huski

I would not attend and put in writing why not. If not my dog doing a one in a million run off, then I dont want to see someones dog skittled by a car. And dogs DO run off at trials. Putting up at least temporary fencing is LAZYNESS, why no one sees it as a problem is beyond me. I was by no means implying dogs don't run off a trials, I was just curious what you would do if you wanted to enter one that wasn't on fenced grounds.

Because it's not just weighing up whether a dog could be run over or not. It's the probability of the dog blowing off a recall weighed against the benefits of letting the dog exercise off leash. I do not know where we would be if we had to rely on exercise on leash only. Our yard is quite small, and our dogs are young and active. I don't believe in 100% reliable recalls and I'm vigilant as hell when my dogs are off leash despite the fact that they are quite reliable about recalls, but the joy they get from running around off leash and really letting rip is intrinsically tied to my enjoyment of having dogs. What can I say? I love watching them have fun. They can't do that in my yard, so we take them to the safest places we know of for them to do it and accept the risks. As I said Corvus, I was talking about people who let their dogs off leash without a second thought i.e. without weighing up the risks or without having even a basic recall on their dog etc. Nekhbet: What would you do at a place like an obedience trial then Nek when the dog is required to work off leash in an unfenced area? (some of which can be near a main road).

I know exactly which article you are talking about and it grates on my nerves every time I see it posted I don't think trust is a killer. I think complacency is dangerous and I always ask people who let their dogs off without a second thought if they could guarantee that if a rabbit ran in front of their dog, they could 100% reliably call it off. If the answer is no, why risk it? The people I know who can (literally and figuratively) call their dogs off rabbits are the ones who train their dogs in prey drive. It's not impossible to train a recall that reliable. Glad to hear that Fletcher is ok Bindii, it is very scary when something like that happens :D

Thanks guys... Aidan I will look into the food related stuff you suggested. Sometimes when it happens I am not always able to stop and spend time training him, as I'm either not home or I'm getting ready for work. I am also getting a bit suspicious that he carries on more if he thinks that it means we'll let him inside even if he's not that anxious (he is outside unless I can supervise him inside, as he has and can quite easily hurt himself on our floor boards). Will try and work on training him when I am home and able to though, and doing some desensitizing stuff.

Pippin, who was the trainer? You can PM me if you prefer. There are many different training methods and what works well for one dog will not work well for another, but I would never use a trainer whose methods I was uncomfortable with. A good trainer will make you feel confident about the methods you are using.

I am having a problem with Micha and I'm not sure what I should be doing to help him. He's usually a pretty calm, confident dog but the last few months he has been growing more and more anxious about loud noises - especially thunder (storms are fine it's just thunder that freaks him out) and this past week our neighbours have been renovating and the noise of the nail gun being used next door is affecting him too. He starts by panting and pacing, then desperately tries to come inside and tries to push himself through the door (left open enough for Cherry and Daisy but too small for him to get through without me opening it). He'll jump up at the door and cry and has taken to knocking over his water bowl to get our attention too. We have one of those water bowls with an upside down bottle in it and mum just called me to tell me he has again this morning knocked it over and bent it out of shape to get attention. If I let him inside he calms down a bit but still pants and paces a bit and desperately tries to get close to us by getting on the lounge (which he never does). It is obviously causing him a lot of stress and anxiety and I worry about what happens when thunder or other loud noises happen when we aren't at home. He's better if it's the noise next door but worse if it's a thunder storm. He's turned seven last year and I don't know if it can be something that gets worse as they get older, he definitely has not always been like this. I've emailed our trainer about the above but I just thought I'd put it out there on DOL in case anyone has any ideas or experiences they can share, I've never had a dog like this before and I'm not sure what I can do to help him.

Looking forward to seeing your latest vids now Ptolomy ;)

Thanks She's a tan and white beagle. I think they are relatively common (about one in four) but pet owners tend to want tris more so you don't see them around as much. She's certainly very "special" I have been driving Daisy to training lately, but I'd still like to be able to walk the dogs down the park for our own benefit (fitness wise). Haven't seen her lately so fingers crossed we continue to walk at different times.

If the rain holds off - have you looked at the BOM today?? I don't mind getting a little rained on but not soaking wet

I think Pine Rivers and Metro may be your closest clubs. I would also consider contacting Jane Harper from Dogs on Track She's a great behaviourist. http://www.dogsontrack.com.au/

Whereabouts in Brissy are you? It might be worthwhile to see a trainer for a one on one session and then consider obedience classes.

I think it depends on the tool you are using and how you are using it. And regardless, there are still wrong ways to use a tool, and correcting a dog so hard that you (for example) lift their feet off the ground and cause them to cry out or yelp is wrong IMO.

Will keep an eye out for you Nic We are supposed to be in the earlier 7pm advanced class but I don't think I will make that one tonight so we'll be back in the later class three. Let's all cross our fingers that we don't get rained out tonight!

There is a difference between giving a correction IMO and the old yank and crank method that is a total misuse of the tool. There's a pop on the collar to correct the dog and then there is yanking it with as much force as possible and the two are poles apart.

Daisy and I will be there Will you have Boo, Cat?

The only reason I have (and could afford) the 15" pro was because I spilt wine all over my macbook and broke it thank god for insurance

You bet - makes it so easy I just got my baby 15" macbook pro last week and I LOVE it So much better than my old 13" macbook.

Ah I'm not help unfortunately Ptomoly, I have a mac so I just upload it through imovie and it automatically makes the file smaller for me. Windows movie maker might be the way to go! Do your videos normally take this long to upload?

How are you uploading them, Ptolomy? I think it has something to do with what kind of file it is.

It can be scary when they escape! I don't freeze but I can get a bit hysterical The best confidence builder for me has been working to get as solid a recall as possible Daisy got out a couple of months ago and ran straight onto the road - I called our special drive training recall word and she can right back to me as fast as she could and even did a nice front too to say I was relieved is an understatement!

I called my council to check where I stand and they said the dog has to be acting aggressively for them to take action. They said if my dog is friendly, and leashed, that the woman would be in the wrong. She doesn't speak English so unfortunately having a chat to her is not possible (been mentioned a few times in the thread but it is a few pages long ).

Thanks everyone for all the recent comments I have been planning to avoid her as best we can but haven't actually seen her the last few times we've been out walking (which hasn't been as much lately as we have been focusing on training). Next time I see her and can't avoid walking past her, I will walk as far off the path as possible, and put Daisy in a down/stay so she looks as non-threatening and as under control as possible. I don't think I can do any more than that and it's more than most dog owners around here would do. After speaking to the council (see previous posts) they did say that it is more a police matter and if I do have a run in with her where she raises the pole again I will ring the cops and have a chat about it.

So glad to hear you enjoyed yourself, Dee! Beware though obedience is highly addictive

Reduce their daily meals or use their daily meals as the training treats. If I am after a low fat treat I boil some chicken meat and cut it into little pieces. You only need tiny tiny pieces when training, smaller than the nail on your pinky finger.