wuffles Posted September 14, 2010 Share Posted September 14, 2010 Great video Niques! It's great to see such happy teenage dogs that are getting a good start in life! Max#1, if you don't want to, you don't need to retrain commands. Our instructors don't really care what we use unless it's going to be distracting or confusing. For example, I go to the same club as KTB but I use "stay" in the food exercise. I also use "down" instead of "drop". I use the command "heel" but some others in my class use "close". I use "come" as a recall and others use "here". Both my guys learned to stay pretty easily. Build on one thing at a time so build time before distance. Start with them sitting either beside you or right in front of you. At first I'd release them after 1 second, then 2 seconds, then 3 seconds, then 1 second again, then 4 seconds... and so on. When they understand that, introduce movement and move further from them. The trick is to mark and reward them BEFORE they break You can usually see if they are getting restless. If they do break, give a marker that they haven't done it right (I use "oops"), put them back in the position and try again. It's great that you are making training fun for Max, I have tried to do this from the beginning too even though I might not have succeeded in making heeling fun yet!! We had a labrador in our class who has absolutely brilliant focus because his owner builds his excitement between exercises by playing games, using tug toys and getting him excited about the food reward. He is stunning to watch! (KTB, have you seen Champ training lately? He is amazing!) I am sick at the moment and home from work so even though it seems like a good opportunity to train, I just didn't feel up to it today. Practiced a few tricks and stays in the house but it was raining so couldn't go out. Ava was at the vet yesterday as she possibly has something stuck up her nose or at the back of her soft palate, but we are waiting a few days to see if she stops sneezing/snorting before we take her back to get her anaesthetised and probed! Poor little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted September 15, 2010 Author Share Posted September 15, 2010 Flyby post ... Elbie and his beloved rope toy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilli_star Posted September 15, 2010 Share Posted September 15, 2010 Flyby post ... Elbie and his beloved rope toy I almost bought Ruby that toy at the $2 shop on Saturday, but decided 3 rope toys were enough for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted September 16, 2010 Author Share Posted September 16, 2010 I almost bought Ruby that toy at the $2 shop on Saturday, but decided 3 rope toys were enough for now ;) Oh yes - we got ours from either Hot Dollar or the Reject Shop here in Canberra. A real bargain given that it's lasted for ages and ages. Someone on my facebook asked if that was how Elbie was supposed to play with it. I had to say on, I just have a habit of draping things over my poor long-suffering puppy's snout and he stares at me reproachfully ... Max#1: I didn't realise that you thought you had to retrain because of different terminology. As wuffles said, don't worry about that at all. You could say pickleface instead of drop and that would be fine. We use 'drop' for the drop position and 'down' for telling him to get down off things or us - although in the US it seems more common to say 'down'. We were also told not to use 'good boy' as our marker word but to go for something shorter but we've stuck with 'good boy' and our clicker because it works for Elbie - he knows when he's being praised for doing the right thing. When Elbie does the wrong thing eg goes the wrong way or whatever, we use "no" and even though it's a common word, he knows what it means and doesn't seem to get confused. KTB, have you seen Champ training lately? He is amazing! No - I'll have to keep an eye out! Last week I was too busy trying to make sure my puppy didn't disgrace me in class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max#1 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Okay - you've all convinced me. Trying to introduce different words is just confusing me more than anything else anyway. I end up saying nothing, and we're becoming too reliant on hand signals. Meanwhile, I've been home sick yesterday and today. Not much has been happening. At all. In fact, someone's been getting away with all kinds of things because I'm just too weary to stop him! How do people do it when they have children I wonder? KTB: Very cute - Elbie has the most adorable face! James: great video! All of you are so creative! But for the record. Here's a photo of the ear (and he has a bit of a scratch on his nose from rough-housing with the other dogs at the park). Not the best shot I'm afraid - but I'll include an older funnier one for good measure (spot the tongue!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 But for the record. Here's a photo of the ear (and he has a bit of a scratch on his nose from rough-housing with the other dogs at the park). Not the best shot I'm afraid - but I'll include an older funnier one for good measure (spot the tongue!). Is he licking the kitchen cabinet??? What a spethal boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KumaAkita Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Hey! Kuma does that! ok... yep... Kumie's a bit spethal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted September 17, 2010 Author Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) Elbie doesn't lick our kitchen cabinet but when he visits Papa Koala's house, he licks the door of their kitchen cabinet. It was driving me crazy so I wiped it down with red vinegar to try to deter him - it just made him lick it more! ETA: Max#1 - the Back To Floppy ears are adorable, but then again, you've seen my dog's ears I'll try to get a photo of his ears when they're up and he's all alert. When he's excited, they go back and he looks kind of earless like a seal Edited September 17, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max#1 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 When we're cooking we like to stand at that bench, and his favourite spot to wait is tucked into the corner. Wait, that is, for 'just in case' anything happens to drop for him! I'm not sure what was so tasty on the cabinet - my OH is a bit of a 'messy' cook, so who knows! Not so much now, but when he was a young puppy, me cooking dinner was a time when he'd sit in his bed and snooze/just watch. It was our special 'calm time'. Sometimes when he wouldn't settle I'd go so far as to pretend to be cooking so he'd relax - silly I know! I would always tell him 'yesss' just for sitting there, and reward him by giving him the carrot peelings or the top bit. He still loves carrot! A really bad photo - as in hard to see - but here's one of him eating his carrot and watching tv........ what a nong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max#1 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Hey KTB - you can see Max doing 'the seal' in the photo I just put up. I think it makes him look worried though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niques Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) I love Elbie's patient expression Max's ears are seriously cute. And at the cabinet licking. James is driving me insane, once again. We had a few days of calm there, but he's back to picking up and chewing on anything he can find. I found him crunching a container of glitter this morning (god knows where from!) so I'm awaiting some glittery poos Not to mention the jumping on everything and everyone. I'm this close to keep him on a leash full-time indoors. Exhausting dog. Edited September 17, 2010 by Niques Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clastic Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 Oh yes - we got ours from either Hot Dollar or the Reject Shop here in Canberra. A real bargain given that it's lasted for ages and ages. I think I may have to invest in one of these rope toys! Most of the pups outside toys still need replacing. I found him crunching a container of glitter this morning (god knows where from!) so I'm awaiting some glittery poos Not to mention the jumping on everything and everyone. I'm this close to keep him on a leash full-time indoors. Exhausting dog. ooooh sparkly poopies! Mars like to chew on everything as well.. we went through the backyard and took away anything he could chew.. unfortunately, we back onto a child care and the kids like to throw things over the fence and Mars chews it into a squillion pieces and eats it. The result is green and red plastic bits through his poops... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 You poor people with destructo dogs. Mine don't destroy anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clastic Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 You poor people with destructo dogs. Mine don't destroy anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilli_star Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) I love Elbie's patient expression Max's ears are seriously cute. And ;) at the cabinet licking. James is driving me insane, once again. We had a few days of calm there, but he's back to picking up and chewing on anything he can find. I found him crunching a container of glitter this morning (god knows where from!) so I'm awaiting some glittery poos Not to mention the jumping on everything and everyone. I'm this close to keep him on a leash full-time indoors. Exhausting dog. Oh I definitely hear you, Niques. I was dreading what I'd come home to today since for the past 2 days Ruby has been "landscaping" in her shed (read: digging up the floor. sigh. Really wish it was cemented, not just dirt floor covered with a tarp), and then yesterday dragged EVERYTHING out of her shed. I swear, if she could have, she would have dragged her kennel out too. Thankfully, I came home to a somewhat normal level of destruction- only stuff I'd left out was destroyed. I've got stupid unicourse this weekend (boo) I bought Ruby a shin bone today so hopefully that will keep her out of mischief tomorrow...Labradors! *sheakes head* Edited September 17, 2010 by lilli_star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max#1 Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Glittery poos definitely sound like something to look forward to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clastic Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 One of my sister's Cocker Spaniel decided to chow on a bag of bird seed a few weeks ago.. The result was sesame seed style poopies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 Sorry to hijack the thread KTB, but to keep some piccies going... here are Clastic's little angels and my little devil having fun this morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niques Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 ...Labradors! They are surprisingly determined, aren't they? Especially considering James' favourite pasttime is normally snoozing on the couch! I can just imagine little Ruby's efforts at redecorating How old is she now? I'm laughing away at the image in my mind of sesame seed poos! Haven't seen any glitter, but I did spy a fluffy blue piece of his Kong Wubba this afternoon Charming conversation starters, dogs are! Great photos, Wuffles! Especially the second - did they pose themselves like that naturally? But what's that in the dog's mouth in the first photo? I can't for the life of me work it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clastic Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 here are Clastic's little angels and my little devil having fun this morning! Yes............ angels......... Great photos, Wuffles! Especially the second - did they pose themselves like that naturally? But what's that in the dog's mouth in the first photo? I can't for the life of me work it out. wuffles did a fab job with all the photos! wuffles! Suprisingly they did pose in the 2nd shot all by themselves and the first pic Mars is carrying around a toy wuffles brought along. Its sort of like a frisbee but thick and has 3 ends instead. wuffles.. please verify, all I know is that I have to get one for Mars since he was being such a toy hog and guarding it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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