MrsD

Sounds like you & Perry had a great time PM, it's great to see them enjoying themselves so much . We've been at a herding trial all weekend & it's lovely to see all the dogs working right from the beginners through to the most experienced dogs & all the different styles. Hope you have a great time next weekend as well :D .

Great that you got the first one out of the way varicool, he'll improve as you & he get more experience, well done .

No, stay home so you can babysit the kids for us tomorrow night .

you're right - she is just ignoring you . I don't know about Riles but I've never used a rake I did use a staff for about the first 4 lessons but got rid of that & started using just my arm & body & Jarrah actually worked better off my body language without the staff. But then I started putting sides on Jarrah from the minute he started training for his HT, so I don't need to "block him" to get him to change direction or stop . I've found most of the best dog/handler combinations in the trial classes up here don't use a staff. I know that he doesnt go to Melb very often (he was down there a month or so ago), but if you ever get a chance to go to lessons or do a workshop with Colin Webster, do it! :D You will learn heaps & your dog will improve out of sight - no rakes, no harsh handling & no stress for the dog or the sheep . I went to my first workshop with Colin when I had just got my HIC - we'd only been in the round yard a half a dozen times & now, 3 months later we are working at Started level - Colin is fabulous :cry: . (no, I'm not on the payroll, I just happen to think he's God :D )

This is the problem with herding instinct Tassie, whilst it stems from prey drive, it is a work instinct which can be difficult to switch off in "raw" herding breeds. Regular herding lessons will teach the dog the "off" switch but that doesn't mean these dogs will not 'help themselves' if the opportunity arises. This is why most working dogs on farms are not left to roam the property when not working. They are usually kept in crates or kennels. Absolutely agree Kelpie-i . My red kelpie bitch I had on the property used to herd ants if there was no sheep work to keep her amused . Tony We had a foster that used to herd planes - & since we actually live on the edge of a flighpath he got plenty of stimulation :D . Jarrah harrasses the cat to make her run so he can herd her, he actually nudges her with his nose so she will run away . The latest obsession is pigeons that roost on our house - he & Jonty chase them constantly .

This thread Rhaps - get a drink & make yourself comfortable, it's quite long :D . Treating anxiety/fear aggression Edited to fix the link

Because the Mumma Bear has no clue :D Will see what the mentors think and take it from there. Do you have a copy of the rule book? I found reading the rules & actually working out what each part of the course meant & checking distances etc was a big help before I went out there & did it with the dog. I read them over & over & over, during the day when I was at home, on the toilet, each night before I went to sleep, I read it until I knew exactly where I had to go & what I had to do. Also walking around the course without the dog with someone experienced to help you was a big help as well. Once you go out without the sheep & the dog the pressure is taken off & you can work out where you need to be & even more important, where the dog needs to be put to put the pressure on the sheep in the right place . Do you have somewhere that you regularly train? If so they will be able to walk you through A course, it's not actually as hard as it looks if you have good cotrol over your dog . If I can do it, you can do it too, believe in yourself .

Ditto

I have only just read the thread in question 2 hrs after I first read this thread & responded - & only just saw Myzyka (& others) comments about you being L&P in previous lives. Seems Im not the only one who recognises you .

Lab & Poode, is that you?

Our boys & Jarrah the SuperStar will be on it, Im going to be taping it so we can show it at their 21st birthday .

I used to train in any weather, rain hail or shine, my old club would be training, it had to be a thunderstorm for them to consider cancelling training (I think the CCCQ rules say no because of the risk of lightning?). And I would always be down there, we used to do heeling patterns in lakes of water & make our dogs do drops & down stays in puddles of water . As our OIC used to say, if you've paid money for an entry for a trial & travelled X amount of time to get there, you want to know that your dog will work in the rain!! Current club doesnt train if there is more than a light shower anytime in the previous 24 hrs .

I think you have answered your own question - if it's taken months for the dog to learn to do it (with food as the reward), I think you are kidding yourself if you think that you can get the dog back to the way it was (if you EVER can) quicker than what it took it to learn it in the first place. It's called reaping what you sow . I have a serial kleptomaniac & food theif - it doesnt matter what it is, he can't be trusted. I got him as a rescue, so the problem started long before I ever got him & despite tryng to change the sitation, he's still the same & I have accepted that. I just don't trust him around food, no matter what it is. He's been known to steal grape stalks & tomato stalks out of the bin if that gives you an idea of how obsessed he is with stealing, it doesnt even have to be edible . And FWIW, I put ALL my dogs outside when we eat, so no chance of stealing, no staring & drooling & most importantly no chance of them learning that they can scrounge food while we are eating .

Congratulations on Rosie's PT Riles, that is great news dunno why you don't want to go straight into Started, I took Jarrah into his A course started the very same day that he did his first PT run in training - Tracey said to me "Get out there, if you can do PT you can do Started" . I've put in an entry for our State championships in HSAs on the 8th Sept, he's got to get his PT this weekend, the State Championships are 2 weeks later . That reminds me, I wonder if I have to apply for his HT & PT titles before he goes in any other trials? Too late now really

Same here.

I teach the FR too, & my dogs have always been super keen to work with the dumbell, they absolutely love it. The only difference with me from some descriptions I've found of the FR is that I dont use an ear pinch to make the dog open its mouth to take the dumbell in the first place, I manually open their mouth & put it in.

A Course Tell Dag Boy to pull the proverbial finger out surprisingly it wasnt actually that hard doing A Course, the mistakes that we made the first day were mainly mine (ie not enough control & not putting him in the correct spot when negotiating the obstacles), by the 3rd or 4th time we tried it he was working much better (or rather, I was ) & apart from a couple of small problems with the cast (I was trying to cast him too far when he's never done it before) we did a reasonable run through . The "cutie bum" is currently fast asleep at my feet, we have had a couple of really bad nights when she howled all night (& I mean ALL night ), but last night was much better - I moved her crate to the kitchen (2 rooms ie 2 closed doors away ) & covered the crate with a couple of heavy doonahs & towels to help muffle the noise. She did howl a bit when she first went to bed, but once I went to sleep I didnt hear her again - whether thats because she stopped howling or I just couldnt hear it Im not sure ;) but at least I got a good nights sleep .

I think technically she has an eighth of Trim's pedigree? LOL, so yes sort of, although they are bred very differently. She looks cute. I hope she becomes everything you dream she will be. It is so much fun getting a puppy & making plans for their/your future. Thanx Vickie I hope so too ;) . I think it may be a quarter - Lad is her grandfather, but yes, the rest is very different being show lines ;) .

what about for all the tea in Britain??? I hear their tea is nicer ;) :rofl: Not for any tea actually - I can't stand the stuff ;) .

Me too, I've even got another dog to do herding with ;) . I still havent got my videos of Jarrah working in A Course transferred & uploaded yet, Dagboy always says he's too busy .

Thanx JulesP ;) . Sidoney hmmmmmmmm ........... she's sort of related to Vickie's Trim (father/grandfather) ;) . LP - not a hope mate, not a hope - I wouldnt give him up for all the tea in china :rolleyes: .

I pretty much treat them the same except for when Im feeding - then Jarrah gets his meal put down 1st in the kitchen & then Jonty gets his meal in his crate. No problems there, they both know where they get fed & are usually standing there waiting for it to be deposited in their bowls. Whisper is now at the bottom of the food chain .

What? Who is Whisper? Where is a thread for her? Weren't you getting a Kelpie? Quick, spill the beans! Edit: it's OK, I did a search. I suppose I can't call you a traitor, having Pickle here and all. can you see my new signature?

Hey, congratulations to Indi, Rosie & Cash & those who got other passes, great work guys . One more week for me from this weekend to get into shape for our PT .

L&L, I think it depends on how confident you are as a trainer. There are plenty of us who have young children who start our pups tugging at 8 weeks. I have not had a problem with this & it works for me. If YOU do not feel YOU have the necessary experience & skills to do this, or have any doubts then you are probably better off not doing it. And if you have no need to use tug for training purposes, then why bother? Completely agree with you Vickie & a couple of others who have made similar comments. My boys arent very young (they are 9), but I have started tugging with Whisper already & she's just turned 9 weeks. But if someone just wants a well mannered dog, isnt very experienced as a trainer & has no use for tugging as a training tool, then there is no real reason for them to do it. Jarrah is so focussed on his toy it doesnt matter if we take him to a strange place - a bomb could go off under him & he would still be staring at it . He loves both tugging & chasing toys/rewards & has an amazing amount of toy drive & also has a high food drive as well (only slightly less than for his toys) so Im very lucky in that respect. I can switch him on anywhere in prey drive, anytime just using whatever I have at hand to work with ie his lead, a cap, hanky etc. I have taught him to cast in a herding paddock the whole length of the paddock from 1 end to the other by using a ball as his reward - who needs sheep to teach herding?