Kavik

Targeting is where you get the dog to touch an object with its nose or paw (normally). This is the area that clicker trainers love as it is a prime behaviour to teach with a clicker! Objects you can use for targeting include your hand, foot, piece of paper (on floor for foot), bin/box or stick etc - pretty much anything! It is good fun and gets the dog thinking.

Targeting? Hold an object? Speak on command?

They will be quicker to drop from a stand. If you teach drop from a sit, the dog will always sit first, then drop. Since I want fast responses and minimal movement for competition, I teach drop from a stand. Will your dog follow the food treat at all? What you could try is making an L-shape or bridge with your legs and luring your pup under your legs. Does that make sense? I'm not sure how well I explained that It is easier to show than explain. This way the pup has to drop to go under your legs, and when she is in the right position, she gets the treat. Then you start fading the use of your legs.

I use 'Drop' for lie down and 'Give' for give the toy etc I teach Drop from a stand, luring with food to the ground and then either forwards or back towards their body depending on the dog.

How have you been teaching drop so far?

Kaos is very keen on sheep, we are still working on 'Stop'

That's the only time I've used one - not confident enough in their use to use one generallly. Would certainly need a few more lessons (for me) first before I would try on my own if I decided that was the way to go.

I took Diesel to an ecollar seminar by K9 Force. At first he seemed to be working OK, but then he shut down and got quite stressed, refused to work. I admit that conditions were not ideal for training (about 37 degrees celsius) and there were a lot of flies around that he didn't like - actually I think he started thinking that the stim was flies :D as he started getting hyper sensitive to any flies around. Probably some was my fault - my first time using an ecollar, unsure about using one, he probably would have been fine if it was someone more confident and experienced.

I mainly use cheese. My dogs work well for other food like cabanossi as well, but I prefer cheese because I spit food for heeling and prefer the taste :D and when the weather is warm I don't like the smell of warm cabanossi all over my hands, though cheese does melt in warm weather so I have to be careful.

These are issues that I think are relevant as to whether ecollars should be used * Is there stress felt by dog while using ecollar that is not present when using other methods/tools * Does dog shut down when ecollar is used * Possibilities of transference (not sure if that is the right term) - dog thinking stim coming from something else * Is dog working happily with the ecollar on These all have to do with how the dog perceives the ecollar and the stim

There are many aspects of things I don't understand and yet can use quite well without knowing how they work (computers for instance :D ). So this is how I classify tools such as ecollars etc. I have no clue about how electricity works (have no problem admitting that!) - my interest (as it is with all tools/methods) is how does it affect the DOG. What is the method that people use with ecollars, how does it work, why does it work, how can you tell the dog feels the stim, what does the stim feel like to us, how can it be combined with other methods/tools, advantages/disadvantages of using one, are some dogs more suited than others to its use? These questions and more can really only be answered by observation and experience - someone showing you how it works and working through the steps. These are all practical things where knowing all the theory in the world is not going to help you. The same in many other aspects of dog training, including clicker training, drive training etc While obviously the use of electricity is where the whole debate lies in the use of ecollars, and is where people get squeamish about using them (myself included), the exact way electricity works is IMO not all that relevant (sorry!) to dog training.

Things can get a bit heated here, especially as you have noticed in topics having to do with training methods or tools Remember that people come from a wide variety of backgrounds and deal with different temperaments of dogs for different purposes - from pets to competition to show to work such as police, security or quarantine. As such their experience, methods and preference of tools or equipment may be different to yours, and some do not sugar coat what they say. There is a warning system in place in this forum in case things go too far in terms of personal attacks etc.

Diesel got Dermotic Ear and Skin, the antibiotic was not Clavulox, can't remember what though, and he also got Macrolone 20mg

Diesel had an aural haematoma a few months ago. He has allergies, and his ears often bother him. His ears had been bothering him a bit at the time and he was shaking his head a lot. I went to look at his ears on his walk and noticed that one looked swollen/fluid filled and knew it was a haematoma . So I booked him into the vet that night and he had surgery on it the next morning. My vet left a slit of the ear open, and there were a lot of stitches, not a drain though. He came home with ear drops for an ear infection, antibiotics and cortisone. At the beginning when he shook his head blood went everywhere! That particular ear had already been in a war, had been torn in half by another dog, and after that and the haematoma, it doesn't quite sit right, but is not too bad, still upright. I kept him separated from Kaos for a while, as they play rough and Kaos likes to lick his ears sometimes.

I'm with you myszka I want to learn about all methods and equipment and then decide on what to use depending on what I think will work for me and my dogs. So far I do not feel confident in my use of an ecollar and have not used one on my dogs apart from at the workshop with K9 Force. But I am more than happy to learn more about them and their use. I've really enjoyed learning about clickers and other markers and love using them in my training. Like lots of people, I find the more I learn, the more there is to learn especially when it comes to competition, precision, motivation and drives, but also behavioural work.

Maybe he needs to go when you are out but is still uncertain in new places? And feels comfortable in the car? As he is still young, his bladder is small. Some dogs only like to toilet when/where they feel comfortable. The first time I took Diesel (also a GSD) to a workshop at K9 Force's place, he didn't wee all day! Like 8 hours! Now he will go when we are out, though still prefers to poo in the yard. Do you have a toilet command? Maybe purposely walk him around before you get back into the car with the toilet command and try to encourage him to go before you head home.

If it is only going to be to training, I would just carry him in your arms (you may need breaks though - they can feel heavy pretty fast ). I don't have a problem with the doggy carry bags if used correctly, but they are expensive, and a puppy might wee in it or chew it. Crates are great but would add to the weight you have to carry.

I agree with what the others are saying about the lead training. With getting to training classes - I assume a Dachshund pup is not that big at 3 months? Could you carry him to the class if he won't walk?

I voted no assuming you mean going to training classes that are outside? A wet GSD in the backseat of the car is not exactly my idea of fun! However we will do some training in the house when it is raining (that is what we will have to do today - it is really coming down here!). Walks - yes if it is raining lightly, no if it is raining heavily.

Here is some info on Pano that I found on Leerburg (remembered when I read your post that he talks about it a bit) http://www.leerburg.com/pano.htm Hope yours is nothing serious!

Well done!

I've never known a vet to try to talk someone out of desexing! It is their bread and butter surgery!

I have been using a clicker to train the retrieve (so free shaping too). Diesel loves to hold it and carry it around, but we have some motivational issues with going out to get the dumbell when thrown. Once he gets it he is happy to come back quickly and front. But I have some motivational issues with Diesel at times anyway, so I don't think it has much to do with method I have used to retrieve I have to admit I haven't practiced it much lately, which doesn't help. Zoe has a much faster, zippier retrieve than Diesel, but can be a bit mouthy with the dumbell. Since I am not trialling her, and it is just for fun, I haven't corrected that. I haven't tried using a force retrieve, and don't think I would unless I had someone experienced to show me and a dog with the right temperament. I'd be too worried about mucking it up and making the dog hate retrieving.

I chose shared toy but used individually. Mostly because I am worried about either a fight if they both really like and want the toy or that one dog might intimidate the other off the toy and make the other lose interest (has happened before with Zoe intimidating Diesel when Diesel came near me). I am assuming you are talking about tugs etc? For other toys such as kongs etc they share, although if there is food involved Zoe is separate as she can be aggro.

Yep I am sure plenty of people think I am crazy when they see me training and playing with the dogs