sidoney

This is from my puppy guide: 6. Stay There are a couple of ways of teaching "stay". One may work better for you than the other. First way Have the dog lying beside you. Your hand closest to the dog lightly holds its collar, not putting pressure on it, but also not letting it move forwards. Your other hand places some food a little in front of the dog, out of its reach. It will try to get the food. Just hold the dog still with the collar, don’t pull against it. Immediately it stops pulling towards the food, reward it. Reward each time it stops pulling. (Edit: you can reward from different food or from the food that is in front of it. The main thing is that it associates staying still with getting the reward.) Surprisingly soon, it will stop pulling towards the food. Start saying "stay" while holding your hand in front of its face (this is the stay signal). Then reward. Start moving your hand from the dog’s collar (being ready to grab just in case). Start extending the time between the command and the reward. Stop putting food on the ground in front of the dog before asking it to stay. Teach it to stay in a sit and a stand. This method sounds a little complex but is actually one of the best ways I have seen to teach a puppy to stay. The dog rapidly begins to understand what is being asked of it. Second method Have the dog sitting beside or in front of you. Say "stay" and move a tiny step away then back immediately before the dog moves. Reward the dog immediately. Very gradually increase the distance or the time away from the dog (not both at the same time). Reward the dog when you get back to it. If the dog moves, don't reprimand. Just put the dog back in position and try again, but easier (closer or a shorter time). You have done too much too quickly. Teach the dog to stay while lying down, then while standing. Gradually start to delay the reward. Gradually start to reward intermittently.

Can you put in an extra fence at some distance back from the boundary fence? As an example, star poles and dog mesh would make an effective one and is not too expensive. Dog would not be able to see over from further back and would not be banging on the fence.

Let's relate it to racehorses, which I know a LITTLE about (although there will be people on here that know more). Racehorses have to run fast, and not be too freaky to cope with race meets. Not too much more than that, although there is a lot in it especially around the 1600m distance which needs a combination of aerobic and anaerobic ability. You can get a consistent winning family. Families like these will be more likely to breed on - that is why people pay so much for horses from them. Outstanding individuals can come from consistent families or crop up in other families. If it doesn't come from a family that has a background of consistency, it is less likely to breed on - look at Gunsynd as a well known example of that. If one was to parallel to dogs, I'd think that you would look for the outstanding individuals in consistent families to choose for breeding, and if that was not available, choose something good but not necessarily outstanding from a consistent family before choosing something outstanding from a background that is inconsistent or perhaps unproven. Thoughts?

It's like saying that chestnut horses are more flighty. chloebear, I think you've had enough people in other threads letting you know that your dog doesn't look like it has any cattle dog. Instead of trying to categorise her and maybe try to make her into what she is not, why not work with what you have? You can see or work out how focused or energetic or prey driven or pack driven and so on she is without knowing a breed category.

It makes sense ... I agree with the statements that say titles in themselves don't mean as much as the dog's aptitude or potential. Although it would also be fair to say that even in the lower grades, unless the trainer is VERY determined, the dogs that are really unsuitable are less likely to achieve titles than ones that are at least moderately suitable (doesn't mean that they are breeding material though). I do remember some time back hearing of a greyhound that took something like ninety something trials to achieve its CD. Can't remember its name now. But that is persistence! Also there are many variables. However I do believe that if there is a history of aptitude, there would be a higher likelihood of getting what you want than with dogs with no aptitude. Again, that is likelihood. Not all and not all the time. Probably the range of aptitude would be higher (in a scaled sense) than breeding dogs with no known aptitude. I think that it would give a higher proportion of dogs with the aptitude, whether it would give greater aptitude, that to me is less able to be said. Occasionally you get that outstanding individual - whether that breeds on is debatable. Sometimes it does, sometimes not, would depend on what it was that produced it.

If you use a compost bin, make sure you get something to turn it with. The quality of the compost after I got mine is much better than it was before I had it.

We have four dogs here ATM and more if we are fostering or as now, have puppies. I use the Gedye black compost bins and it all goes into that - dog poo, vegie scraps, and so on. Bunnings. I have one of the screw type compost turners. Like these. Also Bunnings. I have worms in there too. Two was enough for a time but now we are at three bins (more dogs). I have them placed between fruit trees and the trees love it - and when I need to empty one, the compost which is all broken down by now by composting and by worms goes onto the trees. We pick up poo with one of the pooper scooper things - with the scoop and scooper, long handles. Like this. Daily unless something comes up, but the aim is daily.

Perhaps you could set up an area in which he is allowed to dig. Digging is natural for them. Mine dig, usually to find grubs and worms and eat them. If he had a digging area in which you buried treasures for him, it could get the digging out of his system and keep it in one area. Just a question, how old is he? How much walking one does with a pup depends on how old it is - even if it thinks it can walk further, to walk too much can damage growing joints.

Yep, I agree with that. You can breed for drive in a dog. Also you need controllable and usable drive - no good having huge drive if it's nervous or if it has problems learning. I have seen and had related to me that some dogs retain information better than others. And/or pick things up faster. ++ I want to add an addendum to what I said above about my own dogs ... I have to keep in mind that most of them will end up in pet homes and so I don't breed for huge drive, but for medium drive. I also want a dog that is able to focus, and that will learn and retain information. When breeding performance tested dogs, you also have to keep in mind other aspects as well, like health, breed type and so on. If breeding only for performance breed type is not so important (e.g. Xia, my working Kelpie, who also happens to be an excellent specimen anyway), but for a multipurpose breed like the V. you have to keep it all in mind. And so it becomes a balancing act.

I think yes, if you breed together dogs that are proven to have aptitude, you are more likely to end up with dogs that have aptitude. (I refer to aptitude - smartness could be described in this instance as aptitude for the activity.) My girl, Cedar, has four obedience champions in her pedigree (I think from memory) and quite a few other titled dogs. She has agility titles, her siblings are successful in tracking and obedience (and show). Obedience champion sister, others working in the UDX ring. Half sister and half nieces working high levels in agility. I have been told by more than one of the owners how smart the dogs are, how well they learn, also that they have stable temperaments, including compared to other dogs of the same breed that they have trained or are training.

Hey what is a pet cam? I've not heard of that. Are you meaning as evidence that the neighbour is stirring up the dog? Or as evidence that the dog is not barking as much as alleged?

As far as I know, it varies with the council. (Where I am, it is very difficult to get any action apart from a form letter over barking dogs.) Which is good for me in regards to my vexatious neighbour who, like yours, complains over anything he can, but difficult for me in terms of another neighbour whose dog both barks and fence charges. I would suggest you call yours and discuss the situation. As you have an anti barking collar I think the council would see you as doing something about any barking.

:) Great stuff!

How old is Angel? I've had it more than once with adolescent doggies.

I'm sure I have read that most dogs have coccidia in their intestines, but that they develop immunity and it doesn't show unless they are stressed, or too young to have developed an effective immunity.

We sometimes have a bit of nocturnal stupidity here, with four dogs all crashing out through the dog door and so on. We have the odd rat come up from the storm drains (the dogs actually CAUGHT one a couple of days ago) and also have cats that sometimes come in. I bought one of those Jetcare bark collars recently (sprays air) and put it on one or another of the most likely ones to bark and things have settled down here ... the two working dogs in particular egg each other on. A problem with it, though, was one time I saw Xia get a squirt when Pickle barked right next to her - has not happened lately since the more general quietness around the place, but something I need to keep in mind.

Hide and seek - hide yourself when pup's not looking, and make some noise to help your pup find you. Then have a party when he or she finds you. You can extend this into your recall games.

This is a pretty fair sort of chicken agility clip. I have some stashed on the other computer, too, I think.

It could be some kind of growth inside your dog. I would get her checked out. I had a girl that had a benign cyst ON her vulva - started small, vet said don't worry about it, but it did get larger and sometimes get bumped or something and bleed - I should have had it taken off when she was younger.

;) :happydance: Errr ... yep. IMO, chicken farts could be the worst, although the ones you are describing are bad too! I've found they tend to fart more if they have had a few, than if they have their normal quantity.

Show chooks are trained to stand for inspection (at least, sort of - the better ones stand up and don't try to get away). We've had some very tame chooks here, too. IMO you could certainly do it with clicker training.

Check out "Eat Better" bowls - Dru mentioned them in response to a question I asked in the breeders forum (by PM as she could not post). They look like they could help your problem. For the non chicken neck component anyway.

That's what I thought Rysup - we had a cleft baby when I was a kid, and my parents showed and bred Goldies, and it didn't live long. Unless there is a wee little thing wrong there? Milk can come out of the mother, when she lets down - we have milk dripped around the place here at times. Although it could not be efficient.

You would think that a vet would spot a cleft ... it does sound like something is going on there ... What about a bit of mince? Less liquid?

Oh, hortie, sorry to hear of the diagnosis. Sounds like you are getting some good advice - sending my best wishes to you and Ebony.