Kavik

Thanks guys So paddock dogs like to work with more distance, yard dogs like to work close and more pushy/noisy? Would this have any impact on agility potential - would one be better than the other?

Nice Video TerraNik!

I am looking at Kelpie breeders and they say some are better for yard work or some are better for paddock work. For those in the know, what would the difference be? Would this be able to be seen in temperament or is it only apparent when herding? Would it have any effect on suitability for other sports such as agility?

If I decide I don't want them looking at me at a certain time and want them to do doggy things, I give their release command and don't reward their attention on me for a while.

Yep, the Paps I've seen at agility are not quiet! Zippy little dogs though!

I don't use a cue either. Mine look back at me, but that is because I have made it a very rewarding behaviour for them to do.

Yep Kaos was picked for me, hadn't seen him before the airport either. My attempts at picking a pup myself didn't go too well (Zoe and Diesel)- the one the breeder picked was a much better dog!

Actually john.davey I think most working dogs would be happier working ;) They are chosen because they love to work! And some of them are shelter dogs that would otherwise have been pts, probably because they were so active.

Actually currently researching where to get next pup ;) though won't be for a while yet, want to learn more, especially about fixing those issues so that my next dog will actually tug (much more difficult than I thought it would be!), and get more experience so I know what foundation work I want to do and in what order etc. Sorry, Dally is not on the list

While I haven't signed up for Puppy Peaks I have watched the free webinars and enjoyed them. Especially the challenges webinar and seeing the challenges she is facing with Swagger - cheeky fellow and that she also has to deal with dogs leaving work, don't wanna don't hafta etc which have been some of the things I am really interested in figuring out how to fix. (Kaos will only tug in backyard, not at training or trials,and won't tug in presence of his favourite toy. Big FAIL for me on my first try to teach tug to use as a reward!)

The dog that I let the breeder pick for me has turned out to be the best dog I have had

I did a lot of work before taking it out on the road. I used Click to Calm and made sure my dog knew look at me = click/treat (will reread today) = got a good reward history for the behaviour I wanted. Then I started at a distance with dogs across the road (so there was no chance of the dogs meeting at all). At first she would still react but her reaction lessened over time when she realised that she could look at the other dog and then look at me and get click/treat. It is all about giving them the choice. Once this was established I went close, with dogs on the same side of the road but us in a driveway or edge of footpath to give her enough distance. I found using this also helped me to relax in my handling of her around other dogs as I trusted her and our training, that she would look at me instead of reacting. Also that I was looking for a positive thing to reward (looking at me) instead of tensing up waiting for her to lunge or waiting for a chance to correct her.

Yes, read it! It is very good. I should reread it too, probably lots of good ideas and things I have forgotten or not used but now that I am a better trainer I should try the more advanced stuff.

Sorry about name, trying to multitask and failing I guess Methods like LAT and those laid out in Click To Calm will help to build value in paying attention to you around distractions. It can become an automatic response where he will see a dog and look at you (this is what I aim for anyway) instead of pulling to try to visit another dog.

Have you done any focus work with Brutus? To focus on you? Clickers or marker words work really well. If you can make that a default behaviour then take it on the road, it is much easier to get them to focus on you rather than another dog if you have a strong reward history for that first. Much easier than trying to drag him away and much more effective long term than trying to distract with food as they are choosing to focus on you rather than the dog instead of just following food that is put in front of their nose. Pretty similar to what megan said

I'm guessing what you want is a watch dog (alert barks to tell you when people come to the door/property) rather than a guard dog (will bite)? Does your dog bark at any other time? At birds, in play etc?

I would get 2 - one for each.

Where are they?

For training purposes - clarity and understanding - it matters to me where he stops. If he stops 4on he doesn't really understand his position. This video shows what he sometimes does.

What I would do to fix zoomies: Work on obstacle focus - one jump exercises etc. Don't try to do a long sequence - only a couple of obstacles and reward when he is still focussed and before he gets it into his head to do zoomies. I had to do this with Kaos who started doing runners at trials. Do you have some exercises to get his attention before a run? I use circle work, spins, hand touches

I'm also trying to fix this problem (sometimes my boy will stop 4on instead) so was trying to see if the reasons were similar I am going back to basics - get into position fast on a plank on voice command and be exactly the position I want (I want a pounce into position both front feet at the same time). Kaos isn't as independent as I would like - doesn't like going ahead of me when I am stationary or slowing down, so I am working on that on the plank. He is also better on one side. We are getting there, but still a way to go with his understanding of what I want. I reward with food in position and sometimes release to thrown food and sometimes release to a toy to reward focus forward.

Where/when does she slow down? Is the whole obstacle slow or only near the end?

How do you reward her? Can she do it independent of your body position? How did you teach the down on the end?

What have you done to teach her her name? They don't know their name without being taught what you want them to do, it is just a sound to them, like every other command. ETA: I use their name as an informal recall, I want them to come to me and give me attention if I call their name, so that is what I teach that their name means. No point in putting their name before every command or every praise, unless you want the command to be "XXX, sit" every time, they won't recognise "Sit" on its own if you always pair it with their name as it sounds different on its own.

I'm glad NSW allows Associates to compete. Some of my friends have Associate Registered pound dogs that are very good at agility, and some of the best in the state are Associate reg dogs. I think pedigree shouldn't matter for performance sports, it should be about the performance only.