sidoney

Just solved your own problem. If you lure the dog it has to know that it's there before it does anything, as food is a PART of the behaviour rather than the REWARD. Also you tend to be engaging the nose rather than the brain. Luring is one of the big pitfalls of people who train with food and want to work without having food 100% of the time. If you are going to lure at all, you need to get rid of it as soon as you can - that means after only say 3-6 times luring, and then go to letting the dog offer the behaviour.

Might be time to think about a commercial DVD for people who can't get to seminars?

Something that they adore, soft generally works better than hard as it goes down better, and you also need to think of how easy or hard it is to use in different places eg. I am using pieces of raw meat at home but this would not travel so well. Some foods work well when cold/cool but get mushy when warm. I'd recommend you experiment.

Contact Lablover from this forum. She does high level retrieving trials. She has found that K9 has helped her tremendously with her dogs. It is all training in drive, no force. Also, SARDA dogs air scent very like HPR dogs do when searching for game, and have to work for extended periods. I strongly believe that the SAR weekend would give you lots of assistance in training your dog. As it happens a spot has become available, see this forum. I'm not intending to advertise really, it's just that I have HPR dogs myself and have seen how much I've learned by following up these related areas.

I more asked what the girl was like with the adults to see if it was just behaviour directed at the smaller one or if it was more generalised. What are the adults like with the pups? The girl maintaining regular interaction with the adults (in addition to training) will help to remind her that she's not top dog. The boy would also benefit from regular contact with adult dogs, training and being treated like a dog. It's possible that his dog/dog language needs refining if he's spent a lot of time interacting with humans and this might be a part of the reason the girl attacks him. It would be a good idea for both of them to be neutralised to all different kinds of dogs - look up the "socialisation and neutralisation" thread on the training forum. It's here.

I'd be separating them overall unless you are supervising. Being bullied won't help him. Stop her when she does it - suggest by removing her and penning her. What is the girl like with older dogs? BTW using language like "nasty" and "turd burger" is making judgements based on human interaction behaviours and motivations. Dogs don't operate under the same rules. She is simply being a dog - a successful dog. It's your responsibility to prevent problems and teach her the way you would like her to interact, by allowing desired interactions and removing her when she interacts in an undesired way.

Don Urquhart has moved to Tassie now. He is the partner of another well known Vizsla breeder. While she breeds for show mainly (and her dogs have also done very very well in obedience, agility, field trials, etc. etc. etc.) Don bred mainly for the field. Although they had lines in common - but different breeding goals - and so had different prefixes.

Steve's not joking. Two days ago I showed his approach to a friend who'd been having major stress and doggy relationship issues over her young dog's pulling. All fixed now. :cool:

here y'are

**Large snort of amusement** Well I'd be doing it at 1am then! Seriously, although it'd be fun, I really can't commit the time to coordinate something like that at this stage. I was thinking of finger pointing in a DIFFERENT direction.

It's most likely about forcing a dog to fetch ... some gundog trainers can be somewhat archaic, depending on force/aversives. Are you in Victoria? Talk to lablover - she has been training retrieving in drive, no force. Can you get to any of the K9 force workshops in Vic? I would recommend them. I just went to the SAR and drive training one in NSW and it was excellent - applicable to any dogsport really.

So who is offering to coordinate a NSW branch then??

I would recommend "drybed" as a way to keep her comfortable. On a raised bit if possible. It's often used in whelping boxes.

Date is on the first of those links.

Details on these pages: K9 force homepage (has Vic workshop links and info) Search and Rescue Vic weekend info

(SIA for minor hijack) WS: Hey, gee, according to that brochure Vizslas don't do gundog work. FHR: Now don't go telling ME that, not after the money I've spent on agility training, equipment, etc.!

Black boots were definitely the go ... my feet felt out of place in runners ... and was it camo pants or even perhaps bulletproof pants? :rolleyes: Just to add to my previous post, I'd been expecting to learn a lot, but I had not anticipated what a fun weekend it was, I'd actually been expecting to be somewhat intimidated by ultra capable people ... well they were certainly ultra capable, people and dogs, but intimidating was a long way off the mark. The friendliness and approachability of the SARDOG team went a long way to setting the sociable tone of the weekend, which when added to the learning experience gained, made it a most memorable and worthwhile weekend.

Suggest you consciously work your dog on your right MORE than your left then. That way, since you will probably favour your left when you are not conscious of it, you are likely to make it more even ... and get more used to working with dog on right.

Good weekend, learned a lot ... and stuff that can be applied in other doggy areas than search and rescue. Thanks everyone for a great, fun, friendly weekend. BTW Ellie says Helloooo everyone and I know she had fun too. Yes it was a good bonding time thanks :rolleyes:. We played lots of I spy, number games, etc. and we got to see several species of bird including silver eyes, red browed finches, and what I think was probably a rufous whistler. River (AKA "Son of Stamp") was a welcome sight though. Considering he'd been working for an hour and had already found several people I think he and Julie did great.

FHR I was looking at Utility Field Trials some years back but I think I needed to have a shotgun and licence or something like that? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

This is where "splitting" comes into its own. You can train each bit independently, at max. desire. If you deliberately slow the dog down, it's hard to get back. A dog may slow somewhat while it's trying to work things out but when it's got it, get faster again. BTW this is one reason for slow dogs, that is, dogs that aren't sure what they should be doing, whose criteria are "grey" - dogs creeping down contacts and so on. You train accuracy by breaking the behaviours down. Not by deliberately slowing the dog down. I am sure you don't mean deliberately slowing the dog down, baileyb. The ones that crash jumps most likely have just been "pointed" at jumps and see how they go ... these dogs benefit from being taught how to jump properly in the first place, as in gridwork, etc. Also benefit being taught how to work in partnership with their handler - and the handlers benefit from learning how to handle the dog in a way that is clear and consistent.

She could do any of these things you have mentioned ... why not go and have a look at each, have a try, see what you both like! That is what I would recommend!

ADAA has no clubs in Victoria. The ADAA site is working now.

18 months before trialing in NSW. Even that may be too young - some people jump and weave dogs too young and try to rush them in order to trial at that age. Dog needs mental and physical maturity for trialing. For training, it's OK to train younger, you can even train simple foundation work as a puppy.

In Victoria you have the option of both ANKC type trials for which you join the Victorian Canine Association, and NADAC trials for which you join NADAC Australia.