huski

There's always a few people who say this when these threads come up! I used to think I didn't have enough experience to handle a Mal either, but in some ways it is no where near as full on as I thought it would be when it comes to living with them day to day. My Mal sleeps on my bed every night, will chill inside with me, lives with my cat without any issue at all, will happily be crated for long periods of time and doesn't need hours of work or exercise a day, which goes against the rep Mals seem to have. Obviously that is related to how they are raised and trained, but they should be able to have an off switch. It is a different level of management than living with other types of dogs though, and it has been a very very large learning curve for me as a handler. It definitely isn't easy and you have to have a really solid training program in place from day one, but it is extremely addictive to handle them!

I should have them on sale by 10am, the reason I didn't stipulate the time is that once I did and our power went out and I couldn't get them posted at the designated time :laugh: This workshop, due to demand from those in VIC, will be geared specifically towards training competition obedience. It will be suitable for dogs at any level from puppies to advanced dogs or dogs that are just starting out. However, if you aren't super interested in competition obedience or want dedicated one on one time with Steve to work through a specific problem, a private consult will be a better option. Our workshops while we do practical work with the dogs, aren't a style of workshop where we work the dogs all day long. They are designed to give you ideas and present our training concepts and see them in action on a range of different dogs, so are very different to a private consult which focuses on your dog and any problems you are experiencing.

My first ever dog was our Chihuahua x, Cherry, and then we got Micha our Siberian Husky. Neither of them live with me anymore as they are the family dogs. I do still love Sibes and I have a soft spot for small breeds but I can't imagine owning them again. Then I got Daisy the beagle, and I now have a Malinois. I truly believe Mals are the ultimate dog. I cannot imagine ever wanting anything else, I think they are the best breed in the entire world. There is nothing they can't do and they fit what I want in a dog perfectly. However, I still really love beagles and I feel happy every time I see one, I think they are super little hounds! So - I think I will always have a beagle too.

And we're off to Perth this week! Looking forward to meeting some WA DOLers this weekend

Our Melbourne Workshop tickets will be on sale tomorrow WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER. The workshop will be held in Cranbourne South on November 23 and 24 and will cover: Day 1 Saturday 23 November Training in DRIVE Developing Drive in your dog Clear communication in training Distraction proof your dog – Durability Drive Suppression vs. Drive Compression This day will be aimed to teaching attendees about the Training in Drive Programs that Steve is known for far and wide. Learn about the higher end training methods that get the very best results out of strong minded, driven and determined dogs. Learn Steve’s framework in this workshop which can help project your performance dog to new levels. This is a highly motivational system that dogs love and handlers too that can be used at the Motivational Framework that can surround, guide and complete a working or sport dog, the “event” that you wish to do with your dog can be anything, the “Framework” can be applied to all working and dog sport types. Day 2 Sunday 24 November Training in Drive for Competition Obedience Reward location and gravitation Heel work and the various styles Real attention! Scent work for ANKC OB You may have seen some of our clients dogs in the Trial Rings of Australia working happily and motivated yet accurate, with dynamic heelwork and super handler focus. If you want to know how that is done, come to this workshop!

You don't need a referral for Neil, you just call up and make a booking :)

We use Neil Barnsley who is probably a reasonable drive from you as he's in Greendale but he's very very good :)

If I say no I always say it nicely and explain why. There's no reason to be rude or unfriendly!

You can only build on what the dog has there genetically to harness, but it doesn't need to be super high drive dog to respond well to rewards/drive work. However, IMO if you want to be competitive you are best off seeking a dog with superior genetics and temperament, Daisy can still work in drive but her actual drive "tank" is small so she could never work as hard or as long as our Malinois. There is a reason most competitors select high drive working breeds. That doesn't mean other dogs are write offs or not worth the effort :)

I think it takes a lot of commitment and you need an approach that can harness their drive appropriately. They still aren't high drive dogs. Thanks Raineth :) Ok this is a before video. Pretty cringe worthy! This is when we just started at obedience club. I very clearly had no idea what I was doing :laugh: this is the best work Daisy was capable of giving. Outside of the house her scent drive took over and she wouldn't take food. Most of the instructors and trialling members at the club told me not to bother trying to train Daisy. I think most people would see this video and say she isn't showing any actual drive for the food. This is an after video, once we met Steve and started doing training in drive. In both videos Daisy's primary reward is food. The difference is she works IN food drive now and we developed and channeled her drive into working with me. Same dog, same reward, very different results IMO!

Tug is reward just like food. We use it for prey driven dogs. Obedience is one big game we play! Here's a brief example of a training session with my youngster. She's being rewarded with a ball we play chase and tug with.

I should add the out is something we teach from the very first tug game we play.

Start from day one!

Thanks Kavik :) We have a LOT of owners with dogs of various backgrounds and breeds from low drive dogs to super high drive dogs, coming to see us to learn more about training in drive. One thing with our system is that we have adapted it so it can be applied to dogs of different drive levels, it's about maximizing what the individual dog can give. Dogs of all breeds and drive levels can enjoy this style of work and benefit from it.

My beagle is moderately driven and I put a lot of work into harnessing her drive and channeling it into working for me. It was hard work but enjoyable and we got pretty awesome results. I have a before and after video somewhere if anyone would be interested in me posting it I will dig it up :) We find we have great results with our training in drive program with a range of dogs, not just dogs with high drive though obviously they do really well with that style of training. I think as much as people look at really high drive dogs and see how awesome they can work, it's not as easy as you might assume and handling dogs like that comes with its own challenges. When I went from my beagle to our working line Malinois I thought awesome, this is going to be so much easier. It's not easier overall. It's just different and you face challenges with both types of dogs.

I like it if they ask, sometimes I don't want to have strangers patting the dogs especially pups so I don't always say yes, I hate when people try to pat them without asking.

We have seen amazing results on it, we also feed Super Fuel to the mals which has also been really great. I am also really impressed with the Showstopper True Colours shampoo.

It's not always about commitment or even whether its possible to achieve, more often than not its about what can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time and within the owners skill range.

Yep and if you're a Malinois sometimes you get a 'hurry up then' nip or teeth snapping :p

Yep that's my experience too :)

I actually think NRMs should be motivational to the dog (it is to mine) - it means they have an opportunity to try again. I don't think that means there is no stress involved as think there is stress involved in all learning, and I think there's a bit of frustration created in withholding (not just removing) a reward. I use NRMs in my training and I find it very effective. As with anything if you've conditioned it properly it can be very useful.

I think this is true of training in general not just when it comes to the use of +R. IME far too many people allow their emotions and politics to get in the way of effective training.

Sorry, just have to say this is a pretty massive generalisation. Strong prey drive is not "easily" redirected onto anything so dull as toys or food. My dogs have low interest in toys or food at their most focussed - they respond best to affection, which is fine. But if there is a rabbit running, or a possibility of a rabbit running, somewhere in the vicinity - any food or toys (or even affection for that matter!) may as well be on Pluto... Doesn't matter if on or off leash. I can have a smidgen of attention, but redirecting that prey drive?? Nothing is more rewarding to them than that potential chase. That is far more engrained than anything else. I think it can be more work to teach the dog to work in prey drive for you if it has been allowed to learn to get drive satisfaction from chasing live prey, but if you teach them from the beginning to play the game with you it's much easier. I have never met a dog with more prey drive than our Mals, i would bet their prey drive will rival any dogs, and they will recall off live prey without hesitation. They have a strong reward history that tells them complying with our commands will give them guaranteed drive satisfaction. And we will use what many people regard as the "dullest" tugs out there - rolled leather, plain French linen etc. our dogs don't need to see the toy or have it waived around in competition to live prey in order to get their attention. If the dog has usable prey drive it can be channeled with the use of even the dullest toy. How much work this take depends on the dogs reward history etc

Again it's not about whether it can be achieved with rewards only, it's about what can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time within the skill limit of the owner. There's no surprise or question IMO about what can be achieved with the use of rewards. Didn't the OP have this exact question? And as I said in my OP what is best or right for each dog depends on many factors. We cannot make a blanket statement of "x method is always best for every dog and owner" as there are far too many variables involved. There's no question rewards are a powerful tool as corrections are also a powerful tool.

Again it's not about whether it can be achieved with rewards only, it's about what can be achieved in a reasonable amount of time within the skill limit of the owner. There's no surprise or question IMO about what can be achieved with the use of rewards.