megan_

Mine loved it but did not do well on it. Great for treats! Not sure of the implications, but it does seem to have a higher protein content than the standard range of dog foods.

interesting - what could go wrong with too much protein? I put mine on Ziwipeak after they didn't do well on Artemis and the protein is greater than 30% - much higher than any dry food I've seen before. They are now on a prescription diet of Eukaneuba to fix their gut issues. Much to my simultaneous delight and disgust they are doing well.

I tried it and was dissapointed - output was very soft.

I have heard that they are "yappy" dogs - is this true in general?

thanks for the replies. I'll get those DVD's and get along to a trial asap.

thanks for the replies. I'll go along to a trial and have a look-see, unfortunately I get terrible migraines so I'm not the most reliable volunteer! In terms of a "first step" foundation task/activity, what does everyone recommend? I was thinking about something to do with focus. Fergus does listen and wait for commands, but he tends to look away from me and just respond the verbal cues. I've tried to correct this by starting: i) triangle of temptation (look at me to get your food) ii) Using a visual cue for sit, and not making any noise. Is there anything else I should be doing as step 1?

I put my hand really close to his nose and then made a little "ch-ch" clicking sound - it worked! Then I moved the hand further away and removed the sound.

thanks - I saw the thread and didn't want to hijack it. I guess I'm at the point where I don't even know what those things even mean - is there a good resource where I could bain more of an understanding?

I'd like to start prepping Fergus for agility (just for fun). We're on the waiting list for a club. My question is: where do I start if I know absolutely nothing? Is there a good book or DVD that can guide me? Fergus knows the basic obedience commands, has a great sit/stay, recall and can target my hand but that is it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Megan

My two don't do well on Artemis Maximal at all - very soft stools.

I'd also suggest PM'ing Sheridan - I'm pretty sure she owns Wheatans and ask her about the best training method for them. My understanding is that they're VERY strong willed.

Are you going to give a seminar in Melbourne any time soon?

the Rhodesian Ridgeback club runs lure coursing every month - not competitive, just some fun for hte dogs. It starts back up this month: http://members.optusnet.com.au/ashtar1/lcourse/lcourse.htm

huski - I agree with your post but am curious as to how you would trial given you're not allowed food when competing? My club doesn't even allow treats when getting assessed to move to the next level.

I am not a groomer and know nothing about it but....I would ask for a per dog rate, rather than hourly. That way you are rewarded for grooming more dogs per day - both you and your employer win! Of course, if you get a severely matted dog you might be on the losing end of the deal, but it should even out (or you can negotiate $x per small and medium, $Y for large and/or complicated).

I gete mine from pookinuk.com.au

Artemis and prehaps Ziwipeak? They are hard to get through stores or vets

I also use Ziwipeak's dry food as training treats. It is stinky enough to entice them, but it is dry and you can break it down into teany little pieces. And at $28/kg, it is expensive as food, but much cheaper than most treats I've seen on the market. The ingredients are also sourced from NZ, which is a big deal to me (I'm not feeding my dogs anything from China any more).

yellowgirl - my dad always told us that pumpkin seeds made some dogs have dellusional episodes?

Hi Clare, I agree with Kavik's posts - what you've been taught hasn't clicked with him (like you said, different dogs need different methods). I can sympathise with what you're going through. I am very lucky that my boy is very well behaved and walks well on the leash, is focused on me etc but we did struggle a bit at obendience because the methods we were taught (luring) didn't work for him. I lured food all over the place, and he sat there looking at me. The instructor told me he was defiant and I thought he was a bit slow - he is neither of those things. The instructor told me to just drag his leash into place, push him down etc and we both left training very disheartened. I had one session with a trainer (had read their posts many times and thought they had a lot of common sense) and things have changes so much for us. She took him through his paces and while it looked like she was doing *exactly* what I was doing, there were subtle differences that made it work. She also showed me that he could be trained. This changed my attitude and we were successful. In addition to this, she also showed us some motivational tools (eg tug) and that has made training much more fun for both of us (and a good workout for me). Add in a couple of "tricks" (eg touch targetting your hand) and we now have a variety of fun things to do at each session. We now train everyday and we both enjoy it. ETA: if you have a JRT, I'm sure they'll *love* the tug. You need to use it correctly though otherwise it turns into a tug-o-war!

thanks all. I'm in Murrumbeena (near Chaddy). I'll chat to the flyball instructors on Sunday.

Yip - we're at Croydon doing basic obedience. I haven't taught my boy all the stuff and we will fail! But, as I said, he has the basics down pat and displays no aggression whatsoever (in fact, we have to stand between the two fighters of the group). I've only been doing the obedience to do either agility or flyball. Do I have to get the formal obedience "qualification" to move onto these?

thanks. Croydon obedience is the closest one. I haven't taught him stand yet, so we'' get started on this asap.

Hi All, I want to do some dog sports with Fergus, but I'm not to keen to do all the formal levels of obedience at our dog club. This is mainly because IMO they teach a lot of things we don't need, and the class structures are very formal and we like to train in drive. After training at an obedience school, every session we would both leave bored and a bit despirited. I'm not trying to bag the school, it just doesn't suit us. He has what I would classify as a better-than-average recall (I can call him off playing with another dog, can't get him to recall when he has a dead bird though!). He is very focused on me (when treats don't fall on the ground...) and we often train on an oval where there are kids playing football, other dogs run around us etc and he won't leave my side. We train twice a day and he can hold a sit while I go the width of the local footy field. He loves his tug and sees that it has a high value without much training at all. My question is whether this would be enough to start agility and/or flyball at one of the VCA clubs? Or do we need to persist at formal obedience to reach this level? Thanks, Megan

where about in the Eastern Suburbs? I go to Carolyn at the Glen Eira Vet Clinic - she is fantastic. My boy loooooooves going there. Even my girl, who is a rescue and terrified of people, is quite happy to be there.