Kavik

Here we go, a Kelpie doing IPO :D Not sure how effective it would be in a real life scenario though, a bit little :laugh:

I was just looking at that dog's tongue by the end of the video . . .

don't worry that video has already come back to bite me ... I'm losing my tough image aren't I I love my working dogs but I'm still a big sap at heart aren't I ;) I will make a full statement on that when I find out if I have a prolapsed disc in my back or not this evening it's kind of going to dictate how far we get in at least the near future. She's already tracking, we're going to start SD as well. Still have to get her hip and elbow scored for end of this year too. OH wanted to make her a SAR dog but the org down here in vic said she was the wrong breed and knocked him back O_o So you would balance the prey with civil work? I can't believe SAR knocked you guys back based on breed

Nekhbet So for more serious work do you want a dog with less prey than for a sport dog? Or would you just do the training differently?

Yep I was definitely glad I had crate trained when Diesel broke his leg and had to be confined for 6 weeks.

As for crate training - does this look cruel?

This is my boy before his allergies played up. Would make a hopeless protection dog :laugh:

What amypie said. 1) check chains are effective if used properly but using them is a skill you need to develop 2)It is a good idea to experiment with different brands of food if you don't like the one you are using - research into ingredients can help 3) raw isn't suited to everyone - I don't have enough freezer space and found it expensive and I stressed about the balance 4)you don't have to crate train but it can come in very handy in many circumstances - if you do a search there are MANY topics on this. It only took mine a few nights to get used to sleeping there, and it is very useful at training and competitions EFS

I understand what you are saying Huski :) It is easy to be bogged down in teaching all the commands etc at the start (there is so much to teach!) and make it too serious. I am guilty of that with Diesel - didn't do enough relationship building. SG's foundation games are great! Doing Recallers atm - they are also about relationship building, many of the games help to build engagement.

I'm not sure how active Waratah Sport Dog club is anymore. I went there a few times to watch and get some obedience advice but that was a few years ago, I also watched a couple of trials there. The prey/defence/civil discussion is interesting. One of my friends who does security wanted to borrow some agility equipment and we were discussing dog training. She has GSDs and prefers not to have a lot of prey drive as she finds it hard to live with, I know my GSDs breeder is the same (they are friends). Whereas from a sports point of view, I would like to have plenty of prey drive. Did not know all of this when I got my GSD though :laugh:

Same! And then foundation games

A good trainer should definitely be inspiring

I don't see it learning to train a dog vs not learning to train a dog It is not a black/white issue. People have different expectations and goals for their dog, as well as different commitments to training and different aptitudes. To me, good trainers are always learning.

What is more interesting is that they went in looking for a JRT and came home with 2 Rotty X Cattle Dogs - bit different . . .

i don't see anything wrong with not wanting to use a particular tool. Ecollars and prongs are both tools which are controversial, with a lot of emotion on both sides, and are not able to be used everywhere/in all circumstances. I think it is important to understand how they all work and why, education is most important, but I also think you should then be allowed to decide that it isn't the right tool for you, or that you don't feel comfortable using it (or conversely that you should be able to use it if you wish). If you don't feel comfortable using a tool, you are not going to use it optimally.

I like that there is a variety of methods and tools for training your dog. It means that with research you can find a trainer that suits you and your dog, your training methodology/preference and if you wish to compete, the sport you are interested in. There are many ways to train every behaviour, even a simple sit.

That sucks WA! I trained and competed while pregnant. Near the end when I was too big to do much running I practiced things where I could be stationary - so weave entries or end contact position, one jump exercises.

I haven't had a go on ducks yet, they only had them there once when I was there, I wanted a bit more work on sheep first.

Yes chickens are not the best for herding ducks are good though

Kelpies generally have high prey drive and would take some work to be OK around chickens - they are very likely to want to chase/catch them.

It was my DA dog that was attacked by a roaming dog much bigger and stronger than her, and though she is DA she was so obviously outclassed she didn't even try to fight back, just screamed

Then you either shoo the other dog away or you are involved in a dog fight. Has happened to me - my dog ended up in hospital She only survived because some people came to help me get the other dog off mine.

I would avoid meeting the 11 month old bouncy rude dog, or get the owner of the other dog to take the young dog away after initial greeting. Your old dog has shown she does not like the other dog's attention and he clearly isn't understanding her signals or he would back off. If the young dog isn't taught manners and this is allowed to continue your dog may escalate it.

Lots and lots of tricks This is what I do with my reactive girl: shaping any number of tricks Retrieve (and if you have enough space you can do fetch in the yard) rear end awareness and agility foundation tug attention exercises running on lead (good exercise foe me too) recall control position work - sit/drop including at a distance/on the move This is one of her more complicated tricks

Yep been there, done that You can also put bandanas over them, and people will not only not know they are there, but will think the bandanas are cool and comment on them