Tralee

Hi layka. I use repetition and have practically never used treats. It works for me.

Hi labs26. I don't use any rewards. My dogs have been trained with repetition. While repitition 'in situ' is best, I am happy with the results.

There has been an epidemic this year. The dog next door went down a few monthe ago. Another one around the corner just managed to pull through it. I had a major scare myself recently and thought I was going to lose Win'ja. There was a dog lost at the Vets in Tamworth during puppy school last Wednesday. Out here they have been dropping like flies. I am very sorry to hear about your loss Jintanut. ~The dawn is approaching, the night is far gone~ scripture""

Having met your champion, it is hard to imagine him not being in his back paddock. It is a loss that all those introduced to the privelege of owning a Maremma must share eventually. Yet, their majestic spirit lives eternal in the progeny of our breed. R.I.P Il Cane del Pastore Maremmano Abruzzese. The night is far gone.

Hi Social Butterfly. That's a heavy question with an equally complex answer. But it is one worthy of investigation and a determined effort of discovery. I was able to 'coerce' Sooki to 'perform' the tasks set for her at puppy-school using food rewards and she picked them up very quickly. However, I found food rewards a very abstract way of developing a relationship with my dog and after the novelty of seeing her slavishly comply, I discontinued the practice. It is my feeling that Sooki gives the greatest rate of response from repitition. My focus for her training is to develop basic 'dog' manners in her. I try to keep every situation as real as possible by placing her 'in situ' as much as possible. For example, when I take her down to the esplanade to pose and prominade we always follow the same routine. She is not allowed in the shops; is encouraged to meet and greet the local people and their dogs; and must not wander when we dine alfresco. I also try to make her other training, like show training, as close to the real setting as possible. Repitition is working beautifully for Sooki and I. She had a win today at Durack so we must be doing something right. (She was the only entry but they can refuse to award if the dog is not up to standard). It is hard to say whether a dog responds to the food reward or the repitition of the command. All that can be said is that the likelihood of the response being repeated is increased with a food reward. I like the idea that when I am using repitition my dog is acting as expected in real time in real situations. I hope that makes sense.

Hi Tess32. Sooki does the same thing, only we go to the same place because she always gets a free sausage and there are lots of calls like; "There is that dog again" Makes me swell up too.

Hi Caffiend42. So what are you doing? Getting Indy ready for Circus Auditions? ;) I use 'do wee' for that one. There are a lot of dead grass patches around here. Lie down is 'drop' or this could be one you could add. Sooki did this one perfectly first time, at puppy school. Stopping before crossing the road, and in the middle of the road (if you want Indy to look both ways), is basically a sit and a wait followed by a heal. My Beagle Bindi was briliant at crosssing the road. Isn't that 'fetch'. Bindi was a good fetcher. Bindi also used to run around crazy at a park on a 'go for a run' prompt. Sooki did stay the first time at puppy school too. Please don't do the play dead, especially with the finger gun. It is so crass and indignant particularly for a Beagle. Have you thought about getting him to scent out foxes and to give chase? ;) Forgot to add. I'm teaching (have taught) Sooki to prominade without going into every air-conditioned shop that we pass and to rest while I have a milkshake.

Hi sithspawn. My dog's favourite treat is a closely guarded secret. :D But treats and praise are not the only way to train a dog. Sooki is responding well to repitition. For example, she has to jump up into the back seat of the car each day. Another place I use repitition is when passing shops. I deliberately take her past the shops once or twice a week. She usually wants to go into every shop but has recently begun to happily saunter past them.

Hi pippa. Thank-you.

Hi byott. Well, I thank you for your question because I have been forced to evaluate my position on feeding my own puppy. When Sooki came from the breeder I followed her diet and fed her 3 meals and 3 snacks daily but did not give any consideration to the weight of food she was getting each day. Now, at 14 weeks my pup needs 10% of her weight in feed each day Since she weighs 12.4kg she needs 1200g. Her breakfast is 250g. A half a cup of oats, one cup of milk, 3 tbs of yoghurt and tsp of honey. She has 200g of chicken for lunch. The average chicken frame is 200g, or 2 chicken wings, or 4 chicken necks. Dinner is 200g of steak mince. She gets a cup of milk for supper. That adds to 900g She won't eat vegetables yet so I am thinking of getting her some BARF patties. Today she had black pudding, liver treats, and some ice-cream for snacks. I must add that Sooki didn't eat breakfast or lunch today but had breakfast, lunch and dinner all together which suggests to me that she is getting ready for just 1 or 2 meals a day. PS The rule is not to make any comments other than those that relate to the post. There may be many people here who know the person being criticised a lot better than those who choose to make superficial swipes at them. What I have found on this site is that you need to earn your credibility. I hope this helps.

Hi byott. On inspection it appears that you did double post. But you have also repeated your question, and that is against the rules. I don't think aatainc was being nasty at all but has the interests of the majority at heart. Tip: If you believe someone has been nasty then report it. When you respond in kind you only invite others to respond in the same fashion and ultimately you will lose your thread.

Hi byott. :D Do you feel like some reading? I hope so because there is an extensive list of links at the bottom of this link: http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/nutrition.html Let me know what they say.

pqm. ;) You make an interesting point and one worthy of further investigation.

pqm. ;) MattandBuddy are not training dogs here. They are asking a questions. How on earth do you expect someone to understand the answers they are given when they don't even understand their own questions? You suggest that there should be a separation between practice and understanding. I suggest that there is a separation between Breeding, Health, Training, Showing, Rescue, etc. and a discussion forum.

Hi MattandBuddy. ;) If that is the case then I think the first thing to do is to bring you up to speed. What is a reinforcer? A reinforcer is a stimulus event which, if it occurs in the proper temporal relation with a response, tends to maintain or to increase the strength of a response, a stimulus-response connection, or a stimulus-stimlus connection. For example, food is a reinforcer because it produces an increase in the frequency, or probablity, of the response that it follows. What is the difference between positive reinforcers and negative reinforcers? A positive reinforcer is a reward. Negative reinforcers reverse the pairing. That is, a noxious event is removed when the desired behaviour is displayed. Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment. In punishment, the aversive stimulus follows the behaviour. Also, extinguishing a response is not negative reinforcement either; it occurs when the reward is removed. So where would we use negative reinforcers and still be acting ethically? Simple, behaviours that have to be desensitised have a natural noxious or aversive stimulus. I hope this helps. ;)

Thanks poodlefan. I haven't read GYDWB yet, basically because I don't have a copy, but I have given Sooki some lamb flaps for RWB and it made her stink and brought the flies and swarms of maggots. I think with GYDWB and RMB I could just give her some alphabet soup. It seems to me that vegetables should be no different to what is recommended for us; a yellow, green and red one daily. She is putting on just under 1kg a week and was 6.4kg at 8 weeks and is now 11.4kg at 13 weeks. sooki gets too much dairy but hey; she eats what I eat. Or more correctly I eat what ever she is getting. :D :rolleyes:

Hi byott. Since it is rather urgent I shall venture into sharing the experiences I have had with my 8 week old puppy who is now 13 weeks old. However, I have to point out that I am not a Vet. as well as every other disclaimer. I was given the diet below by a professional dog trainer. I believe it's one of Billinghursts'. Here is a great diet for a puppy up to 12 weeks old. (Use smaller quantities for medium and small breeds.) Morning: half cup porridge (cooked lightly) 3 tbs Yogurt tsp honey Ripe fruit (Apple or Melon family) Lunch: Raw chicken wing or quarter frame Lick of Vegemite Dinner: Half cup of pulped veggies 1 raw egg with shell 3 tbs mince or cottage cheese tsp of oil (use a variety) Sooki (my dog) has porridge, lightly cooked, for breakfast and she loves it. Fibre is important for the prevention of bloat and diarrhorea. If anybody can tell me how to get kids to eat their vegetables I would also appreciate it. :D Now it happens that raw egg white can make dogs anaemic. Sooki was actually having a snack twice a day and supper. A baked dog biscuit in the morning, some cheese in the afternoon and the egg from her dinner in an egg-flip for supper. :rolleyes: Edit: to add snacks

Hi. Well, I've been using a Moulineux Food Processor and the veggies haven't been getting eaten. So, it looks like the juicer is going to be called up for duty. PS Vegetable juice, hmmmn. Well, maybe not.

As I have made obvious, I don't have any evidence of your fears. It is also indicated, in the quoted statement above, that Sooki has learned how to cope during periods of confinement and isolation. However, I have noted your points, as I have always done.

Yes of course, but the owners have to make some sacrifices too. It seems to me, the more sacrifices the better. I am happy to make an unrestricted number of sacrifies because dogs are reasonable; the number really required is limited. I am simply not willing to leave any out. It's only fair that people get more than a one-sided view. Besides owners can't always have everything they want either. I thought they'd be aware of that. Afterall, that's the commitment they make when they take a dog on; it's their responsibility and their obligation. Anyway, no advice, no judgement, no condemnation. Just an anecdote that gives another perspective.

Hi Gibbo. I appreciate that not everyone has the time, energy or interest that dogs require but I do think that the basics cannot be discounted. Animal care requires humane treatment, not just because its nice but because its the law. Hey greytmate. Great advice.

Hi Gibbo. Fortunately, I have enough time not to have to go down the "ignore the dog" route. Personally, I don't think it's good for them. I know it's not what's been done in the past, but to me the contemporary thinking of yesterday is so 'old school'. At puppy school on Thursday night we were told to check chain. I won't be doing that either. They also use a spray bottle. Hey, why don't you just use a bow and arrow? I, like you, also have a 12 week old pup but I can see that it is the only thing which we have in common. I know my views are not popular but this is the approach I wish to explore. I am not alone on this. My chief mentor has directed me to Delta Obedience. DOL is a forum. An open forum. An open public forum. I didn't bait you or attack you. Good Luck with your dog. Edit: reference to Delta Obedience

Hi Gibbo. It's your call. I just hope your house doesn't catch fire one night while you are happily ignoring your 'animal'. Communication. Nah! Dogs can't communicate. :shakehead:

Hi Gibbo. 3 weeks of puppy crying! geez! I also have a puppy who will be 12 weeks old tomorrow. Sooki has spent an absolute minimum of time 'crying' and doesn't cry at all now; not even when she is penned so that I can leave her for a time. I've kept her with me during the night. She has had to go outside to toilet twice a night and still does. She wakes me around 5:30am and we go to the beach so no problem. I can't see it being a toilet problem from where I stand because your pup must be going during the night. My feeling is that dogs are associative and affiliative creatures who need full and complete access to their carers and their family. IMO you are blocking his access to you by keeping him separated from you, especially at such a young age. (Hey, you others, I am ready to realign my views if I come across evidence to the contrary or some logically reasoned arguement). We can't know how much company they need but my bitch goes off on her own when she is maxed out. Lonely? I could go on about the cycle of helplessness that develops in their mammal cousins (humans) from loneliness, but I won't. So, no advice, no judgement, just another anecdote for you to see another perspective. Good Luck. Edit: female gender to male.

Hi ezza. I have a vague recollection that ticks should not be removed with tweezers because they break off and their heads are left behind. I think there is a household solution like vinegar or salt needed to remove them. You might need to do a search.