Kelpie-i

Hi LL. If I could voice my belief on this, I would say Yes in some cases! Regardless of breed, many (of course not all!) of the dogs sitting in pounds are there due to their "high drive" personalities. They are difficult to handle, always busy minded and get into everything. These dogs become bored very quickly and due to this cause havoc in the family home. I believe that most of these dogs never receive any form of drive satisfaction which, as we all know, needs an outlet somewhere.

Yes I too hand fed Gabe when he was a pup, mainly his evening meal. It's the best thing way to get the dog knowing that you are the bearer of all things good.....and vital to their existence!

For all of you who are awaiting the notes from Steve Austin, I have sent him a couple of reminder emails regarding this. Steve travels quite frequently so we can only hope that he finds the time to send these out. I'll keep reminding him each fortnight or so. :D

Well um....'cough', yeah my um...'cough' dog can do that...no problems...(clear throat) I just haven't had time to video tape it.

In Gabe's case it's "FRISBEE!" If you know my dog, you'll know what I mean.

Arya, very good points. We do this with our Advanced class and what happens is very interesting. We ask them to say the dog's release word whilst still maintaining firm posture and most of the dogs become confused. Some explode into excitement and then all of a sudden stop and wonder why the handler isn't partying with them. Others don't call the handler's bluff. Ness I agree. It would depend on the typical body posturing you have applied whilst training and trialling the dog. Dogs are masters at reading body language and all the subtleties therefore they will most certainly pick up on even a slightly turned shoulder or foot, but only if this is has become a cue to them for something. I worked with a lady with cerebral palsy some time ago, lovely lady who didn't have much control of her upper body movement but was able to speak, albeit not very clearly. The dog was taught to listen to the cues and to ignore the body movement. We need to give dogs credit as they are smarter than we think they are!

DD, thanks for clarifying that and as I stated....each to their own. You either love it or hate it! Just to clarify where I come from, I train dogs (other people's) everyday for a living, especially in a boarding and training environment during the week and run a dog school on weekends - have been doing this for over 10 years now. I use a clicker for approx 80% of dogs I train at the kennels, especially those who are only in for a short period of time and the owners are wanting miracles. I find it a quicker way of teaching the dogs the necessary skills that the owners want. I wean them off the clicker on their 2nd last day and use a marker and release word instead which works fine too. On some occassions I use only a marker word (no clicker), depending on what I am teaching and by comparison, the clicker does a much more effective job in teaching the dogs to think for themselves and make decisions. It also adds to the intensity of the training session and you get a lot more out of the dog. My 14 year old GSD (whom I trained many moons ago for trialling) was taught using only very conventional methods. He burnt out very quickly ie 3 years into training due to the methods. I then commenced using a marker word to re-define his skills which worked very well and I was pleased with the results. But since I started using a clicker, he bounces around like a puppy whenever he sees it. He's in his golden years now and in happy retirement, but still gets excited when he sees or hears the clicker. I never got this sort of enthusiasm by the prep word. I'm not here to preach to or convert you DD, just stating how I feel about the tool. It's not a gimmick as you put it, it IS a very good training tool that is used not just for dogs, but for many diferent animals as well and has proven itself time after time.

DD, your "Yes" to the judge during trials is more a "cue to work" for your dog rather than being the same as the conditioned sound of a clicker for teaching exercises. It is evident that you may be confused between the different training methodologies here. The clicker works wonders for anybody who is uncoordinated and with no timing, as the messages from the brain to finger are far quicker than the messages from the brain to mouth. Therefore, these people pick up the concept very quickly. What's more, using a verbal marker can result in emotions being vocalised more easily which the dog picks up on. The clicker delivers a neutral and consistent tone. I have been an instructor for many years, preferring to use conventional methods in my earlier days, but I can tell you that absolutely nothing comes close to the enthusiasm created by and the precision of, the clicker. You must get over your fear of the object (or fear of using a different tool with different methodology) before you can really appreciate it. :D If that fails, then it's each to their own!

Sounds as though she is clearly dictating the terms with you guys!!

BTW, all of my team are paid for their time!! The longer they serve, the more they are paid!

My guys don't mind being called Floaters...it flows easier off the tongue than Assistant Instructors, although we do refer to them as Assistant Instructors to clients.

Interesting thread... It's good to learn how other clubs train their trainers (if they do) and what makes a good instructor. I believe that dog training is a skill that is acquired after adequate learning of theory and loads of handling and instructing experience. Merely doing a course does not render anybody qualified to teach obedience classes yet along give people advice on behavioural issues. My instructors have all done some sort of formal training course initially, whether it be NDTF or other. Once this is completed and we feel the person has the right qualities and decent handling skills to become an instructor, they are then put on as "assistant instructor" for the first 12 months. During this time they float around the classes assisting the main instructors, helping people out one on one with obedience problems only. They do not tackle behavioural problems at this stage. Within 6 months of their floating time, they are then 'promoted' for want of a better word, to take our "catch up" classes which concentrate solely on one or two areas ie. Drops/stands or loose lead walking etc. This gives them some very good practice for when it comes time to take an entire class and also eases the nerves. During this time they will also undergo a further 5 week Induction program which teaches them specific techniques, approaching people, how to draw up class plans, dealing with difficult people etc. Only after 12 months of both floating and then taking catch up classes can they commence taking full obedience classes as an instructor. The whole process takes around 2 years...pretty slow, but this process is allowing us to create some excellent instructors with loads of hands on knowledge as well as experience in dealing with indivicual people and their dogs.

Here are my contributions: 1. When a dog licks your face it means he's kising you. 2. My dog thinks he's human

Jaybeece, I know how you feel....it's a great feeling of jubilation when your dog is finally able to even just sit next to another dog without reacting. Those who have never had to deal with this will never know the feeling. These sort of dogs teach you a lot about......well,DOGS! Great progress and keep it up. Let us know how you go with K9.

Excellent job Rom. Congratulations!

You're probably better off setting up a voice recorder during the day to gage the actual amount of barking he does before buying such an expensive item that may not be required.

tothemax, as Erny has suggested, the anti-bark collars can work, depending on the situation you are trying to control. If you are trying to stop him from barking at other dogs, then the anti-bark collar is NOT the way to go. What situation are you trying to control the barking?

It's not so much stopping or catching him from weeing on you...which is a symptom of the problem, it's about stopping the cause or root of the problem which is causing the symptom to occur....make sense?? This would depend on the type of desensitisation technique being used.

I'm a little surprised that they even attempted to try and have him greet the other dogs when he was displaying the erratic behaviour. That sort of behaviour should sound alarms bells that he may require some desensitisation work for suspected fear aggression as well as addressing the obvious leadership issues. Like Cosmolo, I'm curious to learn what sort of one on one they will do with you. Are you able to keep us informed?

;) :p :p Thank you to everyone for your feedback and I am really glad you all enjoyed the day. I can now breath a sigh of relief and can finally relax....it's been a stressful few months getting it all together....but I won't be resting for too long. I am in the process of organising the next one..........a big 3 day event! Watch this space!! Joypod don't worry about the chocky spills (x2)...will send you the drycleaning bill Lablover, thank you very much for your kind words!

Hi tothemax, Ain't nothing wrong with the TOT and NILIF programs, both are excellent for dealing with mild leadership issues as Erny has pointed out, and the programs will not alter or change your dog's personality or inflict any harm to him in anyway. No, hormones will not change the way a dog views his territory or his status. You will need to work at this with a good obedience and leadership program. Not too sure if a 6 week course will sort everything out for you though...depends on what you are learning during that time.

Without seeing the dog, it is hard to make a diagnosis, however it may be a case of lead aggression which caused the outburst with your girl. This dog will need some rehab work with a pro.

Odin22, check that your dog is not suffering any pain or discomfort in his hips or joints first before proceeding with speeding up his drops. Just a suggestion as a Rotti I was training recently who's drops were very slowly has been diagnosed with early hip displasia.

Hi Paul It's partly a Kelpie thing but I'm afraid it sounds like a pattern behaviour in your dog....somewhat of a spontaneous reaction when she sees another dog. Best to teach her an alternative behaviour to break her from this habit. Hire yourself a good trainer to help you to do this. Oh, and get her in with some sheep to satisfy that herding instinct.

Oh my IncrediJack, so sorry to hear of your friend's situation with her dog. That's just awful! Not all boarding/training places use harsh methods and it's unfortunate that the few cowboys who run some of these places tag themselves at dog trainers and then proceed to totally destroy a good dog. What's more depressing is that dog owners pay top dollar to these people, who do nothing but taint the general reputation of good boarding/training businesses. At the end of the day, it's the owner's leadership skills, along with good handling skills, patience, understanding of the dog and commitment, which will train the dog.