megan_

How much is the stopped contacts?

Sorry but I disagree that any dog will like other dogs as long as they are socialised. Breed and breeding play a very big part in this.

Bostons are also rare so that should be factored in IMO - you might be waiting a loooooong time (years?). Worth it if that is what you want

So you're happy to be really rude based on the say-so of one guy who has a commercial interest in you buying from him and nonome else? Why not ask a question before launching a public attack on someone.

Then I'd take them off her and only bring them out when you want to play with her, with them. Finish the game before she wants it to end and take the ball away. Pick up the ball, put it in your pocket and walk around the house with it. Then put it away without playing with her. She doesn't get to play with them on her own. Go and stand on her bed too. IF she's on her bed will she move for you? That said, I'd still keep highly valued resources like toys and food away from her once you get the pup.

I would remove all resources that cause an issue - NOW, long before you get the puppy. I would teach her that the balls, toys, her bed etc belong to you. Given that she is a large dog and I assume she is resource gaurding to you also, I'd call in a behaviourist to help me work through this.

I thought merle x Merle was acbig no-no?

What state are you in? I'm on the iPhone so it doesn't show up. I know a groomer who handles giants here in Melbourne.

Unfortunately the TID course isn't available to new clients at the moment. BC - markers let your dog know when they're on the right track, much like a clicker. I use "yes", "good" and my no reward marker is "too bad" said in a very neutral tone

BC Crazy - it is perfectly normal to feel inadequate when you have a fearful or reactive dog. I have cried myself to sleep for many nights because of this . The that turned things around for me is when I realised that there wasn't a huge line of people looking for a fear aggressive dog and I was the best option that Lucy has, so both Lucy and I have to suck it up and get on with it.

Sorry to go OT, but with Fergus I keep free shaping sessions very short (about 30 seconds most times) and I break things down a lot so that he earns lots of rewards. I'm also not fussed about him learning the "wrong" thing, as it is easy to shape an alternative behaviour in a future session. I've also learnt to relax a lot more and find joy in watching him figure things out and get them "wrong". When you think about it, throwing a tantrum when you're not getting your way is pretty smart. I normally let the dogs have a crumb of my toast in the morning. Yesterday I didn't give them any, and just ignored them. Lucy (my fearful girl) tried a sit, a drop and then wandered off. Fergus tried a sit, a drop, another sit, pawed me, growled at me. barked at me, ran to the spare room and banged his paws against the door for 20 seconds (a true tantrum!) then ran around the garden barking. I ignord him the whole time. He eventually came inside, gave me the stink-eye and curled up to sleep...all because he didn't get a piece of toast. While this can be annoying, I was impressed at his ability to try a range of behaviours to get what he wanted and his persistance. He is a joy to train and works so hard now that we've figured out how to work with each other. In agility, he started shutting down when he got something wrong (a trainer told me to act dissapointed if he got it wrong, big mistake). I now reward him for trying again and have a cue for it. He is now so much more motivated to give it another go and runs back with enthusiasm to have another crack at it. We're also started learning tracking and, much to my suprise, I have to tone down my enthusiasm and keep him calm and focused (via my voice, and pausing for a second before I release him to track). Maybe this technique is something that can benefit the "I'm excited out of my mind" dogs? I think it is worth remembering that the things that can make a dog a pain in the a#@$# to live with sometimes are the things that make them great dogs to train. They get frustrated (they're driven to earn the reward), they tell you to hurry up, they give you the stink eye when you don't reward their brilliant performance. In the end, it is much easier to work with this sort of dog than a dog that gives you the finger and wanders off.

Wow - I can't afford it because I'm doing the Derret course and that was almost $600. I think people in the US are prepared to pay a lot more for training courses than we are. It is a pity that the cost is so high as I would have loved to do it just for the games.

fbaury - I'd stop using that NRM as it seems "poisoned" - she is associating it with something bad. I'd try to teach the NRM away from other exercises.

Fergus used to do this too. He would also re-do the "trick" in an exaggerated manner and then glare at me ("did you see THAT?"). I don't see it as a bad thing, it is all part of learning. He believes he is doing the right thing and isn't being paid for it, I'd be angry too. I just kept calm, and ignored him (in a really relaxed way). The second the tantrum stopped and he did something - anything - I'd click and treat. That is, I didn't worry about teaching him the extended trick, rather I focused on teaching him persistance. Once he got this he'd start to try different things rather than throw a hissy fit. I now have the problem that he tries too many things too quickly - I can't keep up.

I think someone asked Greg Derret this when he was out here, unless I'm misunderstanding what people are calling layering etc. His response? Don't run the course at all. Don't teach your dog to flick just to get a Q. He said this applies to a few of the games (including peopel ruining their decal cues to work at a distance).

Generally soft or clueless owners will get walked over by any schnauzer - mini, standard or giant. I have heard many times that the standards are the most stubborn/require the strongest leadership. Everything I've seen seems to point to this. Most minis I know like to please their owners, the standards couldn't care less :). Sheridan - yes I know this. I like the terriorist look myself. However, it is frustrating that people seem to fixate on looks over everything else and people suggest breeds that don't fit the temperament requirements at all.

I had/still have a very fearful/under-confident dog. It took a while for her to learn to learn and not think she was going to get a wallop when I tried to lure her, but I found her confidence really grew when I taught her simple tricks. A favourite is "hop in box", "hop on top" (of a box) and paws (I lured her to put her paws in something, she thinks this is the best). Have you tried any free shaping clicker training? Dogs seem to get a real kick out of figuring something out themselves rather than just being lured. Her confidence went to another level when she did basic agility training (and first she was too scared to even get on the pause table!). You need to find the right class for this (we only had one other dog in the class, with a dedicated trainer). We persisted even though she was scared of everything and now she loves it. Within a few weeks her confidence grew and even the groomer commented that she was a different dog after than short time. When praising her, rather than making a big scene (like I do for my boy) I use a calm, soothing but happy tone and she seems to like this. ETA: The other trick is to keep a really high rate of re-inforcement to let her know she's on the right track and a very good girl. I feed mine their meals via training and they'll get an entire meal within a few minutes.

Standard schnauzers are nit for the faint hearted. They are stubborn with intelligence. They are nothing like a lab or poodle at all. Not aimed at anyone but I can't believe people are still suggesting breeds based on looks.

I have access to one at training (at least once a week)

Thanks Sheena. Having finally got 2o2o working, I'm a bit scared to tinker with it. I might try to shape the box though and see where we land up.

sheena - sorry to go OT, but I was always told that to teach running A-Frames I'd really need one at home as it needed to be practiced at home. I don't have the space for one so I've taught 2o2o - I'm not a fan of it due the the force that gets put on the shoulders. To teach the box method reliably, do you need to have an AFrame at home?

Kathy that weasel linked to has a very good reputation

I agree Snook!

This is not normal bshaviour - your dog sounds stressed and fearful. Separate him from the visitors immediately and call a professional for help. Ignoring this could result in biting.

No it doesn't, but at the risk of offending you, it does make you guilty of generalisation and judging the breed and not the deed. Not every dog that has been bred for dog aggression in the past retains those same characteristics today and each individual should be taken on its own merits. I am far more likely to judge the people WITH the breed and before I will completely avoid a particular dog, I will watch the people who are supposed to be in control of it and engage (or not) accordingly. Of course it doesn't mean that every dog from that breed is aggressive. However, I'm not going to just assume that they're okay and find out that they're not. I know the breed standard for those breeds and what characteristics they should have - those characteristics mean they don't generally play well with my dogs. This isn't offensive or discriminatory, it is about making smart choices for my dogs and not just assuming that every dog is friendly.