poodlefan

How old/active is your dog? he is 7 months atm. Activity level is probably 1 - 1.5 hour walks everyday ( some running too) , i don't wanna make him work to hard because of joints and development. What breed? That's a hell of a lot of exercise for a growing pup.

Would you always make that conclusion? Frantic offering of already learned behaviours is not necessarily a sign of stress. Not necessarily.. but rapid and frantic are different and if a dog's body language says "stressed", its different to "focussed and eager".

So for your dog, perhaps guide and place training might be more successful and less stressful? I'm not a big fan of "hands on" training but once again, you've gotta use what works for that dog.

Hahaha..clicked on that link and had a heart attack! It lasts a very long time and you can dilute it.

It pays to remember that it's not only aversive methods that can stress a dog. Most learning involves some stress. I've seen very stressed dogs trained using free shaping. Frantic offering of already learned behaviours is one side effect of this method used badly. Personally, I don't care for it. I don't like my dogs to have to guess what I want from them. I prefer to communicate clearly what the desired behaviour is. Others swear by it. There is no doubt that used well, it can be very effective.

Ivermectin is the chemical that some BCs and Collie breeds react to. I use Proheart monthly tablets. Given on the first day of the month, I don't tend to forget to do it.

Yep, tomato stakes work. So do electric fence poles.

For Whippets, I've not seen a better way to train R&L. They need a pay off. Jerk them around or rouse on them and they sulk and shut down. Personally I think the rising popularity of positive training is a direct reason for the increase in the variety of breeds doing well in obedience/agility.

How old/active is your dog?

The best trainers acknowledge that a "one size fits all" approach doesn't work with dogs any more than it does with their handlers. Most of us have preferred methods of training but all it takes is the right dog to make us need to work outside our comfort zone. The more dogs you train, the more you realise how important having a breadth of knowledge of training techniques matters. Howard the Whippet and I have started agility. My instructor (BC owner) wanted me to try something with him last week - I said it wouldn't work but we gave it a go. I think my instructor now knows that that pleasing one's owner is motivation for a BC but with a hound, there had better be something in it for THEM!

Many posters will tell you that this is not your fault Baifa. Listen to them. This is a dreadful accident that could have happened on any day whether your parents were home or not. Many dogs seem to find snail bait highly palatable. RIP Phoebe.

Chris Christensen On the Wire from Classic Show Supplies. Link is here Only one I know of specifically for wire coats. Not cheap though.

Only thing I've seen given to dogs is Recharge and then only on very hot days. 20km should be a stroll for a fit GSD. Some carbs on the morning of the test probably wouldn't hurt.

Heart appears good according to two vets. 2.5 year old GSD. Gaiting at 10-12km with some sprints up to 20kms. Standing heart rate 100, post exercise heart rate 120, resting temp 38.7, temp post exercise 39.4. He passed his hip and elbow xrays and sees a dog chiro every couple of weeks with no problems detected. Ok. Slow down. The ET pace is 10kph and you're not doing the dog any favours going faster. I would save the sprint work for other occasions. Dogs need to be comfortable and gaiting freely at test pace. I have to say that I think that's a quite a high standing heart rate. My Miniature Poodle (who passed the ET with flying colours) had a standing heart rate of 68, got 90 on first heart check at the test (no doubt due to excitement) and had his heart rate FALL across the 2 hour test. ETA: Fixed to remove reference to collapse - not the GSD's issue.

Think we posted at the same time Huski. Hope my other post explains it. Kynan has been doing great with endurance training but on Sat he struggled a bit so OH suggested energy bars or drinks. May be Kynan was just having a bad day. Will rest him for a few days and see how we go on Wed. It was also a bit warmer on Sat and I have noticed he doesn't like running over 20 degrees. ETA just saw your post too Have his heart checked. I wouldn't call a 12 km trot "heavy training" in the same way I would talk about the sort of work/pace that competition sled dogs do. At what pace are you gaiting him? How old is he? He should be able to eat that sort of training if he is fit. Are you checking his heart rate? One recommendation for a fast energy boost (from a well known US sports vet) is to feed white rice on the morning of competiton. If you want an electrolyte replacement for AFTER hard work, use Recharge or similar - greyhound products are good for this.

I can recall at least one major contamination issue that arose from feeding canned commerical food. From memory a Sheltie breeder lost a number of dogs due to salmonella??? in the product.

Some instructors seem to think its good for new triallers to get out there and get their feet wet in the trialling scene. Others don't believe in encouraging newbies to enter if they think they're likely to fail. Its just different approaches. If your current instructor thinks you're not ready, ask her what she thinks you need to work on before you enter. Things like trialling ettiquette, ringcraft, footwork can all be worked on before you ever darken a ring. It's not just "no food". You cannot talk to the dog during exercises, you should walk straight lines, with three clear paces and do tidy turns to encourage your dog to heel well. And stewarding is a great way to see what's really involved.

It won't be agility huski - dog is too young, at least for ANKC agility trialling.

Is she capable now of doing all the exercises strung together with no training aids or motivators and will she hold her stays? How will she cope with your trialling nerves? My guess is your instructor might be seeing indications of lack of focus or nerves??

On a carting/droving dog supposed to work in all weather, my guess is the long coat might ice up. That would be a definite problem for a dog in a harness in freezing conditions.

240V Clipper in one hand, and wet dog? No thanks. You could cut the worst mats off with scissors but I'd never put clippers on a wet dog. They aren't designed to be used that way and the risk of shock would worry the hell out of me.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to course live game in every State and Territory. It certainly is here.

Did everyone pick up on the fact that contaminated commercial food can cause dogs to shed pathogens?

*snort* How and where are these dogs shedding pathogens?? That article is as clear as mud. Dogs eat shit and rubbish too - how will they police what dogs eat? Last lot of therapy dogs I saw were as fat as pigs. If they put one of those anywhere me when I'm in the old folks home, I'd probably give them a lecture!

You can get up to 50 + but it ain't cheap. From what I've read, anything over 15 is considered suitable for medicinal use.