sheena

Some interesting discussions coming into this thread What my dog is doing, you see a lot especially at trials. I had one woman in my beginners class who had a great dog, full of potential, but his one fault was that he would do this jumping up to nip thing. With her, I could see that part of the problem was because she was in the habit of treating him out of her hand (I prefer to play toss & catch or use a target) & the other was because she couldn't keep her arm still, which is a problem with a lot of beginners. Some excited dogs find the constantly moving arm going up & down too much of a temptation. Eventually, she pulled him from class & I could have cried as he was potentially the best dog in my class, but I think he had her frightened & she wasn't implimenting any of the suggestions I gave her.

Huski....you have got it in one...that is exactly what I feel he is doing. He distance handles beautifully & I could pretty much do a novice course with him, just with me standing in the middle & directing him. But for some reason he doesn't like me getting in front of him as you have to do with a lot of these new moves required for Masters. That's why it feels like he is trying to herd me or slow me down. Willem, thanks for your advice..your input is much appreciated, however, I would never do anything that hurt him or made him fearful as that is one of the quickest ways of turning your dog off agility. The other quickest way to shut your previously fast dog down is to be continually correcting them on course ie..making him come back to do a missed jump or when you the handler lose your way on course, resulting in you stopping, dropping your shoulders & curse under your breath. That is why I am wanting to handle this problem with kid gloves, because I want him to control his excitement but without taking away any of his drive. :)

No....I am not perfect by a long shot & I have only just taken over running him. He used to do the same with OH when he was running him, but he just used to put up with the jumping & the nipping & just stick a band aid on it. So apart from us both getting used to running together as a team...the fact that OH just used to let him self reward (same with contacts & start lines). That is not going to happen overnight, so yeah...you agree then.. just stop all action & wait for him to settle down. I havn't as yet, stopped, put him back on lead & walk off...but maybe I could try that. What I don't want to do is shut him down & take away his love of what he is doing...so maybe the answer lays half way.

Hmmm... I do & to be honest I was shocked when this particular person who is very high up in the agility circuit said that to me No matter how well your dog knows discrimination you still have to call "come" & give him the cues for obstacles & we do heaps of ground work working on different moves etc..putting them into small sequences...he's fine with this..it's just when I run a full course...he just sometimes like to do his own thing & when I call him back to me, that's when he gets frustrated with me. I think I am going to have to put the brakes on seconds earlier before it escalates into him being just plain idiotic & jumping up & nipping. My OH used to run him & I think he might have let him get away with it a bit too much (among other things), but we have swapped dogs, mainly because he runs better for me because I am a bit more stricter with contacts & start line stays. And we thought if he started running my old girl, it may bring back a bit more drive in her...sort of like being born again. I wonder...it just occurred to me...that he mainly trys to nip me, when I am in front of him....I wonder if it is his herding instinct...it's almost like he is trying to get me to stop or turn around. When he is running with my girl he grabs her by the tail when he gets too excited.

My boy has always had a tendency to start barking & then jump up a little during agility runs. He does it because he is over stimulated & gets peeved off when he gets called off too many obstacles. I am sure it is a mixture of over excitement & frustration (on his part). This was quite manageable when he was in the lower grades, & after a couple of runs he would settle down, but now he is up in Masters it has escalated....more call offs I guess & tighter courses. I have always handled it by immediately stopping, giving him a stern look & waiting for him to settle before allowing him to run on. He has on occasions made contact with clothing & once he got my elbow. Last Monday at training, he started doing it & jumped up & nipped my collar right under my chin, narrowly missing my face Am I doing the right thing by immediately stopping & waiting for him to settle & not allowing him to self-reward by letting him run on or is there a better way of handling it??? Some people I know would just give him a clout...but I am definitely not going to do that & would never, ever hit him. He knows he has done wrong & I can see it in his eyes that he is saying "sorry"...but to be honest it is making me nervous (which doesn't help). He is not aggressive & off course he is like a lamb & often will go to sleep while waiting in line...it's a combination of excitement & frustration. We spend a lot of time teaching him the moves & cues, but on course he just wants to go... sorry to be so long winded

What are you bathing him in & what are the treats he is getting??? Is it not possible it is a contact allergy or from a flea bite??

Please don't give them that idea! Belly bands and Season Undies - all in natty green with the red Bunnings logo... Yep...Cricket looks rather cool in his belly band :)

I will sometimes fridge dry little cubes of cheese & cubes of chicken rolls keep better in the fridge if they are not covered. As soon as you put them into plastic they start to sweat. Even the turkey necks I find keep better if I leave them uncovered. I don't find it gross :)

I was there today to pick up a cheap lopper and saw someone with a muzzled kelpie looked to be well behaved, in a heel. No-one was paying it any mind and I'm sure s/he appreciated the coolness of indoors. I think I might use weekday-bunnings as a training location in a few months when the initial "must take our dog for novelty" is over with, if dog seems amiable, the staff are amiable and we finish our muzzle training (it's touching her face, the horror! ) Don't the new rules say they have to be carried as well ??? A bit hard with some dogs Sorry...just reread it....muzzled OR carried :) I think I would be putting a belly band on my guy as well, just to make sure

What has all this got to do with dogs in Bunnings

No way could I carry my dogs :laugh: ...I will just keep parking in the trade section undercover if I happen to have my dogs with me.

RIP Diesel killed in the line of duty

I use Nexgard monthly tablet for ticks & fleas & I split the tablet.

Next Monday will be our second last night of training for 2015, so I am putting up an Advanced Jumping Course, followed by a Novice Jumping Course that I will work through with my 2015 Beginners Class, possibly back-chaining till they can put it all together :)

I took my dog to Bunnings on the weekend, but I drove into the trade section undercover & left her there with the windows down. I reckoned that if my car was in the way of some tradie, then they would give me a call over the loudspeaker. I went away & did my shopping in the nursery, came back & went to drive out through the boom gates & this very serious looking guy came out to the car & said....."I am not going to open the gate until".... (I held my breath because I think I am in trouble)..."you let me give your well behaved dog a kiss & a cuddle" :laugh:

If the US had 44000 cases of reactions from tick products...I wonder is there any statistics on just how many dogs did not react & how many dogs actually had to have treatment for ticks. It is just impossible to do a thorough body search for paralysis ticks. They can get in the ears, in the anus, eyes & gums. I would rather put my trust in a good proven tick product than just rely on my own searching. I assume you don't give your dogs any wormers either.

I live inland & get ticks, but I have always found the long grass & scrubby coastal vegetation is worst for ticks. I use Nexgard monthly. Have been using it for 12 months now..it's great. No problem with the dogs going swimming anymore, like I had with Advantix :)

sorry can't help really, except to wish him well...could it be Lymes Disease

Yes..for those who feed total raw..it would be handy to have some in the freezer for those moments. If anyone is interested, here it the link to Janine's page. She is in Armidale NSW & I think she can freight it over to Coffs Harbour area. Arnikka Pets Some of you may already know Janine from the agility circuit :)

I guess you are really paying for the convenience & obviously a lot cheaper if you make your own when you can get human grade kangaroo, chicken & beef for $10 a kilo.

How offensive In response to this & my full quote is not shown above anyone who has read my regular posts on here would know that I never intend to be offensive. I was merely stating what looked to be a wind up & that anyone who thought seriously about the subject would realise at least some of the many costs involved but that lots of people really do not think deeply on this matter. That is not being offensive. It does happen on here quite a bit. I have not posted any personal offensive comment about the poster. Nothing to be mad about. Merely an observation that may have been valid. There was no need to add my list of costs as many had posted them before me & I did comment that the poster would now understand. I didnt see anything offensive in your post... Me neither Christina was just stating a fact.

I know my Mum's very fussy cat will only eat raw roo as the only source of fresh meat & it has to be human grade too. My dogs get a bit of everything with their Black Hawk & the only thing I have seen them a bit reluctant to eat is raw chicken if I give it too them for too many days in a row...they always eat it though...never, ever do they leave anything on their plate :laugh:

If you have already done some work with the clicker, then the Look At That Game is your best friend :) Have a read hereLAT

Yes...I agree it is a bit vague

Not sure what you would say....but what sort of training are you doing with him to curb the behaviour ??