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I just found this on YouTube, and was laughing so much - this dobe obviously loves the slide!

Yep, she sure is fast! Myszka, no problems - I was just teasing! You can buy me a drink instead! :wink: ;)

If you're not sending them all to Myzska, I'd love a sample too! If you're sending them all to her, I'll just be all sooky at her next time I see her!

Yes! Puppy breath is the best!! It's kind of a sweet smell... just makes you want to snuggle the little puppy right up!!

Hugs to you Sezy. RIP Tiby :rolleyes:

So sorry to hear of your loss, Wizard1. RIP Merlin.

Flame wags her stump, but usually only when she's trying to get me to give her food! The closer to the nose, the better and indication of the dogs intentions.

Hi everyone, I have just posted some show suits and a couple of shirts here: Show suits Shirts are kahki and bone. Suits are pink, bone, brown and orange.

I have recently covered this in the National Dog Trainers Federation course.... dogs learn by understanding patterns. Dogs also need to be corrected no more than 3 seconds after the act, but preferably closer to half a second. Because you cannot put a dog in timeout within 3 seconds of him doing the behaviour, you need to use a 'marker' (ie something that tells the dog he is doing something wrong, and the consequence will follow). So, what does this mean? When a dog does something you dont want it to do, say "Timeout" firmly, then put the dog in timeout. When this is done consistently, the dog will understand the pattern - that doing the behaviour = you saying "Timeout" = him being shut away. After a few repitions, the dog then understands the consequence of the bad behaviour and stops that behaviour because it results in a consequence it does not want (ie timeout). The reason you say 'Timeout' is to let the dog know that what it is doing is the direct cause of the timeout (the 'marker'). You should not give your dog any other command between saying 'Timeout' and putting him in timeout, otherwise he will think he is being punnished for following your next command. You should also not make any eye contact with the dog. Just physically move it into the timeout area. Oh, something else I just thought of, is that you should probably use a special word for the timeout. If you use 'NO' for timeout and the same word for just general bad behaviour with no timeout, then the dog will get confused and think that it wont necessarily get timeout when you say 'No'. Consistency is the key! I hope that makes sense. I am in the middle of my course, and this is my understanding of what we were taught.

My dog loves this: 1 lambs fry (lamb liver) stick it in the microwave for 8 minutes. Let it cool, then slice it into thin pieces. Stick it in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours and they dry out. Voila! You have your own home-made liver treats.

Well, I have to say (just coming back from my first session in Melbourne) that ALL the NDTF staff are excellent.

Squeak, no that's not Roxy. Okay, focus - I get Flame to sit infront of me and when she looks at me (as opposed to the treat bag!) she gets a 'Yes' and a treat. So now she's following me around and staring at me constantly!

Squeak, we are currently working on bowing. We've had 2 sessions so far and she's pretty much got it. Smart doggie she is! We have also worked out giving me focus (I had tried to work on this previously but I didnt know how to do it properly ). And she's also now getting the release command. Leopuppy - I didnt take Flame, and infact only one person took their own dog. It was more a herding demo than a workshop, but we got info on how it was done etc. The choc lab was my favorite dog. I wanted to take him home. Nearly cried when I had to leave him.

Myszka, I wish you could have done it with me too! :D Ohhh Gillbear, you and Winterpaws are going to love this course! It is very full-on, so make sure you have your thinking caps on! It has really clarified some things in my mind, and made me so enthusiastic about getting out there and training! I have already started on working on some new stuff with Flame.... :D

And some training photos: Teaching 'bow' Herding workshop: Focus:

Well I didnt have much of a chance to take photos, as I was usually too busy. But I managed to take a few. Here are some of the cute doggies that were there. We handled SO many different dogs!

Hi Everyone, well, I just got back from Melbourne last night from my first block training session for the NDTF Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training. And it was awesome. It was very full-on, I learnt SO much, and I had a great time while I was there. Horus was in the same block session, and got to meet Haven and Herr_Rottweiller. :p It was SO good, I just cant say that enough! The instructors are great, they make the material and they also have fun with the students. Well done to the NDTF, I just cant wait to attend my next block session!!

I love your 'oops' at the end!!

Oh Moriat, I am so sorry. RIP Mary.

to you Myszka for working with her so much. She acted like a star at the Specialty and the Royal with the male judges, and I dont think I've ever seen a bigger grin on your face!!

Squeak, I have PMed you.

Squeak, I dont think you need to stress.... perhaps the assessment with be staged with people receiving the assessment a certain period of time before their training block? In any case, I'm sure they'll give us plenty of time to do the assessment. They certainly seem to have put a lot of time into planning the course, so I doubt they'd overlook that sort of thing.

Yesterday afternoon I received a package from the NDTF containing my first month's course notes and DVDs for the Distance Education course (Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training). First of all I want to let everyone know how good the training materials are. I was extremely impressed and very pleased with what I received. I would like to congratulate the NDTF on providing such professional and informative course materials. I was so excited to get it that I have already read the manual and watched both DVDs. I will read and watch again, but now I should have paced myself as I have no more new information for another month! I feel like a sponge this morning - I just want to keep learning!! When it is such an interesting subject, it's really no wonder I'm so motivated to learn! :D

TB, I believe that would be explained as follows: The rejection reinforces their negative self-image, therefore confirming what they already believe about themselves. As such, they are getting something out of it.... (just because it's not positive doesnt mean they dont get something out of it). Okay, enough double negatives. I dont agree with it, but it's interesting to think about....

Slightly OT, but there are psychologists out there who theorise that humans do not feel love - that everything a human does is for their own satisfaction. That everything humsans do is ego-centric. eg humans will be with a partner not because they love them but because of how the partner makes them feel. Humans give others people presents not to make the receiver feel good, but because of the feeling of satisfaction and glory that the present-giver gets etc However, I dont subscribe to that. But to answer that question you really have to define what love is. Is love respect and affinity for a person? Is it a feeling of impending loss? Does love involve intimacy? Once you define what love means to you, you'll be able to think about the question better. I personally dont believe that dogs love the same way humans do, but I think they love in their own way.