Kavik

I have one that clips on to my pants or belt.

I would also suggest crate training. Even if the landlord says no dogs inside, I have found from experience that most of them are reasonable about crating inside. I have a Kelpie X and a Kelpie, and I have them inside at night so they don't bark.

My GSD also has allergies - tends to be itchy on his tummy and sometimes he chews his tail. His most recent problem was an aural haematoma. My vet has also suggested allergy testing but I am just not sure it is worth it - might pay all that money and do all those tests and the results be inconclusive or something you can't avoid or make a vaccine for. I also hate giving him cortisone, but we are finishing up a course at the moment related to his ear. I use Aloveen as a shampoo, I tried the medicated ones like Malaseb etc and they made his skin worse, Aloveen is gentler. I also give fish oill, and when I can find it give a fish food as well (we have ruled out food allergies already). Good luck and keep us updated, allergies can be frustrating!

I gave them fish heads once. They didn't know what to do with it and dragged it around the yard for ages. Really the only thing accomplished was that the yard smelled like fish So I haven't tried again!

You can also buy those things with fake turf - Pet Loo I think its called. I would consider the size of the dog though with allowing toileting inside in any container - the bigger the dog, the bigger the wee I have always trained mine to go outside only, once they are a bit older they can hold on for quite a while if they have to.

They are not illegal in NSW (well, nobody can find ANY legislation on them anyway), but I have received negative comments about using a prong in the past. Having Kaos wear a bandana with the prong seems to do two things - nobody seems to notice the prong, and people actively comment on the bandana, I think it must make him look more approachable as some people can be scared of black and tan dogs.

I haven't had a problem with mine coming undone, but have heard of some that have. People are always commenting on Kaos's range of bandanas too

For a start if she is not being supervised I would put her somewhere she can't destroy anything - either outside, in the laundry, bathroom or in a crate. Don't give her the opportunity to destroy stuff.

Since everyone else is on the equipment bandwagon here I don't think harnesses are necessarily good for dogs either. If the dog has not been to walk nicely without pulling, I have seen some which walk funny because of a harness and which walk much nicer and look more comfortable in a collar. Not to mention they are MUCH easier to control in a collar than a harness. I personally can't see how you would be able to train in a harness due to the small amount of control they give - even getting them to change direction is difficult. Quite a few dogs come into work on harnesses.

This is what I am doing with Kaos at the moment :rolleyes: I have a board which I place over some stairs or a raised flower bed to make a ramp, and we practice contacts this way. Did some this evening, he is going well.

If you are after competition heeling, you will want focus first, there are several exercises which teach attention and eye contact which helps a lot for building a good foundation for heeling. Clickers can be helpful for this, or you can be crazy like me and spit food :rolleyes: I also think heeling is one of the more difficult exercises.

Are you after a competition style heel or loose leash walking? You may use a different method depending on what your goal is. Have you tried changing direction when he starts to forge ahead?

That doesn't seem very fair? OK maybe I am showing very obviously that I have not gotten to compete yet, but I thought you would only get a refusal if the dog didn't take the obstacle, or took the wrong obstacle etc?

So far I haven't found eye contact to be a problem in my other areas of training, although we haven't really gotten far enough in agility and herding to know if it will in the future. I doubt there will be a problem in herding - Kaos is VERY keen and we are still working on a reliable Stop I think it is more likely to be a problem in softer temperamented dogs.

I taught mine to stay on their mat by using food and taking them to the mat, give command (I use 'Place') and then 'Drop' and they get the reward when they are lying down. At the start if they get on the couch I will lure them off with food giving 'Off' command and then give 'Place' command and take them to their mat. With walking, a good technique will take you a long way! What have you tried so far? Does he pull back or forward on the lead? I assume forward as he wants to go for a walk but in your post it also sounds like he may not like being on lead? Changing direction when the dog pulls often works well. In terms of equipment, I would probably start with a martingale and see how you go from there. The only problem with the ones that are all chain is that you can't adjust the size, so they are not as effective as they are generally too big and sit in the wrong position.

Now you have two of them! Good luck, Lucinda looks very cute too (and is my colour preference ) - hope the right home turns up soon! Sending hugs for more wiggly Kelpies.

This is the first time I have taught contacts, and we are also doing 2o2o. So far apart from on the flat I have tried on a homemade ramp (going down) and a ramp at training, so far so good. I don't go to classes often so we have not done anything on real sized equipment yet.

I taught Zoe to bow quite a while ago so don't remember exactly how I taught it :p But from memory, I lured her head down with a treat and had to put my foot or something else under her so she wouldn't drop (we had done a lot of obedience, and she thought anything down meant a drop). Eventually she would keep her bum in the air and her head and front down in the bow position. She is really good at it now, it is a favourite trick to show to friends and kids on walks

I enjoy seeing the dogs looking good afterwards. But it can be frustrating with some return customers if their dogs are always a mess, and if the dog is difficult to do. As I work primarily as an Animal Attendant and am not my own boss, the pay is not good (the same for most animal related jobs, animal attending, grooming, vet nursing).

While I don't know how to clip, I wash and do brush outs at work and at a previous job with a groomer. I am sure you know it is very physical work and at times very dirty! And yes you get the bitey dogs, very scared dogs, very matted dogs. Some you can tell have not had a brush since the last time they were in. And I sometimes talk to clients about what they want - showdog is right, you can't always make sense of what they say! The one that gets me is 'not too short' - we get that all the time - what on earth is that supposed to mean?

This is an interesting topic. Like with a trainer, I think I would go on reputation and talk to previous clients to see what they thought. It might also depend on what the problem is, and whether you think medication is likely to be necessary. Obviously they will use different methods and come from a different background. So far I have gone to a behavioural trainer and not a veterinary behaviourist, but have thought about going to a vet behaviourist just not gone through with it.

I would recommend K9 Force, especially if your girl has high prey drive.

I agree with Myszka - I would avoid the places you mentioned especially the Guard Dog Training Centre. Hanrob is probably a good choice for training centres if you want board and train. The most important thing is that you are able to handle the dog in the end, not just the trainer. Is there a reason you would prefer to board and train your dog instead of going to a club or trainer and training the dog yourself?

So true!

One thing I would do is stop carrying the dog around while you sort this out. No laps, no being carried, no sleeping on the bed, and do some leadership activities. Some which you may want to try are: NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) - you can do a search on this - lots of great ideas Triangle of Temptation (pinned at top of the training forum) Get your husband to do some of the training so she sees him leader as well.