FalconRange

As the title says, does anyone know of any clicker training resources for beginner clickers? In the recent Clean Run sale, I got a clicker to experiment with. Of course, I chose the one that looked more comfortable to use rather than the one that came with a set of tips/instructions, and now regret it somewhat! I get the basics - eg. building value by starting off giving easy behaviour commands, then clicking and treating, and working your way up when value has been established. Is there more technique to it though? I'm generally pretty happy with how my dog responds to vocal markers, but would like to experiment with developing and using the clicker as a bridging/encouragement marker between rewards to extend the period of time he'll offer a behaviour eg. eye contact during heelwork etc. I'm also interested in clicker training from a more academic point of view as well, especially using one as an alternative to vocal markers, perhaps when a handler might have 'poisoned' verbals etc. Anyone have any ideas? :)

Golden Grove and Penfield are very good. Penfield, I think, was a smidge more expensive. They do, however, have a Facebook page that they update daily with pictures of the animals in boarding or in the exercise yards if that interests you.

Dover Gardens, Southern Districts, or Noarlunga City would be a little closer than Aldinga if that works. Between the three clubs, you have obedience, rally, agility, flyball and social training covered.

You did well, ness! All good now. I've submitted the order, and am going to ban myself from Clean Run for at least another year now! It's amazing how many things you set out to buy, and then how many get added as you go looking and think "oh, well, while I'm at it...".

It's so bad! I swear, my bank account statement's going to give me more than extra encouragement to make sure this dog learns how to weave! Save me from the guilt, Adelaideans, please! You're my only hope! :p

Can I tempt anyone else from Adelaide to join before I buy more than I should? Hehe

Me too :) Seriously? That would be excellent! :)

Yeah, I thought that was a bit shifty too. I got so frustrated trying the purebreds that I thought would match and didn't, that I tried it in desperation and got it. Otherwise, I had heaps of fun. :)

Do you get to Sydney or Sthn Highlands???? I do go to sydney semi regularly, it often depends where trials/ comps are. Where abouts are you? Ahhh Don't tempt me!! I'm in Orange often. Hmmm what do I need??? ......... Go on! You know you want to! :p muahahahahaha...... Ahem I also admit to having a wish list basket. It needs a heavy culling at present. I could get free shipping quite a few times over........ Hmmmmm I wonder if they have a limit on the sheer quantity of orders? Lol. I might need a shipping container :D I am in the CBD so show regularly at Erskine Park and Castle Hill - both of those are about an hour from me so quite doable. I have $65 in my order if anyone in Sydney wants to top up?? Does anyone know how quick the orders come through? If nobody in Adelaide wants to combine, I'll be in Sydney for a bit over the summer and have family there, so could combine with a Sydneysider group. My wish list is at least $70, possibly another $15-$20, so I'm happy to help out there too if anyone's interested?

Over the past couple of weeks, I've discovered and become completely addicted to a quiz and trivia website known as Sporcle. With dogs being a field of interest, naturally dog quizzes have been something I've had great fun testing myself at. A forum I used to belong to (now sadly mostly defunct) used to have quiz threads testing the knowledge of various members. It could be interesting to see just how much the rest of DOL knows about dogs and dog breeds on a few quizzes, and so this is somewhat of a challenge to see how we all go! Somewhat like an obedience trial, there'll be five exercises. Four are compulsory, while one is a free choice exercise depending on your breed/s of interest. The challenge is to complete the quizzes, and to gain the highest score you can. You can then post the scores (if you wish), and see how you went in comparison to other members. The Challenge! Quiz 1 - Can you name the 50 Most Registered Breeds in Australia in 2012? (An Australian one to start us off!) Quiz 2 - Can you name the AKC 2011 Top 100 Dog Breeds? (Some overlap, but interesting to see the different preferences between the USA and Australia) Quiz 3 - Can you name the popular dog breeds by pictures of their puppies? Quiz 4 - Can you name the dog breeds from the pictures of their faces? and the multiple choice option Quiz 5(a) - Can you name the FCI 1 Dog Breeds? (for "Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)" people) Quiz 5(b) - Can you name the FCI 2 Dog Breeds? (for "Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid Breeds - Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs" people) Quiz 5© - Can you name the FCI 5 Dog Breeds? (for "Spitz and Primitive types" people) I'd love to add quizzes for the other FCI groups, but sadly they don't seem to have any such quizzes on the site. To start us off, my somewhat shameful scores were: Quiz 1 - 36/50 (72%) Quiz 2 - 53/100 (53%) Quiz 3 - 25/25 (100%) Quiz 4 - 25/25 (100%) Quiz 5(a) - 19/44 (43.2%) Average percentage = 73.64% Good luck, and have at it! :)

I'd be happy to combine with anyone in Adelaide!

I selected two options. I love Border Collies, and am very happy to own one after many, many years of admiring them. I think I'll probably always have a BC, but I'm also open to owning other breeds concurrently. Working dogs form my interest primarily. If I was to go for another breed any time soon, it would be a GSD. I'd also love to have a Malinois or maybe a Terv, but I'd need another one or two dogs before then to practice on first!

Jane Harper from Dogs on Track might be the one, Persephone? If you're in her area, she'd be the best one to talk to. :)

It's best not to mess around with aggression. Contact a reputable behaviourist for advice. I'm on my phone and can't see what state you've stated you're in, but there are a few around that are widely recommended on DOL that others might be able to suggest. For the moment, I'd also keep her and the husky separated and perhaps avoid contact with other dogs as much as possible to stop her from rehearsing the aggressive behaviour while you wait to see what a behaviourist has to say.

This site might be of some use; http://www.aussieagility.com.au/equipment.htm

Does Firefox app Greasemonkey work for Facebook? I use it for other sites to block certain keywords.

Will she do a change of position (dropping from a stand in front of you) okay?

Customs uses puppy raisers, but the only information I can see says for labs as well. If you live in NSW, NSW police uses puppy raisers too, but they have GSDs and Spaniels as well. Application form here: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/83708/Puppy_Walk_Application_Form.pdf Edit - some information on page 2 here: http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/259503/SITREP_News_from_across_the_state.pdf and http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/about_us/structure/specialist_operations/nsw_police_dog_unit/program

This page might be of use for contact details for various people: http://www.aussieagility.com.au/equipment.htm

Bah, double post.

I fully expect that the list will change. Some may not still even be breeding by that stage, I guess. It's nice to get some ideas from others within the community though. I should take the advice on board and start a notebook with impressive dogs and their lines though - too hard to remember otherwise! Thanks piper. :) Have fun with your little girl, BCNut! I met a lovely young girl from Calanais at a trial the other day. Looking forward to seeing her trial in future too.

Just wondering if any more should be added to the list. =) Edit: So far mentioned have been: Guiremere Kayladene Adensly Kerodan Dunwurkn Calanais Winpara Danari Nahrof Dalheath Terrabella

Out of interest though, what kennels - working line and show line - would people recommend if someone was interested and ready for a performance BC? I wouldn't be taking on one for 3-5 years as I've got more work and things to do with my current Border, but after then, I certainly might consider one.

Please don't let physical condition influence your decision. Dogs can lose physical condition very quickly. He may have been on the run for a while, or just a short time but have become very stressed. They can also pick up parasites whilst on the run which can deteriorate condition quickly as well. Take him to a vet for a microchip scan if you can. Otherwise, I would notify local vets, councils, shelters, the local paper's found classifieds and online lost and found sites that you have found him, and then take him to the RSPCA. The RSPCA/AWL/council pound is the first place owners go looking for lost pets, and if they are looking for him, it's the best place for him to be. Tracking a dog through websites and/or rescue groups is much more difficult, and has failed in some cases altogether when a bad judgement call is made. If you are concerned that he won't be reclaimed, as another poster said, I believe you can put your name down to adopt after the reclamation period is up, and you can organise for a rescue to take him on. Edit - I used the wrong bracket to bold...

Some of the laws preventing use (but not ownership) of the collars are over 20 years old. Technology and society's norms, focus and needs develop much quicker than laws do, and certainly technology, in the e collars and otherwise, is much more advanced, safer and more precise than it was that long ago. I'd probably shoot off an email to a few behaviourists and trainers to see what they'd recommend in the case of training the deaf dog, and if they recommend and are familiar with e collars, they'll probably have some recommendations on brands as well. Ones with a large number of settings as well as a vibration function would probably suit best if recommended, but like you seem to have found, the lower levels of stimulation are often reported to be less surprising to the dog than the vibration.