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Hold the Line

Jo Laurens

THE podcast for force-free gundog training! Hold the Line is committed to helping you to train your dog to an advanced level, using motivational methods and without the use of fear. Or pain. Or anything else nasty.

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  • 21 episodes
  • Avg 35 min
  • English

Episodes 21

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  • #148
    June 15 ยท 20 min

    Episode 148 - how I nearly lost a puppy I bred to rescue

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ In this episode, I talk about what I've learnt as a result of the recent extremely stressful situation I've experienced recently. A 9 month old puppy we bred was dumped at a rescue organisation. We were not told. The rescue refused to rehome him to us. PLUS listener Q&As.

  • #147
    April 14 ยท 43 min

    Episode 147 - ethics and head collars

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ Sometimes life is complicated. If dogs are losing out on opportunities for exercise and enrichment because people can't manage them, then their quota of 'good stuff' in life gets a lot lower. A dog which never leaves the house is going to experience the fewest unpleasant things in life - and also would be incredibly deprived, under-exercised and under-stimulated. R+ training needs to accommodate these complexities, and stop over-simplifying things. Because we live complicated lives which go beyond the 4 quadrants.

  • #145
    March 24 ยท 45 min

    Episode 145 - pointers, setters and HPRs are different (sometimes distance work is easier than up-close control)

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ In this episode, I talk about a certain subgroup of gundogs which are very motivated by environmental exploration/reinforcers. They require a different training approach. These dogs might find it much easier to work at a distance (with behaviours like the remote stop and the recall) and much harder to offer sustained focus up-close (as with heelwork).

  • #144
    March 11 ยท 26 min

    Episode 144 - marking vs steadiness, revisited

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ The best marking is most likely if we send the dog immediately the retrieve falls. However, this also erodes steadiness. What to do?

  • #142
    February 10 ยท 45 min

    Episode 142 - fix your (dog's) focus!

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ I talk here about a few ways to help dogs which are struggling to offer us focus and attention. Do check out my Focus and Attention course, for more info.

  • #141
    January 27 ยท 1 hr 12 min

    Episode - 141 - things that I wish people knew

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ This is a random collection of thoughts directed towards helping people become better trainers by addressing things other than the usual 'how to train stuff'. From personality traits of effective trainers to gaps in knowledge and misassumptions.

  • #139
    Nov 29, 2025 ยท 49 min

    Episode 139 - Q&A bits and pieces

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ This episode is a little bit of everything. It is a buffet of an episode. Not sure if it's all you can eat, but it is a heck of a lot.

  • #138
    Nov 15, 2025 ยท 1 hr 1 min

    Episode 138 - PUPPIES 8-12 weeks

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ Here I waffle randomly about what I'm doing with puppies in this age range. It doesn't really involve much gundog-specific stuff, because it's about helping pups to feel safe in the world.

  • #137
    Oct 30, 2025 ยท 45 min

    Episode 137 - the value of picking up and some thoughts about docking

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ I talk here about the advantages of picking up, especially for HPR breeds (spaniels would also benefit for similar reasons) - and also offer some thoughts about docking after our experiences with our recent litter of Weim pups.

  • #136
    Sep 11, 2025 ยท 10 min

    Episode 136 - THE NEW BOOK IS OUT!

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ Yes, finally, it's here. The long-awaited sequel to *The Fundamentals*, the new book is called *Force-Free Gundog Training: Precision and Progression" and it's available in Amazons everywhere. Whoop whoop!

  • #135
    Jul 27, 2025 ยท 36 min

    Episode 135 - The New Book is Nearly Ready!

    ๐Ÿ™ƒ Text me (Jo) at Hold the Line ๐Ÿ™ƒ Amazingly, my new book (Force-Free Gundog Training: Precision and Progression) is nearly ready. WHOOP!! It should be out in a few weeks....

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