Little Rock Dog Training Club

06/01/2026

Want a rock-solid recall? 🐕🚀

A reliable recall starts with making “come” the best word your dog hears all day. Practice in low-distraction environments first and reward heavily with treats, toys, or praise every time your dog comes to you. The goal? Your dog thinking, “Running back to my human is AWESOME!”

Make sure to try this in different places (safely!) so your pup remembers to always come back to you. End recalls by releasing your dog back to play sometimes. If “come” always means the fun ends, dogs are less excited to respond.

Tell us what’s your dog MOST likely to come running for: treats, toys , or praise?

05/28/2026

What the world is a “sniffari”?

A sniffari is a walk where your dog gets to slow down, explore, and sniff to their heart’s content! While we often focus on distance or exercise, sniffing is actually incredible mental enrichment for dogs and helps reduce stress, build confidence, and tire them out in a healthy way.

Next walk, try letting your dog take the lead (safely, of course!) and enjoy the sights and smells at their pace. You might be surprised how much happier and calmer they are afterward!

You might be surprised to see how a 20-minute sniffari tires your pup out more than a mile-long walk.

05/24/2026

Rainy day? Don’t forget that mental exercise can tire your dog out just as much as physical exercise! 🐶🧠

Enrichment games help build confidence, reduce boredom, and keep your dog’s mind busy and happy. Here are a few easy games to try at home:

🐾 Hide treats around the house for a fun “find it” game
🐾 Practice short training sessions with sits, stays, spins, or tricks
🐾 Use a towel or muffin tin puzzle with treats hidden inside
🐾 Play “which hand” with treats to work their nose and brain

A few minutes of enrichment can make a big difference for your pup and it’s a fun way to bond, too! 💙

05/22/2026

🐾 LRDTC PRESENTS: SEEING THROUGH YOUR DOG'S NOSE 🐾

Join us for “Seeing Through Your Dog’s Nose”, an exciting Scent Work Seminar presented by AKC Judge Ellen Heavner on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at the!

This seminar is perfect for scent work enthusiasts wanting a deeper understanding of:
- Odor theory & scent pictures
- How dogs perceive odor differently than humans
- Air movement and odor flow
- Residual odor, accessibility vs. availability
- Search strategies across different elements
- Using smoke machines to visualize scent movement

Whether you’re new to scent work or competing at advanced levels, this seminar will help you better understand how your dog searches and how to become a more effective handler.

🐶 Humans only seminar (non-working dogs may be crated onsite if needed)
💲 Cost: $80
🥪 Lunch, snacks, water & soda provided by LRDTC

📍 Lonoke County Fairgrounds
1006 West 3rd St., Lonoke, AR 72086

📬 Registration & payment information can be found here:

05/21/2026

Great job to everyone who participated in our Novice put-throughs in Novice-level obedience! 🐾

Teams worked through a variety of exercises including walking on lead, off lead work, recalls, finishes, stays, and more. We wrapped up with a final exercise featuring a one-minute sit stay and down stay on lead. All of the dogs did an amazing job!

It’s always exciting to see the progress and dedication from both handlers and dogs. The eye contact and teamwork was amazing to see!

05/19/2026

We had such an amazing time visiting Amazon for Mental Health Awareness Week! 🐶💙

Our volunteers and therapy dogs loved getting to spend the day sharing smiles, comfort, and lots of puppy pets with everyone. It was wonderful to see so many people take a moment to relax, connect, and enjoy some time with our furry friends.

A huge thank you to Amazon for inviting us and supporting mental health awareness, and an extra special thank you to all of our incredible volunteers who helped make this visit possible. We truly appreciate the opportunity and loved being part of such a positive event!

05/19/2026

The AKC has done a study on dog intelligence and the smartest breeds. Does your dog make the list? 🐾
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/smartest-dog-breeds/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_org&utm_campaign=20260518_posting&fbclid=IwY2xjawR5ZSpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeRZJDehHRDgPlozISh9L72wEKHg-kzhXXFxHGFt4zsvwdCNrScJ4C1Uy5eJY_aem_c8HvvgVLLsAtPBn9uNVtPA

Discover the smartest dog breeds ranked by intelligence. See the top 20 dogs, how rankings work, and which breed is smartest.

05/14/2026

📣 LRDTC AKC Obedience & Rally Trials — June 20–21, 2026! 📣

We’re thrilled to invite everyone to our AKC-licensed Obedience and Rally Trials at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, Hall of Industry in Little Rock, AR!

🗓️ Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
📍 Hall of Industry | 2600 Howard St., Little Rock, AR 72206
📝 Entries Close: June 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST

🎯 All Levels Offered
This weekend includes three All-Breed Obedience trials and three All-Breed Rally trials. We are offering classes from Novice through Utility for Obedience, and Novice through Master and Choice for Rally. All-American Dogs enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners Program are also welcome to join the fun!

Don’t miss this fun weekend of teamwork and precision! Mark your calendars and get those entries in by June 3!

📧 Questions? Email Trial Secretary Susan Knowles or Trial Chair Rachel Lawrence — contact info is in the premium:

05/10/2026

Having fun in Advanced Open! We decided to try to serpentine during a fun course. Dogs had a blast, owners had a blast, and it was a great night 🐕

05/03/2026

Thank you Golden Portraits Photography for capturing our dogs in action!

Little Rock Dog Training Club’s April Scent Work Trail photos are now up on my website! Thank you for being patient as I worked through all the photos!

Link: https://goldenportraitsphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/5a29c0ea-0df7-48bf-a825-c2670d43fb11/album/22752684