Seita

I have completed it... although I don't think you will get to trialling this year if you start it! If you're anything like me or Huski (on this forum, who is almost finished) it's taken us something like 12 months to reach the fine tuning/proofing stage with our dogs! I love training in drive, can't wait to get another puppy so I can do it all over again. But I will warn you it's hard work and a bit different to 'normal' training programs. I highly recommend it to anyone with a high (prey or food) drive dog. A good way to I guess test it out a bit is to get along to one of Steve's workshops and see it in real life. For a bit of an idea on the training involved and also a bit of the final outcome check out my youtube channel (or Huski's as she has more videos than I do!). My link is: http://www.youtube.com/nicoleleyden and you can probably find Huski's in the youtube thread.

The one thing that has been drummed into me for so long is that you never ever make the retrieve the reward, the dogs love it and it's a self rewarding behaviour but you need something better to reward her with. I have never trained any retrieve with food bowls, and I've trained retrieves with both food and toy motivated dogs. It's probably best to reward her retrieve with a game of tug or a play with a favourite toy (or food) to reinforce what you want her to do.

I use bring as fetch is a the kind of command that most people use (visitors, family etc included) and I want to keep my formal and play retrieves separate. I let people play 'fetch' with Ella for short sessions but no one is allowed to use the word 'bring' so she never gets to practice bad things with her formal retrieve word. Also not sure if you've asked Steve about the retrieves yet? So that you don't end up with the same physcho picks up that I have, use the wagon wheel method (steve can explain it better than me) when you get to teaching her to go out and pick it up and bring it back.

Walk out and place the scented article amoung the others, that way she can't see where it lands as easily. Also someone suggested putting things like cans in the middle of the pile as well so it was harder to just grab an article. Long grass was helpful for us as well!

Took me a while to get it too! I looked around a bit more and I quite like the shirt that says "Slap the Handler" LOL

She's still learning, I'm not really worried about the dropping at this stage and they are getting less. I prefer to send her back to the box rather than call her back to me so she keeps getting reminded about what the command box means. And I want to keep her running back and forth down as she is still in the recovery stage of a tick and if I make her run back and forth too many times she will get short of breath very very quickly. She can handle a few, like what's on the video but any more than that and she gets really out of breath still. Thanks for the suggestions though, it's always good to hear what other people suggest! Thanks, that was normal speed for her, she often works faster than that!!! This girl thinks that she has to do everything at warp speed!!

video of it going up very shortly! ETA linky to video:

Well I have a training brag. My girl did her first proper directed jumping exercise today!! In other words I didn't have to side step towards the jumps and give a big exaggerated signal and she went full distance into the box without any extra commands!!! I'm soo proud of her!! This is still only in my backyard so there is still some more proofing to do but I think we'll be ready to hit UD next year!!

I'd be removing all toys when you are not around to control the situation that way he can't practice his bad habits. I would also be treating him a bit like a puppy again, so if he gets a bit rough or demanding in his play then give him a time out (backyard, bathroom, laundry etc), when he's quiet after a few minutes bring him out again and try again. Also incorporating things like NILIF (Nothing in life is free) and TOT (triangle of temptation) will help to teach him who's in charge. If he's really demanding perhaps separate the dogs when you aren't around to give your older girl a break and allow you to teach him how you want him to behave when you are there to supervise.

You know she is welcome.........until OH finds out. I'm still working on how to explain the next puppy to come along, although a trained one might not be a bad idea. You're welcome to use my excuse! "I'm just borrowing/looking after the dog for a few months" At least that's how I plan to get the next dog into my house!!

Hey jinkispirit - I thought I recognised Ember in the intro footage!

I spotted a few DOLers! If AgilityDogs comes in here I now know what you look like!!!

well this inspired me tonight, so I did signals with an extra dog... ella's son in staying with me for a few days and is quite a playful puppy so here I was heeling around the backyard ella glued to my side with Rave hanging off her neck! Send away to the box was also interesting with Rave chasing her the whole way there! I decided doing a scent discrimination would be a bit hard with him around so I chucked her favourite squeeky and another toy in amoung the articles!! LOL She did very well!!

sorry nothing important to add and OT but AD were you at Southside Dog club tonight? I saw someone there with a dog that looks a lot like one of yours!

You guys who are complaining about trials being finished for the year etc should be glad you don't live in north QLD (and I'd guess that NT would be similar). Trials finish up in OCTOBER up there and don't start again until MARCH! Here in SE QLD we have none in Dec and a very few in Jan but hey 2 months off is nice for a change!

I thought Kenzie was coming on a holiday to my house! I've been checking the letterbox EVERY day!!! As for gloves... I like gloves! My gutso dog would never do a food refusal and she's far to quiet to ever teach to speak on comand but boy does she LOVE to retrieve!!

You can use one or the other, but not both. In UD there is a signals exercise where only hand signals can be used. For all other exercises both voice and/or hand signals can be used.

I just puppy sat a working line Mal pup for six weeks, she was like a Kelpie on speed....no thanks. She was devine in every way but way to full on for me and my multi dog family, my dogs hated her. If I could have her as an only dog I would fo begged the owner to leave her here, but too much for the Pax pack. :D I got to play with a 9 week old Lakenois last night and wow the drive that it had was sensational! It has more drive at 9 weeks than my adult BC does or ever could have! I love it! I think I want a Mal as one of my next dogs!

Ah Hmmm.... where is your linky Dogdude? I'm sure I've seen one of your clips before!

Appologies to OP for dragging this off topic!

Shall check the mail box on Monday. Might need to invest in a bigger mail box!

sure ness! I think that's the only way my OH is gonna let me have another dog just yet - "it's not mine, I'm just borrowing it for a while, really!"

thanks gsdog2, she's trained in prey drive with a tug toy. I looked back at a couple of my videos and I really wish I'd got a video of one of her recent 196 point Open rounds to compare my handling etc. Must remember to bring video camera to more trials!!

I think mine must be: http://www.youtube.com/user/nicoleleyden I too have been slack lately, these are all training vids and lost of trial videos from last year but absolutely nothing from this year!

ohhh Miss Molly where do you get teh Bah Humbug hat from!!?? I want one to wear to work! I might have join SBT123 in the grinch stakes...