megan_

Both - otherwise it would be 24 hours between walks. Most walks are less than 30 mins. They seem to like having their day broken up.

Why is that ? There are rules and regs to cover the behaviour of exhibitors and exhibts at shows and consequences for dogs that behave in an aggressive manner. If your dog is attacked and injured at a show by average Joe's visiting pet, then there's not much you can do about it. But the rules could apply to everyone? If your dog misbehaves you have to leave? Unfortunately, dog attacks can happen anywhere. Some of the worst dog behaviour I have ever seen has been at breed club events - think snarling dogs going at each other and owners standing there chatting about the weather! I personally would like a code of conduct that is policed, rather than all non-show dogs being banned. As I said, I have taken my two along before and I make sure they don't bother anyone. The reason I like taking them to shows is that my ex-puppy farm breeding bitch isn't fond of people who pay her attention. At a dog show, everyone is primping and preening their own dog and ignores her - so she happily trots along. However, judging by most posts in this thread, there is now one less place I can take her to - I'm sadly running out of options.

Sorry to hear about your dog Sway - I assume that this is a rare thing to happen at a show? I didn't realise it wasn't the done thing . I often take my two mutts for an off leash run at KCC while there is a show on. I have, on occassion, walked them around the outskirts of the show, or, if it is indoors, around the "walkway". I do this because it is good socialisation (and no, I don't mean "making friends with other dogs", I mean walking with me, focusing on me and NOT greeting any dogs). We keep to ourselves and they remain calm. If I couldn't control them or they started making a scene we'd beat a hasty exit. That said, I doubt most people would do that and would let their dogs say "hello" to all and sundry. Not all show dogs seem to be as well behaved as my lot though - while most are well behaved and used to other dogs in close proximity, some of them go ballistic at the sight of another dog. ETA: I would much rather prefer rules that say that all dogs must be under effective control, no uninvited meet and greets, if your dog is crate aggressive cover it and put it out of the walkway etc - these rules would apply to all people, showies and non-showies.

mine hold on that long, but some DOLers have told me I'm cruel because of it. If I've run late, my girl might wee (I don't have any carpet so it isn't a drama). That is my fault, not hers, and I just clean it up.

What date is it planned for?

underdog training (cosmolo from this forum) have puppy classes in a few locations: underdogtraining.com.au

There is nothing wring with responsibly rehoming a pet- crazy crestie did that. For a lot of people $10,000 per animal is not "a bit extra".

JulesP - I wanted to join Croydon for agility but obedience bores me to tears. Do you know what the "test" involves? Is having a dog with an excellent recall, excellent stay, excellent temp and high focus okay? We passed Action Dogs entry criteria so we can't be that bad! He just doesn't know things like auto sit and heel (which aren't useful in agility anyway). Edited because I re-read your post!

thanks. I think it should be mandatory for all DOLers to wear their dol names as a nametag at all dog-related events!

I'm so sorry for what you're going through - I haven't had to face that decision yet. That said, it is my strong belief that I'd rather let my dog go a few days/weeks too early, than a few days/weeks too late - the thought of them suffering brings me to tears, and they aren't even ill. As much as I'd miss them, I can give them the gift of a pain free death.

As per the title. Also, do I need to crate him or can I keep him on a leash? Given that my sister and her 4 kids are staying for the weekend, I'm not keen on leaving him at home.

My advice is get on every waiting list! That way, when your name comes up, you can decide what you want to do. I train at two places - Action Dogs and at a private training facility - ProK9 (owned by Erny on this forum). There is no waiting list for ProK9, but being private it is more expensive than the clubs. I really enjoy both. They take different approaches but I haven't managed to confuse either me or my dog yet. The clubs tend to focus on trialling more IMO so there is lots and lots of foundation. I was on Action Dogs waiting list for about 12 months I think. The first time my name came up I couldn't take a spot due to work commitments, so they slotted me in for the next intake. K9 Agility has now opened up the waiting list (before, you couldn't even put your name on a waiting list!). If you're even thinking about joining, I'd put my name down asap. All clubs that I know of use positive reinforcement - there are no physical corrections in agility.

Kerira&Phoenix - often people believe their dog understands something but the dog doesn't. Dogs aren't good at generalising (but are excellent and picking up patterns), that is why we need to train them in many different situations. Often a dog might do something when the owner is standing, but not when they're sitting. The dog thinks "when my owner is standing in front of me and says sit, I must sit", so when the owner is lying down the dog knows that the pattern isn't being followed so it doesn't comply. That is why so many people are suggesting training in many different situations (so that the only pattern is the word/signal/whatever you use to indicate "sit"), and guiding if necessary.

I ws going to reply about generalisation too. In order to really teach your dog what sits means, you need to teach him to sit outside, inside, when you're standing, behind you, when you're sitting, when they're 2m away, when someone else is in the room, you get the picture... When I've properly taught my dogs something (in many different situations, many different times) then I expect them to follow. What are the consequences if he doesn't listen to you?

eensy weensy brag. My boy has always been very focused on me so I decided to try a little experiment at training yesterday. As we were running towards the weavers, I indicated for him to go through them and then I ran off at a 90 degree angle. He didn't miss a beat, kept his focus and ran through them perfectly!

All the Aussies I've met have had great temperaments and they haven't been bouncing off the walls - great dogs. I've met a few collies and, unfortunately, all the ones that I've met have had very questionable temps - very nervy. A friend bought one from a very highly regarded registered breeder and he is very weak nerved (he was well socialised and she is a wonderful dog owner). This is a dog that falls to pieces if someone talks in a semi-loud voice in a different room! I'm sure there are wonderful collies out there, but I'd make sure I met lots and lots of the breeders dogs and I'd do a few of the puppy-selection tests to be sure.

And yet people here on DOL complain when someone gives their on leash dog a wide berth or - god forbid - they cross the road. It is a lesson for all dog owners (even friendly dogs) - make sure that, even if your dog goes to the end of the leash, that they can't reach passers-by. It really isn't that hard? If the path is narrow, move your dogs off, even if it means walking in the road. You can put them in a sit and get them to focus on you, you can shorten the leash etc. What's more, it helps paint dog owners in a good light - I get lots of "thank yous" for moving off the foot path, putting my dogs in a sit and letting people pass without being sniffed at. If a child suddenly runs towards your reactive dog, you put your dog behind you, step forward and yell "STOP NOW". It works.

It says "oh yeah, oh yeah" in a norty voice. Pro tip: don't leave it out at night and then get up to go to the loo and disturb it, thus giving yourself a very big fright

Both. If I had to do it again I would never use a treat pouch - dogs often become conditioned to it (she has food, I'll listen to her. No pouch = no food = stuff you!)

Don't you want your house spick and span when Jesus comes? I'm going to stay up cleaning all night! *note to self* go to sleep in more than just undies on Saturday night...

yip. I'd ask for the name of the ranger so that I could report him to the police. Sometimes people get rid of their dogs and make up little stories to make them the victim...

tiny pieces of semi-hard/soft roast chicken prepared by me (the bought stuff is full of crap). I use chicken tighs and I only use a small amount - the pieces should be teeny tiny for training. If I'm lazy I use 4 Legs. Again, you only need a few (I'd take 2 for a puppy and chop them up finely).

All the people who think it is okay for their viscious dog to kill mine if mine bumps into it, please let me know where you live so I can avoid you and your dogs! ETA: If people keep on justifying why there dogs do this kind of thing (he's a bull breed, bred to fight etc) you will see your breed banned very quickly... Edit the edit: I don't expect my dog to attack dogs that bump into it. I must be an ijit!

Maybe she has a UTI? Mine go out at 8.30pm and hold on until 5.30am.

It is a hard one to answer. I got Fergus as a pup and I see-sawed between love and "hate" (not really hate, just wanting to give him to someone who knew what they were doing). In some ways, DOL made it worse because there are so many things that YOU MUST NOT DO OR YOU WILL RUIN YOUR PUP FOREVER. I always felt inadequate. The good news is that, once I realised that I wasn't the worst dog owner in the world and started to relax, I started to bond with him. I did a private training session with Erny using the tug and I started to see that he could learn (before that, I went to a club and while they were really nice volunteers, they couldn't offer me any method besides luring, and it didn't work with me or him). I also went to an Uta Bindel seminar and learnt about using the clicker properly. I had a lightbulb moment - I had a smart little dog who wanted to please me. Looking back, I can't believe that I was ever considering giving him up - he is my heart dog. We have such a strong bond and I love him to bits. We work really well together and the more training I do with him the more I learn about what makes him tick. He is very smart, very driven but very impatient. If I miss a click he throws a little tanty and then does the move in slow motion to make sure I've seen it . So I only do training for a minute or two, tops. With Lucy, it was harder. She was a rescue ex puppy farm breeding bitch who was too scared to even look at me. I loved her in theory but it is hard to form a bond with a dog that would rather run in front of a car than have to deal with you! The first time she summoned up the courage to come and sit with me, still shaking and scared, was a great moment for us. Even teaching her to sit was hard - if I held a piece of food above her she cowered in fear. Over the last two years, I have grown to love her more and more and she has "learnt to learn" and is now doing agility. She has developed her personality and, just when I think she's reached her peak, she suprises me even more. She is loving in her own way. She doesn't melt into me like Fergus does when he cuddles, but every morning she expects a scratch behind the ears and gives a satisfied little moan. Looking back at some of your posts you seem very stressed. That is normal, but it isn't condusive to either you or the pup being happy. My advice is to just relax. If you're getting stuck with training, just give it a break. I now only train when I'm in a good, energised mood and it has made a big difference. Things will come in their own good time, there is no need to rush.