alpha bet

Yes i do agree that not all dogs are keen to run and play. However dogs of this nature have to learn to ignore and be non reactive to the doofus. Little dogs can easily learn not to be a victim and not to be a bully. The doofus also learns to leave the boring non reactive dogs alone, hence he learns also to not be a doofus. Most families who attend off lead dog parks or beaches tend to have dogs who are interested in playing if not they usually just wander along for a walk or sit in a cafe. Either way their dog still needs to have manners to prevent confrontations. It is the handlers that are usually at fault when problems occur and the main issue is that the families have to learn to be aware of their dogs behaviour as well as other dogs they encounter. This is not usually achieved at a dog park. At the last conference for the APDT it is obvious many trainers don't have an understanding what or when 'aggression' is a problem. If the professionals don't know how can it improve. Speaker: Roger Abrantes states that there is not really any aggressive dogs, only dogs who shows aggression under certain circumstances. He belives we view aggression as a negative instead of understanding the different roles it plays within the pack. Most of what we see is social aggression, this is a learning tool for young dogs, However the problem is many of our dogs dont have the opportunity to learn the little lessons because their life is too restricted. Sorry if I do go on. This is however one of my favorite topics.

Well nice to see some different comments coming thru even though readying thru the posts can be a little bit jumping back and forth. Very glad to also read that some of the members here like to pick up different ideas from different trainers and develop techniques to suit their own lifestyle. Guess seeing I started this line of chatter it is acceptable to add a little more. And just for a note to 'Monah' - I have attended a weekend workshop with Steve so my initial comment was made after considering more than just what I have read here. Socialising for a family dog[/size] can have a total different meaning that it might have for the people who are interested in competition or training dogs for professional roles. Families in general deal with a huge variety of different situations (new kids, moving house, family death etc.) these can place a great deal of stress on the family dog. Unlike many of the forum members here, families are often not equipped to work through these issues for their dog. Also believe (as with others here) that playing in dog parks is not the way to develop the social skills required. There are too many factors that are out of your control and it only takes one really bad experience and families will be scared to mix their dog. My dogs have always mixed with a huge number of dogs from a very early age. Also mixing with many different people as well as other species, such as horses, chickens, goats, cats. In fact just about anything that allows them to increase their knowledge (and my understanding of the individual dog). I have also been running socialising classes for family pets for 13 years and from these observations, the problems that people have, are greatly reduced when their dogs social skills improve. The better they are at playing with others, the easier they are to teach to focus on their handlers. If the dogs develop good manners then their families also spend more time with them as well as take them out more. Dogs are damm smart. If given the chance they can learn to think for themselves. This doesnt mean your influence is reduced it just means the dog starts to see how he can solve problems himself. Not rely on the human under all circumstances. Because the reality is, that often the family pet can find himself left to fend for himself at a function, while the family are distracted playing with the human friends. The dog needs the skills to cope (at least till their human starts to pay attention). Socialising classes (and I don't mean Puppy Schools) should be run to help the dog (and owners) learn to adjust their manner depending upon the dogs they play with. A big dog has to learn to pull back and soften when playing with smaller guys. Little dudes have to learn to cope with a big dopey dude who wants to slobber all over him. The main problem seems to be that Puppy schools are often run for 6-8 weeks by the local vet clinic. They cover some basic training, health and social work with pups and that's about it. Often the schools are little more than a marketing excercise between the vet and the feed suppliers. Unfortunately many families think they have done the right thing and finish their training with that. Whereas in fact, their work has only just begun. Well socialised dogs can deal with many different situations, both good and bad. The fact they learn to enjoy playing with others won't prevent them being easy fun and focused dogs who are easy to train.

Didnt realise it was unaccepted to the forum to voice a different opinion. guess everyone here is following one train.

After reading some of the advice here on the Forum with regard to Socialising I feel a need to comment. K9Force works with dogs in a professional capacity and does work with dogs who are used for protection work, he may therefore have a different view of what is needed for socialising to many other professional trainers. He states that he requires his dogs 100% focused on him. However for the general pet owners this is not feasible, they wish to have a dog that is living and working with the entire family and extended family friendships. Families need to work and travel around with their dogs and provide the opportunity to play and enjoy the company of many different types of dogs and mixing with many different people. After having years of experience running socialising classes for dogs and handlers, it is possible to have many behavioural problems solved by the dogs developing good social skills. Often the problems that I encounter are brought on by the way the owners have handled the dogs. Once they have a better understanding of what is going on between dogs, the behaviour problems their dogs had, seem to disappear. And in contrast to K9 Force I have found that many dogs who show aggression will often improve their manners dramatically once they learn to relax with other dogs. always good to have different opinions.

Prong Collars - hmmmmm - Similar arguement that horseriders have with the use of different bits. Generally in the horse world, the bigger the bit, the less the brain.... seems to me it would be easier to find a solution to the problem instead of adding a stronger tool. Now guess Im going to get 'howled' down for daring to challenge. happy howling

Just a note to clarify at last years APDT Conference they had some legal minds clarify the E Collar: NSWand VIC do not allow an E Collar to be used. Unless under the supervision of a recognised Dog Trainer and not just someone who calls themselves a dog trainer. (ie someone who has completed the recognised course by APDT) SA do not allow the collars. The other states were more grey on this. Mind you it is not illegal to sell the bloody things in the pet shops.... sheese when will legislation balance out. Hope this helps.

Luke, Setting the trigger for your pup to work to the clicker only takes about three short sessions. If you are having this much trouble it would appear that you are not using the clicker correctly. The best way to learn the technique is to have someone who already works with clickers show you. Alternatively there are some good videos/dvd that may provide you with a better technique. One item i will note is that you do not use the clicker to get the dogs attention. This is defeating the whole idea of the click. Excercise One - Dog learns his name. - start with clicker and a handful of food, let puppy wander around the room.[/i] Call puppys name, wave your arms, use excited voice, any body and voice language you can do to make the pup walk towards you, as soon as he walks to you, CLICK, then throw a piece of food in front of the puppy. Walk away and ignore pup. When pup is wandering off again the Call pups name, (again any voice and body language) CLICK, throw food perhaps half way between you and pup. Walk away, you may now find the pup doesnt want to leave you, just ignore pup until he walks away to explore, give him a minute or so then Call pups name, bend over and wave your hand, AS HE RUNS TO YOU, then CLICK and hold out the food. This is the start of developing reliable clicker training as well as teaching your pup to come. Repeating the same excercise three or four times and then leaving it is best. This way you keep things fresh. You can repeat this excercise three more times over the next couple of days and you will probably find the pup runs to you as soon as you use his name. It is not really necessary to have the dog really focused before the clicker will work, in fact, once you start using the clicker you will find that the dogs (yes puppies too) will increase their focus time very quickly. Dont worry if the dog seems to have limited attention span. I work with clickers on other peoples dogs & puppies all the time and during an hour of play and disucssion time, we use three 5 minute sessions and the dog/pup is showing an understanding of the clicker. Be very careful that the food doesnt become the main lure for the pup. In fact pups from about 8-9 weeks of age will respond quicker to the clicker than an adult dog. I am happy to help further if you wish, my email is [email protected], contact me and I can give you my phone number. Perhaps a chat will clarify things. Best of luck with your training, clicker training is fun for you and the dog. Anne Zelvys