huski

No, she does it both ways. I try to reward from both hands (although yes I do reward more from my left as habit). So do you think her leaning/off centered front is due to anticipating the reward? I only ask as I had a similar issue with Daisy anticipating/predicting the reward with fronts too. ETA: Just saw your edit! I'm not much help in this instance, then, as I rarely ever reward in position (I mark the position then release to the reward). But I did have a problem with Daisy leaning to the side slightly in anticipation of the reward coming from my hand, so I mixed up how I delivered the reward (i.e. it might come from either hand, we might run over to it etc etc) and raised the criteria for fronts, i.e. NRM for even a slightly crooked position. I also play a game with her now which she loves where I take a step back and get her to come to front position and get her to really come in to front hard (so as close and straight as possible). Hard to explain but she really loves it :laugh:

Wuffles does she always lean towards the hand/pocket you reward from?

Happy Gotcha Day Zero and Shell :)

There are a million reasons why a dog may not be driven to work for the handler, and there are a million ways to increase the dog's desire to work for you and the rewards you offer. Simply looking at a dog and saying 'meh, it's got no interest in the handler, rewards obviously won't work for this dog' is really naive.

If you have a dog that's driven to work for you and has a high value for the rewards you offer IME the loss of the reward is very aversive to the dog, certainly more effective in training than a correction on a check chain for my dog.

LOL yep, that's what Seita uses for drop as well as the other people I know who use German command words. I like the sound of platz too and I like fus for heel as well, as my command for the recall is here and fus has much different sound to it compared to 'here' and 'heel'. I have been thinking about training a couple of words in German with my next pup as I want a clear distinction between drive commands and 'around the house' commands.

Sandgrubber doesn't platz = drop (not sit) in German?

Raz - I've never heard of a judge refusing someone who has asked to use non English commands in the ring as long as they are one syllable. Seita on this forum who uses German words just gets asked by the judge what her commands are and they have always approved her using them.

I don't really ever use physical corrections when training obedience but I do use the removal of the reward and that is, for my dog, highly aversive. If your dog has value for you and the rewards you use, then it's easy to give a negative consequence to behaviour you don't want.

My family yell 'down' and taint other obedience commands I use all the time, I haven't seen a negative effect on Daisy though - I think it's so contextual, and there's a distinct difference between me giving a command and anyone else giving it or saying something to her. ETA: Even though she's really great with voice signals I think there's also so much body language they read too.

LOL Weasels! Teaching them to ignore people with treats is actually the easy part IMO!

I made my dog slug away at traditional style obedience classes for almost two years and all it did was make her hate training. Training her in 45 minute slogs where we were walking up and down the paddock the whole time correcting her every five seconds was like fighting with her the whole time. Training your dog should be fun and you should both get joy out of it, IMO, don't do it if neither of you are enjoying it! :)

sounds like the obedience place i go to, it's probably the same one! i'm starting to get over it :rolleyes: We got bored in traditional obedience classes too (I think many dogs and owners do!)... not sure why some instructors are determined to suck any fun out of training your dog!

I've never had any issue with my dog following the judges (or whoever is calling a ring run out if we're just at training) commands instead of mine. If it was an actual issue, what happens if your dog is distracted by the ring set up next to yours and follows the commands of the person trialling in the ring next to yours? Or if you are in a class and your dog follows the commands give by the dozen or so other people in the class when they give their dogs a command? I've never had it become an issue in the trial ring or training. Besides, if my dog followed a command given to anyone but me when we are working together I'd consider that a flaw in our training. I think that's something we proof for anyway as I teach her to ignore people offering her food when we're working and encourage them to yell out her release word as we're heeling past i.e. have them calling out "Daisy here's some food! Want a treat? OK OK OK!" (ok is the word I use to release my dog to her reward) as well as other distraction exercises.

I don't think that's the case but I'll have a look at the rules as I'm intrigued now. ETA: I had a look at the rules and the only thing I can find in reference to commands is that they must all be in English. A friend of mine does ANKC obedience and uses German commands, she hasn't had an issue, she just asks the judge before going in the ring if it is ok to use German words and they've always said yes. Schutzhund I'm not 100% sure, am sure you can definitely use German commands though.

Really? I've never heard that before, I thought any command as long as it's in English is acceptable in the trial ring as per ANKC rules (and even that is at the discretion of the judge).

What you achieved with Kenzie was amazing Sally, considering what she was like 'before' and how close you were to giving up :)

It wouldn't surprise anyone Steve Courtney has been my biggest inspiration (and no he didn't pay me to say that :laugh:) - he was the first person who told me that my dog's scent drive wasn't something that needed to be corrected out of her, I have learnt so much from him and watching him with his dogs makes me strive to have the same amazing relationship with my dogs. IMO it's the trainers that make us want to be better dog owners and better trainers ourselves, that are the true meaning of the word inspiring!

Nor would I.

Oh yeah, thats what im talking bout ;) !! BtS, apologies for the highly off topic question but I've been wondering for ages, what made you get a Samoyed when you have such an interest in working GSDs? I don't meet many working dog lovers who like or want to own Spitz breeds!

I used to use the local dog parks around here every day for years, I stopped going because of the number of fights and attacks you'd see at the park almost every day. Yes, the owners play a big part, if they had been responsible and had well trained and reliable dogs then attacks and fights wouldn't happen in the first place. Blaming any kind of fight breaking out in the park because an owner walks in feeling worried about a large pack of highly aroused dogs rushing at their dog is just ridiculous. ETA: One of the most common times you'd see a fight break out would be when dogs get mobbed by others at the gate as they are coming in the park, nothing at all to do with how the owner was acting.

I don't use off leash parks as a general rule but I just have to add, that is a situation I would be incredibly wary of and one I have seen turn into a disaster on many occasions. A group of strange, over aroused dogs rushing up to mob a new arrival to the park is a situation that responsible owners should avoid (by recalling their dogs before it gets to that point). I've seen that very situation turn into a very serious attack and fight on numerous occasions because the new arrival to the park feels threatened by a group of strange dogs rushing up to it - nothing at all do to with the owner of the new dog projecting "bad vibes".

Four weeks?!? What on earth was that puppy doing away from it's litter at that age I don't leave pups alone together with adult dogs, for many reasons, but mostly because I don't want them developing too high a value for each other.

Crating is convenient. It doesn't mean that if your dog is crate trained that you have a dog that can't cope or live without a crate, or doesn't know how to behave when it's not in the crate.

And have needed top ups since bringing him home :laugh: :laugh: