The Spotted Devil

Wonderful news Val! How lovely to see the lad looking so at HOME I hope your kitties have forgiven you :laugh:

Hi Emily For some reason your link isn't working for me. Do you ever run with an "imaginary" dog?" I used to run a course 5-10 times on my own until I was happy with how it felt before taking my Dally around - 9 times out of 10 we would nail it. Great for his confidence and mine!

Yes, but find the food that SINKS!!!! :laugh:

Yes to impulse control!!! Nushie, think about your criteria for the sit. If you want your lad to sit and not stretch forward (despite not moving) you can elect not to reward that behaviour. Fly the food in slowly towards the dog and then reward quickly if he maintains the exact position. If he leans his head forward to snatch, just fly the food away without saying a word. It takes very good timing and it is better if someone can show you but it is truly my favourite game to teach sit, stand, drop stays as well as impulse control. And they learn the game so quickly it's rather fun! Oh, and a great tip about catching food when he's excited - do it with him standing in water if he will....if he doesn't catch it the food is GONE!

I had to start getting quite rude with people who would send their toddling child over at an outdoor cafe to play with my Dalmatian! It happened more than once - it's hard enough work having 2 very active dogs lying quietly whilst you enjoy a leisurely breakfast/lunch without people using us as a babysitting service!!!

Relax :) If he's too stressed to eat he's too stressed to learn. Stay calm, allow him to move away from the scary thing and then play with him or ask him to perform a simple behaviour and reward. Next time step off to the side and reward appropriate behaviour - as he realises there is nothing to be frightened of you won't have to take such a wide berth. Fear is a normal, protective behaviour particularly in young animals. Fearless babies don't last long!!!

Funny little things aren't they espinay! An umbrella in the corner of the lounge room fell down when Zig was being a silly playful puppy. Scared the daylights out of him - he didn't develop a problem with umbrellas but always avoided that corner of the room. When we moved house he left the scary impression behind and never looked back. He is just about bomb proof now - and I don't say that lightly!

Worked on this concept again this morning before Mr TSD headed to Tassie for work. First one was ok but needed a few whistles on the long mark. Second was absolutely spot on and third took a bit more hunting on the marks but not a hint of swapping or any whistles needed. Yay! I meant to add that when coming back from the blind pile on the 2nd set up the funny little thing purposely picked out a small circle of heavy cover/blackberry to cut through. Completely unnecessary given the line but great that she saw it as an opportunity not to cheat. Made me literally laugh out loud :laugh:

And it's not always a generalised fear response either. When my Dally was 6-9 months old he developed an inexplicable fear of Great Danes! He'd had nothing but neutral or positive experiences with them in a show handling class and his best mate in class was a 96kg entire male Mastiff. I gave him some space away from the GDs, didn't make a fuss but did reward exploratory and appropriate behaviour - after several weeks he couldn't give a toss, just like before.

Will PM you Jill :)

Just had a short session working on a concept: watch first mark (short), watch second mark (long), pick up blind then long mark then short mark. Her understanding certainly improved but the best part was the 2 guys sitting on the park bench. Mr TSD tells me they cheered and clapped every time she picked up a dummy :laugh: I was concentrating on Em too much to notice but he said they were loving "the show".

fetchin' - thanks so much for the run down - it's always nice to hear! Sorry to hear your lot went out but congratulations on the team win and a great year! Are you headed our way for the State and Nats? I have been stretching Em in water A LOT! Only one concept per session but there is good water everywhere and the weather is warmer so asking more of her. Cold across water blinds that are either cheaty or have a very tempting memory mark added in plus channel swims. Lots of running alongside the bank to start with and helping her with dummies but she is gaining confidence on these, handling better at a distance and taking better lines. Still lots to do of course. Wagon wheel drills with white and black dummies are helping her lining and Mr TSD has been very helpful throwing lots of marks for us - have been asking for much tighter criteria on both!

Out of more than 1000 shelter dogs I've observed for my research there is only one that clearly sticks in my mind. Any time I picked up a piece of equipment this dog hit the deck and just blinked rapidly and constantly - like it was just bracing itself for the worst. It was the dog's lack of reaction (probably learned helplessness) that struck me most. The staff could not walk it back to the pen after temp testing (he passed BTW - sweetest dog ever) so I did (the dog knew me). He was walking hesitantly when the leash brushed his cheek and he just hit the deck and froze. The vet thought he had some nerve paralysis around his face that may have resulted from being beaten. When I left the shelter they were looking for foster care for him as he really did need some rehab. My gut instinct (not very scientific I know) is that the vast majority of dogs I see in shelters that are highly fearful are simply poorly socialised/bred, not to mention receive inconsistent interactions from humans.

I have a biothane limited slip for Em - she is a grub and, when training etc, it cops an absolute pounding. Mud, water, salt water, sand, soft food treats and more. I do not look after it at all and a quick wipe down does the trick.

Depending on lines, Flat Coats may well reflect their gundog purpose and retrieve your chickens for you. Gorgeous dogs but don't discount the strong instinct for retrieving game!

When I have a youngster around, in particular, and the weather is nice I take my lap top etc outside on the deck to work. Dogs get to expend energy and I can keep an eye on them, get work done and enjoy the sunshine. Win-win!

Fantastic DD! You have worked so hard with Elsie - just reaping your well deserved rewards!

Very sorry to hear One of my cats had an unpleasant reaction to Revolution (active ingredient selamectin). Very lethargic and dopey - not interested in eating. Recovered within 12 hours but I haven't treated them since. I think my vet suggested Advantage as well.

Fixed!

Turns out I have the L size (bright pink jacket). One thing I recall is CR sizing for dog and human stuff is pretty spot on and I've never had a problem. I bought a larger size than necessary Frogg Togg rain pants as I was worried about leg length. They were way too big so I sold them and bought the size that made sense and they were perfect. If you need a photo I can send you a Facebook link of me at a trial in the jacket so you can see the fit - just shoot me a PM.

I am the same in Aussie sizing - will check tomorrow for you. Just had ANOTHER cat land on me :laugh:

You have no idea piper :laugh: Last year I got word I had to go to the USA in January. As soon as I had my accommodation sorted I put in a Free US Shipping Christmas order - it was waiting for me when I arrived :D OSo - I'm 6'1" - find the gear very comfortable. Is the chest size not on the website? I have arms full of cats and a Springer so unfortunately cannot move!

Have this too :laugh: Will check my sizings tomorrow if you like but I am tall. Love how I can leave it stuffed in a bag in the car.

Not really that odd :laugh: Remember that agility is highly arousing - lots of dogs "lose their heads" under those conditions. You need to create that sense of arousal away from agility and then work on impulse control in that environment. High energy tug games are brilliant for that. Keep asking Huddy questions - can you do this under these conditions? Keep it simple and don't allow him to self reward. Set him up so he either chooses to work with you - yay! Great treats, tug etc OR he chooses to ignore you - ah well. Nothing for you. He needs to be "winning" 7-8 times out of 10. So you need to make it easier or harder - this will change depending on his internal state (tired, stressed, focused, hungry, energetic) and the external environment (distractions, new grounds, different equipment) and you - if you are upset and frustrated or calm and relaxed - he will pick up your subtle and not so subtle cues and will react accordingly. Consider his behaviour as nothing more than feedback - if something works then your training is likely to be on track. If something doesn't work it just means that the message is not clear. It's very hard but try not to let his behaviour impact on your ego or feelings of self worth. It's also completely ok to muck up your first performance dog. You will learn heaps. And you'll just make different mistakes with your 2nd and 3rd :laugh: ETA: I just saw that there was a Novice course that you had a go at? In all honesty that is way too much for a dog new to agility - most of us do so much foundation work away from equipment wih youngsters as the most important part is getting from obstacle to obstacle rather than the jumps etc themselves. Again that is part of having your first agility dog - and it is perfectly ok to make mistakes My goodness but I've made HEAPS!!!!

Great to some newbies to the sport E+H - can I suggest you look at Hudson's behaviour from a different perspective? I find it much easier to remove the emotion and think about it in terms of learning theory. If a dog does not do as he's told he's either confused or underpaid. So rather than saying he is being naughty, think about how much reinforcement he gets from you vs his environment. It's more complicated of course but this is coming from someone who's Dalmatian only wanted to pee on trees....I had to work out WHAT made him tick and HOW to get him to value interacting with me. I hope you find a good trainer and don't lose heart :)