alpha bet

He is only 12 weeks old.... sheese take it easy. He does a drop but it will take time before he understands he has to stay. You can always tidy the drop up later on.....

We often have dogs staying in the kennels who owners tell me are scared of storms, mainly thunder. Luckily we don't seem to get many thunderstorms but when we do, I go up to check the dogs. If the dogs are out in the paddocks we go up and bring them all in as soon as we realise a storm is coming and the thunder dogs will be running around nervous and can panic. However when dogs are inside the kennels usually they are just curled up on their beds without any obvious signs - they appear more interested in my arrival, than in any storm. Even the dogs (who's owners are worried about) seem to just curl up on their beds, perhaps a bit shaky but not overly worried. Our kennel blocks are smaller with only 2 metre high ceiling and are10 inch thick mudbricks walls and have insulated roof and we wonder whether the mudbrick and smaller environment helps to create a cave environment for the dogs so they feel safer. We also wonder whether the mudbrick reduces the static electricity in the air that is meant to be high during a storm. Our house is also mudbrick and we once had a bolt actually hit the roof (Hubby standing in the backyard said his hair, whats left of it, was standing up lol) and surprisingly no electrical gagets in the house were damaged. So we have always felt leaving the dogs alone and ideally in an enclosed space like a crate with a blanket over it would be the best options.

Also Shanghi is a large town, likely most people live in apartments...... and very small ones at that......

Nehbet, this is not answering the question asked in the thread, saying that you would only recommend someone else implies you do not like the trainer in question. - DOL's need to be careful when commenting in an open forum on professional's online nor is this site for self-promotion. Please all DOL's think before you write.

NO

You are being too hard on your pup - 4 months old - he is only approx 18 weeks old and you have had him for just over half his life. Even the title of your thread perhaps shows how serious you are taking things "Doesnt follow my Orders". Pups need to be pups - in the first four months I like to get my pups out to meet with at least 100 new people, adults and kids. First up, relax.... Puppys dont understand about "Orders" You may think that you are being fun and friendly but dogs can feel the underlying tensions and the energy that you might be experiencing. Get out and have fun with your pup and give him the chance to meet with many many people and make this a rewarding experience for spending time with you. Find a training program that incorporates fun activities and I'm sure you will find the answers you seek.

Kyliegirl, There is an old saying that has been around the horse world for many years (I think it was Tom Roberts who wrote it). "Bigger Brain or Bigger Bit" It related to the many horse riders who where having trouble controlling their horse and would go and get a bigger/strong/harder bit (or some other fancy gaget) to try and solve the problem. (Sounds a little like the discussions that have been run away with here). Whereas really the first thing you need to do is get your brain going and trying to see what might be going on and see if you can alter behaviour by thinking about the problem. Sounds like you have started on that path by offering your dog alternatives that can make working with you fun and interesting for the dog. Your dog is young and he needs the stimulus you are now offering. Congratulations on recognising and thinking thru your problem. Best of luck and I would love to know how things progress.

This is one of the big issues for families along with points like : getting along with friends dogs, taking their puppy camping or down to the park . Unfortunately most of the 'puppy schools' don't address this as they are deal with pups of 8-16 weeks (especially at vet clinics). You can talk about issues like 'neutralising' but to the general public this just makes things sound too complicated. Instead classes need to be focused on practical, commonsense information that people can relate to. They need to understand issues about how there may be some conflicts shown between existing and new dogs but that often these are normal. People need to be taught when to step in and when to leave alone. Puppy classes don't take it far enough however the clinics are happy to hand out their little 'Graduation Certificates" which in effect are really just because you attended the 6 weeks but have left the classes with little knowledge to take into the real world. Even going to obedience club will often not help as they do not teach you or your dog any skill on social issues. Its not until the pups are 10-15 months old that problems may have become such an issue that families can get rid of the dog because they don't know how to fit in.

Joe, in the public park situation if someone else's dog is a potentional problem then the objective is to control your own space. With good skills, the humans can contain their own dog and step in and block another dog from entering their space. One big advantage of teaching both handler and dog to have strong social skills is that when they are out in public they are more aware of their surroundings in relation to the dog and then more able to learn the skills to deal with or avoid problems. I have many dogs who thru bad experiences have developed what many call 'dog aggression' - once the owners start to protect their dog from any encounter the dog never has the chance to learn. Dogs are god damm smarter than us humans give them credit. They are capable of learning that a bad experience is not the end. As I said the reality is that most dogs live as pets and need to learn how to be dogs. The worst case dogs we get are always dogs who don't know how to play with others - just like watching a group of kids in a playground, the ones who have the problems are the ones who don't have the ability to mix and match with a variety of peers. Of course the dna of the dog takes a big part but most dogs want to be around others and even with some bad experiences when placed in an environment they can learn to adjust and develop provided they have owners who make the effort and commit. We need to build the dogs self confidence then they dont need to be a wimp nor a bully. Us as trainers need to be there to help not confuse.

It is easy to make the whole concept of 'Socialising a Puppy' a complicated and scary idea. As shown the posts already made here any new owner would be scared to take their dogs out at all.... However for trainers who work with families with their pups we should be trying to make the process as easy and fun as possible. We need to give them (humans and pups) the opportunity to explore and learn how to deal with different situations and different dog and human personalities and yet provide them with an environment that can support them during the process.. How can we do this........ mmmmmmm now that is the question! Building social skills is my speciality area. We base the social program on Education- we don't run 6 week puppy class we run ongoing pup classes to cover the different stages of development - so have built our own "Dog Park". Here we have a secure fenced area 50m x 20m where pups can work and play off lead and trainers have the chance to move around and show individual humans how to deal with situations. Learning when to step in and when to leave things to sort themselves out. We also have a 5 acre fenced paddock with a big dam where we can take the pups for off lead group walks and even a chance to learn how to handle a meeting with a pony or goat. We can incorporate 9 week old pups or older little white fluffies with say six month pups as well as our own adult dogs to vary the social experience. We also incorporate families and kids into the classes and this gives pups who dont meet kids a good chance to interact. Pups I personally breed go to new homes at 8-10 weeks and have already met at least 50 humans (adults and kids). When they go home I challenge each of them (and other puppy clients) to get the pups social contact up to 100 humans by the time they are 4 months old. Most dogs are family pets first (and that takes in soooo many types of families) so all dogs need to learn how to cope with a big variety of humans. We also run a similiar system of classes for older dogs - some are pups who have grown with our system and others may be adults who have come here with some social issues. We are always looking at new ideas and prepared to try things - on the last trip to USA one of the things we did was wander around to the dog parks, beaches, day care and training classes and see what was happening there. I know I go on a bit - but I did say that social skills is my thing - and I am proud to say that dogs and humans from our classes can handle themselves when they are out in all types of public places - they also know good manners. (Oh as far as creating working focus - socialising your dog does not mean your dog will value other dogs over you - once dogs have the basic foundation and the humans want to do more we run skills classes where we build up tricks and games as well as looking at running fun competition days. We also have handlers who are keen to start a Demo Team and do some public promo work to encourage families to have responsible attitudes. These humans/dogs have built amazing focus and teamwork while having fun and can perform some complicated exercises that many agility or obedience competitors would envy.) In conclusion - we need more and more trainers to open up their ideas and add new and interesting concepts to families to help them build the skills so their dogs can cope with different situations. Trainers around the country need to seek locations that provide more flexiblility - The families want to learn and have fun with their dogs we have to develop our classes around this.

Never taken a huge amount of precautions with litters. It was only back in the 90's when parvo first reared its ugly head that some of the GSD breeders got a little twitchy about visitors. My pups are all raised in the house from birth and we have the normal coming and going of people thru the house. We are in a rural area and lots of different animals around. Really the only thing I do is question if people come to the house if they have been to other litters of pups or at petshops etc. This is more a concern for me than people's own dogs. My pups travel and visit at friends from the time they are 4 weeks old as part of the socialising program - I know it might be some risk however the benefit to the pups social development over-rides that. My biggest concern is the vet clinic - Prefer the Vet comes to the house and vaccinates here. I also don't like the idea of puppy classes being held in vet clinics for the same reason after all this is where the really sick dogs go as well as unvaccinated etc. and it is literally impossible to clean down the whole clinic. Pups receive some resistance from their mum before they get their 6 week injection, If they are healthy pups they should be fine. I have raised 15 litters and (touch wood) no problems.

IACP Conference in San Diego - The main speaker on the food is Wendy Volhard (think I spelt it right) - lots of knowledge about what research has been done in the past and the effects over the last 50 years. They are talking about vaccinations only being needed as puppies and then titre tested after that (annually) many dogs never need to have any further vaccinations. Indications coming thru is that our dogs expected life span should be in the region of 18-20 years but now (partly thru diet and vaccinations) we are seeing the life being halved in some cases.\. Interesting thought. Also Dr Peter Eeg talking on effects of health/diet on behaviours. Another important point is that the veterinary students only have one half day (optional) session on nutrition during their training. Thus unless the individual takes on a particular leaning to that field we cannot expect vets to have the knowledge outside of what they are told by the food manufacturers. Pretty poor really. Many many issues.... my head is still ringing will need time to digest....

Currently at an International Conference we were presented with the facts pet foods. Some very interesting results coming out on new 'independent' studies about the effect of these accepted commercial feeds. One of the things that we have always been told is that the commercial feeds are based on scientific research. However I have now found out that these studies (back prior to 1982) where never fully completed..... thus the results are not substantiated. The approved ratings for proteins etc were given a minimum requirement (after they found that the breeds of beagle and dalmations had trouble processessing at the higher levels). Also that most of the research is conduction or paid for by the pet food companies. Some of the research I am looking at now is from europe which i sponsored by the dog clubs, also other papers from an american who is having blood tests to back up the results. This is all the stuff that is related to the testing done into over vaccinations and the recommendations now are we should be doing an annual titre test only. Have to say that now I will be more careful about these processed foods especially those that recommend dry food only diet. It all gets a little confusing but I will keep slogging away to work it out.

I like to train mine together - if they have the basics down then this is easier for me and for the dogs. - lots of off-lead quick sessions for some exercises but then for others I may drop two dogs lead over a pole and move them back and forward one at a time. Love them all in sight of each other. However if Teaching a new exercise then i work one dog at a time. But then we don't work in your standard obedience format.

These days people expect a professional approach. Therefore you need to charge as a professional. There is no question you will pay more in Sydney than you will in Melbourne - Boarding Kennels and vets also seem dearer in Sydney. Not sure why but perhaps property prices and rent are dearer and perhaps there is more competition in Melbourne so prices have to be lower. If you are self-employed in the animal industry (as most are) you should be working on a rate of $60 per hour. Otherwise you may as well give up. A grooming salon has many overheads and would probably be looking at more the $80 per hour. A part-time person who is happy to groom as a sideline is probably happy with $30 per hour as they might be supplimenting the family income. When it comes down to it. People will charge what other people are prepared to pay and what the area they cater to can afford. Mind you a higher price does not mean a better standard.

So many Breeding Discussions here. Who should Breed?, Who owns the breeding rights? Stud dog owner rights? Selling pups on Main or Limited? etc.... etc... etc... Lets really look at this properly - where do we expect our various breeds to be in the future? A great deal will depend on whether we do have people breeding pure bred dogs in the future and making these dogs available to to public for both pets or breeding. I got into the pure breed world in the late '70's, I am now 51 so realistically I might still be breeding for the next 10-15 years. This still gives me time to try to promote my breed with the public as well as selling pups to younger people who might also get out there promoting the breed as great family dogs and perhaps even to take up breeding in the future. Personally I believe the best way to promote any pure breed dog is to have them out in the public eye; walking in the street, playing in the park, going to the local footy match, visiting schools, hospitals or nursing homes. This type of life is what is offered by many families, they might have one or two dogs and we need to provide them with dogs of great temperament who are good looking worthy members of their breed. These are the people who can keep up the public demand for good quality pure dogs for the future. Showing dogs is fine for those who love having these activities, but they do little to promote their breed. The public rarely pay attention to shows, outside of the Royals. Nowdays in Victoria, often the Ag Shows dont have dog shows and most of the shows are at the KCC Park or the new Bulla complex - neither of which has public visiting. Many showies have multiple dogs and spend weekends at shows not taking dogs out and about where the public see them living normal lives. So lets hear from breeders here - who expects to be breeding in 10 years - 15 years - 20 years - 25 years - 30 years. What are you doing to ensure that the demand for your breed is going to continue into the future If we breeders aren't careful in 20-30 years we could end up with a world going to be full of ....doodles.

Well said - clear and uncomplicated. The only choice really that the stud dog owner should have is to decide is if they consider that the bitch is worthy - if not then no mating - no money...... Just another example of how breeders these days are trying to complicate the whole system and restrict new people from getting into the world of breeding/showing etc. If we dont have new people coming into the industry then where will we be in 10-20 years. Pure Dog Breeders must be realistic otherwise we open the door for the BYB's and Puppy Farms to be the only source for people to get pups in the future and we will see many of the pure breeds disappear.

Why don't you work on the problem of your dog barking then you could work your dogs anywhere. You should be able to tie your dog up without your dog getting impatient.... sounds like you need to work on some of the life skills before you concentrate so much on your competition skills. When a dog is barking his brain is not engaged. Sorry, Nothing I hate worse than barking dogs, so I can relate to your neighbours....

What country are you from and what breed do you have Showdog - I see you posting often under different threads but your profile doesnt show what breeds you have or where you are from (just says overseas?)...... just curious as to the breeders you are referring to.

My understanding is that you intend to travel at 50-100 km per hour - not per day..... Is this correct.....? To fast..... thats for sure. I have travelled 20-30 km in a day with a dog following on horseback on a regular basis. This is a great distance and the dogs are easy and relaxed. However on horses they would be working at a mix of walking pace at about 6 km/h a trotting pace at about 10 km/h and then canter for short distances at about 12-14 km/h. Even a fit dog will have trouble travelling at 14km/h for long distances.

Hey why arent there any locals supporting Victoria - there are many dog beaches, dog clubs, competitions just about every weekend, off lead parks and cafes that are happy to accomodate dogs. Most of the country towns have minimal locations but that is more because they havent yet been pushed into it or even that they havent been approached. We live near Kilmore and have loads of places we take our dogs for play time and generally the council is happy to turn a blind eye. We love having lunch at the Rose Cafe where dogs are welcome. There is plenty of space in the Mt Disappointment State Forest there are also stock trails that circle round the back of the different towns. A large Common along the creek in Broadford. There is also loads of people who travel north for holidays and camp along the Murray near Echuca and they take there dogs. There are also many caravan parks near the inland lakes that allow dogs. There are beaches along the peninsula that are dog friendly some all year, some are seasonal. We love to take the dogs to Flinders Beach for a full on play and swim. Every year we like to take the dogs for a Sunday down to St. Kilda Beach where there are sections they can play off lead and others where they need to be on lead. Walk thru the Market where some of the venders even have water buckets out for visitors. Then we stop for lunch at one of the many friendly cafes/pubs where our dogs snooze why we have lunch. So have to say that Victoria is a pretty good place to live if you love dogs. Oh and we have pretty good weather too.

Lots of old dogs have fun at the kennels. The oldest dog we have had stay with us was 21 years old - she loved going out in the Veterans Garden for the day - her eyesight was minimal and she was a bit deaf but she loved sniffing around and lying in the sun. If you have concerns perhaps look around for one of the smaller kennels. Often these kennels are run by the owners which means you don't have to wonder if the staff are going to follow your requirements. Smaller kennels can also be more flexible about how you want you dogs needs met. We are near the Hume Highway just north of melbourne and always happy to listen. Feel free to contact me if this is convenient for you and I will send you my web address.

You can do similiar here with dogs that you did with your horse - In fact many breeders first litters may have been under a similiar situation - it can be a good way to start as you have the assistance of the breeder to help. Good manners means that you would go back to the breeder who you purchased your bitch from. If they are proud of the bitch they will be more than happy to look at some form of partnership in breeding your girl. They may even be interested in keeping a pup for future showing or breeding. Many here may appear judgemental when it comes to a new person breeding - however we all start somewhere and each person has the right to explore their own options. It is not necessarily up to DOL's to give their 'permission'. Best of luck in your work. (just wondering if the research you are doing is related to lympomia - My horse was too far gone to join the trial unfortunately)

We use two different shampoos in the grooming - one is an aloe vera and the other is a tea-tree - both of these are low irritant. Both kinda leave the coat with a neutral smell and we don't use any cologne - prefer not to use things that might affect different dogs. People seem to love the feel and smell of their dogs coats but it isnt really anything we have added. Probably the hydro bath allows ease of cleaning and particularly to rinse out the coat and dead coat. The dryer then allows the coat to really seperate and fluff up making the texture feel terrific.

Ive done the same, they are fab and you just use cable ties or clips to keep them together - Indoors they can be used to partition off sections of the room to contain pups or join as many together as you want for outside to create a yard. Much cheaper than buying the puppy pen.