The Spotted Devil

Yes that's exactly right Roova! You risk building a behavioural chain. Which is why, when I'm training all 3 dogs and I expect them to lie quietly on their beds until it's their turn (and well rewarded for doing so) that there is a cascading effect. For example, pup gets too excited and leaps off bed I use a collar grab to gently guide her back to her bed. No reward. Continue training other dogs and if she holds position verbal praise and pats. If she continues to hold position then she gets a treat. If she continues to bounce off the bed I will put her in a crate. You win the prize Ginny! :laugh: Bark? No problem. Cover the crate. When she's quiet the cover comes off. Continue training the other dogs. If she's quiet I let her out and ask her to lie on her bed. No treat but verbal praise and pats because I had to help her. Continue training dogs and only then will I reward her with a treat.

No no no that's not what I meant at all! Just that it will be hard work. Ok - so my advice on working with the dog aggression stands - it really works BUT you have to get distance from the dog so she remains under threshold. Also you can run backwards and have her run towards you (practice at home) which puts her back to the dog if you get surprised. At home - you need to find a distraction that is distracting enough to get them to fail (once you've built a pattern of success) but doesn't send them as over the top as the cars. Does that make sense? There needs to be a middle ground of distraction. For example my Springer has hysterics around water and can't think about anything except hunting ducks. So I started at home with a kiddy pool and built a whole lot of behaviours around that which I could transfer to the lake eg calling her past the water, releasing from a sit and building value for coming to heel instead of straight past me into the water, giving permission to get in the water, staying in there until recalled out. Then I took the kiddy pool to the lake and did the same thing 50 m away then closer and closer until we could do all the exercises using the lake itself - which was a Level 12/10 distraction originally.

I would suggest talking to the breeder in the first instance. A good breeder will give diet recommendations and guidance.

I'll try! Sorry for all the questions but it's important to have a clear understanding of what's going on. What is she barking at or is it everything? I'm thinking from your post dog next door, dogs in the street, car noise...anything else? You do need to manage to stop her rehearsing the inappropriate behaviour because it is rewarding in and of itself as well as teaching what you want her to do. So this might mean supervised backyard run arounds, on leash walks, separating the two dogs and working with them individually, teach an incompatible behaviour like lying on their beds, playing crate games (I do this with 3 dogs!), giving feedback on what's appropriate e.g. in crate, bark, crate is covered up with sheet, stop barking, cover comes off, remain quiet and treat is delivered. I would walk them separately so he's not winding her up. You also need to work on your mechanics and you can't deliver timely rewards when you're struggling with two dogs. I often take 3 dogs somewhere in the car and get them out one by one to train and exercise. The LAT or "Look At That" game is awesome - have a quick google - it relies on counter conditioning. The most critical thing is giving her distance from whatever is sending her over threshold - and if she's over threshold she can't learn or take a treat. I love this game because the "trigger" to fear/aggression/arousal switches to an opportunity to earn rewards and play with the owner. It's brilliant. Again, you need to manage what you haven't trained and then show the dogs what you want them to do. So rather than "stop barking" you want them to lie on their beds quietly when they hear a car door. You might even enlist the help of friends who can park in your driveway - start slow and build understanding until you can rev car engines and the dogs chill. It is a fair amount of work if they've already had plenty of rehearsals. But what you put in you'll get out!

I don't use a dremel but have heard really good things. Plenty of shaping and desensitisation will help of course. Good luck!

Overheads I imagine - housing dogs whilst they're waiting to be fostered out or assessed (purchasing or leasing property), accounting for costs for dogs that fail, governance and oversight. They dropped the surrender fee lower and lower so it was cheaper than euthanasia. I think it dropped to $50 and there were plans to drop it to $15.

It's an interesting one - GAP NSW figures indicate $2,360 is spent on rehoming each dog - page 192, Vol 2.

This is us after a hard training session - Zig, Em and Ginny with Lilly and Dizzy (snuggled under the fire) :) With brother, Zac (left)... Murphy, first son of Em, has grown up a fair bit now but I love this photo of him...

Bless her. I would personally drop the rice completely and replace with mashed pumpkin. Oh and pics please!

That might be a big ask. Some salukis do compete successful in dog sports in agility though! Bella has a fair recall, but still can go conveniently deaf on occasion. One of my favourite memories is of a couple of Salukis who did agility in WA. They would sail over the first 2 or 3 jumps, then take off for multiple zoomie laps around the ring and then return for the rest of the course. Funniest sight ever :laugh:

I *think* it's alphabetical within each group. If it's an all breeds championship show then all can enter. Problem is that it depends on numbers of each breed as to how long it takes. All the dogs will likely be there at the start of the day. If you have an eye on a breed perhaps give the state breed club a ring so they can give you some guidance.

Here you go... http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/163330-show-ring-f-a-q/

I think you will find it in here: http://www.dogsqueensland.org.au/ShowAndTrial/?id=1144 *snap*

Sweetie pie! In terms of weight....can you substitute a little cooked, mashed pumpkin to his meals? It will make him feel full but won't add weight. Chicken skin is particularly fatty so I would take that off any RMB you feed - I don't feed drumsticks (technically weight bearing so can splinter a little) and mine would swallow wings whole I suspect - had to switch the puppies to quartered frames at 5 weeks. We always trim the fat off even though none of mine are overweight - I would rather they ate more protein than fat. Also if he will eat whole raw carrots they are great for keeping them busy without adding weight. Otherwise the only thing you can do is feed him slightly less - I notice with my cats that the tiniest change up or down can have a rapid effect on their weight.

The first two years are the hardest

I love hearing about these little milestones in your journey!

I test hips, elbows, DNA test for PFK, PRA and Fucosidosis plus have an eye certificate done before mating. I don't think that testing is particularly common in my breed and I don't have 100% faith in hip scores. BUT it's better than nothing.

Hey PK - go easy on yourself. Honestly it sounds like you're doing everything you can. Train the dog in front of you. That might mean going back a few days to build confidence again. Because as Bob Bailey says - Pavlov is always on your shoulder. And I will also say please video - I use my iPad on a tripod and the stuff it picks up is just mind blowing. It's made me a much better trainer. And more patient.

Yes I was thinking the same thing - the two additional indentations appear as though they could be the points. Also, I don't understand the theory but am working with people who do - many of the contact points on dog collars can cause electrical burns (even when not in use) because of the way the hardware is engineered. When you change the way the current is delivered you don't seem to have the same issues. Sorry I can't recall the details. Left my work brain at work. I've never heard of or come across any collar capable of causing electrical burns, it's just not possible. I have seen dogs with pressure sores though and some dogs do have allergic reactions to the metal from the probes - a reaction can happen within a very short period of time ETA: it doesn't look like pressure points from an ecollar to me, the points are an odd shape not consistent with probes Trust me huski it is possible. I'm not saying it's due to misuse but it's the nature of the circuitry of some e-collars. Happy to chat further via PM as I don't want to derail this thread.

Thanks folks - appreciate your support. I'm in the process of writing the lesson plan for Foundations.

Thanks Hazy - again, I appreciate it. Honestly the report is HUGE and I don't have the time or the motivation to check all those claims. Changes that were made in review are not unusual in such a huge report. Whoever made the poster should be putting this in writing to GRNSW and/or the government with references.

Fabulous! Sounds like you're both doing tremendously well! Gorgeous smoochy face

I let them know that either SMS or a phone call at their convenience would be fine for me. I hope that it was ok to send it! I just thought this breeder was wonderful and I don't want to miss out because I didn't follow the right protocol, if that makes sense. You're doing great. Yep! Completely agree!

Thank you, that's exactly what I was thinking about--that things would be hectic and this isn't going to be at the forefront of their mind like it is mind. Would an SMS be appropriate? It's not as intrusive as a phone call and I'm not really after any particular info at the moment. Just want to make my interest known. Everyone is different but I wouldn't mind an sms at all. I think expressing your interest is great :)

Thanks HazyWal - appreciate your input. Any chance you could post the article please as I've hit a pay wall. I will have a look at those parts of the report - do you mean the start of the volume on wastage? I've had a quick look and can only find one quote in Volume One. Reference was clearly given ie not submitted as evidence. 1 Atkinson and Young, (2008) at 86 cited by the Australian Working Dog Alliance in “Review & Assessment of Best Practice, Rearing, Socialisation, Education & Training Methods for Greyhounds in a Racing Context.” Ex S (17-19 November 2015), p. 25.