poodlefan

Are you absolutely positive she's not toileting? Sounds like you leave her outside on her own for a minute or two. She's aging and her bladder wouldn't be a strong as it once was.

For one moment I thought this was going to be a Facebook request thing. What sort of land is your farm on? Hills, valley etc? Your surname and "Ark" might be nice eg. Patterson's Ark

It's often easier to reward the right position. Do you carry treats on your walk?

Very wrong. DOLers are divided on the subject. Many high profile positive reinforcement dog trainers are not fans. Dr Patricia McConnell reckons “Cesar has put dog training back 20 years.” What he can do with aggressive dogs is one thing. When he suggests that average folk use those methods on their pets is where he loses me.

This is the poodle you need Warls:

How wonderful, I have one in white. She's more into pink bling than leather and studs though. You could always ask lilli to loan you a CAS - that should give them a bit of a shock when they open the door.

Head over to the poodle thread - there will be plenty of contenders. It really is a shocking shriek too But for you, we can arrange a loan!

I have the ultimate deterrent at home... Toy Poodle guaranteed to shriek her head off at the approach of any 'stranger' to her space. She's refined her technique over the last 11 years in my car.

Sub-title this thread "how to give your dog shoulder and leg injuries in 3 months". Great device, but I shudder to think of what would happen to the dog if it was left on all day.

Seriously, you need to avoid generalising about a country that contains a raft of different cultures. Dog eating is a regional and fairly limited practice in China.

You can't have noise.. might scare the dogs. A nice bright paint bomb would be good.

However new methods of containment have impacted on the suitability of many traditional livestock breeds - notably chickens and pigs. Not all cope with close confinement in large numbers.. and I prefer not to buy meat from such sources.

I worry far more about the conditions that any food animal is kept in and how it is slaughtered than the species itself. One man's pet is another man's food.

Agree it's a two step process. However I think it's doubly difficult to achieve loose lead walking with multiple dogs when any of those dogs cannot achieve it when walked alone. Anatascia, do your dogs walk on a loose lead alone?

Unless you have a dog in each hand and absolutely perfect timing KelpieI, I'd have to disagree with this. You have to reward the loose lead when that particular dog is demonstrating the desireable behaviour. Same goes for dealing with tight leads. This is a hard one, my theory is that yes you can teach them separately and it would be best but then as soon as you start walking the 2 together again they will pull, it has to be a mixture of training them one on one and then both together. Agree. I also agree that with training, you shouldn't have to walk your dogs separately. I walk 4 dogs together.

Unless you have a dog in each hand and absolutely perfect timing KelpieI, I'd have to disagree with this. You have to reward the loose lead when that particular dog is demonstrating the desireable behaviour. Same goes for dealing with tight leads.

Walk them separately Anatascia.. you'll never teach two dogs to walk on a loose lead walking together. What method are you using to teach walking on a loose lead?

Are you training them to walk on a loose lead on their own or together?

Best I've heard of is someone (still competing) who trialed in agility for 10 years before achieving her first qually. That takes a certain kind of gritty determination. What it didn't take ( and never happened) was that person complaining about courses, judges and how the sport was stacked against her breed. I've heard plenty of that from people who've had more success than that person did initially. And when her dogs qually, the cheer that goes up as as much about her sportsmanship as the dog getting round without taking bars. We all gripe from time to time but some folk never seem to do anything else.

What you prefer to happen and what does are different BMP. Competition brings out the best in some folk and the worst in others. If people cannot rationalise that without concluding that it's a conspiracy to drive them from the show ring (as a few do) then they probably won't last and they certainly won't enjoy it. I think it takes stamina and resolve to stick at dog sports, especially when its not going well. That's what I mean when I say "tough".

APBTS are a restricted breed which must be muzzled in public. Add insurance/liability issues and you might have more sympathy for their position. APBTs and ASTs are NOT the same breed in the eyes of the law. Of course if you have no papers to prove your dog is an AST, you're in a world of hurt. I'd suggest these people talk to their council and arrange a temperament test. You can't go straight to TT in NSW, you must first have the NOI and have passed breed ID for the TT to be considered valid under the act and by council. Who knows - if the dog is chipped as AST, the council might be happy with that. What would be useful to trace back through the "rescue" is the history of the dog. Getting in touch with former owners might help.

APBTS are a restricted breed which must be muzzled in public. Add insurance/liability issues and you might have more sympathy for their position. APBTs and ASTs are NOT the same breed in the eyes of the law. Of course if you have no papers to prove your dog is an AST, you're in a world of hurt. I'd suggest these people talk to their council and arrange a temperament test.

As I said in my first post, there's a difference between not having feelings and not being able to deal with them. Showing can be stressful and, at times, down right depressing. It is not a nice place when people turn those feelings outwards, complaining about everything and suggesting that people done them wrong. A positive mental attitude makes you better company. I tend to stay well clear of those who live under little dark rain clouds of their own making, regardless of their experience in the ring. A sense of humour is a fine thing to possess. I find how people lose in the ring far more revealing than how they win.

I have been searching about in my head for a word that means "able to put things into perspective, recognise and manage one's emotions, let the rubbish bounce off, climb a steep learning curve cheerfully and formulate and follow a plan to succeed". I can't think of anything snappy to encapsulate that. How about "Resilience" and maybe even "mental fortitude" ??????? I was about to post "resilient". I value it above all else in a dog sports dog. Seems we should value it equally in dog sports competitors. SSM I agree with you about some of the worst tanties coming from those experienced enought to know better. Maybe its their way of coping but it's hardly a very socially acceptable one.

I think you don't need to be "hard" but you do need to be "tough". "Hard" to me suggests lack of feeling. "Tough" means being able to deal with your feelings and with the actions of others. Showing is a competition in which, for the most part, the reasons for winning and losing are not readily apparent to those competing. Personally I think the lack of publication of decisions accounts for many of the accusations of politics and face judging. Yeah, it's wonderful to win. But for a new person who may only be showing one dog, it's disappointing to lose and depressing to be dumped. You have to be able to cope with that without turning toxic and deciding that it s some sort of personal conspiracy against you. How do you do that? By finding other things to enjoy about the sport - the company of like minded dog tragics, your friends doing well and the chance to learn so much about dogs. You also need sufficient emotional stability to realise that you are not your dog and that your dog being dumped isn't a personal slight on your character. I consider myself to be very much a newbie. Howard is my second show dog only and we've been in the ring not much over a year. I see other new folk get very bent out of shape about not winning and they'll look for excuses in every direction except down the lead and in the mirror. I find the whining of new folk on lists and in person about being hard done by to be far too frequent and a bit pathetic. Yes, some competitors are arseholes and some judges appear to be off with the pixies but bleating about it accomplishes nothing. If all you do is lose, then there's a probably a reason why that has nothing to do with who you are. The challenge is to find it. When Howard loses, I try to figure out objectively what the other dog/s have that he doesn't. I dont' always agree with the decision but I'm learning to understand WHY it is made. Frankly I think face judging isn't as common as many like to think. Objectively dogs have different strengths and weaknesses. Looking at dogs and evaluating that is what gives you a better eye. You may not want what wins at the moment but you may understand why it happens. I love my dog, I understand (I think) his faults but I believe he warrants the title of Champion. That, the company of friends and the chance to see so many great dogs, is what sees me out there. If you're not tough enough to objectively look at your dog and your handling for many of the reasons why you don't do well on a particular day then I think the sport is not for you. Great handlers with wonderful dogs all started somewhere, and they worked hard to get where they are. Certain types in certain breeds also do better and understanding that can help. If you believe in your dog that's what matters. Some may be lucky enough to have their first show dog become a GR CH. Many are not. Only those who genuinely enjoy the sport will stick it out if success does not come easily or quickly.