WalandLibby

I really highly recommend SABS - and if you're lucky you may be able to meet with Gaille in Brissie (I hope she doesn't shoot me for saying that - but she's one of the most peaceful ppl I know so I'm sure she won't ;-) SABS

He sounds like such a sweet, well-socialised dog. I think you'll find that as you continue, through your training together, to become more and more reinforcing to Remy, the connection between the two of you will naturally increase. I've found that simply rewarding the dog for being near and staying mentally connected with you (initially while they are on lead) is very helpful in improving their recall. They begin to make the choice themselves to stay near and responsive to you. I would be increasing the number of good things you give your pup when you are in these challenging situations near other dogs (with enough distance - and this distance will decrease over time - that he can take the treats) so that he learns to expect that other dogs=good things from my owner. What seems to be happening now, from what you describe is that he thinks other dogs=opportunity to play (and play is *very* reinforcing to a well-socialised young dog). You should move fairly quickly from giving the treat regardless of his behaviour (to establish this other dogs=good things from owner connection) to waiting for him to engage with you before giving it. The recall is just like any other behaviour in that if it has been reinforced adequately (and I'm thinking here only of positive reinforcement) it will be done again. Remember that the definition of *reinforce* as it applies to training animals is that it makes a behaviour more likely to be repeated in the future. If the behaviour you want (staying with you or coming back when you ask) isn't occurring, that tells you it isn't being reinforced (and that there is no fault on the part of your dog in failing to learn it).

This is pretty common behaviour in pups, and usually it responds quite well to training. However, in Goldens, despite them being as you say usually really nice dogs, there is actually a fairly high frequency of food guarding that does not correlate well with general behaviour - the nicest dogs can sometimes display really strong food guarding behaviour. So I'd suggest that you talk to a pro about this asap. There are certainly things that you could do that might improve the situation, but if your pup is one that has the genetic 'blip' that presumably causes this behaviour in this breed, then your attempts to resolve it may actually make it worse. However, in the short-term, until you can seek further help with the problem, I think it's best to leave the pup alone when she's eating. You don't want to confirm her belief that having you around while she eats means that she is likely to lose her food or be bothered while she's eating. It is possible that your attempts to prevent food guarding have actually contributed to this behaviour.

Poor little guy. Glad he's in a better situation now. I'd suggest you treat him just like a baby pup. Confinement (to a bed sized area, like a crate) usually discourages them from going until you take them to their actual toilet area (unless they have been excessively confined and have had to override their natural distaste for this). I find crating invaluable when pups are at the stage, as this pup is, where they see no reason to hang on.

If you stroke him around the hips, back, while focussed on the target does he settle? I made use of this with my guy who despite not being a puppy is very wiggly. I used a target to get him into position, gently stroked his back and hips until he settled (if he'd got too settled, I'd just brought him slightly forward again with the target or if he'd flopped completely just have started again), when he was still moved the stroking hand away just slightly and c/t after just a second. Once this was happening well, the wriggly behaviour reduced and I had something that I could reward when I targeted him into the position. Targeting over a low barrier can be useful - that way the pup is leaning forward to try to contact the target, but the barrier prevents them actually mouthing it. Leaning forward will also tend to reduce the amount of backend movement. I'm trying to remember something I saw in a Mary Ray vid a while ago where she lured (with a food bowl??) the dog from sit to stand and then a few steps backwards. This developed the basis of a lovely competition stand. Maybe someone with it fresher in their memory (or who has used it) can describe it.

The 'fixation' and apparent frequency of the behaviour that you describe makes me concerned that she may be displaying obsessive compulsive behaviour. Discouraging the behaviour really won't make any difference if she has OCD - the condition almost by definition means that a dog's capacity to learn to behave otherwise is very limited. Have you discussed the problem with your vet? If my puppy was doing this I'd be asking them for a referral to a veterinary behaviourist asap.

I found this... Good vid of the first step. Couldn't find more good ones of the later stages. It's described in Shaping Success if you can get hold of that. The dog moves down the middle of the V (between the uprights) - it will bend it's body less than if the poles are more upright. The goal is for the dog to take just one step with the outside foot beside each pole (this is something that will take time for it to be able to do at speed).This dog has been working on it for a few weeks apparently - the poles are more upright than you'd want to start with (it's good to be able to get in there and - walking backwards - lead your dog through the poles with a treat first up) I think it might be better if the poles were more secure and moved less - otherwise the dog might learn to knock them with a shoulder in training and injure itself when moved to firmer poles later. I tend to worry a bit about dogs going faster than they've developed the coordination to handle. Personally I think that is happening with this dog, but I still think it's lovely work.

At a seminar I went to last yr the point was made that each different method is most useful for teaching some different aspect of weaving. So using several different methods is a good idea. V weaves are good for developing single stepping.

I agree with Luke W's suggestions. My fave books that outline the main things that a pup/dog should learn and how to teach them with reward training are The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training (Pam Dennison) and The Power of Positive Dog Training (Pat Miller). Dennison's book has a good section on interpreting body language and using the information in your training but if you don't get that, I'd recommend Turid Rugaas' On Talking Terms with Dogs.

Interesting. I've seen it in adult male dogs in what I think of as chaotic environments, but not in pups. Andanin, do you think it would be associated with a puppy feeling unsafe?

I really like this from Jean Donaldson's website - http://www.sfspca.org/academy/PDTascareer.pdf

The means of presentation is different - the target hand should be presented with a 'look at this!' attitude, compared to a (at least this is what I try for) calming, smooth gesture for the stay. But I do personally use clenched fist (I'm considering phasing it out of my training) and the double finger point for hand target.

Jenni Rudd runs classes around Nundah/Clayfield. Mobile: 0422 979 401 Email: [email protected] I'm not sure whether she normally uses clicker for baby pups but she definitely does for her adult dog classes.

Maybe someone on this list is near you. http://www.deltasocietyaustralia.com.au/cg...rnaustralia.htm

The one online acquaintance I know who goes there speaks very highly of Alexis.

At a certain point, they develop this inward-looking expression which is what I've used to judge when it was time - when they stop seeing what's in front of them, and are preoccupied with their inward experience. I think Ted Hughes refers to this (but maybe I only want him to) when he talks about dying animals 'managing a difficulty far greater' than what's going on in front of them. I think pain has to be pretty severe before they'd rather not be alive than experience it. But that said, it's a deeply personal decision.

It isn't always easy to balance the concerns about disease and the possible harms from not taking a puppy out. As I'm sure you know, pups are particularly open to learning to deal with the stimulating variety in the world prior to about 16 wks, this is the time when they are most able to learn that ppl are nice, how to act around other dogs etc (although learning those things are long-term processes, not something that happens in a 4 wk class when they're a pup). I like to take pups out carried and not put them on the ground in places other dogs have been, that way they can look at the world, but not be at risk of catching things. Imo pups should play with vaccinated, clean, adult dogs in preference to other pups whenever possible (nice, calm, tolerant dogs who'll set boundaries when needed). About classes, usually those run at a vet will carry out good hygene practices.

You'd think so, but actually some aspects of colour aren't - they are associated with the uterine environment, and that differs from pup to pup even in the same litter (consider the possibility of masculinisation of female pups positioned between 2 males). If you look at this page ( http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/pathway.html ) it describes how the colour migrates throughout the embryos body - the areas that often show random white markings are the last to get pigmentation. She does say that it is possible that there may be some genetic controls on how quickly the colour distributes, which makes sense to me, because I was thinking - well I've never seen a Lab for eg with any white on them. My own suspicion is that uterine environment may have an impact on the distribution of the colour in merle coats, considering the random variations that occur (I find merle such a fascinating gene). I'm not sure how much the same applies to dogs, but in cats it is well known that uterine environment has a big impact on patterning - a number of yrs ago when the first cat was cloned, it was a tortie whose genetic material was collected, and the resulting kitten was patterned very differently from her.

Different people are going to have different opinions on what makes a puppy class good or bad. Unfortunately it's often not possible to find out the outcomes for different ways of teaching (because puppy class is only one thing out of many that can have an effect on the pup's behavioural development, and also because the data is just rarely collected). I have somewhere a paper from about 10 yrs ago by Kersti Seksel on the topic, I'll see if I can find it. The outcomes of free-for-all puppy play don't seem to be good - more likely to result in over-excitable, difficult to control behaviour around other dogs, or if the pup gets hurt, in fearful behaviour - and I don't think many classes use it any more, but some definitely do, so I'd look for one that doesn't. It seems to be better for pups to learn even to be near each other without interacting than playing in a large group. Am I right in thinking Oscar is an Iggy? If that's the case then obviously also rough play with larger stronger pups is a physical risk to him also. I think it really comes down to your philosophy - you have to pick one where you can believe it the methodology and theories that underpin their training. I like this article about identifying 'good' dog trainers, although it is really directed at vets looking for places to refer their clients. The What to look for in a trainer section (from p2) is a good guide for ppl looking for a class that matches with my own philosophy. good dog trainers article_advanced beh course

Yes, that was what I used with my dog when I was much younger. It's fine if the pup is a newbie - then you can be pretty sure that the pup will form a surface preference for the paper in those first few nights. However, if the surface preference is already formed for floor then you can't count on the pup using the paper in preference for the other surface. So not so good for fixing a problem. I guess more of us to have moved away from the idea of isolating the pup at night too. I certainly don't recommend it.

On Sheila Schmutz's colour genetics site ( http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/dogspots.html ) she says that a cold (in the bitch) could be a reason for pups to have white chest, tail tip, toes etc.

How many ppl have used CareCredit? I wonder how many general practice vets provide it? After I first used it in 2004 I talked to my gp vet and I'm pretty sure they can set it up for clients, although they said at the time that they didn't expect many ppl to use it, as the bills they're dealing with are usually a lot smaller than those at a specialist centre. I've found it a good alternative to insurance - depending on what you choose you get quite an extended interest free period, and you only have to pay for what you use. The interest outside of the interest free period is high, though.

Only that when training obedience type things the click/reward communicates to the dog the behaviour they 'ought' to do. And many small rewards can be used to communicate subtleties of the task. But you can't provide such similar, small rewards to a dog that is herding (I don't think you can at least, if you manage to do so I'd be interested to find out how). And being left at home rather than taking the dog working does not provide any means for the dog to learn to change it's way of working.You could teach most dogs to heel, but not most dogs to herd.

With herding, because the rewards are more difficult to control, you also have less opportunity to modify details of what the dog does. You're very dependant on the instincts being right.

I guess they're another thing that could be used to encourage a dog to hold on until you take them to the toilet area. If you were to use them, you'd need to act in all other regards as if you were using a crate and provide frequent, time-limited opportunities to go to the toilet that were generously rewarded.