Steve K9Pro

K9: Body hardnesses are good for allowing the dog to put all of its weight into the harness & pull weight. The correction style harnesses do in some cases relieve the dog from pulling, but if you understand timing, command cues & rewards the these type of tools dont fit into that criteria. This means that whilst they are on, many dogs wont pull, but take the off & they revert back to pulling again. This is what I call a "maintenance tool", rather than a training tool... A simple martingale http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=mart.html or a prong collar http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=prongorder.html with the right training method, (see the bootom of this page http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=obed.html) will see the results you need, fast...

K9: http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=halter.html

K9: I will preface this to say I havent seen your dog nor your dog in "action" so to speak but... A dog laying down & releasing urine is very rare, a dog laying down & leaking urine is not uncommon. There is a muscle in some dogs that is weak due to several influencing factors that will cause this very thing. There is a syrup on the market that targets this muscle & improves its function, you will need to have a consult with your vet & have some presecribed...

K9: If anyone wants to know anything about the use of e collars, APDT would not be the place to go... I would bet anything that it will be a one sided extremely slanted view.. NDTF should run a info day...

K9: Rom is correct, K9 very busy... Also correct on the explaination, I might just add, the "3" metres thing isnt three metres, its where the dog goes from full drive peak to focussed, could be 3 metres, could 1, could be ten... Only the amount of drive in the dog will tell..

K9: if you think about it, the picture of you standing up with hand outstretched are the ingredients she needs to make a trigger, that trigger is triggering avoidance... Your job is to reasign the value of the trigger. Use that hand signal & condition her to believe that it will end in something she loves.... not something she doesnt..

K9: if you have the first steps sorted out, the back tie to your hand is only a precaution. But if the dog does try & get the food, reel him in...

K9: the design of operation means that if the chip detects that the dog hasnt stopped barking it will time out (switch off), some dogs work this out, only a small percentage, but some do. If they do the collar wont be much use. Also, the collar does keep ramping down if there is a period of inactivity (no barking). This is a nice feature for a dog that has forgotten, or a way for a smart dog to bark in small bursts every few minutes without getting a correction at the level that dog needs, to stop barking. I preferred Innoteks old BD100, fully adjustable levels & sensitivity...

K9: This is a BC200 then? There is a way but it isnt simple... K9: Innotek used to have a BC100, they were quite a good collar but the have discontinued them now. They were full adjustable... We use the Dogtra brand & they are full manual collars.. http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=antibark.html K9: BC200 has 7 auto set levels.. & yes but some dogs need the higher level or they keep barking... K9: No, this is incorrect, no anti bark collar puts out enough power on any level to even mark skin... Having the collar fitted for excessive amounts of time can produce soars, called pressure necrosis. Nothing to do with electricity... K9: again incorrect... K9: 3 of what type of collar?

K9: Escape training means reducing the default level of comfort & restoring comfort when the desired behaviour is displayed...

Thanks K9. How long do I wait after I give him the NRM before I throw the ball again? The problem is that he has learnt that if he is persistent enough, he will generally get what he wants. On the weekend he was told 'no' and then he barked... My guests, absent mindedly kicked the ball after around 10 minutes of the barking - rewarding him for his persistence. Should I remove the ball and toys from him completely? Are there other ways I can satisfy his drive? He is not very food focussed. K9: this isnt a reason to stop this work, unless you want too. There are always other ways... I would train as normal, when he starts to bark, you come to an immediate halt & stand up straight like the Alpha & at the same time give a firm NRM as described... He should stop barking, when he does, pause for a few seconds. Keep eye contact with him & make sure he is a little submissive. Then walk to a new place keeping the same attitude, call him to you & give you trigger command & begin again.. It may take a few times but you will highlight what STOPS the game is him barking...

K9: Hey Rom, what your describing is escape training, the horse learns to escape the constant heavy leash with the desired behaviour, yes it can be used on dogs but not with a heavy leash. Specially in heeling. Heeling should mean the dog should find your leg & stick with it. It cant be about the leash or when you remove the leash the dog will not heel. Think hard & see if you remember how I use escape training.....

K9: Just on the drive work, you need to stop taking away the ball when the dog barks, this causes frustration & will elevate drive, which is a plus, but with no way to relieve it, the dog will exhaust that pressure elsewhere, like the barking you are having. It is time to add a no reward marker in your drive work, which in this case would be, your dog barks you stop immediately & give a NRM. Such as no, or uh uh.. It will mean to the dog you are not going to get the reward & if your timing is good, it will be paired with the bark. It will then be in the dogs best interest to not bark...

K9: It is better to do both at the same time as one may be triggering the other. K9: yes this will help.. K9: no, but you will stand a better chance with two collars. K9: it depends on your preference really, brand of collar & size of each dog, but essentially yes. We have several brands & hire them out too. www.k9force.net

K9: There are a couple of reasons why prong collars will come off. 1. Fitted to loose, people need to realise that they must be snug just behind the dogs ears. 2. Collar being used is not rated for the dogs weight & the links become bent & the collar can unhook. 3. The collar being used is too big, meaning, not enough links being used, this changes the angle of the prongs & can cause them to slip out. 4. Both prongs are not engaged on loops (fitting error.) See here.. http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=prongfit.html Also, on quality, Herm Sprenger makes the best chain ware world wide, I use the Stainless steel Herm Sprenger collars & there are five different sizes, one size does not fit all. A properly fitted, properly weight rated & properly sized stainless steel collar will not un hook, no matter what. We also have at a lesser price the USA made Titan Chrome plated collars, these will not ever be as strong as stainless steel, but, it they are properly fitted, properly rated & the right size is chosen, we have 3 sizes in these also... Chinese prong collars are also available in some places, you get what you pay for...

K9: no, but I have heard he watches me...

K9: I am sure your dad has ignored this hyper active behaviour & the others in the house havent, this is why the dog skips the behaviour as it has discoved that there will be no reward in it for the dog. I would by all means prescribe the TOT, the people who are getting this reaction from the dog at one time or another should be part of it too. You all need to learn to ignore behaviours that you dont like, & reward ones that you do....

K9: How does he know? K9: raise your arm up with the drive training toy & see if he will get into action to go fetch it, if he does, he thinks that you have two cues, one is the "ready to go" & the other is the sight of the toy... When people run my drive training programs, I make sure they never thrw any balls/toys... The only time he sees that toy is when I'm doing the drive work with him and all of his other ones are nothing like it. I took it out yesterday afternoon with me and didn't give the verbal cue, I raised it above my head as though I was about to throw it and he just sat there ears up, tail wagging. I got out a normal ball afterwards and repeated the same thing, and he got into action to chase after it. He hunkers down a little and you can see his muscles tighten like a spring when I do. K9, am I coming to the right assumption in that the fact that I am throwing balls for him to fetch may be throwing out his drive work? K9: I dont know how much you know about training in drive or what other steps you have put in, but, I only allow access to one toy, my drive toy & only when I have it..

K9: Thanks Staffy mum, I sometimes (most times) struggle with DOL names, just so I have it right, you did my distance learning package on loose leash walking, am I right? Yep, thats me You saved Ella from never getting walked ever again ;) Im also doing the puppy training distance learning thingy with Koda (Amstaff pup who is brother to sammy's Levi!!!) You know i love your work Steve K9: Number 1, I didnt save your dogm YOU did that, I have never met either of you, I simply gave you some tips.. Number 2. Its me who loves your work

K9: Thanks Staffy mum, I sometimes (most times) struggle with DOL names, just so I have it right, you did my distance learning package on loose leash walking, am I right?

K9: & when the dog is wearing the harness, what exactly do you use to minimize the injury to the handlers back?

K9: Never had that happen......... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ;) Are you saying you've never had your ego scratched, K9 ???? Naaahhhh ...... surely not. K9: No, I meant that I havent ever had someone think me telling them they needed to improve their leadership & them become offended (not!).. As for my ego? I am sure you have heard of the man of steel? My ego is always totally unscratched!! Though I will say I have met a few ego vandals in my time who have tried...

K9: Never had that happen......... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ;)

K9: No reward marker is usually the best...

K9: Yes, the easiest thing you can get a frustrated & secured dog to do without guidance is look at you, so its the first step, teaching the dog that you have the answers to success, your not part of the problem stopping the dog achieving what it wants... K9: oK this is where the confusion is, I dont want or expect or teach the dog to look at me or for me in the middle of a know excercise, but look to me at the end, or if learning an excercise look to me for guidance. This is what I mean by a foundation program. Some dogs find AG very rewarding because "intrinsically", they are rewarded. This leaves them open to running the course the way they find it the most fun, giving us little control. I use a reward system that makes AG fun too, in other words, as well, secondary to my reward, which is why I start all dogs on the TOT. I have the ultimate rewards & the dog looks to me after the excercise is complete to get the ultimate reward..