alpha bet

Often have customers in the boarding kennel who bring Sasha's with them for me to give their dogs. Never had any problems with dogs refusing. I know it smells yuk but that is to us humans. If dogs show any reluctance to eat their dinner then if you sprinkle a bit of olive oil over their dinner it usually raises their interest. Have had experience with this product for nearly 20 years (when it first came out for horses, but often dog people would use it, have seen some great results. Funny how some 10 years ago vets never recommended it. They tended to treat it like 'quack medicine' along with the idea of animal chiropractics. Nowdays they sell the stuff......

I can understand where your coming from as it is true that mostly training methods are about avoiding confrontations. There is not a great amount of information about how to handle the actual incident. Unfortunately 'training classes' (assuming you mean obedience/ability style classes) are not the ideal place to deal with these situations. Generally most instructors are not experienced enough in these situations to handle it one to one let alone in a class environment. Trainers can attend courses and study but it is not the same as hands on experience. mostly it is a case of 'learning from experience' which is not ideal. Personally I love having the chance to learn more. I run socialising classes where we often have dogs who show aggression to others and we like to deal with the confrontation rather than just using avoidance. Hence, I am always looking for trainers or speakers who may have different options so I was really pleased when last year the APDT Conference brought out an expert on handling dog aggressive dogs from America. She discussed how she runs her classes and showed videos - mostly all she showed was how she uses avoidence techniques and a form of slow group walking which she referred to as a 'prison walk'. One video she showed was with a client with an approx 15 month old GSD that was starting to show aggression. She told us she took the dog to a private room where they could let it off to move around and at one point the GSD "muzzle punched" her. Her solution was to have the owners put the dog on lead and she finished the session. She blamed the owners for the dogs behaviour in one breath but then explained that these people where prepared to do anything to help this dog (such as the wife had changed jobs to allow her to be home more). We were also informed that the dog had been attending classes with her twice a week since the dog was 8 weeks old.These people had probably paid an awful lot of money for the training but in 13 months this 'expert' wasn't able to help. Needless to say, I was disappointed with this 'American Expert'. Luckily tho they had another speaker, Roger Abrantes (from Denmark) who was fantastic. He spoke about dominance-aggression (amongst other things) and was entertaining and witty. He has also written a few books that give a good hindsight into dog behaviour. Well worth buying and reading...... There are different forms of aggression which require different approaches. Cesar Milan shows a technique that works for some situations, avoidance can work in others. Of course, lots of techniques inbetween. Best of luck and if you find anything interesting - let me know.

You have probably cracked the code Erny. Perhaps we are all qualified in our own little way....... ;)

Clicker training is fun and you can certainly start your pup off with the clicker right from the start. It is difficult to learn how to use from a written description tho - much better if you can get some dvd's or someone who is competent with it to show you how. An interesting sideline about clickers: There are some initial studies being done that indicate that the Clicker has an advantage over the use of voice. The sound that the clicker makes would appear to register in the brain much quicker than anything else. Hence the reason the clicker is often successful when training with non-domesticated animals. From a personal note: these study results do seem to relate well with my own observations. One thing I have found is that some dogs (even tho they have had no previous experience with clickers) do seem to be sensitive to the sound of the clicker. In fact often I have found these dogs or even puppies to be initially suspicious of the sound that the clicker makes. With these clicker sensitive animals I prefer to not use a clicker until they have developed more confidence and then perhaps introduce a clicker if the client desires. Must say I am looking forward to reading on more studies into the clicker. So have lots of fun with your new pup - you can certainly use clickers along with any 'tradition' methods.

Brad, Taking your post here and elsewhere on this Forum, you are obviously very proud of the NDTF course and appears you believe it is the basis of the need for someone to be a Qualified Dog Trainer. Here is another frame of reference. What of the many people who where here training dogs and educating handlers prior to these courses. In fact developing the knowledge and understanding over many, many years often putting in unpaid hours talking to people over the phone or in person about the problems they have. Also investing time and money to attend conferences or seminars to increase their abilities. I started training dogs when i was 13 and now im nearly 50. As I now live in an area without any dog clubs I started my own dog training classes some 18 years ago, there were no 'qualifications' available. It was the start of the 'industry'. Does that make me any less qualified?

vnv - yes it is possible to train the dog to walk on a relaxed lead. Of course it is easier to train with a pup but it can still work with an older dog. I teach it in all my classes from puppy to adult and generally using just the normal dog collar - I call it "give to pressure" - working on the same principle as leading a horse, after all, if a 70kg person can lead a 700kg horse without being uncomfortable then it should be easy for a 50kg person to lead a 20kg dog or even a 50kg dog. The dog needs to understand that he can move wherever the lead allows until he feels the pressure and then he relaxes back to it. The advantage of this technique is that once the dog understands then you can leave them tied up to a post and they will sit and wait without tangling themselves or screaming out. You are teaching the dog/horse to be patient and work with you and it is amazing how quickly they can learn to keep part of their attention focused on you even when they are meeting another dog or having a great sniff of the tree. Kinda hard to explain online but would be happy to give you more info or tips if you wish. Dont give up - its worth the effort.

Another thought is what about the idea of a Qualified Dog Trainer Vs Professional Dog Trainer. There are plenty of people who have done the delta course or the ndtf course but dont work and make a living as a dog trainer. After all these courses have only been operating for a relatively short time. Someone operating as a Professional has invested time and money to purchase equipment, have insurance, advertising, lease a location and then hope to build a big enough clientele to actually make a profit to live off. Hence enough to at least be a taxable income. I feel most trainers (qualified in whatever way) are operating more as a hobby trainer which under the tax guidelines hobby income under about $6,000 per year is not necessarily subject to tax nor can you claim expenses. Most people working at club level are really meant to be instructors. Meaning that they guide the membership through the club training program. Years ago at clubs the instructors where just members who had worked thru the ranks. One of the first clubs to develop a system for training instructors was the GSDC. They were the only breed club to actually run obedience training. You had to attend lectures at VCA and work with other instructors as well as sit a written paper, then you instructed as a probationary trainer to help you develop the technique of handling people and show that you could follow the club training system. What disappoints me with the information I have seen on various courses that are offered, there doesnt seem to be much emphasis placed on the teaching skills that are required. After all most of the work is about showing/guiding the owners to make the changes to improve the dogs behaviour. just my view anyway.....

25 years ago i had a gsd bitch who had severe skin trouble. We tried all sorts of things and the biggest problem was that she was soooo itchy and it made her very frustrated. A pet shop in our area provided a lot of natural foods to the greyhound trainers and he gave me a mixture to rub on her skin where she was itchy. It was a strange mix but it did seem to soothe her itchyness and she used to like the taste of it. It was an unusual colour and didnt smell the best when it was wet but once it dried on the skin it was okay. The trainer had told me that it was an old home remedy used by many of the old timers and it was fine if they licked it. It was a mix of sulpher and potash. Some of the natropaths use similar with horses. Wonder if anyone else had heard or had any experience of this....

For a 9month old GSD to be 38kg is definately too heavy. A full grown male is usually maximum that weight. My males who have all been top size big boned dogs have usually weighed between 36 and 38kg. Too much weight on growing bones. Hey Tilly - how tall is your 60kg GSD - hope this was a typo........ otherwise you could ride him in the garryowen. The best chiro around for dogs in melbourne is George Schofield in Michelham Road, Michelham (not far from the airport). He is an old bloke who has worked on greyhouds and others for ever. He has been well known thru the GSDCV for over 30 years. You arrive on a saturday morning, write your name on the blackboard and wait your turn. He only charges $10-15 and he is a gem. If he is unsure of any bone structure problems he will refer you on to someone. Have known many who have gone there and he has had great results.

Horses and goats love banana's as well as the skin. In fact they are good for them..... stands to reason then the dogs should cope with them fine.

Wildatheart Ultimately the client is the one that will determine what is acceptable to them. It is however a trainers job to try to guide owners to look at options and perhaps try something new. With this in mind, I always start each client with a private assessment before they start classes. This gives the client and myself a chance to get to know each other and develop an idea of the working relationship we need. Also I can introduce their dog to one of my own to see how they interact before we go into a class situation. Of course it also gives the client the chance to realise whether they will be comfortable working in the class, if not, then they can save time and money and move on. There is no hard and fast rule to how to handle problems..... there are of course methods that we all like to use but it is the fun part of teaching to explore and develop new ways to understand the dog. The biggest problem is that many owners say that they want to change the way their dog behaves but in reality they feel their dog is at fault. Even if they have good intentions unfortunately many owners are waiting for you to 'wave the magic wand'. For me, I find that my first job is to explore the best way to convince an owner that they can make the changes they want. Remember the old joke ".......... the lightbulb has to want to change"

I suppose its a bit like how humans used to have tetnus injections. Initially every three years. Then later they told us every five years or so, Now the doctor says if you have had two or three injections in your life you dont need any for perhaps 20 years or more..... if ever. It is not surprising that the vaccinations for dogs is open to change as they start to understand more what effect it has. Back in the 70's most people didnt bother taking a dog to the vet unless they had a bad accident, it was rare to hear of someone who vaccinated their dogs, nor did they keep them in backyards, they were free to wander around, generally no one bothered desexing. In fact in the 80's if you went to a country pub you would find dogs lying around in the bar. Damm really starting to show my age now. It is possible that vets in australia might be concerned that if vaccinations aren't annual then most people wouldnt bother taking their dog to a vet ever. At least an annual checkup can help vets by recommending if the dogs weight is a problem or any signs of tumors etc. So perhaps we shouldnt be too hard on the vets.

Wildatheart Just some questions Your friend wants to breed with the dog..... does that mean she is going to buy a bitch? She has an entire GSD male and a male Husky (entire?). What age is the husky? Has the GSD 'shown agression' to the husky and others? There are sooooo many factors to take into consideration with these types of situations, but it does seem that perhaps the GSD has been allowed to set his own guidelines. Perhaps he hasnt had firm enough guidance when younger and now that he is reaching full maturity he is now really 'expressing' himself. I have owned GSD's for 30 years and bred them for 10 years. One reason I stopped breeding GSD's was because it was difficult to find good homes with people who are committed and capable. GSD's are not for novice dog owners they are intelligent and hard working dogs who often have very strong personalities and high drive. Do you think your friend has the right commitment to handle this dog, let alone that she wants to keep a pup from him? If so, she definately needs to go to a private trainer who is experienced with GSD.

As a teenager I used to traipse around the local oval in my raincoat and gumboots. In my 20's at the GSD Club there was always classes no matter what. Along came kids and getting to classes was a rare treat so I didnt care about the weather. But that was years and years ago, when it used to rain ......... Nowdays I'm spoilt, we have an undercover area so get protection from rain and wind. ahhh luxury

Of course most dog trainers understand that they have to teach the owners. Hence why taking a dog to train and handing back to the family doesnt work (my opinion anyway). One of my concerns with most of the 'dog training courses' on the market is that they are marketing to people who hope to work as dog trainers. But I have yet to hear of any of the courses (at least in Vic) that aim to build up the ability of course recipients to actually 'teach humans'. A school teacher has 4 years training and then still has to learn to teach once they are in the classroom. After 13 years of running a dog school I believe it took me perhaps 5 or 6 years before i really had the confidence to be able to teach the different personalities. It is actually one of my favorite parts of running classes, It is a constant challenge dealing with people from all walks of life and exploring the best ways to approach them. I am still constantly developing and finding new ways to work with both the dogs and the humans.

I run my own small boarding kennel and therefore very careful about how we handle the conditions of the kennels. After 11 years of operation we haven't had a case of kennel cough (touch wood) There are lots of different strains of kennel cough. some mild some more vigorous. Often there is no rhythm or reason as to what dog is affected. For example, one friend with five dogs had two dogs catch kennel cough and the other three never had a problem even though they were housed together in a back yard. Kennel Cough can also be airborne therefore difficult to eliminate. Like with humans who are prone to laryngitis or tonsillitis some dogs can be more prone to kc. However the good news is that dogs in good health and vigor usually don't catch kc. Older dogs and pups can be more susceptible. There are three things I would advise for future: ( from my experience of course - nothing scientific ). 1. Be careful about using any strong cleaning the dog kennels. Dogs noses are over 100 times more sensitive than humans and chemicals can irritate dogs and make them more susceptible. To clean pens it is best to use pressure wash or steam cleaners. 2. Ensure your kennels have good ventilation. Concrete can appear clean but can habour germs especially damp concrete. Direct sun on the concrete has the potential to help reduce this. 3. Dogs who spend a lot of time stress barking will be at greater risk. Hence the reason dogs will often encounter kc at kennels. Hope your pups are getting better.

You dont have to get too worried about not feeding bones. There are alternatives. I had a GSD who had 'telescope bowel' as a pup and had to have a section of bowel removed. We never fed him bones but occassionally he would get hold of an old bone when visiting friends and we would notice he would be constipated. The vet felt his system couldnt cope and he ended up with slight compaction. He lived till he was over 11 years old and had great teeth right till the end. He was regularly fed 'charcole' biscuits. The charcole is good for keeping their teeth clean as well as good for their indigestion. The only side effect was that you can end up with some interesting coloured poo. Sometimes a greenish colour or sometimes black, but always solid. We did occasionally feed him with lamb flaps when they were available. I use the charcol biscuits in the kennels with the boarding dogs, initially some arent sure but then once they try them they love them. Best wishes.

Just to clarify Vicki, 1. are you saying that you can train a dog to a point he doesnt make mistakes, 2. and you cant really mean that the handler's mood or attitude doesn't reflect on the way the dog will work on a given occassion. 1. Personally I dont mind if the animal gets it wrong sometimes, after all I make mistakes to, so do my kids and friends. 2. I have been judging horse comps for years and see many riders who work beautifully until the hit the ring and then their nerves kick in and the animal misses cues. Horses and dogs respond differently to our moods. Nerves can be such a killer for some competitors.

horse toys arent useful for dogs. also very expensive the horse toys are set for activity from pushing and kicking. but horses dont have canine teeth. The dog will just rip into it. Save your money.

I run puppy introduction to agility excercises as part of the socialising classes. The pups are usually 3 months plus and we even have a young pug who loves to join in. We use poles on the ground like trotting poles for horses, we have a plank that is mounted onto a block of wood at one end as a ramp and a plastic barrel with both ends cut out for a tunnel. Little witches hats make useful poles for bending. We also use a small platform for sit mark. It is relaxed and no speed required. Each pup works at their own pace. So there is no stress on the pups legs or muscles. Part of the socialising class is for the pups to learn to play with others but then to respond to you when you ask. Giving the pups some activity is a great way for the pups to enjoy working with you even in preference to the other pups. Generally the pup playing on the 'agility course' is off lead but always seems to enjoy the activity and develops good focus with mum or dad. So you can start the pups off yourself with some basic equipment just keep it stress free and have fun.

Agree with Helen - why cant we have one conference in Melbourne for a change. Travelled up to the last two and it does cost a heap more. After losing a couple of months income after the february fires dont know if i can justify the expense.

Sorry but I have to agree with Milan on this, Dogs dont really understand the concept of time out. If you are not in the mood to deal with the situation then remove the dog until you are. This also allows the dog time to settle down and when you settle down you are better equiped to cope. One of the biggest problems with animal competitions is that we expect the dog to work to our schedule, he might not be in the best mood when his alloted time for the comp is up. If the dog is a bit off colour or distracted we have to accept the situation and work with him not push him more. When we train we must remove our personal emotions and work to the ability of the animal. We have to observe and accept the stage the dog is at that given moment. Always be prepared to wait and then you find that the animal become more receptive to you as you project patience and confidence. If you have an over enthusiastic dog on the agility course it may also be that you are projecting the wrong attitude and energy, hence not keeping the dog focused on the work at hand. The fact that the next time you brought the dog out and he does well doesnt mean he understood the punishment, it is just a coincidence. Perhaps this time both of you were in a better frame of mind to work. The more you are prepared to wait, the less you have to.

For anyone who has to use an elizabethean collar there is a new product on the market. Made in Ballarat and you should find that it is available thru lots of vets if not from yours ask them why? Its called a novaguard. www.provizoraustralia.com. It is designed more like a helmet and is much better for the dog as they can move around without banging into doors plus they can still eat and drink and their ears are free hence the sounds are normal for them. It does take a little bit of supervision for the dog to get used to it but then they are able to leave it on and wander around without the stress that the E Collar creates. Once my dog was used to it I found it easy to get on and off. So all you dog owners out there, check it out as it is an australian invention and australian made.

Head collars can have their place in a training program but most people new to headcollars are not that successful with the introduction. Also agree with many of the people here, the blackdog brand do seem to work more effectively. The supermarkets seem to get into selling anything nowdays. Initially we were told that heartworm tablets should not be given until the dog has been checked clear of heartworm, hence only available thru a vet now there are many types of heartworm available off the shelf. Pet shops now also sell electronic collars perhaps we will see these stim collars available for our families to purchase from the supermarket shelf next. Perhaps some of the parents will start using them on the kids..... What next....

New dog into a pack. It can take an older dog approx 3 months to settle fully into a new pack. He is now feeling he is top dog. The shitsu needs to see that your mum is in charge and should listen and back off just by voice. Perhaps your mum needs to take the shitsu and have some training lessons with someone local who can offer direct help. Mum and Partner should be putting all three dogs on lead and taking them for brisk walks. This is a great way to define the role order to all dogs. You are in charge and the dogs will be happy to follow and work together. Feed all three dogs together with Mum taking charge and ensuring that all dogs eat from their own bowls. Any food not eaten should be picked up and removed. As far as toys go, all toys are the property of your Mum and she lets the dogs play with them, she can choose to remove a toy or tell of any pocessive behaviour on behalf of the dog. If the Shitsu is trying to force attention from the humans in the family they should push the dog away and ignore until he shows that he is relaxed and calm. Then they can invite him over for a cuddle. The human can choose who they wish to cuddle, and for how long. Your mum can ignore any behaviour they dislike and shun whichever dog they are not happy with. The dog will soon realise he needs to adapt his behaviour to be accepted. Hate to say it but generally trouble within the pack is usually caused by the humans trying to add too much human emotion into the equation. A dog that has been abused can easily move on and forget their problems if the humans dont try to overcompensate. Best wishes in your families pack.