huski

The groomer thought your dog was a girl even AFTER grooming him? Did they miss something???? Not very observant at all :D LOL yes it was a bit of a worry!! I asked the same thing but apparently the person who did the ribbon was a different person than who did the grooming. The next time we took him he got a very manly blue ribbon

I must admit, I am really fussy about my collars and leads. I like plain, well made leather on both my dogs, boy or girl. I did get Daisy a really nice Ruthless Leather collar, and I think it is awesome for a more 'dressy' collar; But that's not to say boys can't also have pink or purple accessories (the groomer thought poor Mish was a girl - I LOL'ed so hard, but I think it suits him )

Great work guys ;)

Same!!! What an awesome dog!! And such a good looking dog!

Totally agree with this! I have always found this to be the case with my dog.

Can't wait to meet you Suz! Julie just to clarify, is it assigned seating or can we make up our own tables when we get there?

Not much at all really. I've given Daisy a break so we've barely done anything. I wish I had something to brag about but I was away for almost a month too so I really have been lazy!

I'll undoubtedly have a couple of my leather leashes there BL so you are welcome to borrow one for the weekend if you would like to try one out! Sparky will miss having you and the awesome Frenchies there hopefully you'll be able to make the next one

Just booked my flight to Melbourne so I'm definitely coming yay! Cant wait to meet some DOLers and catch up with those I've met before

Following your logic, how can the RSPCA justify banning prongs, but not other tools that also work on the concept of P+? Check chains, head collars, no-pull harnesses etc all work on the same principle as a prong.

Sure! All we do attach a yellow ribbon to the dog's collar or leash so that it is easily visible. That a yellow ribbon = dog needs space so do not approach it is included in our rule book, in our first nighters hand out, we explain it to people when they join up and whoever is doing the announcements for the evening before class also gives everyone a reminder NOT to approach dogs wearing a yellow ribbon OR dogs who are on a tie out even if they are friendly.

I am only just starting agility and only just starting the 2x2 method but I was advised early on not to progress unless my dog was going as fast as she can. I don't see how speed could be an issue if you are conscious of it early on?

Our club has a policy that any dog on a stake out peg or wearing a yellow ribbon must be given space and most people are good at remembering this, they also mention it in announcements before classes start each night. I agree though that some people are just stupid. For an instructor to act that way is terrible IMO. I've run into my fair share of stupid instructors including one who looked at my dog and said "why would you even bother with one of those?"

LOL BL, I am glad to see you are bringing lollies Definitely bring a pad and paper so you can take notes. When I go to things like this with Daisy, I always bring her crate; food and water and bowls (though there will be access to water there); high value food treats; collar and leash and and the dogs favourite toy if they have one. Oh and if you don't have one of Steve's awesome leashes already you will probably end up buying one (he usually rings some equipment with him). Oh and clothing wise, bring some warmer clothes just in case as it can get cool out there. The first time I went to CT around this time it was FREEZING but the second time it was boiling lol.

Agreed!

It's still nothing like the method you described when you take into account that Leerburg mentioned a heap of other steps and didn't specify that anyone should use a prong collar - he even added you should only use one if it's appropriate for the dog. Why on earth would you give a physical correction 'as hard as you can' to a soft or shy dog? I have been shown how to use leash corrections on a correction collar by very experienced behaviourists, they have never mentioned the "9 levels of correction" or told me to use as much force as I can to issue the correction. What else are posters supposed to ascertain when you tell them to give as hard a physical correction as they possibly can? Well isn't that a back track after these comments you made.

When we first got my Siberian, we had a big yard, but fast forward to now and we have a biggish house but a pretty small yard. My dogs don't get walked every day, but I do something with them everyday - Daisy is out at training at least twice a week not including when I take her to the park for a training session etc. I was a bit worried about how they'd go in such a small yard but they are fine, they spend 90% of the time inside the house anyway! I walk Micha the most, for a few reasons, especially because he doesn't go out to training as much as Daisy does. When I walk him we'll walk for at least half an hour but I have to be careful how far we go with his arthritis.

What is a "level 9 correction"? What article did you copy and paste that from - it wasn't in the Leerburg article you linked to?

What she said

I'm only quite small and not very strong but giving a correction "as hard as I can" would still seriously hurt my dogs.

I read the Leerburg article you linked to and it didn't outline a method like the one you suggested at all. In fact, it actually said at the start to use food or toy rewards to train the dog to begin with. There were at least six other points and methods he suggested and only briefly did he mention giving a prong collar correction in SOME situations. The fact is that you have no idea what is and isn't appropriate to the OP's dog's temperament, give a hard physical correction to a softer dog and you could ruin it for life. I know quite a few trainers who regularly use prongs, e-collars etc but none of them would recommend the method you have suggested. ETA: Giving a dog an "extremely hard correction as hard as you can" on a correction collar for going near a baby's clothing sounds like abuse to me... just how hard is as hard as you can??

It is laughable how wrong you are, especially considering I know for a fact that Staranais has no problem with using corrections when warranted or using tools like prongs. What you suggested was dangerous, stupid and abusive, pretty simple really - especially considering you have NO IDEA what prompted the dog's behaviour in the original post. I don't know any one on here who ONLY works in the PR quadrant, in fact you'll find this is still one of the only forums on the net that welcomes people who use prongs, e-collars etc properly. There are many ways to correct a dog and they don't all involve giving a huge yank on a prong collar like you've suggested. You obviously don't respect anyone who uses methods different to your own, considering you've just spent two posts explaining how anyone who doesn't agree with you clearly doesn't know any decent trainers, or only trains their dogs with cookies, doesn't have a clue etc. The fact that the only way you can think of to deal with the problem you think the OP has is to use the method you described just proves how little experience you have in dog training.

Wow, I guess I don't know any proper trainers, then, since I don't think I know any trainers who would advise that. Same here. Siks3 your post made me feel sick in the stomach, to know that's how you've treated your own dogs

We got Daisy as a pet for my mum, because she wouldn't let me have another Siberian. We realised pretty early on she was a real handful and so I took her along to obedience club for training when she was around five months old. I left the first night in tears because she was the worst behaved dog on the whole paddock I persevered although by the time Daisy was two we weren't making a lot of progress, so I found a method of training that worked for us, with the eventual goal of wanting to get more serious about obedience. Now we are competing in obedience and doing ok, we've also just started agility, not bad for a dog who I didn't start training properly until she was two years old and who isn't exactly a popular choice of breed for dog sports. I am very grateful though because even though Daisy can be a real challenge, I have learnt so much, and I think I've definitely become a better handler because of her. Now I am in the process of thinking about getting a different breed (I will definitely have another beagle again at some point) and getting one I can do dog sports with has been a big part of how I choose my next dog but it's not everything, I have to have a breed I'm happy to live with first and foremost. ETA: Oops, meant to add that I think I am totally addicted, but it doesn't consume my life.

Cav?