Cosmolo

Very well put Sam and Saki. What works for one dog may not work for another. Given that you are getting a puppy, i would advise a normal collar and lead and find an obedience/ puppy school who can guide you appropriately. Generally training groups i recommend (aside from us!) advocate a 'what works for the dog' approach and do not have hard and fast, inflexible rules about what equipment is okay and whats not. Corrections however, should not be given during the teaching phase of training exercises like sit and drop!

No worries- can i ask why you need to rehome him? Has he lived with other dogs before?

Maybe post in the non urgent rescue section? Is he desexed? From a reg breeder? Is he dog friendly?

I know of a number of very well respected veterinary behaviourists who recommend medication of some kind to almost every client they see- so its not uncommon.

Had to share my two boofers efforts on the weekend- too good photos to not share!

Thats great Monelite Cosmo wows me every time i take her out to do scent detection and she does it ;) Despite no regular practice :D We used her for a demo on Saturday and she searched so well and so independently, even people searches using people she would normally just go silly with. And Georgie wows me each time we do agility- for a dog that would never even walk across a trampoline bed! Cosmo just makes me tired doing agility- too dam fast

I have a question- who would be willing to use their dogs in this sort of exercise as the non reactive "bombproof" dogs? I can see how the exercise would be beneficial- but would be hesitant to put my dogs in that situation. Kelpie i- were you asking me if i was fearful of the unknown?

I regularly use my own non reactive dogs with dog aggressive dogs but until the dog progresses it is on lead and generally without muzzle. I find that with some dogs, just wearing a muzzle can change the way they behave so false indications can sometimes occur. AND, i don't want my dogs (who trust me implicitly when working with aggressive dogs) to be bullied/ unprotected by any dog for any length of time- muzzle or no muzzle.

I would strongly suggest you organise a consult with Kelpie i as soon as you are able. Personally i think you are likely to be better off seeing a behavioural trainer in this instance as opposed to a veterinary behaviourist.

We could make one that length if you wanted- made out of a plastic coated pvc type material with brass fittings and rivets so is very strong, doesn't rust and will last forever

Thanks guys- Miranda, thats the plan at this stage as well as an initial course of carprophen. Poor Dexter- he just wants to bounce around and run hard with the other dogs and he can't :D

Glen Eira Vet in Ormond support my raw feeding : ) And they are an excellent vet to boot :D

I am so sorry- what a horrible few days you've had. Hope Spike finds Otto over the bridge and plays with him :nahnah:

Thanks Mag- thats good to hear. We are looking at non surgical treatments at the moment- can i ask what you did with Maggie?

Dexter has hip dysplasia :rolleyes:

If we were to talk ideal training with a trialling aim, i would suggest a combination of one on one training and practical group training (with both of those instructors understanding you wish to trial) and then going to a trialling club with the confidence and knowledge to be able to use different techniques than the 'norm' once you reach a certain level. I stuck to my guns when i went to Southern and they ended up leaving me alone which was fine by me but it wasn't easy and if you don't have alot of experience, it can be difficult to go against the grain as you won't get the help that is in line with your preferences. As a professional trainer, i use both positive reward or drive rewards and compulsion/ corrections- once the dog knows the exercise. Giving a correction to a dog is not an evil or purely old fashioned thing- provided it is done properly- as with any training. I use to train with no corrections but then chose to use corrections when i was taught how to. Most of my clients choose to use corrections when shown BUT a few don't and i respect their choice and we use other methods.

Have pm'd you nickysch

Have to say that i didn't find Southern to helpful as soon as you didn't do things exactly the way they did- they were extremely critical. I would use a trialling club for the ring practice but not the clsses as i find they are a 1 hour heeling pattern that even my adult dogs would get bored with, let alone a puppy.

Fake grass would be the best option as it can be very difficult to change such a definite surface preference.

We service all areas for one on one and have group classes in Clayton South- don't know if that is too far? We run our group classes quite differently to most obedience clubs though. Are there any particular problems? Anything specific you are looking to achieve?

Thank you for your thoughts. I am very worried and don't know what to expect as i have never dealt with anything like this before. Will read through link- thanks Jules p

Took Dexter back to the vet today and he has been booked in for x rays next Tuesday. The soreness in his hocks seemed to have eased but the vet is concerned about his right hip AND his right shoulder.

Not sure about dog obedience clubs in that area but we do service the area for one on one. Sounds like they need some intensve private assistance before they go to a a group situation.

Hooray!!!! Always knew you would get there- CONGRATULATIONS!!!