ness

I am training my second trialling dog. My first was trained to novice level at a club and then on out of club basis through to currently trialling in UD. She later joined UD for ring practice but only once I was ready for proofing the exercises. My second dog has been exclusively trained outside of a club but has attended a club for distraction purposes. She tags along to both agility and obedience training and has done since she was 12 weeks. Ok I do lie she has also belonged to a pet dog club this year since she was 12 months and I needed more people exposure due to her being a tad shy. Wanted some carefully managed socialisation. The focus of this second club is pet focussed, there is no block heeling and I am careful to pick and choose what I want to do with her. Some weeks we don't bother but also now her attention span and motivation level is such that an hour class situation doesn't phase her and she will chill on her mat betwen exercises. We are presently tagging along to some CGC classes run by the same club for the same reason. There is also a bit of a motive as they may possibly be having trial based ring next year but it will only be open to those who have completed classes at the club already. I know the top WA dogs are not trained at a club and I wouldn't train at a club other than for ring run outs when I am ready.

Thanks for the congratulations and the best of luck wishes for tomorrow - not holding out any hope though as I won't be setting my alarm so if we sleep in we will skip the trial :D .

Goodonya caffy - it appears I require no friends in attendance and nobody to harass to video . And while your presence wasn't required it always makes for a great trial when you do decide to come :D .Have to say I have certainly learned my lesson and little miss junior will have independent contacts and a decent startline and NEVER be allowed to get away with anything less .

Goodonya - agility today she is a very clever Ness. Not sure she was 100% up to it today but we walked away at long last with leg 7 of her Masters Agility and therefore her ADM title. Couldn't give me a double pressie of the OA but oh well she wants to eek out her retirement a fraction longer. It wasn't a particularly fast run and it was baby sat very heavily with very few risks. Not sure either of us will be awake enough to do UD tomorrow though :D .

As I said its more then just the barking. You get frustration barking but its the whole package.

To answer LP its midget dog I am talking about its its more than just the barking but the look on her face as she gets a cheeky make me look to her .

an opinionated moment. It was merely a hypothetical although I do get the occasion where I can be training a behavior I change nothing I ask for the same behavior and all I get a certain dog just stands there barking at me rather than behaving herself . Although the worst bit is when she barks at you and then maybe half a second later then gives you the correct response . Its certainly not underpaid, its certainly not due to confusion and she does know what your asking.

Hmm lets put this scenario to you. You ask the dog for a behavior - only something simple which they can do in an environment which they are 100% happy in, dog does behavior you reward and I don't mean a token reward. You ask for the same behavior again - this time dog barks at you and stands looking at you but doesn't comply with behavior. You have changed nothing, its a behavior the dog understand 100% of the time (as much as a dog can be 100% proficient), in a variety of locations, you are asking for the behavior in a environment which is in essence a skinners box with no distractions (thinking a room in your house with nothing to distract the dog). Your tone, body language are for all intensive purposes identical to that used the first time. Now I wouldn't think the dog is underpaid or confused so where does that leave you .

Goodonya . I know I just need to line up a job before I come and you need to finish your place :D .

I have a 16 month old and people keep asking when she will be ready to trial. She is shy in temperament so will struggle with a SFE so I have been in no hurry to introduce her to that until I can get her comfortable around people without being forced to do anything. She has reasonably solid foundations and can already do some of the preliminary stages of the higher level work. There is certainly no rush to get them in the ring. After all you could conceivably pass all the titles in 15 trials if the dog is trained . 12 if you don't enter CCD, so 3 for CD, 3 for CDX, 3 for UD and 3 for UDX (and then another 5 UD trials for OC). Of course it doesn't work like that in real life but anything is possible. If your dog can happily complete the UD/UDX exercises in a variety of situations then CD and CDX should be a walk in the park.

I need a new trial dog my current ones are non-functional .

RubyStar so you trying to suggest I need to come to the nationals :D .

Spotty or in the case of BCs .. confused, under paid or doing a great job training the handler .

Way to go Piper .

Hey RS it can be done you can achieve as much as you want with a dog whos inate motivation/drive is lower. Ness is believe it or not totally the same as your girl - won't muck around or play with me and its pretty much only about the food. She cares about very little in life other than to eat . She doesn't even care much for toys unless its to shred the soft toys which Kenzie loves so your one step up on me in that regard.

Huski - check out some of Ptolomy's videos on youtube - she has a nice stand signal.

Hmm I think I nearly passed out during the stays in Perth especially when we got to pass number 3 and I really badly wanted her title. Gawd they were the longest 5 minutes of my life. I am surprised I managed to walk back into the ring as I certainly wasn't breathing :D . Although the Royal show last year would have been about the same and then I came back and she had sat up . Hmm Jules P not sure Tassie is busy training I think its busy doing other things :D . Ooops figured I better just clairfy too busy working to support her dog habits. Tassie I keep saying its not fair that those Perth people have all the gurus in one location - I think they should relocate so the rest of us have better access .

Hahaha LP I said to RS go get a lesson with the guru you will come back way more motivated and want to train and then you better shut up about it cos I will be exceedingly jealous :D but hmmm was back off looking for jobs in Perth again yesterday/last night.

Yep you slackster Tassie better stop slacking and get out there and training Master Rory for something other than is good looks :D .

I don't think I said last night RubyStar but I could have, its also never to late to address the problem you are having - just have a chat to Sandi and Co regarding how Ness worked when I bought her over in 2006 compared with how she worked when I bought her back in 2007 and how she works now - remember she was 6 when I came over in 06 and had a lot of mixed training methods over the time :D . Even the WA judge over for the royal last year (who had been the same judge that had given her her final CDX pass) said she could see she had improved . I was barely getting passes in open - she could do the work competently but was a bit lackluster, mostly due to really shitty heelwork but her scores have improved quite considerably and she is now getting nice heel free scores and pushing 190 score in Open on a semi-regular basis (or making silly mistakes but still getting nice scores). Now if only I could bribe the UD gods for the coming weekend and start getting some UD passes on the board it would be lovely .

Pfftt RubyStar you got no excuse when you have the guru's living close . Better make sure there is room in that house of yours RS for a couple of black and white dogs cos we might just move on over . I love watching all of Ptolomy's dogs work and having had the good fortune of working them on the rare occasion they are just so much fun and as Ptolomy has said to me in the past Lara was the best $50 she ever spent . Go Lara - not bad for a "first" dog.

Rivsky about the putting off work comment. Ok I am still trialling my first dog and I am still not giving up with her yet. Ness got her CD in straight trials with placings an additional spare pass under the old novice rules - gawd I look back at that and really wonder how she managed. She was around 2 then. We had a bit of a forced break as she would not pick up a dumbbell. Lots of positive words of encouragement along the way and a few special emails that I still hold very near and dear from people who I had never met in person. When she was 6 I ventured over to WA for a three week holiday to stay with a person whom I had never met but who offered me my first chance of a lifetime (and also happens without her I probably wouldn't have got my second BC from WA - thanks Di ). So we travelled over west and three trials later we came home with our CDX title - one of those being the WA States. Not great scores but none the less a title I was never really expecting to be able to come home with. It was during those 3 weeks that I also met the one person (among a few) to whom I will remain indebted for the rest of my life (thanks Ptolomy ) and who has been there with constant words of encouragement through the tough times in the past few years. Came back and with her supportive emails I managed to train through all the UD exercises on my own. Back to WA in December 2007 for our UD debut and two weeks live-in torture with Ptolomy . Nope she didn't pass but she came so very very very close. We trialled on and off in UD through 2008 and the beginning of 2009 it started to go seriously pearshaped. I was getting frustrated because I know she can do it but it just won't come together. I took a break from UD and entered her in Open for a few trials and she has come back all guns blazing. She is routinely getting nice Open scores - would be nicer if they weren't so messy but on the whole the rounds have been good. My handling has continued to improve and Ness is still putting in enough nice rounds to make it worth continuing. We are just about to enter a period with a number of obedience trials and I have made the decision to go ahead and attempt UD again. Fingers crossed there is a UD pass around the corner although its not just fingers crossed we still have a hell of a lot of hard work to put in. After that who knows. My little up and coming obedience prospect is going to take me longer then I thought to get ready for the ring so will see what happens.

Yep mine get veggies for weight control. Ness puts on weight like there is no tomorrow and at least she can have a second meal of veggies while Kenzie eats her other meal. Ness has always had 2 meals a day and if she gets fed once she tends to head off and find stuff so therefore it keeps her thinking she isn't being starved.

Goodonya caffy - hmm suppose that means Kenzie might have a finish and the start of a 2o/2o contact by the end of the week . Ptolomy certainly isn't the only nagger .

Hmm fair call K9 but the few I am thinking of I have also trained with and I am positively certain they don't use them.