Cosmolo

Thats awesome Huski! Teardrops work well- i find alot of handlers find them awkward to start but don't take long to improve.

To my knowledge AWL DO euthanase those that are not rehomable.

An adult Staffy with poor socialisation history and a Chihuahua.. Who made that decision.. Was the walk done at the shelter or at home?

There are many factors that could have avoided such an incident-

- Behavioural Assessment

- On Site dog introduction

- Proper equipment

I feel very sorry for the dog who was killed and the owner. I also feel sorry for the Staffy- should never have been put in that situation.

Jules in my experience most vets use vet nurses that work for them or have worked for them previously. Other vets might be interested though so worth dropping a reusme in with qualifications/ relevant experience etc.

You can definitely make a living but it depends on what sort of income you are used to. The best money is within the detection dog industry to my knowledge or to be a veterinary behaviourist. Income fluctuates wildly when you work for yourself so although you may have a few weeks that are great, you need to be prepared for quiet times as well as putting money aside for sick days, any holidays you'd like to take etc.

Wow, that is very reasonably priced. I wonder if i could make it on the Sunday..

I don't know how to quote but if i did i would quote that last line of yours Corvus- and i completely agree. Thats one of the major things that has changed and shaped how we train over the last 5 years. It matters little if i can give a correction that is effective if the owner cannot. And (this may be for another topic) the owner has to learn this skill- how many mistakes (in terms of timing etc) are acceptable and not of significant detriment to the dog.

Its true PF. I recognise that at least 50% of my puppy owners i will only see for 4 weeks. So during that time i must cover some of the most important skills and problems. On the one hand i think its not a good thing that we are beginning to compensate for people's lack of committment, but on the other hand, i am a realist and if i know i won't see some of them again i want to set them up as best i can in a short period of time..

I think you need to have a balance of theory and practice. You can love theory without getting bogged down in it when teaching others. I sure do- i had a discussion with another trainer last week where we disagreed for the first time and delved deep into theory and it was great. It made me think about whay i do some of teh things i do and why she does them differently- discussions like that improve my practical training.

The question is though- how do we get people to do some of these things? Providing it is not the only solution- its having societal pressure to encourage people to utilise such services that is also needed.

ETA Thanks Megan, thats kind of you to say. We have some new exercises that we have just introduced this year that are yielding great results too and similar in terms of being practical etc.

I agree with PF. I would LOVE to see a shift toward problem prevention rather than problem solving. However, convincing people to be pro active about their dogs when their currently isn't a problem in their eyes is so very hard.

Thats how i use it as well. I find my dogs respond very well to a NRM once they understand it- i probably use it most for heel but like you, need to use it sparingly with one of my dogs.

TSD- in that case where you use 'ah well' and the dog adjusts do you mark and reward at that point? Or release from that, give a lower level reward and set it up again as a separate exercise for a potential jackpot. Does you consider the 'ah well' to double as a release? ie- you can move out of position rather than 'please try again and fix that position now'?

I find it so interesting that it seems we all do things a little bit differently- but the dogs clearly still understand what we're doing. I guess it means that consistency, motivation and timing are the most important things regardless of how and when you use NRM's etc.

So when you train, does the no reward mark that you give end the exercise and you start again? Or does the no reward mark mean try again within the same exercise if that makes sense?

It is different to what i am used to so just trying to understand it.

If you did a sit and it was crooked and you didn't want want to heel would you NRM?

To answer the trial day procedure question- for me it would depend on the dog. One of mine would be better to have no training for 2-3 days before a trial, the boys would do better with little training sessions the day before. I wouldn't feed in the morning- but i don't usually anyway.

A much, much higher rate of reinforcement would help to speed up your progress. A slightly faster pace, a bit more encouragement to get her going then lots of marking and rewarding.

I definitely wouldn't get her to hold a drop- would be quite stressful and loading for many dogs.

While i would certainly recommend contacting a good trainer or behaviourist first, a good exercise to start with is Leslie McDevitt's Look at That- if you search youtube for it, you will be able to find some videos.

I agree with PF- i have seen the best results when heel is taught as a stationary position first. In fact, the lightbulb went off in my youngest dogs head yesterday during a session where we just did stationary heel- could see that he really did 'get it' and i am looking forward to progressing his heeling now- few more stationary sessions needed though.

Yep- i am wanting him not to move on the marker word- makes sense now!

Ososwift- how do you end the exercise if the dog has done an average job that you don't want to click/ treat for?

rubystar- thats what i do with the release, but wanting to know how those who do use the click to end the exercise would do it : )

It also means i can mark selectively- ie, i release from every exercise but the dog only gets the marker word for the good efforts. If your marker is what ends the exercise (with the dual meaning of 'a reward is coming') how do you end the exercise if the dog has done an average job? (that is a genuine questions, i'm not being critical)

Great video Staranais!!!

Yes i agree with the others too- high value rewards and very short bursts. Does your dog loose lead walk well? Have you thought about using a marker word or clicker?

I don't want the marker to end the exercise. I understand that many people do train with this as the goal but the reason why i don't is because i want to be able to build up duration for stays or heeling etc whilst using my marker word without ending the exercise. Just a different way to do it that works for me. So i prefer to introduce the marker word for an exercise that does not require a release to start with and then go from there.

I am having a brain blank- i don't understand your last question OsoSwift?

ETA I hope the above makes sense!

Just another warning- City of Port Phillip have become pretty tough over the last few years with dogs off lead where they shouldn't be. Should your pup venture off your property, even onto the footpath and someone complains to the council, you're likely to have a bit of trouble on your hands. Not to mention the risk to your pup that others have mentioned.

Your pup is going to go through many different developmental phases over the next year or so- ongoing training is vital to ensure your pup continues on the right track. While i would recommend formal training where you can train with distractions in a controlled environment, if you want to do it yourself make sure you continue to gradually change exercises, make them a little different or more challenging. If you don't continue to progress, many Jacks will get bored, switch off and go backwards. Just something to keep in the back of your mind. I'd also be maintaining a very high rate of reinforcement for those recalls. Our JRT has just hit 14 months and is a little star- they are a super breed when trained and socialised well.

Good luck!

Thanks Jules, he is being fostered through Pug Rescue. He isn't ready for me to mark sitting as yet without getting up so i prefer to get the release in and reward after that. As soon as his sits are a little more reliable and he understands the release word, i'll start marking his sits.

Thats a shame Rubystar! But i'd still go to the reception too

Here is my foster puppy Greg's 3rd training session. I have only had him since late Thursday night- what a clever little pup he is!! I think i will have to find him a 'training' home.

Does your disinfectant contain ammonia? I'd try something different- white vinegar and water or urine off.

Lovely round Vickie!