Kavik

I have a question. I think it would be difficult to shape both heel position and front position - how is the dog going to know which one you are trying to train? Shaping for agility is easier I think since there is equipment so the dog clues in on that.

Sorry, don't know anything about QLD geography

I have a friend in QLD who does some herding - not sure if she can help but here is her stud's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=526911864&ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Arabanoo-Working-Kelpie-Stud/129901343725095

You could teach her to bring things to you on command, that way you can easily get items off her. I would start this as a separate exercise with a different object (one that she is allowed to have) and I would use clicker training to teach it :) Certainly I would swap forbidden items with food to start with. I would also teach recall separately

I found raw did my head in! So confusing and I stressed myself about whether I was doing it right and getting in everything they need. I now do dry and chicken wings.

I use clean up

Give the voice command just before you give the hand signal. Then he will learn that the voice command is always followed by a signal to do something, then you can fade out the hand signal.

Now while I have done philosophy at Uni, I really don't understand how this debate over mind/body/spirit has anything to do with dog training? Choice, yes I understand that. IMO I love shaping due to how it teaches the dog to think and work out things.

Wouldn't good choice = get reward and poor choice = loss of opportunity to gain reward be just as effective? Doing SG's Recallers atm and there are definitely consequences for poor choices as well as rewards for good choices. Just because the consequences aren't dealt out on a correction chain and long lead doesn't mean they aren't effective.

Yes, the type of dog where you wave a toy at their face in an animated fashion and all you get back is a very quiet, hard look of 'are you kidding me ...' aaaand then just back away slowly You guys forget that dogs are supposed to be high prey animals....... If it's not there then something is genetically missing from the dog. As I said earlier I know some security people who prefer to have not a lot of prey drive. Why? I'm not all that sure, they told me it was because they preferred a calmer dog who wasn't always on the go. As my focus is sports, I would prefer to have a good amount of prey drive, gives you more to work with and more options.

I'm just curious itsadogslife why you think Koehler is the only method which allows the dog choice?

You can choose any command you want. To the trainer's credit, he probably suggested using drop for lie down because a lot of people use down to mean get down (if dog is jumping on a person or furniture etc) and to then use down or lie down for lie down would be confusing for the dog, and not everybody thinks of this when choosing commands for their dog (having instructed classes, it does happen sometimes that people will use one word to mean more than one thing). I use drop for lie down and give for give an object (though I may use out next time for this). I think SchH commands have to be in German but not 100% sure on that.

Definitely very different look to a dog working in prey. Unfortunately I don't have any digital photos of any of Diesel's relatives - I only had a normal camera back then (and I am not the best photographer so they are not great anyway :laugh: )

Diesel's grandfather was like that. Very serious dog.

Looking the same direction as the dog is running, they must enter with the first pole on their left. It is the same everywhere, so have a good think about what you have been taught before you freak out.

Yes, the dog must enter with the first pole on its left.

Doesn't sound good

Kaos tried to attack his collar when I first put it on him as a puppy Never had a dog do that before! Obviously he had not had one on until he got to my place.

Yes I'm finding opposition reflex is often your friend (using it a lot atm in Recallers) :D Though I don't use a harness.

Have you watched the Halloween one - so funny :laugh:

I don't know the exact lines behind my boy (I don't have papers for him) but suspect it would be in the general direction of the types of dogs these guys breed http://www.regalshepherds.com/index.html

I like the sound and looks of these dogs (from another forum) but have not met any of their dogs - anyone know about them? http://www.kovacsshepherds.com.au/ I also like the look of the Schutzshep dogs - think I met some and the breeder at a SchH trial once (was a while ago though) Though it is most likely that if I get a bigger dog the next one will be a Malinois.

From another thread talking about what makes a good trainer, and having a trainer that inspires you and makes you want to get to that level of training came up. So, which trainers have inspired you? For me there are several over a couple of different disciplines Agility Susan Garrett - top world level competitor, good communicator, able to break things down into components and make up concepts/games/exercises to work on these components Greg Derrett - top world level competitor, developed an agility handling system Silvia Trkman - top world level competitor, famous running contacts method Obedience/SchH - not my current sports so I don't know as much about them or the trainers but here are some that have inspired me Ivan Balabanov - top world level compeititor, training in drive method Michael Ellis - training in drive method, good communicator I don't do training in drive like the ob/SchH people do but that doesn't stop me from going WOW! when I watch them!

SecretKei touches on another point. When competing, you are there all day, but you are only competing for a short period of time. I find crating very useful as it provides a familiar place where my dog can relax and sleep when we are not competing or preparing to compete. This means that my dog can preserve his energy for when he needs it, relax and sleep and be comfortable, instead of staying excited by the environment/stimulation at the trial and using up all his energy by just being there. Also there are times you cannot be with your dog at a trial (such as walking the course in agility) and I like knowing that other dogs can't come up and pester my dog while I am gone.

Tradespeople is another area where I really love crates, for two reasons. One, tradespeople are often not comfortable having dogs around when they work, completely understandable. Two, they are notoriously unreliable when it comes to doors and gates, always leave them open. This way the tradespeople feel comfortable working and my dogs stay safe.