The Spotted Devil

:laugh: Love it! Sounds like a story out of James Herriot. I must say that I have often mentioned one of my cat's obsession with food and his intense affection - that he's more feral and over the top than any dog - the wonderful lady I board my kitties with nodded politely when I told her and said she had seen it all. I had an email within 24 hours of his first visit: "I was wrong." :laugh: My vet was also blown away when this cat's incredible aversiveness to needles was overcome with a liver treat immediately afterwards. The worst dog exaggerations I hear are when the owners tell me "the dog knew it was the wrong thing to do...."

Wahoo! Well done girls! Videos???? The crossing must have been a bit rough Barb

Yes! So with you Mrs RB!!!

How did you go??? Will check the thread :D I have no dog car at the moment (engine being replaced at mechanic's expense - long story) so am house bound apart from juggling cars for work. Hence, working hard at my thesis and the course is keeping me SANE giving me a break from statistics and writing. Had to forgo my last retrieving trial and all things crossed for my car by next weekend.

Wonderful! Welcome all over again - I make a habit of downloading all the PDFs and web pages each day. Don't worry if you get behind as there is a 1-2 week break mid way so you can catch up. Have fun!

Ooooo I like the look of those! Yes that's the one I have! I have one of these too. Am pleased with it. Where did you get it Jules? Locally? Doncaster shopping town from the pet shop. Thanks - I shall google it :)

Ooooo I like the look of those! Yes that's the one I have! I have one of these too. Am pleased with it. Where did you get it Jules? Locally?

I would probably consider the crate games DVD. I know these core games and use them a lot but I am picking up so many more nuances from watching the videos and re-reading the instructions. Leah - definitely do it at Sarah's pace. Think about what you've got and what you want. Maybe with your OH you just want a hand movement and treat to begin with. But keep upping the ante with you. Heh heh - need pics raineth :D We revised crate games today. Em barked intensely when I didn't start working with her but she shut up much more quickly. Both dogs were doing Yer out - Yer in. Putting the leash on blew Em's mind - ha!

Hey Leah - has OH done a "collar touch" with Sarah (as opposed to a collar grab)? I'd be doing that with MASSIVELY high value treats. Zig is the same with the whole sitting at doors thing…a little slow on the uptake lol. Em was slow to sit the other day so I shut the door on her and went back to my chair. She went off her banana scrabbling at my leg and barking. Very funny but it was just what she needed as she is super quick to hold a sit now even if Zig is still mulling over his choice :D Sue - your lad will get there. Remember this is the basic level of the game on which you build the other layers :) raineth - I really need to do some shaping with Dizzy as he is so food motivated! Generally when they don't go to the correct person I will just have another person call - but if they are "sticky" I re-set them using the collar grab. With Zig today I had both dogs out - if he refused to go to Mr TSD we just switched to playing with Em. Zig started following her lead and racing back and forth, then we'd switch to him again so he could have some success. Today we switched to cheese :) Both dogs will work for me for cardboard which is handy but I just needed to build some value for Mr TSD.

Welcome

That's an old video Mrs RB! I know better now :D And yes. She's freaking bonkers. About 10 times that now. Maturity? Nup :laugh:

Pugs are awesome but they shed as much as my Dally. And that's saying something!

I was just telling Mr TSD about the DOL cats getting in on the action and he told me that when we were playing Call Once with Em, Dizzy positioned himself such that he could give Em a good SMACK! with his paw every time Em flew past him Apparently Em took zero notice - ha!

DOL cats unite :laugh: For those who haven't seen Dizzy in action...

Em just LOVED call once with me and Mr TSD - so we put visual barriers between us to up the ante - around corners etc but nothing could phase her. Zig, on the other hand, just wanted to work with his Mum and kept offering a gorgeous heel position, bless him. I had both dogs out at once in the second session but they are used to choosing me over each other so that wasn't hard. It's a wonderful game - the hardest thing is educating the other callers! Funnily enough everyone new to the game makes the same mistakes.

Meant to say it's fantastic if your dog finds the CGG really fun and easy - it means you have a game between which you can "sandwich" a less liked game.

He is a right PITA but quite magnificent at the same time. I have to lock him away when I'm training the dogs or else he steals all their treats. I really want to try IYC with him but I'd need to wear metal gloves :laugh: Some dogs don't mind the collar grab at all - but build on it by getting your dog super excited and grabbing the collar from all angles. When you add it to the Call Once game it becomes even more valuable :)

The next one is up! Don't forget we are 14 hours ahead so we get the new one mid afternoon. I am doing the new one for the first time later in the day and one or two repeats the next morning. I love the collar grab for rescue dogs! Also great for strong dogs (like Ziggy) as they rush in towards you rather than pulling away. I've done this before with my lot but played it with both at once this morning and amped up the excitement around it.

Cat poo is higher in protein. Yum! Apparently.

Staffyluv, could it be a bit of anxiety/increased distraction about the sheer number of dogs at training? What S & W suggested could really work but I would work through a lot of the games first as they all involve some element of choice and consequence. If he likes to tug that could also help. Em had a sensationally "bad rehearsal" last night. Dizzy the Wondercat (who either has opposable thumbs OR is an unrecognised genius) managed to open the kitchen cupboard and then remove the lid from the tupperware type container full of cat food He shared his spoils with Em who, if IYC crossed her mind at all, had a "OH MY DOG I CHOOSE TO EAT CAT BISCUITS!!!" moment. I was seriously grumpy with them and was quite ready to toss them outside in the cold so I had a glass of red wine and laughed at their ingenuity instead.

Maybe use IYC for his sit stay then? Use the cue he lies down on - verbal cue? Your movement? Someone else's movement? Start close and add distance. I often find stay failures are actually a lack of understanding.

Fantastic! Sounds like it's time to ramp it up! Add super amazing treats, add some movement (dropping treats on the ground from on high) and try recalling them past the treats! Also, try setting them up and pretend to drop something whilst you're not officially training - I found that did their head in. Also 2 dogs together took it off the richter scale for Em. Then I added the cats into the mix - the extra competition really challenged her. Ask for a sit/drop/stand and then throw treats around them. Also change your own position - sitting on the floor for example. As you continue to build value for treats you might find the IYC games take on a different meaning for your dogs too.

Your "habitat" :) It hasn't stopped raining here so our habitat has been the living room. If it clears up tomorrow just a tiny bit I will work them on the deck or downstairs. Still no dog car so can't take them on the road.

And we're up and running! Em is cracking me up at the moment with what is, I suspect, an extinction burst of frustration barking :laugh: She went bonkers a couple of times in her crate today when I was training Zig but I just put a blanket over her. I usually ask for a few tricks for her dinner and tonight she barked a high pitched bark in my ear which she never does…luckily she's small enough to pick up and pop in her crate. It took 3 attempts at feeding her before I could release her but it was good for both of us :D

Service dog organisation folk have told me they think coprophagia is passed on from the Dam to the pups - whether it's genetic or learned is anyone's guess.