Aidan3

At the moment we're compiling a list of good videos for Sue Ailsby's "Training Levels" book, also.

Ok, but if you were starting out with charging the clicker -ie, had never used it before, not asking for or marking any particular behaviour and were simply charging with click>treat wouldn't it be the dogs natural response be to whip it's head around looking for the treat after a few reps? Just signalling that the lightbulb has gone off that click = treat? Yes, that is a result classical conditioning. Various physiological responses occur in response to a stimulus that predicts food. If Classical Conditioning were your goal, ideally you would expect salivation in response to the clicker. As a bridging stimulus it is not necessary for that to occur (although it will in time, regardless of our intentions). What we want the clicker for is to mark the response we are trying to reinforce, so it follows that the only necessary sign that the clicker is doing it's job is that we get more of the responses that we click. In my experience, this can happen without any obvious sign of classical conditioning and it is what all trainers should be looking for - the response that we have clicked increasing, not signs that the clicker is "charged" (classically conditioned) which is really of little importance to us. Good question. Any of the above. Just get the food in his mouth promptly after the click.

I almost never charge the clicker, very few dogs fail to make the connection very quickly. Just make sure you minimise the time between click and treat. Contrary to popular opinion, the dog does not need to be whipping his head around at the sound of the click. You will know that he understands what it means when you get more of the response you have clicked.

Arrange for an on-leash walk somewhere. Walking somewhere together is a good way for dogs to socialise without too much pressure or risk.

There is a Golden over the fence from us, and I struggle to tell which one is barking, mine or theirs. If I tell him to shush and it works, I know it's mine.

I consider it more likely that it didn't happen at all :D "The boy who cried wolf" springs to mind!

Let me guess, the specific tune he played was "She-Wolf"?

Yes, definitely. You will probably never return to what you had, kids take up too much time. Take stock of your dogs, what they bring to you, and give them the opportunities to keep giving you that.

One thing I like to do is plan ahead by thinking of everything I want my dog to be able to do with the finished behaviour. Then I break that down into steps along the way (not too detailed... yet). Then I want to be able to get four out of five repetitions if I just test cold (haven't worked on that behaviour in the last hour) before ticking off a step as done and moving up. 4 out of 5 seems to be about right, any less and he doesn't understand, any more and we're not making efficient progress. If you have a look at Sue Ailsby's Training Levels program at www.dragonflyllama.com each "level" gives a good illustration of the sort of goals I would set (and to be honest, I would just use Sue's most of the time anyway).

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You can do more than one scenario, but just take a few steps back and make it a bit easier for him; i.e fewer distractions, less distance etc More repetitions for the one thing, really cement it in for him. No rush. When he understands, then start using a limited hold to reduce latency. For anyone wondering what that is, that is where you allow a certain amount of time after you give a cue for a response. If the response occurs within that time, you reinforce. If it doesn't, you do nothing. Start with about two seconds, then reduce that time.

There is one, Dr Katrina Ward, but she is only quite recently qualified as a veterinary behaviourist so there is every chance the dog in question didn't see her. To be honest, there is every chance that he was given an inappropriate medication. It happens, unfortunately. P.S sorry if my post seemed directed at you. It wasn't, the experience you reported was completely valid, I just know the OP had some concerns about the medication.

Just a note for the OP - it's good to read about other people's experiences with meds but please make sure you keep them in perspective. Other people's experiences are other people's experiences, and while it's good to know about them, you might have a different experience. First attempt at meds for a dog with the behaviours your dog has shown would normally not be something that "zonked" your dog. Only a vet can prescribe, and preferably a veterinary behaviourist, but I would guess they would use a drug designed to treat what animal behaviourists call a "stereotypie". Some dogs are a little zonked by these meds, but very few. They may be more relaxed, but quite willing and capable of running around and getting into other sorts of mischief. It's a shame the second vet you saw wasn't more thorough, but honestly I would say this vet was probably not competently able to deal with this sort of issue. I would encourage you to seek the opinion of a veterinary behaviourist. It usually saves money to get good advice right from the start, even if it costs more up-front. Even with meds, you are still going to need help with behaviour modification.

My Goldie looks a bit older but doesn't act noticeably older, he is 10.5. Hearing loss is the only thing, but what do you expect of a dog with pendant ears who is wet every day? My GSD turned 9 yesterday, still keeps up with me and no visible signs of aging, but she has definitely slowed down. That is probably a good thing, but it makes me sad. Her favourite toy at the moment is a 6' garden sleeper, which she stole, so realistically she is still burning brighter than most. Happy Birthday Maxi!

Diane Garrod does what she calls a "behavioural detox", which as I understand it involves calming the dogs with touch (and behaviour mod) every day. She does this with reactive dogs. My guess is that neurotransmitters are released into the system, having long-lasting effects.

I didn't play with DOLz before.

Dumped in a box by the road.

If they had a thought of selflessness, would it truly be selfless? Think about it. P.S I don't think the dog attacked the snake, the kid would have stepped on it so he picked it up. Fantastic dogs, you're lucky to be able to live with them.

Trust me, we're all safer when this dog is attached to me Well I rode with a flat collar tonight to see how she would go. I don't like riding with a flat collar because if we had an accident it wouldn't be safe, but she runs faster, longer and doesn't hang so far back. Definitely need to upgrade the harness to one that is more comfortable I think.

Is it anything like this? It's a fairly wild idea, but I tend to think the dog in the video is suffering from what we might call "Alien Hand Syndrome" (worth googling) and is resourcing guarding against a body part that he is not consciously controlling or identifying with.

Thanks for clearing that up, it looks like I'm all good except I'll have to walk (or drive) to get to them.

That makes sense, I can see that design allowing for that. Thanks for all your help, no need to go to any trouble making a vid, but thanks for the offer

I wonder about fire trails in the bush? They are the best places to go usually. I also wonder about having the leash attached to your person? Endurance trials are still legal, so maybe that is OK? I sometimes attach the leash to a hands-free belt but then you have all sorts of problems that a Springer solves. I bought a scooter from the tip shop but my dogs are too old to pull someone of my weight.

Sorry, I should have been more specific I noticed it has padding, is that how it avoids chafing? Or does it stay in place better?

That's certainly how I saw it too. Some of the same behaviour mod techniques (e.g response prevention) are used, the same meds are usually used, but I don't consider them to be the same thing.