across the globe. I’m proud of our products, and am honored to be on the StudioDaily 50 list alongside so many other talented individuals.”

Recipients were announced and honored at the prestigious Prime Awards held by Studio Daily, during NAB, the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, one of the industry’s biggest and most anticipated broadcast production industry conferences. The event was streamed live from the show floor world-wide.

“I enjoy all aspects of the process. Editing makes for a better videographer and understanding the information and concepts you need to convey allows the information to be crafted in a variety of ways.” Having gained a footing in production with firms like Gates Corporation, Digital Lava, American Airlines, IonCleanse, RecoverFast, The Outdoor Channel and Kiwanis Club International among many others, Calhoun has filled the shelves with production awards.

To learn more about the StudioDaily 50, visit their website.

Respect comes from knowing the value of something and not forcing your parameters on it's existence.

Being around dog sport awhile, I've seen some amazing things.  Some I was fortunate to catch on video or I wouldn't have believed, things that simply "flowed".  The start seemed normal, generally with a concrete plan and clear direction, but somehow something happened and it went somewhere with an unexplained motivation, an understanding without words, gestures or reason.  A combination of things working together all at once like it was obviously going to happen, but nearly incomprehensible beforehand.  A remarkable interaction, understanding, communication or breakthrough.

It's beautiful and unmistakable when it happens.  It lasts moments, seconds or minutes.  Of course it comes from repetition, familiarity, trust, and respect between teammates- an understanding of how each partner will support the other when it's both easy and hard.  Taking slack, giving room, it's about feel and experience.  It's teamwork certainly- but over days, weeks and years it's more.  It's openness, the freedom to try without consequence and the patience to allow behavior to happen.

It seems like a sixth sense, an insight through experience that something isn't quite right on one day and knowing all the pistons are firing on another.  Knowing when you can get a bit more or need to ease off.  Having faith in the foundation and knowing their heart will really be in it even when you're a bit concerned- knowing they will try for you, not just because of the training.  A soft eye, a nuzzle into your hand, a lean on your leg and a big happy face.  It will all be fine- "we've got this".  Yes.  Teamwork.

He was a pleasure to watch, be around and video.  Awesome.  He had the stuff and was a gentleman.  He was truly something and he adored Dave.  I think it was mutual.  There were many of those hard to believe moments with him, a few that really stand out.  It's a shame they have to go so soon.  We're so truly sorry Dave and Karen, great dogs leave big holes.  RIP Enoch, travel well.
 

"They say there is a doorway from heart to heart, but what is the use of a door when there are no walls?" ~Rumi

Important Ship Dates for Christmas Delivery

UPS- United Parcel Service

For Christmas arrival using UPS-

UPS Ground by Tuesday December 17

UPS 3 Day by Wednessday December 18.   

UPS 2 Day by Thursday December 19.   

UPS Overnight by Friday or Saturday December 20-21.    

Orders placed on Saturday and Sunday the 20th and 21st will ship on Monday the 23rd, but are not guaranteed to deliver by Tuesday December 24th 2013.  

USPS- United States Postal Service

For estimated arrival by Christmas-

First Class Mail by Friday December 20

Priority Mail by Saturday December 21

Priority Mail Express by Monday December 23

Merry Christmas, everyone! ~Canine Training Systems

From traditional roots, herding has become a sport that Jeanne Joy Hartnagle has dedicated her life to. The trailer for Herding I: Overview highlights how to train a young dog with stock, or the animals wanting to be herded. The video also goes into the fine line of the stocks flight or fight zone and how to control this when herding. Although a practical sport, this video makes training fun and enjoyable, while simplifying the complexity of the sport for better understanding. The name Hartnagle is synonymous with herding and their Las Rocosas Aussies have been a benchmark for the breed for decades.  This hallmark series is a classic!

When dog trainers are asked if they know what moment markers are, they invariably say "Yes, absolutely", and go on to explain the benefits and how great an idea it is to use them.  For anyone that doesn't know, a moment marker is just a signal (usually auditory) that the behavior that occurred at the moment of the "mark" was the target behavior the trainer was looking for.  It pinpoints a behavior in time for the dog.  When the mark is consistently paired with a primary reinforcer (food, toy, etc.), conditioning occurs.  The mark will come to elicit the same emotional reponse the primary reinforcer does.  At that point it's called a secondary reinforcer.  It doesn't happen immediately but can happen very quickly.  If a moment marker is followed by a reward, then the behavior that resulted in reward becomes important to the dog and he's more likely to repeat it.  It's pretty straightforward stuff.

Because markers isolate moments in time, it's a very clear, clean way to communicate with the dog in terms he understands.  As long as the marker/reward relationship is maintained, the strength and durability will remain.  Because dogs are masters of physical cues and body language, an auditory marker cuts through the static and makes target behavior identification very clear.  Simply listen for the mark!

I've seen and recorded dog trainers for years in the process of producing our award winning instructional titles and as the trends in training have leaned toward more "clean" techniques, the question of whether people use markers is asked more and more often.  The answer is almost invariably yes.  When asked what is used as a marker, the most common response is the word "yes" or "good".  Here's the hitch.  When many trainers claim they use markers, and I speak from having watched countless hours of video footage of it, they actually don't.  What often happens is that the verbal marker is changed, the inflection of it's use varies and it's appearance in training is very inconsistent.  BUT....some is better than none.  The majority of trainers are using a reward based system for teaching and shaping new behaviors and providing some level of feedback to the dog!  Even if a dog is trained with nothing more than leash and collar, it's better that he at least be told when he did the right thing than simply be punished for not doing it.  He would have a chance...

The clicker is a small plastic and tin noise maker devoid of emotion.  It does one thing.  It makes a unique sound.  It's a piece of equipment.  It's no different than a collar, leash, toy or any inanimate object.  Using one is simple.  From watching hours and hours of footage, I've observed that when a clicker is used, training is more thoughtful, marks are more well placed, progression is more rapid and problems are overcome more quickly.  I use one occasionally but should more often for many things.  A lot of people have issues with what's termed "clicker training".  What's meant by this term, generally speaking, is the use of purely reward based methods, with no behavioral consequence other than absence of reward.  No problem, if that's how someone wants to train, it's fine by me.  The opposite of a reward is, in the end, simply withholding that reward.  Corrections are something entirely different.

Because a clicker uses different skeletal muscles than speech and requires some effort to be accurate, it insists on attention to detail.  It's a unique sound to the environment (unless you train in a clicker testing facility) and requires thoughtful application.  The only con to using one is not always having one at the ready when you need it.  The worst thing that can happen in this instance is that your verbal marker timing is better and more consistent through practice with a clicker!  Not a bad trade off!  I'd recommend giving a clicker a try if you don't use one already and see if clearer marking benefits your training.  At the end of the day, that's what really matters.

http://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/product/CLICKERS/Clickers

2012 started out as a pretty uneventful year for me....but is ending with a bang. Making history is not easy!!!!  This year I qualified for 2 world champioships, in 2 different sports, with 2 different dogs....and I am going...yes I am crazy!!!   I am representing the AWDF this year at the FCI IPO 3 world championships with Italo zet Eurosportu AND representing USMRA at the Mondioring World championships with my Malinois Enoch van Joefarm.   No other trainer in the USA has ever accomplished this feat....and let me tell you it is not easy!!!!  Italo, my IPO dog is a GSD from the Eurosport breeding.  My Malinois Enoch is from Joe Farm.  I am leaving Sept 13th for the FCI in Hungary and returning Sept 24, only to get back on a transcontinental flight 5 days later to go to France with Enoch!!!  Needless to say...we are doing a ton of training at the moment! I am going to update this blog every few days to give a progress report of training. I may even surprise everyone with some training footage on vid. Stay tuned!! Dave

The new site is finally live!  It's been an arduous process but well worth it.  We have a blog, forum, and plenty of room for growth.  Our previous site was well organized but a bit clunky.  The new site architecture will allow for growth in multiple directions in many ways and we're really excited about it.  We still have some things to do behind the scenes and will have some announcements to make in the near future but we hope you'll take advantage of what's available now.

The new site offers :

Expanded Expert Bios- Many of the bios have been updated and expanded.  We've made things easier to navigate and access to information in multiple locations.

Project Pages- information from behind the scenes.  What went into production, what happened along the way and what we did during the process.  We have a few done but quite a few more to do.

FAQ's and Articles- we get lots of questions and requests and this area will be the repository for lots of great information from our experts in response to your questions and more!  This will go live in the coming weeks so get your questions in.

The Forum- your opportunity to network, share and benefit from the experience of others.  What's great is that our forum has an App that allows you to stay in touch 24/7 on your Apple devices, Android is coming soon.

The Blog- a view of our Digital Notepad.  You'll see things here that you won't find anywhere else.  Tips and stories from our Technical Experts, stories from the road, occasional Video Blog entries and a look into the seminars of our experts.

The Video Gallery- The Video Gallery has been updated and we can now sort video in multiple ways and deliver to multiple areas of the site at the click of a button.  We can also list clips from other outlets in our Miscellaneous Clips section.  We see lots of clips on YouTube and Facebook and can collect them in categories as a reference or for viewing at your leisure.

There's more on the way and we're open to your suggestions as well.  Many of you have been our customers for years and we'd like to just say "Thank You" for your continued support and business!