poodlefan

Or maybe French Bulldogs attract high prices due to the high rate of caesarian births and the relatively low sizes of litters. There are *high profile poodle cross* breeders charging those prices for first cross dogs Woof. The type in the "multigen" (this must be the new black for oodle breeders) litters is all over the place still. Have a look at the websites.

Fifi: Ah yes and the stacking of ringside with your cronies to cheer wildly when your dog is gaited.

Great news! Find yourself someone who makes pig dog breast plates and get a Whippet sized one!

I don't. There are breeds I wouldn't give houseroom. There are breeds I can't bear to touch. And I'm sure MY preferred breeds conjure those feelings in others. Vive la difference.

JB: If he won't come back when he's called JB, I'd argue its a bit early to be letting him loose in an offlead dog park if it has any other users. What's he like with other dogs?

Yes. Training in food drive is still "training in drive" by the way. A good trainer will work to the dog's strengths and not try to adapt the dog to their preferred method of training. Consider this dog an opportunity to work outside the box. Who knows, with more confidence and training, prey drive may elevate.

Hopefully there's a surveilance camera somewhere at the show that captures the bastard. Fingers crossed for a safe and speedy return for Harry.

Angelsun: Or maybe things are different in Oz where most folk don't spend thousands titling their dogs, pro handlers are the rarity rather than the norm and the overwhelming majority of exhibitors still display some level of courtesy and sportsmanship towards their fellows. The old and bolds can snort all you like. I consider it nothing more than good manners to ensure that my dog's behaviour doesn't disadvantage others. I certainly don't expect that others should have to manage their dogs to accommodate mine. As I said in my earlier post, things happen. Dogs are not robots. But if the behaviour happens week in and week out in the ring then its a training issue.

I wouldn't take training advice from a vet anymore than I'd take veterinary advice from a trainer. Talk to a trainer. If you end up going the no-pull harness route, Sporn make a good one.

SP: Possibly. My other question is how often have you inadvertantly rewarded barking outside the context of the show ring? Is it an effective method of attention seeking for him?

I'd not call a Stafford "pretty" but they have their own brand of charm and the "Stafford Smile" is hard to resist.

Why don't you just use the drive that motivates her. Use food. You can use food in pouches, or containers and throw it if you need movement to train the dog.

Shaping just means waiting for him to offer the desired behaviour, marking and rewarding it. It can be challenging to shape a cessation of behaviour and frustrating for the dog. Ask for animation when you train. Don't reward barking. Reward silence. He'll learn to offer the behaviour that pays off for him. All you'll have done is caused the desired behaviour rather than waiting for him to offer it.

I want photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ours didnt arrive until the day before the show either not good enough when you have a coated breed and have to bath and dont know if your entered you put in a reply envolope and its not up to us to chase it up ! its up to secretary to get the numbers back to people earlier Is this a Victorian thing? I've only entered two sets of Victorian shows and each time numbers were never sent. Considering that you pay a mailing fee on Ozentries to get your numbers that's a bit rich in my book. I've never had issues with receiving numbers for NSW Shows.

What might be worth a try is to teach a "watch" cue. Have him look up at you and reward for focus and quietness. (having food in your mouth can help this) Try holding a toy also. Extend the duration of the "watch" cue until you can hold a couple of minutes without noise. Then take it to shows and practice it outside the ring. If he's focussed on another task he's unlikely to want to bark if he knows the reward ONLY comes for quietness. What foods have you tried as rewards? What DOES motivate him?

There are other options. Training for focus is one of them. Dogs are not all stacked in a General Specials line up for that long each time. There is a lot of down time while judges examine and gait dogs. However when stacked having your dog not distract others is nothing more than courtesy to other exhibitors. Most folk will accept that dogs are not perfect. But I'd not expect folk to react well if your dog barks each and every time its in a line up. Yes, other folk should expect to have proof their dogs against such things. On the other hand, if your dog does this each and every time he's in a class line up then I'd suggest you have a training issue. Its pretty tough to expect all the dogs in front of you in that line up not to want to turn around and see what your dog is barking at. That's what you're expecting of 5 exhibitors dogs every time you make a General Specials line up. In other words you're asking other handlers to have a higher standard of behaviour with their dogs than you expect of yours. I'd say work on the issue and in the mean time, also work on getting a focus cue going and determining how much of a correction you can give your dog without shutting him down. Oh, and have a belt of rescue remedy for your nerves. As far as I'm concerned this is only an issue if you're not doing anything about it but continually expecting others to manage their dogs to cope with your dog's behaviour.

He's just gone up a notch in my estimation.

You'd be missing out then Aidan.. I find the minatures quite different to the standards in temperament and prefer the smaller dog. Clearly Churchill displayed the same discerning taste. Of course many a manly man will opt for the Toy Poodle! Easier to carry on the Harley. I think its fairly safe to say that men who are into strutting around in studs and leather tend to go for other breeds of dog.

Do dog sports with one instead! I switched to a Whippet as a show dog but I honestly can't imagine life without a poodle around.

You'd be missing out then Aidan.. I find the minatures quite different to the standards in temperament and prefer the smaller dog. Clearly Churchill displayed the same discerning taste. Of course many a manly man will opt for the Toy Poodle! Easier to carry on the Harley.

If Winston Churchill, Patrick Swayze and George Washington chose to own poodles, you'd think most guys would be able to hack it. Hardly what you'd call girly men were they?

I doubt that any breed that is popular today started like the oodles have. Most of the recognised breeds were selectively bred for a purpose, to a tightly defined standard and any deviation from that standard was rigorously culled from the gene pool. With the *new name needed here* mix they allow all sizes, most coat types and have a standard wide enough to park a road train in.

On the day your chosen breed becomes one half of a new DD craze Wazzat, you may understand how some of us feel. Its happening with Chinese Cresteds now so never say never.

My local Woolies has both fresh and tetra pack (long life) goats milk. Look where the soy milks are.