The Spotted Devil

Also be careful of mince as it may contain preservatives, which can cause flare ups. I prefer to feed chicken frames/wings and, if I need mince for training treats, ask the butcher to mince me some fresh chicken thighs. Check for other treats being fed too - colours and flavours abound and can be very irritating. I have a horrid reaction to yellow food colouring so am doubly aware of this for my dog. I've fed Advance, Eagle Pack Holistic and Artemis (not the grain free) and am having most success with the latter, but obviously it's an individual thing.

Good idea, consider it stolen :D Consider it given ;) If you're running short of time, you can also crack the raw egg into a mug and microwave for around one to two minutes.....be careful, though, as egg can E X P L O D E and make one hell of a mess I also do small jackpot containers of tinned salmon as well for something different.

Thanks for the update! All paws crossed here

Variety is definitely the key here.....and no artificial muck (for the sensitive, white coat) or liver (for the purine levels) so I use a combination of any or all of.... Steamed chicken 4 Legs chicken and pasta bite thingies Raw chicken mince Boiled egg Cheese Artemis kibble Eagle Pack Holistix biscuits Steak fat (tiny, tiny amounts) Apple Carrot

Such an interesting topic I usually do a clicker training session with Ziggy every 2nd night - he has 4 cups of dry food for dinner so he gets lots of jackpots when he's working well. We usually practice new things during this time (at the moment we're working on a formal retrieve but have been doing 'directed eating' (as a step towards directed retrieving) or tighten up some known exercises - maybe 'find heel', fronts, nose touch etc depending on how his other training is going. If he hits a brick wall with something new I'll often go back to doing something easy (but expect it to be done very well) to give him some confidence and give me time to think about how to re-approach the new exercise. Every other night, Zig gets a chicken frame for dinner - at the moment I put the frame on the lawn (what's left of it) and tell him to leave it. Then I walk as far away as the small yard allows and ask him to heel. He absolutely bolts to my side and stares at me until I release him for his dinner - great fun This week I'm going to add some weaving poles to the mix When it's cool enough I usually take him to the off leash park 3 times per week and ask for 5-10 minutes of really switched on work at CCD level (with some seriously good treats) and perhaps try the odd new thing if he is really fresh and bouncy. After that he gets to free run but I constantly ask for informal recalls, drops, sits, focus and brief stays, working them into the walk e.g. I might ask for a sit stay whilst I put the poo bags in the rubbish bin or ask for focus when there's another dog close by (and then release him to meet the dog if appropriate). On the other days we tend to go to the beach early (in this hot weather we've been going at 6am for a few hours every day) and will include similar exercises as at the park. It's also a great place to practice working the dog on both sides for agility......particularly handy if you don't want your dog to run straight through someone's nicely laid out towel! I will leave Zig in a 'wait', run up the beach and then call him to the left or right of me. Maybe once or twice a week I take him on a leashed brisk walk for about an hour - much of which allows for general sniffing and leg lifting on a loose leash but I always include a trip through the local shopping strip that requires more control and no leg lifting. The latter is about the hardest thing to train for with Zig so it's something I really work on. On Sundays we go to agility training - I think the session is way too long for Zig's concentration span but we have only had 3-4 goes, so I am still working out what makes him tick for agility and how best to approach the training. I think next time I'll tie him up for half of it and just practice my own handling skills sans dog I spend a lot of time mulling things over in my head and picturing how I want to work him but don't write anything on paper.....quite similar to the way I study in some respects - I have a good visual memory. I don't train at an obedience club but do a fair bit of reading. Although I have a very clear idea about what I would like to achieve in each session I do play much of it by ear - cut it short or do something easy if he's a bit flat or extend the session if he's on fire. I am quite focussed on long term goals so don't mind if we have short term hiccups. That's probably the biggest thing that has changed about my approach to training over the years. This year I'm working towards CCD and to start trialling in agility/jumping. Ziggy has just turned 2

I too have a different set of commands for OH and I If it makes you feel any better, OH can't let Zig off lead at all because Zig just gives him the doggy equivalent of 'the finger' OH means well and I've tried to teach him but his sense of timing and consistency are way off and Ziggy just ignores him. Completely. I shouldn't laugh but it's very funny to watch My point is that dogs can learn selectively who 'means it' and who doesn't

I'm learning agility all over again with my Dal as it's been years since I've trialled and the knowledge out there is amazing! I waited until Zig was 2 before starting agility - couple of reasons - he's late to physically mature and, just as importantly, mentally mature. There's SO much stuff you can work on without even getting close to agility equipment - especially off lead control, good focus, working both sides, nose touches, a good stay or wait command for the start gate. I'm not saying don't start early, because I know many do, but I found having a dog that was pretty focussed already made adding the equipment much easier......my handling, however, is another story as I was reminded today Oh well, we're only up to lesson 3 or 4 so we'll get there eventually Have fun and don't forget to post photos!

Glad to hear the lad is home C'mon Bud, lift your game mate and eat that chicken before I send young Zig around to hoover up the left overs *hugs* Kelpie-i and big, slurpy Ziggy licks coming at you both!

I saw the tiniest little mite of a mini pin doing agility training today - apparently he started off training as a shy, nervous little thing but now has all the confidence of a dog 10 times his size and was having an absolute hoot

Hope all is well kelpie-i Thinking of you both and sending lots of healing vibes.

Poor lad - hope he's on the mend soon....some fluids will help him no end and make him feel so much better. Unfortunately, kelpie-i, both my oldies left this world a few summers ago. However, my ACD was 17 and my Burmese cat was 18 and had led wonderful, full lives. With my ACD, she had a pre-existing condition (liver cancer) that we were completely unaware of that became known after a heat wave. She became acutely ill and I made the only decision I could and gave her her wings. With my dearest cat, there was nothing specifically wrong with her but old age. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. It's been amazing to watch the youngsters in the house just going with the flow the last few days - yeh, it's hot and muggy but they just stretch out and sleep through it. Will be thinking of you and the dear gentleman, kelpie-i :D

:p I think about it an awful lot, particularly with a dog that has to be convinced that working, in any sense of the word, is fun! I have to constantly assess his level of motivation and ask myself whether I am rewarding too much, too little or should just throw in the towel for the day :D I am finding that, with Zig's maturity, and my growing understanding of what makes him tick the schedule of reinforcement has to change as well. If he's really bouncing out of his skin and truly understands what I'm asking (and this takes a lot longer than often imagined IMO), then using very few food rewards can produce the most lovely work. However, if he is just the slightest bit uncertain then not enough food rewards can make him completely switch off and become disinterested. Similarly too many food rewards becomes 'too easy' and he doesn't throw himself into his work. It's a very, very fine line with Zig! When I begin to use verbal praise instead of food, it's quite similar. Lots of praise on every heeling turn to encourage him but very little is needed for recalls, which now seem to be self-rewarding. Not sure about other owners in terms of scheduling but I think timing can be an issue and thinking the dog truly 'gets' the exercise when they don't.

*hugs* to you and yours kelpie-i The heat does tend to knock them around no matter what you do - I went through a similar thing with my oldies too. I hope your news is better tomorrow :D

I actually have the cat equivalent of a buster cube for my young Burmese

Just bought some on your recommendation AF - 2 tubes, actually, as it was free postage...one for us and one for the dog Zig got a couple of very small spots on his back - I suspect I didn't dry him down properly.....silly me I've just got it in the mail and whacked a bit on. Will be very interested to see how it goes!

I do understand. My ACD was just like that - frightened the life out of me once when she actually stopped panting on a very hot day after running herself silly Fortunately, a good hose-down managed to sort her out pretty quickly. As intense as my Dal is and as much as he loves running he doesn't push himself beyond what he can cope with and it's easy to see when he's getting tired.

My current lad isn't ball-mad but my ACD was an absolute nutter! I agree with PF - it's one of the big risk factors for HD, and not just in growing dogs. It's a very unnatural twist and impact on the hips....particularly, IMO, on the drought suffering ovals which are very dry, hard and unforgiving. I only use fetch games as a reward also. Will your dogs run under their own steam? Zig sprints flat out from sniffing point to sniffing point so I'm not concerned about a lack of muscle use. If they don't self-exercise perhaps you could play a game - at the beach I have Zig wait whilst I run away then call him to the left or the right as you would in agility and it's a great way to get a few sprints in plus do a bit of training. Can you get them to the beach, Ness? Throwing the ball into the water for a swim/fetch would be fabulous. In terms of fitness, I think the trick is variety - a combination of free running, controlled walking, a small amount of fetch and walking in deep water (The Spotted One has no interest in swimming as yet....I'm working on it )

I have the same problem with my cats In all seriousness the solution can be similar. Firstly, as Kavik said feed them separately. Then, with the guts, make him work for every scrap of food to slow him down. Use a treat ball, do some clicker training, hide food around the room - has a two-fold effect by keeping the guts distracted and also providing additional mental stimulation

*hugs* to you, Trish ;) My heart always swelled whenever I saw a post where you mentioned your foster failure. Give those young whipper snappers hell, Grandma, wherever you are :cool:

Nekhbet, you come out with some absolute rippers

Zig had a Bowen session last week (same day I did actually...we were both whacked ) The guy said he started with TT and then moved on to Bowen after experiencing the latter for himself. He now works on dogs and horses. Some of the effects of these treatments are quite amazing!

I don't know the brand personally but I'm not fussed on those types of "roll" thingies......personally, if it doesn't contain preservatives/colours (which would stir up Zig's coat) I would cut it up into tiny chunks and use it as training treats......if he likes it that is

I completely agree - I have done the news paper on the floor overnight, but it is a pain to then teach the dog to go outside - I would prefer to just get up every few hours for a couple of weeks than have the trouble of teaching the dog to go from the paper to outside. His name is Bobby. Well he's had 1 accident inside his pen. I wasn't sure if he really wanted to go....... I am planning to get a crate for him tomorrow to start crate training. But i'm just worried about him peeing in his own crate over the night if one forgets to let him out to pee. What would they do? would they hold on to the pee? and if it were 2-3 hours, would that mean 3 times during the night to let him out to pee? To "the spotted devil", what do you mean by growing into their Ears?? Why the eye rolling? :rolleyes: It's a comment on how gorgeous floppy eared puppies are with their gigantic ears (that's what the love heart icons were for)....I've got a Dally so I've been down that road. You know they're all grown up when their ears are in proportion to their head! You have a couple of options with the peeing during the night - you can either have the crate next to your bed and you'll hear puppy get restless if you're a light sleeper. Otherwise you can just set your alarm for once in the night - for example if puppy has a wee at 10pm when you go to bed, then get up at maybe 2am, then get up at 6am

OMG Beagle Puppy :laugh: Right, now that I've got that out of my system I can only support what others have said. However, I did have a paper trained pup already so put him in an open crate in the laundry with lots of newspaper. I slowly reduced the amount of paper each night but he only soiled it about 4 times in 2 weeks then never again....he was only 8 weeks old but very mature for his age. The saddest thing about Beagles puppies is that eventually they DO grow into their ears :rolleyes:

Have you got a hand signal that you want to use? Use the hand signal, tap the ground, pup drops, reward. Pretty soon the pups will start dropping when you use the hand signal and you can leave out the ground tapping. Goodness I don't envy you with two of the little rascals