Seita

Pretty much what I do... my veggies are pretty much whatever is on special! I mix it up in the sink.

I've never had a problem with puppies and settling them in despite the fact that I work and with my older girl I was working part time studying full time. I set up a safe pen or run outside and pop pup in there with bones/toys games etc. It usually takes a couple of sessions of being in there for a short time (while you're home to ensure pup is ok) and after that puppy learns very quickly that outside is fun! See the other thread in here on getting a puppy used his pen for suggestions. I brought a pup home earlier this year and set up a pen (half the backyard actually) for him where he could be safely contained while I was out. He had toys, bones, a sandpit etc to keep him amused and my older girl was next to him in the other half of the yard for company too. I didn't want the pup to run with the other dog as he was too small and the older dog was too rough and this worked really well. Pup needs to learn how to be alone as you can't always be there and as long as you make it fun for puppy and give them enough personal time and training when you are home, they won't usually start any nasty behaviours! If you can get home at lunch or get someone around to feed puppy in the middle of the day that is helpful, but I see that you only work till 3 so you can feed puppy in the morning before work, leave puppy with a treat ball or a bone etc during the day, feed again when you get home and then last feed at night sometime (depending on how often you feed puppy at this stage).

I tried Pax's idea too the other day and she didn't seem to get it but I only did it a few times... I think with another session or two she would get the idea and I believe that it would work. I am however sticking to the build value for being in the box idea instead. I've been doing that up to now so it seems more logical to continue doing that. She is now consistently going into the box from around 5-10 metres so I will continue to build on that. I have done a few sessions of simply heeling around the backyard with the box randomly placed and then randomly sending her to find the box from all kinds of directions or positions in the yard. This seems to be working and she is starting to click with what the command box means. She actively looks for the box when I send her now. I dare say that in a few weeks time I should have a consistent and reasonably reliable send away at the full trial distance.... then onto the jumps *yay*!!

I love the ending! And I think the guy actually does do this for a living - he's part of a circus as far as I know!

So I put her on a stand stay 20 metres from box and I stand near box and then send her to the box and reward once she enters the box? It's an interesting idea... I will definitely give it a shot and see what happens, I wonder what she will do?

Thats cool, I had to brave the crazy wind and dust that we've got here in QLD to train this afternoon and taking a video in that would have been jsut about impossible as it was almost dark already!!!

update: I was most surprised that when I kneeled down next to her she went straight to the box on command. same for sitting down, had a few confused looks when I laid down and sent her but she got over that and loads of problems when I turned around cos she ran in the direction I was facing!!! But after about 5-10 minutes of box work she was really consistently and quickly (not that she ever does anything slowly) going straight to the box from a range of distances (not too far yet), locations (strange angles to the box) and positions. Might do a couple more sessions like this and start creeping back from the box slowly and randomly. Thanks for the suggestions. Ness - I'd still like to see your video if you get a chance to do it!

I shall report on my experiment later this evening... unless the crazy dust storm keeps us confined inside. At a guess she is probably going to get confused when I first send her to the box from a strange position.... shouldn't take long for her to click though!

Good point... I don't know if she would go to the box if I were doing something different - probably not. So are you saying that I teach her to go to the box with me being in a variety of locations and positions... or do I teach her a range of positions in the box? I can feel an experiment coming on when I get home this arvo!

I think Ella does understand that the object of the exercise is to go into the box but doesn't quite understand it from further away. The reason I think she understands is that this morning when she didn't go into the box I gave her a NRM and she moved a bit closer, with another NRM she went and hopped in the box. I just can't seem to get further from the box than about 5 mtrs....

I think I use them in training for things like stays or recalls etc as an encouragement to keep going with what they are doing. But once the behaviour is taught I can't think of any thing that I would use it for. For example I am training my dog to do a sendaway for UD trialling, I send my dog into the box, and then I tell her to wait or use soothing words to keep her calm and in there because she knows that going into the box gets the reward but I'm trying to increase how long she sits in the box before being rewarded. Once she's got it I will phase that wait command and the soothing tones because she won't need it.

http://www.ankc.org.au/home/inner.asp?pageID=70&mainID=2 click on the obedience rules

A video would be awesome Ness! We did a session this morning which was a whole lot better than yesterdays. I sent her from a few metres away and she ran part way there then turns and faced me. I said 'oops' (her NRM) and she moved a bit closer to the box, I said 'oops' again and she went and jumped in the box. I did a few more send aways gradually moving back to about 15 meters and she did them all perfectly. Ptolomy - I feel your pain, I purposfully move the box around the yard so she learns to go into the box not just go to one part of the yard and yesterday I think she got confused by the sandpit that was behind the box so when I sent her to the box she ran through the box and sat in the sandpit!!! This is my first time doing UD and unfortunately there is only one other person in my club who is in UD at the moment and I don't particularly like their training methods.

Could you tell me how you shaped this? Shaping is something that I haven't done either and really don't have much of an idea on how to do this!

I have never used targets so I'm not entirely sure how to do that

first off I started by running with her beside me to the box and sort of luring/guiding her in. She didn't really get it that way, so I starting luring her into the box from beside me when we were directly in front of the box. And once she started to click that I wanted her to jump in there and sit I started moving back from the box but we seem to be stalled at around 5 metres.

How long has it taken for your dogs to 'get' this exercise. Just the go to the box bit, I haven't even got to the go over the jumps bit yet! It feels as though I've been working on this for ages (a few months now) and my dog still doesn't fully understand the exercise. If I do the first sendaway (for the training session) from about 4-5 metres away she nearly always gets it and then I can increase the distance from there and she gets most of them... but if the first sendaway for the session is done from further away (even if it's only 6-7 metres) she doesn't get it and stops half way there or just outside the box. Obviously she doesn't fully understand the exercise at the greater distance but I can't seem to increase it past about 5 meters without her getting confused! At 5 metres away she nails it probably 95% but if I even take another step back she gets confused. Anyone got any helpful suggestions for how to increase the distance from the box without her getting so confused??

I had my last BC pup on a check from 3 months old, it was a very light one and I used very gentle little tugs and he responded perfectly. I think it really depends on the dog and how it responds to the collar as to whether to use a check or not. I don't think there is a one size fits all rule for puppies and collars, it's all in the way you use the collar!

My first boy hit the obedience right at around 3 and the agility ring at aroudn 4/5 (only becuase it was a brand new sport in north qld at that time and wasn't offered before!). My next girl hit the obedience ring at just over 1 and it took a year to do her CD title with LOTS OF bomb outs due to her not really being ready. Next girl didn't go to the obedience ring until after she was 2 and then proceeded to knock off her CCD, CD and CDX titles in 10 straight trials (we have to do a novice sweepstakes here in QLD which accounts for the 10th trial) in about 5 months. She placed all 10 times and I think won the ring about 6 of those times. Next year we are aiming for UD and OC!! She is now 3.5 and maybe will do agility once she has her OC so probably around 5! I let the dog gauge when it's ready to trial these days, if we're not proofed then we don't enter. I could have rushed Ella but didn't want to make stupid mistakes so I took my time and really proofed her before trialling.

*sniffs* It's true I don't think you have anything to worry about You just watch, Ella will probably do a spectacular stuff up just to put me back in my place!!! :D

LOL not at all, but I've been doing a training in drive program with Daisy for a while now and I'd like to get her at a semi-decent level in her training by the time we go to the workshop :D LOL You just dont wanna be shown up by Ella the superdog!! :D

Shop around for puppy schools at vet clinics or other privately run puppy classes as most will take pups from 8 weeks as long as they have had their first vaccinations. If you ask in the training forum for recommendations for a class in your local area you might get a few possible places. Good on you for planning ahead to give your pup the best start in life. I agree with what Persephone said about obedience as most clubs are run in public locations and it's a bit risky to take a puppy out to those sort of places.

Its ok Wild I will be joining you on the early morning brigade, I am used to it getting up for shows, plus side is I only have to organise one dog instead of three :D And the bonus is you don't need to bath the dog first for once!!!

Where do you live Wildatheart? I was kind of thinking about arranging some kind of carpool as I dread the drive on my own too - although with the logan and pacific motorways and the new tweed by pass I think it's only an hour from the western suburbs where I am. I'm coming from Toowoomba. Oh I dread drivin in Brissy too, all the road works and limited signage. you can always drive down the night before and stay at Camp Tailwaggers I dont finish work till 8pm on Thursday. I got a huge reving yesterday for confirming my three days off next week for state championships. No way am i asking for thursday off, i might even have to be 'sick' on the friday. WTF they give us annual leave for if we cant have it??? Anyway, so i'll be going down friday morning. Car pool sounds like a great idea, except, where would the dogs fit? ohhh Toowoomba will be nasty. If you can get to the Logan motorway before 7am you should be ok with the traffic. Ipwich motorway the the warego highway in the last few km's before it becomes the ipswich motorway are the worst for traffic but I've found (from past experience) that you can get through that before 7am you don't encounter as much traffic. Once you hit the logan motorway (and don't think about avoiding the tolls as it will take you over an hour to get through Brisbane any other way) it's really cruisey as you are going the opposite way to most others!

Where do you live Wildatheart? I was kind of thinking about arranging some kind of carpool as I dread the drive on my own too - although with the logan and pacific motorways and the new tweed by pass I think it's only an hour from the western suburbs where I am.