BeagleBoys2

Go Jaspy! Pretty good pic of you too.

Excessive foot movement may incur point loss. For example a nervous lifting of alternate paws one after another continual throughout the stay. In the drop stay of course you get 0 if your dog pulls a dead dog or shifts in a way that light can be seen under the body. Generally a simply flick of the hip to ge comfortable doesn't mean this but I suppose it depends on how exaggerate the movement your dog makes is. Experienced handlers may not always use the verbal stay command but their foot work tells the dog what is expected.

Huski - come to the next club meeting and put a request in that the club run a 'mock trial'. Get some idea of the numbers of people that would be interested (and their level) and put forward your case.

I would continue with the course...handler nerves play a HUGE part in a dog's behavior at a trial. The only time I don't continue is if they stop listening and start doing their own thing or making mistakes. If they aren't going to qualify I don't waste the judges time. The only except to this being the one time my dog dropped the bar of the first jump. Which looking back was my fault anyway. I had given him a beautiful lead up but when I said the release word he wasn't paying attention and misjudge the jump. However, in saying that, half way through the course the beagle nose got working and he cleared a jump that he was nearly sitting on. Go figure...he still ran the course well under time.

You could find that he's just hit another level of maturity and he is asserting himself. I always suggest that handlers do not use the recall command unless they are willing to carry it through. If the dog doesn't come you need to go get it and take it back to the spot where you called it from. Don't look at them and don't talk to them. Then have them front you and re-enforce the recall and praise them for being where you wanted them in the first place.

Yup, normal. I also new a staffy who pleasured himself while awake...now that's ewwww!

How did the topic of a dog exhibiting calming signals/submission turn into a heeling exercise? I would never associate heel work to something negative. Being at heel should be the best place in the world...a sweet spot. Having Beagles in the obedience ring yes I agree having eye contact it VERY important. But when you have reprimanded your dog and it exhibits calming signals you need to move past the behavior you just corrected. Let it go so your dog can relax. Pack animals don't hold grudges once a matter is dealt with it's business as usual.

Put a head halti on the dogs but remember a walk is also a time for your dogs to check out your neighbourhood. I never use our walks as a training session. We might walk to an area to train but then I change their equipment and give them a command so they know they are working. But with the pulling...with my first two Beagles it took me a good week or so to get out of our street. Everytime they pulled I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Yes, it's boring but guess what...if your dog really wants to go on a walk it will find this boring too. And eventually it will connect the dots and understand that when they don't pull you walk. (BTW - as it turned out my first two Beagles didn't really enjoy walks. They preferred training, agility and lure coursing.) Plus I worked on a "look" command and eventually this decreased the sniffing too. Sometimes people suggest my Beagles are broken because they don't sniff. Finally, being at heel should be the sweetest spot in the world...reward it and reward it well.

I volunteer at the front desk of a local dog obedience club. There are a good number of pure bred dogs but I am afraid the cross bred dogs still out number them. This won't change while pet shops are allowed to sell puppies and kittens (which I am totally am against). Plus Dogs Queensland (aka CCCQ) don't advertise loudly enough the benefits of a pure bred dog.

I don't drink water on my walks as I drink before I leave the house. So why would my dog need a drink? However, I also try to make sure my dogs drink beforehand. It's always best to hydrate before exercise.

After training and competing in both Obedience and Agility I found the Show Ring difficult and most certainly am a newby. All of a sudden that amazing animal has four legs, a tail, a head and proper movement that you have to be thinking about. When before you could simply trust in your training and know that the outcome would be positive. All of a sudden it is not about the effort you put in and the relationship between handler and dog...it's about looks. Sometimes proper confirmation I have found doesn't even come into it. Plus I am a movement freak...I really appreciate great movement vs. flashy movement. So how do you deal with the judges decision on any given day...well it took me awhile. I did find it hard that my wonderful canine companions were not always the judges choice. Well, accept all of the small wins and enjoy the time spent with your dog. Once I gained a better understanding and accepted that just because my dogs don't get points for the day didn't mean they were not appreciated specimens of the breed. Plus I began thinking of the kennel...when my boy gets reserve challenge and then runner up best of breed to his brother...wow! I'm thrilled...okay no points but obviously the judge sees qualities in the breeding that can be appreciated. Of course it is always easier to be with a good group of people at a show. This allows everyone to celebrate someones successes even if they are not their own. :cool:

We just did a show at Gympie with the sunami hitting the coast this weekend. Heaps of rain and the show went on.

No way GREEN is totally my favorite color!!!

See and right there...your dog doesn't understand what stay means. To me what your dog is doing means wait in my dogs lives. Wait means wait in that spot for me to release you or return. But stay is a whole other ball game. It means stay in the spot and position I leave you in until you are told by me to do otherwise.

Quinn, our GSP is dog number four. After three Beagles she is simply easy...and such a delight. Of course there will be dog number five but not until Quinn's first litter which I am hoping for in late 2011.