leopuppy04

definately not coming this time - CDODC trial

He hasn't undergone any surgery of any kind - just dropped a whole heap of hair. I asked his breeder as she is a groomer (and obviously has seen him a lot) and she believes it is part drought weather (apparently a lot of the dogs going through her shop have been doing weird and wonderful things) and just a drop into summer coat. I hope it grows back coz I miss all the fuzzy hair ;). But if you look at him, I think he is growing it back now as the hair is very wispy an the undercoat thick! I just wanted to make sure that I shouldn't be worried health wise

Haha -if you are lucky you will see him do it at the obedience trial :D. When I release him I get really excited and ask for hugs, at which point I have a 24kg bullett lunge himself at me! LOL! Aussies are big jumpers and I find this is their outlet for actually being allowed to jump and rewarded for it . Other ways I motivate them using myself is to make funny noises and just generally razz them up :p. It's time to be silly ;) Yeah this is pretty much how I use it, but I build up to it. Usually we run to the goodie bag if he has done some REALLY nice work for a slightly longer duration if ya know what I mean..... It it the ULTIMATE reward and I guess also coz he doesn't know what is coming out of it (what toy did she bring today? What food is in there?). I'll release him and generally say something like "Go get your biccies" and keep running with him and praising him when we run to the bag together. Other times i'll release him, we'll have a play and then i'll say "Ready.......set..... GO get the biccies"...... usually with me holding his back legs like they do for flyball - that gets him running like a rocket The HUGE benefit of this is that when I enter a trial - I will have a little play with him with the 'goodie bag' outside the ring doing short heeling but mainly razzing up. When we get to the start peg i'll usually say to him "do you want your biccies" and continue to say that throughout the exercises (in release time of course).... because I haven't actually told him to GET them, he won't, but just gets more excited knowing he is going along the lines of getting a reward :p. When we leave the ring i'll run with him to get the goodies ;). Sometimes the goody bag will offer handfuls of yummy treats and other times it will offer a game with a toy.... and sometimes the cheeky man will stick his nose in 'just to see' what is in there and pick out his favourite *sigh* Yeah myself as a motivator is basically lots of pats and praise, but not quiet pats and praise -hypo pats and prase with running, chasing, barking and being all around silly - I use it to really razz them up a little! A little OT - Cosmo - I tried your 'refining 'come' ' we were talking about a while ago in the 'heeling' thread and I must say that I really liked it - getting Leo to find 'come' - I think it really helps him understand that he has to come in 'straight'!!! So thanks for the idea - i'm a fan ;) Another question now- does anybody 'coach' (talk to their dog) when heeling? I used to, but found it did more harm than good, so now I only say 'good boy/girl' when they do something really nice, or perhaps just C&T..... that way they don't fall apart when i'm not saying anything :p.... I do talk to them when we are LLW though .

He's 3 at the end of May. He has dropped coat before, but this is kinda like a junior coat drop or something - it went right back to just undercoat..... he usually doesn't drop that much .

Hi again . I'm curious about what everybody does to keep their dogs motivated during training. Do you vary your rewards/ the way you reward? If you use food, do you always use the same type? Does the reward change in relation to the difficulty/ distractions? If you use yourself as a motivator (as we all should) how do you vary your own interaction? When you release your dog, using yourself as a motivator, what do you do? For me: I use a whole variety of rewards - toys, me, food...... Each varies in itself - I have an array of toys and tugs as well as the dry/processed food and a huge variety of soft/moist food. Yes, the reward changes in relation to what we are doing - out and about = super yummy yummies . The location of the reward also changes - sometimes it is from the bait bag (but i'm beginning to use this less and less .... more often it is either from my pocket or a 'target' bag.... they can be sent from anywhere to the bag . Sometimes I even reward them with the 'boring' food from me and run to the target bag to get the super yummies - that way they will really drive for the target bag coz that is where the BEST stuff comes from... I always find using myself the hardest motivator as I myself need to be really into the training .... also - it is hard when you are jumping up and down and the dog just looks at you When released, I ask the dogs for 'hugs' (Leo) or "up" (Kinta) - Kinta has a diff command coz up means jump into my arms (still a working progress).... I find this really works, but to razz them up if they are a little flat I blow in their faces (it makes them go nuts) and then we have a big game . Just interested in what everybody else does as i'm always interested in new ideas.

thanks hesapandabear! I didn't realise he had a coat till it went missing But it is normal isn't it? Everything else about him is healthy

I was looking back at piccies of my boy and OMG he has dropped soo much coat!!! Is it normal for a desexed dog to loose so much coat? How long does it take for them to grow back to full coat? Coat now: Coat Nov Last year:

I'm fascinated to hear that so many people have 'one person dogs'.... but not so suprised that they are all herding dogs (pretty much) as I guess that is what they were bred for. Don't worry Kodiak - I actually feel better sending the 2 off to the breeder if I am gone for an extended period of time, although since I still live with my parents, they may get hurt if it is just me going away and I send the dog back to the breeders

Thanks wagalot.... most of it I am doing already though - just to be painful I agree with your sum up about Mum vs Kinta though This is the thing - Kinta automatically sits when you have the food bowls. As soon as you pick them up to fill them and then get ready to put them down, both dogs will sit and wait - she also WILL NOT touch food until asked, so mum must give a command (LOL - Leo can attest to this, he took ages to eat at Ana's one time coz I forgot to tell them the command - poor little tyke, he was sitting there while they were saying "dinner", "biccies" etc,etc.... drooling away but wouldn't move Likewise, Leo is highly unlikely to touch her dinner..... usually.... I just told mum to encourage her forward and tell her 'munchies'.... when she does to praise her.... mum did exactly that but went a bit OTT with the praise, which confused the poor kid . When we tried again Kinta was a lot more confident.... No problems there Thats a biggie with me - they are NEVER, EVER, EVER sooked when they are scared - I make them face their fears in a calm gentle way - lots of praise when they behave accordingly :D

LOL ness - invading my threads again *sigh* Yeah - I had a friends dog who's temperament is very similar to Kinta's and he fell to pieces around mum and dad but not in public or around me. Luckily, should I ever go on a holiday without the dogs she will always be going either a) back to the breeders b) to a very well known friend (but her boyfriend is the person Kinta is Sh** scared of!) or c) staying home with parents. Everywhere she goes she'll have Leo obviously. LOL - nope, nobody would be training them . I guess I just don't want her to fret too much - I hate seeing dogs stressed out

LOL - yeah I know - just teasing you . We did heeling the same way and I had so many things I needed to work through with Leo first Basically you teach the dog the 'teardrop heel first. Say 'heel' to get them into that position. Then you would start with taking one step forward and getting the dog to 'heel'. Continue to one step back, one step right and eventually one step to the left. This is their way of getting the dog to 'really' understand 'heel'...... I haven't done this yet with Kinta, but we are slowly doing it. they introduce right and right about turns on LLW. Static heel is taught pretty much with your correct footwork and the dog maintaining 'heel' I believe.... Then u gradually increase the steps etc. I think the dogs understand heel a lot better from this. As I said - I haven't done it yet, but will let you know

Yep - thats them - Leo will work with someone so long as they have food and he can see me 'watching' - then he works better for them as he does for me (that whole novelty thing!). As soon as i'm out of sight he frets a little and won't work anymore .... unless he *really* knows the person. Kinta works best for me and no-one else. Like you say - totally happy to say hi to everyone but wants me essentially. Problem is that every time I say that to Mum she really isn't interested - she is also very interested in growling at the dogs all the time (which I don't allow) so since she can't do that she doesn't want to. Frankly - her 'training' can be very up n down which the dogs struggle with. I can do work with the 'feeding' but that is about it! Luckily dad is my 'substitute' walker and they respond well to him. Do you think she will offer this response if someone outside of the family were looking after her? What if I went away and she went to a friends house?

Yep, sounds like a typical Aussie Yep and I hate to admit it, but ya gotta love 'em for it

LOL Tony - yes, that is one good thing about her - that she is very intuned to me and watches me constantly. Don't get me wrong - I don't see it as a fault in her behaviour, I just want to know if there is anything I should do as I don't want her to be overly stressed should i go on a holiday or anything.... but then she'd likely go back to the breeders who she knows very well.... just wanting a bit of ideas Leo shows these tendencies too, but to a lesser degree..... he usually wants to be with me but at training.... forget it - don't you know these people carry sausages in their bait bags He shows similar response to Mum though in regards to 'command refusal'

Training advice please. I have recently realised that I have a dog that is very much a 'one person' dog. I got Kinta at 5mths old from the breeder. She was very confident at the breeders house and was pretty much *exactly* what I was looking for. The reason I got her at 5mths rather than 8 wks was that I was initially waiting on the later litter, but both breeder and I agreed that the older pup they were 'running' on was better suited to me. I have never once regretted my decision . When I brought her home for a 2 wk 'trial' (lol - risky business that, I wonder how many actually don't pass ) she was *perfect* the first day - 'processing' everything and then deciding she could deal with it. I couldn't have been more impressed with her. However, for about a week after that she was a little skittish and 'scared' of other people - if they went to pat her she would shy away and seemed a bit unnerved in her environment. We worked through that and I mostly think it was a 'settling' in thing - there is only one person she really can't stand..... runs a mile when she sees him - maybe she knows something we don't . Most people who have met her recently don't believe me when I say she was skittish when we first got her as she is a really, really confident dog now - jumps on anybody and begs attention from anyone who will listen . My parents did the typical thing you would expect a 6 or 7 yr old to do when a new dog comes into the house - interested in her for about the first week and then slowly lost interest.... so you can say that 99% of her attention came either through or from me. My dad spends a bit of time with her and they are great mates, but she is definately my dog. She seeks me out wherever and both dogs ALWAYS want to be with me, which is fine. Leo is more of a social butterfly and although still a 'mummy's boy' loves the attention of others (anyone who has met him can attest to that ). Kinta on the other hand really only wants me. If we go to a new place (went to Phillip Is one weekend) she was a little unnerved from about the 2nd day, but nothing to be concerned about although she really does look at me for direction. This is where my concern comes in - Once or twice I have gotten my mum to feed Kinta coz I have been busy the past week or so. Both dogs must wait until they have recieved their commands to eat. Kinta will sit a mile away from her food bowl, and when commanded to eat by mum - she runs away..... or goes a very roundabout way to get to her bowl. She has NEVER once been punished for running to her food (except for the food bowl simply being lifted up again). When mum has told her again she will eat no problems. I saw this last night and was very confused by the response. Got mum to do it a few times and Kinta was fine. My mum has also said that if she asks Kinta to sit/drop/stand/ release she wont respond. Leo does respond to mum, but mum has spend more time with leo - even then he is a little disobedient with her. Kinta will do everything my dad asks. Whenever mum or dad throw a toy for Kinta she won't retrieve it. As soon as I do - she is off like a rocket. My question is - should I be concerned - my mum is not a doggy person and I think Kinta picks up on this... it is hard for me to get the parents to participate in training.... if mum growls for whatever reason, Kinta's confidence is shattered for a few seconds until mum makes a point to 'make friends' with her again..... never had this problem with Kinta myself. I want to know if there is anything I should do as there will come a time when I won't be there for one reason or another. Kinta DOES have a stable temperament and shows no signs of seperation anxiety.... but she is definately a one person dog and really only listens to me.... She is very reserved when I am not there...... So should I be concerned? What can I do if I need to try and alleviate this issue? ETA - I just re-read my post and thought i'll give some breed background.... When you read up on the aussies what I describe is typical Aussie behaviour - very attached to one owner and taking commands from only one person... reserved when owner is not there - they tend to be accepting of strangers when the owner is present and cautious at other times - that is Kinta to a T. She has shown NO aggressive tendencies, just cautious. I know this about the breed, but I want to know if there is anything I can do to help 'manage' the problem so that if there does come a time when I am on holidays she won't be so unnerved....

oooh yeah - definately - lucky for me I can come and go in class as I please and no one questions the way I train Kinta - which is specifically for trialling - later she will go into trialling class which is 1:1 instruction for around 15mins .... whatcha saying Ness... that my poor Leo is only mediocre

LOL Jules - I agree with you - sometimes you have to be 'cruel to be kind' and if it your dogs life at risk then yep, someitmes we have to do things we don't like to do . As for the positive stuff - again, I think it is important to stay positive when the dog is working with us, but for general manners, I don't see why a grrrowl would be wrong.... I look at it that way as I don't see Leo asking Kinta to sit and stay either ...... but for her to in essence 'understand' properly and do it willingly, for me, I prefer positive. In a way, I guess that is why i'm not a 100% purist in positive training as I do believe there is a time and place where discipline is warranted. And lets face it, there are some dogs, like kids that *just need to be told* once and for all.... then they turn into perfect angels

I'll keep that in mind! As for Leo being too beautiful - thats the problem - he is bound to walk up to the judges and say "JUST LOOK AT ME" "Am I not the most beautiful dog on earth" *wiggles butt madly* Hmm.... do we lose points for sociability! Oooh Wagalot - I think we may have the claws out for each other :D

LOL - Jules - sorry I didn't reply to your PM - I'll say no from me for Monday - next time!! Berwick trial - maybe/maybe not - depends on Kinta as she may have an assessment that day and I might be entering the agility trial on the sat . So i'll either be at Berwick or Mornington..... slight preference to Berwick

It isn't necessary to train at a club but IMO, it helps proof against distractions, not to mention helping in things such as group says . Don't need to title in obed before doing agiliyt

Just a question. If you open it up for everyone, even if they have only just started out, wont it end up being the more experienced people having to help the less experienced the whole time instead of getting together to train their own dogs? I thought you initially meant it for people who were trialling or just about to, so they could get together and train and bounce ideas off each other etc. Rather than an instructor student set up kind of like a club. Yeah I guess so - I just didn't really want to exclude anyone....and also - I have an 8mth old that I want some training tips on and she is nowhere near trialling - a few people have younger pups too.... and I kinda want 'trialling' advice not dog club advice if ya know what I mean.... How about - it is open for anyone close too, already started or aiming for trialling. If you have trialled before/ currently trialling you can bring younger dogs along to get some help with 1-2 parts of training?

Me too Cosmo - I think that there is always 'something else' we could try that *does* suit them

LOL - that was the general idea yes, but it then got confusing as to whether the dogs were AT trialling level or TRAINING to trialling level . so - any training so long as 'trialling' was in mind was the best description I could come up with

What you said Jesomil .... just whoever wants to come along and do a bit of training - but for me personally - I have trialling in mind . Don't have the mel ref Wagalot - but it is the cnr of Scoresby Rd and FTG Rd. WMR - still feel free to bring your pooches - i'm sure you'll have time to help AND train