Kavik

I understand how traumatic having dogs rush you and attack your dog can be - one of mine was seriously attacked 7 years ago and it was terrifying, and I wasn't sure if she would make it. I think that seeing a behaviourist (for the dog to give you strategies to help you deal with occasions where you will run into off lead dogs, and it happens to everyone) and a counsellor (for you to help you overcome the trauma of the event) would help enormously. Certainly changing your walking route, time of day of walk, or as others suggested driving to a different spot to walk would help. My girl who was attacked does not like other dogs, so when I walk her I choose a quieter route where we don't run into other dogs, or where I can easily avoid them if they are there. There are also a lot of things you can do for mental stimulation that will help to keep your dog happy which don't require walking - teaching tricks, obedience skills, balancing and coordination skills, many things can be done in a smaller space.

All the clubs that I've attended are run by volunteers and the fees are very low ($3 or $4 per session plus a yearly fee of around $20), don't see how anyone is in it for $ ?

In ADAA they have to drop on the table, in ANKC they can whatever they like as long as they stay on the table.

I think they should have been PTS at birth. I think it is cruel to keep them alive. I also cringe when I see and hear about Faith

I haven't yet had a table in ADAA. I initially trained an automatic drop on the table (which he executed perfectly in our first ANKC agility trial ) but now he gives me a stand on the table in trials (table doesn't come out often in training either). He is pretty good on the table and sticks on it well, hasn't yet had a fault on the table in an ANKC trial.

My GSD has skin problems and I always think he looks pretty manky and somewhat thin regardless of what I do I am always worried that people think I don't care for him when I take him out on walks He eats over twice as much as my much more active and younger competing Kelpie.

That was a great routine

1) No punishment used in agility ever. Sometimes use of no reward marker depending on exercise and level of understanding 2) Agree with Cosmolo on reinforcement . Great part is you can break exercises down into small increments and train and reward separate parts of the exercise. 3) With weaving there are many methods that are successful depending on handler experience and dog. Some of the common ones are: a) using physical guides/barriers (not one I am a fan of) b) channel method - where the poles are offset to make a channel for the dog to run through and the channel is slowly closed until the dog is weaving c) slanted pole or V-Pole method - where the poles are slanted to make a path for the dog through the middle and the poles are slowly straightened until the dog is weaving d) 3 pole method for teaching entries (combination luring/shaping) e) Susan Garrett's 2x2 method using shaping

I am not an expert at jumping style (I haven't done any gridwork with my fella, as he seems to have a good natural jumping style and doesn't drop bars or having any jumping issues that I can tell) but she looks OK to me. I tried to watch the Susan Salo DVDs but found them rather boring and I couldn't stay engaged

Interesting topic, but do we really need 3 threads on it?

I have this book and was impressed with the work she was able to do with the Greys, though I agree the methods were not as positive as I was expecting given the title of the book.

Completely agree. Additionally, aside from health and hygiene reasons, dogs with upright ears can hear better than dogs with eternally floppy ears, as the ears are meant to be mobile and able to finely point the direction from which a sound originates. We selectively bred for cuteness and forced most dogs today to live with floppy ears, constantly bashing against the sides of their heads and getting itchy. I've had dogs with floppy ears and dogs with erect ears, and despite regularly cleaning the floppy eared ones, they still always noticeably scratch their ears more than the ones with upright ears. They also tend to get a funky smell if you don't clean them. Floppy ears are unnatural, you won't see any adult wild animal with them... As a doberman lover, I too plan to one day import a dog with cropped ears. Sure I think they look beautiful, but I also think my floppy eared current dobe is the most beautiful dog out there. I want a dog with upright ears for the health and functional reasons. I like his long tail because he seems to use it. That said, now that dogs are no longer being docked, hopefully more focus will go into producing dogs with proper tails that aren't so liable to damage from every day activities. The current boxer tail is pretty shocking - I've seen so many broken. bleeding ones, so at this point in time I would argue that it's probably a lot kinder to the animals to have them removed before they can feel pain. The only dog I've had with chronic ear problems is my current GSD - who has naturally pricked ears.

Yes, but when I say "good dog" she's always here... and yet if I offer her a treat she won't take it when sheep are there. I really need to take her back up the hill and try again. I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but when a dog is working sheep, food is probably not a reinforcer - the opportunity to work sheep is. I would use that, if it's appropriate. I agree with this.

I am not worried about my fella jumping 650 but 760 :D WOW that is high!

My large Kelpie jumps 600 in ANKC (he measures 570) , a couple of other large Kelpies and BCs do too, and I know a couple who jump them up a height class on purpose. He also jumps 650 in ADAA. I couldn't believe the cutoff for ADAA though - some of the dogs which have to jump 650 are not very big

Well done Chloe and Peppi Great work for a first trial!

Great result!

I leave mine outside in the yard if I go out during the day, inside in their crates if I go out in the evening. I have 6ft colourbond fences and make sure they can't be opened from the outside.

And I think even with Schutzhund, for a first time competitor who hasn't owned a high drive working breed before, it would be difficult for them to start with a very high drive Malinois. I have a high drive Kelpie (who is doing well at agility) but I am still not sure whether I am up to dealing with a high drive Malinois (though they are on my list). Different temperament, different size, different kettle of fish.

In agility there is quite a range of breeds that do well in different height categories. Generally the most competitive height category includes the Border Collies, Kelpies etc but there are some very fast Papillons, Shelties, Poodles, Viszlas, Corgis, Staffies along with others that are equally as competitive. Different heights provide different challenges to both dogs and handlers on a course as well. And of course different people prefer and work better with different breeds. There are also different handling systems and different ways to teach the various obstacles. Whereas I would think there is less variation in Schutzhund?

Thanks! The thing was, I thought that one of the useful parts of rearend awareness training was the ability to put the dog into a very nice heel position. My problem is that every time I take a step towards the dogs, they pivot so they are never next to me. Rearend awareness training is great for teaching them where their rear end is, which is one skill necessary to a nice heel position and especially useful in left about turns. I keep this exercise separate to teaching heel position/left turns/left about turns. (though at the moment my main thing is agility anyway but for my obedience dog I keep them separate, for my agility dog it is just a fun exercise anyway that is useful in teaching them where their feet are for agility in general). Like corvus I take advantage of logs and tree stumps at parks to practice balance and rear end awareness. Kaos is really good, Diesel not so good

In agility I have seen experienced handlers who have done very well with a different breed decide that to be more competitive they needed a Border Collie, but haven't yet figured out how to handle their Border Collie as well as they handled their other breed, as well as novice handlers with driven dogs who struggle with control.

When I was taught this (& it was at a DWD), the dog puts it's front paws on the box & faces you...as you take a step the dog should also line up it's rear end so that it remains opposite you. Bindi can do it really well in one direction but it's a bit harder for her in the other direction, but she is getting there. Mind you, this is with DWD...I know absolutely nothing about competition obedience. This is what I do too :D

Oh, and huski, I think you have done a great job with Daisy - she looks great

so are you saying he will run with Kaos? So he sometimes has more drive than other times? He will run with Kaos (follow him around, chase him, play with him, run if left behind at the park) and will chase the postman's motorbike. Those are the times he is the most excited. He certainly won't run on his own steam if he is the only one at the park. ETA: and dinner time. He will give me good focus and work for his dinner. However I have tried only giving him his dinner as training treats and didn't have any success with that.