PAX

I think you would have to leave the Crestie and the Boston at home until you fixed this problem with the Lab. Sorry to make you walk more BL .

This is a bit like how long is a piece of string. I have had trouble with my dog releasing his kong and what Susan Garrett suggested to do was this. Hold the dogs collar still and steady with your left hand near your left leg. Hold the item that they have in their mouth with your right hand without tugging or making the item move. Just wait until they let the item go. With my dog this took quite a while (maybe ten minutes) before he let go. When they get the hang of it then add a que word, whatever you like. I say "out". You would need to have the dog on lead at first. Maybe its a "leave it" you need to teach if she is running from stick to stick, on lead. You could try swapping for food but my dog wont swap a high value item for food.

Congratulations Lablover I cant wait to see his picture. I think we will need monthly uddates as well. :D

Those retrieveing "retrievers" are amazing I just need Lablover sitting next to me to explain the rules. Thanks for posting the links. Rusky, Im not sure what your talking about. Do you mean the stick they hit the dog with when its on the arm? If so that's all part of the game as far as the dogs are concerned. I don't know what you mean by kicked and beaten.

I tried a couple of the links as well and only got fancy American Advertising Lablover, did you get my PM?

Please remember to take a miute and vote for Josh and Moses. They are listed as "Leaping retriever". Go the DOL dogs.

How old was your girl? I am so sorry for your loss, as an owner of two young healthy Dobes i can only try to imagine how you must feel.

I feed my dogs a BARF only diet and when I had to board them i supplied raw chicken and barf patties frozen into daily amounts. The boarding kennel was happy to feed this to my dogs. I don't usually feed BARF patties because they are quite expensive but i thought it would be easier for the kennel. I also took their beds and blankets from home and some of thier favourite toys. I fretted for them the whole time i was away but the dogs were fine.

No, but you must due for another holiday. Sorry back to the topic :D

I used to have this problem with my dog as well. I think that they learn they are there for the long haul so might as well get comfy. When i thougt about it I found that i wasn't consistant enough with his everyday training. For example; If i was chatting to some one and he was with me on a sit after a little while he would drop and i wouldn't comment because i was chatting. So i was much more careful everyday that a sit was a sit and nothing else. It really made me wonder how well he knew the command sit. I also went back in my training a bit and made sure i returned before he thought he should get comfy and drop then slowly built the time back up. If your dog is dropping while you back is turned perhaps you could take a mirror with you so you can watch in training as you leave and give a verbal if she starts to look like she is shifting her weight. It's very frustrating because they haven't actually broken but still failed the exercise. I could write a book on a hundred ways to fail a stay. :rolleyes: Once my dog rolled around in the grass on a down stay at a trial, never broke just had a lovely time scratching his back. He looked like a horse.

Hi Phantompark, If you look up "Fireax Dobermanns", just do a web search. They have an excellent site on feeding BARF. I feed my Dobes lots of whole RAW chicken and have never had any problems. Good Luck :D I had to punctuate cause my grammar in crapus maximus

The only thing is can suggest is that is why she was behaving differently, smart puppy. If she does that in the future quickly find an appropriate toilet spot. Sometimes pups just need to go more often than usual just like we do. Don't worry about the other shoppers, Flossy will change her looks so quickly they wont even remember it was her and who cares anyway. They can't complain because that would be descrimination. Besides she is so cute i bet her puppy puddle was too Hugs to you and Floss Lisa

Have we gone Off topic again??

Havens Example clearly shows how "NO" can be a punishment. Good job Haven It really depends on the dog. I think to a novice dog "no" doesnt mean much but to a trained dog it can be quite a punishment.

Dear Muttley, I am sure you will get lots of different opinions but here is mine. I would not punish a dog in this way. If i was a dog i think chasing chickens would be a hoot, all feathers and noise. When i first got chickens (many years ago now) i would take the dogs into the pen on lead and reward them for ignoring the chickens, i didnt take to long and they showed no interest in the chooks. I also would not continue to punish a dog after the act. I dont think your dog will understand why you are behaving like this and she would of long forgotten about the chicken. Good luck

If it was my cat i would put another litter tray in her new toilet spot then very slowly (over a week or two) move to the desired location. Lisa

Erny, At the last trial i went to (Port Macquarie) they ran Encouragement Novice, Open and UD after the competitors had finished and the same judges judged it. It was excellent and a lot of people had a go in the next level. I wish they always did it.

My dog is using the NILIF program on me..........lol I dont let them have toys (only when we train) but they often have tennis balls that get hit into the yard by my children and neighbours kids. My dog will come up to me with the ball in his mouth but rarely will he let me have it unless i swap it for something else. I think he is using NILIF on me.

I dont think it matters that he is 20 mm over for his breed because one of my dogs is a purebred out of both Aust champ parents and he is way over the breed standard. I would get your dog remeasured at another trial. It seems strange that you have had an official measure at 370 and now another at 380. One of the measurements must be wrong. Maybe they didnt get down through his coat or maybe if he was worried and he was right up on his toes. I like Jap Spitz.

I often wonder the same thing and i love to pat my dogs. I have taught them to put their heads flat in my lap before i will pat them. The do it all the time and it lets me be able to pat them non stop without guilt. I love playing with their velvet ears. Not sure if it counts but its what i tell myself.

Amen Can you please answer the toilet questions???? Sorry but you started it, well LL did.

K9: so do I but its a nerve test, when a dog starts to poop, does it do it regardless of my location, or does it circle when doing it, keeping an eye on everything... This tells me much about the dog, a strong nerved dog doesnt feel open when in that mode.. Excuse my ignorance, Are you saying that if a dog circles when emptying in a strange area that it is weaker nerved than a dog who does not??? I will have to pay more attention to how my dogs poop, I'm pretty sure they just do it with no circling. Who would of thought pooing could give you information I love this topic

I have two Dobes (as everyone probably knows) the first one was raised on a farm and we owned a whippet. The whippet and the Dobe would come riding with us and chase wallabys and whatever else. When i got my dog Ruben, I didn't let him run with the others because i knew it would of been far more rewarding than anything i could provide. Now he is two and he looks to me for all fun and he thinks all the best things come from me. I can play with him anywhere and he would never leave me. He loves to play with our bitch but he would always prefer to work with me than play with her. Our bitch is also good to train but she would rather hunt than work. I agree totally with what K9 is saying because i can see with my own dogs the difference and i really didn't have a clue, I just happened to make a good decision almost by accident. I love how much these dogs have and will continue to teach me about dog training.

One of my dogs nails are like cutting rock so i use a dremmel twice a week. Its the best thing since sliced bread and the dogs dont seem to mind it one bit.