Erny

................ call it "Intermission".

Kal is still with me. I'm sorry .... I will post here properly, soon.

Thank you for sharing the update with us DBS. I am so glad all are doing well in their own way. Sorry to hear of your loss of Adam the Goat (17yo is a pretty ripe old age for a goat, no?), but congratulations to Margali for finding voice once more!

I have a stainless steel one, but my next one would be a ceramic sealed terricotta one. I tend to find the latter are heavier, and don't slide around the floor (and away from my dog's nose and tongue) when it's being licked clean to within an inch of its life.

Confidential? What would be so confidential as to expressing one's thoughts on the contagiousness of parvo via the human? Not sure how the question was posed to him, but if it was a straight out question asking his thoughts on the liklihood of Parvo being carried over by a human to other dogs, then I'd suggest you got fobbed off. And if that's the case, I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole ..... let alone allow him anywhere near my dog.

I was not the one to say this, but IMO, one hour should be the minimum and I believe (without resourcing back to the person who said it here) that it would have been meant on the basis that there is general interaction with the dog whilst the owners are home (ie an indoor dog), but that ONE full hour of dedicated interaction (walks, training, play etc.) be given to the dog each day (for the most part). Just my opinion though, and assuming the original quoter's intended meaning. ETA: If the dog is an outdoor dog only, I believe more time needs to be dedicated by the owners to being outside with/around their dog, given they preclude the opportunity by prohibiting access to the human dwelling.

Checking in ..... how's our boy doing?

Whilst I understand where you are coming from, I would refute the above statement, Wyv. Even the most well mannered pets can develop unwanted behaviours as a RESULT of the handlers being novice. The instructor needs to be sufficiently knowledgeable to identify the early warning signs of behaviour issues and be able to explain and help the novice owner nip these in the bud straight off. It is FAR better to do so then, than wait until the behaviour becomes full blown .... which is when, on many occasions people usually think to call on a higher level of expertise. By that stage, it is more difficult to turn the behaviour around, assuming it can be turned around completely. At the club where I train, the puppy/young dog instructors (and remember, puppies and young dogs are commonly with novice handlers) are very important instructors indeed. Prevention is the best medicine. ETA: IMO, the easiest class level to instruct is the Advance Level. By this stage, most of the dogs having come up through the ranks at my school, have had any behavioural issues sorted. It then requires an instructor with the imagination and enthusiasm to make the class fun and interesting. Not to suggest, though, that the instructor doesn't need a solid background in training so that obedience probs can't be worked out to resolution. Being a good instructor, IMO, is not simply about teaching clients the mechanics of how to teach their dogs to sit, drop, heel etc. It's about many other dog related matters on a deeper plain. Admittedly that's how it is at the school I'm with and I guess that's the expectable difference between a professional dog training school and those that are volunteer based. It is from these latter clubs I've seen more than numerous clients and their dogs looking for the help they need to address and fix issues that, after investigation, often began when their dog was only a pup, but went unrecognised and unaddressed.

Thanks for posting the link Griff ..... doesn't say much about them though, so I'm still a little in the dark. I'll look out for them on the TV. Hard to tell by the picture, but it doesn't look like there's much storeage space available for the 'processed' vegetable matter. Only guessing, though. Maybe there's more info available - I'm not an ebay user, so I'm unfamiliar with finding my way around. One day I'll get into it ..... I do understand it can be quite addictive once you start.

As to the form of "correction" you need to give your dog .... that's something I can't and won't answer over the net, given that I don't know your dog. It's a matter of judgement. There's only so much "training" you can do via a computer. Can never beat an actual lesson. ETA: I wouldn't use a hand signal to raise him from drop back to sit after a break from the command, as that would then warrant a further reward. If he learns this is how he gets you to reward him, he'll keep 'offering' the drop part way through the sit/stay, merely to get his reward sooner.

All I can say in response to your Vet's advice/statement, based on everything I've read and heard, is Makes me wonder if he worries too much about scrubbing up thoroughly after a parvo case or in case a parvo carrier has been in, between patients. Will be interested in the comments of others, but my knee-jerk reaction is that I would not stake a great deal of confidence in your Vet ...... unless he has some ground breaking news that I've never heard of.

What are they? What do they do? How do they work? (You don't shoot the vegies, do you? ) Can't say I've seen it on TV.

Jodie - the courage you show and dedication you give to Ollie ......... let it warm your soul and strengthen your heart in return. Know that you have done (and still do) above and beyond in everything that you could and can do for the lad. No-one, or no dog, could expect more from you than what you have given and give now. For that, be proud and at peace with yourself. What will be, will be. I wish for you and Ollie another bounce back, but one way or the other, it will be right and as it should be. Give Ollie a loving pet/stroke from me and hugs to you from me (and Kal). ETA: "Come on Ollie, come on ....... "

I use a juicer. Then I mix the pulp back in with the juice. Previously, I used a blender (too much hard work) and then I used a food processor. I find the juicer quicker and easier. Wish I had one of the ones that have the larger "feeder", though ..... would be quicker still. Kal has a combo of spinach, silverbeet, pumpkin, carrots and parsley and the juicer handles all of these quite well.

I hear you, PF, and agree. A good instructor should be able to explain well and demonstrate where necessary.

Well, now there's a thought!

Jodie ..... what about something like some vegemite mixed into some warm boiled water? If Ollie's stomach isn't feeling well, could be the chicken is a bit too heavy and maybe even a bit too fatty for him to cope with. Or even some gravox (or some such) mixed in a bit of water. Might help to kick start his stomach to work again, or keep it from shutting down at least. Maybe even add an arrowroot bicky into this and mush it up a bit. Wish I had a magic wand. (Erny looks for "wistful" emoticon)

Jodie Ollie

Being able to teach by explanation only does have a certain dependance, as well, on what the 'learning styles' are of the students. Some learn by reading it and then hearing it. Some by hearing it and then seeing it. Etc. So even an instructor who is very talented in the field of communicative explanation might be needed to demonstrate a technique to complement the learning style of his/her student.

Any [further] changes to behaviour that you can detect? Thread is becoming quite informative - not to just us here, but others who chose to visit and read. Also interesting from a progressive point of view. (ie the "before" and "afters"). Thanks for the input. I'm listening in. Have a spayed bitch, so no need of the implant for me. But certainly something that pet owners might undertake when they are totally opposed and will not entertain the idea of neutering their pet dog. Not to mention the convenience when a dog of breeding stock is running with a bitch but whose "equipment" is not yet required. Or for those who think they might show, but haven't decided yet.

I agree - although don't write-off the instructor/trainer who has a dog NOT good in "life skills" .... could be that instructor has adopted a dog with issues that can't all be completely made 100% right. Quite often those people possess a very good sound knowledge in areas that others don't, simply because they have had to deal with those issues first hand. Of course, having experience working with a diverse range of dogs (their own and/or others) and issues can be a good indicator of competancy liklihood. It's not necessarily the case that "experience" = "has owned". Nor is it necessarily the case that an instructor's own dog must be good at obedience - could be they've only just acquired it.

You got it gsdog2. This exercise also builds a lot of positive feedback to your dog - teaching it THIS is what you want. It also means, when you've spent time doing this, if your dog breaks at say 30 seconds when you've clearly been working on, say 50 seconds, is more likely to understand the correction it receives (in whatever form of correction you use with your dog) is a correction for NOT holding the sit. It will be used to you giving the "good feedback" when you return to it, and makes it less likely that the dog will simply be happy for you to return at all (even if to be corrected back to a sit). It helps to eleviate confusion in the dog's mind and makes receipt of a correction more fair, and assists in building the reliability of the position.

Good to hear, Raven and good work, Haven. I'll look forward to hearing the outcome in relation to your training progress, Raven.

Thoughts are with you and Ollie, Jodie. The rollercoaster ride we are on at these times would put any entertainment park 'thrill' ride to shame. Hang in there ... be strong.

Yes - sounds right. What you're doing is simply providing more frequent feed back and teaching the dog that remaining in the sit WILL get him the food rewards and that, BONUS, he'll be released and have fun. The closer you get to your known maximum time (ie the time when he USED to slide to a drop), the smaller the time increments should become, until you can get past that hurdle. Does this make sense?