Kelpie-i

The worse the food is the better, that way he will be too ill to fly back, so take out that BBQ chop today and watch the salmonella grow.....

Um, yeah I suppose. Are they allergic to anything in particular?

Aaaahhh, you see I am a Ninja in my other life and I can get through the puppy doggy with the big teeth without him even noticing me. I am faster than lightning, more skillful than a samurai........... Oh bugger, I think we'll just have to come up with another way then Hey Steve, there's a party on at Erny's place in Melbourne next week and you're invited, I hear the champagne is really good, you'll have to have a glass or two

Then you leave us with no choice but to kidnap him then.

Now now Myszka, why don't we deal with this like the adults that we are....let's flip a coin!

Sky, thanks, I certainly intend to. Pippi, sure but what about your OH?? He'll miss you HG, they'll be busy rubbing sunscreen on my back for me

Herding Guy, it's certainly starting to look that way!!! But I will be thinking of you on the plane on my way to Hamilton Island

You just had pick another day when I can't make it......bugger!

I asked only because the prong collar is one of few collars that make sense and work. Our pen-pushng bureaucrats decided they were cruel and banned them here in Vic. One lady at school was using a prong collar with her aggressive dog and was achieving results. She had a severe bad back and hence was not able to sustain any pulling from her dog. As soon as the prong collars were banned, she never returned. So thanks to the Victorian Govt, this dog will never be remedied to it's full capacity. Good on you JayGee...Congrats! Jeddah, enjoy the rest of your life!

Well done JayGee on your time, effort and commitment to Jeddah and her problem. I wish I'd come accross more owners like yourself who are willing to put the effort that is required to achieve the results. ;) And Good on you Steve for showing Jeddah's owner that there is hope and life beyond fear aggression. Can I ask Steve, did you work Jeddah on a prong collar during the first consult?

Arianwen, I have to disagree. The only thing desexing MAY do is decrease his drive for the bitch. Other than that, it will not give him more focus and it will not lessen his dominance. From what you say, most of this little dog's behaviour is status based and as such this is either due to a: his individual personality and b: his owners have allowed this behviour to progress. Focus is a skill you train into the dog, it's not something that is achieved by desexing - there are many entire dogs out there with fantastic focus. A dog will give you focus if he is either trained to do so and/or has respect you. Do you have the full history of this dog? This will assist with better understanding what this dog is about. Certainly sounds like a status seeking dog but I am not entirely sure all of his actions are pertaining to this.

Viewed the videos.... I can't be 100% sure but it's almost as though he doesn't want to be touched on the right side of his face, near the collar. He seems fine when you are stroking him on his chest but not when you go near the right side of his face. But then again, extremely hard to make a diagnosis based on a video. Desexing won't help!! This behaviour is now learned and ingrained. Desexing won't change the feelings he has but it certainly won't hurt to desex for the purpose of stopping any unwanted pups. Is he aggressive in other situations or just when you pat him??

arienwen Try Utube, I think it shrinks the size for you and we could go in to view it from there. www.utube.com

arianwen, I have come accross many people like this and unfortunately if they aren't willing to take advice then there is nothing much else you can do. It is usually when something serious happens, that they either decide to make the change or decide to give the dog up. There are tactics which you can employ with these people that MAY make them change their minds although it doesn't always work. Try scaring her with information about dog laws, possible damage to others and law suits that may arise as a consequence of the dog's behavour. Tell her it would cost her $$ if the dog bit someone and the dog would be killed and she would have no-one else to blame but herself. Harsh, probably...the truth will hurt but she will be grateful for your honesty. I have even gone to the extreme of taking photos of what dog bites to children look like. This was a drastic measure but at least the person saw for themselves the sorts of injuries dogs can inflict. Some people just need wake up calls. I have PM'd you with the request for the video. I would like to watch it if alright with you.

Axel, I definitely don't think that his behaviour is due to any changes, especially since these changes occurred 4 month ago. Continue with the NILIF program, it can take up to 4 weeks before you see true changes - dependant on the dog. Do you attend obedience, if not, I recommend that you enrol soon as this will further your leadership stance with your dog. I say this through experience with my 11 yo GSD male. He was quite a handful when I got him at 2 yrs old and with him weighing 48kg and me weighing 45kg, there was certainly a battle of wills. Hang in there!

Hi Axel As HR & Erny said. ;) Plus....try to see your dog as a 16 or 17 year old adolescent male human who has just found his testosterone!!! This will make it easier for you to know what you are dealing with at the moment. My suggestion is strictly stick to a NILIF program and continue your obedience training without fail. Don't give him an inch of "space" if you know what I mean.

Well "said" Nekhbet. You're spot on!

Any static command on a recall is going to slow down the recall, especially if it's not taught properly. I personally wouldn't use or seperate commands for this. There is a neat little trick which is based on posturing which works well in letting the dog know if it's a full or part recall - doesn't work on all dogs though.

Hi K9, I'm not doubting you, it's just that I know a lot of farmers with dogs who herd their stock and if the dog is a ratback or doesn't perform, it either gets given away or is shot.

Myszka I watched a docco on the making of Stuart Little and the cats were trained using a clicker. Same with some dogs in various commercials. Of course Stuart Little is a computer generated figure and the cat's faces (mimicking the talking) were computer generated as well. I must say though that I am yet to meet a farmer who uses an e-collar. They are most likely to put a bullet in the dogs head than spend money on collar and time training.

Most cats, dogs and other wild animals which feature in movies are trained using a clicker. This is because it is faster and shapes the exact behaviour. I too use verbal cues as i don't always use a clicker, but I find that I can mark the precise behaviour with a clicker and tend to be a little "slower off the mark" with verbal. Hey, each to their own and I think there is a time and place for them.

I only just come into this thread, so please accept my aplogies if I'm way off the mark. Clickers.....love them! I know what you say that a marker is a marker but this is what I used to say until I started using one. Have taught my dogs new tricks in half the time it was taking with a verbal "Yes". The clicker sounds the same constantly and you are able to mark the precise behaviour with the exact same marking sound. Of course you must follow with praise, treats etc. What I have also noticed is that when training using a vocal "Yes" my dog's enthusiasm just isn't the same as when I use the clicker. BTW, I mainly use the clicker for teaching tricks. But I have perfected my dog's heeling with continued focus with it I have recently purchased a "click n play" squid which is a click in the shape of a bouncy squid for those dogs who are not food driven but love to chase balls. The only downside of a clicker is there is a chance of forgetting to praise the dog.

Hi KC Drive training will bring out the best in Sascha. If she's an eager beaver now, then be prepared for an explosion! When training using drive, the dog will perform exercises quite easily and stress free. She has the basics, it's a matter on working with those and expanding slowly and steadily. As the other posters have stated, don't push too hard and expect things from her that may be beyond what she knows. Remember that you have on averge of 10-12 years with your dog....why rush! IMO, I personally don't totally believe that 7 months is too young to start learning some advanced skills, especially with a dog that has been bred and built to work such as yours. With herding, this is the right age to start working the dog in higher stress situations but this doesn't mean you push it to the limit either. Her attitutude towards training will dictate to you when you've gone far enough. Edited coz I carnt spel

Hi KC Don't panic too muh, you will be shown various methods of achieving this when you start with us. A word of warning with drops/sits on recalls....if you are not doing them properly and your posturing and signalling is wrong then it will slow down your recall significantly. In the interim, make sure you do more full recalls than drop/sit on recalls to keep up her speed

Thanks for the pics HR