poodlefan

I think you've nailed it Erny. The further a 'sport' moves from the proof of 'fit for purpose' event it originates as, the more style can be influenced by trends. That slow jog and lope was meant to be a energy efficient, comfortable way of bearing a rider for hours. And yep, when I did Western riding, you saw a lot of disunited loping.. but at least around here it didn't get put up. Once upon a time, obedience training was derived from the test of reliability and responsiveness to a hunter's cues. Provided the dog held the position at the left hand side (away from the gun) and in no way interfered with the hunter then the heel position was satisfactory. Along come people with no knowledge of the way in which a gundog needs to work and they start to concentrate on what wins. The focus changed, the breeds participaring changed, adn so did the scores. Add more "focus" , more exaggerated gaiting and it looks "showy".. and that's what wins. So now we have the exaggerated "wrap" style of heeling that not all dogs can accomplish and that over the long term can cause physical damage to a dog. The dogs are often close enough to breach the rule about no interference with the handler but hey, it looks good so it wins.... sometimes. If you knocked marks off one of these heelers for every time it touched the handler, it sure wouldn't. Ask a hunter if he/she wants a 35kg lab wrapped around their leg as they move through rough ground for a shoot and I think the answer is fairly predictable. There will always be people who choose to exaggerate a natural animal movement to succeed. At least we haven't got to the stage of false hooves, dock nicking and crupper setting of tails that has happened in the USA with a couple of breeds.

Bella one theory about tear staining is that it's symptomatic of a depressed immune system. Something like teething could create that. However, check what you're feeding for artificial colours and preservatives - there seems to be a link there too. Keep the hair nice and short under her eyes and get some Kojo eye treatment - this is very effective for removing stains.

I checked the ingredients.. that's why I know it doesn't have artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. It has a minimum fat content of 11% which puts it on par with most dog foods. I don't feed anything to my dogs or myself unless I know what's in it. It's not a staple part of my dog's diet. I use it as a 'convenience food' for when transporting and storing frozen and raw foods is too bulky or time consuming and for times like days of car travel when my oldest boy would become constipated by lack of activity if he ate his normal diet.

Absaflaminglutely Cosmolo. Asking about whether parents were timid can often be illuminating (provided of course that the parents are known). Ditto for aggression. That's why people need to be careful about laying the blame for behavioural issues solely at the feet of the owner.

Been here.. done that. :p Step 1 - how much exercise and stimulation is Judd getting. Whatever it is, increase it. Step 2 - consider the use of an aversive collar (I use the Jet Care cold spray ones on my boys) They worked well on my dogs. Step 3 - add some "white noise" to the at home environment - try leaving a radio on.. it seems to help. Step 4 - try for some mind occupying toys like stuffed kongs or a treat ball to keep him busy. Step 5- thank your lucky stars you have nice neighbours. If none of this worked (and to find out ask your strata management for feedback) then, and only then would I consider debarking a dog. I'd be doing a fair bit of homework on the process and asking around for the best vet for the job too - results vary widely.

Big Ted will be 10 in August. He'll be getting a vanilla icecream cake (one of those small cups probably).. maybe with liver sprinkles. Ted loves icecream.

There are UD Chi's in the USA Varicool. I've seen Bear and Faxon's trial at State Titles .. I was one of the Figure 8 posts!!!!

My honest advice? You take both dogs to obedience, OH watches. You help OH with training them at home. Most dogs profit from having one consistent handler. It's not fun for a handler who lacks confidence to be trying to train a dog that simply doesn't want to be with them. Option 2 OH takes over all feeding, walking duties etc to assist with creating stronger bond with dogs. OH takes Xena to a class when you are elsewhere. If I were the instructor of a multidog class, I'd probably be a bit peeved too. I've politely suggested to more than a couple of handlers that the dog isn't profiting from spending the entire lesson trying to get to another family member who is watching from the sidelines. Either take over or make yourself scarce. Why can't OH learn to handle both dogs at home? Far easier for a Novice handler to give and reward cues on a trained dog than to try to train it, especially if it's highly distracted.

It does. I repackage it into meal sized zip lock baggies.

It's plenty moist enough Moops.. and my little guys haven't had any problems with eating it. It's no more likely to choke them than quite a few other foods.

What do you mean by icky? And the packet I bought didn't smell at all If it's less than fresh, it can be quite pongy. Be careful with use by dates and watch out for bloated packaging... if its puffy, don't buy it.

ML: My dogs worship the fridge and the microwave I think... two endless sources of bounty. They like the car a lot too.

Good idea My dogs will eat it half thawed too.

Does "esp." not stand for "especially"? What have I inadvertently said? It does. Just having a giggle at that definition of "fear" used in a dog training context. i.e. handler = God.

I buy it and freeze it. For weekends away I chuck a frozen packet in the Esky. It thaws out nice and firm and helps keep other stuff cold.

ML: Wow! I wouldn't have picked you for a God complex ML!

HerrR: And there's also something to be said for acknowledging that avoiding the word "fear" could be motivated by trying for a more accurate word to describe a type of canine-primate relationship. I have seen relationships based on "fear". Most of us have. A dog that urinates or tries to defend itself when you go to touch it knows what a "fear" based relationship is. That is not what I'm talking about. I'm trying to define something more positive ... "respect" is the closest I can get. Dogs clearly understand leadership and lack of it. If they get that, why not "respect" or "deference" which are synonyms.

Hmmm why does the dog defer? Could be range of reasons I suppose. 1. Because it doesn't really value the unwanted behaviour enough not to submit... the "why not"? attitude. 2. Because in the past good things have come from submission. 3. Because in the past I've had the ability to compel submission.. and that doesn't necessarily mean through fear. Eg. if you won't come then I'll use the long line or I'll come right after you. 4. Because being consistent about getting submission breeds more of it. 5. Because the behaviour is self rewarding. None of this involves a "fear response" and none of the dog's body language indicates it. Yes, ears and tail lower but you're not seeing panting, wide eyes and other real fear indicators. HR does anything in your dog's body language indicate that they fear you or is it more language of submission? My bet is that it would be the latter.

HR: Respect: deference or esteem. I want my dogs to defer to my wishes because they rate me as higher than them in the pack order. Fear: terror, dread or horror. Not how I want my relationship to be based. Maybe to an extent we are using words that we feel more comfortable with to express our training philosophies. Maybe fear is down the bottom of this somewhere HR but when I consider effective leadership (primate or canine), the leader rules quietly and authoritively without being a physical bully or creating fear. The alpha dog in my house has never bitten or snapped at any dog. He's far too subtle. The alpha wanna be on the other hand is bully.

I'd like to consider myself to be a balanced (I call that positive as opposed to "purely positive") trainer. I don't want my dogs to fear me, even a little, but I do want them to respect me amd to know that the consequences of some behaviour will be adverse. I know some of my friends consider my approach to be on the side of being too soft and I am lucky to have dogs that is OK with. I hate seeing things go wrong in obedience and agility and the dog starting to shut down and begin appeasing behaviour. In my view, for that dog, the trainer has got the balance of training methods too far skewed towards negativite reinforcement. I particularly hate seeing bad temper taken out on dogs and it happens far too often for my liking.

Leo: Leo, the "purely positive" brigade I know don't use aversives AT ALL. No check chains, no prongs but halti's are fine because they are kind. Pointing out to one of these trainers/owners that halti's are aversive to many dogs ALL the time gets you a blank stare of incomprehension. Agree with Herr Rottweiler that some of the "purely positive" brigade I've met have been Delta trained.

LeoPuppy: I do know a few people who've tried the "purely positive" approach. There's a standing joke that goes around my dog training friends. We reckon you can always spot a purely positive trainer... they're the ones who can't let their dogs offlead because they can't control them. The standard response mouthed by the purely positive brigade is that for any situation you simply need to give the dog a more positive motivation to do something than not to do it. Show me a motivator more "positive" for many dogs than chasing a kangaroo and I'll be very surprised. Bottom line for me is that dogs need to know some behaviour has adverse consequences. You do need some negative reinforcement.

I use it when I travel or if I've run out of veggie mix. Highly palatable and produces good results in the dog poo department.

Leopuppy: I do see elevated stress levels in some dogs performing higher level obedience exercises.. in particular scent discrimination. I do not know if it is merely performance related stress,or uncertainty as to what is required or that the dogs are trained using aversives. The most stressed dogs I've seen are those trained in the lower levels that they don't do anything their handler doesn't tell them to.

PW, he's not your dog and it's not your responsiblity I'm afraid. All you can do is manage things from your end. I appreciate how difficult it is when other family members think you're overreacting. Do they understand they will be financially and legally responsible if he bites anyone? If it happens off their property there will be no insurance cover. On their property, a dog with a history of aggression isn't likely to be covered anyway.