Cosmolo

Personally, i would just condition and use a verbal marker instead. Some may suggest a quieter clicker but i am not sure which brands/ types are quieter.

A couple that i would happily recommend- Patterson Lakes Animal Hospital, Monash Veterinary Clinic and my vet which is a bit further away Glen Eira Veterinary Clinic

Whereabouts are you located? Perhaps someone can recommend a pre Christmas puppy class or trainer for you. I would not be waiting till after Christmas to start if you can help it, even a private lesson or two would be better than nothing. You must do some research on a dogs critical period- which occurs between 6 and 16 weeks and as the name suggests is a critical time for socialisation and learning about the world. If you do not (safely) socialise your pup until after 16 weeks, your chances of having problems are greatly increased and you have a breed which IMO needs very good socialisation (i have 3) I hesitate to advise to strongly on the mouthing without seeing the pup except to say that it is something that you want to get under control ASAP and it is highly unlikely your puppy will just grow out of it. I have seen 3 Cattle dogs in the last 12 months that have had biting issues as adults which IMO were contributed to by puppy mouthing being left unchecked. Even though it starts as a developmental phase, it often continues as the dog learns its is a fun game.

We have one starting this Saturday- in Ormond though- only thing i could suggest is that you come to the first few weeks without the puppy and then bring the puppy when you have him/ her. Not ideal i know but better than having to wait till the new year to get started.

So sorry to hear of your loss- she sounds like a beautiful dog. Hope you are coping okay

I'm sure there will be others with lots of advice but i would do a couple of things as i have a similar dog and this is what we did- use a no reward mark at the moment she misses a weave pole, manipulate the reward she gets depending on accuracy and not allow her to continue running the course if she misses weavers (give her the opportunity to weave again, get it right and then continue) If she finds agility that rewarding and continues to run the course, get rewards (from you or otherwise) for missing weavers she will continue to do so- not something i would expect to change when she 'settles down'.

Wereabouts are you located? Perhaps we can recommend a puppy school to go to? Or you can ust bring your spunk of a puppy to our puppy school!!

Erny would it be better to have two separate ones from myself and OH or a single one from both of us as the business?

I am one of those bad people who haven't done their submission yet- will do so in the next week or two

We have one at Ormond (not close to either location you mention- a bit in the middle!) starting November 17th- last one before Christmas.

We do private training in the area and group training in Clayton South- 25 minutes away- and woud have no problem with clicker training. Most of our clients use a verbal marker but we're happy to use different bits amd pieces for different people

i have pm'd you too ETA- who told you they had given up on her? was it one instructor? the centre manager? Understandable that something like that would upset you..

One other thing- there are some things i train for that have no test or trial but because my dog enjoys it so much,as do i, i do it just for us e.g. Scent Detection with a number of target odours.

I would probably fall into the training but not competing actegory for the time being. Here are my reasons- Agility trialling- something i would like to do but have found myself to be extremely time poor in terms of trialling on weekends. I can train during the week at variable times so i can still train but having clients who all want weekend appointments limits my trialling options! Obedience- Disillusioned with both the trial content (which i think is impratical and not a true test of a dogs ability) and some of the bitchiness encountered that i can do without- would deal with the attitudes of a minority if i really wanted to trial but don't so choose not to have to deal with it. I don't think it is a sign of not being able to raise the bar- its certainly not in my case as my dogs are constantly challenged in a variety of ways and have what i consider to be excellent obedience. My moments of pride come when i get compliments from clients and strangers alike on the behaviour of my dogs and improvement they see in my previously 'terrified of everything' dog. Taperfund- 'walking the walk' doesn't always mean the dogs have to trial. I consider one of my dogs in particular to be exceptional and not having a title on her makes no difference to the skill level i (and others who can recognise it) know she has.

Just to add- my OH was training yesterday when he walked past a park and there was a guy sitting with his dog on a bench who was warning people as they approached that his dog had cough! He didn't seem phased when OH told him that he was going to infect all the dogs that came near the park :rolleyes:

Its interesting you mention this topic as i recently had a clients dog go home from a kennel and we were called a day later to say he had cough. He had shown no signs to us or staff while boarding and there were no other cases at the kennel. Its very unfortunate but it does happen. Agree with sandgrubber and showdog :rolleyes:

Thanks for feedback. Has anyone used it with a child walking the dog? Any side effects?

I would condition him to a verbal marker instead.

Sorry, i don't think i explained it very well- it didn't interfere as such with the movement of the dogs leg generally but when the dog pulled it virtually forced what i would call (in horse terms) a turn on the haunches, moving the dogs shoulders back toward the handler with the outside leg stepping across first (therefore moving off the ground). Does that make more sense? It was fitted nice and firm with no interference when the dog walked normally.

Used it on at 35-40kg Ridgeback x and link is http://www.gentleleader.com/pages.cfm?id=74

Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on this piece of equipment as a management tool. I used one for the first time on a dog on the weekend after both a correction chain and headcollar proved ineffective for various reasons. The lead connects to a D in the centre of the dogs chest and when the dog pulls, the pressure on the lead actually removes the weight from the dogs opposite leg. So if the dog is on the person's left for example and pressure is applied, the dogs left leg comes slightly off the ground, ceasing the pulling and making it very easy for the owner to move the dog without alot of resistance. Has anyone used one before? Any disadvantages? I see it as a great management tool that comes without alot of the drawbacks of a headcollar but want to hear experiences from others.

You bought a cocker because of their temperament but then haven't actively trained the dog?? Maybe the dog should go back to the breeder? Unless you are prepared to invest some time and energy into the training of a young dog who has not been given appropriate boundaries and rules. Why would you wait until there is such a big problem? Behaviour problems are much easier to deal with if you deal with them as soon as they arise.

Just to add, one of the reasons i guide is to get the dog used to being gently physically manipulated, should the need arise to do such at a later stage- vet exam etc. I also find it is much easier to get the dog to then respond to the verbal command only than only using a lure. I always teach from a stand.

With puppies, a combination of guide/ show/ place and luring. With adult dogs it varies but more often than not a guide.

Don't know how to spell it but Konji's crystals might be it?