Kavik

Diesel doesn't have a lot of prey drive and is not always interested in chasing a ball so I'm not sure how the two toy game will go. Will give it a try though! The only time he is really keen for a ball is at the park if the ball belongs to someone else and there is competition.

I've used this method with Diesel. The problem we are having is that he is really slow going out to get the dumbell once thrown. Once he picks it up he will come quickly and sit nicely etc, it is just the initial going out that he is slow. Any ideas?

If Kaos drops his squeaky before he gets back to me I say 'where'd it go?' and he will go back and get it. I give him a treat for bringing it back - did it in stages encouraging him to bring it to me.

We went to Erskine Park Showground, had a blast I think herding is on every weekend, but it is with different clubs and different instructors, so probably best to find one that suits you and stay with them or you could confuse the dog. We went with the Border Collie club (you obviously don't have to have a Border Collie ) which is the first Saturday of the month.

My parents adopted a Beagle that barked non-stop when they were not there (and at night!). Some great ideas here - Kongs and toys, exercise, radio. Re barking collars - the citronella collars don't work on every dog (they didn't work on the Beagle my parents had - he just barked until it was empty). Also, if the dog does find the citronella aversive, the smell hangs around long after they have stopped barking, so they may feel they are still being corrected. I have an electronic no-bark collar, which gets occasional use. I have found it to be very handy, the collar I have has levels, and it always starts at the lowest level. The correction is only for a short amount of time and does not hang around afterwards. This is the only collar which worked to keep the Beagle my parents had quiet - they had multiple complaints from neighbours before they would consider it. I have seen dogs which have been debarked - they range from silent to still quite loud, most sound like they have a hacking smokers cough when they bark. I'm pretty sure in NSW it is illegal unless you have proof that it is the last resort before PTS (that you have had complaints and have tried other methods which haven't worked).

I had fed Diesel fish as part of his regular diet before the elimination diet, and had him on various brands with lamb etc, so there wasn't much choice but to use Z/D. I'd looked into other foods with other protein sources but they all seemed to have chicken fat or something else in it that wouldn't work as an elimination diet.

When was she desexed? If it was just done, did she have fluids during the surgery? Fluids during surgery means they have more to wee out later.

Hi, I also have an allergy dog We suspect contact allergy/atopy. We tried the z/d diet and we ruled out food allergies as changing food did not improve his itchiness (I had to increase the amount I fed him as he was losing weight on z/d too - he did like it luckily). He still itches no matter what we do. He also scratches at his ears a lot and today got an aural haematoma so is at the vets for surgery tomorrow He is proving to be a very expensive dog! (OH nearly had a heart attack at the cost). He goes on and off cortisone which I don't like but don't know if I have any other choice. This improves his condition but he does still itch on it, and he tends to lose weight on it as well. All I can say is good luck and hope you figure it out! Let us know how you progress.

What about putting them in a different room while you shower? Or outside? Then they can't get on the couch while you aren't there.

I first heard about prong collars when doing the National Dog Trainers Federation course. The look of them shocked me at first and I couldn't see when you would need to use one. But I then tried one on myself, and compared it to a check chain, and the prong collar not only had a different effect, it didn't sting like a check chain did. I am a small person. I have used most types of collars/head collars on dogs that I have owned or walked for others. Most I can control on a martingale or check chain. However, I have found prong collars very handy when dealing with large, strong or headstrong dogs, as you do not need to use a large correction to stop a dog pulling. Especially handy when the dog weighs more than you and is totally untrained! This makes walking or training a much more enjoyable experience and you do not have to worry about the dog pulling you off your feet or getting out of control. I have received a good deal of abuse from people while walking a dog on a prong collar, due to the misconceptions surrounding their use and their appearance, and so I am careful with where I choose to use one. I now cover them if I use one so I don't get these comments.

My boss's staffy has a fleece type jumper and a drizabone - looks really spiffy! (would love to get a drizabone for my Kelpie and Kelpie X but OH won't let me!). The only thing I would worry about is with two (I am assuming they are outside when wearing them and you aren't home?) is that they might chew it off each other or get them filthy, and you would have wasted your money. I would only put coats on mine on walks, when home or overnight (if they were the kind of dog to get that cold like a sighthound)

I have a mat they can lie on in the lounge room. This gives them somewhere they can go. So I teach them to go to their mat, and when they get on the couch this is where they are directed instead.

Falling_Down, a dog that is scared during the storm is definitely one to watch, and should be kept in a safe place and kids away. One of mine gets scared of storms, and certainly is going to be in a safe place away from the baby when it arrives during storms. When they are scared and stressed they are not going to be on their best behaviour!

Diesel does this type of finish I taught it in increments, getting him to go to heel position from a short distance, and making the angle greater and greater untiil he had to flip around. I initially lured him, then faded the lure.

You have options depending on what you want to do. I agree with the others if you want to trial, best to stick to one handler. If you want both people to be able to handle for a pet situation, then you can have OH handle, but I would suggest at least in the beginning to have only one person in class. (ie at the start, have only OH there to make it easier and less distractions, until the dog is working well for them. You can either alternate dogs - one dog this week, the other dog next week. Or (at least if you want to train them both yourself on the same night) you can take both and train half the lesson each. I have done this with Diesel and Kaos. It requires an understanding club and quick thinking but it can be done. Quite a few people at my club bring more than one dog and swap half way through or similar. I have also instructed classes where there are two people from the same family, and it is difficult when all they want to do is get to the other person/dog. I have even had them swap dogs half way through the lesson!

sidoney You know you want another cream Kelpie She is very cute!

I've only thrown food when clicker training targeting, I haven't tried it with obedience. I tried throwing the food between my legs with Diesel for recall, but he is a sniffer bum and this caused him to sniff the ground a lot. I do spit food for heeling though I might try the throwing food for heel position, it sounds interesting, though I am wondering if this might confuse the issue?

Have you practiced anything out of sight at home, or only in class? One thing I can think of (I'm sure others will have better ideas as I haven't trained this yet ) is maybe start small, like behind a tree? Step behind the tree, then step back, and gradually increase the amount of time behind the tree? Once that is OK then something longer/more solid like a small building but again step behind and step back etc.

Hi LL you always ask good questions ;) Do our personalities affect how we train our dogs? Yes I think so. The methods we prefer to use and tools as well as idiosyncracies, and issues we may have due to past experience. Does your dog's personality affect how we train? Yes again. The amount of prey, pack and food drive, motivation and energy levels, what they were bred to do. Does your required level of behaviour affect how you train? Yes. Since I would like to compete, I try to train to achieve this. I have yet to actually compete with my dogs though, so I guess I have a good deal of work left :D Probably more from me than them!

My mum is in the States for two years and she says there is a huge amount of doggy stuff there! (she is trying to convince me to come over :D ) - there is apparently this huge pet palace place near where they live combining daycare, training, grooming, pet store. And there is a doggy 'happy hour' along the local shops where they can have puppicinos and treats If it wasn't so hard to bring dogs over and back I would consider going for a while but I do like some stuff in Oz better.

I am using ProPlan with good results. I get mine from PetBarn.

I taught 'dig' as an active response for scent detection. To do this I used a milk crate with food under it - so she could smell and see it but not get to it. I clicked initially for interest in the milk crate (can't remember if I had to point it out to her first, it was several years ago), and as Zoe is very paw oriented, it didn't take long for her to then scratch at it. As I was looking for a dig response, I then waited til I got several scratches, and then an enthusiastic dig response.

I use: Heartgard for heartworm monthly Advantix for fleas and ticks (in a tick area) monthly Allwormer 3 monthly (normally Drontal)

There is a lot of focus work you can do without doing formal obedience classes. Actually, I don't know of any classes (including the one I go to) that specifically teach focus. Classes mainly deal with obedience exercises such as heel, sit, stand, drop, formal recall (sit, stay, come), stay until you get to higher levels. Focus is of course useful for heeling, but is not usually taught as a separate exercise (though it should be).

I agree that formal obedience is not necessary for agility. Some agility clubs require you to get to a certain level of obedience first, and go through classes, but with other clubs you just need to show you have the necessary control over your dog.