TangerineDream

Still working on this one - Tango's only 2 (years old) and bounces when he gets excited, not necessarily on people, just UP and there is usually a person in the immediate vicinity (usually me) - you need to work out why they do it, is it attention (pat me, pat me), is it frustration (mum, can we go now, I'm bored), is it excitement (oh, yes, yes, yes, this is wonderful!!! ) because the corrections will be different for them all. If it's pat me, pat me, turning your back on Tango and walking away extinguishes it pretty fast. If it's can we go now I'm bored, that can be a bit harder because you'll have a wriggling, squirming dog who doesn't want to sit still...and if it's plain excitement...please let me know - I'm still working on it!

The pork fat might have been the 'straw that broke the camels back' (so to speak) - ....it was bacon fat that caused it with my last GSP.....and bones also have a lot of fat on them. I fed Cadence on chicken mince (had to cook it and then skim the fat off because he was so sensitive to it), boiled rice and oatmeal and the only dry food I could feed him that was low enough in fat and agreed with his gut was Supercoat. He lived for another 9 years without a single attack, but I was boringly vigilant over his food while I learnt what his system could and couldn't cope with (this is individual to the dog). I could feed him wet food so long as it was 8% fat content or less for about 3 days and then he'd start to show signs of intolerance and it'd be 2 days onto chicken fillets and rice and yoghurt to settle him again.....he couldn't have any bones after that at all - too much fat. Lots of luck - it's high maintenance in a way (keeping people from putting food in your dog's mouth) but easily controlled once you work out what diet does and doesn't suit your dog.

I Use Polaramine for both me and Tango...we're both allergic to just a touch of European wasps brushing past...

Bacon fat triggered lifelong pancreatitis in my last GSP, so I now have a rule - NO bacon fat or rind EVER. I think it's just too risky.

I've got a 2 year old GSP who is currently in the showing, doing obedience, doing some agility (will work happily on both sides) and just starting out tracking. Absolutely no confusion at all, and he adores everything we do ...I make sure that the equipment I use for each activity is specific to that activity, my clothing also and the commands. Don't think you'd have any problems at all with multi-tasking a Border Collie

My last GSP had pancreatitis (brought on by a piece of bacon rind ) He only every had 1 bout because from that point on I watched him like a hawk and no-one but me was allowed to feed him anything without asking my permission first. Cadence was put on a diet of chicken mince (boiled in water then with all the fat skimmed off after it had set), rice, oatmeal and Supercoat. He could cope with food that 8% fat or less, and anything over that he could only deal with for about 3 days before he started to get the beginnings of symptoms. He never had another attack after the 1st at 18months and lived till nearly 11 before cancer claimed him. Once you work out a diet that works, stick to it like glue, all dogs will have slightly different needs and its important to learn your dogs needs and triggers. Don't feel guilty about playing policeman with people and food weither...I just used to be blunt and say, "if you give that to my dog he will get very sick and may die, so please don't" (and some would still say..."oh, a little bit won't hurt" and I'd have to get really tough with them)

I've had the same problem in the past...so I changed classes to a different instructor with whom I get on really well - and Tango is much happier now because I'm enjoying it. Obedience is like school, if there's a clash for any reason (personality or otherwise) then a) you won't learn because you'll be too p1ssed off, b) your dog will sense your annoyance and will likely play up.....so I think it would be a waste to stay with that particular instructor...I'd quietly either change classes if you can or have a chat to the head instructor and ask for a change.

Have been cooking my chicken mince from various suppliers for 22 years and have never had a problem...just make sure that when they mince it, it is very fine not coarse, and that there's not too much fat in it. I have bought a bag to try from a butcher but it was minced too coarsely and the bone pieces were too large for my liking so that went straight in the bin. Atm, I'm using a chicken shop who really do sell at $1 per kg (by weight) rather than Lenards who have some shops who sell as $1 per bag and the bag weight varies from 780g to 950g. I'm feeding a mixture of chicken mince, rice, oatmeal, cooked pumpkin, broccoli, potatoes, beans, carrots and feeding Pedigree Adult dry food (with the German Wirehair on the bag) and have found that this is the best combo for Tango - it's putting weaight on him (he's notoriously difficult to put weight on because he's so active), poos are lovely and his coat is stunning. 7.5kg bag is about $18 I think and lasts for weeks.

This is the most amazingly well choreographed version of "You're the one that I want" from Grease that I've ever seen!!!! I love the pure joy on the dog's face throughout the whole performance!

There's a fair chance that if the next fear periods are handled carefully and sensitively and the pup has the drive(s) you are seeking, that you might have a reasonable contender on your hands for both obedience and schutzhund. I've not taken pups out (on the ground) till 16 weeks (min) and that's 4 Dobes (incl 2 x CD, 1 x ROM) and 2 GSP's - none of these dogs has had any problems with socialisation. Tango (now 2 yo) didn't set foot on the ground outside the yard till 18 weeks old (I didn't bring him home till 14 weeks due to work commitments) and then promptly took to everything like a duck to water. We worked through the fear periods carefully and I now have a dog who has gone straight into the 2nd top class at obedience with flying colours at 22 months with only short training periods daily at home and on walks, has very strong prey drive, has been proofed to gunshot, and took to agility with enthusiasm - nothing phases him.... I think she sounds worth spending a bit of time with while you consider whether she's the girl for you.

Hi DA, Tango does the same thing!!! and spins in mid air at the same time.....I do the same thing as you...stand and wait and stare into space and wait for him to come back to earth because he knows that the collar doesn't go on till he's sitting calmly in front of me....can take (what seems like a) few minutes..... Then there are the times that I walk outside the front door and get the same response, but it's slowly getting better, because the carpet runner in the hall doesn't get moved as far as it used to. One thing that I found that has helped quite a lot was to move his bed in the study in full view of the front door and do the repetitive in-out-in-out while making him stay and correcting him if he so much as leant forward...I chose a time when there were to be no other distcations for 30 mins or so and then bored myself going in and out...but it was worth it. Think I should try this again.... Wonder if it's a GSP thing?

In the past, I've done show and obedience at the same time with all my pups. Sit and stand are both taught and we never have confusion. I like the others use different cues, both in equipment and clothing - show lead and collar are only ever used for show training or at shows, never for anything else and a particular set of behaviours is expected when this rig is on - and my clothing at shows is different. With standard check chain and ordinary lead, the obedience expectations kick in. This time round I've been lazy and just shown Tango before I took him to obedience class (all of his obedience training has been done just with me), but with Victoria's winter and shows in Melbourne (5 days a week is enough of the place.....), we've done obedience this winter for the first time (can't rush these things...he's still not quite 2 yo ), within 3 minutes on his first day he was working in the 3rd class, with no confusion re the commands. I'd get 2 sets of collar & lead, 2 sets of clothes (show and obedience) and use specific commands for the behaviour you want (oh, and I also only ever use cheese as show bait and to 'stand', so at obedience I use anything else except cheese)...so Tango thinks 'cheese' = 'stand'

When I had a pack of 3 Dobes, Tegan ("Little Miss Dominant Bitch") always had to be first for everything...if she wasn't, you'd end up with escalating tension between them, and if she was first, all was peaceful. The other 2 weren't fussed so long as they didn't miss out, but didn't mind the order.

A lot of instructors are taught how to train dogs, but aren't taught how to train handlers......a lot of instructors become instructors because they have successfully trained their dog to a particular level and are seen as 'capable'. I did a lot of reading on dog psychology when I was training to become an instructor, and being a trained primary teacher helped with the psychology of human learning...but I did notice a number of instructors didn't understand the psychology of learning (for humans). I also jointly ran an instructor's training class for the Dobe Club some years ago and made sure that we spent a couple of sessions just on just that....and the trainers that we turned out that year were very successful! One rule that I stand by....never criticise the handler...always find a way of turning each negative into a positive.

I use 'come' for the formal recall, but I use 'here' for a non-formal call to me and 'heel'. I have completely different intonations on the 2 words so Tango never gets muddled... heel = upper . . .hee lower = l (makes it sound enthusiastically multisyllabic) here = here (monsyllabic) in a lower register

I think drive can also be encouraged or stifled, and I think a lot depends on the dog when I look at the dogs I have owned with just one common denominator...me.. Rhiannon (Dobe): low everything drive, reminded me of a teenager lurking around corners, but couldn't really be bothered joining in most times. Tegan (Dobe): high prey drive (live animals not tennis balls - would break palings to get a rabbit on the other side of the fence), insanely high food drive. Kai (Dobe - full brother to Tegan - chalk and cheese comes to mind with these two): Mr Cool...drive? what's drive? Taryn (Dobe): I think I could only call her hyperactive as her drive was 'scattered' as was her attention Cadence (GSP): moderate prey drive, high food drive, couch drive got higher as he got older, then the sunbaking drive kicked in Tango (GSP): nicknamed "Mr Enthusiastic" by people who know him......"Drive? which drive would you like me to give you an example of mum, huh? huh??" high prey drive, high food drive, high everything drive...wears people out when they watch him...everything is approached at Warp speed unless strictly controlled. Can heel at triple pace when you are walking at normal pace and still be in the heel position

I've found the easiest and quickest way of teaching heel to be this (have tried it on forging Dobes, GSP's that work 5' off the ground with enthusiasn, and it takes almost no time at all). 1. Take end of lead in both hands and clasp hands against your chest - this is where your hands both stay at all times. 2. Without a word, start walking....and dog shoots past, without a word, turn and walk in the other direction, as dog shoots past you, without a word, turn and walk in the other direction. Remember that you are silent, and both hands remain clasped against your chest. repeat steps 1 and 2 until you get the response you want. You are letting the dog correct himself, you aren't correcting him. Any dog who has gone to obedience will get the idea pretty quickly and it won't take too long before you find that he's not quite getting to the end of the lead like he was......and then you can use the same silent 'turn and walk in the other direction' to teach him the distance you are happy for him to be away from you - in fact you can teach him the heel position by continuing this method for longer. As soon as he's in the position you want, a quiet stroke and soft 'good boy' will tell him that he's where you want him. Tango ('Mr Overenthusiastic' who would heel 5' off the ground if you let him and pull you to China) learnt really quickly what this was all about, so effectively so, that at his first week at obedience ever, I put him straight into class 3 and the instructor wanted to know why I wasn't in the Novice class

The hooking the foot around your leg is dominance (have seen a few dominant Dobes - male not female, do this) and so is the peeing on you (don't misunderstand, he knows exactly where you are every second, dogs don't lift their legs without aiming at something) and an 8 month male Dobe is at that age where they are starting to test you out. I'd watch very carefully all of his behaviour and I think I'd re-establish your 'leadership' carefully if necessary. I wouldn't let it continue or you might find it harder to remain pack leader as he matures.

Tango circles (in mid air usually ) but only when he's trying to watch everything at the same time in all directions just as we start off in the car, but then lies down within 500mtrs, or if he gets really excited because I'm going to take him for a walk. I just stand there doing and saying nothing looking at the ceiling till the behaviour extinguishes and this now happens very quickly as he understands that nothing happens till he stops. The other thing that I found works well is to walk out of the room or away from the dog if outside without a word.........behaviour ceases almost instantly.

One of my Dobes (Tegan) was a chook killer and used to dig a chook sized hole under the fence of the chookyard...and wait...... score Tegan 7, chooks 0..... Her younger brother used to play with them and you'd come home to find a tired white Leghorn hen with a brown 'racing stripe' from where Kai would hold it down with one foot. The only one that could live with Tegan was the very dominant Rhode Island rooster...she'd scarper if he appeared because he was just 'mean'.. I've considered getting chooks, but with leaving at 6am and getting home at 7pm I just can't bring myself to feed chooks in the dark..and after Tango pointed at an emu with a serious glint in his eye this afternoon on our walk....it'll have to be a pretty well constructed 'yard'

That looks faulous!!! We'll give that a try tomorrow night after work....I think Tango will enjoy it - he likes doing exercises that reqquire a quick change of pace or direction or both....

Quality of instruction, inventiveness of instructors and the club's with dogs either having learning problems or not being challenged enough - just like teaching kids..the same principles apply. Not every child learns the same, the sme goes for dogs, but lots of clubs just want to churn people through...I know that a lot of people attending clubs are just doing obedience 'because they've been told they should', but for those attempting more than just cursory training, the qulaity of instruction is incredibly important. have started at 2 obedience clubs in Melbourne, only to walk away at the end of the 1st lesson and not go back......shocking!

Tango lies on the bathmat while I'm in the shower and when I'm getting dressed...even I could taste it when I sprayed it on me....I noticed it but didn't think anything of it at the time.

Finally got the last set of blood tests back yesterday...and the level of aluminium in his blood was way higher than usual...that fits with the change to the deoderent that I was using.... which I have now changed back to what i was using before...his behaviour is also normal since I stopped using it.....so YAY!! we know what the problem is - it was the deoderant!!!! I've thrown it out and would recommend from what I have discovered, not (**under any circumstances**) to use the spray on Dove Anti-Persirant Fresh Touch Deoderant with Cucumber and Green tea Extracts.

I use clippers on Tango's nails when I hear them on the tiles - usually about once a week...he's the only 'non-screamer' I've ever owned out of 2 GSP's and 5 Dobes.......sits there and looks horrified but usually waves a foot in my direction when I ask :D