bedazzledx2

I'm whipper snippering the yard after Ptolomy's snake scare. Just went over a bob tail :D Have to have a break for my nerves now!!!! Seriously? I have to worry about scorpions as well :D Mirawee your foal is beautiful ;) and GR how cute is your new boy Congratulations to Mason as well Louis sniffed a Mastiff's butt at the park yesterday Well done Louis!! A lot will be how relaxed you are at the other end of the leash so well done to you too! Well, I have been here for many mnay moons and I don;t think I have ever known we had scorpions here. All I ever worry about arre snakes and Huntsman spiders - the ones the size of a dinner plate - and they jump Have you seen any of those yet CC? ( :D ) CC they should probably issue a booklet to anyone who is contemplating moving to Austraila to advise them of the fact that it contains the most species of deadly snakes and spiders!! :D it was a pretty small scorpion, and I couldn't bare to kill it (i hate killing things, and i so didn't want to hear the crunch!), so i made my OH do it.. We've had plenty of huntsman here too - they do like to jump, and even though they are harmless, they scare the absolute bejeesus out of you when you see it on a wall or in your closet (which is what happened last week!). I always rescue them though - and take them back to the bush area across the road (who am i kidding it's probably the same huntsman coming back just to scare me!!) Funny about that article - a lovely lady i work with came in to show me the article this morning, as it's the breeder of her Aussie Terrier... I'm willing to be that she was misquoted - if the writer of the story has little interest in the topic, i doubt they were that interested in getting it right :D perhaps, with the pet shop thing, she did get the pup from the petshop - if the pup came with papers it would have been eligible to show (no mains v limited back then).

How about teaching an alternative behaviour? ie..see a distraction, focus on me. Lots of ways to teach this before the need for a correction should ever come into the picture. I think that with my girl sometimes, the consequence of losing something is far worse for her than the consequence of getting a correction. If she really wants the tug, she does not deal well with losing the chance to get it. Same with downing before we start tracking, she learned pretty quickly that dogs that don't down, don't track. So sometimes I think, if you can control the dog's access to the reinforcer (which is quite often true in daily life), then that can be a more powerful & memorable consequence for the dog than correcting the dog. What about for something that they will never be allowed to have? eg. never being allowed to pick up food off the floor while on lead, or never being able to greet other dogs while on the lead. You can't get rid of all the food on the pavement and you can't tell other people not to walk their dogs LOL In this case would you apply a correction or would you distract or is it something that depends on the individual dog? (just out of interest, I already have instructions on what to do with my own dog in this case )

The reliability is there if you train it right....can be done with a clicker. For the sake of argument, what really depends on the individual dog? What I'm getting at is a prong might be too strong for some dogs and just right for others, but what of the effectiveness of the aim behind using a prong, assuming it is to suppress behaviour? Suppressing behaviour is a sound approach if that's what is desired, and choosing to use a tool is no different to me deciding what reward I will use, except if I use a reward that is too hot it will be easier to fix than if I use a punishment that is too strong. If the prong is to be used as an interruptor, isn't the approach of interrupting the behaviour equally effective regardless of whether a prong is used or a clicker, for example? Providing they respond to the interruptor I don't think it matters what it is, but not all dogs will respond to an non physical interruptor all the time. Say the dog responds to a clicker as an interruptor most of the time anticipating a treat reward which is fine, except when they don't respond seeing a cat dart across the road..........chasing the cat is a more valuable reward than the treat and the reliability isn't there. Fiona

Pink bubbles work too

I vote for the red wine....the more you drink the better the rounds...its a win win!!!!!

Love it!!!! :p I can think of a whole range of cheat T shirts...with or without the profanity!!!! I need one of those t-shirts that say 'smack the handler, pat the dog' or whatever it is Yep I definitely need one that reads something like "Blame the handler!" Or "She can do it at training!" This one is funny

Huge congratulations :rofl: Thats a fantastic achievement!!!!

Yeah...bit rough and ready is our George!!!! If you want some bedside manner...go somewhere else :dancingelephant: He's the first vet I'll turn to in an emergency though. Way to go ;) I've got good news, Sophie has a sprain not a tear although she may tear it yet because like George(Vet) said of the way she walks (she has funny bandy legs), but I'm resting her for another week at least and she's going back for another cartrophen injection in a week so fingers crossed she'll be fine, she ended up having her anal glands done he said they were really blocked up and that's why her back end was up funny . yay george is great guessing swan vet lol. knows his stuff ifa monday ticket goes begging again i will snap it up plz i need one for my photographer kelari and i are entered sunday i got my stuff today too put in the dog box before i lose it rofl Good old George gotta love him, when he said to me "How much did you apy for your dogs" I said " have a guess" he said " Nothing!!!" Bloody George!! Only vet I know that could get away with it bless him!

Back from the Adelaide Royal where we have a brag Brookie won UD on 195 the first day and Ptolomy's Scoota won Open with a magnificent round scoring 199 on the second day!!! Good kids Tough conditions with lots of distractions happening. Had I known that the area where we did scent was the marshalling area for the show dogs all week I think I would have elected to use the mat for the first time! Note to self...check these things out next time The boys did really well and there was some lovely work by lots of dogs demonstrated to the public who were very appreciative, sometimes applauding before the exercise was finished! Gotta love a Royal!!!!

Congratulations Ness!!!! Hope you gave her a very big jackpot!!!

Eeeeuuuuwwwwww!!!!!! Dogs are revolting sometimes aren't they!!!!! Yep..sounds like supervision and pick up is in order!!!! Mine love cat poo....truffles!!!!! and then want to kiss me...I don't think so!!!!

Depends on how you train. In my book a cue is a cue and most competition behaviour should be on cue. Dogs know context and will not be confused by different activities unless you train one to the exclusion of the other like we did in the bad old days and then try and change. For example dogs know that for obedience, heeling is done on the left. If you train agility then in that context they can work off your right (not heeling BTW ) and have no problem switching sides. My Aussie who was trained in both at the same time has no issues with this at all but my kelpie who was trained firstly in obedience and then was allowed to train agility was always uncertain about working on my right and would switch back after a couple of jumps...not helpful in agility! (this was back in the days when agility was obedience with bumps!!) A start line stay is as important as a stay for a recall, just a different context. Most progressive clubs have no problem with training both simultaneously.

Wow! Nice run!!!

I thought that was an extra special move Congrats on your win...Kinta was flying! That's what I always think too RS - but I'm sure Millie worked beautifully and the score was well deserved So many congratulations to go around for this weekend!! Well done to Sieta and Ella, as well as Bedazzled and Ptolomy!! My brag is that I took a classic tumble in my agility run with Kinta, yet we still managed to pass and win the ring! good girlie!

Brookie was a good boy today and won the UD ring Ptolomy's Scooter won the Open ring and was second in UD. Gooood Boys!!!!!

Millie was outstanding today RS What a good girlie!!!! Ruby was working beautifully too but that bloody stand for examination gets her evertime...she's just too friendly

Woo Hoo!!!! Well done Ella and Seita :p :p

Sounds like awful conditions! Glad you got home ok! Better luck next time!

Second year mirawee He's a good boy! If I don't get mine by Monday I'll have to go in and get another copy.

Congratulations sas and the lovely Dante How did the recall go?

Its such a hard decision but the most selfless thing we can do. It's the price of owning a pet but what a gift they give to us... Thinking of you

I still haven't got mine!!! ;) Only bills in the post box Can you bring yours to the weekend trials so I can have a look see please? Woohoo go Brookie!! He must grace the cover at least every second publication :D Millie has her very first mention in the Canine News I had to show her her name printed

How exciting! I have 2 of his first books....they're now rare books on ebay

I haven't got mine yet...we are always a few days later. Yep it should be Brookie cause he won Top Obedience Dog Can't wait to get mine.

Bananas, watermelon, mandarin, apples... just about any fruit other than grapes (which they will NOT get to try!)