dogdude

Havn't had here in a ring since you last saw us at foo months ago Shoey. Not sure, but wouldn't expect any diff. Would love to go to Foo, but can't get there tonight. Have fun!

Hi Pax That slight forging started when I progressed to one way focus. I only ever carry the reward on me in the early learning stages, so its not signtracking, but an attempt to keep eye contact I feel, which I have wrongly enforced due to training solo and not having the extra set of eyes that I need to mark at the right time. Thanks for your critique. Something else to work on. I also have a retrieve clip to upload.

Ok, first time I have used youtube, and I cant seem to view the clip that I uploaded properly. I have a crap computer, so not sure if thats the problem, or something that I havn't done right. Having problems with Brydees back end movement while in a high drive, while chaining together heeling sequences. She seems to forget to use it during left turns, which is causing positional problems. If we concentrate on training turns only.......no problems! Hmm.....much to think about before trialling her. May need to take a few backward steps. She's now 18 months old, so I need to get it soughted.

RINGCRAFT THREAD This recent thread should help

I'm in Melbourne now tlc. Here is a recent pic of Brydee to show L. She is about 18 months old. And her surrogate dad/wrestling partner Oscar (and Brock, my eldest son)

Hi tlc Yep.......Brydee and Oscar, the two terrors. Brydee's doing well. I need to catch up with L, to sought out her change of ownership. I want to trial her this winter/spring.

I lived in the Sout West for about 10 years (Portland), and I miss it alot. I was a refrigeration mechanic in town, and later worked on a dairy farm in Heywood, and also one of the early instructors at Portland Obedience Dog Club. I get back there as much as I can, and try to make the Portland trial when I can. Most of all, I miss the fishing, and a few close friends. Will get back there eventually!

In some cases (like fighting dogs), you would never want its original traits to be promoted. A watered down version is exactly what is desirable. IMO however, you could channel and test their "gameness" through a sport like Schutz. Schutzhund would be a much closer test of gameness for some of the larger bull breeds than weightpull, but unfortunately, Schutz rules only allow a few select breeds to compete.

I go to Warringal too. Most clubs train on Sunday mornings. What timeslot are you looking for?

With the style of prey drive training I am doing, drive is developed using a base game, where the dog is only rewarded for using maximum effort (chasing and holding a tuggie). Instead of swapping the item to get a release, the dog learns that the game is restarted almost immediately after he releases it, thus it's in the dogs best interest to release the item as soon as you command, to start the chase again. To teach this, you just give an "out" command, and make the tuggie lifeless, while holding it against your legs for support, and wait for the dog to lose interest. When dog releases, instantly restart the chase. To enhance drive to an even higher level, I put my dog on a tie out using a long lead and harness tied to an old bike tube, and give her the "ok" command, but keep the tuggie just out of her reach,..... only letting her get it on around her 3rd or 4th maximum effort. This type of work greatly improves her drive and grip on the tuggie.

No disrespect to Geelong, I reckon its almost part of Melbourne these days.

Yes, the only two DogsVictoria sanctioned clubs in the Sth West are Warrnambool and Portland. You really need to travel closer toward Melbourne for a wider variety of training choices in clubs (styles and methods etc). Both of those clubs have some really nice people running them.

I think left, and left about turns are the two most important things that are rarely taught properly in heeling. Nice work Ness, and congrats to everybody on their passes.

If I registered one, would you then conceive its a working dog?

"Work" is just a word, it can mean many different things. If a horse trainer says, "I'm just going outside to work the horses", it doesn't mean he is going out to make them earn money. The word "work", can also mean "applied effort".

Hi Jigsaw Many people that train using a jackpot method, mostly end the exercise with it. (so no focus issues)

I think it all comes down to what your personal preference is. Some people like to use a high repitition rate, and some (including me) basically train using jackpots only. I think listening to well known trainers is one of the best things that you can do, but it doesn't mean that one opinion on method is gospel either, so no need to be confused.

I know my bull terriers were obsessive with watering and pram wheels etc, and a friend of mines BT had an obsession with moving feet. At one stage, one of my boys escaped after a salesman left the front gate open, found a lady walking a pram past the house (you can imagine the rest!) then later a lady down the street finds him in her front garden, and proceeds to try to scare him off with a hose. He had a great time, and I got a call from the cops, some of whom knew me, and took him back home. The thing that I done to improve it was to just break the cycle of each of the obsessions, like teaching a sit stay, and rewarding for ignoring distraction. You can set it up just before his normal dinner time.

If you are into drive training midol, you would certainly be missing out on some great ideas, by overlooking them. The narator (sp?) is a bit annoying, but I.B himself is not much of a personality lol. The footage doesn't look as old as his mullet. If you have trouble getting them, let me know.

I am not a fan of the Leerburg dvds. Its mainly all quite old footage compared to many others on the market. I do think however that there is merit in watching anything and everything to broaden your training knowledge. There were many things on the dvds that I would use, and plenty that I wouldn't. Either way, its all good brain exercise. I didn't like the drive dvd much, particulary the way Flinks gets his dogs to "out". I found myself quietly agreeing and learning much more on the Balabanov dvds. There is some good stuff on the Gottfreid .D dvds, but there is also quite a bit that I wouldn't use. I think we have just as good, if not better trainers here in Aus. They just dont have huge websites and businesses in your face. Who really cares who Steve Leigh is.

You are right to be worried. You need to find the original owners and, and hope he is actually registered with your state canine council. Association papers mean nothing as far as I am aware. The restrictions on your dog vary from state to state. Without rego papers from DogsVictoria or DogsNSW etc your dog can be branded a pitbull. Vet or microchip breed will not help you in court if you end up there trying to prove his breed.

I think these type of problems often arise from the way dogs are socialised. When the handler is the dogs centre of attention, these problems generally don't happen. People often give their dogs too much doggy play when young, and wonder why they don't listen when they see another dog while on a walk (which is one example of many types of problems we often create without realising.) Leaving them entire can cause similar. If socialisation isn't focused on all the rest the big bad world has to offer, your dog will always be focused on them while walking. My advice would be concentrate creating a stronger bond with your dog. Starting TOT would be a good start, then build on it with distractions.

I think many people would agree with you midol, I think most people that use them in a trial just do so either out of habit, or because its just what they wear when they are normally out and about. I personally have never known anyone to use one in a trial because they thought it would make a difference to their chances. I think that the reason that they have allowed them is because the majority of clubs in the past have always trained their dogs in them, and also the extra control if things go belly up, as others have said.

. Not sure where or why you pulled this crap from, but I don't owe the dog world anything, nor you an explanation.

Pax: That may be the case in WA, but sadly not in Victoria. I think an hour long class should be 45 minutes theory, and 15 practical.