DeadWombat

I love scammers. :)

As soon as my money from Nigeria comes through I'll cover the cost of the operation for you, just send me your credit card details so I can deposit the money. The oil rig I'm on only has limited net access so will arrange transfer via a third party based in Iran. Again, I'll need you credit card details first so my Russian bride can use it to get the Nigerian prince his money, then I will wire transfer the money back to.

How about a Doggy Door? She can come and go as she pleases and you get to sleep the whole night through.

That was pretty much my response when I first got shown the ad. It seems that most people (myself included) find it easier to knock the RSPCA rather than take advantage of an opportunity to effect some change. I actually think it would be a good opportunity for someone looking to make a name for themselves in the training community. Mind you, that name could turn out to be a big shining star or an embarrassing brown stain, so it's not without it's risks. How many people can lay claim to developing and implementing an effective training program for the number of staff, volunteers and animals that go through that place each year? Then how many can lay claim to doing it with one hand tied behind their backs? Not something I'll be putting my hand up for, but I hope some one with a bit of nous is brave/ambitious/stupid enough to have a go.

Position vacant at the RSPCA in Melbourne. Seek Who's up for the challenge?

I treat all my dogs differently, but I do so based on which one I feel like interacting with at the time rather than any order of rank. I tend to believe that in the majority of cases, people create more problems than they solve when they attempt to allocate rank or define a pecking order. Provided at least one human in the house provides some form of leadership most dogs will work the rest out amongst themselves.

There's plenty of wild dogs running around the Victorian high country and while they aren't completely isolated, they are certainly a long way from anything that would allow them to live a scavengers existence. Interestingly enough, I've seen lots of wild dogs up there over the years and the only time I've ever seen multiple dogs together (pack) was a bitch with 3 pups in tow. (and they were hanging around a ski resort scavenging) There seems to be ample evidence that these dogs hunt in packs (lots of dead sheep on the lower plains) but I've never seen or heard of them running together at any other time. It would be interesting to get electronic trackers on some and see how much they really do interact.

Highly driven dog's for me please every day of the week. I love dogs that are slaves to their instincts. Ideally I'd like a dog that is highly driven but working somewhere in the middle of that drives range (medium intensity?). I find this provides the motivation I need and also a level of stimulation that still allows the dog to think/learn at an acceptable rate. I'm not 100% on this but I tend to believe that how driven a dog is (prey,defence, pack etc..) is largely fixed in the genetic make up of the dog and it is mostly the range or intensity of that drive that we shape with training. For instance, a low prey drive dog that displays strong prey based behaviour during retrieves as the owner has done retrieves with the dog from an early age. Or, the highly prey driven dog that exhibits little to no prey based behaviour due to training to repress this. Then of course there is the highly Prey driven dog that recieves lots of training to further promote that drive and eventually ends up so overstimulated that learning is next to impossible. I think the level of drive is still the same as it was to start with, it's only the intensity or range of the drive that is altered. Sx$t....now I'm confused. Thoughts?

I'd like private tuition during teaching phases (particularly for the handler) and group exercises for training and proofing. I've always felt the strength of private sessions is in developing the handler, whilst the strength of group sessions is in developing the dog. (subject to the handlers skill set)

I've come across several dogs that circle as you've described and believe it is rare to find one that does it in both directions. I agree with Tangyn in that it certainly seems to be a genetic trait amongst (some) GSP's. I've encountered several that respond to even mild stimulation in this way and 2 of the best dogs I've ever shot Quail over worked in circles the entire time. I'd be inclined to just accept it as part of the dog's makeup unless it's causing you problems (on lead tying you in knots, etc..) in which case giving the dog something to do instead of circling (heel, etc...) would be the go.

I wasn't going to bite but seeing we are in the training section........ Why don't you just teach your dog to run next to your bike and not bother with the lead at all? It sounds like most of you already do a bit of training anyway so surely it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to extend it to a ride on the bike. I used to tie 2 greyhounds to the handle bars of my BMX twice a day as a kid until they spotted a rabbit one afternoon. Never tied a dog to a bike again.

I don't think you can ever be absolutely sure, but you can certainly make an educated guess. It is possible that the odour was escaping at that point from the cupboard and hence that is where the dog indicated. I'd look at improving the dogs ability to pinpoint the target prior to indication. (dog seeks out actual target rather than just odour) I'm not sure how you've progressed the dog to this point but this could be the result of failing to reward the dog for indicating at the source of the odour. For instance, during initial imprinting you may have simply cued the sit response everytime the dog encountered the target odour to build an association between the scent and the response. Over time I'd up the ante and start asking the dog to locate the source of the odour before offering an indication. I'd then expect the dog to show intense interest at the cupboard door (my cue to open it) and then offer a response once it had located the actual source of the odour. It may seem like splitting hairs but lets assume you're out conducting a building search looking for smuggled Basil. :D There is a draft running through the building and your dog passes through the scent cone while searching and promptly sits in the middle of the room. You then need to assess the breeze/possible scent pools/shadows, location etc... and lead the dog in that direction or follow it up manually. If your dog is trained to locate the source of the odour prior to indication it would continue the search until the item itself was located. This is an extreme example but the area of most available scent is not always where the actual item is located, so it's important the dog locate the source of the odour rather than just the odour alone. From what you've written, I'd be inclined to take the training back a step and teach the dog to locate the source of the odour before offering an indication. Then at least you'll be able to more accurately identify what the dog is responding to. Hope this makes sense.