Kavik

They offer different qualifications. Delta offers Cert IV in Companion Animal Services NDTF offers Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training Look into both and see which one suits you better. I really enjoyed NDTF

Crate training would be easier with a smaller crate

That looks good too! I got some money for xmas so will get some stuff. The one on a pole I got was smaller and the string broke already. I have a bigger one that looks more sturdy.

I feed ProPlan or Eagle Pack

Yep exactly like the first one! Unfortunately he is going to kill it very quicky! Let me know how the other one with handles holds up - might be worth getting if it will stand up to wear better.

I just got this toy that Kaos LOVES! A furry sqeaky toy connected to a rope and pole so I can make it move and jump around fast. Maybe this will be the one to hold his attention out of the yard!

Mine are good watch dogs - they bark when people come to the property. I didn't teach them, they did it themselves as they got older.

I wouldn't worry about it. It is more of an issue if your dog won't toilet in public in case you take your dog somewhere. Zoe prefers to poo on walks but Diesel and Kaos prefer to go at home. Diesel can be an issue if we take him somewhere as he takes a while to be comfortable toileting - especially poos.

I agree with Tess. The clicker is just one tool and does not say whether they use punishment. I find clickers great for teaching some behaviours and it is a lot of fun. But for other things something else is more appropriate.

NDTF and Australian Dog Training sell long leads.

I've had two food stealers (who would counter surf and steal anything, anywhere!), one who is good around food and one who doesn't steal or counter surf but probably has the potential to do so ( a relative of sidoney's counter surfer ) Belle who passed away last year was the worst! She would counter surf, get on the table, and could open the lid to every bin we tried. Zoe isn't as bad - she hasn't figured out how to open the bin :p - I just make sure that food is placed well out of reach, and they are not around when food is eaten or prepared. Diesel is so laid back we can have him on the couch while we eat off the coffee table and he doesn't even look at the food! Kaos is pretty good, we can have him around during food preparation and he doesn't counter surf, he likes to watch OH cook though ;) and OH gives him a sniff of the food before preparation, Kaos sniffs it and leaves it alone. If he gets too interested while we are eating he will back off if told off. His tendency to deer leap onto my lap however means he is not generally around when we are eating

When I first got Kaos he growled and tried to bite when picked up and when I cut nails. I was like What have I gotten myself in for! He is a tough, pushy dog at times and lots of work, but lots of fun Now that I have done more work with him and help from K9 Force we are on the way to having a go at agility and herding.

Some dogs need to learn to relax I think. What about teaching a quiet spot/quiet time? Like 'on your mat' or something? With something to chew - a chew toy/kong or Kaos's favourite is those rope bones He will happily lie down and destroy it.

Just got back from the USA I have noticed that a lot of people in the USA use prong collars - they don't seem to have the stigma that they do here. I saw more with prong collars than not! So maybe he didn't explain the prong collar as he didn't see the need as he assumed people would be familiar with it? I also noticed several dogs with prongs on the show. I didn't know he used the tools the owner already had. Interesting.

That is exactly what I mean Rusky! You put it much better than me. :D

I feed ProPlan or Eagle Pack as well as chicken frames.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.

Good points guys :D Cesar does tend to say 'he is being submissive now, this is good' and the dogs LOOK very submissive and subdued though. That is all I meant. Not that they shouldn't be, just that it is not necessary for them to look so submissive to be so. I think that sometimes he pushes the extent of the meaning on his show. Of course you don't want high drive all the time, would drive you crazy :D and my nutter Kelpie knows that inside the house is quiet time for chilling and watching TV too.

Maybe its the submissive part - some of the dogs on the show look 'submissive' by the end but not necessarily happy - some look stressed. They don't look the way I would like mine to look while working. I like energetic quick responses and wagging tails. I don't see why you want the dog to look submissive.

What if your goal is not for the dog to have a calm, submissive state of mind?

Any breed that can weigh as much as a person does (I have seen some that weigh more than me) is a large dog When looking at food, flea, heartworm and worming medications, GSDs fall in the large dog category with their weight. Kelpies are medium sized, my GSD who is very small for a GSD is 10kg heavier than my biggest Kelpie.

I've seen Amstaffs at the Agility Dog Club of NSW. They train at Castle Hill Showground on a Thursday evening. You will want your dog to be pretty bombproof around other dogs to go there though, it is VERY busy and crowded, and dogs do run off course and do zoomies around and come in other dog's faces. A good recall is also obviously important. I am not taking Kaos back there until I am more confident in how he will handle the crowds. He has been good at trials etc lately, has improved a lot since seeing K9 Force and I haven't tried taking him in a while.

Some of the dogs look very stressed, which worries me. Along with the alpha rolls and stringing dogs up. And the lack of rewards/reinforcement. But his pack is very interesting to watch. Lots of dogs there!

What do people think of Cesar Millan and his methods? I am in the USA so have been watching it on TV - I don't have Foxtel at home so don't get to see it often. He tends to throw around dominance and submission a lot, and from what I have seen suppresses drive a lot, have seen some avoidance too. His use of 'power of the pack' is interesting, you'd need good control over that many dogs to get that to work.

I have used soap to stop nails bleeding - works well and the bleeding stops pretty quickly.