Mrs Rusty Bucket

At my dog club we have a dog named Gladys and a trainer named Gladys - eek...

I was going to use Mrs Bucket (or her first name) for my dog's name except you can't yell a name that has Th on the end of it... When I first got my dog, she was wearing an "Elizabethan collar" aka bucket, so when I was getting to know her she was bucket, mrs bucket and bucket head. You can't yell "Bucket" across an oval either because people mis hear it as something else...

Where is Steve when you want him... The answer for predatory drift/snap would be a dog that you've trained to go into "prey drive" on command and to recall while in "prey drive" ie if you can turn it on and off when you want and you spend some time making sure the dog gets to exercise its prey drive everyday then it would be more manageable if they got triggered by a squealling fluffy or you could even train your dog to ignore a squealling SWF. I have trained my dog to ignore cars, bikes, running squealling children, joggers. Though we're still working on ignoring joggers (not that she touches them, it's just a lot of barking), and cats and possums and horses.

I think the main reason I wouldn't pick a popular human name for a pet is the confusion it can cause... A former neighbour had a wife (now ex wife) named Sally and the first dog he got after she left - he named Sally. Causes no end of confusion and he does really love both of them in his own special way. My favourite kinds of names are the hugely inappropriate ones, eg Bluey for a Red Heeler, Rusty for blue heeler, Tiny for Great Dane, Maybe Immaculata (or Macky) for a dalmatian ie it means "Spotless". "Lofty" for a Dachshund. There are people with these names (as nicknames) too, for similar reasons. My dog is "Frosty" sort of after the weather look and coat colouring, but I also like it because she's super friendly - not "Frosty" at all. I suppose "Pepper" might have been a good name but maybe "Salt" just to be peverse. Except my cousin has a whippet called "Salt". I think I'd call a turtle "Gonzales" as in "Speedy Gonzales". My cousin doesn't even remember this but when he was little he had two gold fish he named "Big Ears" and "Hairy Legs". PS Randy Politician - Snedden, and well known Prostitute "Stormy Summers". Not that they were together. That I know of.

SecretKei You never know. He might be able to custom build one into a screen door the same size as yours and then you can just remove the current one and slot the new one with dog door into the space... Wouldn't hurt to ask. He may also sell the sort that any glass fitter could install.

From what I read on the net about "predatory drift" - I think I'd rather call it "predatory (brain) snap" ie it's not a drift like a boat floating on the current. What I read said something along the lines of the dog's "prey drive" was triggered by things not obvious to the observer (or they could prevent) and the dog would hunt, pounce on and kill whatever was the target of its attention (drive). Eg SWF or cats or squealling running children... It's completely scary to think that my dog could have that kind of "brain snap", when she does like hunting but isn't very good at the "kill" side of it. And that I couldn't teach her that it's ok to kill mice and grasshoppers but not SWF, urban rabbits, cats or children. I don't know how you could separate "predatory drift" as described here http://blogs.dogtime.com/go-dog-training/2...predatory-drift from prey drive. Is odd they show a herding dog, though I always thought that herding dogs were operating in "prey drive" not "herding drive". The types of drive I learned about were "food drive", "play drive", "pack drive", "prey drive" and "rank drive" Not sure where the dog is at if it is defending itself. "survival drive" (fight/flight/freeze)? Predatory drift is described a little better here http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/games-dogs-play eg a big dog chasing a smaller dog in play may "drift into a predatory state of mind"...personally what I have observed seems much faster than that. eg snap not drift.

Hi SecretKei Some of us Dolers met this guy at the Doggy day on the beach last year... http://www.doors4paws.com.au/ His name is Scotty, and he's a licenced builder, but likes building custom dog doors and the price didn't seem too different to buying the big door at bunnings. I of course - need a door first...

My dog spends a lot of time hunting mice in the backyard. She wags her tail and stares intently at a spot in the grass, and then pounces. She's actually managed to catch one, but she didn't kill it, she just released it unharmed (apart from shock) in the middle of the lawn, and when it recovered itself and tried to run for cover, she caught it again and put it back in the middle of the lawn. She won't play with or eat the dead mice either. She has herded a rabbit until it wouldn't run anymore and she still didn't touch it. And she loves chasing cats. And seagulls. I have persuaded her to "leave it" with the cats. I wouldn't entirely trust her off lead with one but she has occasionally been face to face with a cat that won't or can't run, and same as with the rabbit, she didn't touch it. So I would say she definitely has prey drive, but seems to be lacking the kill shot, and I'm ok with that. As she matures, that may change, so I definitely like to supervise. I've seen some dogs go from happily playing to frightened with certain other dogs that "play too rough". And that seems to get the rough dogs even more excited. You definitely need a classically conditioned recall - the sort that will stop a dog from chasing bunnies in this situation. Steve at K9pro teaches "training in drive" and chasing things and tug is one of the ways to trigger and build drive with certain dogs. The trick is keeping it at a manageable level not out of control.

current forecast for Sunday is 26'C ie down from previous forecast of 31'C, so looking good for same bat place, with clam shell...

Reverend Jo I have used a chain on my dog and I don't like it and she didn't really pay that much attention to it. Ie she'd pull like a cart horse wearing it, impossible to deliver "pop pop pop" corrections. And I've seen far too many chains used incorrectly so - I think they can and often are cruel. I like front attach harness - but I don't use this any more either. It's flat collar and stop and recall and treat for heel work at the moment though her heel work is much better with the lead off. I have seen a prong collar used successfully to help a dog in a way that caused it no damage or stress - it was much better than a chain, and yet is one of the scariest looking tools I've seen. I'm still not convinced about electric collars but the modern ones deliver very gentle zaps that I can handle on my skin, they have time outs so can't be used continuously, and in my opinion, if the dog (like Jed's horse) is trained to understand what it means first, is much less cruel or dangerous than allowing a dog to run into traffic, annoy neighbours or attack a snake or cat. I haven't read Paul's book on horse training yet, but I suspect he may have oversimplified (or I forgot something important) in his discussion about horse jumping. He was mainly talking about flat racing and use of the whip. This is precisely the point that Paul McGreevy's study tested and found that it made no difference in the last 100m of the race. What he found made the difference was the position of the horse at 400m out and after that - using the whip made no difference but in the last 100m is generally where the jockeys would use the whip. Ie when it did no good. I've seen horses in races look like they speed up when the jockeys use the whip and others that have the same accelleration without the whip but with encouragement in the way the jockey moved with the horse (like accellerating a swing?). My horse - anecdote I know - liked to run flat out, and he'd accellerate if there was another horse nearby also going flat out... Ie he'd feel faster in the presence of other horses - not that I ever got a stopwatch out and checked.

Our club is introducing a foundation agillity class - ie for all the dogs too young to start on the obstacles, or need building up athletically. Woo hoo. There won't be any obstacles, jumps and stuff, but there will be the phone book stuff. You can also teach hand touch and targetting as a preliminary to teaching "contacts" or making sure your dog lands on the yellow "contact" every time. Free shaping is also helpful skill for your dog to have eg trick training with or without a clicker. If you decide to do a lot of obedience heelwork - remember to practice all the moves on both sides because if you want to do agility, you need to be confident with the dog on either your left or your right - not just the left all the time.

I don't think Paul McGreevy or RSPCA is against horse sports or dog sports etc. They are against cruelty. The scientific studies are about working out what is cruel or unnecessary in training... Rollkur - or pulling the horses head right back for extended periods - doesn't seem to be very good for the horse or its performance. Personally I think the dressage requirement for horses having their heads vertical with their noses pointed straight at the ground blinds the horse - it can't see where it's going, it can only see its feet, anyway I think that is bad and a horse should be allowed to carry its head naturally for the pace that it is travelling at. And as I have said before - I'd tackle feed lots for mammals and puppy mills, and those sow cage things ahead of battery chickens. But I do try to buy organic free range eggs. Or get eggs from friends I know have chickens which have good quality of life.

It's like some trainers in the racehorse industry know nothing about operant or classical conditioning. I saw four blokes trying to force an obviously unwilling horse into a start box with a few other horses the other day on the way to the beach. At the same time I saw a guy reprimand (hit) a horse that decided to freak out at a plastic cup on the road - in the middle of the road. A horse was recently killed there by a taxi driver who wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Sigh. I thought - with some clicker training and carrots I could get unwilling horse into the box without any grief inside a few days (or less), instead of a horse that is permanenty traumatised at the sight of the starting boxes. Monty Roberts developed a blanket for the back end of a horse to help it feel more comfortable with starting boxes, which helped a lot of horses who found the experience frightening. I agree about the Rollcur or holding a horse with its head curled under and neck arched is bad. I'd much rather a horse hold its head naturally so it can see where it's going. My horse taught me that. Paul Mc has written at least two books specifically about horse training, so while something might have been missed in the interview, I suspect he knows what he's talking about there.

Or the dog that leaps up and barks at the back door and when you go to open it for her, she goes back and curls up on the bed in the warm place where you were. Doesn't even go out to chase cats. Sigh.

Do you mean at what age do they learn not to sunbake in 42'C heat? I suspect they don't.

Susan Garrett spends 12 to 14 months with her dogs on foundation work before she lets them near any agility equipment. You want a really good stay in sit or stand position (stand is faster), and then you want the dog to bolt from that position to the place you indicate so you need good foundation handling ie a way of communicating with your dog where you want it to go. And you need really good recall so the dog will come to you when you call it instead of doing this fun thing over here (my dog loves being up high so the dog walk and scramble are major distractions for her). It really helps with rewarding good work if you have a great game of tug, and your dog will chase the tug toy and fetch it to you. Ball not so great because it doesn't stay where you throw it and you need that when you're trying to reward position eg teaching weaves. And then there is general doggy body awareness of where its body is and how to run with you and not into you and trip you up. So lots of running and loose heeling off lead, and a bit of step through the ladder rungs, and going backwards, and pivoting with front paws on a phone book etc. I started at club doing basic "sequencing" ie a series of obstacles which was fun but not particularily helpful, especially when trying to learn weaves or handling (how to send the dog where you want). You need to be able to point to that obstacle there and send the dog to it without having to run all the way there yourself, while you run to the next place and direct the dog to the next obstacle, and the dog has to come back, not stop and eat possum poo. I found very helpful, the Susan Garrett DVDs, especially crate training, and 2x2 weaves really helpful and the Greg Derrett first two dvds "Agility Foundation Training" and its sequel, "Great Dog, Shame about the Handler".

While you're at it, ask your butcher or waiter for "grass fed beef" not "grain fed" because "grain fed" = feed lot or battery farm for (meat) cattle. With the horse whip thing. One thing Paul said was quarter horses got whipped on their shoulders - and most of our thoroughbreds get whipped on their butts. I was told (a squillion years ago) that it was mainly the noise that was supposed to frighten the horse into moving away from the contact point... so hitting on the shoulder would seem obviously counter productive. I did find with my own horse that hitting it when it refused to move forward on the butt, just gave it an excuse to freak out at whatever it was that it was refusing to move towards. A much better tactic for me was to just wait, calmly and do nothing while he figured out 1. I wasn't giving in or letting him go where he wanted. 2. Whatever scary thing was there, wasn't really that bad after all (it didn't come and get him after a couple of minutes). However, while I stopped using the whip, I still took it with me, because for some reason he (and a lot of other horses I've ridden) were much better behaved when they knew I had a whip, even if I never used it, than when I didn't have one. Occasionally I'd get off, pick up a long straight bit of tree, show it to the horse, and stuff it in my boot to achieve the same effect. Same horse taught me I didn't need to kick when I wanted to move forward, but a slight nudge on the side would do. They can feel blowflies. I really don't understand why one needs spurs on a horse that will react to a fly. And Paul also said in his interview about horses - that refusals at jumps was mainly due to a rider failing to guide the horse on a straight line. He said that (most?) horses would prefer to go around an obstacle than over, but they only duck out when the line is not straight. Has not been my experience of jumping. Nice straight line and sudden stop in front of the jump. Well the horse stops and I don't (argh). Not real fond of jumping on an unwilling horse - me. Some horses like jumping. Mine would pull off the line I had him on so he could jump stuff. My dog does the same thing.

My dog has started poking her nose in my butt when she wants attention - because it sure works. And I swear the last time I turned round and looked at her - she smiled at me. She opened her mouth, and pulled the corners of her mouth back in a big ACD smile. Sheesh. What she really wanted was to be let out into the back yard so she could crap. After being distracted by a little mouse hunting. Bum up, tail wagging, up to her elbows in a big hole, nose covered in dirt. And she did that look - you know the guilty "I did something wrong" look yesterday when i took a bit long to release her to eat her breakfast. Like she thinks that works too. She hadn't done anything wrong at all. She'd done really well waiting for me to give her permission to eat. But she'd all hunched up with her ears all down and those big round eyes...

The NSW law doesn't say it's ok if the dog is muzzled. And http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/maintop/...6+2006-01-13+N/ If the (professional) dog walker does not sort things when politely asked - then call the council and ask them to send the ranger - or just tell the dog walker that's what you're doing. I don't think I must "remove the dog if asked" though. If my dog is not harrassing anyone, keeping a polite distance and not doing anything wrong - especially in an off leash dog park - why should I remove her just because someone else doesn't want her there? I do put her on lead when we're going past toddlers at the beach because I don't want to deal with potentially freaked out or even completely nonchalant parents. Not sure what's worse. A parent who freaks out at every dog, or the one that lets their children rush a dog and hug it. I really like parents who talk their kids through the process starting with asking the owner if the kids can pat the dog.

That McGreevy guy is very busy at the moment. Especially working for the RSPCA, he's just completed a study for them that shows that race horses don't go any faster if they're whipped for the last 100m or not whipped, in fact, some change stride so it feels and looks different but they actually go slower. He's been doing lots of radio interviews about it. And he's doing a seminar/conference in Adelaide based on two of his books 12th and 13th Feb. I'm going to that one. I've read his book "A modern dog's life" and really enjoyed it too, and I think my dog enjoys what I learned too.

Maybe he needs a day off from meal time. Most zoos do this with their predators - ie they skip one day a week when it comes to dinner. And I find my dog needs much less food in hot weather. My dog was getting a little bit porky and I've cut back how much food she gets, and she's much keener about food generally now, before she'd quit training, and could ignore treats, but not at the moment. Still can't feel her ribs easily.

Why do dogs do that? Frosty sometimes refuses to play with dogs I think would be good buddies. No idea why. She also tries to invite dogs that look like her other friends to play and is very disappointed to find that not all black and tan kelpies or beagles like to play with her. And sometimes it just takes more than one meeting for her to get to know the other dog before she will play. So are we sticking with what we know next week or doing something different? Or do we want to wait and see if it's a stinker or not. Eg early beach run might be the go if it's going to be 35'C plus.

Tah for that. Will wait and see what the weather will be like - 11am to whenever would be no fun on a stinking hot day... Does anyone know anything much about SA dog rescue. I had a bit of a look at their website and am not much the wiser.

I think Esky would get on great with Whisked Away's Akira... Maybe you could organise a play date. Frosty doesn't do the big woolly dogs well - they have so much coat and they bite (mouth) a little bit harder than she likes. But she does know how to keep out the way. I agree sparkycat - I was having trouble figuring out what the fuss was about. The best I could figure was some non-dog type people reported something awful to Westiesmum and Jo felt it was a bit loud. Then again dogs aren't "fighting" in my book if nobody ends up bleeding. Not that dogs and owners screaming and yelling is what I want at a nice relaxed meetup either. But as best I could tell, after some initial adjustments - it went fairly well. I think it will go better if we start off "adjusted" eg all dogs on lead, no toys, no treats, no dog nose height exposed food, and size up the situation before we decide how we want to proceed. So that's a vote for keeping it at the fenced park.

DBT Jo doesn't usually get online until she's back at work but send her a PM...