puddles

sorry if this has been asked already... am trying to get my head around the tot method! How does this training relate to improving heel work? thanks!

Wow Ptolomy what a great idea!!

thanks Wuffles - makes me feel better that its not just me! I know there were some critical eyes from my own club on me yesterday I actually used the remote rewards and still nothing!! Do people think that if I do some training with the rings up, with rewards and all, that would help?

thanks guys, I might look up the threads on buidling drive. Its hard to get around check chain training as the lady who is pretty much the backbone of our club has won national UD titles years ago and absolutely hates food etc, but maybe I will just give class training a miss for a while and do my own thing, as I have had some experience with food and clickers. Someone told me about a Susan Garrett method for heeling, which involves what was said above, but had someting to do with hand position also. I am just a bit bummed now as he was quite successful in CCD! Whereabouts are you based Puddles? I plugged away with obedience club training for two years until I found other methods, because my dog had no interest in training and training her felt like I was fighting her the entire time. I am sure we can give you a long list of people just on DOL who do well in the obedience ring getting UD titles and competing successfully at a national level etc who don't use physical corrections in training :D Often I see dogs who are trained with more 'traditional methods' who do alright in the lower levels of obedience but struggle as they progress. thanks Huski! I am in Bundaberg! That makes me feel better to know there are dogs out there doing fantastic in the higher levels who are not correction trained! All I hear about from our club is how food training sucks and it ruins your dog, and like I said, I am kind of new to this so it's all very confusing!

thanks guys, I might look up the threads on buidling drive. Its hard to get around check chain training as the lady who is pretty much the backbone of our club has won national UD titles years ago and absolutely hates food etc, but maybe I will just give class training a miss for a while and do my own thing, as I have had some experience with food and clickers. Someone told me about a Susan Garrett method for heeling, which involves what was said above, but had someting to do with hand position also. I am just a bit bummed now as he was quite successful in CCD!

Hi all, ok so my ACD had gone way downhill since entering CD. He was ok in CCD on lead, and is ok at training, however tonight in our first CD trial the s**t hit the proverbial fan!! He was way lost and just flat as. It has been about a month and a half since last trial, so its not that he is burnt out. We also have a problem in that we cannot do ring training with our club as there is no one interested in putting people through. I think he knows that ropes around mean I cant correct him also. I try to gee him up during the initial stages of entering the ring but he doesnt really enjoy it, but training is fine!! HELP! Does anyone have any suggestions about what I could do?

LOL. I wouldn't mind at all, except I can't remember them for sure!! We are all for the people just want to have fun brigade. We've actually taken the club from almost exclusively BC's from two or three well known kennels that run at a national standard to ALL types of breeds. A lot of our members have no intention of ever trialling, but are respectful to those of us who do. Bottom line though is that no one has any fun when hyped up dogs are getting in other hyped up/intense dogs faces and being told off for their efforts - this is what has motivated us to make the changes. (FTR, I have quick BC's and am very serious about trialling/training, but was the one who drove a lot of the change through the club. You can achieve a balance of both, just takes a bit of work IMO.) I won't have worded these properly, but from memory I do know: Sit Stay/start line stay with minimal distraction. Handler focus/recall with minimal distractions. (ie: other dogs working on the field if not in close proximity.) Circle work - left and right. Ability to drive to a toy or bait plate independent of handler. (And then come back.) Drop on table (ADAA requires a drop, but it also demonstrates they've done some work that they would not have come in with) Ability to sit quietly while other dogs are working. (Really aimed at encouraging crating rather than tying out, but we don't care which, as long as the dog is safe and relatively quiet). Perch/Pivot Box work. Need to be able to put front feet on pivot box and follow the owner around in a circle in both direction. Demonstrate a trick The key ones are sit stay, recall and circle work (essentially heeling on either side). If a dog can't do these then it won't get to come and play on the 'busy' night. For the moment they will be training on the same night as our instructors who have dogs that can cope with situtaions that might arise or can at least call their dogs away from those situations. The tricky bit will be the change over from the current state to the new world. Some people may have to make the choice to go back and do a bit more work in the earlier class or we may have to help them make that decision. Thanks AD, thats a great help!

Just wondering how many people out there are in the Bundaberg area that would be interested in having some kind of get together - I get very jealous when I see all the other get togethers going on in here!

I would say in general, the 2 main reasons for dogs doing zoomies in agility relate to: reward system issues connection/communication issues A couple of things to think about... typically in agility, we don't spend anywhere near the time we need to building a reward system. If we provide our dogs with the highest value reward we can, agility becomes solely about a chance to earn that reward. If we don't provide it, we get one of three things...lack of effort, distraction/zoomies or a case where the obstacles themselves become the reward. I think communication/ staying in touch with our dogs is not focussed on enough either. Too often we ask the dog to do something but are not clear about what comes next. This leads to either dogs slowing down & asking questions or dogs who choose to make their own minds up about what will come next. We are in the middle of redesigning our club's training courses with exactly this in mind. Our beginners will go from an intensive 8 week all inclusive over view that assumes this stuff is in place before the dog starts to a relationship building experience for dog and handler. At the end of that dogs and handlers will be assessed and if they pass 6 strict criteria they will be invited to come and train with the 'big' dogs on another night. Focus is totally about handler/dog relationship with NO equipment at all. (except where it is needed for a couple of exercises.) AD, I don't spose you would mind posting those 6 criteria would you? My club is in the process of incorporating agility into the 'program'! thanks!

lollipup, Not sure exactly where you are in the Wide Bay, but we actually have a wealth of knowledge at one of the dog clubs in Bundaberg - trainers who have been at it for many many years and have dealt with many different types/breeds!

sad to see no one mentions ACD!! I got my first a couple of years ago and he is just the best dog I have ever had, and my first to have competed in obedience and agility with! We love them so much now that we have recently acquired a pup, who is everything like my boy. We did consider a flatcoat retreiver, as they are ust lovely, but in the end my love for ACDs won!

Ok so IMO this is pretty slack! A vet in Bundaberg has started selling pups and kittens, you know they type, those overpriced 'purebreds' that come from who knows where!! And here I was, thinking that vets were meant to be promoting the demise of 'backyard breeders' and puppy farmers. Isn't this just encouraging them?? Just my thoughts

Hi Guys, I just wanted to share my experience with pet friendly accomodation! I stayed at Bay Bed and Breakfast while down at Hervey Bay in QLD for an obedience trial a couple of months ago. They were fantastic! Elvis had a yard he could run around in, and they even have a little self contained part to the B and B that you can actually have dogs inside! Its a street back from the beach which is a bonus! Hosts are lovely and I will certainly be returning for a holiday! Melissa here is their website http://www.baybedandbreakfast.com.au/

Hi there did you find the answers to your questions?!

Hi Cocoa, did you end up finding somewhere for basic obedience with Millie?

Hi Guys, Long story but if anyone has a dog world from the early months of 2008, your help would be greatly appreciated in looking up a small piece of info for me! Wont take long, I know exactly what I am looking for! Please help! Melissa

the red is desexed male, and yep another acd. bubby is female. he is normally ok with other dogs at our house so I did introduce them here. He is getting better, still a bit funny with toys though!

Hi all, Well I am hooked on this breed!! Bought a red, pure but not pedigree male from a petshop nearly two years ago, and since then we have won a couple of obedience trials and nearly have ccd title! I just picked up a pedigree pup yesterday and cant wait to start training her!! I wont ever go back to other breeds or non pedigrees!!

Hi all, got a new acd pup yesterday, also have a 2 yr old red. the red has been living with a malt x since he was a pup and is obedience trained. He is not impressed with the new pup and is very possessive of his toys. they are both brought inside together when we are home to ensure the red does not feel left out! Will he get over it with time? any advice? I want these tew to be buddies! Thanks!

HI all, Picked up a blue acd today, she is very cute and personality plus! However she is my first pedigree and am trying to think of her show name! Something aussie would be nice, maybe something with Matilda in it? Was going to make her pet name something to do with her real name! Sugestions????