leopuppy04

ROFL - tell me about it Shoey! hey I havent' seen you for ages!!!! Thanks for the suggestions everyone - I think I'll try the RC/ Euk F&P as it's a little different to daily food and still v. healthy. Shoey the Power comes in 7kgs bags too - nice size actually TSD - yup a little big those ones

no - I'm more using this for manners training - not for a specific 'planned' training session for obedience ETA - we are working through something at the moment, and the easiest thing is to have easy access food - not food where I go to the fridge, get it out THEN reward the dog.

rofl - well given chicken necks hardly get chewed over here, I'm pretty sure I'm safe with a RC sized kibble.... I just don't like the stuff I'm currently using as training kibble and am trying to find something of better quality. Again - when we do other bits of training, they are getting a whole variety of healthy treats... the kibble is specifically for our containers around the house and the training we do around that.... Me keeping some chunkers in those containers for a week probably isn't going to taste as nice on the Friday as it did on the Sunday Whereas with Kibble, it will. ETA - well they are gutsy but yes, I do notice a difference. This is only for a specific type of training, NOT for anything new or difficult. They still burst their guts out to work for dry food, but I want the kibble for mucking about training..... I'm not exactly using the dry food for say... teaching my article training etc.

haha Ptolomy - I'm only thinking Advance size pieces, so they certainly arent' sitting there chewing for ages - they are great training treat sizes coz it goes down nice and quick! I'm just seeing what other brands are available, but am looking for something bigger than... say.... Eagle pack pinnacle - trust me they have a wide variety of treats for training... more than enough... but I'm specifically looking for good sized kibble that I can use for containers around the house I'm liking the idea of the Euk and RC

Haha = well if it passes the Benson test, I'm sure it will pass the L & K Test

OK reason I want kibble is because I want the dogs to work for their food, and their diet is made up of raw and kibble The other reason being that a particular type of training we are doing means that I want containers of food around the house that doesn't need to be refridgerated or doesn't go stale within hours (covered containers).... hence the kibble again It's just an easy access food that I want to be tasty. Their normal food (artemis) is pretty small pieces so if I use it outside (decking) it falls through the slats, which isnt' fair on the poor kids Thanks - I hear the response euk is pretty good. Might try RC too

Er, peaceful? Relaxing? things don't get destroyed half as much?! You don't fall down potholes in the yard Just kiding - I love labs!

Makes life more exciting that way does it RS ?! C'mon you all know you want an Aussie

Thanks BC :rolleyes: Well Ness - we have a deck outside so the food can fall through the slats, hence why I'm difficult

I had a lot of trouble finding them too - each time I was after them they were out of stock. Narre warren and Cranbourne is where I got mine. Ask your local Bunnings to order them in for you - they will. Thanks I will do they have a specific name as I'm scared of bunnings I've gone in so many times saying "I'm looking for the xxxxx thingy....." I can't say what I'll use it for because what I use it for is not what it SHOULD be used for

LOL - well they are already on my list - but I specifically want kibble so that I can have them in my pockets or around the place for throwing outside (laffi knows why)... not food that I have to freeze or chop up as I do use most of these at other times.... so I am specifically looking for tasty kibble that is a nice size to throw Difficult aren't I?!

I work in the pet industry which means that I get a lot of calls from the general public about any issue they may be having with their dogs... This one stumped me: Person: "I'm just ringing about a dog we adopted a few weeks ago - he seems to be having a few behavioural issues" Me: "ok are you able to describe the issues you are having" P: "Well he doesn't seem to understand sit, drop, come and not to jump up on people" ...... I never knew dog's didn't come pre-trained or pre-programmed NOT to do that..... Anyone else had some doozy phone calls?!?!?

Healthier Ness... want something to substitute dinner :rolleyes: I have a huge range of 'good' treats that we use, but I don't want them getting hot dog every night

yeah - that's our 'special' treats Good size though but not for throwing. The joys of having really food motivated dogs is that any food is a brilliant reward I'm looking for something really healthy that I can use for a trade off for dinner if I need too They are fed Artemis, but as I said - pieces are a bit small for certain bits of training :rolleyes:

I agree with Kavik. Especially if this is a newer shaping dog, I would assume that this is a little too much to ask at the moment - dogs find it difficult to work out the difference between a 'big' or 'small' leg move for example. I would focus on getting it right the way he is doing it now and getting a really strong behaviour and then refining it. Not sure if I'm the one to help though, but gee it can be hard I tried to teach my dog to cover his eyes (success) and later to hold his paw there... it was quite difficult to get the timing right for him to 'hold' the paw there, and we never really got the full hold...... but I get slack with my training :rolleyes: Perhaps if you want a smaller leg lift, try and click the moment he lifts the paw up, not when he gets to full height?!

OK - I've tried a whole bunch, but I want to know what your dogs like most as kibble used for training.... and you too. Ones that are healthy, a reasonable size (you can throw it and they can find it) and the dogs love the taste of. My dogs LOVE the taste of the Maximal Grain Artemis best, but it's probably a little small for me to throw...... They like Euk, Science Diet and advance... but don't really like these foods even as treats (like the size though!) Sooo... ideas?! I'm thinking I might try some RC... but I want something full of meat that has a good taste for them ... I know I used one before that they LOVED but can not remember what it was :rolleyes:

I don't have specific days but I've been taught by the best and constantly improving mine They get a variety of Salmon heads (may not be repeated... they didn't like it fresh!) Drumsticks/ Maryland Lamb necks (big and meaty) Roo Tails Once a week they will get either brisket bones, chicken carcass or something a bit more boney with less meat Once a week they will also get hearts/liver/kidneys Mince mix - chicken mince (whole carcass minced) with spinach, parsely, pumpkin, egg, yoghurt and a teeny bit of VAN They still get about 30% dry/ processed food though, used for easy meals, stuffing treat balls and such and for training. Our training treats are usually processed foods though - devon, cheese, raw meat, kibble, hot dog, chicken chunkers / 4 legs, chicken and sometimes sausage I have a question though - the place I get the roo tails from won't cut them for me and they are HUGE - I'm talking really really meaty and really long... definitely the full tail! Way too much for one dog. So - how would I cut it? At the moment I'm using a carving knife, but it's a lot of banging and I don't have very good 'aim' so I tend not to hit the same spot twice.... :rolleyes: Needless to say - my parents arent' happy about it as it blunts their knives

What Bunnings stores in Vic have stocked them?! I've been looking for a while but can't find them anywhere and I was going to use them for when we have puppies (OMG I really need to get my butt into gear and organise stuff!!!)

I would use this as the best time to do training then .... if he is excited when you first get home, be prepared to do training as soon as you get in the door. If it's when you go training or a new place - try and find new parks to drive to, then train there... I found I got the best success from my dogs if I didn't see them, got changed, packed the car, chucked the dogs in and drove to the park.... they were *bursting* from the excitement of not having seen me all day and OMG we get to train too

I also wouldn't cue it... but you need to break it down into teeny tiny steps. Your placement of reward will also help you with your success too. To keep the dogs interest you need to have a VERY high rate of reinforcement and short sessions - when you want to do one more... STOP! *Remember to reward any behaviour orientated towards the plank - ie: looking at it, stepping toward it, scratching it pawing it.... at this point, I would be placing the reward as close as possible to the plank. You shouldn't point at it, command it or anything *Keep rewarding in small increments until your dog reliably puts his front paws on the plank. When he does this, I would start throwing the reward (sizeable chunks, so that he can see it and come charging back) behind him... this gives him the opportunity to offer you the behaviour again. *Once he is reliably doing this I would throw the food behind and a little to one side. If you know whether your dog is 'left or right pawd' I woudl throw to the favoured side.... what you should have been aiming at before is a STRAIGHT stand in front of you... so therefore as the dog comes in from the slight angle they *should* rotate their rear legs in order to stand straight in front of you.... CLICK THE REAR MOVEMENT. If the dog doesn't understand to stand straight - reward once with food while they are straight infront, then throw another piece behind to set them up again. * To graduate from this - you should then take a step to the side and the dog (because he want's to remain straight with you) will swing their rear around... click the rear movement again. Your dog should be able to do this both ways Unlike others here - I added a cue ("Step") simply because I didn't want the behaviour to occur eg: when I was teaching heeling or fronts etc... . Mine never offered it in contacts, because I was never standing infront of them (my body positional cue) to get them to offer it. Hope this helps

How often is Kenzie fed Ness?! Is the food down for long? When I've seen your training vids she seems to work for food - It wouldn't bother me if my dog wouldn't always eat the food offered. A friend of mine has an Aussie who turns himself inside and out for food in training, but if you give him a bone he can take it or leave it Means that the motivation for that particular dog is not the food but the food AND the trainer.... different issue Kavik - can you pin point when he is super excited?!

KAvik - if he isnt' picking up the food with gutso - I would go back a zillion steps to get that drive up Try this week hand feeding him - click and feed x 5 and then he gets his dinner. By the end of the week just ask for a behaviour or two x 5 each time clicking and feeding, before he gets his dinner... Maybe even try the 2 food game then

We do heaps of dog meets with our trialling friends, but also do venture to the dog parks occasionally.... I tend not to avoid them, but because of training/other commitments and trials, we seldom make it... I am wary of mixing with dogs I don't know, but I also believe it important for my dog to be comfortable in all situations so will take them to parks where I feel comfortable that they will be ok :D. I do regularly take them down to the river on hot days for example and let them run with other dogs and go swimming with other dogs Having said that - on the training sector, I would also take them to the same parks and get them to work around the other dogs - what great distractors . The rules are that they can't go up to other dogs before I release them

definitely vary the treats Kavik and make sure they are big enough for him to find easy on the ground and don't crumble Do you say his name and call him before you throw the food?! That helps too. He probably was initially looking for 'dropped' food - so he may be a bit slow off the mark initially

well c'mon Ness - Spill!!!! LOL! Watching Leo do the directed jumps is quite funny - he starts coming toward you, then you see the light go off as though he remembers 'oh wait, she said over' and races over the jump! ROFL!