Sarah L

I know Adelar Skypet very well and have used them for boarding and for Pet Transport. I recently moved to the states also and brought my 2 year old GSP with me. She had to board for a week because their was an embargo on for flying animals in when it was to hot. She had a great time and had the company of another dog to play with I highly recommend them.

and some more She love's to share with dogs and humans a like. Has the most greatest dog to dog skills that I have ever seen in a dog this she had from birth and has never changed. Children OMG! I am so proud of her as I don't have any and she is great with them too. Fiona just love the pic of her and Mort on their first birthday that one is superb. Fyx in general has good skills all round with dogs and humans. Yet still I have so much training to do with her to get her to everyone else's expectations. I am so proud of my little girl and her breeding it has certainly made a difference.

More pics of a GSP that is just devine... yes I am biased she is my baby.

My dog also loves her crate, Fyx was crate trained from six weeks old and although she sleeps on my bed now, she travels in her crate in the car. It has been very useful for when I take her to knew place's like agility trials or friends houses when she needs a rest from the many zoomies that happen there. I only made one transition from the puppy crate to the one I have now. I use a veri crate which is air line approved just in case I ever need to travel with her. The one I use now she has been using since she was 5 months old. She is now nearly a year old. I got one that would fit her as an adult back then because I did not want to change crates on her very often. It was the best thing I ever did. I can put her crate anywhere anytime and she loves it, it will also last her her life time now.

Here is another one that my dog loves and has not been able to destroy it. http://thepamperedpetmart.com/page/TPPM/PROD/TFD/BBBCYBNML I got it form Pet care 2000 at Castle Hill in Sydney for $20

All dogs have mucus glands and when there is an irritation they have goblets that over produce which is generally a sign of them healing from that irritation. The mucas glands are in the colon. I agree with Stormy in that is could be coming from the colon. If your pup is only 9 or so weeks old then it could also be a food intolerance or Giardia could be another cause. If it is Giardia then this is hard to detect as it only sheds intermittently and needs a few follow up tests of a fecal float and a Giardia snap test. Manly it is caused by a bacteria. But if you found wood shavings in the poo then that is the most likely cause which would also cause the mucas glands to over produce. Has your pup had any diarrhea before this bout of mucus poo's ?

Can I ask why you think Ronda's teachings are so much better than Derrett's system? Legit question - I have no idea of her work and am genuinely interested. That said, I dunno whether I would suggest someone change their entire handling technique based around a tunnel issue. Sorry if what I said came across the wrong way, I was not suggesting she change her whole handling system. The reason I prefer Ronda's techniques is that a lot of her stuff causes less pressure on the dogs joints especially her call to side maneuver and they can read your signals a lot earlier and more clearly from the beginning. I have watched quite a few of Gregg's videos and find a lot of his systems can confuse a dog very easily. I have also seen this happen to people using his system in trials. I also think that you can get a lot of good techniques from different trainers and not just sticking to the one system.

Sorry JulesP that your club is like that. Ronda has just been here and although I was not at the seminar this year I heard so many wonderful story's of her teachings. When my dog is old enough next year I will be at her seminar and not Gregg's. I hope in the future that a lot more people see her point of view in agility training. I am way out of my league here and I may be wrong but it could be possible to use a call to side for what you asked about originally. After all agility is not about systems it's about technique.

JulesP have you ever considered using any Ronda Carter training instead of Gregg Derret, just a thought.

Hi Adele there was a game I used to play called the smell it game for dogs that lacked confidence. You start with everyday household objects eg.... chairs, pots, garden hoses, lawn mowers, vacume cleaners etc. Basically anything that could make a noise. Before these obstacles move then get the dog to smell them while they are still and not moving. You do this by just walking up to one and asking the dog to come to the obstacle while you are pointing to it. When the dog smells the item you reward with a toy or a really yummy food treat. When you can see the dog is comfortable with this you then go on to moving them slightly and asking the dog to come smell. Even moving an item an inch and asking the dog to come smell. When the dog is comfortable with this you move on a step at a time until the dog can confidently come and smell the item without fear. If the dog backs a way at any stage just walk away and do not pay attention to them then go back after a minute or two and try again. The dogs sense of smell is a great training aid and gives them information about their world if the dog can smell things and not be frightened of it then you can be well on your way to getting the dog more confident in it's life. Once your dog is not frightened of things moving and this apply's to everywhere you go then you can put in commands like sit, stay or come. As we all know all we don't want the dog to smell a moving lawn mower or vacume cleaner. But the smell it game is a great start to getting it to approach things it would normally run from in the first place.

That's what I said earlier tkay.....totally agree! I'm only responding to these two comments here, and won't be responding to anything else in this thread. Anthropomorphism is applying attributes unique to humans to animals. If a dog can't "know" something and can't make a choice then behaviour modification is impossible. A choice is deciding between two outcomes. Lets say I was using an e-collar as +P. The dog quickly learns (so he knows) that if he disobeys my sit even at a distance, he'll get a zap. This means he makes the choice to listen to my command. Also Kelpie, if you honestly think that comment was Anthropomorphising then you better fire almost all of the trainers working for you. I heard every single one of them refer to a dogs ability to make choices. Sorry Midol this means you have forced the dog to respond to the zap as you put it from the e collar not from the dog having a choice or even probably knowing what your were trying to teach in the first place.

Hi Erny I noticed that you picked a few quotes from my whole post that suited your favoritism for e collars. Don't get me wrong if you want to use them then that's fine it has no affect on me. However can you answer my point that some people cannot develop a good and natural relationship with a dog to do simple tasks with that dog like a recall without the use of an e collar. If they have to use such a tool for this purpose rather than say a long line. Or for other simple things like get the dog to not pull on lead. At what point are we going to stop blaming the dog and start blaming the person for their lack of understanding. Also if good trainers cannot get through to people how to do simple tasks with their dogs without then going on to recommend an e collar because in the end they know that that person will not put in the effort with that dog. My question was why should the dog suffer for the lack of human understanding. Erny I know from personal experience that the one or two owners who will use such a tool correctly and only apply a stim to the equivalent of a flee bite which I found quite amusing and a new way to put it. What do we do with the rest who will not stop at the flee bite stim. Also I do not believe that enough people will take the time and spend the money to find out what the proper use of this tool would be. That includes people who do attend a class and when they use the flea bite stim and get no reaction from the dog they continue to keep pressing that button and the instructor does not even see this happening. No the solution is not to set the dog free as you put it. But more so for all humans to look at their relationships to animals further than their own misunderstanding of that animal. There are so many good dogs put to sleep every day in pounds around Australia with little or no issues, yet to me a lot of people over here seem to want to put a lot of time and effort into a lot of dogs that would would never have survived in the first place if they were to be set free as you say. I would also like to say that my new young pup at 7 months old does not have a good recall yet. Yes she will recall 100% at the park with the friends she has there and she even recalled from a bunch of drunk teenagers there but put her in an agility trial or agility class and I have no hope. Does this warrant a E Collar.... god no! I would like to say thank you also for "no flames" as I have received from this forum in the past on this subject but I guess I would rather a person not have a dog than to go to the extent of an E Collar to train Heal, Come, Sit, Stay, Down. Or even suggest the fact to a new owner for any of these basic training points of a dog. I am sorry to the op of this thread I have no intention of making it a E Collar debate god knows there are enough threads on here that cover that. However the suggestion of an E Collar was made in this thread I feel it was very inappropriately mentioned and I had to give my point of view. Sorry once again. If Midol would not use it for recall in the first place why did Midol slip in here then.

Well done Lea I bet your are thrilled The first of many I am sure

You have got to be joking and taking the piss. If you can't get a new dog to do any of these things without an e- collar then what I joked about in another thread then you should really do and that is get some gold fish. Or do you just like to throw in comments in threads that you know will get you attention. Midol didn't say you can't get the recall without an e-collar :D so I don't see how he is "taking the piss" as you say. Although you are entitled to your opinion, assuming that's what it was. They are an excellent and efficient training tool for the recall though, especially when the problem is an off-lead one and the dog has had the opportunity to learn it. I do like the on-lead foundation work to be solid before people begin using an e-collar though (the way I use it is on low stim/negative reinforcement, so it is quite a gentle method with minimum stress). A good part of the reason for this is that this teaches the HANDLER the time to build (in him/herself) the skill and co-ordination of lead handling, timing, command and reward delivery ..... all of which is necessary for good training anyway, regardless of which training tool is used. If that was all in place then I don't see a problem with going to a training tool that may likely be the best one for the job. True ..... the handler/owner needs to be interested enough to learn about its good use though. Reality_22 .... the clicker is only a marker for the right behaviour. It is not a training method in itself. Some people like to use it - I think because it helps them with 'timing' in marking the right behaviour, but that's all it does. Personally, I don't use them. I think that apart from training, it would also be advantageous to check out your relationship with your dog to ensure that it is as it should be. It is hard to train a dog well if something isn't right in the relationship. There are numerous ways to train (including the recall). Which one is the best one for you and your dog is what needs to be decided upon and you are definitely part of the equation in that decision . As I said if you can't get a dog to to do any of these things without the use of an e collar what is the point in having a dog. I do not believe that e collars should be the bee all and end all of training a dog. Yet those who believe in them will try and persuade you that they are the bee all and end all. Yes Midol did say that he combines the clicker with the e collar for some things yet i would use niether for any simple behaviours, but not for recall yet Erny you say they are an effective tool for recall for a dog that has had the opportunity to learn it. Look I am all for a dog learning the basic foundation on lead that I agree with but even if the foundation fails for some people because the underlying cause may be their lack of a good relationship with their dog, which no matter how you try you will never be able to develop a relationship between an animal and a human so because a human can not have a good relationship or understand one then others will advise a e collar so they can push the control points onto the animal world. Why should the dog/animal be the one to undergo such aversive's for the lack of human understanding. When are humans going to learn they are not the bee all and end all of everything, also when are humans going to stop imposing what they think is their free will on an animal and what they think is their right in this world. This world needs both animals and humans for it to survive yet we are no closer to that world as humans today than the cave man was hundreds of years ago. Sorry JMO.... Waits for the flames to come!

When you walk in the opposite direction I guess you are still looking back to see whether he is looking at you or not. Try running full pelt and do not look back at your dog then hide behind the nearest tree. This way the dog cannot read what you are doing. If after this he does not come to you then I would put him on a long line and work with that. Unless he has severe aggression issues then I would not even contemplate an e collar. But I guess some people would use them for a quick fix. Even on dogs that they once would have given the chance with not using one of these collars on. I guess it's your choice on what you want to do.

You have got to be joking and taking the piss. If you can't get a new dog to do any of these things without an e- collar then what I joked about in another thread then you should really do and that is get some gold fish. Or do you just like to throw in comments in threads that you know will get you attention.

I guess I was lucky with Fyx we had been doing our usual road walks and she was not getting anywhere with walking on a loose leash, mainly because she was so excited to be out in the big wide world. She would lure and walk beside me but then lose it. One night I got sick of it and just marched her home. The next night I took her out and low and behold she walked the whole way and back on a loose leash. From that point on she has been very self controlled on lead when we are walking in the street. At agility trials it's a different story though She gets so excited still, but that's fine I know the more we attend them the calmer she is becoming. I can't believe all it took was for to march her home in disgust.

Actually Erny above is what I said exactly. Where do I say they should not own a dog. My post was written in the spirit of amusement that was the original post. It's called a sense of humor.

Ah now I get it and I wasn't even there :mad but wish I had of been I do feed euk and I am happy to do this, Fyx has a glossy shinny coat and is in good health. Not sure if I would use it as a treat though. I would just reduce the main meals to compensate for what treat I did use. Hope that makes sense.

Lp if you you both raw and dry food in their diet then what about frozen chunker's some time and kibble that's big enough not to go through your deck slats at others.

Wish I could think of something witty right now but I can't. Love the proposed t-shirts Luke I think you have a market there

It's called life with a crazy GSP but I would not have it any other way

I think that person should get some gold fish.... Oh no wait then you would probably get a call saying " I did not know they did not come pre programmed to clean their own tank"

Hi Roselene Give Idexx laboratories in Adelaide a call they do the Titre Testing which gets sent to Perth, but they might have a list of vets that use Idexx for the Titre Testing. Hope this helps you.