haven

Agreed. Love your new avatar LP

You've probably found it by now .................... but in case you haven't .... ADT I think Beaglenewb is looking for previous threads about ADT that have been on DOL. I had a quick look but for some reason when I do a forum search it always comes up with a million unrelated topics

LOL haven. Last thing that jumped into my mind . You would be supprised, a lot of people have whinged about it in the past. Beaglenewb you could also try a search of the forum of any clubs that you are interested in as they have probably been discussed before. I know both ADT and Croydon have. The centre in the Basin is one of many located throughout VIC. Beaglenewb, I'd say the Doncaster, Scoresby or Hawthorn centres would be closest to you. Edited for spazzy grammar

Australian Dog Training is an excellent club with qualified and experienced trainers, in fact their minimum requirement for anyone who wants to instruct is that they have completed the Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training run by the NDTF, which is a nationally recognised qualification. Many of the trainers have also completed further studies in specialised areas such as treating behaviour problems, advanced skills and tricks, explosives detection etc and have many years of professional dog training experience. One main difference between ADT and some other obedience clubs is the price structure, instead of paying a yearly fee you pay a one of fee that covers your training for the life of your dog and is guaranteed. They also have many centres across Vic, so you have the flexibility to train at various locations, times and days. Before anyone jumps up and down, I work for ADT but I don't profit in any way from recommending them. I did profit many years ago when I first discovered ADT as a member because they helped me treat my GSDs chronic anxiety problems and turn him into a much happier, healthier dog after many other clubs and trainers told me to put him to sleep.

Depends on exactly where you are. If you click on the link in my sig below and go to 'training your dog' you can see a list of the obedience clubs in your area that are members of the National Dog Trainers Federation.

There is a Canine Massage course that I have heard lots of good things about and I would like to do myself. It is run by the National College of Traditional Medicine and it is held in Melbourne but accommodation can be included in the cost of the package.

Ah, I see I can sypathise, as a kid I had the same problem and Mum made me put bluetak in my ears everytime I went in water, I hated it :p

Sorry, did I miss that in one of the posts?

Swimming!

I train my dogs to slow but they only use agility for fun, not for competition. Were I going to train for competition I'd train to stop. To my knowledge all of the people I know who do competition agility train to stop at the contact.

Dogs don't show pain in the same manner as humans. When my dog ruptured her cruciate ligament she walked normally with the exception of a slight limp for a few stride when she got up after resting. Even when I handled her she didn't respond but when manipulated by a physio and vet she was in an enormous amount of pain. Er on the side of caution for the sake of your dog. It may be nothing but a quick trip to a Vet is worth sparing your beloved any pain or discomfort he is going through. Another thing to consider is it may not be causing any pain yet but if left untreated it could become irreparable.

ahhhhh!!!! Thanx Haven!!! BTW - I ended up keeping 'Lacey' (now Kinta).... she is going great and so far all concerns have been pretty much resolved - just thought you may be interested. Hope you had a good break! That's great to hear, I hope everything continues to go well!! What does leo think of it all now that he has had awhile to get used to her being around?

In your case Chezzyr, I'd probably backward chain it starting with praising her for giving up an article. How badly do you want your dog to do it? I started teaching Loki but gave it up eventually. I don't doubt that I could do it but it was making him uncomfortable and I decided it wasn't worth pressuring him over.

Provide Food and Water for animals is what was previously refered to as Kennel Care and Hygiene

Is that actually a book? How sad that I have that quote in my sig and I didn't even know that Second "How dogs learn"

I'd get it checked. My Vet told me that clicking in the joints is often a sign of ostio-arthritis.

Acrually I thought it expensive when I bought it but my GSD has skin issues so I was happy to pay extra if it helped. Given the number of washes I get per bottle though, I wouldn't say it's expensive at all.

LOL Dougie, when I got my dog I wanted to use Hoss Gloss because it was the best shampoo I'd used on the horses and I loved the smell. I was just worried that it wouldn't be ok for dogs. I assume you use it with no problems? I might go to the stock supplies store after work Oh and I currently use Aloveen oatmeal shampoo and conditioner on my dogs, makes them beautifully soft and shiny and it has a nice smell.

SM your dogs are such spunks!

Also, if you throw a treat and your dog misses it don't let them eat it off the ground. Step on the treat, move the dog away or if possible train in an area where the treat will fall through, like a deck, if they don't catch it. If they reeeeeally want the treat it won't take long before they put more effort into catching it!

Sorry to leave you hanging awhile there guys, I've been on leave. To clear up the confusion, there are currently no requirements as to how many and which electives you choose. You are required to complete two in order to get a certificate but you can choose to do more if you wish. We do not recommend that you choose all five electives at once as this would significantly increase your workload not only for you but for your dog. Upon successful completion of the course you can take on additional electives as individual units. The 100 hours of practical training is what is covered during your block training sessions. We certainly do recommend that you attend a number of different obedience clubs to see different styles of training in action, but it is currently not a requirement of the Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training. Some of the trainers on the current course (which runs in Melbourne) will be available but it is unlikely due to timings that all of the trainers will be available at all of the block training sessions. While you are in Melbourne you may get to see people such as Steve Austin or Dr Robert Holmes, but those that are unavailable at the time will be provided on DVD. Hope that helps, I'll get to answering the q's in the other thread now

On the subject of Natural Horsemanship, it mainly involves the use of negative reinforcement. There's not alot of positive punishment (if any) used, but of course it depends on the trainer. You certainly can use similar training methods on dogs but it is very uncommon (or so I have found) to do so, as dogs generally respond far better to other forms of training. As Cosmolo said, horses are prey animals, not predators, so both respond very differently to pressure and horses are far more sensitive to it than most dogs. It also depends heavily on each individual dog. For example, with the horses I used to work with, I could have them move forward, backward, left, right, change gait etc from metres away (or more) with the subtlest of cues, a slight change of posture, eye contact etc. that would be invisible to most people. Most dogs of a solid temperament need far more pressure than this to respond in a similar manner. I feel that my training in Natural Horsemanship really helped me deal with Loki, as he is a very fearful dog and far more predisposed to 'flight' as opposed to 'fight' and he doesn't respond much to positive reinforcement. I think the basic premise behind the training can be used on dogs, but it is far more applicable to fearful or timid dogs than those that are confident and of solid nerve. I also feel that working with a flight animal, like horses, can help to make someone far more aware of the subtleties of body language, including awareness of their own and the effects this has on the animal (horse, dog etc). Sorry for the O/T

Not necessarily, while applications close for the March course on January 25th, we will be accepting enrolments before then. As there is a huge number of people on the waiting list (i.e. in excess of 600) I expect the course to fill up well before the cut off date. Have PMed you also

No need to choose, you can do both ETA: Conduct Dog Obedience and Agility Classes is a core unit, i.e. everyone must complete it, Conduct Companion Animal Training Classes is an elective so you only undertake it if you choose to. You probably already knew that WEIA, but just pointing it out to avoid confusion

With all due respect, you were lucky. I'm very glad for you that Tango doesn't appear to have any permanant issues due to lack of socialisation during the Critical Period, but not every dog will be that lucky. You can guarantee that? Wow.... ETA: Just to avoid confusion, that last quote is from Zorros post, not TD's ;)