huski

Did anyone else see the preview for the pedigree dog segment on The 7PM Project tonight? They are going to air it tomorrow and they interviewed a woman who was talking about how inbreeding is proven to increase genetic abnormalities (paraphrasing). ETA: Thursday also coincides with the day Dr Chris Brown is always on the show, I am sure he will provide some wonderful insights :rolleyes:

But you will use a head collar? What's the difference?

Daisy would DEFINITELY sound like the seagulls from Finding Nemo! Mine?

I say this ALL the time - Micha would talk like Derek Zoolander. "I'm really really naturally good looking" *blue steel*

Definite no. Sibes can be great with kids, mine has always been wonderful with them, but they are a breed that has a generally high exercise requirement, and needs regular and consistent training. Many Sibes also have a high prey drive. They are a spitz so in typical spitz fashion are stubborn, independent and strong willed. Absolutely NOT the dog for a busy family with young kids who have done no research into the breed's requirements.

Great results everyone! Gooooo Nic and Ella! Brilliant result

I had a DA dog and had no idea what to do with him so I joined DOL for advice

My dog used to hate obedience but she loves it now, changing that around was about challenging my handling skills and methods. At what point do you say it's the dog that doesn't enjoy it, rather than it's the way you are training them? (genuine question) ETA: asking because I see quite a number of people at my obedience club whose dogs don't appear to enjoy training but under the right instruction and the right level of enthusiasm from the owner the dogs blossom.

I've seen dogs that aren't from working lines with awesome drive too! I had a RIPPER border terrier in my obedience class the other night, he pulled my tug toy to shreds. I also think that when it comes to ANKC obedience competition most competitors want a dog they can live with first. A high drive WL dog is not suitable for everyone who competes in obedience and dogs with lower drive can certainly do well enough. Yesmaam you'd get a good laugh out of my obedience class because I get as many people as possibly jumping around "making a commotion" to make training fun and exciting for their dogs. The difference in the dogs - even low drive dogs - when the owners put more excitement into their training is blatantly clear. My new pup will be from WL because that is what I want and that will fit best with my training and the breed will suit my lifestyle, but if we only encouraged people with high drive WL dogs to compete we'd be cutting out the majority of the people who compete in ANKC obedience.

I've posted about this before, but I was sitting down eating breakfast when Daisy ran off into the next room doing her 'serious' bark. I went to see what she was barking at and to quieten her down when she ran back into the dining room and stole my toast off the plate - she created a diversion so I'd get up and leave the table so she could run back to eat my breakfast! The worst thing is that this wasn't the first time she had done this, but it was the first time I realised what she was doing

DD - I agree with you and that is how I like to train - not only ever using one reward but having a primary drive that you use when 'working'.

AL I am just talking from my experience but Daisy never used to 'accept' food or show interest in it in many situations, but part of drive training is developing their value for the reward and getting them to 'trigger' into drive without needing to do more than give a command (i.e. 'are you ready'?).

Yes, I definitely agree with having a lot of different rewards in your tool box and I don't see anywhere that I said you should only use one reward But reading Aussielover's post, and please correct me if I am wrong, she said that the reward her dog gets really excited about and into is a prey reward. Hence my suggestion that if she can utilise that excitement for the reward in obedience, why not give it a go - it might make obedience more exciting for both her and her dog. I even suggested that she mix up using food and toys when she said she only uses food for obedience and toys for agility, so again, I don't know where anyone got the idea that I think anyone should only use one reward only from.

Do you disagree then Corvus that some dogs have a naturally higher desire for certain rewards than others? Because that's all my post was referring to when I mentioned "dominant" drives.

It sounds like her prey drive is more dominant than her food drive? I'd be seeing if you could use her prey drive to train obedience stuff. You could still use food to train some behaviours but when you really wanted to switch her on use prey drive. There will be a number of people at the Sydney K9 Pro workshop next month who will demonstrate how they train obedience using prey drive, might give you some ideas

Corvus, obviously basic obedience commands have uses in everyday life otherwise 90% of the pet owners in my classes wouldnt turn up - but my point is, the precision and formality with which we train the exercises we use in competition do not hold a lot of purpose outside of the ring. I can guarantee you that the 'heel' command most people are happy with in my class is not a heel that would score them well in the ring. Having a good stay, recall, focus etc on your dog is stuff the average pet owner wants but can get without the formality or precision required in the obedience ring. You don't need a dog who can reliably do a precise and formal heel, dumbell retrieve, seek back etc outside of obedience competition. That is what I mean when I talk about purpose. We train those things for obedience because we enjoy it not because we need it.

I don't do classes for oedience at all. If I train my dogs at club it's before class or after. All the training I do is on my own, or in a private lesson with my trainer (rare) or sometimes with a small group who I meet up with for training sessions. I do agility classes and enjoy those but they are very different to how obedience classes are usually run

Aww, thanks inevitablue, that's very nice of you :o I am in awe of anyone whose dog regardless of breed goes into the obedience ring and works well with the handler, I absolutely love watching a great round of heel work, I think done well it is amazing to watch

Corvus I am really strugglig to see your point here. Obviously, we train exercises in agility and obedience because we find it fun/enjoyable/challenging but my point earlier was that aside from those rather obvious reasons, little of what we train for competitive dog sports has any real purpose or meaning outside of the sport. I don't see anywhere where anyone has said that being competitive means that they don't care if what they are doing makes sense or not. The criteria for obedience competition makes perfect sense to me within the context of the sport. I can still however see how to the average person it doesn't make much sense or hold any real meaning outside of the fact I enjoy doing it. If we didn't have set criteria in dog sports we wouldn't have, well, dog sports. of course I train things outside of dog sports but it doesn't often give me the same sense of satisfaction I get from being given a set criteria within which I meet a set goal. Where's the fun in making up the rules yourself? Where's the challenge? Although that is getting off topic seeing as this is a thread about why people like obedience not why they choose to train in/compete in dog sports

TBH I would say that it's uncommon to see a dog "fully animated" in the ring here. Many dogs look like they are going through the motions or just plodding along. It's not that they are all unhappy, but sometimes it is a bit frustrating when you know that the dogs could be enjoying themselves more.

But that rules out every form of dog sport, because at the end of the day, you are working in whatever "restraints" and criteria are provided within the rules of that sport. I am quite a naturally competitive person so I actually like having a set criteria to work towards and within. That is all part of the challenge for me, and I'd suggest, for many other people who enjoy training and competing in dog sports. This wasn't a poll about whether you enjoy agility or obedience or doing your own thing, it was a poll about those who like dog sports and which, out of two options, they prefer. ETA: I think there are many things as dog owners we can look at as pointless in ALL dog sports. Why do we need to teach our dogs how to weave through 12 poles as fast as they can? Why do they need to learn how to retrieve a piece of wood over jump? Why do they need to learn to do tricks in time to music? If it comes down to only doing things that have a meaning or point, then we'd rule out 90% of the things we train in any dog sport.

I won't be making nationals this year, it's my sister's birthday and my family are coming over from Perth and NZ for it, and then there's the small matter of having no car to drive there in I am seriously bummed, the Saturday is definitely out as we have a big degustation dinner at a restaurant in Brissy and then Sunday a long lunch for my sister's b'day - even if I had my car, I don't think I'd be in any state to drive it

For me a huge part of what I enjoy about obedience is making something that can be boring fun and exciting and something my dog would walk across hot coals to do (or in D's case, run past a person waving her favourite reward in her face). Maybe it's because it was boring and un-enjoyable for my dog for quite some time until I challenged myself to find a way to make it something she'd throw herself into, that gives me the satisfaction I get from training obedience. I also like to challenge myself and for anyone who knows me doing something "rigid and arbitrary" is very much the opposite of my personality. How do you know if your dog is not really 'loving' or 'enjoying' something? I ask because I've had people who think heelwork is boring, who quite violently oppose remotely competitive dog sports in any way shape or form, tell me my dog looks bored whilst heeling, which is something I cannot see myself, but perhaps I am missing something?

How on earth can you possibly make an assessment like that on a dog you have never even seen? ETA: I completely agree with those who have said they couldn't ethically rehome an aggressive dog. But whilst we can guess about the extent of this dog's behaviourial issues, none of us can know how bad it is without actually seeing the dog.

Can you be more specific PF? Totally agree