poodlefan

At 6 months, you've got to undo behaviour she's already learned so it will take a while. Any idea what her previous owner did in the way of toilet training? If she's been kenneled or in a run with concrete, she'll have no inhibitions about toileting on it. I'd go back to basics (as you have). Take her out and show her where you want her to go. Stay and reward the behaviour you want.

What does he have access to to chew other than sticks?

I agree.. it's a very common misconception about "positive" training. From Susan Garrett:

Susan Garrett says it best. "Positive" shouldn't be equated with "permissive". Undesireable behaviour does require correction.

Issis: None the less, if it's being used to discourage unwanted behaviour, it is not positive reinforcement. If you set the goal of encouraging as much desireable behaviour as you can, and only using correction where necessary (rather than as standard teaching tool) you won't go too far wrong. Most "positive" trainers aren't "purely positive" for the simple reason that dogs learn faster with an appropriate mix of positive and negative reinforcement. "Negative" in that context does not have to be physical or harsh.

It's very challenging to teach dogs not to do something without any kind of negative reinforcement, and that's what "purely positive" training is. Personally, I think its important that dogs learn that some behaviours are associated with negative reinforcement because only that will diminish or extinguish them. You would either need to distract the dog (eg call it to you) or ask it to give another, more desireable behaviour (eg. drop or sit) on cue. Neither of those would be effective if you aren't there to see it and intervene.

Without a vet check Staffwild, we're all just guessing. It could be epilepsy. I don't see what help you can be if they wont' take him to the vet.

I agree. I offered a suggestion, I didn't want to imply that it was a panacea, just something else to try. DeeLee sees a trainer with the dog.

I find the whitening shampoos are fine on any colour coat.. can help take any brownish tinge out of black coat too. The secret with these shampoos I find is to dilute them with water ( I use a plastic sauce bottle) and rinse them out very thoroughly.

That's great news Barb. Wow, there's going to be a BIG contigent of Canberrans this year!

Sas: Hopefully not the sulphates found in most pet minces/rolls. There are studies linking these to Thiamine deficiency which can alter behaviour. There is also a heap of ancedotal evidence from trainers who've seen dogs become less hyper on diets with less or no processed foods. You're right. They aren't That's why I said it may assist. Worth a try though don't you think? I didn't suggest that DeeLee go raw SAS but processed pet mince would be something I'd avoid in any dog's diet. Even chicken pet mince if you can get it fresh would be better.

I also believe in allowing a dog to fully physically mature before desexing. BUT and its a very big but.. if you have any doubt about your capacity to manage and securely contain a bitch in season, desex her before you get there. If you want to know what you're in for, then ask in the breeders thread. However you should prepare for hormonal temperament changes, a possible phantom pregnancy and Houdini acts to escape your yard. One gate left open, a front door not closed quickly enough and she may be gone. If you have children in your home, you can't expect them to shoulder the responsiblity of containing your bitch. You cannot leave an in season bitch alone in your back yard unless she is in a secure roofed run. She may try to get out and dogs may try to get in. Dogs have even successfully mated through chain link fencing. Think good and hard about this before you let her have her first season.

We have a set of them at my club. I'll find out who made them Kavik.

Thanks Poodlefan. My understanding with this treatment is that it should be applied a week before travelling to affected area - will I have enough time to ensure he's covered? I thought it was only 48 hours?? I don't have a pack here to check.

You can get something made here for less than that Kavik. All my clubs weave pole bases and all the ones owned by agility folk I know were made locally. I'd suggest you ring a couple of clubs or ask local agility folk where they got theirs. Have you decided on a method of teaching weaves yet? Channels are good but there are other methods too.

Awww crap Enmark. I'm thinking positive thoughts that it's not serious.

Enmark, how often a day is he fed? Is it evenings only? If it is, and he's mainly vomitting bile, try him on two feeds a day. Some dogs don't seem to handle just the one.

Poochy, I'd suggest you use Advantix. It's a spot treatment that will provide quick protection.

Tony your post reminds me of a few more things I do with Lil. NEVER go back, NEVER stop and correct in a set. If you want speed and drive then don't do anything to extinguish it. If you've got a dog with drive to burn it may be different but with the less confident dogs, you want to encourage any lateral or physical distance from you and speed. Train obstacles separately. I can target Lil to food.. that will produce some working ahead. I dont' lead out and I work mostly in front of her.. that encourages her to keep up. I do use a lot of vocal encouragement too.

How do you know when growth plates have closed? By X-Raying the growth plates. Experienced folk can give you a general idea just by feeling them.

Yep.. in front of the jump. Groundlines are commonly used to train horses and often work well for dogs. Let us know if that works. Well done training such a little dog for UD by the way - it's not common.

The first thing I'd suggest Glorybea is trying a ground line to give her a better way of judging the height. Put another jump bar in front of the jump, at the same distance out from the jump as the jump bar is high. She sounds like she isn't a natural jumper so may need to be taught to judge the height.

Leo I've been through this with my white girl. I found that doing something until she found it "old hat" was the key.. and having no demands other than making it as positive for her as possible. I"m careful about where I sit at trials, about providing a crate she's familiar with and comfortable being in and about making sure she gets plenty of time out to relax. Her favourite place is on my lap. Maturity has made a big difference to her. Most folk don't believe me when I tell them how timid and uncertain she used to be. But you also have to be realistic. She is not a fast dog.. she is faster than she used to be but no record breaker.

I know nothing about agility, does it make a difference and how? My family are farmers and almost all farmers I know won't desex their working dogs - they say it changes them and they are not as driven, is it the same in dog sports? I find this topic very interesting. Some agility folk tend to hold off to make sure a dog is fully physcially mature (in terms of bone development). I don't think too many hold off on the basis of desexing lower drives.

A lot of pro groomers use the Wahls Clyde but it's such an individual thing. I like Andis because they are a sealed unit that doesn't require servicing. They don't come in pink though.