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Everything posted by Cosmolo
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Clean run tugs are the best- we use the sheepskin bite bar, 2 handled rabbit fur tug and raccoons tail on a lead. Dogs love them! :D
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Obedience School In Melbourne
Cosmolo replied to Tikis_Mum's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
We have classes in South Melbourne too spitzbaby. -
Obedience School In Melbourne
Cosmolo replied to Tikis_Mum's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
If you'd like to email us [email protected] i can send you all the details. -
I think we need to focus on the enrichment and socialisation needs of the dog- as opposed to other intensively farmed animals. In particular critical period socialisation should be factored into any code- backed by the scientific literature that already exists. Steve, i wrote an article recently called "Why Dogs Aren't Dairy Cows"- while it doesn't define puppy farner it does discuss the effects of intensive breeding practices in poor conditions on both puppies and the parents who produce them. Do you want me to send it to you?
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Too Excited, Sometimes Barking At Other Dogs.
Cosmolo replied to luffy4688's topic in General Dog Discussion
Get a copy of Leslie McDevitts Control Unleashed and follow the principles of the Look at That game- Bailey would love it and it would over time, resolve the issue. -
Given the pups age and the eventual size difference between the dogs, i would get some advice from a qualified trainer now. Is the trainer taking your puppy school qualified? If so, give them a call and discuss prior to pre school starting.
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You don't want to rely on your puppy growing out of anything. Am i correct in thinking you bought the puppy home at 6 weeks old? Where did you get the pup from? Are you booked for pre school early July or early August- if its the latter i think thats too long to wait.
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I think its individual choice in terms of what you want from your dogs. I have 2 dogs here that are quite driven- for food and toys and they are super to train. Unfortunate that Dexter isn't physically sound as he would have been the BEST obedience and agility dog! 2 of my others are good to train and motivated enough but we don't do alot of training with one as she is old and doesn't enjoy it anymore. The other likes training in small doses and is always better after a break so we train irregularly with her. Our 5th dog is interesting- she would need to be deprived of a number of things if i wanted to trial her in obedience. Given that i don't, we deprive her of nothing and it means her heeling and formal recalls for instance aren't as 'specky' as the first 2 dogs. However, behaviours that she finds enjoyable we do regularly as she needs the combo of rewarding activity (agility, tricks, shaping) and external reward to be truly happy and motivated in her work.
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Obedience School In Melbourne
Cosmolo replied to Tikis_Mum's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
We run classes at Epping as well. :D -
Good luck finding the perfect place! We had our 4 dogs at our wedding- apart from the fact that we consider them family, my OH and i would not have met or gone out if it weren't for them. I LOVED having them there and have some gorgeous photos of all of us. We had a dog related reading during the ceremony as well and then stayed at dog friendly accomodation before our honeymoon. Weird? Maybe unusual- but we loved every minute of it and it wouldn't have been the same if the dogs weren't there.
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What Erny said. Just because something is quick does not mean there is no foundation. Some of the best training gets fast results- often positive reinforcement training creates rapid learning- its not a bad thing.
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Fantastically Focused Kelpie X
Cosmolo replied to bazilybazbaz's topic in Training / Obedience / Dog Sports
I had the pleasure of meeting Nala on the weekend and she would love to do dog sports with someone! A really fabulous little dog! She could be a real pocket rocket! -
They are not a waste of money if they are run by decent trainers who know what they're doing and how to adjust for different pups in the group. We do allow off lead play in pairs or threes provided the pups are appropriate to do so and the owners are taught how to supervise and intervene. We do this for a few reasons- - the demograhpic of our pre schools have lots of off lead parks and beaches. I know, at some stage 90% of those attending my classes will take their dogs there and i want them to know as much as possible about dog body language and what to look out for. - many of the puppies need to learn how to interact with others as they are single dogs who have had no socialisation up until the point of attending pre school- i think knowing how to interact with other dogs is important and many of my clients simply don't have access to appropriate adult dogs outside pre school. - Some puppies need the opportunity to interact so that they can then stop, settle and focus more easily AND owners commit better to settling the puppy etc when the pup has had some interaction with the other dogs. Otherwise i get people letting their pups play on tight leads to the side because they want their pups to play and so they don't listen. Unfortunately alot of trainers start their careers taking puppy classes- the reality is the most experienced trainers should be taking pre schools, not the newest ones. They are NOT easy classes to run properly. ETA SOme pups do have issues with other pups- rescue pups, breeders pups, puppy farm pups- that in itself is not the problem, its the management of these pups over the pre school that is so vital. They should improve each week without adversely influencing the other pups in the group.
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Ricketts Point is awesome and the leash free area actually extends a long way- its not just teh area in front of the car park.
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What do you use for the tug Kavik? Have you tried tugs with bunny fur, sheepskin etc?
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Leads That Were Sold @ Adt Before They Went Bankrupt
Cosmolo replied to libbs_85's topic in General Dog Discussion
My OH still makes them- he used to make them for ADT. -
If she is only in the yard for short periods and is crate trained, i would consider crating instead in the short term so that she doesn't have the opportunity to keep practicing the behaviour. Definitely contact Robert, unless you have a good behaviourist in your area who could come and see the dog. With the treat balls- have you only tried them in her yard or have you tried them elsewhere? When you are at home, how much time does she spend away from you- physically separated?
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Councils also have a say in what certain properties are used for- especially in urban areas. To make it work you need to find existing facilities in areas where demand is high so that you can pay for the costs involved and get council permission. I'll let you know how willing people are to travel in a few months too!
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Where i agist my horse they have a big indoor arena for hire- its pretty expensive though! It gives you exclusive use, the cheaper option by the hour is shared use so obviously couldn't take dogs in there! Most of the horse places i know wouldn't be able to hire facilties out exclusively to dogs because then their agisters or clients wouldn't be able to ride there.
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I would be wanting to utilise treat balls etc- i know you said she isn't food motivated but how does she get fed at the moment? Can you make her work for her meals in a treat ball or similar? Do you always put her in there and then leave? Does she ever go in there with another dog? To eat a meal? Do you spend time in there with her? Sounds potentially like some anxiety/ OCD which the sooner it can be resolved the better.
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I absolutely agree it depends how seriously they take their training- but thats part of the problem. If there aren't enough people in a given area that do take their training seriously, a club or business trying to set up something expensive to start like agility, will struggle or have to charge quite alot more.
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Thats interesting Jess- i have so many people that complain about travelling 20 minutes and recently had someone complain because our classes were 2 suburbs (maximum 10 minute drive) from them. Maybe demographics have a part to play as well. Perhaps agility is different because there are so few opportunities to do it- we'll be finding out in the next few months!
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That price doesn't surprise me PF- i've seen what outdoor and indoor arenas for horse riding cost and it certainly isn't cheap!
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What makes you think no one is doing anything about it! There are logistical issues involved with organising great venues, having regular classes etc. Its not a simple thing to do. There are council issues involved in many areas- getting permits, the expense of permits etc. Its also that many people want to do agility but don't want to pay more than they would at an existing dog club- $5-$10 a class. The $$ associated with the set up of new agility centres mean that class prices often need to be higher than that. And, in my experience- many people WON'T travel distances to training.