Aidan3

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior official position statement pulls no punches:

http://avsabonline.org/uploads/position_statements/puppy_socialization.pdf

The Australian Veterinary Medicine Association is a little less explicit on this issue:

http://www.ava.com.au/policy/610-puppy-socialisation

In my own classes I have taken a few extra measures to limit the spread of kennel cough because it is prevalent at the moment.

Seeing as you both probably need a bit of a tune-up I'd suggest starting with something requiring less guess-work, such as a hand target. Ease back into it.

Because most people make a lot of mistakes with their every day recall.

unannounced inspections aren't going to catch our locals, as I've said there aren't technically any greyhounds on the property, it's not a registered trial track, the dogs live with their trainers (those that are chipped, tattooed and registered) the dogs are then taken there.

So in an effort to encourage a culture of reporting this sort of animal abuse, which is what the industry needs if it is to stay viable, I hope the RSPCA, police, or whoever you give your tip off to will follow it up. Otherwise all that is left is animal rights activists working undercover.

The police, RSPCA and GRNSW are bound by legislation.

it's got me beat

Yet somehow the police, RSPCA, and other organisations manage to uncover and stop crimes every single day. Go figure!

yes but they do it within the legislated powers and not by trespass and without warrant.

For GRNSW to act as animal rights and animal lib have, they would have to go vigilante and vigilante activity is not acceptable.

Unannounced inspections and encouraging a culture of stamping out illegal and unethical practices would help. As I said, other organisations manage to do it, and it's not rocket science. If it's done properly no-one needs to go vigilante. Under the current body this sort of practice has been allowed to grow.

That said, I think giving inspectorate powers to a body funded mostly by charity or commercial activity (the RSPCA) is a huge problem for animal welfare in this country and it needs to be a well regulated and transparent government department. Putting the foxes (GRNSW, for example) in charge of the hen-house inevitably leads to problems.

The police, RSPCA and GRNSW are bound by legislation.

it's got me beat

Yet somehow the police, RSPCA, and other organisations manage to uncover and stop crimes every single day. Go figure!

One of them said (on camera) that the piglets cost him $50 each iirc.

I suppose it will depend on what representation Cesar's business made as to whether they will be successful in suing him or not. Without knowing it's hard to comment.

I second the "Click to Calm" approach. Alternatively, you can sometimes use habituation, just give them so much of the thing that they become bored with it. Sounds like some "Doggy Zen" is in order, though.

Have you read "Control Unleashed", LabLover? Might be worth putting on your reading list.

Yes, it's a little bigger than a matchbox. Designed as an anti-theft or fleet tracking device. It works well wherever both you and your dog are in mobile range (and while the battery is charged). Probably not great if you want your dog to wear it every day.

One of my helpers adopted a Lowchen who was rescued from a puppy mill. Adorable little guy, almost completely blind, but bomb-proof. Not a lot of drive, though. Possibly because of his blindness.

I think it was Kung Lao on here who made one by pouring concrete around a (food grade) ice cream bucket? Fill the bucket with sand first so that it doesn't buckle under the weight of the concrete.

You have to ask your friends to track a specific Tile, as I understand it. There is a similar product, http://www.thetrackr.com/ that sends you co-ordinates when anyone with their app installed is near a lost item, which seems far more useful.

I clip a cheap ebay GPS tracker to my dog when we go mountain bike riding. The battery only lasts a day or so, but I can send a text message to him and it updates me with his co-ordinates immediately, so long as he is in mobile phone range. I put a $2 Amaysim sim in it, they will bill me when I rack up $15 of these texts (so never).

I think the Portuguese Water Dog is one of the most under-rated breeds out there. Not sure how they'd go in agility, probably very well.

I could forgive the OP for being confused about the seeming contradictions here. I certainly am.

Seems like there is a need for people who work with animals to have similar training and support that people who work in human mental health and other caring roles get.

A tragic loss to the animal training and behaviour community. No details have emerged of her passing and her colleagues and family have asked to be given some time to grieve before they release any details. Dr Yin was one of the best in the field, offering sensible, logical, practical advice on training, behaviour, and clinical handling of small animals. Innovative, dedicated, and incredibly generous.

I like the clear Jafco muzzles because I can modify them safely so that we can still use food treats easily, and they don't hurt if you get smacked by one. They allow the dog to pant and drink. They would be tough to chew...but not impossible. I bought spare rivets from a saddler for any repairs, but I reckon you'd lose the strap if a chewer got hold of them, and the strap would be difficult to replace.

They aren't cheap, so there'd have to be a rule about keeping them where they belong. k9pro.com.au stock them

A good trainer who is experienced with working breeds should be able to help immensely. Sounds like his intimidating behaviour is working for him, and you need some guidance with using treats and other rewards effectively so that you don't need them on you all the time. Hopefully you'll get your confidence back with him shortly.

Perhaps citizen is talking about this ad campaign?

I won't say too much about clients, but I can set any minds at ease that AngryTardis is now much happier with her dog and his behaviour. He was even the star of classes on several occasions.

I am also surprised we don't hear more about people trying his techniques and getting hurt.

I get them with some regularity. Less so, now. It's usually the dog who suffers.

I think we're very suggestible to the narrative, particularly when we're only shown edited footage.

CM has a very poor record of reading dogs and I'm always surprised to hear people compliment him on this. That's why things like this happen. His timing isn't great either. He's just very persistent.