The Spotted Devil

The long line is handy to actually teach the command - do you think he really knows what "come" means? If he does and the court is a controlled area (i.e. no traffic dangers) this is when I would personally introduce the non-reward marker i.e. you don't want to come when called? Oh well, bad luck, lead goes on, walk around, soooo boring, let dog off and try again. You want to come to me? Wow - I have the best treats in the whole wide world (make sure they ARE the best - raw chicken mince is a winner here - and make sure the dog is HUNGRY!) and we are going to have a great fun game As I said, this works for me but I'm sure there's other methods that might suit others better ETA: With the command "come" you may have inadvertently taught him that it means "wander over this way, if you feel like it, sometime in the next half an hour...maybe....if you feel like it....or not" That's not his fault but yours and just means your dealing with a smart dog! So you might have to put the long line back on to re-teach that "come" means "get your butt to me ASAP and you'll get a most brilliant reward"

And just one more thing.....at the end of the day, for us, it's really been about consistency and hard work. Zig has an off-leash run ~5 times a week and we do at least 6 recalls every time. Some with treat rewards, some without. On top of that I do a lot of other training with him...formal obedience practice 2-3 times per week and teaching new behaviours (clicker training with his dinner) at least 3-4 times per week. I try to keep the training fresh and varied and fun. In fact, we're off to do some now and he is whinging in anticipation as I've just prepared the treat bag It's also worth noting that OH still can't let Zig off lead

Do you mean on a long-line for a recall? First try making yourself THE most exciting thing in the whole wide world Call pup's name excitedly (you should definitely be training one at a time!) and run backwards. Even ignore the dog, crouch right down and pretend to find something of real interest on the ground - you'd be surprised how often the pup thinks he's missing out on something My Dally pays no heed to my OH so I've even had OH lie on his back on the grass like a dying bug.......I think that was more for my amusement though it did seem to work When pup does come over, don't make the mistake of just grabbing him! Give him a really yummy treat and play a game with him - ball, tug, chasey - whatever floats his boat. The problem is if you always FORCE the pup to come to you, they will make the decision to give you the finger once the long line is gone. If it is HIS decision to come to you when the long line is on, I find it easier to make the transition to off-lead. Just my experience

Yep, got a vertical swimmer here I'm teaching Zig how to swim by wading out in fairly shallow, calm water at the dog beach with lots of treats. I have to put him on lead as, although he's not the least bit scared, he'd rather be on the beach cocking his leg My old ACD was the most wonderful swimmer - would spend all day every day in the water given the opportunity, whether I threw a tennis ball for her or not. She would also "duck-dive" to retrieve anything and almost swim backwards under water. The only problem was she would actually consume so much salt water it would go straight through her....literally. I had to stop her going in the ocean for at least an hour before we went home in order to 'clean' her system out and save my car!

I put some links in my first post (#5) - do you want different info to that? I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for - even if you don't use a clicker those sites would be a start EFS

It's something I use with Ziggy a lot. From memory I started with something really simple in the house like sitting/waiting before I opened a door to go through. For example, approach sliding door with dog off lead (so no physical corrections), ask dog to sit (or wait for offered sit if at this point of training), begin to open door, dog breaks in excitement (very common in young hyperactive breeds yet to learn self control ), calmly say "oh well" and shut the door. Repeat as necessary. When the dog is sitting/waiting nicely and door is open release with "OK" or similar and the dog is rewarded. The reason I don't use physical corrections when using a non-reward marker is that I want the command to be a fairly neutral one (although theoretically it's still negative). Once the dog understands what it means you can apply it to other learning situations. Very useful as you want a dog to feel comfortable about experimenting when you are shaping behaviours using a clicker and doing obedience and you want to build confidence. Another example of this is the command "stay" - I've observed that some handlers inadvertently reward their dogs for breaking the stay by touching the dog (even during a 'correction' this can be reinforcing the behaviour) OR the dog doesn't comprehend 100% what the command means and thus loses confidence when corrected. For Zig, "oh well" not only means "you've stuffed up!" but "try again and get it right and you'll be rewarded".........plus if you say it in a light hearted voice it translates to your body language (which can really confuse a dog if you're feeling annoyed). A few months ago I was practising stand for exam with Zig at my agility club - not something we get to practice much as I train on my own most of the time. He's a very friendly, waggy dog and it's so hard for him to keep still. I asked the "judge" to approach Zig as per normal but withdraw the second he moved a paw. At the same time I said "oh well" and returned to Zig's side with no fuss followed by 'stand' and 'stay'. Repeat. Ziggy knew he'd messed up and you could see his brain ticking over trying to work out what to do when the "judge" approached. In very little time he was standing rock solid, I told him 'good' to let him know, then returned to his side, released, praised and jackpot of food. I'm not sure that I've explained this really well - it's not something I really think about to write down.....more just watching what works and what doesn't. It might not suit everyone either - I have a dog that gives 99% of the people he meets the dog equivalent of "the finger" It has taken quite a bit of commitment to have him working with confidence and enthusiasm.

If your dog is intent on not being near you how do you do this? It's not that he's intent on not being near me, it's just that his nose is on the ground and his ears have conveniently sealed He doesn't take off when he sees me march over - he looks at me with a sudden realisation that he's stuffed up and either waits where he is or bolts over to me enthusiastically in an attempt to right his wrong.....in the case of the latter I pet him as a reward for coming but no food as he didn't come the first time. It's a technique that I've developed over time as we have a pretty good understanding now and I've done a heck of lot of training with him. It wouldn't work for everybody but it works well for us My point is, there needs to be a consequence of some description if your dog, like mine, is more motivated to piss on something than come back for a food reward ETA: I suspect it gets more complicated too, as in the beginning, I also rewarded Zig for simply giving me eye contact whilst having a free run. Constantly reinforcing this means he often just "checks in" visually - particularly helpful at the beach when it is windy and just a raised hand can bring him bolting back rather than trying to yell uselessly into the wind. I also use "c'mon" which means come this way but not necessarily to me and in your own time is fine. However, come means come. Now.

Recalls don't seem to come naturally to Dals either I have worked it from two angles: Firstly, finding out what motivates my dog. In his case it's clearly food that wins hands down, although to begin with it had to be seriously high value such as raw chicken mince or steamed chicken. As he also loves to gallop flat out, I use that as a reward and release him to run free. When he was younger I would put the lead back on for a minute and give him a huge jackpot before releasing him again, to the point where if he sees me getting the lead out now he bolts back before I can call him Secondly, having a consequence if he doesn't recall. He's a smart lad and, for us, using a non-reward marker ("Oh well") works nicely. I walk immediately over to him, say "oh well", snap the lead on and walk off (no sniffing etc allowed). The command basically means "you've lost your chance to have your reward - bad luck, mate!" It only takes a few minutes of boring on lead time before he starts offering me behaviours......then I let him off and he always recalls like a bullet after that. I would take your dogs out separately to practice their recall as well. Some sort of retrieving toy and a good game with you might be a suitable reward. If they're not interested in food, you can switch to having them work for every bit of food they get. It tends to motivate some dogs pretty quickly then At the end of the day, you have to acknowledge that the big wide world is so full of delightful sights, scents and sounds so you have to work your butt off to make yourself so much more interesting!

I have only ever used an i-clicker It would be well worth a try as it is a softer sound.......perhaps even wrap it in a towel or similar to dull the noise to begin with. Or you could simply use a verbal marker instead. Personally I like the clicker as I can add in a bridge word/encouragement/NRM without any chance of confusion. Plus Zig gets excited when he sees the clicker comes out and seems to understand that it's time to try something new!

Hmmm....it's a bit different here.... Step 1: Seek out tennis ball Step 2a: If another dog is holding aforementioned tennis ball, sniff dog's @r$e Step 2b: If ball is not being held, sniff ball then cock leg Step 3: Walk away :rolleyes:

Ain't that the truth :D Zig's crate....the night before he arrived... Zig's old bed... Zig's new crate... Zig's new toy... Zig's new bed... You get the idea

I have 2 Burmese cats in a very small house and have very successfully introduced a rather hyper Dally pup to the household. The crate has been wonderful....although I only used an open crate in the laundry initially. The cats and Zig are 100% indoors, whether we are home or not. When we are out (not for long periods fortunately), Ziggy is usually in the laundry....sleeping I might add I have guided and praised and gently corrected so that Zig (and the cats) understand what is acceptable and what is not. One of my girls, Lilly, can be a bit grumpy with him but only when she is hungry or he is being a real git......Zig thinks this is funny so, depending on where the fault lies (trust me, sometimes Lilly is very naughty!), they get corrected. More often than not I can see it coming and split them up until dinner time or simply do some training with Zig. Miss Bronte really does like him, I think, and often tries to encourage him to play.....which is quite funny. I even left Zig on his own in the house with the cats for the first time this week and he was fine....he's now 2 and it has taken some work, but it's really been worth it He's also been a rather challenging young dog so it probably wouldn't take as long for some others. Zig just loves all my foster kittens too....although you do have to watch those clumsy paws Zig & Darcy Zig's tail & Emma Zig with Isabella & Catherine This really sums up the state of our household.... :D

Just to help you make your choice, ALL meat chickens are "free range" - many of these terms are bandied about as a marketing tool. However, look for "organic" chicken and you should be fine In terms of girls maturing faster, that one was linked to the myth about hormones being pumped into chickens so I'd say they both belong in the tall story cupboard together.

What PF said

MyMolly - it has been illegal to give hormones to chickens in Australia for many, many years

lol - no, just us sandgropers People over here call it "Devon", "Fritz" etc. Nutters My Dal did well on Advance large breed puppy plus a chicken wing for supper Even top quality foods may not suit individual dogs.....I've just taken Ziggy off Eagle Pack Holistic as his poos were less than ideal. Trying him on Artemis Adult at the moment, so we'll see how he goes ;)

My Dally is a sooky la la when it comes to ears He is so strong and wriggly that I can't ever win physically so I have to outsmart him :D I use Epi-otic and find it effective, although Ziggy doesn't have an ongoing ear problem - only the occasional need for cleaning. For liquid drops, make sure they aren't cold - carry them close to your body so they warm up a little. Regularly practice having your dog sitting nicely and gently massaging the outer ear without using drops. I tend to kneel and have Zig sitting with his back to me (sort of lodged between my knees) so I have a lot more control. I also place a really yummy treat right in front of him, which he is only allowed to eat once he's had an ear massage. Work your way up to gently wiping out the ear and then doing all that with the bottle of ear drops close by. The smell can't help either, so it might be worth taking the cap of the bottle and going through the motions of ear massage and reward without using the drops. Good luck

I've got a K9+Royale - purchased on ebay....great seller, prompt delivery, very handy storage attached and no problems with it. Very happy

On now

Oh cr@p that's a funny image

Isn't mashed pumpkin supposed to be a good option for upset tummies instead of rice? You can get plain lanolin from the chemist - might be under a brand name....years ago we got one called Amolin, I think. Poor little mite. Hope he's feeling better soon

Mean Nekhbet thwarting Henschke's fun If it makes you feel any better, poochmad, Ziggy went through a shocking "try it on" stage, except he'd do a mad zoomie around the lounge room before doing a flying super dog impersonation and sprawling flat out on the couch, which was expressly forbidden Initially I would physically remove him but he grew bigger and learned to go stiff as a board so I couldn't budge him, all the while with a cheeky gleam in his eye and a madly wagging tail. It didn't help that OH was in the corner trying, not very successfully, to contain his laughter So, out came the water spray (for both of them ) and we never looked back

OK - so I start with clicker training in the house (nice, low distraction) and then use a 'bridge' word (good) when we hit the outside world. Does that help? I like the clicker itself for a couple of reasons, not least of which my Dally knows it's "think outside the square time"....especially if he wants his dinner

I'm slightly confused....but that's pretty normal You can substitute a "yes" or similar for the click but use the same process......the clicker is just a tool

Too funny ;) One thing with my mad Dally pup - I have prevented him getting up to sooooo much mischief (Dally puppies are born naughty ) by supervising, confining, distracting, training and exercising during the first 18 months. He has never had the opportunity to dig, pull washing off the line, bark without good reason, rip up clothes/shoes, steal cat food etc and it doesn't even occur to him to do those things now