Kynan

Praying for darling little Zoey to get better soon.

Most Leerburg dog training videos are now available online through a pay per view system (there are also lots of free videos too). The prices are still quite high and only slightly cheaper than buying the actual dvd but as there are no postage costs the over all savings are huge. Once paid for a video can be accessed as many times as you like over 21 days but cannot be downloaded or saved. The Michael Ellis ones are very good particularly the Training with Food and Playing Tug ones. Lots of free Michael Ellis ones too which are great. Leerburg On Demand Videos

No I haven't! I've heard great things about it on another forum, but it's a little bit $$$ for me at the moment. Have you read it? Would you recommend it? I bought it about a month ago but haven't had time to read it yet. I have had a quick look through and it has a lot about scent theory, equipment, reading the dog, and includes hard surface tracking. Will let you know what I think once I've read it which will be soon. :D

You're welcome Staranais! Have you read "Police K9 Tracking" by Tracy Bowling?

1. Which style of tracking is this geared towards (is it focused more towards precise slow IPO footstep tracking, or towards the fast but less precise SAR/police tracking/trailing style). It is written for Schutzhund/IPO style tracking and could possibly be adapted for SAR style. Email Kris and see what he thinks. 2. What motivators are used - is the dog motivated by food drops along the trail, or is he working for a toy/bite at the end of the trail, or a mixture of these? A clicker is used initially with food rewards but not food drops on the track. The emphasis is on human scent discrimination rather than sniffing for food on the track. A ball or tug can be used later in the training program once the dog has learnt the fundamentals. 3. Do they cover hard surface tracking? Not specifically but the proofing phase involves tracking on all varieties of surfaces 4. Do they cover much about the handler's role in tracking (e.g. handling the tracking line, scent theory)? Briefly covers scent theory and learning theory but nothing about handling the line. The proofing phase involves the use of a remote collar.

Please review it when you've finished reading it! I'd be really interested to hear what you think about it. I am very impressed with this book. It has 148 pages and is divided into three sections: 1) Introduction, 2) The System, 3) Proofing. The book is very easy to read and understand. I have read the first two sections and have started training my 3 year old GSD using the techniques. I will read the proofing section a bit later once our training is well under way. I started training my boy with food in foot steps last year and had some success. The techniques in Kris's book are new and different and he explains why and it all makes sense and is very logical. The early training utilises clicker training. Kynan and I have been training with Kris's technique for five days and I am starting to get excited as we are making very good progress. After having read seven other tracking books I would have to say that this one is one of the best and the training technique really suits Kynan and we are both enjoying it.

A new tracking book has just been released and it is by an Australian trainer. It is called "How to achieve precision tracking with your dog" by Kris Kotsopoulos. I received my book yesterday and I am looking forward to reading it over the weekend. It is available from Precision Tracking Dogs.

This ebook from Leerburg may help: Introducing dogs (or puppies) into homes with cats

Some useful links: ET Rules ET Training 14 Week Training Program (American so need to convert miles to kms)

Yes, the three different surfaces for the Adelaide one are: 1) bitumen 2) dirt 3) grass

The Adelaide ET is held at the German Shepherd Dog Club at Pedigree Park, WestBeach Road, West Beach. The 2011 ET is going to be on Saturday 25th June. Very flat with no hills. Most is on bitumen with some dirt and grass.

Hope your puppy is ok. He could just be exhausted after playing for 4-5 hours. When I brought Kynan home at 8 weeks he would only play for 10-15 minutes and then sleep for 1-2 hours solidly before playing again. A vet check is a good idea just to be sure it isn't something serious because as others have said they can deteriorate very quickly.

Kynan has one and loves it but gets angry at it when it stops paying out treats. It is quite large (about 30cm high) and doesn't get stuck. Kynan has worked out how to unscrew the yellow lid (and he is not very destructive) so it is now very chewed however the rest of it is very tough and is in good condition after a couple of months of daily use.

The German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia has a FAQ page which has some info on choosing a GSD puppy and also explains the Breed Improvement Schemes such as breed survey and hip and elbow testing. Link A breed surveyed dog (Bscl I or II in Australia or * in front of pedigree name) has to have passed both hip and elbow scores (has "AZ" after name) so this is good health wise. A dog that has obtained Australian Champion may not have been breed surveyed or even passed its hip and elbow xrays. This is because show titles are through the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC) which is separate to the GSD Council of Australia's breed improvement schemes. Always ask to see copies of the sire and dams breed survey and hip and elbow certificates.

Congratulations ish and Chili. Well done, you must be so proud of those fantastic scores!

I found that hard to watch. Didn't look like the dog was learning anything from those corrections.

So sorry to hear about Luna. Just saw her photo and track report in the latest Tracksure Newsletter and shed a tear for her

Oh Jade! I am so so sorry to hear this RIP dear Riley Love and hugs to you and your family ETA Was it one of the solid red kong balls? Kynan has one and it is one of his favourites. Might have to put it away for good if it was the same sort after hearing about this tragedy

Welcome to DOL Lions. It would be nice if you introduced yourself and told us a bit about you and your dogs.

Kynan had tender pads when he was younger and now they are fine (he is nearly 3). When training for the ET we used Friars Balsalm every day for a week and then once a week after that. This toughens and thickens the skin. I also rubbed in Papaw Ointment twice a day to stop the pads from drying out too much and cracking.

Oh no Nic I am so sorry to hear this. I remember when this boy was in the pound and I lost a lot of sleep and tears worrying about him and offered a generous donation to anyone that could help him. I was so glad that you and Save A Shepherd were able to help him and give him a warm and loving home to live out the rest of his days. Thinking of you and your family at this very sad time

I have a question for those of you that are doing TID programs using food drive. What food do you use?

Temperature cutoff is 40 degrees. One of the dogs in Adelaide got vetted out after the first break as the temp was 41 and still 40 after 15 mins rest.

Congratulations TerraNik and Jedi!

The Endurance Test was held in Adelaide this morning. 15 entries, 13 starters, and 12 qualifiers (one dog was vetted out at the first break after 8km). Over all they were lucky with the weather. There were a few small rain showers and one big one during the second break which stopped just before the riders and dogs went out again. The dogs all looked great and seemed to do it easily. Congratulations to all who passed.