Kajirin

Couldn't help but giggle at the dirt rolling pics :laugh: Thankfully I have a concrete run they go in after a bath and just air dry [after walking through the house after a quick towel dry, shaking water to the door] - but I'd bet a million dollars mine would be doing the same in the dirt :D

Personally, I'd chuck it

I had Scout desexed at 6 months, but the new pup is staying entire until he's fully grown [he's 9 months old now].

Didn't get to provide just photos with my first breeder. He came to the house and inspected himself before he'd go ahead. All worked out well Don't be scared off from providing extra peace of mind for the breeder. Doesn't take much to do and remember, the breeder will always be there for you and any questions you have even years down the track.

Depends on where you are, I use TTG Dog Obedience, but they've just closed for 2 months over the Christmas/New Year period. They resume on February 4 2015. If you're in the TTG council area it's $25 a year outside the TTG area, it's around $40. It's run by volunteers, but a lot of them are breeders and people who have many years experience in dog obedience/sport/showing etc. and has been going for around 30 years. Info on the left hand sidebar of the page http://www.teatreegully.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=1390

Not Bombon El Perro? ETA if it is, then you can watch on SBS movies online Coco is a broke craftsman living in a cramped apartment with his daughter and her children but his life is turned around when he is given an Argentine Dogo in reward for a good deed. Directed by Carlos Sorin and stars Juan Villegas, Walter Donado and Rosa Valsecchi. (From Argentina in Spanish) (2004) http://www.sbs.com.a...bombon-el-perro

I asked a snake catcher about the natural oil concoction I saw on Facebook too, hate spreading misinformation. Load of bs it is along with the repellers. Getting a new dog yard built so shall be interested in ideas. Know of the 5mm rodent mesh that can help keep snakes out [but some can easily slither up fencing and things]. I am paranoid about snakes and the dogs during snake season. Snakes themselves don't bother me so much [but the dogs are different and have nfi when it comes to them, they're just play!].

It's been about a month since I first posted and thanks to everyone's help, I've had a really good results with Sarge. Just by changing a few things I do [marking the correct behaviour I want at the right time with a yes] and mixing in treat rewards with tug rewards [he gets a good game of tug on completion of the class]. He's got to the point now where he'll ignore dogs barking [we're usually next to a very vocal GSD], dogs being close to him and even magpies on the oval during training - his focus stays on me [and it's easy to get back his attention if it does lapse]. Also worked out that with Sarge, he wasn't totally proofed with some mixed verbal/hand commands. So I went back to basics and retrained by removing verbal commands and reverted back to hand signals as he understands them better [also helps keep his attention on me]. Mainly there's been dramatic improvement in his down and down/stay [which he wouldn't do before], he downs on almost all surfaces now [concrete, tiles, grass, dirt]. He's almost there with constant loose leash heeling too. I've only been in beginners this month and I had a chat to my trainer after class last Wednesday. She said Sarge will be about the only one graduating into Grade 1 this week So proud of the little squirt. Thanks again everyone

Used to always get snakes in the suburbs [lived across from a park with a creek]. With all the tin fencing it was hard for them to move around so they'd hang out more in the backyards. On the farm here, do see them occasionally sunning themselves near the house. Had a few run ins with feisty browns. But in 17 years so far so good [touch wood].

RIP lil Dash Been keeping an eye out since the really warm weather kicked in...hate summer for the snake season [don't mind snakes, just what they can do]. Have to leave the boys locked up inside if they have to be left alone [as snakes frequent under the veranda where the dog run is]. Bring on winter!

Loca has cerebellar ataxia http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/loca-the-pug-dog-video-interview

Never let mine off leash unless they're in a fenced in area also. Even on the farm here I don't let them run around, easy to find a snake or get bowled over by the horse, headbutted by goats [broken ribs or worse]....or get out on the road [with trucks and cars that don't adhere to the speed limit]. I walk them on long leads in winter and short leads in summer. Think having huskies instilled fear/distrust in me - my breeder stressed when I got my first one "Do not let them off the leash...ever". Another husky owner I knew used to walk his two off leash, yes they were obedient...but one time they saw a cat and took off across a road and both were killed. Once someone had left the back gate open [at the old suburban house] and my female husky took off, straight out on to the road and smashed into a car. She was fine but the car had $300 damage [paid for the car door to be fixed]. Thankfully the people were lost and were driving slowly.

Using a long line I'd only use it when totally alone - the long line was to give them a good run

I used to let my huskies run around on harness and 20 metre leads [this was before fenced dog parks were the norm]. Always had control and they got a run around safely on large open ovals/parks. I tried out fenced dog parks later on when one was built where I was living. People used to pick on my younger male husky and kick him if he came within cooee of their dogs. He wasn't dog aggressive, never had any posturing [never rose hackles, growled, bared teeth or acted in any way that was obnoxious], but people used to mistake him for a white GSD and lay into him if he went near smaller dogs than him When I got my first Boxer, I tried out fenced dog parks, but again witnessed too many bad experiences which turned me off. Now I just refuse to use fenced dog parks.

Thank ye

Thank you Nekhbet, that does make a lot of sense and won't be difficult at all to retrain myself to do. But that is exactly what I want to train for, I'd thought that one had to teach verbal focus [focus command] first to achieve it. Very true Perse, when I say loud for me - slightly louder than normal speaking voice. At training I am lower than normal speaking voice. Sarge got out the other day into the unfenced front area [where the goat was tethered, he can be narky with dogs and headbutt hard], I just used my normal voice and said Sarge come. He raced back to me and sat at my feet.

Very cute and nicely done http://dogsoftheworld-by-lili.tumblr.com/

The trainers so far have all been impressed with both Sarge and myself and how we work together. But, I can just sense a slight change in Sarge - he is now 7 months old. It may be just an age phase thing, I'm not frustrated with him in the slightest...I'm leaning towards handler error - I have to make it more fun for him, keep his attention. If anything the label I could place on last night...he was bored. Reading all of your comments did open my eyes. I've been going over things in my brain and I can see where I can implement improvements, mainly towards myself. At training, I'm more 'regimented', where as at home I'm more laid back/higher louder happy voice [i'm starting to notice the difference in myself, where before I was oblivious]. In public I'm concentrating more on him doing the right thing and my voice is sterner more authoritarian and lower in volume.

Huski, my main goal first and foremost is a well behaved pet.

Thank you all for your replies, most helpful The training sessions are half an hour long. In puppy 1 and 2 we were doing group work in a circle [basics of sit, drop, stand, sit/stay to the end of the leash, puppy recall [wait then call and let them sit in front on leash], about turn and left about turn]. Half way through puppy 1 and 2 classes the dogs were given around a 5-10 time out to play after being released from working. Then they'd go back into work mode until the end of class. At the end of class when I free him off, he is super excited and bouncing around at me. Beginners will be working in a line and introducing left and right turns and continuing on with the above mentioned, but no time out to play. As I said usually Sarge works really well. I don't expect him to keep his focus on me the whole time, just when I'm about to give him a command that includes a hand signal...I like to have his attention on me. I just say "Sarge look" and he looks at me then I give him his command, once done it's marked with a happy yes [ie; as his bum hits the ground in a sit] and then he's treated. I never hold treats in my hand as I have a treat pouch - the only time I will is when returning to Sarge in a sit/stay. I hold the treat above his nose as he did have a habit of breaking his stay to follow me when walking behind him. The treat was used as a lure of sorts to keep him in the one spot. Last night he was in a right wally mode and off with the pixies and ignored all voice commands for the first half. After the midway play he was a bit more settled and listened on and off. Maybe last night was just a bad night [it happens] and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill When he's training at home [on a farm with many distractions like goats and horses] he works well, birds seem to take his attentions away though. I did training with him this morning using roast turkey, his attention wasn't off me at all...the smell got him somewhat drooling and super dooper excited. Before starting with just the smell he was anticipating what I wanted, so he was sitting and dropping hoping to get a reward [i ignored him]. Once working he was amazing [to me] he did everything I asked with enthusiasm - ended his training session whilst he was still full of enthusiasm. Felt much happier [but now just have to wait until next Wednesday]. EFS

So Sarge has been at training now for 2 months and is doing very well. He graduated into Beginners tonight. He's still young, but I'm noticing he's losing focus on me and is more interested in what's going on around him [which leads to him being off in lala land and not paying attention to commands]. He knows the 'look' command, but again being in lala land he just wasn't interested. he was looking at the grass or the dog in front of and behind him. Was rather unusual for him [but maybe he was just having one of those nights]. Would using a different treat reward like roast chicken or turkey [his current preference is cheese, but it's not having the desired effect now] and praise/treating when he pays attention to the look command be helpful? Or holding the treat high up to my chest so he focuses on that when doing heel work? I just don't want to set him up to fail by him losing focus, I want to try and nip it in the bud before it becomes more of a problem. TIA

Yes think a dust mote jumped in my eye when watching it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eubWYPhcEEo

At training last night, Sarge got growled at by two adult Labs and he backed off and I took him away [praised him for moving away]. When passing another dog it lifted it's top lip and bared teeth as Sarge got close [think Sarge was oblivious to this as he was looking the other way as was the owner of the dog as they were talking to someone else]. I just weaved him away as we were walking down to the oval. Does help to hear and read body language of other dogs.

I've let Scout growl [and occasionally lunge/nip, when a growl hasn't been sufficient] at Sarge since he came here. He learnt quickly not to be overly obnoxious with playing and biting [with puppy fangs]. Sarge learnt his place quick enough, knows when to back off when he gets the stink eye look from Scout. Think Scout being allowed to communicate properly has been teaching Sarge good manners. Made a conscious effort to just let Scout deal with the pup as he saw fit [have been proud fo him to be honest], I would use low tone growly voice at the pup to back Scout up - never chastising the elder dog. Have noticed it more and more in regards to manners since starting obedience training, if a dog growls at Sarge he backs right off, instead of ignoring subtle cues and jumping in the other dogs faces continuously [like Scout did as a pup, as he grew up as an only dog].