huski

Yes, you can have dogs that have value for other dogs but higher value for the handler, but as I said it depends on your goals. Plenty of people like that their dogs play with others and don't care if it compromises obedience. If your goal was to have a sport or working dog that was neutral to other dogs then it would be counter intuitive to risk that by allowing free play and value for other dogs to develop. There is no right or wrong as everyone's goals are different.

So sorry to read this

I don't think socialising your dogs with other dogs is something that has to be done forever, it really depends on your goals. I don't want a dog who has a high value for other dogs so when I have a pup I teach them that other dogs are boring rather than something exciting. I don't let my dogs play with others as a general rule they aren't interested. Socialising your dog is about giving them a new experience and assigning it a value, once your dog has a positive value for other dogs, that isn't going to change unless they have a lot of negative experiences to change that value. Going to obedience club is not a bad idea as it will teach your dog how to be around other dogs without playing with them and how to focus more on you.

The chuck it ultra ball is a super alternative to a tennis ball :)

Hey guys just something to keep in mind buying the human exercise balls. We looked at supplying them as they are cheaper but they aren't designed to withstand dogs nails. They could wear ok depending on your dog but it is something to keep in mind if you decide to buy the human designed exercise balls rather than the ones designed for canines.

Hey Rumour, the 10% off ends tonight! :) The discount code is FitPAWS.

My pleasure! I think you'll really love the new collar. I couldn't be without my Dogtra!

Thanks for the great feedback guys! My oldest leash is about seven years old now and is still in great condition and even softer than the day I got it. I am really bad and have never used any leather conditioner etc, and of course now I have a billion leashes and collars. Only slightly obsessed!

LOL I got this one when I was at the airport with one of the mal puppies. "Oh I live in an apartment, so a mini German Shepherd would be PERFECT for me!" (When asked what the pup was I said a Belgian Malinois, after the blank expression, I added 'a bit like a GSD just slightly smaller') No amount of explaining would sway this lady :laugh:

Yes, beagles can be let off leash and they can be trained (same goes for Siberian Huskies.) :) And no, it's not cute or funny that your beagle is grossly obese You CAN control what he eats - just stop feeding him so much!

You get what you pay for when you go to a $5 obedience class. As someone else mentioned you have no idea what kind of instructor you get; they are volunteers who could have any level of experience, rarely have qualifications and even within a club you'll get instructors who use a huge range of methods etc. This can be both good and bad! For almost $200 a class I'd rather spend the money on one on one training sessions. I would still ask if I could go along to watch a class to see what kind of value I'd be getting for my money though :)

Dasha, I wasnt saying one is harder or easier. I was just saying different dogs can require a different approach.

It sounds like they are loved and cared for dogs? There are many reasons dogs may display aggression. And it certainly doesn't mean the owner doesn't love or care for them :) I have a dog here I have had from 8 weeks of age. If you saw me walking him in the street you'd probably have the same impression as you did from the man walking his dogs - my dog is calm and well mannered, walks lovely on leash, is very responsive to me. But in the 'right' circumstances he can still show dog aggression and if you approached me with your dog and asked to say hi I'd also say no.

No but then I would also say the beagle and I clash so I havent proofed her or tested it anywhere near enough. I know what you mean about clashing :laugh: Would be interesting to see how she goes with her recall if you get the chance to put more work into her.

Personally, I wouldn't allow play with other dogs at all until at least his recall is reliable. It seems counter intuitive to me to let a dog who is highly distracted by other dogs and can't recall away from them reliably to play with them at all, because every time you do so you are allowing him to be reinforced that other dogs are rewarding. It won't make your dog unfriendly to stop play with other dogs at least until his value for you exceeds his value for other dogs. He already has a positive value for them. When his recall is really reliable under minimal distraction try introducing different levels of and types of distractions to see how he responds and to give you a chance to reinforce that even if something looks fun and exciting, it's not going to be as fun and exciting as you. Here's another video to give you an example of what I mean :)

Oh, we'll that sounds like exactly what I do then. Except that rather than putting mine away, after i take the collar, I let go & try again as I want them to choose to make the right choice there & then. I don't think there is a big different aside from I always reward recall in drive, it's a trained drive command so I don't phase out food rewards. ETA: Even if I 'end the game' i.e. put D away, I will take her out again and let her try again.

Actually, I also have a beagle and she gets the same treatment. The paying her for checking in is what made the biggest diference with her - it made her aware of what we were doing. She was hard work but she was my husbands dog before we were together and had already learnt bad habits that had to be undone. I probably do reward her more frequently than the borders but still not every time. That's interesting Piper. Is her recall what you'd consider to be 100% reliable?

Out of curiosity, why do you think there would be a difference? Because she doesn't have much value for people or praise. When she's stuck on a scent you could drag her away by her collar and she'd still be trying to scent. The minute you let her off she'd go back to the same spot and be instantly self rewarding herself. I've used a lot of physical corrections in the past to try and stop scenting and it didn't work. Building her value for the rewards I have to offer was far more effective. Even when I used a low stim e-collar with her for recall she still got a reward. I could phase out rewards and her recall could still be ok, but it wouldn't be what I consider reliable. Praise will never be worth more to her than the value of scenting. ETA: If she ignored a recall command or any command really I wouldn't keep calling her, I'd grab her by the collar and put her away or similar. But she still knows that 'here' is a word that guarantees drive satisfaction when she obeys it as fast as she can.

I do think not recalling from other dogs is part of a bigger problem which is the dog values other dogs more than you and finds them more rewarding.

I always reward for recall, I wouldn't work for free so why should my dogs? On the occasion I had to recall in an emergency when I didn't have any food my dog still came because she doesn't need to see or know I have food to be able to recall. The above method may work for dogs like BCs but try it on my beagle and you'd get the doggy equivalent of the rude finger :laugh: Zug Zug, if he ignores your recall word now I'd pick a new word and start conditioning it again. You don't want a dog to learn recall is optional or they can ignore your first command. I train recall to be 'come immediately the second I first say the word' and not the second or third time or eventually. Start with a lower of level of distraction and don't move on until his recall is 100% in each environment. Use the long line. Use high value treats. I would also suggest that his value for other dogs is too high so some general training to increase his value for you would be a good starting point :)

Everyone is different and I'm not sure how Bedazzled trains it, but I never reward in position. I also have a clear reward marker (i.e. good dog or yes) to tell my dog they've got it right and a reward is coming and then I have a clear release command (i.e. ok) that says the you can have your reward now.

Awww come on Bec Daisy couldn't resist playing with her boyfriend Styler :laugh: She could totally resist him, unless we encouraged them LOL! He is the 1% of dogs she will actually show an interest in, handsome devil he is ;) Though how fast do they recall when we ask them to get back to work, no real value there :)

So it's really more a test to see how your dog responds to be close to other dogs than actually greeting them? The vast majority of beginners don't have what I would call decent focus, but then again I've only instructed at the one club and it was quite old fashioned so I could be a bit behind the times. I don't really ever train my dogs in classes so I don't know if it's the standard or not, so of course it depends on how you train etc as to how good your focus is. IMHO focus is one of the most important thing to teach! It's the foundation for anything else you train. It's easy enough to train x y or z but if you don't have a dog capable good focus then you will struggle as soon as you introduce any level of distraction. Focus is the first thing I would ask for in any environment. If I couldn't get focus wherever I am training, training anything other than that would be IMO going too fast.

I also meant to add, to what standard are they 'marking' you? At the club I have instructed at, we'd say the dog had to do x y and z but only at a certain level of competency. The next class would require the dog to do x y and z but at a higher level of competency than the previous class. SO not how I would train my dog or others if I was running the show, but instructors would certainly mark easier if the dog was in a lower level.

PA I agree with what everyone else has said. I find the meet and greet part horrifying! My dog is not interested in other dogs (doesn't dislike them, but also doesn't like them. She just ignores them 99% of the time) and while she would have no problem with a dog approaching her she is uninterested and wouldn't actually 'greet' them. I would also have to put on your back on a command, as this isn't a position I have conditioned for when my dog is on and working. I wouldn't have done weaving through other dogs with even my level 2 class, that's something a lot of dogs would struggle with in a class environment and trained in methods they generally use in classes. I'd be happy for people to be able to get their dog to do a brief heel past another dog at a beginner level! LOL actually, I would have been happy enough to see beginners get their dogs lined up to heel without being distracted by another dog. It's not how I would run a class, but often as an instructor you are stuck with the format the club wants the class run in.