The Spotted Devil

Hi all I have a friend who lives in Narre Warren (VIC) - I think Rally-O would really suit her and her BC. Can someone give me a contact please? She is also interested in DWD so anyone in the know there would be great too. Obviously she is not expecting to be able to train until the new year. Thank you!

Oh dear RS am I that transparent Would it make any difference if I told you that a variety of dummies, 2 whistles, several white shirts and a game bag are permanently in the car "just in case"? :D ETA: Just as well there wasn't enough room for weaving poles

That's great work Ptolomy! Cider is certainly quick but Strauss has a really nice head position too. Oh, and the holiday from training is officially an epic fail Found the perfect lake for water retrieve training when we were camping so Mr TSD kindly threw marks for Em plus I did some basic lefts, rights and backs into the water. My water hating Dally then became obsessed with swimming to retrieve the dummy (or his version of it ). But he wouldn't eat his dinner unless I trained him with it - 3 cups of dry food is an awful lot of jackpots!!!

No sadly about it!!!! Our bank accounts can begin the long road to recovery

Also try standing with one foot slightly elevated if the table is a bit low eg when washing dishes you can open the cupboard under the sink and rest one foot on the bottom shelf. Great short term idea from my physio.

Yes! Email them ASAP and explain. They are generally very good about it.

Ah poop. Was going to see if you could add a couple of things for me, maybe I'll have to just do another order Clearly there's something in the water

Uh oh.... Come in spinner! In all seriousness I looked locally for a long enough bag and couldn't find one - this should fit my stick in the ground jump sets. http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1505

Hmmm.....Thorlo socks and wet weather gear for me, chilly buddy coats, weave poles plus extra for jumps (with jump cups etc), Kong wobbler, crate mat, all weather space blanket, braided fleece slip lead, carry bag for jumps....all must haves

Sucker! Dalmatians (and Pugs) are such needy dogs

That article is why I love training and trialling with my Dally The balance (of everything) has to be perfect for him to go through the ring with a spring in his step, a waggy tail and attitude to boot. If I make a mistake it's on show for the world to see. I take breaks between obedience trials to work on our weaknesses as that suits him better than entering every weekend until we get it together. I never trial 2 days in a row unless it's a National event. I don't do lead outs at agility trials unless I really have to as he needs me close by to build his confidence - never mind that he can do them perfectly! I watch for so much more now - a flick of the ear, a glance away, a sniff of the ground - and I work with it rather than in opposition to it. I hope he's made me a better trainer.

Thanks BB - you're a star!

We are camping in Bright with our dogs at the moment. So far we have had dinner at a local restaurant, great coffee at another cafe, dog friendly info from the tourist bureau, off leash runs and swims, beer and dinner at a pub, scenic drives through national park, picnic tea and Carols in Mt Beauty, lunch at a stunning winery, welcomed to a berry farm, dinner at a brewery..... Our dogs are always with us. They are both very fit, busy and intense dogs so I make sure they are well exercised before I ask them to lie still for a few hours. We ring in advance if we particularly want to eat somewhere and bring the dogs. We respect the health regs (eg no dogs allowed on the al fresco decking so we stake them within easy reach). They are not allowed out of the car in national parks. They are always on lead - if there is no off leash exercise I put them on a long line so they can safely gallop and swim. If they bark they are hushed. I pick up after them. If they can play and wrestle without disturbing anyone I let them burn off energy that way. I have cool coats and warm coats and their dinner in the car so they settle no matter the conditions (we go out all day until late). We are going back to the same winery for lunch on Friday because the food was so good and I haven't tasted the reds yet :p They have reserved a particular table on the deck so our dogs can be staked close to us on the grass with maximum shade. Kids want to pat them and have their photo taken with the Dalmatian. We also choose off peak times to travel - we prefer it and it makes it much easier on the dogs. All in all I am overwhelmed by how welcome we are made wherever we go. Not everyone likes dogs in their face when they are eating. Just like I don't appreciate some parents who think that my dog will entertain their child, leaving me to supervise and leaving them to enjoy their meal!

Yeah right RS

Tell me about it!!!! We are camping with the dogs in Bright and the training holiday is a fail thus far as they both are driving me nuts. Not easy training after lunch at a winery either

Thanks for helping me out BB - see your PMs

*gremlins*

I second The Focussed Puppy! Although I haven't read it I've heard great things about When Pigs Fly Good luck and do come join us in the training thread!

The general overview when someone talks about corrections or Koehler for example in this thread, many believe there is another way and corrections are not necessary at all often referring to sporting dogs supposedly trained in purely reward based systems? I don't use physical or verbal corrections in obedience or agility. There are consequences though - removing access to rewards or stopping the 'game' altogether is a powerful consequence of not performing because I have built huge value for the 'game'. I don't use it much but it is a tool available to me. Retrieving trainers generally use negative reinforcement at the highest levels (e-collars) - I am training my youngster my way.....we will see where that gets us but I do believe some lateral and creative thinking will work. Earning titles is a human construct and my dogs don't care about ribbons. So I want them to be busting out of their skin with enthusiasm and confidence to work with me. There is no way you could get my Dally working in the ring with so much wagging attitude if you used corrections. It's not always as simple as rewards and corrections either. I could write on this all day!!! There is so much more to it including the human-canine bond etc but I'm away camping with my dogs so best I take them swimming and walking like I promised ;)

How cool. Will look into this for sure. Thanks for posting :D

I understand what you are saying ursus but humans have a frontal lobe and can therefore apply reasoning - well they should be able to but I know I don't always ;) In addition, dogs as a rule are excellent at association and poor at generalisation - kind of opposite to humans. I tend to assume that if a dog doesn't do as it's told it's either confused or underpaid.

A couple of clips that I put together after a very kind person from my club found some footage on her camera

Oh no! I'll have to email them and get it changed + 1

Congratulations RS you must be still on cloud 9 Way to finish off the year!!! Great work Mason on your Novice title and to Ptolomy on your lovely results too Put your feet up now

I did like the look of those beds but, alas, my Em is a grot She's either wet or wet AND muddy so it's easier to use op shop blankets and old sheets that I can wash regularly.