luvsablue

Oh well, it looks like no DOLers are trialling in Victoria this weekend, pity, the weather should be good, (even if the dog isn't) luvsablue & beckie the blue dog

Is anyone going to the weekend trials in Victoria 17 & 18 April? Saturday is the Viszla Trial (Agility am and Obedience pm). Sunday is the Peninsula ODC Open Obedience Trial down at Tootgarook, Mornington Peninsula. I'll be at the Sunday one, and hoping to meet any DOLers who are going. My dog will be in UDX. luvsablue

Hey Jessca, Me again. Leerburg is not where you get them. I remember now it's www.caninetrainingsystems.com Go to the DVD section and scroll down, they are both listed there. luvsablue

Was wondering if anyone had Ivan Balabanov's Obedience without Conflict DVD # 3 and 4 : "The Retrieve" and "The Motion Exercises, Recall and Send-Away" that I could buy or borrow please. It's a long shot, but worth a try. Hi Jessca, They are available on line, I think the Leerburg website. I've got them but they are copies. luvsablue

Fantastic news Jeanne! Warming up is just don't go straight into the ring without a little reminder of some kind that he's going to be working. My idea is you get the dog heeling nicely so as you are entering the ring and going to the post he's kind of in gear, ie already has started to heel. Then when you are at the post, hopefully he's in the heeling frame of mind. Warming up doesn't mean doing the whole trial or all the heeling before you go in, just setting the scene so to speak. luvsablue

Most errors in retrieving games, is due to handler error/pointing. Our bodies tend to curve over the dogs, without us noticing the significance. Possibly straighten your body, or have an experienced person (as I have had on many occasions) behind you, checking if your and THE DOG'S alignment(tail, body, brain) is correct. That's so right, Lablover. I also found that I need to have my feet pointing along the right line, because if I over turn or under turn she'll run out in line with my feet! That's why I was talking about making a diagram of correct foot placement after the turns, and practising them by myself, ie without the dog. I draw them on the path, or paint them on the grass. luvsablue & beckie the blue dog

Hi Jeanne, Best of luck in your trial. Going first is the best. For one thing, it doesn't help to watch the other people before you go in. If they are brilliant you get depressed, and if they are working at a low standard you absorb what you see and it can make you work worse than you would if you hadn't watched them, (if you get my drift). In your mind, pretend you are a genius handler with a brilliant dog who has been hired to give a demonstration to show how it should be done, then go in and live the fantasy. I'm serious, this really works and is a positive technique for all your trials. Run through it the night before, in your mind and do it on the day. Don't forget to warm your dog up for a minute or so before you enter the ring. And forget about everything except your footwork and signals, and above all enjoy your day. luvsablue & beckie the blue dog.

Hi Snowball, I can't answer any of your questions myself, all I know is they run excellent trials. Have a look at their website: www.berwickodc.asn.au Cheers, luvsablue beckie the blue dog Victoria

You add the cue when you are getting the sit or down or stand that you want. Say it's the down. When the dog is doing a straight drop (ie not rolled over on one hip) and is able to repeat it say 20 or 30 times, and in different locations, (in the lounge room, the back yard, the local park, the training school, etc) then you add the cue word. Same with the sit. That's where shaping comes in, first you c/t any down or sit, then you only c/t the better ones. Then only the best ones. When the dog can repeat in lots of different and distracting surroundings you add the cue word. This avoids trying to tidy up later. I mean, how many times do you see people asking for a straight front sit after the dog has recalled or retrieved and sat crooked or slouched? Probably hundreds. Then they move, to get the dog to alter its sit. Better to teach it properly the first time. luvsablue & beckie the blue dog.

When she was a puppy she always pawed the water before drinking. Hasn't done it for years. Maybe it is an instinct to clear the water first. luvsablue, Beckie the Blue Dog

Hi Mich & Jake I adopted Beckie at 17 weeks old and she was more than ready to learn basic obedience. Have fun with your lucky puppy. luvsablue & Beckie the Blue Dog

Hi Agility Dogs, I forgot to mention that Beckie is also, like yours, a soft dog and pretty laid back, or in your words not particularly high drive. I've seen her shut down a bit too. I have to balance every correction, eg a sloppy right about turn, with a bit of play, a repeat, then a reward, otherwise I've lost her. luvsablue beckie the bluey

Hi Agility Dogs, Your post was very interesting to me. I've got an 11 yr old, and what you said about a new dog in an old body is a bit like my dog. I wanted to keep on training her after she got her UDX title, because I don't want her to "lose it" mentally. So I began clicker a few months ago and shaped a few things in her UDX work. First I used the clicker to teach her a few little tricks, really just quick movements like roll over and spin round, to use in the ring between exercises. She loved this, and it was different. ( I used to be too formal in the ring, which is oppressive and boring for her). Now I kind of balance it out, and we do a lot better in terms of her enjoyment in training and in competition. Now I'm targeting. She tries out all kinds of behaviour when I intoduce something new. Tail wagging, eyes shining, absolute mental and physical involvement in working on the problem she's trying to solve. It really is like having a new dog. We will try a few (favourite) trials when the weather is cooler. Enjoy!!!!! luvsablue beckie the bluey

Hi DalGirl, It doesn't matter what he insists, you'll see some people using eg left hand for stand, right hand for drop and right hand for stay. And you don't need to sweep your hand across the dog's face, you can simply place your hand in front of its face, fingers closed, palm towards it and say "stay" in a pleasant but firm voice. luvsablue & beckie the bluey

I feel sick after reading about these ghastly people and the way they maltreat other people's dogs. At our club, we instructors are strongly discouraged from handling the members' dogs, the reason being that we are there to teach the handlers, who then work with their own dogs. Hitting dogs is not permitted, by anybody, and positive, reward based training is taught, and if necessary correction methods are taught, although I encourage the handlers to use flat collars and food (luring and rewarding), especially for the early stage of heelwork. Search around for a different club, or start your own group, Don't permit anyone to handle your dog unless you know the person really well luvsablue & beckie the bluey (who hates choke chains and military marching), but has got all her obedience titles, including UDX.

Hi everyone, What's the link for Global Friends of Schutzhund? Thanks in advance, luvsablue

[quote name=I totally agree as well,the main reason I go to class is because I myself need to learn as I know I do a lot of things incorrectly and that is why Mason gets some things wrong. He is the first dog I am training properly for obedience and I just want to try get everything correct Hi Masons mom, Beckie was my first dog also, and I was anxious to train her properly. I know what you're saying. It's just that we try too hard, and staying in class too long, and making the dog do stuff over and over can have a bad effect on your training. Short and sweet is the way to go, and little and often is better. Even try breaking the exercises down into components and only practice them in parts, eg the sit in front of a recall, or the sit and wait while you leave the dog in a sit. luvsablue & Beckie the Bluey, "less is more" (the less I make her do the more she likes it)

Hi Masons mom, I totally agree with what has been said so far in reply to your question. Classes at club are too long, and so the dogs aren't able to produce top work, which is what you want to train. As other people have suggested, do a few minutes then leave the class if your dog looks less than focussed. Ask for an individual assessment if necessary, where you can get him nicely focussed beforehand. I spent months in classes wondering why my dog wouldn't do the work; easy, she was bored stiff. The classes are more to teach the handlers than to train the dogs, but the dogs have to repeat stuff while their handlers are learning. Far better to train at home, in the park etc and just go in the class to be assessed, or for distraction. I mean, if you want to eg, improve your footwork, you don't practice it with the dog in tow, you do it by yourself. Better a 5 minute session of top quality work than 50 minutes of sh-t work! Correct practice is successful practice! luvsablue & Beckie the Bluey

I've got a soft crate which I sometimes use, it depends on the grounds, eg do you have to walk a long way from the car or can you sit near the car. Sometimes I prefer to tie her up, because if I make her too comfortable she gets too laid back and isn't as keen to work with me. I leave her in the back of the car when it is cold and wet, but really she is better right out of the car, which is like her comfort zone and as I said before can make her lazy/laid back. luvsablue & Beckie the Bluey

Beckie and I are working on our Distance Control for UDX. She was starting to come forward a lot after a few positions not good so I decided to teach her to take a step back every time she stands up, especially from the sit, (that's where she steps forward like she's lost her balance). It is cool, she's doing it after a week, now I have to shape it so she doesn't take too many steps back. When we started, she was running back now she's a bit calmer, and nearly doing it the way I want. luvsablue Beckie the Bluey

Thanks perfect partners, I'll try out what you suggest and let you know how we go in a few days. luvsablue

Hi all you clicker trainers out there, Help please. I've conditioned my old girl to the clicker. It didn't take long so then I thought of what to do next. I wanted to try getting her to stand and take one or two steps backward. Fine, but she's running back off the stand now, hardly what I want in the ring in UDX. How do I tone it down to to a nice calm one or two steps? I don't want to discourage this; it is great after 3 years of trying to show her how to do a stand without coming forward. The more I click and treat the faster and further she goes. luvsablue & Beckie the Bluey

Sheila was an amazing dog. She could turn in a 190+ in obedience one week and tell me to get stuffed the next. Hi Shaz, That rings a bell with me; they are certainly not "clockwork or wind-up dogs" but have a mind of their own at times. Perhaps another reason why they are not as popular as some other breeds. luvsablue Beckie the Bluey

Thanks Sheilaheel02. Your three dogs have a string of titles each, including two UDs. That's ultra impressive and shows their versatility and your hard work, luvsablue