wuffles

There are probably a few things at play here... The first is to remember that dogs don't generalise very well. If you teach them to sit in one place (eg. outside the door), they don't necessarily understand that the same command given in a different place (the lounge room) means the same thing. So there is definitely a chance that he does not actually understand what you want. It may be the fact that it's a different place, or your signal is different, or you are sitting down instead of standing up, etc. Also, if you give multiple commands, sometimes the dog learns that it doesn't have to do it on the first command. This is common at obedience class... "Sit, sit, SIT, SIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT, good dog! Sit, sit, SIT, why won't my dog listen to me?????" ;) In saying that, I do think that some dogs are more stubborn than others. My older boy tends to push the boundaries so we just have to make sure he doesn't get away with too much. Thankfully he is generally an easy dog to live with (lazy) so apart from practicing NILIF with him we don't really mind a missed command here and there - if it's important we ensure that he listens (eg. get out of our way) but otherwise he generally just gets ignored if he ignores us.

During training/trials, if she is switched on she ALWAYS looks like she is waiting for something. It is useful when you want to get her attention but not so good in stays. She spends a lot of time in class staring at me and walking backwards, her favourite trick I do use the same command in stays as recalls/SFE/COP but I keep my hands behind my back in stays and in front if another command is coming. She does know this... she doesn't take her eyes off me at all if my hands are in front. I experimented with using 'wait' and 'stay' but we use wait very casually around the house so it wasn't very successful. We do both formal and informal stays with me in different positions, going back to her and leaving again, standing behind her, etc. She stays put when dogs break beside her. In class today she wasn't that bad... still stickybeaking but not fidgeting so much. I will experiment with rewarding when she is being calm...

Thanks guys. To be honest I'm not sure if it's boredom or that she needs to relax. I would lean towards needing to relax as I can put her in a stay in the house and she seems comfortable. She also has a hard time relaxing in the crate at training or trials. To me she doesn't seem uncomfortable, just hypervigilant for reasons unknown At the moment I look over her head with the occasional glance to help her remember what she's meant to be doing. If I look at her the whole time she watches very intently waiting for a command (even though I use a signal - hands behind my back - that I'm not going to ask her to do anything except stay). Like ness says, I don't really want to encourage her to make eye contact with me because it will cause problems with out of sight stays in the future. Nik, she is better in sit stays, but she is still very attentive! She is only 18 months so it may have something to do with it. Here is a picture of her from one of our trials in her sit stay... she was looking at me at this point, but she doesn't really lose that intensity no matter what she's looking at... you can see why it is nerve wracking for me

Help! :D My girl fidgets in her down stays. She is very in tune with what is going on around her so will take the opportunity to watch everything intently, whether that be the dogs in the next ring over, birds, kids running around, buzzing insects... anything. This means she looks in all directions, including behind her. She changes from hip to hip often. She rarely actually breaks the stay. Any tips? I was thinking of trying to get her to rest her head on the ground during stays to see if that helped. She does do this occasionally, but not often.

None of the current discussion means anything to me My dogs are both doing well on Black Hawk and it's economical. That's what matters to me.

My girl is lean for her breed too so I know how you feel. Some people don't believe she's an Aussie. Although having a long coat certainly helps as she only looks slim from above or when she's wet

I think this probably varies a bit between individuals... my girl is only 18 months and is desexed. She does shed a fair bit, but I only ever find her white furs, not her black ones... so get a dark dog if you don't want the hair to show up She doesn't lose big clumps like my other dog (who has a coat similar to a GSD and is a shedding demon), it is more individual wisps of white fur. In saying that, no doubt she would shed less if I brushed her more often!

My 'pet' Aussie gets brushed probably once a fortnight

I don't even try to wear out my youngest anymore. It doesn't work I go to the local dog park at 6am and let my two dogs run around together. It's got lots of trees, plants, rocks, etc. so they enjoy having a run and a sniff. Jogging with her does take the edge off, but I need to build my fitness a bit more first. The only thing I've found these days that tires my girl out for the rest of the day is an obedience trial Can't do one of those every day and wouldn't want to!

Usually smelly, semi-wet food will get the best results Devon, frankfurts or cabanossi Small cubes of cheese Leftover cooked meat/roast BBQ chicken I do use kibble or other hard treats as a 'we have nothing in the fridge' or 'oh no I didn't bring enough treats to training and my dog is being really good today' reward, but it depends on the dog as to whether that would work or not. Mine is a garbage disposal unit.

I think also sometimes we just have to accept a dog's personality for what it is - kind of like people! My rescue boy is independent and has very selective hearing. He's difficult to train yet demonstrates extreme smarts when it comes to getting what he wants. He likes pats on his terms, but if you sit next to him or give him cuddles he just gets up and leaves. But when my heart girl is playing with her toy, rolls around on her back flailing her legs like a dying insect, gets a leg tangled in the cord on the iron and brings both the iron and ironing board crashing down in a heap on top of her..... all of a sudden I feel a sudden appreciation for my calm, independent boy who is fast asleep on his bed in the lounge room :rofl: Or when I come home from the hospital after getting knee surgery, and my heart girl barrels into the knee at full speed in excitement... then my non-cuddly boy sits calmly about a metre away and offers me his paw gently... I know I love them both, even with their hugely different personalities

To be honest, I don't really remember how long it took me to 'bond' with either of my dogs. What I do know is that with both of them (one adult rescue and one purebred puppy) I had moments where I sat down and cried, wondering what the heck I'd gotten myself into I think this was probably 2-3 weeks after they arrived. I think I have a good bond with both my dogs but one definitely moreso than the other.

When I walk my two together, I walk one on either side of me. I used to let them both walk out in front, but since they've been beside me instead, they are calmer and easier to control. One dog per hand, and I say when sniffing/peeing etc is allowed. This might be a better method for you My younger girl needs more exercise than my older boy, but I take them together in the morning and then try get her out again in the afternoon separately.

Have fun - my Aussie loves to 'help' when I'm running by pulling as hard as she can

I obviously took your post in the wrong way then, sorry. What kind of things do you put in your Enrichment Box?

I am not just sticking her in the yard with nothing - she gets a lot of enrichment activities, but I still haven't found anything that takes a long time. Edit: She is definitely capable of being calm and chilling all day - it's how to bring that out in her when we're at work that is my conundrum.

Agree completely with this. If my partner didn't do agility and obedience, it would be a hell of a lot more difficult for me to figure things out. At least I would be able to come to DOL and ask about things, but so many pet owners don't even have that option. My breeder is interstate but has still been so helpful and tried to get me as much info on things as possible. My breeder has also been brilliant but is also interstate, and I think a lot of things differ from state to state And you know... a lot of people didn't want to have anything to do with me at the start. I tried asking questions and couldn't find many people to answer them. I am very grateful for the few people who did help. The second I stepped out of the ring after my first trial (and was successful), people suddenly started talking to me... funny that. Awww, thanks Sometimes I feel like I just blend into the background so it's not a weird comment, it's a lovely one

I don't show but I am a 'first time' dog sports competitor and I think even that is a similar situation. I have had to figure out an awful lot by myself. I haven't found the canine control websites particularly helpful, and some of the staff haven't been very helpful either (although some have been good). It's hard finding a mentor. It's hard just getting the basics out of people (like where to get entry forms). If it wasn't something that I really, really wanted to do, I would have given up a long time ago.

They have fur and we don't It depends on the dog. One of mine has GSD-type fur and the other is an Aussie, and neither of them feel the cold at all. They happily went outside when I left for work this morning and it was -3 degrees. If they aren't noticeably uncomfortable (shivering, whinging, pacing, etc) then I'd say they'll be fine.

She can look out the gap at the side of the front gate if she wants to but I've never seen her try! She does enjoy looking out our front window though so I will have a think about it Any suggestions for enrichment activities that would take longer are welcome The only thing I've found that takes her longer than about 30 minutes are marrow bones, but I don't feel comfortable giving those every day. I suspect that sometimes the enrichment activities make her more excited, and wonder whether she'd be better off without them...

Unless you have a white dog

Well done for getting your CCD title! Yep I was thinking targeting the arm or even targeting (actually touching) his head to your left leg. Might be uncomfortable for some dogs but it depends on the dog.

Just for you wuffles I googled 'formal sneakers' ;) Here are some more options :D Oddly if you ever decide to try your hand at DWD they would suit that too http://www.amazon.com/True-Religion-Womens-Vernon-Sneaker/dp/B003LO2UNW http://www.drjays.com/shop/P1055460/la-gear/la-gear--light-up-sneakers.html?currency=aud&utm_source=cse&utm_medium=myshopping-au&utm_campaign=LA%20Gear%20Women&utm_content=Footwear&utm_term=1055460%20-%20la%20gear%20%20light%20up%20sneakers http://www.amazon.com/True-Religion-Lace-Up-Fashion-Sneaker/dp/B003LVYYTS/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_2 ETA - I am now seriously considering light up sneakers for night trials for if I ever trial in obdeience and/or agility again :rofl: Not really my style I'm afraid! ;)

I have a pair like that, RV, but they don't really seem comfortable or warm or practical enough for the ring? If it is acceptable to wear sneakers than I shall continue wearing sneakers I guess

Random question What shoes does everyone wear in the trial ring? I am trying to find some outfits which make me look presentable but am a bit stuck on shoes. I only ever wear my sneakers to train as they are comfortable but they don't look very classy with nice pants or even jeans :p