The Spotted Devil

This is looking good ;) Would those entered at Croydon prefer a run through the weekend before...or the day before? I'm thinking that next weekend or the following Saturday is looking promising.... @ with LP

So.....not sure if you're keen or not, LP? ;)

So assuming we try for weekends to give us a start.......please copy the dates below, insert your name and put a "yes" or "no" next to each date ;) If weekends aren't your thing, please post when you are available and we'll work something out! The Spotted Devil can make: Sat April 12th - Yes Sun April 13th - Yes Sat April 19th - Yes Sun April 20th - Croydon & Districts Obedience Trial Sat April 26th - Yes Sun April 27th - No (I have a cat show ) Venues (suggestions welcome) KCC (Do we need to book??)

I've mentioned it to a few people, have had some suggestions of times (weekends?), places (KCC?) and other DOLers who might be interested. I was going to get around to PM'ing everybody but Uni etc has taken over in the last few days and I just don't have the time. So......thought this thread might be a good place to try and organise a meet-up and training session. Zig and I aren't ready to trial but would love to tag along for the experience So c'mon....who's up?

Especially for LP I took Zig to the beach early this morning for his usual mad off lead gallop. As always, we did some informal recall practice - I called him back from a particularly interesting pile of seaweed, rewarded him with a piece of carrot when he returned promptly, then released him to play with a good natured Standard Poodle. The two of them played for a bit, then literally started a pissing contest Zig was getting a little too close to the walking path for my liking (not near traffic or bikes) so I called him back. No response. Tried again. No response. Tried to look 'interesting'. Still no response. Rather shamefaced by this time and seriously annoyed, I marched over to put his lead on him. No response. Looked to see what was so damn interesting and realised that someone had dropped some food on the ground. What was it? Yep, grated bloody CARROT!!!!!

CM - really sorry you've had to go through this. Unfortunately Chelsea will be picking up on your nervousness too - but I'm sure you're aware of that. Good luck - I hope you find the solution! I like to take my young, entire Dally for an off-leash run several times a week but try to go to the beach early in the morning to avoid idiot dog owners. However, occasionally we do meet a dog that wants to have a go at my lad.....so I growl and roar at the dog to go away in no uncertain terms - the dogs always stop in shock (as do their owners) and Ziggy now looks to me to take control of the situation instead of having to step up and defend himself. He's a big sook and I like it that way

Sorry LP, but this thread is much better reading than the brags thread

My pleasure I hope you've posted in the Schnauzer breed thread? Becks is an experienced breeder (in the UK) who frequents that thread and can give you breed specific advice. The thing about space with your puppy, if you give puppy a large space, then he will just toilet when his little bladder is fit to bursting! However, if you limit the space and provide newspaper/puppy pads for when you can't watch puppy, you will increase your success rate. Put the toileting material away from his bedding and food bowls....also consider crate training - it's been my absolute savior with a very full on puppy (and he is very content in his crate) - there are likely to be heaps of threads on DOL but feel free to post if you're unsure. As for puppy school....if you're not confident in your vet's program, consider contacting Cosmolo who posts on DOL - not sure what classes she runs and haven't used her services but have heard lots of good things ;) Be patient and enjoy your puppy - they're not all cuteness and light, believe me but by golly it's worth it!!!!!!

It's ok - surprisingly many vets are very ignorant about animal behaviour......and I'm an animal scientist (behaviour/welfare) so I think I can get away with saying this It can be very difficult to watch a puppy all the time.....and I don't even have kids!!! Can you set up an area in the kitchen or laundry with an old play pen? Otherwise, if you haven't got enough hard floor space, set it up on the carpet but with a tarp as the floor base. It will give your puppy some more contact with the family and also separate him from the kids, which is very important when he starts teething. I have a very, very intense young dog and the first 6 months was definitely the hardest. Have you got plans to take puppy to obedience school? It will do you both the world of good - a well run training club will teach you a bucket load and also give puppy a lot to occupy his little brain....and settle that destructive stage that most puppies tend to go through. Can I ask what breed? ETA: With regards to the barking, definitely ignore it as it is attention seeking behaviour. However, remember that puppy has gone through a LOT of changes lately (leaving his litter mates etc) so practice putting puppy outside for a few minutes and then reward him for being quiet by allowing him to come inside. Whatever work you put in now will be rewarded ten fold down the track. Where are you located? Perhaps someone can recommend a good obedience club or social meet ups with other DOL members!

What can I say....great minds..... Love your new siggy Persephone :D

11 weeks? He's just a baby Your little puppy will take some months before he gets the idea of asking to go out. You MUST keep persisting - don't give him the chance to make a mistake indoors. Take him out at least every hour plus after waking, playing and eating and lots of praise when he toilets. Use a command when he toilets too. Don't leave him inside unsupervised - if you can't watch him for a few minutes, confine him to a smallish area on a hard floor with some bedding, water, toys, newspaper etc. Don't get cross when he toilets inside - he will simply end up toileting when you are not around. Instead, take puppy immediately outside, then pick up a rolled up newspaper and hit yourself over the head repeating: "I must watch my puppy! I must watch my puppy!" :D I hope that helps - if you put the hard yards in now (and it IS hard work), you will have a wonderfully reliable house trained adult dog

They probably think it IS boring compared to their breakfast :D Sound like very lucky dog/s! If they eat the EP with no problems I wouldn't waste your money on the canned food - JMO of course

If you want variety, I would suggest adding a few raw meaty bones to the diet - my Dal has half a chicken wing when he goes to bed at night (he's a very careful chewer!) and had his first whole chicken frame the other night - his eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw his reward for doing a beautiful, formal recall :D Plus, I never feed dry food in a bowl - always in a puzzle cube/ball or via clicker training.......never boring then

I feed EP but haven't tried the canned food - I wouldn't bother with canned food unless I was trying to tempt an ill/old dog into eating. Any particular reason or is it just for the variety?

Have to agree with the above. My Dally's destructive tendencies are inversely proportional to the amount of mental stimulation he has had that day. Using caution as he is growing, he is now getting, per week, around 3 free runs at the beach, 4-5 short walks which nearly always involve a stop at a park for some serious formal obedience training, daily clicker training at home plus learning games when he is restless (e.g. hide and seek with a favourite toy, playing fetch/tug as a reward for performing a 'trick'). In addition, all his food has to be earned.....dry food in puzzle cubes/balls/kongs/via clicker training and high value treats (cooked chicken when out plus RMBs at home) when we are training. The little rascal is always delighted to snuggle in his bed at night so his brain can recover :D

Just added a new training treat to the mix that the lad went mad for - chopped, boiled egg

Hmmm....let me think about that for a minute. Actually a second will suffice....Nope! :D

Jealous much!!!!! Maybe next year I'll do that one

I'll be there to watch hopefully

Really interesting post dogdude and definitely food for thought. The one thing I am finding (which is so bleeding obvious, I know ) is that success builds upon success. Ziggy's training and learning is growing exponentially. I have a very driven dog (e.g. leg lifting, quite a dominant young lad) but he does not respond well to verbal corrections - however a NRM works an absolute treat. Tonight, I put Zig's treat ball and puzzle cube full of biscuits on the ground and asked him to do a formal recall in the opposite direction - I was delighted with him and he loved it!!!!

Classic Dalmatians are more like: "Sure - but what's in it for me"

For training treats I keep chicken thighs in the freezer - microwave one for 3-4 mins, chop it up and it lasts for a good 3 or 4 days training - VERY high value for my lad. Doesn't get messy (and is well worth the effort!) if you pack it in small bags/plastic containers/foil wrap. I also use 4 legs chicken and vegie - you can buy it from the supermarket in the fridge section - it comes in small balls which I chop up into 4 pieces and put in the container with the chicken - VERY high value. I also use Nature's Gift chicken treats (available from the supermarket) - good stuff, all natural...I've even visited the factory! Plus my local boutique-style pet shop sells packaged treats which are all natural and terrific for giving a "jackpot" after a lovely recall or similar. Cheese is another option - Zig loves it but, unfortunately, his tummy doesn't Other people use small pieces of raw carrot, sweet potato or apple - I plan to add these in as I get more organised. It's best to have a wide variety of treats so the little rascals never know what's coming Happy training

Hi funkystar I personally don't like the idea of sending a dog away for boarding/training unless it is a Guide Dog In all honesty, you and your dog would be better served by employing the services of a professional and qualified dog trainer. This is because it may well be about the relationship you have with your dog which is not something that can be solved by a boarding/training facility. 2 Melbourne members on DOL are Erny and Cosmolo - I haven't used their services but they come highly recommended from others. JMHO of course :rolleyes: Good luck!

In my limited experience with young, mad dogs they do get better with age so don't get too distressed. They will try to "work you over" at this stage so don't give up either! I think I was fortunate in some respects as Zig was a right pushy bugger by 9 weeks of age so I didn't have a chance to relax. I have a martingale for Ziggy - not for corrections, just to stop him slipping out....works a treat. He's nearly 16 months and it's taken lots of hard work but we just had a lovely, FUN training session in the park. He'd been for a free run on the beach this morning but after a long snooze was giving the cats (and me :rolleyes: ) a hard time so we headed out in the light rain with a pocket full of cooked chicken etc to do some practice. He did some lovely heel work (for where he is at), a couple of stays and his first formal recall without the long line. It was just fantastic - bikes riding past, pedestrians......not quite up to dog distractions yet but we'll get there

Absolutely it's enough! Dallies tend to have sensitive skin so I am very careful with treats I feed - always natural, no preservatives, chicken based. However, idiot me wasn't thinking last week and gave Zig just a few cat treats as part of his training rewards (maybe 1/4 packet) that I found in the cupboard without checking the packet. Suddenly, Zig's skin came up in a few dry bumps on his back. I stopped feeding them completely and within 24 hours, the lumps have started to settle down - checked the packet and it's full of preservatives and beef :rolleyes: Not sure if either or both caused the problem but I'm sure I've found the culprit. Stoopid Spotted Devil Mother