fido666

Hi again, Just to add to what Packsapunch said, yes keep going, sometimes the judge will think "Oh I must have given the wrong command" seriously! It's all to do with that air of confidence thing I alluded to earlier. For me Encouragement was easier than Novice, less riding on it. Remember, it is supposed to be fun Cheers, Corine

Try not to practice too much outside the ring, the dog will get bored and you will stress more. Enter the ring with confidence and try not to stare at your dog too much. If you know she can do the exercises have faith that she will. It's encouragement remember, we are not talking sheep stations! The judge will be mindful that this is a novice dog and handler so try not to stress too much. Just breath and unclench those butt cheeks, you will be fine Good luck Corine

Hi Haven, If Robin Wilson was still practicing in Nth Ringwood I would send you to him. He still does home visits to my friend's house and was my vet when we lived out that way. He came out to his surgery one night to try and save my old girl's life, he did everything he could but her heart gave out poor lass Nowadays he has some involvement with the Animal Aid in Coldstream but don't know if he has a practice there as such. I used to go to the vets on the hill coming in to Lillydale from Chirnside too but I can't remember their names . Cheers, Corine

Hi KitKat, I got mine today when I checked the PO Box. They stamped mine as underpaid too Even with 2 clickers in the envelope it should not have been more than $1 by weight I would have thought. I wouldn't think they would put bubble packs through the slot thingy, it's normally only used for letters. I sent a heavier letter than this parcel to Qld the other day and it was only $1. I would argue the point with them. I'm happy to pay any extra postage, just let me know. Cheers, Corine

Hi Nat, I give my boy rawhide chews, he loves them. Bones are all very well but make a real mess on the carpet I have never had a problem with them, with any of my 6 Collies over the years. I tend to go for the big rolled ones rather than the chips though. Cheers, Corine

R.I.P. little Ewok :fetch: Run free with the angels. Carebear, she had a good innings. None of my dogs have lived as long, she did well poor mite. Regards, Corine

Hi Nat, I'm see you do all the usual stuff to lure her into a sit from your earlier posts. To stop her from dropping try placing your foot sideways in front of her paws just as she sits, that way she can't slide them forward to go into a drop JMHO :D You have to be gentle about it so you don't startle her into jumping backwards. Being a Sensitive New Age Collie (SNAC) owner I'm sure you know about the gentle bit though ;) Cheers, Corine Edited for bad spelling

Checked the PO box yesterday and no clickers yet. It's OK, I have my Blackdog one to tide me over. Cheers, Corine

Hi KitKat, I haven't had a chance to go to the PO Box yet but will tell you when they arrive. Please PM me the amount you ended up ordering, my training school instructor wants to know :rolleyes: Cheers, Corine

Hi Dogdayz, I guess that's been a concern of mine, Duncan is too nice to give up on (and I wasn't planning too). He's fine at home and in the park (except for recall ), this sitting still at class drives him nuts (he's been doing it for months at home and not by his own choice). You met him not long after his op, we were coming back from physio when I dropped by KCC to buff up Prince Bailey. You saw how happy he was to be around Bailey, that's what it is like in class. Cheers, Corine PS: Thanks to everyone who has replied and pm-ed me, your support is wonderful. Edited because quote thingy was back to front

Hi Chezzyr, If she is as distracted as my boy you will need the Dim Sims If you find a million dollar food use it as a high value reward for more complex training like recalls. Get yourself a treat pouch (Black Dog ones are good) and line it with a zip lock sandwich bag for the messy stuff. I just haven't found that million dollar food yet . She may be fine in class, she has been around other dogs before you got her. Duncan has been kept away from them for several months so is making up for lost time ;) . Cheers, Corine

Hi PGM, In fairness to the instructor I should point out that she did make some suggestions (sit & look at distance from other dogs, etc). I guess I was more annoyed that we were out of her sight for most of the class so she missed the good stuff he did do later. I was upset so did not argue the point (no point starting a fight). At least she did not bail me up in front of the rest of the class. Cheers, Corine

Thanks Mel, some good suggestions there. Nat, surprising how wearing them out calms them down Slightly off-topic but thought you'd like to know Ebony's breeder has an imminent litter (but you probably know this already ). Cheers, Corine

Thanks everyone, my confidence was completely shot! Sit & look at distance from other dogs have been suggested and I will try this. He responds to toys well, rope toys and balls, as well as praise. They just aren't strong enough distractions in class although they work better about half way through. I should add that he has doggy pals at out local park and is allowed free play with them (slap me now). I guess he just views the dogs at class as more pals. He loves other dogs and people in the park and street but is a little wary of visitors coming into the home (probably because they ring the pesky doorbell 10 times, it's a long house). We have tried clicker training with food, must try clicker training with toys Sorry Nat, no Collies except for him. We want to get him a doggy pal (I would love nothing more) but would that make things worse? Cheers, Corine

Thanks for the reply Mel, I have pm-ed you some details. Cheers, Corine

Hi all, I have a young (almost 12mths old) entire male Collie Rough. He broke his leg at 5 mths old and needed follow up surgery in Jan this year to correct a growth deformity in the bone following the break. As a result he has been confined to the house and small yard for many months, he has only been cleared to get out and about in the last month. During the recovery period he was only allowed leash walks and did not get to see many dogs (only at physio or the vet). I have recently started taking Duncan back to training, before the surgery he had attended Puppy Preschool and Canine Basics courses. At class he is incredibly distracted to start with. The trainer we have been going to has "encouraged" me to think about Duncan's suitability for a class environment. She went on to say that "unless he can pay attention to you 'no matter what' you will not have much success in a class situation". I agree he is very distracted but since he's not food motivated and I'm not allowed to use squeaky toys in class (and I accept why), I don't quite know what else I can do. Rope toys work for a while but he has an overriding desire to see what the other dogs are doing, tucking him round the corner away from them does not help much (in fact it seems to make him worse). It worked in puppy class but he is much older and bigger now. Short of starving him (which I will not do) I can't force him to live only for food. We withheld most of his dinner the night before the 2nd class and skipped his brekkie (he was really annoyed about that) on the morning of class and it didn't make any difference. It was half way through class before he realised I had nice yummy roast pork in my treat pouch. I know about NILIF but it is not practical to serve all his meals (vegies, pasta, rice, etc) as treats. We went through a phase of "I will only eat if you hand feed it to me" and don't wish to go that road again. Am I being unreasonable in being annoyed at the trainer over this? She can't seem to cope with the fact that not every dog in the world lives for food. I know I have some catching up to do as Duncan has missed out on a lot of socialisation with his confinement. He is very good at home but just loves the company of other dogs (he is currently an only dog) so gets very excited when he sees them. Sorry to go on, I've always had multiple dogs before so don't know if this is "only child syndrome" or just bad behaviour. I have been advised by the same trainer to not get another dog until he is at least 18 mths old (behaviour problems at around this age cited as the reason). Any advice gratefully accepted and sorry for the loooong post. Cheers, Corine

Hi KitKat, Blue for my blue dog please (but it doesn't really matter). I can do direct deposit if it suits. Cheers, Corine

Hi Kit Kat, 2 is fine for me thanks Thanks, Corine

Hi KitKat, I know you've closed the order but if you have any spare let me know. I only have the one and it's great, will probably lose it though . Cheers, Corine

See, she can play! You just need to find what motivates her and offer her toys that fit. Cheers, Corine

Hi Chezzyr, Sorry, have to disagree there. Of my last 2 female Collies the first was toy mad, from the time she got up in the morning to the time she went to bed she hwould be bringing me her toys. She was playing with her squeakys on the night she passed away in her sleep . The other never did care much for toys, but I got her when she was 5mths old and hadn't had toys as a baby. Cheers, Corine

Thanks Nat. That's the one I bought, just have to figure out correct fitting Cheers, Corine

Hi Nat, Did you buy the training collar or the limited slip one? Cheers, Corine

Hi Chezzyr, I haven't had this problem with any of my Collies, except for one who was 5 months old when I got her. It wasn't that she didn't like to play, it was more she didn't understand what toys were. She was extremely jealous of my other Collie playing with toys when she first came home, would fly at her even though the other was older. I can only think she thought toys were food and the other girl was getting more then her It settled down but she was never as playful as the other girl. Try some homemade toys, bits of old cloth tied in knots, plastic bottles filled with uncooked pasta and shoved in a sock, even egg cartons for ripping; even an old cardboard box can be fun. It might just take some time for her to figure out what toys are for. Being around other dogs playing with toys may help JMHO. cheers, Corine

Hi GMD, I use a martingale collar on my Collie but only when training (so with a lead attached). The only comment I'd make about the one in your pic is that the buckle bit might come undone, the one I have is stitched so it can't. Also, make sure the buckle does not end up sitting across your dogs's windpipe once adjusted otherwise it might be uncomfortable when tightened. Cheers, Corine