Kavik

I use dog roll cut into cubes, I am using the SPD rolls at the moment and that also makes up my dog's meal.

Lots of ideas on this channel :) https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

Thanks! :)

I was wondering if anyone knew if the movies Max (about the Malinois war dog) or Secretariat (race horse) were suitable for kids aged 5 and 9? Too scary? Deaths?

your frustration seems to be fueled by your ambitions - pretty hard to train a dog if frustration and associated impatience dictate the handlers attitude and body language. Your dog doesn't know on which agility level you want to be with him in the near future, and he doesn't care - he just want to enjoy the time (whether it is training or something else), and he definitely won't be motivated to work for you if he senses your frustration. So instead of thinking about manipulating the dog's hormone system it might be interesting to find out where a total change in your attitude in training would get you. I am anything but impatient lol. If I was impatient I would have given up long ago. I have been enduring "why isn't he in the ring yet?" And "when will he be in the ring" comments from other competitors for 2 years now. Yes I want to compete. Nothing wrong with that. I have done a stack of foundation work with him. Yes we will go back to basics(again) in the holidays. That certainly doesn't make me impatient lol.

If I continue to have too many challenges, yes I will retire him from agility and try another sport. Would be a pity though because when he works well he is really spectacular. I certainly think desexing is worth a go before I do that though. I am spending my time on the basics but I will be most unhappy if I never get past that. If that happens I will retire him and start again with another dog. Frustration isn't an excuse to surrender s dog, but it is a reason people do it. When you have been reduced to tears due to your dog's behaviour and you don't enjoy them, people give them up.

I would say the majority (if not all?) people would prefer people to desex their pets rather than rehoming them? Who would prefer people rehome their dog rather than desex if desex will help? Not that I am thinking of rehoming. But I'm sure a lot of people would :laugh:

No, it actually wouldn't matter if I wanted to compete in agility or not. The problems I am having would be the same if he was just going to be a pet as well as a performance dog. I have no problem with people desexing if it helps them to be a better pet, or a better dog for that person. If it helps with aggression issues, then I am all for it, having been through that. Aggression isn't our particular problem, but other issues which desexing may help are. If someone is struggling, and desexing means that they will keep and perservere with their pet instead of getting frustrated and giving them up to a shelter or rehoming them, then I see that as a good thing. The dog doesn't care if it is desexed or not.

No, I just hope that it will help settle him and help him focus. I am quite capable of training him for competition without any 'additives' :) Lauren Langman said her Working Cockers were like butterflies with the concentration span of a gnat - that aptly describes my dog :laugh: . If he had shown any aggression towards other dogs, he would have been desexed long ago without any question (been there done that with dog aggression), he has only kept them because that is one area where he has been a good boy

No, they are not the same :) I will admit that he is probably a bit much dog for me, and a softer, more biddable dog would be more suitable, but I didn't know he would be like that, I did my best to research lines, but puppies are always a bit of an unknown quantity :laugh: I am stuck with him now, and learning a lot, and I did want to see how I went with an entire dog, but everyone is saying it may make things a lot easier if he was desexed. If you say I haven't done enough training with him, I will get angry :laugh: I have done tons. He is just a bugger :laugh: . I am struggling with him at the moment, everyone else is in Masters, we haven't even set foot in Novice, not due to lack of ability or training, just some frustrating behaviours which make competing impossible.

My youngest dog is currently entire. He is friendly with everyone but I have struggled immensely with focus, and everyone at training agrees that he is "a lot of dog". I do a LOT of training with him, but he is NOT easy lol. I am going to desex him during the summer training break. One person said another competitor recently desexed their dog (who they were also struggling with) and that there had been a large positive change for them. I will also continue to do lots of training (yet MORE foundation work lol), but hopefully desexing will help nudge things along a bit more so we can have more success and be less frustrated.

I agree with Rebanne

Sounds like a typical Japanese Spitz - they are cheeky :laugh:

Do you train or compete on live game?

I agree it is amazing to watch when they switch on. I just don't think it is the sport for me :) Luckily there are a lot of sports to choose from :) I think IPO is an amazing sport too, and I have watched a few competitions whenever I find one that is in Sydney, also amazing to watch them at work. However, I also think this is not the sport for me :laugh:

Most of the places I have gone herding don't have a lot of sheep - I am in Sydney, so not that many places that have sheep, and the dog grounds at Erskine Park have several sheepdog clubs that work the sheep there, the last time I went there, and the times I have watched, the sheep have looked over dogged. I agree that you will see a different side of the dog. Howeverer, I feel to be useful it would have to be done frequently, and I don't have the time or resources to do that. And I do question how ethical it is to stress the sheep so my dog can have a play with them.

yes dragonwoman that is another reason I don't do much herding - I feel so out of control! I don't know what to do. Sheep are big, and scary when they crowd around you :laugh: The dog I took herding never looked like biting, so that wasn't a concern. He did like them to move though :laugh:

I don't feel you will really progress with herding if you only go to a workshop a couple of times a year. A friend of mine goes regularly and she agrees, if you are going to do it you have to do it regularly if you want to improve. Sure, the dog will have a blast even if you only go once every 2 years but for me the ethical question I raised in the other thread comes into it - I don't feel it is fair to stress the sheep just so your dog can 'play' at herding once a year. And I have no doubt that the first time a dog tries herding, it will stress the sheep. In order for it to be less stressful for the sheep, the dog has to be at a certain level.

Also, I don't feel that I could commit enough time to it. Herding is never going to be one of my priorities. It would require quite a bit of travel, money and time to do it regularly, and it is not fair on the sheep, dog or myself to only go a couple of times a year. I don't live on a farm where the dog will get regular access to livestock nor is he required to do so as part of his day's work.

Yes the more aversive methods used in herding is one of the reasons I prefer not to do it :) I have been to one really good herding workshop, the first one I went to, and it was actually with Nitro's breeder but with my other dog Kaos when he was a young dog :) The other ones I have been to have not been as good.

Oh, I'm not that worried about him trying to bite, I don't think he'd do that.

I don't underestimate my dog - I know exactly what he is capable of - that is the problem :laugh: He is far too clever sometimes

don't be so selfish :D ...ask your dog what he prefers; my dog would gave up treats, runs with other dogs, agility and obedience all together for herding sheep. Because the arousal level is so high and the training is so intense I believe the 'normal' agility and obedience training will benefit from such training too: if your (herding) dog do the stands, drops, left and right turns and recalls while with sheep in the paddock he will follow your cues anywhere else. ETA: sorry, we getting off topic - maybe time for a new herding thread. Luckily, the dog doesn't know what he is missing out on :laugh: and as long as we are doing something, he is happy. I am having overarousal issues with him, so really not keen on putting him on sheep :laugh: Someone has suggested this may help, but I don't know if my stress levels can handle it :laugh:

Nobody said it was preparation for herding! It is something people might want to try if they don't want to do herding. I have done some herding, I found it a bit stressful for me I prefer agility. I think Treibball looks like lots of fun, I am still quite tempted to give it a go sometime.

And yes ducks can be used for herding, you can get herding titles on ducks - they use Indian Runners in the trials I think. I have a friend who has some Call Ducks which also work well. You would want the dog started on sheep first, ducks are obviously a bit more ummm tempting!