pawsaroundoz

Dear Big Wriggly Red Razor, the wiggliest redest Labrador I have had the pleasure of knowing. Razor wasn't mine, he belonged to some dear friends, but Carlin, Clancy and I loved him too, he came and stayed at my place for several weeks a couple of years ago and I loved the way he wriggled from nose to tail at the thought of a pat!! Sadly I have just heard that he went to sleep last week, his sight had gone so badly that he was starting to hurt himself too often. Rest In Peace dear Razor Annie and her boyz

Thanks Sidoney, I often wonder what has happened to those folk or dogs one has seen, especially when they and their dogs have left an impression, then you don't hear from then in a while! Maybe we need a "where are they now" of the dog world!! Workin Setters - Not really an arguement, perhaps it's just that I have had mostly soft dogs, and strange as it may seem, I actually prefer training softies. BaileyKira - I am sure the Brit Club in Victoria have all sorts of training assistance available. Mnay years ago when I had the pleasure of sharing my life with a young Brit I drove over from SA to attend a training week-end up Laanecoorie way - half field work - camp - water/retrieving work next day! There are lots of training events through the year for retrieving, put together by a number of the clubs....I think the flatcoat retriever club has something on very soon, give that club a call for more info. I wish you all the best with your girl anyway! I shall look out for you both when I get back to Victoria late this year! FHR - My Clancy Whippet loves to er 'help' Carlin retrieve dummy's too, he's quite keen on water retrieves up here, but then the water is warm, not sure how keen he will be when we head South again! Annie and her boyz

Workin setters - ...and a few years back a Mr Don Urquhart ran some super Vizlas in field trials in Vic. I loved watching those dogs work! FHR - quote "The difference I don't like with FF as opposed to your other examples is in FF training a negative 'consequence' happens before the dogs does anything! Either correctly or incorrectly. You can apply a negatve if your dog chooses not to fetch without evergoing through the FF method. I don't train my dog to sit by first applying pressure and then removing it when they sit.. and I don't do it in retrieving." Well said FHR, I would also add to anyone thinking of using the FF methods, know your dog very well indeed - I think it would be very easy to just about destroy a keen but soft young Lab (or any other gundog breed) to apply FF methods at either the wrong time or for a super keen dog in the wrong way....could easily ruin them or at least set the trainer back a long long way. I see it as a sort of a quick or short cut when I have always believed in taking all my training very very slowly and sort of 2 steps forward - 1 step back, so as I am as sure as I can be that my dogs understand an exersize. By the way are they Whippets you have too? annie and her boyz

Hi All Whilst I am well aware of the whole dominance theory thing re me eating before the boyz I have to say I have never noticed that it makes much difference. (maybe they have heard about my culinery skills, or lack of, and take pity on me? ) I like to eat my tea and then relax, the boyz are always outside whilst i eat tea anyway. Interesting post! Annie and her boyz

Thanks lablover, I only came in here to read it bacause I saw your 'tag', and now I am having a soft cry for all our special Lab friends that have left us, I am asilly soft old gal but I do still cry for Crash every now and then when something reminds me of my dear boy... Still believing in the Rainbow Bridge does help a great deal, I find. Annie and her boyz

The first thing I would do (have done!) is I never do the 'sit stay' and 'down stay' in the same training session. To begin with I'd go back to very short sit stays, work up to longer and then full time sit stays. Praising heaps when she does it right! As long as she does the down stay well I wouldn't even worry too much about practising that for a bit. Another 'trick' to use in practise ring is to leave a hedge-hog style of toy under her front legs, anything that would be a bit of a surprise to 'down' onto! Hope this helps Annie

Dear Crash went to the Rainbow Bridge 3 years ago............I still miss him so very much, he was my heart dog and lives on there still. See you later Crash Bang much loved and missed by Annie and Carlin

So Sad for your loss greytmate.... Annie Carlin and Clancy

Helen Hi, I use a glucosomine/msm/chondroitin formula for my dogs when they are working (obediance & retrieving in the past - and again one day!) I also use it myself - the same stuff. It did seem to assist the dogs from stiffening up and I can vouch for the help it gave me. I am a long term lupus sufferer, whilst most of my symptoms are under control I used to get really bad joint pain, especially after a week-end at a retrieving trial with all the paddock walking - I'd just about be in tears....got onto this stuff and the difference for me was amazing! (I call it my magic white powder...!) Hope it works for your Brits! Annie Carlin and Clancy

My boys have all hated the vac....(must be a boy thing!!) Clancy hasn't yet met the vac so not sure about him...but as he is a baby whippet I'd a) not really need too and b) worry he might disappear !! annie carlin and clancy

I have often pondered the same sort of questions LL (probably acounts for my headaches too) The trap i think is that i tend to talk to the dogs way too much when they are with me all the time and I wonder if they they then turn off a bit when one is training? All i ask when they are inside is that they don't play 'crazy dog' and mostly lay on their mats....but i do talk to them a fair bit... annie carlin and clancy

Please K9 Force, please tape or put together some notes or something.... I have been following all this discussion and I know from LL that your week-ends are great and really interesting stuff but as i am in NT at present it is all a bit difficult..... would really like to learn a whole lot more about it all. thanks annie carlin and clancy

Hi M-J Oh, now I feel a bit guilty coz we sort of hi jacked your first post, sorry. Ok so you couldn't get down to Victoria, I will only be back down there for a few wekks this time... But what is stopping you and some of your friends or other local interested doggy people, who will soon become your friends!, from doing something similer? My 'perfect' dog training session? Hmmm, meet at a suitable location with maybe 6-10 other dog thinking folk - no one there on a 'power trip', all sharing ideas, trying different ways to acheive the result/s we want for our dog/s. Because everyone would be there to share and learn we could take it in turns to 'lead' the group. After a while a good socialisation break - share some goodies have a chat about what we enjoyed, what we had problems with - decide what we would like to do or work on next week... thats just my idea, others may have a totally different idea! Annie and Carlin

Yogi I think anyone interested insetting this sort of FUN training should at least get together once or twice even - just to work out what we as a group want to do and how best to do it. After that it would be all real stuff - I am not nuts about the theoretical stuff either! The thing is if a few of us got together and did self help fun obedience it could catch on in a big way with others....I have met lots of people over the years who love training but have had bad experiances at formal obedience clubs as they have no intention of trialling- they want to train and have FUN. Lablover, All being well with my mate Bob, I shall be heading down into Victoria after the Nats for a 3-4 week break....probably won't enter any retrieving trials but may well come to one or two!! Imagine that, go to a Ret. Trial to watch, ohh the luxury! Annie and Carlin

Hi Lablover and m-j and all Hey, why not we have a bit of a meet/discussion about the how/what/when/where when i come down Lablover? My thoughts were along the lines of a little bit of 'trial' type stuff if people are triallers - but using whatever you use ie clickers, food, toys...use what works, and no actual 'Instructors', just helping each other out....then break for play time or a communal walk or whatever...maybe coffee and snacks (for the people!! ) When I lived in Sunshine I used to spend Wednesday morning at an informal Obedience get together - we were all triallers and of the 5-6 regulars, 3 were judges or had multiple UD dogs.....but we used food, we laughed, we had kids join us at school holidays, a disabled man when he was on holidays, it was all very friendly and fun! After training was through those that could shared a joint dog walk and we all enjoyed that too! I have been wondering if any of the DoL'ers have been to Mornington Peninsula Community Dog Club? The 'ads' they have in Vicdog sound good, and whilst in Vic in a few months time I should very much like to join them for a day! If they will allow me to. Have fun this week-end everyone, Carlin and I will! Annie and Carlin

Hi All Seems a lot of us share the same ideas! great minds.... Perhaps we will just have to start up some dog fun classes, as opposed to the dog obedience classes we have almost all had bad experiances at!...DoL Dog Fun!! Informal, for friends and other people who show some interest in having great well behaved happy friendly dogs and all working together to help each other....hey that would be worth doing, worth being a part of!! :p ;) Annie and Carlin

Lablover You getting old? I don't think so! (coz that makes me ancient!! ) I went along to an obediance club when i got up here - first time I have been training for awhile at a Club....I was horrified at how not fun it was for either my dog or me...I didn't go back, even though I had gone and joined before I went into class!! The Class has to be fun, the person taking the class has to be fun - a good teacher, some one you can approach and ask questions of. No good teacher ever makes anyone feel small or silly. Trouble is most Instructors get to be an Instructor because they have got a dog too a certain level, they have often never had any training on how to train people! My most fervant wish is that dog clubs would loosen up and forget all the trail stuff - teach people how to interact and have FUN with their dogs, the 'right about turn' stuff can come much later, if someone decides to go on to trialling. I learnt my best stuff - 'reading my dog' having fun and enjoying just playing games with my dogs from a wonderfull lady in Adelaide, Mary Mutch. Annie and Carlin

Hi All I have been trying some of this, Carlin 'misses' quite a few, I have accidently swallowed a couple (yuk) and this week I had run out of Carlins treats but since my flat mate is in hospital and had a stick of some sort of garlic mettwursty stuff in the fridge I thought ah ha! Double yuk, cannot even put the stuff in my mouth! Oh and not so long ago I actually got 'told off' at a dog club for 'allowing my dog to look at me so much' I kid you not!! Anyway I may not be 'spitting' but I certainly have Carlins attention with this garlic stuff !! It is fun though and that is what training dogs is all about!...or at least should be!! annie and carlin

Hi Paddles People who do retrieving as their sport tend to teach a reliable 'take/hold/give' before ever sending the dogs out to do a 'fetch' Break it down to tiny little bite sized pieces for your shelties. Teach them to take the dumbell - then to 'hold', slowly lengthening this excersize and when they will 'hold' well, take a tiny step back, then 'give'. Then you can start moving back very slowly and call them too you.....the whole process is slow but make sure your shelties are 'winning' the whole way through! Annie and Carlin

Hi there LabLover! I did lose my temper once or twice with the 'old boy' (Crash), and I soon found out how upset he would be.....with Carlin I have to be very carefull, he is such a 'wuss' and gets worried by so many things but mostly men, which can be a little frustrating at times but I know about it so am ready. I have always preferred training in the am. so as I don't bring any of the bad vibes I may have picked up during the day to training time. Anyway, how are you? Annie and Carlin

Training the dogs to come on the whistle is fun and works really well for a number of reasons. ie sometimes calling your dog over a long distance and having to shout you just cannot help but sound as if you are cross...dog thinks umm that doesn't sound too good!!! The whistle sound carries much further in the wind. When training our dogs in Retrieving we use 3-4 sharp toots for a 'come in' command. 1 single blast means "Sit'. I have found this really usefull in all sorts of other places...ie running the dogs in those off lead area's where the council has also seen fit to put a bike track right thru the middle...bikes are coming, 1 blast and I have a lab that plants his black behind on the ground and waits for the all clear! Ok so Mouse (my Whippet) doesn't actually always sit on the whistle, but she did learn very early on in the piece that if she just stopped still whereever the lab/s were she too would get a random treat!! :D