The Spotted Devil

Consider it dodged! Yep, RS - it has been a VERY steep learning curve but LL is a great trainer....toughest thing is to get that sense of team work happening with a dog that you see twice a year

I can't believe how much fun it is - bloody hard work training and trialling but certainly worth it! Here's how I got started

Not sure of the results in Novice today - only got a phone message! I think a toller might have won Novice on one of the days??? Sorry - not 100% sure. Meet Donna? I was staying in the same house She did very well today (will let her tell you!) and handled Lochie well yesterday when he was being a complete bugger She also shot for me for most of my restricted runs....I need to get a gun license! Damn sport is SO addictive!!!!

Well, I have had an awesome weekend I have just spent 3 days running one of Lablover's wonderful dogs, Yo, in the Easter retrieving trials in Benalla. 4 of us stayed in Violet Town (7 dogs between us!) and one or two drinks were enjoyed in the evening :D It was a HUGE learning curve for me.....I ran Yo for only the second occasion in Novice and for the first time in Restricted and we were literally running between stakes all day, every day. I did curse LL on occasion for entering us in both stakes but it turned out to be a whole heap of fun and I wouldn't have had it any other way Friday was fairly testing as we had only trained together for 2 days since I ran him for the first time in May last year. We successfully got through all 3 runs in both stakes and I had a lot to think about for the next day. On Saturday, Yo did some lovely work and I was so, so pleased with him - funnily enough the biggest buzz I got all day was a really tough bit of handling....having to call him off a blind that he was nearly on top off to pick up the other blind first. By the time he'd successfully picked up both (AND in the correct order!!!) and we returned to the starting peg, I was shaking like a leaf ;) Everyone watching clearly had their collective hearts in their mouths too, judging by the cheer that went up Again we got through all 3 runs in both Novice and Restricted. Unfortunately, my lack of knowledge of all the nuances etc meant my handling lost us heaps of points so, again, I had a lot to think about and process. Today, Yo did 3 really lovely Novice runs, had moments of brilliance in Restricted but was let down once again by my handling. Having left immediately after the trial finished, I had a call when I got home to say that Yo picked up 3rd in Novice today I have been so lucky to be able to run such a lovely dog......just have to put some more time into training ME

Yes, I used to have this problem with Ziggy (because I was super enthusiastic) but now make it my first priority to keep lessons short, sharp and exciting. He will not work indefinitely (unlike my ACD) so this is a critical part of his training/learning. Since I've become more aware, his enthusiasm and focus has really improved. I think I need a few more dogs to use up all my motivation to train

I don't really have a least favourite exercise.....in the past it would have been heeling but I think my handling is much better now and Zig's mad Dally enthusiasm is pretty fun to work with My very favourite exercise would have to be the recall as Ziggy is just busting out of his skin waiting for the commands and, when called, leans backwards to give himself extra propulsion and then bolts into position....completely cracks me up He always looks less than impressed if the judge doesn't give him much room to build up speed either, so leans back even further!

For Novice.....probably COP as Zig thinks this whole exercise is a hoot I have to be very, very careful with body language as he can predict my command extremely accurately! He's finally caught on to retrieving after 3 months of clicker training so I don't want to push that too far too soon. For Open.....would have to be COP, otherwise Ptolomy will hit me over the head from afar I would probably teach broad jump anyway, just for something different....similarly Zig's traditional finish is neater than his flip and I would use the former in a trial at this stage but I train both for variety.

She's a bit of a cutey pie dogdude Shoey/JulesP - I think that off season FOO would be a bit of fun.....I need to think about getting Zig ready for novice should the Dally club hold a trial in August and we get through CCD in May

Yep - you and your mad brood rocked I only just got home!

Another trick of mine is to walk somewhere with a purpose in mind - for example to a cafe 10 minutes from home. I take a small mat...teaches puppy to lie quietly, puppy has a rest, puppy is mentally stimulated by the world passing by, you enjoy a coffee (or something stronger ), then you return home with a very tired puppy

Just over 24 hours for me How's this for coincidence? Sue's training partner will be at the Easter retrieving trials in Vic - she and I are staying in a house belonging to another DOLer, one of whose dogs I will be handling Is this Donna with Lochie? I will meet her on Thursday - hopefully she will shoot for me too as I don't have a license!

Just over 24 hours for me How's this for coincidence? Sue's training partner will be at the Easter retrieving trials in Vic - she and I are staying in a house belonging to another DOLer, one of whose dogs I will be handling

I want to book a flight just so I can go!! When is Sue doing another Perth one? I already have

I've used a related trick with a pair of cats from the same home in a boarding cattery....one was absolutely petrified and the other was pretty scared but a little more receptive. I completely ignored the petrified one and focussed on the other cat.....very gently talking to her and petting her around the head (very non threatening for cats). Within a few minutes the cat I was paying attention to started to lap up the cuddles and, within a few more minutes, the previously petrified cat decided it couldn't be too bad if her little friend wasn't scared.....and stuck her head in my arm for a snuggle of her own :D

My ACD was a wonderful trick dog and she would do a back flip - not quite straight back but over one shoulder if that makes sense. She was amazing - very agile and hyperactive and the trick just stemmed from her getting excited and throwing herself around.....she was on TV for it and the Perth radio stations were asking if anyone had seen the Cattle Dog that had overdosed on red cordial on the weekend

That's fantastic GayleK Your daughter sounds like my Burmese baby

This is only a revision of the literature. It is not a scientific article. However, it gives a list of 55 published articles that you may read if you do feel so. I actually did read some of those, and there is nothing sloppy about them. I find the most interesting that a lot of this work came from human medical scientist. Why veterinary medicine have been so reluctant to take part in this is beyond me. I understand that - I have read many of those articles as well and there are limitations. That in itself doesn't bother me, but IMO it's important to point them out if you are reviewing them and be critical - if this is aimed at the 'average' person then some may well take it for gospel. You see it on DOL all the time - the internet said "this", therefore it's true. It's just not that simple. Having done a review on early desexing and CHD, it's incredibly complicated and that point needs to be made. In fact, having used many of the articles the author also used on "orthopaedic disorders", they were very selective with the results reported. At the end of the day it's often about risk and weighing these up in terms of an individual's personal situation. One of my relatives is absolutely convinced that a bitch is not the same until she's had a litter......the priority for me was getting that dog spayed ASAP to prevent a litter of unregistered puppies. I'm not arguing for or against - but balanced representation and emphasis is important. It's probably also critical to remember that the dog owners on DOL tend to be more educated than the average dog owner....and many are actively looking for information which is quite different to others I've met!!! Many (not all) dog owners are inherently poor at compliance - that's why vets promote commercial dog foods, yearly vaccinating (and associated check ups) and desexing. Sure beats terrible diets/associated health problems and unwanted animals. People who research raw feeding, vaccinations and keeping animals entire and carefully weigh up the options are not the problem!

Jed, absolutely! That's why I didn't leap in and accuse anyone that their dogs might not be capable of doing an ET. I don't know the full story and I haven't heard all 3 sides (remember....yours, the other fellow's and the right one? ). It could be a time factor, human handler capability, human handler interest, does it really test the dogs.....etc. etc.

Ever the peacemaker, I think you're both right The science is poor in the article (way too many 'associations', poor methodology, animal selection etc) but, I agree, we do need to have both sides of the story So many people ask me whether I'm going to have Zig castrated when I get another (male) pup....for reasons of behaviour and health....god forbid I should have 2 males that will know their place in life and will get on

Some years ago several Dalmatian breeders attempted to have an ET qualification as a requirement for a Dal to be recognised as an Aust Ch. Obviously, it didn't get up but the motivation behind the objection will remain a mystery

The tricks section in this forum is also heaps of fun

I'm naughty - I don't follow the rules I lured, quickly switched to the clicker and used a NRM - Ziggy caught on really quickly and went from doing 4 garden stakes at home (different angles etc) to 12 weaving poles in one training session. Not saying he is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he looks ahead to the weavers and has the "I get it! Give me a shot!" look about him I wonder if luring vs shaping depends on the dog's motivation i.e. I think Ziggy quickly found weavers to be self-rewarding so luring worked well but he had no interest in retrieving so I shaped that

I have the complete antithesis of a 'drivey' dog I've done pretty much what LP has mentioned but the biggest lesson I have learned is patience Keep it light, fresh, fun with no pressure and develop a training method where the dog gets excited when he makes a mistake in anticipation of getting it right next time Another thing I've noticed is that the level and type of motivation has changed with age. When Zig was very young it was all about cuddles. Then nothing motivated him for a very long teenage phase except his desire to do as he wished, so I utilised that as well - a free run and leg lifting session as a reward for working well! Once I started hand feeding his food motivation improved and, with some very gentle encouragement he is beginning to accept praise, petting and a game with me as a reward. However, a gentle stroke of the head is sufficient - he detests being mauled by people The other thing I do is give him some quiet time in his crate - bring him out for some fun games/training, reward then quietly put him in his crate again - it has really helped his focus

That's awesome! Are you gonna help? I gave him my card Off to FOO again this evening - first and foremost I just want to plug the lovely judges and stewards who put us through our paces each week. They are so generous with their knowledge and time and always make you feel very welcome as a newbie Tonight we were outside for the first time and despite all the tempting smells, Zig worked pretty well. The judge said we would have lost around 3 points for heelwork and she gave me a few things to work on. Everything else was great fun! A few drops of rain started to fall during the stays so Zig just whined the whole time :D I have been a bit naughty and not practised stays much so, for the down stay, he was looking very confused and bored as we have been doing COP for some fun. In the end he just put his head between his paws, gave a big sigh and resigned himself to the exercise

A brag of a slightly different kind today......we had our house inspection this morning and the owner of the property turned up with the real estate agent. The landlord was SO impressed with Ziggy and how beautifully behaved he was that he asked me if I would be interested in assisting a relative of his with an out of control 8 year old Golden Retriever :D