ravensmyst00

I am happy to report that obedience went very well yesterday. Haven has given me a few new techniques to use in regards to regaining focus which I will be applying throughout the week this week before our next class on Thursday. So we shall see what happens. Thanks again for your help Haven and HR - didnt see you there what happened?

It happened once and only once by one person. They never came near my dog again. What I may view as a severe correction may not be viewed as the same by others. Do not condemn a club or training organisation because of the actions of one person.

As a bit of an update. I have been having private conversations with Haven and HR and should the weather improve a bit today Xander and I will be going to training tonight and yes I will be freezing my backside off as Xander ate one pair of my gloves a few weeks ago and the other pair ended up soaking up an entire bottle of baby oil from my show pack. Never knew leather could hold so much! LOL. Haven has been around Xander since I started ADT so she has watched him grow up and she knows what he is like. We will be working on regaining his focus. I hope to get the chance to meet up with HR as well. To those that have posted many of you have offered great advice and help. At this time I am going to keep working with the trainers at ADT and who knows we may get some improvement should I not see any improvement I will look at other options. This thread was in no way to be looked as a club bashing thread and I am glad that most who posted did refrain from that. Please should you have any ideas or suggestions on how I might be able to get Xander's focus and enthusiasm back I will add it to my list of things to try.

L&P - not sure what your problem is. Your crow bar comment though amusing was not something I would ever consider. The correction issue was with one person and they have never gone near my dog again. To think that because of my comment you automatically judge the entire ADT is very wrong and should not be done. I have recommended them to several of my friends and upcoming Bullmastiff owners and will continue to recommend them.

He hears quite well actually. Just selective at times.

This thread was not designed to be an attack on the obedience people I am currently dealing with. Haven - had you seen Xander when he was in puppy and basic his focus on me was immence wouldnt take his eyes off me. Will speak with you further on this via PM. I can honestly say there have been some trainers at ADT that have been more than helpful with Xander and have gone the extra mile with me. So I have not problems with them. Its unfortunate that there have been a couple that have ruined it a bit. I am currently trying to go back to hand signals with hopes that Xander will start focusing but I have a feeling it will be a long road ahead in an attempt to get him to return to the level he was at previously.

Depends on the show venue. If its outdoors he is animated and keen to please - indoors is a completely different story. One day he will be animated then next its a case of "cant be bothered."

Okay which ADT trainer is this????? LOL!

Okay which ADT trainer is this?????

I agree with HR. How are you rewarding him? If the reward is motivational enough, then getting his focus will be much easier. If he performs well at dinner time, have you tried taking his dinner along to training and feeding it as treats when he performs? Or have you tried rewarding with a chase or tug toy? There is only so much motivation one can do with a bullmastiff. My boy is extremely laid back with not a care in the world. Dinner doesnt get him motivated. He focus's because he knows he has to do that in order to get his dinner and I really cant take his dinner into the show ring with me. Raw Rabbit with dry food wont do to well in my pocket. I have tried using his favourite toys for training as well as using food and the moment he realises what I am doing with it he loses interest. I have tried jumping around and acting like a complete and total fool with no response. That is why I wonder if establishing me as the Alpha and removing the hand signals has messed things up. I dont know what to do other than dropping my status as alpha and drop training for a while and just focus on playing with him. Then slowly reintroduce things. Mastiff's by nature tend to be plodders. The older they get, the lazier they tend to be. Not in all cases but in many of the mastiff's I've worked with they don't get highly enthusiatic. You shouldn't ever drop your Alpha status with your dog, that's never the solution to fixing anything. What you do need to do is capture and "Mark" the times when he is excited and happy, even if it's for a very short period of time. What i'm recommending is several things, 1. Ease up on him a bit and maybe relax yourself. 2. Make his feeding schedule part of training so he gets fed when he's working. If he's being flat and lacking enthusiasm, then he doesn't get all the food he wants. If he is motivated or he shows improvement, then he gets more of whatever he wants. 3. Ignore him unless he's ready to work and when he does work, show him that it is his behaviour that triggers positive responses and rewards from you. I have trained dogs that have crawled on their belly when they have first been introduced to me and scared stiff of the world and I have still managed to find something to motivate and excite them enough to get the desired responses. Another thing I need to know is how lomg you have been at this for now? What centre are you training at? Doncaster east? I think. Boronia Reserve I think it is - Thursday nights.

I agree with HR. How are you rewarding him? If the reward is motivational enough, then getting his focus will be much easier. If he performs well at dinner time, have you tried taking his dinner along to training and feeding it as treats when he performs? Or have you tried rewarding with a chase or tug toy? There is only so much motivation one can do with a bullmastiff. My boy is extremely laid back with not a care in the world. Dinner doesnt get him motivated. He focus's because he knows he has to do that in order to get his dinner and I really cant take his dinner into the show ring with me. Raw Rabbit with dry food wont do to well in my pocket. I have tried using his favourite toys for training as well as using food and the moment he realises what I am doing with it he loses interest. I have tried jumping around and acting like a complete and total fool with no response. That is why I wonder if establishing me as the Alpha and removing the hand signals has messed things up. I dont know what to do other than dropping my status as alpha and drop training for a while and just focus on playing with him. Then slowly reintroduce things.

Am considering doing that but I think the damage may have already been done. Just need to find some way to try and reverse it if possible.

He goes to ADT. After having a long discussion with a couple trainers there a few months back they agreed I should have stuck with the hand signals and never should have been told to stop. None of the trainers have yet come up with a solution on how to get him back up to how he was before I was told to stop. I have even stopped handling him during obedience in hopes that would change things but it hasnt. Granted there is a difference in his response to my husband who has to give him a command 3 times in order to get him to do anything where I only have to give a command once. As for using my being told off for using hand signals as an excuse - that I can tell you I am not doing as he performed beautifully with hand signals. A week after I stopped using them with him he stopped focusing and he also ended up being severely corrected that week (something I was less than impressed about) by one of the trainers because he is slow on the Drop command. I have had more one on one time with different trainers at ADT than most people and there is yet to be improvement with any of their suggestions.

I own a bullmastiff who I also show. Now I started training him from the day I got him home. He stood perfectly at his first show (which saw him win Opposite baby in show at the bullmastiff specialty last year). He had been taught sit and stay as well - all commands were taught with a combination of vocal and hand signals which saw him focus on me continually. All of that changed when I started taking him to obedience because I was told off by the trainers for using hand signals because in their eyes dogs need to learn vocal commands first then later on we move to hand signals. Upon stopping the use of the hand signals I not longer get focus from my dog when we go for walks and I no longer have a happy dog walking when we go out or gaiting with me in the ring. He is just flat. He was so eager to please and now its as if he could care less. I can get him to focus on me when it is meal times as that is part of what he has to do before he can eat - but I cant get him to do it else where. I can only tug at his ear so many times at training before he just completely ignores me instead of looking at me. How do I get him to start focusing on me again? How do I go about getting his enthusiasm back when he is with me. As he is all hyper and happy with my husband. Could this also have to do with the fact that I am viewed as the Alpha in the family as my husband is the one who usually goes nuts with him and lets him get away with just about everything. Anyway I can fix this? All suggestions will be much appreciated.

Not meant to scare you - remember I was taking all that from memory but it pays to double check the stuff you give your pets.

Just make sure the Frontline you have doesnt contain heartworm treatment as well - you dont want to double medicate your dog for heartworm!

I only discovered this problem recently as well. My boy was put on Sentinel from day one. It wasnt until my vet suggested I put my boy on Revolution to eliminate the possiblity of mange mites that I did a bit of investigating as to what was the best product for money. Sentinel monthly treatment kills intestinal worms (including tape worm), heart worm and fleas BUT it ONLY kills flea eggs and larvae. Not much good against the adult fleas who can drive a poor dog insane. Revolution monthly treatment kills, adult fleas their eggs and larvae, heartworm and mange mites (there are a couple other things it does as well but I am currently taking this info from memory.) The only thing it doesnt do is intestinal worms. Within 12 hours of applying the Revolution I had to give my dog a bath. Now my vet swore up and down that my dog didnt have fleas she said he was clean. The bathtub told a different story. I have switched to Revolution and use a separate intestinal worming treatment. Sentinel does save you some money but in all honesty I would rather spend an additional $5 over a 3 month period knowing my dog is not going insane with itching from flea attack. Also if you plan to continue to use Sentinel but wish to use something additional for fleas make sure the product you use is a flea only treatment as Frontline, Revolution and Advantix all contain heartworm treatments. I believe Advantage is the only flea only treatment - in any case double check with your vet before purchasing anything. Also go to www.pricelesspets.com.au as they are at least $30 cheaper on these sorts of treatments than your vet or local pet supply shop.

Now you have to admit that it has been pretty cold lately especially at 8pm at East Doncaster when the rain sets in. LOL. Even Xander gives me a dirty look when he has to go out in the rain. Its true the amount of people out there that cant be bothered training there dog - there are several bullmastiff owners that praise my boy for how well he handles and keep asking my how I do it. I ask what they do - the best answer I got recently from a new bullmastiff owner was - a book for the training end of things and the local dog park for socialisation. I'm waiting for the day someone's dog has a go at his because he has no control over it.

If she is allergic to beef or chicken (cooked or raw) it can still manifest as itchies. What else do you give her. It may also be a contact allergy. Remember it can take weeks for a dog to completely detox and for you to get the itch under control. The only "quick fix" that takes the edge off the itch would be to find a vet willing to listen to what you are dealing with and possibly prescribe a short course of cortizone and antibiotics to clear things up. But you still have to find what is causing the problem. It could be anything from diet related allergies (ie beef, chicken, wheat, garlic, kelp) or contact allergies (ie grass, pollen, wool carpet, fleas). Its a pain in the butt trying to narrow things down - believe me I know - but once you do it makes a world of difference. Worst case scenario it could be mange mites. These are all things you need to consider.

I've read through this thread and one question that hasnt been asked yet is - What are you feeding her? Sometimes allergies manifest via skin complaints. Can you let us know what her current diet consists of some of us may be able to help steer you in the right direction once we know her diet.

Glad to hear all is going well.

Get her off the VAN adult formula - that will cause all sorts of stomach upset in a small pup. VAN have stated the Adult formula should only be given to dogs over 2 years of age as it can be too much for a pups digestive system. Try her on their puppy formula I think you may find that will make a difference.

I dont believe KitKat is trying to disprove or discredit the Iams issue. PETA has been caught creating fictitious videos in the past in an attempt to destroy large companies for whatever they claim their reason to be. Personally you should research a topic fully before claiming that anything from PETA or any other animal rights organisation are COLD HARD FACTS. This includes doing web research on the alleged guilty party, checking to see if any other animal rights organisations have anything to say about the company, checking with the RSPCA - calling the company themselves and asking what their views are regarding animal testing. Dont presume a company is guilty because PETA (or any other organisation) has said so. RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. Make the decisions on the evidence you discover yourself. Just my 2 cents worth.

I for one will not follow the scare tactics by any US company or organisation in regards to the vaccination of my animals. Until such time that my vet states that 3 yearly vaccinations are the way to go my dog will be in every year for his booster. The recent parvo outbreaks that occured over spring and summer could have been kept to a minimum if pet owners vaccinated their pets on a yearly basis - and before anyone jumps on me that comment came from not only my own vet but several others I have been discussing this vaccination issue with. Titre testing ONLY provides the immunity levels of your dog on the day the blood was drawn. This test by no means guarantees that your dog is going to be immune from those diseases for the entire year till your next test- why risk your pets health? Please keep in mind that alot of these "papers" that are published are paid for by the pharmacetical companies themselves. Pet owners get scared - they stop vaccinating their pets based on these published works. Pets start getting sick - pharmacetical companies start making drugs to make the pets better - pharmacetical companies make a fortune off distressed pet owners. And all the while the ill health and the distress caused on the pet could have been prevented by a yearly vaccination. Research everything thoroughly BEFORE you make any decision that could affect the health and well being of your pet. In the end the risk of a yearly vaccine is greatly out weighed by not vaccinating at all. Just my honest opinion on all of this.

Unfortunately the link is no longer active. Personally - I'll keep vaccinating yearly till my vet tells me otherwise. I'm not willing to take a chance that my dog will pick up something from a dog show.