huski

Thanks for that Nik! They are great videos. Sorry to take the thread further OT (you can PM me a reply if you prefer) - what is the best way to get them moving around the box/bucket/phone book? I have a wide short bucket I up turned and Daisy worked out in about five seconds that I wanted her to stand on it, and now when we go over to it she gets up on it straight away. But what is the best way to get her moving around it? I am only getting a little bit of back end movement if I nudge her a bit or lure her but neither methods are terribly successful. Granted I only just started about twenty minutes ago

Each club has their own approach though and it would be remiss to expect them all to be the same. I train at the club I do because it's flexible and utilises a range of methods. It allows me to train my dog in a way that suits her best Keeping in mind though that I go there largely to do distraction work and I will never do a full class.

I personally think that it's totally appropriate for a club to recommend a member with a dog who has a serious behaviourial problem consult a knowledgable trainer one on one. Most clubs are about training obedience not fixing serious behaviourial problems and the two can require very different skill and approaches. I wouldn't expect a club to change their entire philosophies or anything, but I don't think a little bit of flexibility or open-mindedness is a bad thing.

How do you do them, Nik? With phone books etc? I need some tips as our left turns are atrocious

I think LP is referring to rear end awareness training - something Daisy and I need to work on

Run free lovely boy So devastated to hear this. Thoughts are with you Serena and family

I think a lot of people don't know what to do with dogs who have a bit of drive - like Daisy, I can't count the number of time I was told to correct her as soon as she put her nose to the ground. Instead I've now learnt to harness and use that drive (or energy, for those who don't like the d word), instead of trying to quell it by correcting her for it. I have a much more focused, more keen and much more reliable dog now. That's not to say there isn't a time and place for corrections, but that there are so many ways to do things and what works for one dog will not work for all.

It's a great video LP, I need to try a similar method with Daisy as our left turns are terrible

I cringe when I see any tool or method being misused How 'harsh' the tool is really depends on the dog IMO. I used a head collar on Micha a few times years ago and he found it highly aversive... he would desperately try to get it off, fought it, pawed at his face and did the crocodile roll etc. Put a martingale on him and he doesn't even notice it. The martingale (or check chain) in this instance is the 'less harsh' tool for him.

Definitely tricky, as I think there is a big difference between training a dog to do something like tricks or obedience and training a dog with a behaviourial problem. You often see both types of dogs at obedience club, although many clubs are geared towards the former rather than the latter. I don't see the difference between allowing the use of, say, a head collar and allowing the use of check chain (or prong for that matter but I think a lot clubs aren't permitted to use them by their canine control council) in terms of both being a corrective tool. How they are used and if they are the right tool for the dog are the most important things IMO. No one size fits all and all that.

No worries Queenie. I used to think of obed club as way to socialise Daisy around other dogs in a controlled manner - teaching her to focus around other dogs, to ignore them when necessary, that every time we walked past another dog did not mean we were always going to stop and say hello or play with them etc. Remembering too that socialisation isn't just about playing with other dogs, but exposing your pup to lots of new and positive experiences

Our club lets people use check chains if they wish, as well as martingales/head collars/food/toys etc. I personally train Daisy on a flat collar but at least our club is able to show people how to use various tools correctly if they want to. ETA: The type of training I use is quite different to what is taught in classes, so I go to do my own thing and use the class as an opportunity to do some distraction work (I won't work Daisy for a full hour so use the time to train on and off).

Zara looks great LP! I don't have anything to brag about (yet, hopefully) either. Daisy and I have started back at obedience club after taking last year off and I am really pleased with how she is going so far. She is pretty keen to work but isn't quite there yet. I need to work on my ring craft though, I'm letting the team down

Have you decided what breed you'll be getting next, Shelle?

I just open the back door and say 'out!'

Nah that's cool, thought I'd mention it just in case any QLD DOLers missed it Enjoying this season so much already

I agree with Amps. I don't go to obedience school for play time, we go there to work. When Daisy was a pup we went to teach her how behave nicely around other dogs, socialisation isn't just about playing.

Oh, my Foxtel is telling me it's on at 6.30, so I can watch it before Dexter

It clashes with Dexter! Will record it

I think it's usually about ten working days.

Totally agree with all you have said Crisovar. Especially important to note that a lot of the LAA dogs are a mixture of several breeds not just lab/poodles. How can the rescue tell the difference between a lab/poodle cross (first gen and definitely NOT purebred) and a multi-gen LAA type "labradoodle" that has several different breeds in it? A purebred labradoodle is an oxymoron IMO.

We have a couple at our obedience club Caffy, but we can always do with more Not many beags competing in obedience, they are usually so food driven I would love to see more out there giving it a go.

So can I She puts some working dogs to shame

No-one crazy here

So very sorry to hear about Buddy Run free handsome boy