The Spotted Devil

Thanks everyone - really appreciate your support :) x

Yes, there's 3 rounds of 5 videos each....6 for the Finals. 3 winners plus 2 drawn at random which is pretty awesome!

you are a crack up! Em has her own fan club....I didn't realise but one of my puppy buyers has been "stalking" Em (and me) since she was 6 months old hoping that I would breed with her one day. I was gob smacked :laugh: And now we are great friends who train together :)

Thanks everyone! Appreciate it - and seriously the best thing is to be able to share with people how much FUN dog training can be.

Click for action, reward for position. Sheena is absolutely right. And the click does not necessarily end the behaviour either.

Yes to both - I will PM you :)

Oh my goodness!!! No way!!!! Thanks Kavik - for letting me know and for voting

But the difference is that your "leave it" actually tells the dog what you want him/her to do. More akin to a recall. A traditional "leave it" says stop doing that. So what you've trained is awesome!!!

Eza - can I suggest NOT for your new puppy :D Hard crates for young dogs, soft crates for older, chilled dogs. Have a look at Vebopet online for a hard crate. Yes they are heavy but your pup won't tear it to shreds :laugh: Thanks TSD. Actually soft styled crates can work perfectly well for young puppies. It depends entirely on the intended crating application and on the owner, their time, commitment and plan. That said I always find out these things and many more before I would advise that a customer get one of our crates for a youngster or not. I am the first to suggest a steel crate if I don't believe the owner is up to the training and scenario required for a soft styled crate. For us it is all about the right tool for the job, not closing a sale. I have people thank us for advising them away from one of our crates if the situation or application raises any red or even orange flags for us. But a blanket "no way" is definitely not exactly right :) But Eza's puppy is a Dalmatian...I'm sticking with no way :laugh: Yes I can see this will be my new life challenge, keeping him contained when hes needed to be lol Nah he'll probably be an angel and make a complete liar out of me :laugh:

You are a bright shining star silentchild! Lovely photos!

Not really. My dogs and cats snuggle together but I have no doubt they would chase an unfamiliar cat given the opportunity. Dogs don't generalise particularly well.

I use LAT for counter conditioning. I don't just want to change behaviour but how the dog emotionally feels about the trigger. That's why I want the dog looking at the trigger then looking at me. The trigger STARTS the game rather than making the dog feel scared, aroused etc.

Sort of - the click or verbal marker says to the dog "yes, that's the behaviour I want! Look at the dog!" As a bonus the dog will look at you. Then you treat. After a few times your dog will start to predict that they get the treat when they look at you. So just start holding off on the verbal marker until they do. So it becomes "look at the dog, look at me, "yes", treat"

We used to call Em a little terror(-ist) :laugh: He is gorgeous! Embrace the drive and energy - I know it's hard when they are young and crazy but oh my he will be one of your great teachers. If you are after a bit of coaching I can highly recommend Fenzi online courses. Very affordable at Bronze. I love Susan Garrett but it can seem a bit expensive and not as achievable at first. Have fun!

Sounds like a right terror :laugh: The beauty about having a high drive youngster is that you can channel it for good not evil! Lots of brain work for this puppy - kikopup is really good for this stuff too. I do a LOT of shaping, tricks, bodywork stuff as fitness training but gee it tires them out mentally. What breed shek? And pics???

You've got it. You want to build value for what you want him to do - recall, lie on bed, play with you and manage so he doesn't get to rehearse bad behaviours. Yes it does take a bit of time! Also - if you don't like putting him in the crate set up a pen attached to the crate. Gives him room to move and you can pop him in there with food toys and whole raw carrots to keep him busy, cardboard boxes to destroy etc. I think it's important to acknowledge that chasing stuff is not naughty but normal behaviour. Not desirable but normal.

I use it as follows: look at the thing, mark "yes", look at me, get a treat. If your dog is too exited to think straight you are too close to the distraction. Step back. Waaaaay back if necessary. Once they have the idea, add your cue. Does that help?

Can I just add that I really dislike "leave it" commands...because the dog has already got the idea in their heads and then "leave it" becomes a cue. It's counterintuitive but it's true. Collar grab: touch collar, give treat, touch collar, give treat...etc repeat ad infinitum until your dog thinks that being grabbed by the collar is AWESOME! So you don't use it to punish but as a cue to recall and as an emergency GRAB if pup is being a pain. I can put my hand out and my youngster throws herself into it. Recalls under distraction when pup can't hear you = normal. As I said put pup on leash and practice easy recalls with cats around and amazing treats. ETA: I have one gate on the laundry and another on the living room to hallway - much more freedom for kitties. And saves pup shredding/toileting etc. Living area and kitchen are puppy safe zones. No shoes, socks, etc

And seriously, Ginny is rather bonkers :laugh: So there's hope for all!

Eza - can I suggest NOT for your new puppy :D Hard crates for young dogs, soft crates for older, chilled dogs. Have a look at Vebopet online for a hard crate. Yes they are heavy but your pup won't tear it to shreds :laugh: Thanks TSD. Actually soft styled crates can work perfectly well for young puppies. It depends entirely on the intended crating application and on the owner, their time, commitment and plan. That said I always find out these things and many more before I would advise that a customer get one of our crates for a youngster or not. I am the first to suggest a steel crate if I don't believe the owner is up to the training and scenario required for a soft styled crate. For us it is all about the right tool for the job, not closing a sale. I have people thank us for advising them away from one of our crates if the situation or application raises any red or even orange flags for us. But a blanket "no way" is definitely not exactly right :) But Eza's puppy is a Dalmatian...I'm sticking with no way :laugh:

I promise :D

I have very, very busy puppies in my house! This is what I do.... Cats: - have baby gates into a dog free zone and they know they can escape - huge cat tree in the living area that the cats can get out of the way - I repeat to them regularly "this too shall pass"...this is Lilly's 5th puppy including ones I've trained for friends. Puppy: - make sure she is tired, physically and mentally. - teach a settle on her mat - entire meals are fed, biscuit by biscuit. - LAT is great too - especially when on the mat - use the cats as distraction training with pup on leash working for tug games and awesome treats - work on tiny recall games. Be more fun than the cat. - teach a really confident collar grab so pup races into your outstretched hand - translates really well to recalls in the real world too. And patience. They do grow up I promise.

I dunno - shade important. Hot wire would be no fun. I can get two soft bladed fans into the caprice with my dog. I stole her cool coat tho. I don't leave them in the sun Mrs RB!!! That's what a gazebo or trees are for...much better flow through of air in a wire crate.

If they're bright and happy I normally skip a meal - so nothing for 24 hours - and then start them on steamed chicken breast (not thigh) and a little mashed pumpkin. If it's mild and/or they are young or old or thin so can't miss a meal I just feed the chicken and pumpkin. No improvement or not drinking or vomiting as well or pale gums or miserable or in pain etc etc and straight to the vet.

Oh and PHOTOS!!!