Kyra Sundance
Encyclopedia
Kyra Sundance is a dog trainer, performer, and author.
Kyra and her Weimaraners perform live acrobatic shows, and have appeared at professional sports halftime shows, and on television shows such as The Tonight Show
, Ellen
, ET, Worldwide Fido Awards, Animal Planet's Pet Star
, Showdog Moms & Dads, and Disney’s Underdog
stage show at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood. Kyra and her dogs performed a command performance in Marrakech for the King of Morocco.
Before her performing career, Kyra was active in competitive dog sports, earning titles in Obedience, Agility, and Hunting. Kyra also works as a set trainer for dog actors on sets such as "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2" and "My Dog Ate What."
Kyra is best known for her first book, "101 Dog Tricks" which has been translated into 15 languages.
Kyra and her Weimaraners Chalcy and Jadie live with Kyra’s husband on a ranch in California’s Mojave desert
.
movement.
Kyra and her Weimaraners perform live acrobatic shows, and have appeared at professional sports halftime shows, and on television shows such as The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, Ellen
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, ET, Worldwide Fido Awards, Animal Planet's Pet Star
Pet Star
Pet Star was a show on Animal Planet hosted by Mario Lopez.The show is a contest between owners and their trained pets who perform tricks. The tricks are graded by three celebrity judges on a scale of one to 10....
, Showdog Moms & Dads, and Disney’s Underdog
Underdog (film)
Underdog is a 2007 American live-action comedy film based on the cartoon series of the same name. The film was directed by Frederik Du Chau and stars Peter Dinklage as Dr. Simon Bar Sinister, Patrick Warburton as Cad Lackley, and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. The film also stars Jim Belushi,...
stage show at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood. Kyra and her dogs performed a command performance in Marrakech for the King of Morocco.
Before her performing career, Kyra was active in competitive dog sports, earning titles in Obedience, Agility, and Hunting. Kyra also works as a set trainer for dog actors on sets such as "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2" and "My Dog Ate What."
Kyra is best known for her first book, "101 Dog Tricks" which has been translated into 15 languages.
Kyra and her Weimaraners Chalcy and Jadie live with Kyra’s husband on a ranch in California’s Mojave desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
.
Methods
Kyra's positive and force-free methods rely upon lure-and-reward training, marker training, bridge and target, and shaping. Instead of traditional pain and intimidation techniques, Kyra teaches discipline with the kinder "pressure and release" method popularized by the gentle horse whisperers of the natural horsemanshipNatural horsemanship
Natural horsemanship is the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to their instincts and herd instincts. It involves communication techniques derived from wild horse observation in order to build a partnership that closely resembles the relationships that exist between horses.- Basic ideas...
movement.
DVDs
- Best of 101 Dog Tricks, DVD, 2009 (Telly Award Winner)
- Best Puppy Tricks, DVD, 2009 (Telly Award Winner)