Kavik

Does your Pom get carried a lot? Is she being carried when she barks at your husband?

While I love rollerblading, there is no way I would be trying it with the dogs! The brakes on rollerblades are not very good (I also confess to not being all that great ) and sometimes I end up having to use the grass or a pole to stop myself - can only imagine what it would be like if I also had 14 - 30kg of dog with me

I use clippers on mine, I put once a month, but really it depends on how much they have worn down. Kaos is still a bit funny about his nails being done, so we do 'dry runs' doing everything but the actual clipping more often to get him used to it.

At work we have several dogs that eat poo. Interestingly just about all the Beagles we have in do it - is it something about the breed?

I have done a very little bit of tracking - would love to do more! We went to the tracking club once - where they had us double lay a track and put a toy at the end then take the dog. My dog is not motivated enough by a toy for this to work. So at home I did a bit of footstep tracking with food in the footsteps - Diesel loved this! He got so excited when he realised we were going tracking :rolleyes: I don't have access to enough space without competing scents to do tracking properly though. Here is an interesting article I found as well: http://www.schutzhundvillage.com/nose1.html

Hi and welcome to DOL! :p Western Suburbs Dog Training is at Bressington Park, Homebush and has two styles of classes. Pet dog classes are on Saturday afternoons, and obedience trialling classes (this is what I go to) are on Tuesday evenings. For the trialling class, you don't have to be trialling standard, they train with the aim to trial. The pet dog classes are structured differently with games and tricks etc. We have yet to enter a trial :rolleyes: http://www.sinch.com.au/wsdtc/ Manly and Districts Dog Training is at Allan Border Oval, Mosman on Tuesday evenings and at Deep Creek Dog Training Reserve, Wakehurst Parkway, Narrabeen on Thursday and Sunday mornings http://www.northernbeachesdogtraining.com.au/index.htm

My old crossbreed girl Belle is a guts and a notorious food stealer. She has stolen chocolates and cakes occasionally (and has a nasty habit of getting into the bin). She never had any problems resulting from this, though now (she is 17) if she gets into the bin she vomits afterwards, she didn't used to do that when younger (just looked like a tub :rolleyes: )

I'm trying a few different sports, but not all of them! With Diesel I am pretty much just doing obedience, though he does get a go at weaving when I practice at home for fun. Wouldn't mind getting into tracking with him, we have done a very small amount of tracking and he seems to like it, just don't have the space to do it properly. Kaos is doing agility and herding. At the moment agility is just at home, not at a club, until I can get him more reliable around large groups of crazy dogs. I have only just started herding, and am finding it fascinating! There is so much to learn! And Kaos certainly enjoys it ;) . Zoe only really does tricks and some agility at home as she is dog aggressive. But we have fun with different tricks. I thought about trying a freestyle routine with her for fun to show off to friends, but really had no idea how to go about it

They can get rather obcessed with humping a particular object. If you would not like it to continue, I would try to stop it, maybe remove the object and see if that helps. You could try reprimanding and then redirecting the dog to a more desireable activity.

Zoe went through a phase of doing this, it was really funny to watch ;) She used to do it when I would swap which position I wanted her to do for her dinner. One night sit, one night drop etc. Sometimes she would sit, then drop etc and continually change! I found the most effective way to deal with this is go back to basics. I think it is a case of overexcitement and a bit of confusion thrown in. I would wait till she calms down, and ask for one command (I used to ask for a chain of things too which confused her). Get her attention and practice one thing until she will do that without offering the other behaviours. Then practice a different one. Maybe all she needs to do is to separate the commands in her mind.

She is growing up nicely Sorry guys, I think one nutty adolescent Kelpie at a time is all I can cope with

The various clubs I have been to have been using food and lots of motivation for at least 7 years (Zoe is 7). You can use a check chain at the club I currently go to (most do actually), the last one I went to they were frowned upon by the newer instructors but a few of the older instructors still used them. I say go the motivators! Whatever works for your dog. I have no problem with check chains etc, I prefer to use martingales. Clickers are great fun to use.

Maybe it stings a bit? One of mine is not overly keen either.

You can crate train at any age, my parents crate trained the now 17 yeaer old (was 16 when they crate trained) family dog for when they took her to the USA. Two of mine were crate trained from pups, Zoe was crate trained at 5 months. I always crate mine separately so they have their own space away from the other dogs, not sure what others do.

Don't worry LL, I know you are not belittling me For someone who expects so much from their dogs' retrieve, that must have been frustrating to watch We have a way to go on our retrieve, maintaining interest is our main obstacle. I have no problem admitting that :D

OK that is somewhat worse than Diesel's retrieve but if I don't work on it, it does look rather similar :D Must be cringeworthy for you LL! Although I don't praise him for not bringing the dumbell back, he will often run out to the dumbell and then stop and look around. Once he gets it he is fine and returns happily with it. The last two days I have gone back several steps, to just placing it on the ground, then throwing only a small distance, with no stay before hand. This has increased Diesel's enthusiasm and he is looking better today.

I went to the Schutzhund club twice, once to watch and once with Diesel. Very nice bunch of people, laid back, very friendly and helpful. They were impressed with Diesel's heeling I know Diesel would not be able to do the character assessment as he does not have a lot of prey drive and can be rather lazy, but I am tempted to do the obedience and tracking elements (have done a very little bit of tracking for fun). The only reason we haven't been back is that it is very far away! I haven't been to the closer one at Castle Hill yet.

I did a lot of obedience and heeling with Zoe before we did agility. While it caused problems with working on my right hand side, we did not have a focus issue, she was certainly focussed on the obstacle ahead! If I got stuck and forgot the course (which to my embarrassment did happen a bit ) she would stop running and come to me. The best thing in our situation as she is dog aggressive, much better than running off course to be naughty!

This is what I try to achieve . . .

We had a session earlier, I have a real problem with motivation I think! Sometimes I think I have the laziest GSD around While I know he CAN run, it is hard to get him to go above a slow trot! I tried some motivating exercises with a ball in a sock which he likes and was starting to get some enthusiasm. FaxonandBear Yeah, maybe I should go back several steps, the thing is I don't know if we will ever progress! A very different sort of frustration to what I experience when training the Kelpies

What do you plan on doing with your pup? If you plan to trial in obedience than it would be helpful if the club is affiliated with your state canine body or at least has people that are knowledgeable about trialling. I am not in VIC and don't know if NDTF incorporates trialling training in their clubs? The last time I was at one of their centres was when I was doing the course in 2000, so a while ago A good way to find out if the club (NDTF or otherwise) is suitable is to go along without your dog and watch a session and ask some questions about method, what type of equipment and motivation is used. Then see what you think of the club.

I like the exaggerated 'style' of heeling - I think it looks so amazing to watch! Like you are dancing We are able to achieve this at times, with Diesel it does require a bit of work as he has a tendency to be a bit lazy. Spitting food treats does help though When I have been to trials I have only seen a very small number of dogs heeling like this - most do not. The Schutzhund trial I watched included a much larger number of animated high drive heeling, though from the looks of it there doesn't need to be as much precision and the dog is allowed to bump the handler etc.

COMPANION ANIMALS ACT 1998 - SECT 16 Offences where dog attacks person or animal 16 Offences where dog attacks person or animal (1) If a dog rushes at, attacks, bites, harasses or chases any person or animal (other than vermin), whether or not any injury is caused to the person or animal: (a) the owner of the dog, or (b) if the owner is not present at the time of the offence and another person who is of or above the age of 16 years is in charge of the dog at that time—that other person, is guilty of an offence. Maximum penalty: (a) 50 penalty units except in the case of a dangerous or restricted dog, or (b) 300 penalty units in the case of a dangerous or restricted dog. (1A) The owner of a dangerous dog or a restricted dog is guilty of an offence if: (a) the dog attacks or bites any person (whether or not any injury is caused to the person), and (b) the incident occurs as a result of the owner’s failure to comply with any one or more of the requirements of section 51 or 56 (as the case requires) in relation to the dog. Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units or imprisonment for 2 years, or both. Note: Conviction for an offence under this subsection results in permanent disqualification from owning a dog or from being in charge of a dog in a public place. See section 23. (2) It is not an offence under this section if the incident occurred: (a) as a result of the dog being teased, mistreated, attacked or otherwise provoked, or (b) as a result of the person or animal trespassing on the property on which the dog was being kept, or © as a result of the dog acting in reasonable defence of a person or property, or (d) in the course of lawful hunting, or (e) in the course of the working of stock by the dog or the training of the dog in the working of stock

PAX Sort of like racing him to the dumbell? Sounds interesting! I have a feeling he is unsure (although there is the odd good one) but not sure why. He looks very pleased with himself once he does pick up the dumbell. Sometimes he heads out well but pauses for a while once he gets to the dumbell.

I do the same Us too Me too