Ask the Trainer: Tawni Millet

Raising Sport Dogs

This article was originally published in the April 2024 OVERview digital magazine.

Tawni Millet (LiveWire Agility, Murfeesboro, Tenn.) has a track record for raising top dogs from birth. Collectively they have earned all the top national and international titles. We sat down with Tawni to learn some of her tips for raising sport dogs from birth. Whether for agility, rally or some other sport, many of the considerations for selecting a puppy or dog for sport are the same. 

Selection: “When Dazzle’s litter was born, they were bred for sport. ... I watched the personality of the puppies and wanted one that would click with me — a playful, young, sweet soul that I could live with and enjoy life.”

Introduction to training: “Training starts when they are super young by way of introduction to sounds, surfaces, textures. It makes them stable from the start. A lot of what I do is foundation work and shaping that transfers later when I introduce equipment.”

Is starting agility easier with a puppy?: “In most dog sports it can be easier to bond and build a relationship in the first year when the puppy is growing up.”

Listen to the full interview with Tawni below.

Next month the returning Team USA Gold Medalist will be taking her 2½-year-old Dazzle to the IFCS World Championships in her international debut. Tawni’s early agility champ, Jolt, was the mother of brother and sister, Little Sparkle and Legendary. “Little” earned multiple IFCS medals in 2019, 2022 and 2023, including the 2023 IFCS All-Around Championship. That same year, Tawni earned gold with Legendary in Individual Gamblers. It’s a tough act to follow for Little’s daughter, Dazzle!

Little Sparkle and baby Dazzle