laeral

I completely agree. While we don't have a 'club' as such where I am, Mica did not do well in a class environment. She got bored VERY quickly and turned her attention to trying to raz up other dogs. She learned things very fast, but hated the length and repetition of classes. I'm sure not every club is like that, but that is my experience and the only opportunity available to me other than Steves program (other than a 2 hour drive each way). I for one am grateful that he does offer the program as we would be pretty lost by now without it. We may use the classes later on down the track as ness said, using it as distraction training around the outside of the actual class.

Yes Yes & Yes I am not avoiding the situation. I am dealing with it in a way that works for us. After months of failed training at Obedience school, I have gone back to training my dog at home with Steves program in a non distracting environment and have been adding distractions over time. I have found this works best for her rather than throwing her in with a group of dogs initially.

BTW congratulations gsdog2 on signing up for the program. Are you using prey/food drive? Keep us updated on how you are going.

Have you done the K9 Force program, Yesmaam? I don't need to pay anyone to learn about this stuff. "We" have been training this way for years. What Steve does is good for some but if you want first hand experience from people who are actually out there trialling dogs using these methods then go to your local IPO club. The focus in an IPO club is competition not programs that cost you money depending on what you sign up for....... Not everyone has access to an IPO club But if you've never done the course how can you know a local IPO club would be better for anyone considering it? Would love to know if my local IPO would be happy to take on my beagle :laugh: I would love to see that! Have you done the K9 Force program, Yesmaam? I don't need to pay anyone to learn about this stuff. "We" have been training this way for years. What Steve does is good for some but if you want first hand experience from people who are actually out there trialling dogs using these methods then go to your local IPO club. The focus in an IPO club is competition not programs that cost you money depending on what you sign up for....... Who says you have to use TID for competition anyway? I couldn't give a monkeys about trialling of any type, but attending more than one of Steve's seminars has given me insights into ways of working with my pet dog that have improved both his and my quality of life. Problem with clubs as I see them is they can way be too focused on competition, they aren't interested in people who have below average talent! Not to mention some of the how shall I put it "know it all" characters that you come across with their own "expert" value judgements usually based on their own limited experience with their particular breed and "it's right because I have been doing it this way for so long". Steve doesn't care who you are or how bad or good you are he cares that you get the results you want out of your dog and that might not include being a trialling genius, competition is not the be all and end all of life. I agree, I am not interested in trialling or competition just after a better way of training my dog and getting the most out of her. I don't beleive an IPO club would suit us as my dog does not do well in group settings, there is no way I could have got the focus out of her in one to begin with. Doing Steves course I have - a tailor made program that suits both of us, a 'personal' trainer who answers all my questions, is enjoyable and frankly is showing results. Whats not to like Why come on here and pay out on a program you don't have first hand knowledge in?

Dont give up fuzzy_dragonfly. Sometimes these things take a little longer than it may for other people. I have a GSD who is very energetic and was a lot like your dog. She was full of enthusiasm and exciteablilty around other dogs. I took her to obedience but that made her worse, it is only now with the help of a great trainer that I am getting some control over her. It has taken a LONG time. GSD's are supposed to be easy to train, and I used to get discouraged that I was finding difficult what others told me should be easy. But today I took her for a walk in town, we encounted several dogs and Mica behaved, was calm and didnt pull on the leash! I cant offer advice on how to tackle the issues that you are having with your dog, but hang in there and keep trying. Good luck

I have accident cover with Pet Insurance Australia for my dog. I had only had the policy a little over a month when I needed to claim $1200. I was paid no questions asked, very easy. It took about a month for the cheque to come in but as it was my first claim, can understand it. I would highly reccomend them

Is there a Vic group?

Great setup you have there Must say your boy is GORGEOUS :thumbsup: Love sables

I have enlisted the help of a friend who will throw toys for me I am also going to ask another friend who has a Golden Retriever and a Border Collie, if I can use them to train around. Eventually I will use my brothers dog as he is her most favorite dog friend in the world and she goes nuts around. If she can stay calm and walk on a loose lead around him then she will work near any dog. Thanks for the suggestions

I filled the survey out, for what its worth.

Huski, we have touched on recalls in TID but are not up to distraction stage yet. just thougth Id get some ideas in place early on. Im sure Steve will have plenty to say but the more ideas the better. I have thought about stuff on the ground. She is not interested in toys at all if they are sitting on the ground. I thought I might get someone to roll them a long the gorund or throw them around a bit?

I have been working hard lately on Micas loose leash walking. Things are going great and finaly I can enjoy a nice walk with her without my arm aching at the end of it We saw Steve from k9 force when he was here in Melbourne and he had her walking nicely in 10 seconds :D Now I am able to as well, which I am pretty happy with. I know this is a basic thing that most people take for granted but we have struggled with so I am pleased. However I am a little stuck at where to progress from here. I need to start adding distractions and proofing her in different settings. I am not so good with this so was after some ideas, advice and techniques that others have used. For her, other animals are her biggest issue, echidnas, kanagroos, rabbits and other dogs in that order. We have done a little training with echidnas as we have come across them on our walks. She was very interested but managed to keep a loose lead. It is hard to get hold of a kangaroo to do some training My main issue is that we live in the country. Adding distractions like other dogs is a little hard. I dont have access to any dog parks, there is a park here but you might only see a dog in it every now and then. There is also no obedience club. We have a nice lady who teaches at the local vets but I wouldnt be able to go as she wont allow the type of collar I use. If I take her to town down the main street it is a bit to high a distraction at this stage as you often come accross a dog dogs at cafes etc and by the time you see them it is to late. So any suggestions about how I can approach adding distractions? What things have other people done? Oh I really need to proof her recalls so would love some ideas on this as well!

whilst i do not agree that all vets 'suck' as i believe there are good and bad in every profession Yeh, of corse not ALL, but the majority. I have worked at 4 vets and only 1 was 'to standard' BUT they all care more about money than our pets. I have many, many stories....behind the scenes your pet dont get it, but YOU get charged for it! I have had peoples beloved animals die infront of me because of vets not giving a shit and then I have had to deal with the owners in hysterics while the vet hides in her office! My view is based on my experience, so in the end, vets still suck! You know how they say all/most medical care workers end up becoming "hard", well it's the same in the veterinary industry....they forget the reason they got into it! meanwhile my vet came to our house to PTS our dog, waited as long as we needed before giving him his wings. They explained everything beautifuly and were so patient and gentle. They then sent us condolence cards and follow up phone calls to see if we were allright and offered us some numbers of councellors if required. Another vet from the same practice recently sat up with a friend of mine whos horse was sick, most of the night. When he became worse they called antoher vet in to assist but had to PTS. Both vets cried with my friend after the poor boy was PTS and where a great comfort to her. Not all vets suck.

Hey Laeral, that worked out very well didn't it. Thank Dog you took it out in time. and of course so glad Mica is over the snake bite. Very lucky girl. Yes Dyz, it worked out very well. I was worried they wouldnt pay given that I had only just taken out the cover, but it wasnt a problem. It took four weeks to get the cheque but given I had just joined and it was a first claim I can understand it. Yes a very lucky dog, you would never know she as sick :D So far I would highly reccommend PIA.

I have accident cover with Pet Insurance Australia. I have a $100 excess and it costs me $17 a month, though I think I might upgrade to Illness as well in the future. I only got my cover early October and made my first claim for a snake bite in November. They paid up no questions asked and no hassle

Mica does this, she dosesnt bark during the day but after dark she is on patrol. Everytime I open the door she bolts out straight up to the back corner and barks, then does a lap of the fence line. There are lots of animals out here at night so Im sure she is barking at that. At one stage she wasnt coming back when called so she went on the long line. The first night she was distracted and wouldnt settle to pee, so she came back in for the night. After that she settle more. After a few nights she was fine. She still barks but will come in after she gets a bark out. I dont see anything wrong with it, as far as I can see its quite normal as like I said there are heaps of animals out here at night. If she barks to much she come back inside.

Thanks Guys! Wait till you see tonights one, there were some bugs that she was just dying to chase. Talk about mind not on the job. I think my shoes came off at one point to I think we need to see yours now SekretKai and Rivsky

:p Well I spat the dummy this afternoon (not at the dog!) and was on the verge of giving up. Just dont seem to be getting anywhere at the moment. Her sits are getting slower not faster, how that works I dont know. Allright I will be brave, heres the link - She was very distracted with something in the paddock. We are just at the learning heel stage. As I looked back at it its no wonder the poor girl won't look at me I was trying to bend down near the orbee to get her to transfer her gaze to me, kind of intimidating. She must think Im a nutter. I have one Im trying to upload to YouTube which is just plain comedy. I am sending it to Steve as a "look at this please help" I have seen one of your links Husky on heel work, you are inside I think in it. It looked good to me

MMmmm dont know about that, I have some shameful videos. For some reason I have mostly been filming stuff that we are getting wrong to show Steve. I dont know if I have anything I would want anyone to see

Oh yes we a had a little problem with this as well. I still haven't been able to get the same attention from Mica that she would pay to say the chickens, and I'm not sure that I ever will. Probably just I'm not that good a handler, or she was older when we started??? Dont know.

Thanks Dyzney for the encouragement. I agree with something not being right. She will actively look away from me which is totally not like her. Not sure what is going on. Until I speak to Steve I havent really been pushing the issue, just working on other stuff.

Best idea. He is really easy to talk to on the phone and will take the time to answer all your questions.

I think from memory I got through the first one in about a month. Without going into to much detail, you will need at least 3 weeks for this one. I have slowed up a bit as over winter I was really busy, then a snake bite (Mica), then illness (me) so I guess it has taken me a while to get through 2 modules. I am now well and truly stuck and trying to work my way around it. I need to contact Steve and get some help. It really depends on how your dog repsonds (and you for that matter!) and how much training you put into it. There really is no time frame, and is different for each dog I am guessing. You could get though it heaps quicker than me. For those that have done the training how did you go with the attention/focus stuff? I cant for the life of me get Mica to look at me. very strange as she will normaly look me in the eye no worries. She will happily stare me down for 3 minutes waiting for her dinner, or will focus on me to get out the door etc. But this is a different kettle of fish. I will be asking Steve for his help but cant hurt to ask here as well to get some opinions.

Hi gsdog2, I have a 2 year old GSD that I am currently doing the distance training with. I am only on module 3 -seem to be going at snail pace at the momement I highly recommend doing the training with your dog. Mica and I have learned a LOT doing this package. I had to start right from the beginning and get Mica into the idea of toys = good. She had heaps of prey drive, but due to my lack of knowledge wasnt chanelled properly from a young age. We went to obedience school of course but werent allowed toys, so it wasnt a real success with a dog that isnt that interested in toys. The Training is very comprehensive and will give you a good understanding of both 'how' to train your dog but also 'why' you are doing what you are doing. I think for me the most inavaluable aspect of it is Steves ongoing support. He is always available to answer any questions and tweek the training if something isnt going well. Despite my lack of experience, Steve has been able to guide me though every step, and so far I havent come accross an issue that he wasnt able to explain and assist with. I do remember being very frustrated at the start of the training when she would have off days, or wouldnt work out of her comfort Zone, but with everything I have come accross Steve has helped me address it and move forward. Oh and the best bit is Mica LOVES the training, and looks foward to it everyday. I enjoy it to. ETA. I have just read the other replies, and yes it does take a while to do. Im slack and am only part way through after 6months.

It cost me $1250 when Mica was bitten. $808 for one dose of antivinene. $450 for after hours call out fee, fluids, tests and antibitoics. Obviously if she required further treatment it could have gone into 2 - 3 thousand. So sorry to hear about your fiends dog.