huski

I think she was really chuffed I was encouraging her to use her nose for something Pick away, I have NFI what I am doing Thanks for the reminder, I am really bad at remembering to reward for the basics especially when we are at home Yeah I am a terrible fidgeter too Gotcha ;) I haven't been fussed with presents or anything to start with, I just wanted her to get the exercise. Will work on it now she has basics of the exercise down pat :D Yeah I mentioned above that the ones I have, have quite a strong smell! What do you do to scent them when you are first training the exercise? Do you just hold your hands around it? Thanks for your feedback! ;)

LOL, I think this is why it was so easy for me to train the scent discrimination exercise this last week. Food + being encouraged to smell = one very enthusiastic beagle. Daisy has had her share of hysterical food moments too. Like the time a single cat biscuit got stuck behind a box in the book case. I don't know when it got stuck there or how, but one day Daisy walked past and caught a whiff of it and then realising she couldn't reach it threw herself on the ground hysterically barking and crying until I came along to see what was going on because I thought she was DYING... or something. No, she just knew there was a cat biscuit behind the box and couldn't reach it, which was obviously very traumatizing for her.

Thanks guys, I am really pleased with her progress. She picked it up so quickly! I've never trained a dog to do SD before but I think being a VERY scent driven beagle she just really enjoys it! I took a leather article out today to see how enthusiastically she'd pick it up. I was a bit worried she would struggle as it's so flat and not like anything she's been taught to pick up before. No worries though, she was very keen ;) My goodness does the leather easily get teeth marks on it though! I can see it will probably take us the longest of the articles to get right though because the leather has a very strong smell.

And if it's not donuts, it's ZOMG THERE IZ SCENTZ ON TEH GROUNDZ! ;)

I agree with Lilli - best option is to have some one on one lessons with a trainer. There are quite a few good ones in VIC, some are members here on DOL. Teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash is about the method more so than it is about the tool, a dog can learn to pull on any tool from head collars to check chains to prongs if you aren't using them with the right training program. I would also be wary using a head collar if he can pull on it hard enough to break, imagine the damage that could be doing to his neck!

Agreed Stormie. I always socialise my dogs as much as possible between 8-12 weeks and I take them out and about from when I first get them at eight weeks. But I wouldn't ever take them somewhere like a dog park for various reasons not just the higher chance of running into diseases there.

Here's an update of Daisy's scent discrimination exercise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joVEZVF14-s We started working with wood yesterday and she picked it up pretty much straight away. The above video is a full set of metal and a full set of wood, alternating between the scented metal article and scented wood article. I am especially pleased with her progress knowing she was 100% with the exercise out on the grass in various levels of distraction I am still using the carpet at home to stop them banging on the wooden floor. She does struggle to pick the metal article up the second time in the video but she still got it right ;) ETA: Also had a bit of an oops towards the end with her pre empting me and trying to go and get the article before the command was given.

I have no doubt that there IS an under supply of puppies from reputable breeders. I am another one who would hate to see it mandatory to walk your dog. I think it's ridiculous and unenforceable and will be a big waste of time and money. What do we define as a walk? Taking the dog off the property for x amount of time? How will we know who is walking their dogs? How will it even be trackable? What about people whose dogs are perfectly happy yet don't get walked daily because they have their mental/physical needs met in other ways? My dog can get more out a fifteen minute training session than a walk around the block.

;) :D I find it very interesting! Daisy isn't overly fussed with other dogs either so fortunately that means they aren't usually a big distraction when it comes to training. Definitely a plus!

Stormie, have you read the old socialisation vs neutralisation thread? I think it's in the training forum. You might find it interesting

I never said I wouldn't be socialising her. I said before they were vaccinated. Of course she will be socialised and experience all sorts of things, from noise, people, cars, trucks, farm animals, etc etc etc I would never dream of shutting any dog away from everything.... BF The danger BF in waiting until the pup is fully vaccinated is that you have missed their critical socialisation period which is between 8-12 weeks. Have you had a read of this thread? It's useful when it comes to giving you an idea of how your pup will develop and her different learning stages. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=117592

I've never been to Durack before so hopefully I will find it :D I am really looking forward to this seminar I watched some of Richard's videos on youtube and he seems really entertaining and engaging! ETA: Had my money order all ready to post and left it in the office yesterday ;) so will have to post it on Tuesday.

BF, socialising your puppy is about more than letting it meet other dogs. It's about exposing it to lots of new experiences and giving them a positive value and teaching your pup how to deal with new experiences/situations. This can be anything from meeting a variety of people, being need traffic, riding in the car, going to the vets, meeting children, being near the vacuum cleaner when it's on, and a million other things.

Not even to puppy school? Or to other people's houses? I understand why you'd keep her away from unknown dogs and public places but there are ways to socialise safely during the first critical socialisation period that ends before vaccinations are over. Uncontrolled socialisation means you cannot keep the experiences positive. However no socialisation isn't a good thing either. Was just about to post the same thing PF. It's about balance IMO, I would never take a baby pup to a dog park or other areas strange dogs frequent but by the same token I take my pups out and about from day one to ensure I socialize them adequately in their critical period (8-12 weeks).

DA = dog aggressive.

Oh he (?) is adorable! I love the tan and whites

Aww, do you have a tan and white too? I didn't realise you had a beagle

I'm not saying that there isn't any over supply of pups, there are some dumped after all. I just don't think that's necessarily the root of the problem. Having said that though, there is a demand for dogs from reputable breeders that isn't being met so how can we truly say it's as simple as being an over supply of puppies? There is a lack of well bred puppies that's for sure! I do think that most puppies find homes. If they are dumped when they found a home in the first place, we need to ask why. I'm not removing responsibility of the owner by saying that breeders need to make sure puppies go to appropriately screened homes, and that they should be responsible for the dogs they breed. Of course the owners need to be responsible for their dogs - but often it's a case of the dogs should never have gone to those homes in the first place. Some of these owners may never have had a problem if they had bought the appropriate dog for their lifestyle.

What? No, where on Earth did I even imply that only puppies deserve homes! My point is that most puppies FIND homes in the first place. That doesn't indicate that there is an over supply of puppies, but that they are placed in the wrong homes to begin with and once they are dumped, only a tiny percentage of breeders will be responsible for rehoming what they've bred in the first place. And whose to say that for every puppy sold, those owners would be happy to take on a rescue instead? Rescue dogs can make great pets, but guilting people into buying one instead of a puppy is not the answer. I don't feel guilty about buying the two pedigree dogs I bought as puppies and I resent anyone who attempts to make me feel that way. Buying the puppies I did was the right choice for my family and I, they were exactly what I was looking for and wanted. It's not my fault that I decided to buy a puppy nor does it mean I killed two rescue dogs in the process. Where were the breeders of those perfectly rehomable dogs when they were PTS? Why were they in rescue in the first place? THEY are the people who you want to make responsible for the dogs being PTS, not the pet owners who bought a puppy instead. As I said earlier talk to any reputable breeder and they will often tell you there is an under supply of well bred puppies. I don't understand your logic. The breeders who are breeding good quality dogs often sell them for less than it costs to buy one from a puppy farm or pet store. I think that puppy farming should be banned but this doesn't address the fact that there is an under supply of good quality dogs being bred. We have to be careful that any restrictions we bring in on breeding dogs doesn't effect those who are doing the right thing.

Let us know how you go MM! I am really keen to get Daisy involved although the early mornings put me off

I would be happy to feed that I would be inclined to try and mix it up by feeding some tinned sardines/mackeral, raw egg, natural yoghurt etc every now and then.

How ridiculous! There's no way I would tie my dog up on the street away from my table.

Agree on the video requests! I've never seen a video of Ziggy and I am dying to! Good luck this weekend, TSD

I agree with Lilli. Is it really an over supply of pets when most puppies find homes - most dogs that are dumped or euthanised are not baby puppies. The fact is that most puppies find homes. The problem isn't an over supply, but WHY these dogs aren't staying in their original homes and who is responsible for them once they are dumped. IMO the biggest issue is that people buy pets they are not suitable for, struggle with them once they grow and then dump them/have them PTS. The biggest problem is why these dogs are in these homes in the first place - people like puppy farmers who don't give a crap about where the dogs are going and will sell to anyone with the money to buy. Compare this to a reputable registered breeder who places well bred puppies in screened homes and takes back anything they breed. Speak to many reputable breeders and they will tell you there is actually a lack of supply of well bred puppies from good breeders.

:D Daisy can spot food from a mile away. We had a tiny single cat biscuit stuck in the back of our book case behind a big box and when she walked past and got a whiff of it she was HYSTERICAL over it - threw herself on the floor, barking and crying, I had no idea what was wrong until I pulled the box out and saw the tiny piece of food. She'd make an awesome customs dog