Cosmolo

Agree with everything been said but have one other thing to add- Obedience is used much more frequently IMO than anything else- agility etc. My dogs do more sits/ drops in a day than they do agility in a month. And because it is done so frequently, the dogs level of motivation drops because the rewards are not always there.

What about leerburg? www.leerburg.com.au I haven't seen them all myself but have heard they are excellent

I can't say i laughed straight away when she did it as i couldn't believe she had! She had just done some great stands outside the ring- stand right from being in drive with a tug- perfectly. And it didn't help that there was another competitor standing there who said its our fault for not coming down to train as much as we used to!! We do come down, just on a different day to them It would have taken alot of control from the owner/ handler of the dog you mention Erny, to keep them running so well after something like that! I think i would have laughed or cried in the middle of the ring! Thanks MsJames, she is our spunky little girl..

agree with WMR- but some clubs use a combination which is my preference, you don't have to go completely one way or another.

There is one on the 8th July being run by Four Paws- we're going

Congratulations, thats fantastic news I can't match all the other icons though!!

How does such a simple thread turn into this! Don't worry, if we ever compete again and i post something, i'll be sure to give a detailed description of every exercise so that Sway can have the 'full story'. Thanks to the posters for their congrats and also to LP and Jules for going a bit OT but adding to the thread with good comments and questions. I thought the thread was swinging that way but i guess not

Thanks LP. The most frustrating thing was that we had just practiced outside the ring with it much harder than what she was going to have to do- it was a stand for exam and she did it outside the ring with Shoemonster- who she LOVES perfectly AND could do a stand on the move straight from playing with her tug!! Then she gets into the ring, Oh must ahve looked at her the wrong way or something and as he went to leave her she went into a half bow :p Frustrating and almost funny at the same time.. Jules, you may be right and i don't mind constructive criticisim at all but certainly with the agility it is getting ridiculous and is not constructive. After our second run the other day, we got drilled about something we hadn't even done, before i could even leave the ring to reward my dog!! We go back only because its so close and times are convenient enough. There are one or to really lovely people who almost make up for the bad one/s and i have a feeling that it might happen anywhere we went.

Thankyou tollers- to answer the question, i need to just bite the bullet and start, especially with the agility, rather than worrying about being nervous. We're still not sure whether we will do alot with the obedience side of things- we have so much on, with clients and Cosmo does some scent detection and hopefully herding soon too. We can't do everything all at once! Thanks for the bat issis- i am used to it in a way (and have been through it with horses too) but it doesn't mean its not frustrating and a bit upsetting at times.

A piece of paper is not the be all and end all. But i still maintain that different training group/ people are good for different purposes. You just need to determine what it is you want and who is best qualified to provide it. Sometimes that means that you will use different places/ trainers at different times for different things with the same dog.

In the Western Suburbs, contact Kelpie i who is on this forum.

Yes but you said- "That's like saying" and then gave two examples.. How else should i take it? I'm sorry if i am being a little sensitive but i am over being criticised constantly. It happens at the club every week and i thought that it wouldn't here and i would just get a few nice pats on the back. Guess i am asking for too much..

Sorry Sway, but likening us to Steven Bradbury or being the only dog in a class is hardly just trying to work out how it all worked- its insulting.. She won because it was a members trial and she was the best dog on the day- why can't it be that simple? And why does anyone have to put a negative spin on something that i found to be positive?

No i didn't- Because i posted quickly without going into her technical performance- i didn't mention things she did really well either If someone had asked about her performance i could have gone into detail, but to liken her to winning against no competition is offensive to me. She was the best dog on the day and it was a members trial- can't i have a bit of a brag and be proud of our performance without being shot down in flames? A simple congrats would have been sufficient- i already know it wasn't a pass and wouldn't have counted in a real trial- no need to shove it in my face, i had enough of it yesterday and I'm absolutely sick and tired of dealing with people who just want to bitch about things. Tell me why it matters? This was meant to be a simple post because i was proud of my dog and our efforts.

We run puppy school at the Glen Eira Vet in Ormond and Group classes at Clayton South- feel free to have a look at our website and email for further information. Always love to see a beautiful Shepherd puppy!!

Thanks for that comment sway Why can't people just be nice about someone 'winning' something. She made one small error which DQ'd her but every other dog also DQ'd and Cosmo's other exercises were excellent so she was the best dog on the day and won. If we want to get all technical about a members trial then so be it but i was just happy that she was the best dog on the day- to me that is a win.

Jules, i think you're right in part and i don't take offence at all. I was thinking yesterday that it is worse at a members trial because many people know us and know that we're trainers. We don't have the ambiguity that i would like. I also personally want to do well, and used to get nervous (to a lesser extent) when i was competing in show jumping with horses too. I find obedience trials the most difficult (even though i am watching and the OH is handling) because one tiny mistake is all it takes- so even though she can do the exercises she can still 'fail' for one little thing. It didn't help yesterday that i had someone saying i told you so after i had made a mistake in the agility- thats not what you want to hear when you walk out of the ring!!

Thanks for the congrats- the first trial will be when i stop being so scared of failure!! Undecided as to whether we'll pursue the obedience, agility we certainly will but i need to fix my nerves. As was said yesterday- that will happen if i do it more and more. I don't even know why i'm nervous, i never get nervous training anything else or doing harder stuff!

Seeing as we have now mentioned names- i could not recommend the club for what this person is looking for with the dog they will have for a number of reasons. I won't post any further details about why on a public forum but feel free to pm me.

Given the breed you are getting- Central Asian Shepherd if i remember correctly, i think its important that your initial training is done with a trainer who is qualified through the NDTF. If you are planning to trial later down the track, you can then switch to a VCA affiliated club. You need more than just the basic teachings of obedience in my opinion- you need to be given an understanding of dog behaviour and body language so that you can be very successful with your new pup. Its not so much that anything is wrong with a non NDTF club- but just that different clubs/ organisations suit different purposes and i think the critical period and early training of a potentially difficult dog AND their owner should be handled by an expert. Later, if you want to trial, you can get alot out of a VCA club but you will already have the necesary knowledge to determine what is and is not appropriate for you and your pup.

Our first official brag after Cosmo today won both her CCD class and novice agility at the members trial. We have two lovely sashes and trophies and we're very proud parents!! Some photos of the special girl! Congrats to Shoemonster and Molly too on some really good exercises in their CCD class. You have to post that video shoey!!

Has anything else changed that could result in her behaviour change? I ask because her age is not 'typical' (though not impossible) for a fear impact period?

Lilli, are you saying that it is breed specific? Or that any dog who is in an elevated physical position can perceive that they are in an elevated social position? And i have to agree with mystiqview regarding leadership being ingrained in everything we do with our dogs, and not just one particular thing.

Hi bosko. Mine is a little different as the problem did not manifest as aggression. Instead we had EXTREME fear and avoidance to the point of panic bolting away from people and noises, close to going through windows/ over fences etc. Walking down the street was an ordeal, if there was a noise, she would lose the plot and be mentally 'gone' for the rest of the walk, her recovery time was the worst of any dog i've ever seen. She would panic bolt to the end of the lead and i've never been so grateful for safe equipment. She had already had a number of homes, one of which with a lovely couple who couldn't get anywhere near her. We adopted her from one of the shelters that we work with and had to do alot of work. Most of what we did early on was flooding, simply because her response occurred as soon as the stimulus was present and to begin with, one of those things was my partner who was obviously around alot. (she was much worse with males) Flooding is not something i would recommend to anyone who is not a professional. She wasn't too keen on me either to start with but i quickly became the lesser of two evils. She knew nothing when we got her so we quickly taught her some obedience so that we could use that to help her as well. She was far too scared to accept food rewards from anyone other than us and had trouble even eating her meal when we were present. We had a family dinner one evening and she was on her bed being good, so i suggested to my OH that he throw her some lamb to reward her- before she had even realised it was lamb, she bolted to the other end of the house and wouldn't come back until i went and got her. She was a shaking, scared mess. She started to improve when it was just us around and began to play a bit with the other dogs which she was too nervous to do to start with. But as soon as a visitor came over, she would shut down again and hide in a corner shaking- as far away from the visitor as she could possibly get. We have now had her for 6 months and she is a totally different dog- albeit still with mild issues. She looks like a normal dog walking down the street and we have taught her a reliable recall so she can play off lead in the park/ beach etc. She is brilliant with us and gets so excited when me or the OH gets home. She has proven to be excellent as far as her obedience and relations with other dogs go- she comes with me alot to see clients as well which helps with her people skills. She is getting better and better with strange people- there are still many she won't readily approach for a pat but she doesn't run away either. She will take food treats from almost anybody and has a few of our friends and family that she really likes. She still doesn't cope particularly well in very busy environments- but will put herself in a drop rather than panic bolt. We are now ready to work with her in busier places and progress her further. Here is a photo of her when she cut her ear a few months ago. Meet Georgie

Yes, thats more so what i was thinking. I understand the link between dogs that are companion dogs can suffer anxiety if these needs are not met, but why some of the hunting breeds- Weims, GSP's etc? I can't say i've noticed it excessively in the GSD's i have seen- usually those cases were more related to upbringing, handling etc. All the dogs were suited to their families in my opinion. Would a breeder cut an otherwise excellent rep of the breed for being anxious?