fuzzy82

I have shaped the kickback stand, and also the fold down drop from the stand. Sometimes she mucks it up and sits instead, and if she then decides to do the fold down drop, she does get up in a stand first before folding back. She would have to, because she can't lie down without moving her front paws from a sit. Unless you teach it on a smooth surface, like tiles, then she could slide back into the drop, but you can't really rely on trials being done on tiles....

Is there anywhere in Brisbane (preferably northside) that does K9 nosework classes? I also looked into tracking, so is the all breeds tracking club at Upper Mt Gravatt the only place in Brisbane that does tracking? And also, is there anywhere around Brisbane that does SAR style tracking?

Are they allowing mixed breed dogs in rally-o? Because I was going to do formal obedience with my poodle x until I realised that she's not allowed.

Well, I've taken offense. I have two very well behaved Fox Terriers and two JRTx. Your gross generalisation seriously shits me. To top it off you are braggiing about walking your dog off leash and breaking the law. Good one. My puppy is JRT x mini fox terrier, and he is very well behaved and obedient (despite going through puberty atm), he is friendly with strangers, has never lashed out aggressively towards any human or dog in his life, and when he sees other dogs he is always polite and friendly and just wants to play. He is not dominant with other dogs at all, in fact he is a bit of a pushover around my other dog.

I don't mind people walking their dogs off leash, as long as the dog is under control. Most dogs aren't under control even on leash and go nuts every time we walk past them on the footpath, so for most people it's a bad idea to take the leash off. There is a guy who lives up one of the side streets around here and he has two fluffy white ones, and he's always walking them off leash at night. He only has marginal control over them, and he doesn't seem to care much where they go, they're always running into the road. One night he was walking them past us on the other side of the road, and one of his dogs started heading for me and my dog, and stopped in the middle of the road to look at us, and nearly got hit by a car. The other night they were running around loose near his house and started barking and growling at me as I walked past (I had picked my puppy up), and again a few nights ago he was walking towards us on the footpath and one of the dogs stopped and stared at us. I got ready to pick my dog up, but then the guy grabbed the dog and ushered them both up a side street. This guy should not be walking his dogs off leash, but we have encountered other dogs off leash that are under complete control and it's a pleasure to watch them and be around them. All of the times I have had a dog actually try to go for, or gone for my dogs, they have been on leash, and have snapped as they pass by, or charged at her and been stopped by the leash, or actually pulled the leash out of the owners hand and charged at my dog. I don't trust on leash dogs much more than I trust off leash dogs. Most people that let their dogs off leash know that their dogs are friendly and can control them, at least that is my experience. I have even had people let their dog go up to my dog at pet stores while I have kept her on a very tight leash directly behind me while paying (because I couldn't watch her just then) and then suddenly hear barking and growling and snarking and then some idiot has decided to let their dog introduce themselves to my dog behind my back, while she was trapped by a very tight leash. And no, it wasn't MY dog barking and snarking, it was the other dog that they let go up to my dog that suddenly turned vicious. The other morning I was driving up our road and saw a rottie slip his collar and run across the road (lucky I didn't hit him) and started attacking another dog on the other side of the road. A collar and leash doesn't necessarily stop a dog from causing damage, the collar and leash should not be used to control a dog, it is merely a management tool. The REAL issue is that most people don't bother training their dogs. I let my poodle x off leash in a nearby bush area sometimes, I trust her recall, she always stays in sight and I always put her lead back on if I see people approaching in the distance. We also use it as an opportunity to practice her recall some more. I never let my puppy off leash, he fixates on things and would be impossible to call back.

My JRT x does this too, and lies down with legs out behind him regularly. He has a terrible puppy sit too, which I am trying to shape out of him.

RC is far from the best brand out there. On the dog food analysis site ( http://dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ ) RC only gets two stars out of six. I get Canidae, which is grain free, and is a 5 star brand. Artemis is another 5 star brand, but does have some grains in it. Canidae actually works out cheaper per bag than RC as well, which is an added bonus. You can buy Canidae and Artemis online here: http://www.petdeli.com.au/ or here (cheaper shipping on this one): http://www.animalhealthstore.com.au/

I usually have the other dog loose in the same room. Can't remember how I went about it, but the dog not being worked waits quietly and doesn't interfere. I usually work with each a few minutes at a time and then swap between them. I prefer to work with them one at a time though, I sometimes train my adult dog while the puppy is crated in the bedroom. I close the bedroom door and put the fan on in there so he can't hear the clicker, because then he would feel excluded and carry on.

errrr, my puppy did that too, he went stupid on walks and lunged and barked at everything that moved. Nothing a bit of desensitising couldn't fix, I just armed myself with yummy treats and tried to keep him below threshold.

What training methods are you using? Sniffing the ground could be a displacement behaviour/calming signal if you are getting frustrated with her or using a check chain etc. If she just does it because the ground smells interesting, I would train her on concrete or inside the house, until she knows the behaviour you are trying to teach. Once she knows what to do she will naturally be more focused on you when you move into a more distracting environment (like grass with interesting smells).

We actually run a business from home, and it's rather successful, so I have business skills and experience in dealing with clients, so I'm not really worried about that bit. As for -R, I agree that I would rather be using +R, but I have heaps more problems with +P than -R. -R could be a leash settle, which can hardly be considered harsh or stressful. It's just an extra incentive for the dog to get on the ground, and if done correctly it only takes a few seconds.

Funny how they point out "It is considered very unusual for a dog to attack without provocation". They don't seem to point that out a lot when it's a husky or amstaff doing the attacking. I read somewhere that pitbulls do better at temperament tests than GR's. And when my dog was attacked, it was a lab that did it.

Puppies usually are very tolerant of what older dogs want to do, they are 'worms' and the older dog is 'god'. My puppy lets my adult dog do whatever she wants, and she is quite rude at times, so it's up to me to stop her when she gets too rough and tries to grab legs and tail or hump him. I wouldn't allow another dog to hump my dog, it's rude.

I was looking at KP's course online, and would love to do it, but I can't find any info on one in Australia (a link would be appreciated if you have one). There is a distance learning option, but I would need to travel to the workshops and I'm assuming they are all in Usa, which rules that out, plus the course is $5500, as opposed to $3400 for the NDTF. I don't mind travelling within Australia, but can't afford to travel to Usa for it. But yeah, would love to do that one. I have decided to do the NDTF after all (unless someone can provide a link to the KP one in Australia, that would be my preference) because I was telling hubby about my issues with it last night and he basically talked me into it, he pointed out that it's something I would enjoy so it doesn't matter if it doesn't make me rich.

If you reward quickly enough, the dog won't move out of position. You can also teach the dog that despite being clicked, it should hold position. The clicker does normally end the behaviour and there is nothing wrong with that, but you can still have the dog remain in position, and just keep feeding treats while the dog is in position. Another way to do it is to not use a clicker (especially if the dog now knows what to do) and just keep rewarding while the dog is in position, then use a verbal release.

That's right, I am doing it distance learning even though I am in Brisbane. You need to attend two block training things, one week each. Thanks for the replies everyone, I think you are right that I shouldn't bring my own dogs to training, for the sake of getting more experience. As for using a check chain, why do I need to learn how to use one? Once I become a trainer, I would do clicker training or reward based training without a clicker. It's what I do with my dogs. I know how a check chain works, I know how punishment works, I have read enough books about the learning theory behind it that I know how it works, I don't see why I need to do it to someone's dog in training when I never intend to use it. There are dog trainer courses in Usa that don't teach punishment at all, so obviously it's not something you NEED to know. I am now a bit apprehensive about doing the course. Not because of the punishment thing, but because it seems there isn't a lot of job opportunity once I have finished it. Even if I start my own business there is a lot of competition. I'm not gonna spend $3400 on something that will never be more than hobby. I'd still really love to do it because I am interested in it, but I want to ultimately end up making money. I don't have thousands to spend on a hobby....

Did you do block 2 in Victoria Lollipup? No I did both blocks in Queensland. In block 2 we had Boyd Hooper and Steve Austin which I was thrilled about. Also I don't know about Melbourne or Sydney for sure but at block training we used check chains almost the entire time. They explain and show all the tools and methods. Definitely not bringing my dogs to block training then, refuse to use check chains on them, because they are both really soft and there is no need. This has made me rethink doing block training in Qld, maybe I will go down to Melbourne and do it instead. Do you get to say 'I don't want to use this method', or do you HAVE to do whatever they say to do to the dog you are handling? What if you feel that the dog doesn't need it or is too soft for that type of correction?

Yes, I am doing the NDTF. Glad you like it, I haven't heard anything about them other than what I have read on their site, so didn't know what they are like or anything. I heard somewhere that guide dogs are trained used rather traditional methods, but glad that's not true:) I know some places they still are, but I think most of the people I have talked to are in Usa. I have been considering working with the less adoptable dogs at the local shelter to get some extra experience, just teaching some basic manners. I used to volunteer with the cats there and I notice that the dogs lack mental stimulation and basic manners, and some of them have been there for 3-4 years....

I am starting a Cert III in Dog training in a few months, which is something I have always been interested in and wanted to do. Just wondering what the job availability is for training drug detection dogs, assistance dogs and that sort of thing? I could always do one-on-one in-home training and do obedience classes etc, but ideally I would like to train drug or assistance dogs, or something along those lines. Guide dogs are also an option, but not really a fan of using check chains so that wouldn't be the ideal job. Does anyone know?

As enlightening as this has been, I still don't really know what to expect from trainers. I was sort of starting to give up on expectations all together. I am frankly too scared to ask a trainer about anything particularly technical at least until I know them pretty well. It seems like the quickest and surest way to make an enemy of them. If I were to come into your class, would you want me to pretend I don't know anything and keep out of your way? Or would you want to know what my background was? How would you feel if I wanted to modify an exercise you set because I thought I knew how to make it more effective with my dog? All of the classes I have gone to they say 'set your own criteria' for a lot of the exercises. Such as loose lead walking, some people only want a loose lead, some people want the dog in heel, some people don't care which side as long as the dog is next to them. For the stand in my last class I continued working on the kickback stand. The trainer was telling people to lure forward for the stand (this is a beginners class, but we are only doing it because we are new members at the club, my dog already knows all the basic stuff). She saw my dog do a kickback stand and asked me to lure forward instead, and I told her I prefer for my dog to not move forward, and the trainer just said 'ok' and that was it. In one of our other classes the trainer wanted to teach 'leave it' by shouting 'leave' at the dogs and basically intimidate them into leaving the food alone. My puppy already knows leave it, so I told her I don't shout the cue at him, and she made me demonstrate by holding food out for him. I told him quietly and gently to 'leave it' and he did. I don't know how the trainer felt about it, but she didn't show any signs of being annoyed, and she has used my puppy to demonstrate other things since and there doesn't appear to be any hard feelings. I am paying for the class after all, if I want to modify slightly then that is up to me. For all they know I could be there ONLY to socialise my dog and not care about the training at all. I am about to start a dog trainer course, and if I was doing a class I would prefer people to work in a way that made sense for them and their dog.

He is an upset puppy. I don't think ignoring him is the way to go. He is a scared little baby and he's trying to tell you, but you ignore him. Lavish him with attention and games and do some training with treats, play crate games etc. You should be able to put him in his crate and he should automatically settle when put in there, if you make the crate a rewarding place to be. When I crate my puppy I cover the crate with a sheet or blanket. He is 8 months old and still will not settle in his crate if it's not covered. But when it's covered he loves it in there, he runs to it when I get his crate treats out and goes in on cue. Some dogs just like it when it's covered.

Not really difficult tricks, but lately I have been working on opening their own crate doors (by tying a rope to the door which they can pull), heeling (perfect heel takes skill and time), walking around an object, pivoting with front feet on object, hand touch and grabbing a toy (which will become 'pick up a toy in the distance and put it in my hand). It's all done by shaping, so it required brain power. I also shaped a roll over with my puppy, which was surprisingly easy, only took about 4 sessions and a total of 20 minutes (when he was 3 months). And yes, waving dogs are cute! I teach my dogs all sorts of useless tricks that I think are cute. They are not just useless tricks, besides being cute they are also shaping practice and mental stimulation.

My biology teacher in school told us dogs have no concept of time. (He also told us dogs have no complex feelings beyond 'content' and 'not content') But I tend to disagree. Firstly because my dogs are more excited to see me the longer I have been gone. If it was a case of 'she is gone', then they should be just as happy to see me after 5 minutes as they are after 8 hours. But judging by their level of excitement, it's a case of 'she has been gone x amount of time' (obviously they don't form that thought, but they understand that concept). Secondly, I have talked to people whose dogs have SA, and after working on it the dog can be fine when left alone for up to 30 minutes. But if the owner is delayed and the dog is alone for 1 hour, the dog will have destroyed the house. So again, it's a case of 'I have been alone x amount of time'. Thirdly, in a stay, they can hold it longer and longer with practice. They reach an mount of time that they have been sitting when they think 'I've had enough of this' and get up. So they must be aware of sitting for a long time vs sitting and jumping up straight away.

I would go with bamboo or hemp, as they are soft and durable, as well as environmentally friendly.

CM is evil, calling it whispering or dancing doesn't change that, it just makes a fool of whoever wrote it. Why would you choose to use physical violence against your dog when you can achieve the same results (AND have the dog do it all willingly and happily) with reward based training? I think people who like CM must be on huge personal powertrips and it makes them feel good about themselves to show their dog how much more powerful they are.