Kavik

That is a good point. I'm mostly interested in getting him more comfortable interacting with me :) and I am very happy with the progress we have made so far. It has certainly helped me to improve as a trainer and improved our relationship and I can't really ask for anything more than that!

Here is where our point differs. Rather than saying he won't automatically tug in every environment so I'll give up on tugging, I am working on our relationship and growing the tugging behaviour. I know he has enough drive. Even if we don't get to use it as a reward for agility (he is 6 yrs old and so has a long history of not tugging when asked to overcome), it has still been a very worthwhile exercise to teach. I have learned a lot about myself and my dog, his strengths and weaknesses, to be able to guage how engaged he is, to note what he does when I let go of the toy or out him from the toy, his willingness to bring it back, the difference various toys make. All of this has improved our relationship and will certainly make it easier for me to train tug properly from the beginning when I get a new puppy. This is where I really like SG. Like I said she encourages people to have ALL dogs tug. It is necessary for several components of her training courses. To celebrate the small succeses. To help your dog to tug outside the yard by increasing the distractions and difficulties within the yard first. There was a big congrats from SG and LOH when I posted that I was now able to get him tugging at the park. That kind of encouragement helps. Also knowing there are others in the same boat having to overcome the same difficulties, and succeeding! I have gotten him to tug: Straight out of a crate release to a tug After shaping with food At the park At training At a trial On a table On a wobble board All things I never would have dreamed possible a year ago. Last year I had huge issues with him running out of the ring. He has only done it once this year, at a very distracting trial and new environment. It was the only trial we did not qualify in at least one event. We gained 3 titles this year, our most successful yet! Sometimes in training it is the journey that is important :) I'm sure you found training just as simple with your Beagle as you do with the Malinois puppy yes?

I've been to a few of Steve's workshops, and the way tug is approached is different to the way SG approaches it. SG would like all of her student's dogs to tug. I think my dog's issues have been more to do with confidence, trust, biddability, and my playing style with him (my handling of the tug and approach to the tugging game) rather than drive. He has improved 100% over the last year, still needs a bit more before it can be used as a reward outside of the yard. The most common tug I see being used as a reward in agility is the dog's lead. When I can get Kaos jazzed up at a trial or training we have had some success tugging on his lead as well. ETA: I meant as long as it is safe and practical I don't see why it should matter what the dog tugs on - why should it matter if my dog likes to tug on furry things or rubber things, or balls on ropes, and someone else's dog may prefer something else. Swagger (SG's young dog) really likes a plastic bottle on a rope that is filled with something so it rattles (not sure what is inside it). Instructors aren't going to care, or other students or competitors or judges, so long as everyone is happy and safe. Squeakers may present a problem with the noise though.

Don't knock furry tugs - they rock :laugh: (except they get really gross after a while!) - remember not all dogs are Malinois and not all prefer the same tugs I use a range of tugs including the udder tugs, real and fake sheepskin, fake fur, balls on ropes, kong wubbas, braided fleece, and one I made with a skinneez toy that I affectinately call 'roadkill on a rope' :laugh: I have several 'tradtitional tugs' but he doesn't like them as much. LOL I am well aware not all dogs are Malinois, though it would be fun if they were the only dogs I got to work with! I'm sure many dogs love furry tugs, but I still maintain that if the dog will only go into drive for furry, colorful or noisey tugs it probably doesn't have enough drive to do what you want it to. My dog will tug for other ones, but he does have his favourites :D and I do mix it up at home (used two different tugs already this morning), but since I am still building up his tug in new places, I am happy to use his favourite tug, the one he is happiest and most likely to tug with, when we are out. If that is furry, then so be it. Different dogs may prefer different textures, and if you are not planning on doing bitework with them, what does it matter what they are tugging on? I also use different tugs for different things - a different one may be more suitable for exercises where I am throwing it than when I am rewarding close to my body, or a longer one may be more suitable in some cases. I do present and use tugs somewhat differently to K9Pro's program, since I follow mostly SG (who also uses a range of tugs, but not more 'traditional' types either).

Don't knock furry tugs - they rock :laugh: (except they get really gross after a while!) - remember not all dogs are Malinois and not all prefer the same tugs I use a range of tugs including the udder tugs, real and fake sheepskin, fake fur, balls on ropes, kong wubbas, braided fleece, and one I made with a skinneez toy that I affectinately call 'roadkill on a rope' :laugh: I have several 'tradtitional tugs' but he doesn't like them as much.

My previous boss has Jap Spitzes - one of them was high energy and would have been good at sports, though a bit independent (would have been good with correct training), but some of the others were more timid, so I think it varies a bit.

For me it depends on what I am trying to train, and where I am in teaching it. For shaping I tend to use food and many short sessions, for other things a game may be more appropriate. I start and end my sessions with relationship building regardless of what I am going to train. At home this is tugging at the start and using food in an exciting way at the end, when we are out this is using food in an exciting way (until we get our tug more reliable when out). ETA: placement of reward is very important too - I don't always want the dog looking at me.

I have found Susan Garrett's information and courses to be very helpful - I have done Recallers and her Contact Course. Both included a vast array of content far beyond their title - Recallers has a lot of great games for relationship building and engagment, drive building, self control and of course recalls. There is emphasis on getting your dog to tug (including a separate Tuggers section to help troubleshoot tugging issues), playing with your dog and also looking at what your dog finds reinforcing and what your dog finds distracting.

I think, as sometimes happens in these discussions, that corvus and K9Pro are talking at cross purposes :) I just read K9Pro's blog entry - very nicely worded :) I have found a huge improvement in my dog's focus since improving my reward delivery and making myself more fun and exciting (though I don't use K9Pro's program). It was difficult at first as I felt self conscious but now I am more comfortable doing it in public and having much more fun with it and we have had fantastic results this year in agility. I am now even having success with my dog's tugging away from home, though not ready to use it as a reward away from home yet.

I had one when I was a kid. I remember him being pretty high energy, and not a good recall :laugh: but then I was only around 10 and didn't know much about training (he was my dog), unfortunately I had to leave him behind when my family moved here from the USA, he was still only a young dog then. I have talked to people at Schip breed stalls at the Pet Expo and some have downsized from Kelpies to Schipps, though Schipps are probably less biddable than Kelpies. I can't remember if he barked a lot. I still really like them and would like to get another one someday, maybe be my attempt at small dog agility. ETA: the top little dogs for agility IMO are Shelties - very fast, and biddable, but can be VERY barky, so I didn't suggest them.

Schipperke?

Sorry for your loss RIP Sooty

Can't help with supplements - I've never had my dog use any. To add to megan's post - body awareness exercises! Balance discs, walking backwards, hind end awareness stuff, etc, helps the dog to be able to use his body better. My fellow found the balance discs tricky to start with - can now stand with either both front feet on one disc, both back feet on one disc or front feet on one disc and back feet on another disc. ETA: I haven't yet tried all 4 feet on one disc.

with performance work, my goal is not to totally tire my dog out anyway. When I take my dog out to work, I want him to give me 100%, he can't do that if he is too tired, so I want him reasonably fresh for our sessions. I do several sessions a day, plus a walk most days. (the days I don't walk Kaos I walk Zoe, she is dog aggro so I can't walk them together, Diesel gets walked with Kaos). ETA: Also a good working dog has an off switch. If a dog works itself up into a frenzy and won't settle down when not working, they will use up all their energy being frantic and not have anything left for working. Not to mention driving the owners nuts, I don't think farmers would like a dog that is frantic.

Zoe is the one of my dogs who was very 'wired' and highly strung - naturally at the high end of the arousal curve and easy to get overaroused. Now that I know more, I think it is possible that her dog aggression started as overarousal and frustration (she would carry on at a distance but be OK when actually meeting a dog, but then became aggressive on meeting as well). So certainly I understand having a high needs dog. I think if I knew then what I know now about engagement and working with arousal and getting them to be able to think and work when highly aroused I could have managed that better, and we would have had a more productive and peaceful relationship. She is still reasonably active at 13 - will tug, chase a ball and enjoys training, so I do use her as a practice dog with new stuff I am learning :laugh: She has mellowed with age though and her senses aren't as sharp - which in her case is not always a bad thing :laugh:

A lot of people use "Out" for give/let go of an object, it is a very common cue for that behaviour :)

It was a very interesting experience working at a dog daycare. A VERY busy environment. Some of the dogs were on the go the whole time (12 hrs) unless physically shut away eg in crates or separated from the other dogs. I think the environment and having them on the go the whole time increased their anxiety, the exercise certainly did not make them calmer. Also I think after a certain point they were more distracted and less able to be focused.

Young kids are at the top of bite stats - and normally it is the family dog or a dog the child knows. Sometimes it involves food, or the dog being startled, or hurt by the child. These are not unprovoked attacks. There is a reason.

My previous bitch was entire (family dog and my parents didn't want to desex) - she lived to be 17 and only developed pyometra very late in life (think she was a teenager!) when of course she then had to be spayed. My current dogs are desexed. I am unsure what I will do with the next dog - would like to keep entire until at least 12 - 18 months.

Yes WKC registered dogs can go on the Sporting Register :)

I've seen someone walking a pig while I was out with the dogs! I mistook it for a Cattle Dog or GSD at first until I got closer :laugh:

I think they can compete in ADAA and ADAC competitions without being desexed. For ANKC, if they do not have papers they will need to be desexed so they can be put on the associate register. ETA: There are no registries as such for ADAA and ADAC - you choose what name you would like your dog listed as http://www.adaa.com.au/ http://www.adacagility.com/

I'm a small person and if I had a big strong dog a prong collar would be my choice for walking. Even if my dog had good LLW and was well trained - I like to be ready in case something unexpected happened - loose dogs, aggressive dogs coming at us and lunging at us, an animal running across the path etc.

Is she desexed? If so, when was she desexed?

He had an external fixatur and crate rest and it certainly hurt the bank balance :laugh: . He is now nearly 9 years old, the leg seems to be holding up OK, there is more movement in it than the other leg when he walks, but it doesn't bother him.