Lazlo's Mum

Yes, I know that... Border Collie X I've no idea what with. Several different breeds I think. Maybe a shepherd? (NB that's not him in my avatar) Not really, just distracted...and excited...

Proofing eh?... Is there any chance this could ba an adolescent or maturing thing? He's 9 months old.

I've seen a few trainers a bit eccentric about not using punishment in their training. They say the dog will like you better if you don't punish, and alot of people use punishment incorrectly (eg, dog chews something while they're out, owner returns an hour later and punishes dog) and you can damage the dog physically & mentally. I guess I'm like that in a way. I'm just afraid I'll use it incorrectly or hurt Lazlo or something. The harshest thing I do to Lazlo is roll him on his side, put my hand around his muzzle and look him in the eyes, and I haven't even needed to do that lately. If you want to see a robot dog, read 'The koehler method of dog training' by william koehler. Some of the stories and scenarios he has in there make dogs trained using this method seem like robots. He uses that check chain for everything, even simple, easy commands like sit. The book was absolutely sickening. From memory, I think the only reward the dog got was praise. Anyhow, I'm going on about pretty much nothing....

!Kristen!- no problem. I see them in the pet section all time at the supermarket, but I've never bought them. My friend tried to give him some chocolate treat thing that brand put out around easter. Lazlo just chewed on it for a bit and then spat it out. He's so fussy Tilly- Thanks, good idea I'll try it, and if it doesn't work on the beach I'm sure he'll love it in his usual training sessions at class or home

!Kristen!- I think it's spelt schmackos... His recall is usually pretty good. I can get him to come 80-85% of the time. At obedience classes it's a bit lower, sometimes he just wants to play with the other dogs more than he wants to play with or get a reward from me . Even though I usually let him go back to playing after I call him. Other times I just have to make sure I call him when he isn't sniffing, but on the beach he almost always has his nose to the ground or is playing with other dogs. How long should the line be? I could probably get a five meter one fairly easily.

I've tried the natures gift treats, he doesn't like them, just spits them out...He doesn't really like any of the commercial dog treats, except dried liver. I guess that's what I get for feeding him a home-cooked diet Cheese isn't any good either, but I haven't tried ham...

hello. Whenever I take Lazlo to the beach he never listens to me, he just ignores me and will do everything but listen to me. This is particularly annoying when I try to get him to come or stay. He when I call him he'll sometimes run in my direction, then stay just out of my reach. With stays, he either breaks or doesn't look at me and acts very distracted. Usually he works hard for liver or a piece of chicken, but on the beach is a different story. I've tried his favourite tug toys and tried getting him to chase me, but it just doesn't work. He's usually very responsive. Does anyone have any treat recipies or suggestions to help motivate Lazlo in a distracting environment?