poodlefan

I'd be pissed in the extreme and taking the matter further.

I don't mind what name it is put under. Again, the manner in which our dogs are intro'd and progressively taught weavers, they can still start on lead initially without hindrance. (Must be 12mo or older though.) As they progress it becomes more necessary for the dog to be off lead but so far in our experience the dogs by then becoming so much more focused on their handler and 'addicted' to the agility itself, that their off lead reliability has also progressed. What I said above ;). How do you teach an independent weaver entry if the dog is onlead? Doesn't matter if the dog isn't going to trial but its vital for those that do. Using guides, this is possible almost immediately.

I don't think we have that problem either. In the first level the handlers are not running obstacle sequences so much, although there might be a couple of pieces that are selected to run one after another. I'm not trying to be argumentative. You've obviously seen the down side of it, it's just I don't see these problems occurring with the manner in which ours are taught. Like I mentioned earlier though, the handlers need to have control of their dogs, just not necessarily off lead control in the very first level of agility intro. Agility is full of debate Erny. Show me two competitors or two trainers and I'll show you an argument The biggest downside of onlead training Erny is that dogs learn to do obstacles beside the hander and only in that manner. Handlers tend to trot along when they should be RUNNING between obstackes. That's a difficult habit to break when well estabished. Sometimes you knock the drive out of the dog and you certainly don't tend to get dogs focussing ahead. As discussed with Cosmolo that's no big deal for folk who never intend to trial. If they do, they're going to have to retrain their dogs from scratch. That's not always easy. When we've done public demos, we've used star pickets and orange plastic traffic barrier stuff to cordone off the working area. I wonder if that would work for trainers who train in public spaces.

Thanks PF. I wasn't sure if you were reverting to a general statement about any agility on lead. See my qualifying comments. I'd still argue that its not really "agility" if its onlead. Pre-agility maybe. I'd argue that leads and weavers are completely incompatible. The dog will not learn what's required if its being steered. A good weaving dog drives through fast with its head down. A dog on a lead cannot do that. I have never seen a dog double pump or single foot weavers at speed on lead. Taught offlead, some dogs will have adopted either of those styles within a couple of weeks.

I hope that it is not assumed that this is what our intro to agility class is like (seeing as I have expressed the fact that we do start with dogs on lead in the Groundwork program). The dogs who have started with us and progressed into higher levels have now begun off lead work and are demonstrating effective control. No, if was a reference to dog park equipment as discussed earlier in the post. However, I would argue that even in a controlled and supervised class, every time the lead tightens there is a chance of compulsion that must be schooled out of the handler. Its why we work hard in our classes to get leads off and handlers weaned from "power steering" from the get go. They learn it in onlead obedience and without coaching they don't lose the habit. Using the lead as a brake is one example. Watch many novice handlers work onlead in heeling and they will use the lead to cue an automatic sit.

If that's a polite way to say "beefy" then a diplomatic suggestion of weight loss would be a good idea. A lot of the strain is on the front end of the dog. Agility can be hard on a dog and a breed prone to cruciate ligament rupture doesn't need to carry excess weight.

Tell her to get her Lab really lean. It will help the dog considerably.

To some degree this is club dependent. Our club expects you to be able to call your dog up when it is offlead in a training paddock with other onlead dogs about 20 metres away. A dog that takes a couple of calls will pass. A dog that completely blows its handler off to do its own thing or that won't leave the onlead dogs alone will fail. Thanks for clarifying I was imagining a test where dogs would have to stay with the handler while multiple dogs were running all over the place! (Although that's obviously the control to aim for!) Strangely enough, you've just described our advanced control test ;) - dogs that enter above beginner level are expected to do just that. You don't get promoted from Level 1 at our club if you have a dog with significant control issues. (says PF with a Whippet that had to repeat Level 1)

To some degree this is club dependent. Our club expects you to be able to call your dog up when it is offlead in a training paddock with other onlead dogs about 20 metres away. A dog that takes a couple of calls will pass. A dog that completely blows its handler off to do its own thing or that won't leave the onlead dogs alone will fail.

Free running. What you need is to proof a recall under distraction. It's not like you can't use motivators to get her back. Zoomies are pretty normal as dogs start to get aroused by the training. But a dog that won't recall when its the only one offlead is not a dog that's going to have a lot of success when there are multiple dogs training offlead on equipment. It's also a safety issue and a major irritant to other handlers who have to leash their dogs or stop training while the distracted dog ignores its handler. Picture sending your dog up the dog walk or A-Frameonly to have it meet another dog head on or working ahead to a food target to find another dog scoffing it when your dog arrives there. This is how injuries and fights happen. At some point the lead has to come off. It doesn't get easier to control your dog once it's tuned into equipmnet - its harder. If you don't have control from the get go, you're going to have serious issues and be a hazard in most classes.

I toilet Lil last thing before bedtime. She knows the routine now and heads out, usually with the boys following. The Stilboestrol is working for her. My vet said there's about a one in ten thousand chance of it affecting her bone marrow. I'll take those odds.

My girl was very distressed by it. She clearly thought she'd done something wrong. Horrifies me to think some folk's response is to ban the dog from the house and that's it.

I was pretty vocal about "no agility obstacles in dog parks" when the consultative group met to contribute ideas. Its way too easy to compel a dog that has no idea what you want, isn't fit enough, old enough or is too old to attempt things it simply shouldn't be asked to do. Also very easy to check a dog that's jumping, to make it fall off and to overface it with obstacles that are too high or too difficult for it. I've seen it done and it just makes me cringe. Kids love it - one look at most dogs will tell you it's not mutual. Agility is about teamwork. It's not a team when one member is being towed around, being jerked around the neck and has no idea what's expected of them. Don't even get me started about dogs jumping on a lead and halti. This isn't some sort of an elitist rant but motivated from a dog welfare perspective. Quite a few pet owners would be horrified by the idea their dogs were being compelled (however subtely) to do things that they weren't prepared for.

Just use a carabiner to clip two pieces together. Undo it and you have a door.

I don't understand why people expect to do series of obstacles if they don't have effective offlead control of their dogs. They can't teach lead outs or speed, they can't teach independent obstacle completion and they certainly can't teach turns with a lead on. And once on obstacles, where do they expect the control to miraculously appear from? The dog is more aroused and now in a position to self reward. You don't showjump a horse you can't control on the flat. How do they expect to control the dog when the lead comes off? If the lead is on, its not "agility" as far as I'm concerned. A dog that doesn't have offlead control won't be accepted for training at our club.

When you're looking to determine the breed or breed mix of a crossbred dog, unless you have a dead match to a breed standard then I'd alway start with the most common breeds around. Start with the most commonly BYB and impounded breeds. If you told me Banjo was a SBT/GSD/Kelpie mix or similar I'd believe you.

;) They should just pull out their glocks and shoot his dog Before it attacks them with its lethal rear dew claws.

Domestic violence is funny ????? Sorry. I don't get you sense of humour. You've been taking the p*ss out of this incident since your first post in this thread Tralee. It's a bit late now to be trying for the moral high ground.

Given that priority will be given to the safety of all people involved, my guess is that a large calibre firearm will be the solution. And then of course the cops will be castigated for shooting "pets". And Tralee will find more reasons to denigrate what can only be described as a hazardous job in which in which you are criticised for almost any course of action. Can't wait. :rolleyes:

It has been a very long time since German Shepherd Dogs were popular agility prospects. At 10 months, her Labrador would be too young for any kind of agility other than foundation work. Its a gundog - why not point her towards the new retrieving apptitude test or gundog working tests?

Police have shot dogs to allow ambos access in an emergency before. Something to think about for those who feel the need to have an animal ensure their safety.

Funny that. Twice this month they remained outside the premises until invited in and the dogs secured. Perhaps all Policeman, and everyone else, should have the same common sense. Maybe they didn't think you were midway through beating the shite out of someone inside. You need to differentiate between a urgent reponse to an incident and the police making routine enquiries. If they need to get in and they have the power to enter, they'll take whatever reasonable steps they need to do to get in and that means removing any threat your dogs present. Lock them away from the front of the house for their own safety.

Must be a popular sign at the front of drug labs and hydroponic dope houses. ;)

Imagine what might have happened if little Johnny had opened the gate to sell some school raffle tickets. IMO dogs don't belong in front yards - they should be confined away from front doors and behind padlocked gates for both their own safety and that of the community. If they must be in the front yard, lock the gate and have an intercom. I'm sure a lot of folk would be happier to walk down the street without dogs barking and throwing themselves on front fences. And if you think your household goods need more protection than locked doors buy a security system and get some insurance. I agree wiseguy. The days of deeming it acceptable to have a dog that's a threat to the safety of an unexpected caller are gone. Those dogs should have been behind locked gates with a dog on premises sign or better. Of course the kind of folk who train dogs to behave in this manner don't tend to give a damn about anyone but themselves.

He's only a small dog - you won't have trouble finding one. A plastic airline style crate or a small metal one would be my recommendations. If you can set it up somewhere permanently so much the better. Feed him in there and encourage him to sleep there at least some of the time. When strange dogs visit my DA dog goes into the crate. If the big younger dogs are playing, my old boy seeks it out as a refuge. Mind you, I'm one of those dog tragics who regard crates as just another kind of living room furniture.