Siren’s Call Dog Training

04/06/2026

https://www.sirenscalldogtraining.com/news

A little update on our most recent adventures. Siren and I traveled to Michigan to compete in AWDF 2026. In her traditional fashion, Siren decided to go out in style, refusing to out off the back half helper after the courage test. Despite her sass, I am incredibly proud of the picture she provided.

Allison and Siren trialed for IGP3 in Michigan for AWDF 2026. Siren's obedience performance was a career highlight and showcased a lot of maturity and cohesion as a team. However, in protection, Siren refused to out after the courage test when her teeth got stuck in the sleeve. Despite this DQ, they...

02/05/2026

It is always encouraging to test skills. Young Hydra ran a 5 leg track with minimal food, and the training held up despite the increased difficulty.

11/16/2025

Siren earned her IGP2, and Hydra earned her BH.

11/03/2023

One of my favorite things to train is how to be calm and compliant in public spaces. When taking a dog to a store, think about different kinds of doors, the rolling carts, waiting in line. When staying in hotels, consider the sliding doors, elevators, being calm when alone in the room.

09/12/2023

One of the most valuable behaviors to train is the down under distraction. For safety purposes and for obedience, a reliable down is a tool everyone needs.

08/14/2023

I’ll be passing through Houston next week if any of my clients needs an in person lesson. 💕Siren will be with me, of course. And Tato Tot.

08/10/2023

Siren started a new nose application today in the form of scent work. She already has years of training in indication and scent tracking through IGP, so the transition is smooth. In a quick 3 minute session, Siren was introduced to a new scent, a hide, and then successfully indicated two hidden hides. What a wonderful indoor game on these hot days.

08/04/2023

Clarity, differentiating behavior, and differentiating reward.

Here, Siren drills her heel behavior for a ball, and her transport behavior for a tug. My communication must be perfectly clear, so she knows to exhibit the right exercise and take the right reward. Her clarity with this is due to my communication and her control.

Notice how I am calm the entire time. I don’t excessively celebrate with her. For her nervous system, it’s better that she have reward that is happy, yes, but controlled. High level rewards only ratchet the drive. For many dogs, we need high level rewards to raise drive and engagement. But not for her.

Not all tools work for all dogs.

07/26/2023

One of my favorite training moments with Siren is this: tracking in snow in the Tetons. We were at an altitude of around 13,000 feet, and it was maybe 20 degrees. Siren tracks human scent and indicates on articles which can be leather, wood, felt, carpet. I cherish this memory.

Every environment and experience is an opportunity to develop a dog of sound mind and behavior. Every new adventure is a chance to proof skills and deepen understanding.

07/21/2023

In this clip, I work with Tato, a 12 week old English bulldog. In the background, notice that Siren is on her treadmill. I like to teach my dogs early to work in the presence of other dogs and be neutral. I am more interesting and valuable than their environment. It also helps condition Tato to the noise and motion of the treadmill since he’s too young to be on it.

Tato has seen basic heel position in previous sessions, but this is the first time he’s seen movement. The basic position and the heeling are two different behaviors; however, they are connected. He gets rewarded for basic and for the motion of heeling while in motion.

Notice that I have not named the behavior. I only use his name and praise markers. A lot of people speak at the dog before the dog understands the behavior that is expected. I only name the behavior after the dog is willingly offering it correctly.

Tato is a pet dog that will have a high level of obedience.

07/14/2023

In training our dogs, communication is paramount to success, for pet level obedience or competition level obedience. When I train Siren, we have a routine and a system for how our sessions go. No two sessions ever look the same, but our warm up never changes. She knows that I will get her out, let her stretch, ask for a down, and then I will ask her to initiate the training session through a bark and hold on me. This allows her to get some of the crazies out in a controlled manner while exhibiting obedience. She finds her peace in the barking, and it prepares her to work. The routine is the same whether we are training for 5 minutes or walking on the trial field. She knows the rules and what to expect.

Siren is a 4 year old female Belgian Malinois. I’ve had the joy of owning and training her these years. She has earned her IGP1, and we are hoping to trial this December for her 2.