huski

The first dog I ever trained for dog sports was my beagle and it was an awesome learning curve! I train a working line Malinois now and what others have said about learning to drive before getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari is so true. Learn as much as you can now, work on your handling skills and the more experience you have the better you will be selecting the right dog for you when the time comes. Good luck!

IMHO if its a group training environment it's up the to trainer to be in control of the situation. From your description it sounded like the trainer ignored or couldn't read the signals this dog was displaying to indicate it wasn't behaving appropriately. Perhaps that wasn't the case but precautions should be taken so this dog isn't put in a position where it can attack another dog. If the owner doesn't understand the severity of the problem the trainer needs to help her understand how to manage the dog safely. Just my opinion :) I will happily put my hand out in a stop sign and clearly tell people I don't want other dogs approaching mine, if I think a situation is going to go that way. It can take practice to be confident telling others not to let their dogs approach you.

Personally I would avoid any classes this instructor runs, how extremely frustrating. Like others have said training is an opportunity to teach your dog and proof them around distractions like other dogs, that the trainer allowed this dog to pin another dog is testament to the way their approach is not working.

I often use a pocket tug and stick it in the back of my pants if I'm not wearing my training vest and it does make my pants all slobbery and gross, but I have learnt to overcome the gross factor :laugh: However lately I have been throwing the tug on the ground and releasing her to get it, it does save my pants from going yuck!

Yeah the magnets are awesome, you can put them any where really, on your hip, shoulder, under your chin to work on fronts etc. I still use a tug a lot, but the ball is really useful. Good luck with the CD trial! I would love to get back into the trial ring soon, but I am not sure we will make it in the ring before Wiz (hopefully) has her litter later this year. I still have so much to finish training/polishing/proofing :laugh:

Thanks - she is a FUN dog to work with, always wanting more and always wagging her tail :) I've never heard of a magnetic ball, off to look that up now! I have been trying to find a good bait bag that I could fit a ball in that could go behind me, but have had no luck... Magnetic ball sounds awesome though! They are really handy if you have a ball driven dog, I still use a tug as well for heel work sometimes depending on what we are doing. This is how I use the ball with Wiz; This was in the early stages of training heel work, her position is much tidier now, but shows you how you can use the magnetic ball 'hands free'. The dog has to focus on your face because the only cue they will get to release to a reward is from your voice. You should be able to find other videos on YouTube too!

She has a really nice happy attitude DD! If she likes balls you could also look at using a magnetic ball, I often use mine in heelwork and I find it really helps make reward placement really precise. The dog also stops cueing off your body language as it can't look to your arm/hand/pocket etc to see if you are going to reward them (not sure if that makes sense?)

Hi 1911 If you buy any leather collar or leash from us (K9 Pro), we will happily give you your money back if upon arrival you aren't happy with it (just pop it back in the post to us). However, we have sold literally 1000s of leashes and collars and have never had a customer unhappy with the quality of the leather. The kinds of dogs we train and handle have to have super quality equipment on them or it could be dangerous for them and the handler, we also supply our leather collars to police departments etc, so strength is a priority. Let me know if you have any questions. :)

A dog that is nervous/weak nerved is not a good combination with kids, when selecting a dog for a family looking for a pup or adult dog with good solid nerves should be high on the list, this is why it is really impossible to say certain breeds are better than others as so much of it is reliant on the individual dog, as well as how you raise it. Even my working line Mal is great with kids, she is super high in drive and energy, but also has solid nerves and has been taught how to interact with and how to behave around kids. You need to have a good temperament to start with regardless of breed. I would look at which breeds suit your lifestyle, needs etc and narrow it down from there.

I forgot to add that I do the same thing as Suzi, I have an X-Trail and Wiz rides in the back with an extension strap attached to the floor. I haven't had any issue with tangling and she does move around a fair bit. I also put the harness over her head first and then put her paws into it, she has long legs and it is a bit fiddlier than the other harnesses we have (it takes a few more seconds to put on), but I use the Roadie as it is crash tested and comfortable for her to wear and she rides in the car so frequently I think it is definitely worth it.

I have been using one on Wisdom every day (as she comes to work with me). They really are the best car harness I've seen on the market. I much prefer having them in a harness as opposed to travelling in a crate which is what I used to do. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

The kid probably did learn that from a pet education program. It is unfortunate how many kids are still being taught to stick their hands in dogs faces.

Are other dogs regularly a distraction for him? How does he respond around them if you play a game with him that gets his excitement/arousal up?

Have you considered looking into feeding a raw diet? I shudder to think how much dried food my Mal would go through to keep weight on!

All my dogs and even my cat are massive gutses. Some dogs definitely have more food drive than others and some dogs do only eat to survive. However that IMO isn't the same as fussiness which I do think is generally created by the owners. My dogs don't get a choice, they eat what I give them. The only thing my beagle won't eat is the Dr Bs BARF patties - she literally went almost two days without eating as she refused to touch it. In that instance I give her that one - it so extremely out of character I figured there must be a genuine reason she wouldn't eat it.

I have a really short attention span so I'll start training something then get distracted and train something else and so on and so on lol. I have started formalising stays a bit more now and they are coming along nicely too, just need to add some distraction now!

I finally stopped slacking off training stand and we now have a stand on (verbal) command. One position down... 10000 things still left to train :laugh:

Thanks Raffikki!

Awesome it will be shipped ASAP :) Unfortunately it isn't detachable so it can't be replaced. Depending on what you want to use it for, as Steve mentioned earlier in the thread it is great to use to build/establish drive and then upgrade to a tug once the dog is confident with how the game works.

Hi Steve, Do you know if k9pro will be making these available again soon? Currently unavailable at that link. Or should I contact someone else directly? Thanks Hi BCNut We have a shipment on the way so they should be available again shortly, alternatively we do have our prey drive on a stick flirt pole available; http://www.k9pro.com.au/products/Prey-Drive-on-a-stick.html As well leather bite rags; http://www.k9pro.com.au/products/Leather-Bite-Rag.html If you'd like to be notified when flirt poles will be back in stock just shoot an email to [email protected] and I'll let you know when they arrive :)

Thanks guys I've passed this on! :)

Bob a lots are great too!

Hi there, Can someone recommend a reputable vet around Trigg WA? My mum has just moved over and needs to find a good vet she can trust for the dogs. Thanks! Bec

The egg is more challenging. I find the Peanut is super versatile and a great option if you only want to get one piece of equipment. It's definitely the most popular option. What were you wanting it for specifically? Was it for improving stength/fitness in general or for rehab etc?

When a dog is assessed you aren't looking for "protectiveness" of the owner, getting a dog to protect an object or person is something that is trained. Rather you are looking for the dog to display certain qualities through different tests. In real life though having a dog is a good deterrent and if your dog barks it is making noise that puts people off. And realistically, the type of dog that is suitable for protection work or similar isn't the kind of dog most people want as pets.