luvsablue

Is anyone going to the Peninsula ODC trial on Sunday 10th April? looks like it could be bad weather. luvsablue

Well Hi Everyone, I've just spent the last 2 days enjoying a terrific event organised by Advanced Dog Skills Australia. Uta is a most expert and accomplished hands on trainer. I met another Dogzonline lister; "Perfect Partners" and it was fantastic to get to know a cyber-friend in the flesh (if you know what I mean). "Megan" was there also - she was working with her gorgeous dog and making it look really easy! The main points I picked up were MARK right and wrong behavours, break down obedience exercises into segments and don't teach entire exercises. Every time a new element is introduce make all the other elements easier. Eg if the dog can do 30 steps of focussed heeling with the "food hand" and you take the food hand away and start rewarding randomly then reduce the steps to about 3 and build it up again. Was anyone else there from DOL? luvsablue

She might be mouthing the dumbbell because she doesn't really want you to take it from her. Play a few games where she brings it in but you don't take it. Push on the dumbbell and let her keep it and run around with you. Don't keep making her sit in front after she has retrieved it. Instead sit her in front and give it to her and stroke her head while she holds it to calm the chewing. No pressure to get her to give it up until she isn't chewing it. The breaking is an easy fix. Hold her collar, throw it, then tell her heel and do a right-about on the spot and heel her a few paces, turn around go back halt and when she is sitting send her for the retrieve. The breaking is a "good" fault because it shows she is keen. luvsablue, victoria

I've found the following a help for overcoming nervous tension which can ruin a trial. You conserve your mental energy by concentrating on what you should be doing at each specific moment. Focus on every part of every exercise, giving clear signals, showing positive body language, smiling. After each exercise praise the dog then immediately start cueing him/her for the next one. You can tell your dog what is coming next as you walk back to the post. Pay attention to the what the judge says, and answer if necessary, but don't make conversation with the judge. Reserve your attention for your dog. You can use the available few seconds between exercises to cheer him up or calm him down. In other words it is about you and your dog and nobody else. If you are really nervous, or find the judge a bit scary think of something very funny. (Usually involving that judge) Remember KEEP IT SIMPLE luvsablue

That's funny so do I, and when she looks my way guess what she gets? "Bickies", but they are not biscuits, but whatever tasty cold chicken or beef etc I'm equipped with at the time. If you are training for focus using food you need to do this many many times. luvsablue and beckie the bluey

Sorry wrong address: [email protected] luvsablue

Hi perfect partners, There are some places left at the Uta seminars. Email: [email protected] I'm going, but not working with my dog. Only as a spectator luvsablue

Hi megan, Hastings and District Obed Dog Club, Sat mornings, very +ve and clicker too I think. luvsablue

Where was it advertised? I thought we put our names down on a mailing list at the last one and they said they would let everyone know of any future seminars. Is it only booked out for people taking dogs - or for everyone? Hi perfect partners, Maybe you could phone the organiser from the last one and ask because it's only what I heard on the grapevine. luvsablue

Last I knew they are completely booked out already. It was very popular with the people who went last January. Sorry folks. luvsablue

Who is going to Uta's seminars? Like her previous ones they should be excellent. luvsablue

Hi karli 101, You said that your sister bought the dog so it could sleep on her bed at night. Maybe it won't bark if you allow it on your bed at night? But you probably don't want the dog on your bed. It could be the reason for the barking however. luvsablue

Yes JulesP The Spotted Devil had it right. Go to Croydon Obedience Trial and you can get instructions on entering online. luvsablue

It might be a reaction to sound, in particular the road noise of the tyres. Have you had new ones put on the car? luvsablue

Yep I hate dog parks too. There are some near me where dogs who go there regularly form packs and run totally out of control. There have been a few attacks by packs on new comers. Very nasty. I travel to places which are not free running areas. At worst they can be dangerous and at best the loose dogs are pests. luvsablue

Sick methods, hopefully outdated now. It looked to me as though they were trying to teach the dog "respect" as in a prison, or concentration camp. The dog was getting worse the more they did it, and didn't know what they wanted. A stupid way to train any type of dog activity, even police work. And very unfair to the dog, because it was causing confusion (and fear and panic). Probably methods like that only make the original fault that they were "working on" a hell of a lot worse. luvsablue

Hi Leanne, Yes that makes good sense to me. I find that walking around while the dog watches me and pretending to put the s/b down a number of times builds a great lot of drive. She sits there whining and almost jumping out of her skin to start the seekback.Sometimes I place the seekback in long grass to increase the nose work and decrease the eye work. And when I do seekbacks at night this really increases her drive and her nose work. Cheers, luvsablue & Beckie the Bluey, (Jan F), Mornington Peninsula, Vic

Thanks everyone, especially the bit about TTouch and the toy in the crate. The dog's owner is sure it is not motion sickness, but excitement. She is certainly a full on working Mal. She was told that Mals start certain behaviours and sometimes simply grow out of them. Has anyone experience of this? Prior to this dog she had GSDs; she's noticed a lot of differences!! luvsablue

Thanks for your response Diva. Yes she's in a crate with limited visual field. But they tried covering the crate so she couldn't see out: she still stood up and panted for that trip too. Your remark about her outgrowing the reaction is what the dog's owner is hoping will happen. The dog is about 14 months old. luvsablue

A friend of mine has a super young malinois, with high drive and great focus. Her education is progressing well, but there is a glitch which has just happened. She is totally stressed while travelling in the car. It is not motion sickness, but a kind of stress. Last weekend they went from Melbourne to Adelaide, and the dog stood up the whole way and panted non stop. But when the car was not moving along she was quite relaxed. So the poor little dog was exhausted. So I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced a similar problem, and what ideas/ suggestions they might have. Thanks in advance, luvsablue

Have you seen any clips of Michael Ellis, super American trainer, on training with food? Go to the Leerburg website, or google him on Utube. You'll see how he uses the food reward to create drive as well as to reward. luvsablue

Hi Tenille, A really good harness is the Sporn harness, which corrects the puller by tightening under his front legs. A while using this and you can put them back onto flat collars. They pull more when they know where they are going. So I'd be taking them in the car (to the beach) or one at a time, Have fun, luvsablue and Beckie the blue dog (who was the world's worst puller, now just likes to walk out in front but with a slack lead) It took a long time but we got there.

Hi leopuppy04 Have you tried putting him on lead and walking the seekback pattern with him, then when he locates it rewarding, then doing it over again, this time sending him by himself? You can sometimes give the dogs confidence this way luvsablue

When I taught Beckie the seekback I used to do some of them in the dark, this really excites her and stimulates her to sniff. I also practised them in long grass. All this was to get the sniffing intense rather than using her eyes to find it. When she showed a lack of interest, (probably because I did too much practise, I used to leave her sitting at the post, and walk around teasing her and pretending to place it down. By the time I got back to her she was frantic, then would go like a rocket and sniff like a vaccuum cleaner. She always found it when she was feeling keen. The only times (very rare) that she failed to find it was when she was "turned off". I use the same sort of methods in UDX with the decoy. Luvsablue