Lablover

Wouldn't it simply be better to focus the incorrect obstacles. Dogs learn nothing in a crate, except frustration which can be used to advantage - or not. I do think sin binning or time out is more suited to us mere humans. Agility can be self rewarding for a dog Lab Lover. For a dog that doesn't obey handler direction and madly blats around the obstacles, teaching the dog that it gets to do obstacles only when told (or not at all) may involve removing the dog if it doesn't do that. It works. You don't have to crate a dog to get the message through. You remove it, wait a while and then have another go. It's the removal from the reward that's instructive, not the crating. I understand agility can be self rewarding, retrieving also. How long do you suggest removal (sin bin or time out)? From what I understand 3 minutes is sufficient. We all agree learners have such poor timing skills.

Wouldn't it simply be better to focus the incorrect obstacles. Dogs learn nothing in a crate, except frustration which can be used to advantage - or not. I do think sin binning or time out is more suited to us mere humans.

Hey time to teach Mandela to "find". Helps with dropped mobile phones too.

The DVD arrived today. The DVD was taped live at the 2009 IACP Annual Conference.It included videos from the 4 cognitive research clinics. 3 being in Europe. 1 in the US. Interesting. Reviewed Rico the wonder dog - who knows 200 words and understands verbs. Must watch it again of course, but the pointing understanding from humans certainly had my attention. Primates have poor understanding of such, but they confirmed canines have the ability. Cueing from our arms, head and to a lesser extent our eyes. In my case retriever training consists of drills to test casting, initially lefts, rights and backs moving to finer angles later. Often the dog errs in the teaching phase. . After watching the DVD, I cannot help wondering if I had inadvertantly being cueing with my head direction (while choosing which direction), to the article. Looking right, but deciding left. Interesting.

Great. Been known to pick up US APDT DVD's past conferences. Some speakers are great and thought provoking. I personally like her book, thus buying her latest DVD.

Its a dust collector in my house. Feel free to PM if anyone would like a loan.

Big lap, small lab. Lara, travelling up to the next trial at Marulan. Are you entering?

LL, I prefer working line kelpies....you know, the kelpies that don't look like kelpies Labradors in the UK and US have split (show - working), as they have in recent times Australia. Show and working lines simply have different perfection criteria. Might I humbly add Customs labradors also. Hey photo of JP and Dan. Cool, glad Poodlefan (and Lara) did not add a certain photo of a pick up dog at the stake while Dan and Yo competed together. Was that Yank? No Peppa pie. They needed a water pick up dog so I offered her. The photo was a very wet Peppa on my lap. She was lying on her side, eyes looking up and licking. Cute snap - spoilt working labradors. Guilty. ha.

Any chance you could PM me the dogs name? To look like that the black labrador in the photo, big chance it has US lines in its pedigree.

LL, I prefer working line kelpies....you know, the kelpies that don't look like kelpies Labradors in the UK and US have split (show - working), as they have in recent times Australia. Show and working lines simply have different perfection criteria. Might I humbly add Customs labradors also. Hey photo of JP and Dan. Cool, glad Poodlefan (and Lara) did not add a certain photo of a pick up dog at the stake while Dan and Yo competed together.

Hope Mandela is feeling better. Are the vets sure he is not suffering from a type of autoimmune disease?

Goodness......WITHOUT A DOUBT. Ahhhh, lovely. Hey, do you prefer working or show kelpie's?

SD, My brag is related to clicker training. Started to condition wild birds. Started when waiting for training partners to arrive at the Murray River property we used.

Thanks. Amazing what breeders and owners become used to. Even skinny long tails in some breeds.

Try telling that to my kelpie bitch Well I am not a show labrador expert by any stretch of the imagination...but the working lines certainly are different in looks. Big heads do not normally translate into bigger brains. When I took my US import for his first Australian eye examination, the vet admired his looks. I thought he was joking. My import is not a show prospect. I have discussed balanced body structure with show breeders, rather than show ideals. Short legs are not on my wish list.

MonElite, Totally off topic, but wondering what your overseas friends thought of our regulations regarding not cropping ears and docking tails?

Hey Kelpie-i, the American boxier head, confused me. I like Kelpies. More often than not see them with sheep while visiting properties to train or trial. Not sure about their housing, usually in high wire crates. Not much bedding either. Farm life can be tough.

After noticing a new release by Pamela Reid, could not help myself and ordered her new DVD on Canine Cognition. Read her book Excelerated learning many times and should have puchased the books in bulk as I have given many to dogs friends. Wonder if the DVD will hold up with frequent viewing?. Anyone with good links to Canine Cognition?

Is this setup at obedience training only? What is his reactions during stays, at home?

KAT1, As SD and Sonic suggest, best to observe a retrieving trial. There seems to be two groups most involved, those who have hunting backgrounds and those who are from obedience. Loving the outdoors (both when hot and cold), camping if not for you - there are motels, but most stay on site, travelling, finding suitable training areas, mentors, and fun, with a little madness. Check in, is usually between 7 and 7.30am. Not for everyone, especially if driving from the city to a trial.

Non labrador owners are just jealous. Labradors are the most popular breed after all. But just like their name suggests Labra - Labour - work - they need a job, at the least the working lines do.

Go Yo! If the police will co-operate with my gun licence I was going to enter under you in August. Enter. Someone can "shoot blanks" for you.

Short answer - No. That being said, a good dog is a good dog, whatever the breed. Mind you if GSPs could handle the cold water better, I might entertain the thought of owning one (if all the working labradors in the world suddenly disappeared).

Congratulations to everyone including Spotted Devil and Ziggy. (PS SD, Yo won again last weekend. Another trial this weekend..........then finally HOME)

Been away from home over the last week, concentrating on retriever training, but due to friends having various training issues with 5 of their dogs, I have been trying to teach clicker training. I have found the handlers timing, co-ordination and body movements generally poor. Thus creating confusion +++++. A couple of dogs are quite unmotivated types for all positive methods - food, tug, toy. One is particularly nervy so known extremely quiet areas are vital. Its been interesting. We all laugh after small multiple training sessions, how any tool, can be good or harmful.