leopuppy04

Ok - you're positional cue should tell your dog without hesitation where you are going next.... therefore - if 5a was your next obstacle - your FC should be as close to Bar A as posible.... that way - it is v. clear to your dog you are doing that jump and not the others. If you were in the centre - your dog would have no idea if it was doing A, B, C or D. if 5b was your jump then your FC should be as close to where you have written 5b (assuming you were going to 5d next) if 5c was your jump then your FC should be as close to that bar as possible..... if you kept that as a straight line, your dog would not necissarily see that depending on how they took jump 4. My guess for 5d is that you would be outside the box - you would FC as close to jump 4 as possible and with a shoulder rotation, 5d should open up... I may be wrong for this one I know - I look at it and think OMG there is no way I could get to those jumps.... but I think it's important that while you increase your lateral distance, your body should still be pointing in the direction your dog should be going, until they have committed (ie: front feet off the ground) to the jump. More sense?

My dogs must be weird - I gave them a salmon head the other day and they didn't eat it... dont' know whether it was because they had difficulty but they did look at me as if to say "what IS that thing looking at me"!?!?! Have frozen it and will try it again... otherwise I might try the whitebait/ mackerel!!!!

Don't go too fast too soon... focus on your foundations and learn from those more experienced. Take advice and ideas from everyone and then create your own training plan specially tailored for your dog Oh - and learn to walk in a straight line ETA - TOTALLY agree with RS

*ponders* *tries to remember what her command for both ways are* I think I'm the same TSD because my 'heel' is the position by my left side - my hand is directing them which way I want them to go I'm the same as you... I didn't put much thought into it either

It is my understanding that all halti's can do this - if you pull upwards, you can shut the dogs mouth. As to whether or not I would do it or recommend it to be done is a different matter I would assume that because the black dog and halti have the ability to constrict would be better at this. It still shouldn't hurt the neck if used correctly as it should be one smooth movement.... but I still wouldn't do it. JMO

I must admit - I was very anti - the U turn before I fully understood how to teach it as sooo many dogs just make it look plain messy. Now that I have a better understanding of how to teach it, I think it's a much better alternative, just as you say BD - why should they leave that position and encourage them to go wide While the finish around me is no biggie in my books, I find that a lot of dogs find the flip finish self rewarding. So while I'm teaching my older boy to also do the U turn and flip, as to whether we will use it in the ring will remain to be seen, but it certainly has improved his actual heeling position

I know it feels tedious now Heidii but from someone who is now going BACK to foundations you won't regret it If you want to start teaching foundations on the other activities - have a look at Susan Garrett's Shaping Success or her 2x2 weaving vid If it's the club I am thinking of.... I doubt you'll find a better one - I'm very jealous

totally agree Tassie :rofl: I did heaps of rear end work to teach a U turn (actually never seen Mary Ray, so thumbs up to me )... but I shaped it... did heaps of work to get the dog to *find* that heel spot from a variety of angles by moving their butt. Don't get me wrong, we still have a long way to go for it to look spectacular, but I can see we are making progress You can break the rules, but it does mean that if you want to be true to the GD system, you can't fault the dog for flicking away occasionally.... HOWEVER, I still believe that dogs can contextualise concepts and sports well enough to not do this the majority of the time ;)

I go to two clubs, because I sometimes can't make it to one of them and I like to have just one dog out with me sometimes. I don't usually train the same dog at both clubs during the week, but I do sometimes ;) One club is pretty free-lance which means I take both dogs and we work on things that *I* feel we need to work on. Sometimes we have set training to do there too. The other club is more structured, so I only take 1 dog per week there... usually.... I instruct at both clubs too.... why I have no idea... who'd want my suggestions?!?! :rofl: So usually it works out - 1 dog gest 2x nights at agility and one gets one night. Works for us *if* you can find 2 clubs that teach similar I find it can be a big help - different instructors teach you different things Don't forget, although it's boring, foundations can never be practiced enough - working on your foundations till you are blue in the face means you will reap the rewards later

Some other reasons Jules is the dog can take it as a 'disconnection' from you - sometimes when they don't work properly, we tend to turn away and walk off on them . SOME dogs find it a bit difficult with the LAT around your back and therefore do a variety of things . It really depends on the dog, but K definitely responds better to the U turn... less gawking I think most important is what works for you and the dog

agreed with Tassie . While I may not be able to polish up Leo's flip finishes and U turns, I am trying to with miss K.... also guided by the fact that she does tend to go wide on the LAT around me Will let you know how it goes, but do whichever one is most comfortable for you and your dog

Hope he feels better soon Krislin. My boy and one of the dogs I was looking after had this - I wonder if it's due to all the smoke as we are still quite smokey where we are?! Good luck with it all

Thanks! I'll keep that one in my books!!!

That makes more sense then as I had NO idea how it would cause a dog to 'firm' up :p Mind you - I see stacks of dogs fed on PAL who really struggle when they go to the loo

Has anyone ever heard people tell others when their dog has a bout of the runs (I think) to give it PAL for a while?! Or was it the other way around (constipated) .... Lovely topic I know :p Wanted to ask people - have they tried it and does it work?! If so..... WHY does it work?!?!!?

1- Can frisbee be that harmful to your dogs health that it will cause arthritis and other physical issues in the dogs life? Yes IMO I think it can. Constant jumping and running causes a lot of impact on the joints, thus making the dog at a higher *risk* of arthritis and injury. HOWEVER, it wouldn't be the only cause of arthritis as dogs that usually love jumping for frisbee's and such would also jump for other toys too. 2- if the dog has been trained over a long period of time to handle more physical situations, wouldn't that prevent physical health issues later? It will help but it won't prevent it as it's the constant impact and repitition that will eventually wear down the joints 3- what are the ages where you would begin introducing more physical activities, for example, how old before you start letting the job jump over obstacles, or weave through poles, jump up for bite work, do more running. I would always (from now on) start training for agility from a baby age, but they wouldn't do heavy equipment until at least 12 - 18mths 4- do you think that it is harmful for a dog to play sports like frisbee, agility etc, do you think a dog who does these sports is healthier and fitter in their old age compared to a dog who had been prevented from participating in these sports in its life time? I think that the sports keep the dogs healthier and fitter for sure... but I also think that these dogs will get more 'injuries' than your average pet dog. Think of it in terms of a football player vs an lazy couch potato. The footy player is healthier, but their joints do wear down a little and they will get sore now and again. 5- have you ever experienced a dog who had serious health issues in its later age from doing these sports? was it because they were not properly physically introduced? was it because of genetics? or was it because doing sports does in fact affect the dogs overall health when they age? Can't answer this as my oldest trialling dog is 4yrs old . I think that we tend to notice as soon as we stop the sport the dogs seem to 'age' quickly. But many dogs seem to compete up until 12years or so. As long as they love it, I'll keep doing it - and that includes ball throwing, frisbee chasing and mad hooning in the park (oh and agility and obedience). I also think breed and individual structure does play a part as some breeds are more agile and built for these sports than others

well we don't have the option of choosing more than one... but I think that you can teach a dog to walk on a loose lead quite easily - the difference is being dead 100% consistent, which MOST people aren't, including myself.... hence the LLW issues People's criteria often change - how many people, no matter what method they are using work on LLW in class, but are oblivious to the dog pulling them when they are walking back to the car/ to the class.

Hey Jules - have you tried the Feline T/D - dogs love it and they are a great size for training!!!! Occasional treat for my two

alpha rolls seldom work for a variety of reasons..... never be appropriate for any trainer to do so.

The issue here isn't whether or not he received assistance. You can rest assured that the person in question received assistance with their problem no questions asked, nor did I allude to the strange wording of their question. Let's put it this way - if you were a plumber.... or a technician.... would you not laugh(on the inside) when a client rang you up and say 'my washing machine won't work'... only to find out that they didn't plug it in first?! That was the 'feeling' of this call.... no biggie. I didn't laugh in his face and hang up on him... I helped him, and he and his dog now have a better understanding of each other Asking for help is much better than sitting there and dwelling on your own.... maybe I have a strange sense of humour, but if I was said plumber, even if I was the client of the said problem.... I would still have the ability to have a chuckle over it

And the average age of a wolf is 8 years, thats what gets me. As I said I'm just a little worried about the difference between the theory of the whole thing, which I see where people are coming from, and the whole practice using commercially prepared meat. That and we as humans have changed the dog quite a lot since the wolf as some dog breeds are showing allergies to meats - which you would think is fundamental to the health of the animal? Yes they might have similar teeth and digestive systems but the physiology has somewhat changed with linebreeding. Can you please tell us how the digestive tracks of dogs changed with linebreeding? I mean I would like to know specifically what changed not just some vague statement about evolution. Allergies are a different problem all together and most of them stem from using commercial foods . I agree - I actually think the allergy issues are stemming from processed food or addatives in their diets. Even with humans who are fed organic are less likely to show these sorts of reactions (proper organic) and likewise a lot of dogs who have allergy issues if they are fed a BARF/ Raw food they tend to have less severe allergies. Thanks for the idea of sawing a frozen roo tail!!!! NEVER thought of that!!!!!

awesome thanks xena. I think the sensitive stomach ones are the way to go as they must have a different and / or stronger taste rather than chicken this, beef that

How would they know it's about them?!

My thoughts of this thread was that after my post, the person wasn't really mentioned again.... we simply went on to discuss naughty Labs. Nobody said anything about the enquirer mentioned that he had a Lab..... someone (can't remember who) brought up the topic that they often get calls as a breeder regarding wanting a 'quiet' lab.... we then went on to tease owners who had labs .... to me asking for a quiet lab is no different to asking for a BC from a breeder which has no energy please I didn't think the person was getting put down at all.... and you have to admit - regardless of what the situation is, be it breeder, working in a pet store or answering more serious calls, you will get the occasional one where you hang up thinking 'what were they thinking'... I still stand by the fact that I find it amusing people think dogs are born knowing how to speak English...... and I still believe that *most* people at least acknowledge that a dog needs to be 'trained' to do these commands.

.... sorry, but I don't think that's a "doozy" nor necessarily indicative the person shouldn't own a dog. Many people don't realise that obedience skills are not necessarily behavioural problems. I often call out to classes that I am there to assist them with any behavioural issues they might be having with their dogs and quickly explain this is not about their dog not sitting, dropping, etc. (there's another instructor there for that) and proceed to give them examples of what might constitute a behavioural problem. Jumping up at people can be categorised as "behavioural". The guy made the call. He was obviously seeking help in one shape or form. What's wrong with that? Or am I just missing something from the OP? There is nothing *wrong* with it other than the way he said it..... I am completely aware that people don't realise that obedience skills are not necessarily behavioural problems and I certainly offered him the advice and assistance that they required. What stumped me was the way that he said it as in he said sit and the dog looked at him funny.... as in the dog has never been taught a behaviour and didnt' do it...... Excessive jumping yes, can be a behavioural problem, but from a dog that has never been taught otherwise? No I don't see that as a behavioural problem any more than a training issue ETA - I also never said I thought it was sad or that he shouldn't own a dog.... I just said I found the phone call amusing Guess it's a 'you had to be there' moment... ETA2 - Thanks PAX - exactly what I meant. If they assume that the dog knows how to 'sit', 'drop' and 'come' as soon as it arrives home.... what other things to they assume the dog knows? Not to dig? Not to jump on furniture? I applaud them for making the call.... but as I said, I find it amusing that they were honestly dumbfounded that you need to *train* a dog to understand these commands.