sheena

What breed of pup is it & how old if you don't mind me asking.

Where did I ever say that CT is the ONLY way to train ALL dogs I was commenting on Nek's statement that dogs that are CT fall down under distractions. It seems like you & I are on the same track Huski. You use shaping & marker training to train your dogs. That is what CT is, it is marker training, whether you are using a clicker, a whistle, a marker word or in the case of deaf dogs, a flash light or a hand signal. It all comes under the same heading or reward based training using a marker & is commonly referred to as "clicker training" :)

And stating that using a clicker is always the best option is also hogwash. It doesn't matter if you are using rewards or corrections or both, no reputable trainer throws a dog into a high level of distraction and expects it to work well without first going through the phases of teaching; training and proofing the dog. You don't start the dog in the highest level of distraction no matter what method you are using. That is exactly right .....hurray.... How long would it take me to train a dog to walk on a loose leash ????? How long is a piece of string. It would depend on the dog & how ingrained it's behaviour had become. With my own dog, who I had previously used Neks method & got nowhere, it took me about three days of one session a day of about 10 minutes & she was already two years old. Why don't you look into it Huski...talk to people like Kelly & the Wonderdogs & you may be pleasantly surprised that there is "life after choker" :)

I think if we are really serious about training our dogs, then we do have to put a lot of work into it. Are you saying that if you don't want to put a lot of work into training our dog then get a choke chain :) Clicker training works faster than the other method mentioned & the dogs do not forget. I am sure you could get Gus to work in front of all those people if you trained him up to it :) How do you think we "condition our dogs beforehand"...certainly not with a choke chain...we use a clicker (marker) & rewards. You don't just turn up at an event & whip out the clicker, that Gus has never seen before & knows nothing about :)

Do we really have to start an argument that dogs that are trained with aversives don't "love" their owners? The "better" method is the one that gets the best results for the dog and their owner. It is "hog wash" to assume that every problem that any owner has with any dog is best solved with a clicker. There is no doubt that clickers can be a useful tool, just like prong collars can be a useful tool. There is no one size fits all method that works best for every dog and owner. The "hogwash" is what Nek. said if you will go back & read that ridiculous statement :)

What a load of hog wash :laugh: If that was the case then why is it so successful in training dogs in things like Canine Freestyle where the dog has to pay attention to the handler for sometimes up to 5 minutes & in front of a strange audience. It is also becoming more popular with training guide dogs, assistance dogs, sniffer dogs & police dogs. EG Michele Pouliot, three times International Champion Freestyle trains her dogs with the clicker, I don't see her dogs running off stage when they get distracted. Then again, maybe she would be four times world champion if she used a choke chain or a pronged collar to train her dogs instead :laugh: Michele is also the Director of Research and Development for Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) Michele has led the organisation through a gradual changeover from traditional training to clicker training in the guide dog work. She now works with GDB to actively support & assist other guide dog schools in their efforts to adopt Clicker Training. Zoologists are using CT to train animals like polar bears, elephants & giraffes, not to do tricks, but so they will accept being handled for administration of drugs, nail clipping, teeth examination etc etc. Imagine in the middle of examining the back teeth of a polar bear, the bear suddenly became distracted Dolphins are trained with the same system, except the trainers use a whistle (as it can be heard beneath water) & fish as the treat. I have never seen a dolphin trained with a choke chain. Some trainers use a whistle instead of a clicker for their dogs, because they find it easier to handle, but it is still the same system...."mark then treat". My own dogs are clicker trained..they certainly don't run off as soon as a distraction walks by. They do agility, canine freestyle & obedience. The older one used to be like a Tasmanian Devil, before I discovered CT & now she is great. I used the choke chain on her when she was younger, cause I was told that was the way to go & didn't know any better. The younger one hasn't known any other method than clicker based training. I am not saying that choke chains & pronged collars do not work...I am sure they work very well, but there are better & kinder ways of training your dog & your dog will love you for it :)

Parvo doing the rounds in Coffs Harbour area at the moment & Kennel Cough is bad around Grafton. I have been thinking lately about maybe Titre testing, but it's times like this that I start to doubt whether I would be comfortable without their vaccinations.

Tell him how you have heard of really bad accidents happening with extendable leads....like people losing their eye when it suddenly breaks & comes smashing back into their face.

Tricks, tricks & more tricks....there are hundreds & your dog will love learning them. Have you taught him to love the clicker...then you can play shaping games with him...a great way to tire him out :)

Copy & paste from my FB CRESCENT HEAD VETERINARY HOSPITAL. Part of the triennial 'C3' vaccine, Distemper hasn't been diagnosed by vets in NSW for over a decade. The veterinary industry is now all a-buzz about the recent discovery. The confirmed diagnosis of this disease in a litter of puppies at Crescent Head vet puts emphasis on the importance of vaccination in all dogs. DISTEMPER OR DATEMPER? Have you heard of 'distemper' and aren't sure what it is or what it means for your pets? WHICH OF MY PETS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE? The disease is only carried in dogs and ferrets. It is not only highly contagious between dogs and between ferrets, but it can be transmitted from ferrets to dogs and dogs to ferrets. Both species can and should be vaccinated against distemper virus. If you are unsure of your pet's vaccination history, or you know your pet is overdue, please contact us today. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? As this disease has not been seen in a number of years, the virus is changing and symptoms different from 20 years ago are being seen. Gastrointestinal upset, difficulty breathing, high temperature, eye discharge, thickening of the nose and footpads and unusual behaviour are all signs of the disease. These symptoms can be seen individually, in series or in conjunction with one another. The disease can be so devastating that the prognosis for survival is not good. Even if pets survive the disease, the symptoms can be expected to return throughout their lives. HOW CAN IT BE TREATED? Quite simply, it can't. Symptoms can only be managed. This is why vaccination is so important. Especially now we know for sure it is in the area.

Both my dogs can turn tighter than that :laugh: They can turn on a sixpence....so maybe I will stick to my handling method. Hmmmm...since my hairdresser retired, my hair is starting to look a bit like hers...only difference is about 45 years :laugh: I certainly wouldn't wear those hot pants...too distracting for the judge.....& besides they wouldn't fit me.

It's called the OMG Handling System

The end of our first week with the Michelle Pouliot Course & things are going good Now on to Step 2 of the Stationary Duration Attention Exercises & introducing the four heel positions, left, right, front & behind. Still with little to no distractions. Hoping by next week I will be able to fade out the hand cue & just use a verbal to put her into position.

I have to watch Cricket that he doesn't dive in but most of the time he is hiding away in a little corner somewhere. Bindi is funny when the dolphins come around or when we catch a fish :laugh:

Thanks sheena I would be really interested. Badbee...sorry I have taken so long to get back...we have a triple trial on next weekend & I am busy doing up about 500 prizes...oh wot fun :laugh: First of all you have to start off with little or no distractions & somewhere where he can't leave you...even put a long lead on that you can step on if he goes to move away too far. I would start off in the lounge room. Have him OFF LEAD & arm yourself with lots of yummy treats & a clicker. Preferably keep these items so that he is not looking directly at them...I put my treat bag around my back, otherwise the treat bag itself can become a lure & a cue. Just walk around the room & everytime he comes close to you..click & treat. After a few clicks up the anti & only C & T when he moves in near your leg etc etc. Keep the sessions really short & end when you think he is "making progress"...don't keep on trying for something harder & harder until he fails. We want our dog to succeed. When you have him coming into your side without any prompts from you, its time to put a cue word on it...eg. lets walk, or something. Then practice it in a different room, gradually add a few distractions, then move to a quite place outside...you getting my drift? You can also do this exercise. Put him on lead in a place with very little to distract him, like before & every time he hits the end of the lead, just turn around & walk in the opposite direction. Don't "pop" or jerk, just be gentle. As soon as he catches back up to your leg, click & treat. When he moves out again, repeat. You wont get very far but it will be worth it in the long run & just remember that walking on a loose lead does not mean that he has to be heeling...just walking without pulling. You will no doubt be wanting to take him for walks before he is LL trained, so just put a front attached harness on him, so that all your good work does not come undone. I have PM'd you with a bit more info. :)

Clicker :) Just shape it !!

All these dog sports including agility are for ALL breeds of dogs. I have even seen a min. dachie competing at top level once :laugh: I am surprised that no-one on this topic has come in & said that there is a positive reward way of teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash. Much kinder to use a clicker than a choke chain If I get more time before I go to bed I will put it up, if no-one else has by then :)

What a great thread Loving all the photos especially the Frenchies :laugh: I couldn't find a decent photo of my two together so will have to put them in separate This is my young BC guy, Cricket, doing what he loves to do :) And here is my older BC girl, Bindi, doing one of the things she loves :) Cricket is not too keen on the boat

A bit off-topic....but D toD, did you join our club cause I havn't seen you down there (Monday nights) or are you doing Canine College on Saturdays

Good to see the claws have a bit of "class" I can almost see them holding a tea cup with the little finger raised :laugh: Not a bad idea though...I think it would be better if the whole lot was frozen into a block. :)

Yes definitely and to sit no matter what position you are in. How many dogs would still sit if you were lying down when you said it Sorry to say, mine fail in that department :laugh: Mine would fail that test for sure.....I might be licked to death first :laugh:

It helps to practice each behaviour in different environments, even different rooms in the house. You may have taught her, for instance, to sit when she is in the kitchen near the fridge & that object becomes part of her cue to sit. When she is in the lounge room, she may look at you as if you are nuts...."you asking me to sit...but the fridge isn't here" This is just an example but it can happen :) so she has to learn that sit means sit no matter where she is.

He's very cute :)

Thanks everyone. I have started working on practical lesson one...Duration Attention Exercise, where the dog has to stand still & make eye contact, increasing the amount of time that the dog keeps eye contact. Then handler starts to move around the dog & dog keeps making eye contact. After getting over the problem of her not wanting to stand still (she wanted to show me every trick she knew :laugh: )..I think she thinks it a bit intimidating to have me stare at her, but we are getting there. This is probably one of the most important steps in the whole course, so I want to get it right before moving on. I am doing very short sessions 3 or 4 times a day. I videoed this mornings session & she was a bit distracted by the video camera :laugh: ETA Video

I have just been to the vets for vac. & check up for Bindi. When I got there, the secretary met me outside & warned they had a DA GSD inside & would I mind waiting well away somewhere. I waited for 15 minutes & out came a boy with the most ugliest of dogs...all flee bitten, mangy looking with fur missing & what was left was a terrible dull grey. When it turned around it had the most enormous set of balls When I went into the vets, there was mum arguing with the vets about some $1000 plus treatment that it had to have. First question I asked the vet was why would someone have a dog like that & not have it de-sexed...she just rolled her eyes & said that was a big part of it's problem. Then I asked her what it was crossed with....she laughed & said he was a pure bred & that he looks like that because they have him clipped