sheena

It helps to practice each behaviour in different environments, even different rooms in the house. You may have taught her, for instance, to sit when she is in the kitchen near the fridge & that object becomes part of her cue to sit. When she is in the lounge room, she may look at you as if you are nuts...."you asking me to sit...but the fridge isn't here" This is just an example but it can happen :) so she has to learn that sit means sit no matter where she is.

He's very cute :)

Thanks everyone. I have started working on practical lesson one...Duration Attention Exercise, where the dog has to stand still & make eye contact, increasing the amount of time that the dog keeps eye contact. Then handler starts to move around the dog & dog keeps making eye contact. After getting over the problem of her not wanting to stand still (she wanted to show me every trick she knew :laugh: )..I think she thinks it a bit intimidating to have me stare at her, but we are getting there. This is probably one of the most important steps in the whole course, so I want to get it right before moving on. I am doing very short sessions 3 or 4 times a day. I videoed this mornings session & she was a bit distracted by the video camera :laugh: ETA Video

I have just been to the vets for vac. & check up for Bindi. When I got there, the secretary met me outside & warned they had a DA GSD inside & would I mind waiting well away somewhere. I waited for 15 minutes & out came a boy with the most ugliest of dogs...all flee bitten, mangy looking with fur missing & what was left was a terrible dull grey. When it turned around it had the most enormous set of balls When I went into the vets, there was mum arguing with the vets about some $1000 plus treatment that it had to have. First question I asked the vet was why would someone have a dog like that & not have it de-sexed...she just rolled her eyes & said that was a big part of it's problem. Then I asked her what it was crossed with....she laughed & said he was a pure bred & that he looks like that because they have him clipped

You could start with "In Yer Face" recall. That is when you load yourself with lots of very small yummy treats in a distraction free environment. Get down to your pups level & call his name, he looks, you treat. Repeat this rapid fireing, call name, he looks, you treat. Second step is to get a helper...both of you are armed with a clicker & treats. Start off just a few feet apart. One calls & AS SOON AS HE TURNS click, then treat him when he gets there. Then the other person does the same. Gradually increase the distance between you & keep all training sessions very short & fun. :)

I have used the clicker to train my young guy since I got him as a pup. I also used it to train his recall & he has the most fantastic recall (except if there is a cow standing there pulling faces at him :laugh: ), but the chase is only brief & he is back within seconds. The older girl I have been using a clicker with her for the last four years. I use a clicker when I am training a new behaviour or polishing up an old one & it is ALWAYS followed by a treat. I use a verbal marker ..."yes" or "good" once the behaviour is learnt & it is not always followed by a treat. The others have given you some good advice, but I don't think anyone has mentioned that you might need to be in a distraction free environment to start with. You may be interested in having a read of this article I wrote for our club Introduction to Clicker Training Go to the page then click on the link to the PDF article. Good luck & photos are a must :)

I have often wondered about the use of the Mars Coat King on double coated breeds I used it a few times on my girl in her first couple of years but now I only use it on her pants & underneath her tail when it gets too thick & foxy. She has a very thick coat, quiet different from my other BC.

A very good read. The only reason why I would shave my dogs would be for medical reasons, eg if either went down with a tick

I take an advanced class of about 6 handlers & their dogs. If I had a beginners class then I wouldn't even have my dog on the field. :) Lesley McDevitt explains all about the advantages of "mat training" in her book "Controlled Unleashed" which the OP has read. Maybe some mat training might help with her problems too in addition to all the other suggestions that have been made. :)

Kelly says that he is on lead. & if you look at the guy running with him, his arm is outstretched towards the dog in front.

That's because the dog has never learned consequence for the wrong behaviour. If corrections were used in conjunction with positive reinforcement, you wouldn't need to settle her down with the mat etc when a dog is trained using methods incorporating double reinforcement. It's my choice, that I don't use correction/physical force techniques in my dog training. So what would you do in a situation like that...bash the dog with a piece of 4 x 2...then give it a treat. For me, positive reinforcement works well & if I choose to teach my dog to lay quietly on a mat while I am instructing a class in agility, it's a win win situation for both me & my dog. It won't be if another dog gets in her face or has a go at her. Why not put simply her in a crate? That way you can completely devote your attention to your class and there is no risk to your dog from others. Don't worry your little old bunny ears :laugh: She is on the mat but at my feet while I instruct & often on a lead as well. If I have to move away, then she is on the mat next to someone else. Excellent opportunity to train calm behaviour & at no time is any dog put in danger :) If we all have to go far away, like walk the course then both dogs get put in the car. Have you never read "Controlled Unleashed ) ?? I don't expect my dog to remain the whole time in a crate while I take a class. She is entitled to have some training there as well & that is the only opportunity.

Yeah...he's on a lead though if you look carefully :laugh:

Which bit is Jordie ??? & here I was thinking it was just Flynn :)

Yeah I got that on Facebook too & was going to share it here but you beat me to it Well worth reading expecially the part about shaved dogs being more prone to allergies. That could very well explain why someone I know who had his BC shaved suddenly started licking her paws to death & the vets couldn't work out why.

That's because the dog has never learned consequence for the wrong behaviour. If corrections were used in conjunction with positive reinforcement, you wouldn't need to settle her down with the mat etc when a dog is trained using methods incorporating double reinforcement. It's my choice, that I don't use correction/physical force techniques in my dog training. So what would you do in a situation like that...bash the dog with a piece of 4 x 2...then give it a treat. For me, positive reinforcement works well & if I choose to teach my dog to lay quietly on a mat while I am instructing a class in agility, it's a win win situation for both me & my dog.

Agree with all the above & keep up with the clicker training. But when there are other kids around, I would crate him or lock him away from them. As someone else said, kids squeal & jump around, flapping their arms & that will only excite the pup more & all your good training will come undone. Be fair on the pup & when things may be too hard for him to control himself, then lock him away :) Otherwise you are setting him up to fail.

I have a "motion reactive" dog...mainly reactive to other dogs running/playing etc. She was so bad that I used to have trouble keeping her on course during an agility run @ trials & sometimes she would just take off to round up the other dog on the next field. Outside the ring at the start line she was like a Tasmanian Devil. I trained her out of it, by playing the LAT game using high value treats & a clicker. She was already familiar with the clicker & eventually the LAT game just became another of her "tricks", so that when she would see another dog she would turn her attention to me. Sometimes when we first arrive at an exciting environment, I have to play the game for a few minutes to settle her down. Now I take her mat along & am teaching her to stay on the mat & relax, while everything is going on around her. :)

I can now join in this thread I have just signed up with the Karen Pryor Academy for an online course on Canine Freestyle with Michele Pouliot. Even if I never get to compete, as not much happens around here in the way of CF, what I learn along the way will be invaluable to me & my BC's. :)

Monday night training is back on for 2014 & I have a pretty keen advanced class. :) It was suggested that I put up the Monday's training on the web, so that they can look at it during the week & those with equipment can practice what they might have had trouble with. So this is what I have done & if any body here is interested in having a look they can access the link here Monday's Challenge/Exercise. It's only meant as a bit of fun & the challenge to me is to keep them coming each week. If it doesn't get updated, then it either rained and our class was cancelled or I have run out of ideas :laugh:

Grass ticks can get very tiny. I had my girl to the vets once as she was licking her paws. The vet found tiny little ticks between her toes, so tiny that I wouldn't have been able to see them without my reading glasses on. Fortunately they are not the deadly ones...just makes you itchy .

Thanks SilentChild. Unfortunately there is no where vaguely near me that I can go to learn. I have taught my dog most of the moves, but I just need someone to show me how to fine tune everything, put it to music & all that sort of thing. Plus if I was committed to a course, it may get me off my butt & just get into it. I would like to include both my dogs, so I feel it could be fun. There is a DWD comp being held up here in December & that would give me something to aim for. I like the idea of the Karen Pryor course as she bases it on the clicker. :)

Has anyone done the Karen Pryor Canine Freestylecourse ??? I am thinking about it but just a bit worried that I won't have enough internet download allowance each month

That's good Cosmolo that it works for you but it is fairly clear that "yes" is not working for the OP.

Agree entirely...so I can't see why people would get annoyed with what other people call there dogs. They must have very small tolerance levels :laugh: I love my dogs as if they were my kids, so I can't see any problem with me calling them kids or being referred to a furkids in conversation so people don't think I am talking about my Human kids. :)