Mym

I am having to work pretty hard with this some days as well but we are actually getting some off leash training happening now. In recent weeks I have been watching Control Unleashed - Leslie McDevitt. And if you can cope with her sniffing into her mike throughout it, she has some great tips. At first I thought it was much ado about nothing but her recall games are very good. The only video on it I could find for you was But she has a website and a book if you don't want to go to the expense of buying the videos. Luckily I was able to borrow these through my agility club. Susan Garrett's 'Its yer choice' has also been very handy for me with both my dogs. Ollie sounds very cute.

You have to say that Mr President!

Sorry guys, have no sympathy for you as I have two ROUGH COLLIES!!! ;) This time of year I get snowdrifts of collie hair that form in the corners of my rooms. I was eyeing off a Fuminator today and the price has come down on them...the first time I looked at them they were about $112 for the one I liked and today it was $79.00 We also have a ChiX and I find dampening my hands and running them over her help a lot.

LOL I go to this club every Sunday....as well as BAD (Brisbane Agility Dogs) I would recommend both clubs - very friendly and very well run. ADCQ has a great video and dvd library too.... Come out and see us!!!! Shall be there from 4pm today.

I'm going to sound really repetitive (because I always say it) but I think Susan Garrett's Crate Games is one you could start on - it is fun to teach as well and you can do it in your lounge room if necessary. Like she says in the video, Crate Games also will give you an idea of how you are going to be as a trainer further down the track. I really like the philosophy she has in this dvd, all training is fun, even failing is fun and it gives you vital feedback on what you need to work on. I love training her way, because I feel good when I am thinking that way and I am sure my dog enjoys it too. I always remember one session at training where the instructor was very negative about our dogs, just using sarcastic tone and saying the word 'dumb' occasionally. I felt awful, my dog got very quiet and I was getting next to no feedback on why my dog was so hopeless. I almost gave up after that night - but decided to get Moe Strenfel's Foundation DVD and it just transformed the whole experience for us. Seriously, people who I was at a camp with in June, could not believe how different my dog was at the beginning of August. She follows very similar principles to Susan Garrett. If you join a club, they may have a library that you can borrow these. Or a member might lend you a copy? Getting your Fergus to look at you, and also to look away at an object is really good too. After all, you eventually wont release until he is looking at his first obstacle. But make sure you understand the criteria for the exercise - I am not the most coordinated person so I find writing down the steps etc is good for me so I remind myself of what I am actually wanting to achieve. (I am a great one for confusing two exercises :p )I can then look at it again to check that I am doing the right steps. As for the migraines....you poor bugga...they get me too, not as much these days (touch wood), my big triggers are dehydration and low blood sugar. I have also found Magnesium supplement to really help too. Good luck with Fergus! :D

LOL - know what you mean about terminology! I just found this that might help. It is from the UK and you won't see all the equipment listed here I guess but it is pretty good. When looking at it, what they refer to as a 'snake', I have only heard it referred to as a 'serpentine' - but it was very similar. http://agilitynet.co.uk/reference/glossary21.HTML

Rowan is really good - pricey but he treated my rough collie last year and I felt it helped. Poor luv had demyelinating myeopathy so it was palliative only but I am glad we went. I have been told Kevin Humphries from Jimboomba is great as well. But I couldn't get through on the phone number when I called, Cheers Mym

I did a beginners course at our club that was great, but I would suggest that you watch some foundation agility videos. I know everyone loves Greg Derret's one but I also got so much out of Moe Strenfl's "Foundation Training For Agility". I found that by going back to the foundation exercises again and again that we have begun to improve after being very stuck. Also, video yourself if you can, I learn so much from watching the dopey things I do when training my dog. And I love Susan Garrett's "Crate Games" - mainly because it creates a wonderful foundation to build on. Also, the "it's your choice" games etc that are fun to do and teach self control are also great. We play them just sitting in the lounge room at night. Both my dogs are really soft when touching, but I was shown recently that by increasing the criteria steadily and clearly, I have a big improvement.

It doesn't look pretty but my two collie roughs have worn a t-shirt that has a hair elastic knotting it in so it is snug so we can avoid muddy puddles - LOL

Let me know when you have a consistent command....it is the bane of my life that I keep changing some of my lesser used commands - often without knowing I am doing it. Seriously think I have dog training dyslexia most days.

They are smart aren't they? My two got it really quickly and it is great for puppies. Glad you got some value from it ;) Susan G also has an awesome video called crate games....similar principles to that video. It is brilliant.

Hey Two Spirit, an exercise I have just learnt that might be of use to you is called 'its your choice. It is a Susan Garrett thing and my guys love it. I have a handful and a sweet boy in my two collies and both of them learned this so fast. They learn that it is better to leave it - lots of fun and very easy to train.

LOL - have you ever met a dog owner who didn't have an opinion?! It is just a forum - which is good for me because my family are sick of talking to me about dogs :D No harm done Corvus.

It has taken months for us with our dog, but Friday night we had three new people come to the house and he sat to meet them, no barking, nipping or agro. He then got to sit for them in order to get rewarded and then he plonked down on the floor and slept. It may not sound like a big deal but believe me - we used to have the hound from hell attacking the door to get the intruder. Fear aggression and dominance seem to be our boys big issues - it is a long road but it is coming together. I felt so overwhelmed by him, we then came across Cesar Milan, and for our boy it has made a world of difference. Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt too if you can get hold of it. Good Luck!

LOL....the dangers of posting after three glasses of wine on a Saturday evening. Oh dear...I had a person at agility tell me (totally unsolicited btw) that I was teaching my dog to eat from my crotch because my treat bag was sitting on my hip. I burst out laughing - it was just too odd a statement to take seriously. There is always one but yours sounds like a right charmer.

Go you Rubystar.... There is always one in a crowd. Good on you for locating the one in your crowd early. At least you have cracked that barrier and competed!

LOL

Yes, it is offered as a fundraiser for WAC Team!

lol - am also supposed to compete today - first time as well - and like you I keep chickening out Starters Jumping! Pouring down here though Good Luck and post how you go?

Sad news.

Think it is a really big deal if a dog thinks it can have the last word. What is the difference between a grumble and a growl? Probably about six months.

I have rough collies and I have crates that are probably by most standards too big. Even I thought they were too big. But they are great for dogs to stretch out in - and last Saturday when my boy was in his crate a lot, he could really get comfy, he lies on his belly with legs out behind him. I guess you also have to check you boot/car room. The XXXL that I have does make it a bit cramped.

Hey Corvus, I understood what you were saying. I guess the point is that what starts as a rumble from a dog that is a bit uppity may become a bigger problem down the track. And at least you are seeking advice, which is more than many do. My boy had/has a combination of fear aggression and a massive need to dominate. No way was his old owner ever going to deal with it though. Needless to say we have had a path and a half laid out for us and basically, the rules are the rules, never harshly given but it really requires consistent effort and basically, your gut will tell you that he is trying it on - let him and he will keep trying to control the situation. This will only escalate as he matures and that is how I ended up with my young dog. He launched at a child and totally ignored any direction from his owners. Lol...you can imagine that for a dog with this personality, they are going to be narky when told off. It may just be what you love about him in the end but it has the capability to become a downward spiral. Good Luck.

And pounds are full of dogs getting PTS as having problems when really they never learned the rules. Good post Vickie. If you were driving a car and didn't know the rules of the road, you would be a liability. Same goes for doggas.

Crate games? We train together and one waits in the crate (good dog! and lots of rewards for this part of training) and the other works. We do really short bursts of only about five minutes and then we have a sit stay while one gets out of the crate and the other goes in. We make it part of training and so far so good.