Luke W

Bear in mind that judging quality of lenses from a small image on the web isn't very reliable. And without knowing the shooting conditions, focal length, distance, etc, even judging what sort of images they produce is problematic as well. Fred Miranda also hgas review of lenses. Luminous landscape has review and often includes detailed images. What are you looking for, perhaps I can find something specific to your needs?

In the first case - I suspect it's a combination of two things. Firstly, the lens is a consumer lens and you are at the limits of it's performance. Also you're shooting nearly wide open (at f/6.3, not the optimum aperture for this lens). You could have gotton away with f/8 which might have made the image a bit sharper. Secondly, you need to sharpen images after you've resized them. You should also check the sharpening settings on your camera is you are shooting in JPG. Cranking the sharpening setting up a notch might help as well. Sharpening this image certainly helps. In the second case...It's a combination of a few factors again. The lens isn't the fastest focusing lens in the world and the 450D focusing system isn't 'pro-level' either - so your success rate in AI Servo mode, with rapidly approaching objects (and it's a greyhound !!) isn't goint to be high. You need to hold the shutter button down while the camera goes 'chukachukachuka' and hope that one out of every 6 is a keeper. Even with my 40D (better focusing system) and my better lenses, my success rate in these situations isn't 100%. Oh - and make sure you use the center focusing point only in these situations and keep the subject under the center focusing point!!! Hope this helps.

1. Cause I've done no recall under distraction training with her 2. Cause it's heaps more fun jumping all over people in the park with her muddy paws/chasing birds/ playing with other dogs etc. than it is coming to me and behaving herself 3. Cause I've been completely inconsistent with any training I've done with her to date 4. Cause she's a staffy that loves to be naughty 5. Whatever other reasons you care to mention Do you think I don't know why she doesn't come when I call her I made the comment about her looking over her shoulder and laughing as she runs off to give people an idea of what her personality is like. OK - I'll pull my head in.

No problem

This technique is designed to excite the dog into coming to you. As opposed to chasing the dog when it doesn't come which teaches it that its fun to run away from you. Every trainer I have spoken to advocates this. I think you are assuming Ruthless is a novice and a bit clueless- which she most definitely is not. I understand the handler running away when recalling the dog - but that's not what the OP said: "This is the dog that looks over her shoulder and laughs at me when she's running away and I'm telling her to "come"" The DOG is running away when the handler says come. The question I posed was "why".

Are you sure you haven't taught her not to wee in front of you? Plenty of people do by buggering up their aversives, and then they wonder why their dog is "sneaky". I agree with Poodlefan that it's tether time, and it's also stubborn time. No point saying "she won't wee" outside, you have to outstubborn the dog. After meals, waking and playing dog goes out until it wees and then you throw a liver party. If that means you sit in a garden chair for an hour, that's what it means. Just don't eyeball her, no-one likes to go in front of someone else staring at them. So, your OH may in fact be the soft one - waiting outside isn't fun, but if you don't have the patience for it you pay in wet beds. Nice post. Similarly for the 'running away when you say come" issue. What is the dogs motivation for coming? Sometimes owners ruin a dogs recall inadvertantly....For example, what usually happens when the dog DOES come? For some dogs this means the lead goes on and the dog goes home or the dog gets banished outside or the dog gets punished.

I suggested he put her in her crate cause I knew she was looking for trouble. IMO she didn't need to go to the toilet, she was just being a brat cause she didn't get her way. I do give her lots of praise when she pees outside. This has been going on for over 2 years now. Clearly we're doing something wrong, but hopefully some consistency with NILIF will help matters. I think you're going to nmeed more than NILF if you think that she pees inside because 'she was just being a brat cause she didn't get her way.' !!!! They just don't do that - at least that's what all the experts say!

You OH needs to read some books on animal training and behavior. For what it's worth his punishment has absolutely ZERO effect on the dogs undesirable behavior unless less it's done during or within a couple of seconds of the act.

How large is the device Tess32?

Buy the owner a book (or a DVD) as a present. I wouldn't normally recommend this one straight off the bat, but perhaps it's suitable in this circumstance. The Dog Listener by Jan Fennel - it will highlight the pack position issue and hopefully motivate the owner to make some changes. You could also start another thread asking for specific book recommendations that would suit the particular issues the owner has.

Nice!!! I'm not sure about the top menu. The menu is different depending on which page you are on. Also, with the overhanging menu boxes (Home, Events Calendar) - the white thin line should not appear inside the menu box. Make sense? On the events calendar...the "Tracking Seminar - Click Here for Details" is not a link.

Hi All Any recommendations for private obedience trainers with trialling experience for either private one-on-one or group obedience training - I'd like to get some private training before I head to a traditional trialling club. Location is Melbourne, St Kilda area but I'm willing to travel a bit. At the moment, I concentrate on reward based (food, tug) training using a clicker and woulde like to continue down that path - I'm not adverse to moving to a bridge word though. Thanks.

Ultrasound or Xray?

I'm pretty new to this grooming stuff but I sit on the floor with Barkly between my legs and my brush him mostly while he's lying on his sides and back. For his back, he's usually sitting. When I need him to stand, I put a hand under his belly. I still need to train a good solid stand for him.

How loose is a 'loose leash'? If your dog is in front off you - what is it using as a reference point to know where it should be without pulling - does is just continue to creep forward until there is some tension on the lead that it can feel? Or is it close enough to you that it can use it's peripheral vision to check your leg position and base it's position on your leg position? Do you teach loose leash walking based on WHERE the dog is or how the leash FEELS ? My problem - I seem to have taught my dog to walk so that there's just the slighterst amount of tension on the lead and he'll position himself based on the tension on the lead. If the lead is short he'll be by my side, if it's longer, he'll be slightly ahead. Most of the time with some small amount of tension in the lead.

This is a cool activity to try for dogs new to clicker training. http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167

It's not necessarily going to be as good as what you'll get of a dedicated photo printer on good paper.

Your results are also going to be highly dependent on the printer at work.

Do all your processing in 16bit, then convert to 8bit as the final step before you print the file (or send the file off for printing). Do not convert to LAB. Leave the image in RGB mode. How big? How long is a peice of string? In general - the larger the print, the further the intended viewing distance. 6x4 snapshots you hold close, A4 prints less close, A3 prints hang on a wall and your stand a couple of feet away, billboard you stqand 20m away from. As a general guideline an A3 print from a 30D (assuming it's exposed well, sharp and post-processed well) will stand up to close scrutiny). Larger prints are certainly possible - it's just that intended viewing distances need to be taken into consideration.

How big is the crate? Do you let him out and try to get him to the toilet every time he cries? Do you you play with him when you let him out as a response to his crying? Is he a 'petstore' dog ?

Sounds like you need to work on the crate training as well as dealing with the early signs of seperation anxiety. Have you read Ian Dunbar - Before You Get Your Puppy - highliy recommened - download it here: http://www.siriuspup.com/beforebook.html I'd highly recommend ordering either the Dunbar Before and After book from Amazon - or Gwen Bailey The Perfect Puppy.

I'm a new puppy owner so certainly no expert....I have read a lot of books though! Sounds like crate training is the way to go. Buy a crate, keep the puppy in the crate whenever you can't watch her every single second - if you take your eyes of her for a microsecond, you can miss the signs of being about to toilet. If you can't watch her every microsecond - she should be in her crate. How old is she? Continue to take her out periodically - 1/2 hourly is too frequently - she hasn't learnt that going out means it's toilet time. The too frequent attempts are counterproductive. Base the frequency on her age. When it's time to take her out for toilet - take her out...give your toilet cue..."Quick quick", "Wee Wee"...whatever. Continue cueing every 15 seconds or so. If she sits on your feet...move away, if she sits on them again, move away, etc, etc. Wait 2minutes, if she doesn't go...back to the crate for 15 minutes. Then out again. Eventually she WILL go outside...'cos she WON'T go in her crate (you hope). Work with that.

My wife makes me stop 'furminating' the cat...I'd keep going till she was bald if I had my way! :rofl:

I think that's right - the smaller one just mean more strokes!

There is indeed a miracle invention: The Furminator - http://www.furminator.com http://www.clipperworld.com.au/shop/index....at&catId=18 Works a treat on my cat - the amount of hair it removes is insane! Much more effective than a slicker. Note: If coat appearence is important - you own a cocker spaniel for example - I'd be wary. But if you normally clip your dog anyway... It's probably ideal.