Tiggy

Some more .

Took the dogs to Bells Rapids this morning. I haven't been in summer before, it was really dry but the dogs still had a good time .

I got the 'Training the whistle recall' dvd which came with a whistle. It's a pea-less whistle whatever that is. It's loud!

Oops .

There's a dog near me that looks like a GSD but it's the same size as a Corgi, it's so weird .

I took Banjo out to the park this morning for training. I need to take him out alot more. His heeling at home is perfect, out at the park he was a bit wide, lagged a bit and didn't keep that focus up on my face. We only did five minutes and I stayed positive and did my best to encourage him. I'll start doing the 'Hansel and Gretel' game out, I just bought some cheese and tortellini especially .

I buy Ziwipeak, it does have a line blacked out, now I know why.

Tiggy thats one of the games we play - its called Hansel and Gretel - you are doing circle work with the dog on your inside - when the dog is in heel position you click and throw the food with your left hand into the middle of the circle and you keep walking - the dog will come running back and start heeling again and after a couple of steps you can click and throw the food again. Gradually you can extend the amount of time the dog is heeling before you C/T. Its best to use easily visable chunks of food. Hansel and Gretel, who named that.

Its interesting that you say this Tiggy. Scoota improved a heap when he turned 4 - its like he matured and things that he had stuggled with in the past became so much easier for him to deal with. It was at this point that I decided that he was ready to take east - up until then he was Mr Inconsistency Beans is now 4 and I keep telling her ......Hmm Tiggy did the book say 4 physically or mentally????? The books says this - For the larger breeds, especially the slow-maturing males, four is the age when they become dogs. They're puppies for about a year. As one year olds, they're like toddlers. Sometime around two, they become juveniles. Then for two years, they're going through a sort of protracted late adolescence. At four, they blossom. Banjo was a slow maturing dog physically, it was around two when he lost that puppy look. Mentally he's probably still a juvenile .

The same here. I'll never go paddock bashing again. I did some real basic heelwork with Banjo today, just having him find heel but now he's got that great focus I have to throw a piece of food to get him to leave me so then he can come back to heel .

It's the same with me huski, if I trained like I do now Banjo would be in the ring by now for sure. It was the club training that put me off, yes they use food but there's alot more to positive training than just the food. For me when I went to the Sue Hogben seminar and saw Ptolomy and bedazzled that was my turning point into positive training. Now I've got the Patty Ruzzo dvds I'm even more excited about it.

Well Banjo is three in April but we've had alot of breaks from training. In the book Purely Positive Training it says - Four years old seems to be some sort of magic age. It's even inspired a little rhyme - What they can do at four, They can't do before. So that's my excuse .

I release my dog after every exercise like you would do when the Judge says exercise finished. With the stays like the others have said set him up for success so if he can stay for three seconds ask for two and gradually increase it .

Is that the one you're going to huski ;) .

I had a DOOG one, I didn't like it . The bag is just to carry all my stuff in then I can put it down while I train at the park, I don't want a training pouch, I like to have the treats in my pockets.

It looks like Cider will hit the ring before Banjo and I ;) . Banjo's a star but I can't say the same about his owner .

I need a bag to carry my phone, keys, poo bags, bags of treats etc. At the moment I have every thing stuffed in my pockets but I need my pockets empty for treats when I take Banjo out to train. I use to have the Snooza shoulder bag which was okay but this time I'm looking at the Hound Bag and Black Dog shoulder bag. Hoping to hear from people who have tried these bags . http://www.blackdog.net.au/index.php?page=...rt&Itemid=5 http://www.houndbag.com.au/Houndbag/Store.html

There's two types of titre tests. One is more expensive than the other.

If I'm walking the three it's Buster on my left and Sophie and Banjo on my right but if I'm just walking the two it's usually Banjo on my left and Sophie on my right but I do like to swap them around.

Ptolomy were you wearing crocs in that video . I can't believe Cider is already six months old. The last picture I saw of him he was a little fluffy baby.

What a beautiful life you have had together. Happy Birthday Rex .

The two dogs next door to me are nuisance barkers but whats more annoying is their owners yelling at them to shut up! I feel sorry for those dogs though because in the four years I've lived next door I've never seen them walked .

I like to have my dogs on a walk 'at my side' but not 'heel' which is totally different like bedazzled said , if I say 'go on' they can go to the end of their leash but still no pulling.