Yo Wynken! Today I visited my local gun shop

[Slubberdegullion]

and bought myself a lovely big shiny gun

heh heh heh

no

not really

I am now the proud owner of an ACME 211 and a half (no pea) plus a camouflage green lanyard.

And Wynken, you know what, the gun shop dude gave me EXACTLY the same chat he gave you. He made me write it down and everything. It was of vital importance that I did not lose the bit of paper with my number on it.

Slubber, I discounted sniffing time when very little as was also worried that we'd only get as far as the top of the road. Glad it went better and free of animal ambush. Are other dog owners giving off impressed vibes at your whistle etc ?

Eleison, my dog is so utterly hopeless that she failed to notice the snake, it was me standing there having palpitations. Maybe your dog could have a word with mine about the not chasing animals as I trust her about as much as I can throw her ie. not far now she weighs 21kg.

Oxo, keep up the good C&T work on joggers, that is something that is making a big difference here now and she's much more trustworthy round people than other dogs.

This thread is very theraputic this morning. My brother lives and works in Bangkok and is currently trying to get out but encountering lots of road blocks.

Sorry to hear about your brother Wynken. Hope he gets home safely.

No bugger has commented on my get up Mind you no bugger has seen me in my get up as we are out so early. I'm hoping to go out at lunchtime with my mother and impress her greatly with my whistle recall skills and the now safely secured treats pouch.

will be taking the dog out too. Am not going to be whistling and sanrine cake treating my mother.

mind you.....

DH has suggested before that we try clicker training on my Mum, reckons she'd respond well to Danish Pastries, whole ones that is, she doesn't do small bits. A whistle would have helped on infamous M&S trip where DD and I lost her for 20 minutes which involved much going up and down on escalators and lifts.

It is typical of my brother to get caught up in things, he never knows when to quit whilst he is ahead. I'd love him to come back to the UK but I don't think he has any intention of it, he's headed to Pattaya if he can get past the road blocks.

The dog is currently very chilled out, sunbathing on office floor.DH took her out yesterday and said she behaved perfectly. Went up to an off lead dog, had a sniff, dog not interested and she went off. This is nothing short of a miracle as only 2 months ago she would have been trying to mug owner for treats and jumping all over the poor dog.

@ danish pastries - is your treats pouch big enough for several stuffed in I wonder?

I have a sister like that, well I did, she insisted on going to every dangerous country in Asia on her honeymoon. Now she has a mortgage there's no more of that sillyness.

Dog also sunbathing here after spending half an hour massacering a heinous dried tripe thing (in the garden).

No, pouch is definitely too small, a design fault and missed opportunity. Just had an email from brother, he's arrived in Pattaya, so OK for now.

A mortgage made no difference to my brother, he sold up and has apparently emigrated to Thailand. He might need to rethink that one ! He was close to artillery shelling years ago in Israel and has a knack of being near live ammunition, whilst I spend my life poncing round the UK countryside with my very British dog and no pea whistle.

Watch your mother whilst out. My neighbour (mother age) came out with us whilst Plog was very little. She's one of these people who has had dogs all her life. All the calling back and treating etc wound her up so she took charge of the walk. 10 minutes later I had lost both DC's and the dog.

Glad to hear he is somewhere a bit safer . What is his lure of choice do you think.

My mother sounds a bit like your neighbour. She was initially v dubious about the clicker (silly modern pandering shennanigans)but has come round after Elsie performed a magnificent sit down sit to her and one of her friends on the w/e.

Goodness knows with my brother, I have given up and will just be grateful if he stays away from bullets.

Dog is in trouble. I had chopped carrot, garlic and basil on chopping board. Went to do some work and was minus nearly all the carrots. Obviously doesn't like basil as had spat out a leaf on the floor.

Oxo, if you are still looking at this thread, just seen your question on chewing. My friend has a retriever who is 11 months and has only chewed one solitary cushion. Now the moulting and mud wallowing is another story but one you probably won't want to know!

Oh dear, naughty carrot stealing plog.

I just want to grump on here amongst sympathisers. We went to our first training class today (on recommendation of a friend). It was fucking hideous (sorry for swearing but it truly was). HORRID man smoking roll ups the whole time. Yanking Elsie round by the lead pushing her bum down and pulling her up into a stand.

gah

I should have walked out at the start.

Elsie was like wtf is going on - at least she got to consume about two kilos of rabbit shit whilst she wasn't being dragged about.

Never again.

Don't know what to do. We're getting on great with all the clicker training at home (and out of the home). I just want a dog who behaves nicely and has a great recall. The APDT courses round here are a nightmare for me to attend (all evenings).

bums. What should I do? Should I try to find another class?

fwiw, I really only found classes very helpful for socialisation with other dogs (and for the nicemess of chatting to other dog owners). I never found classes vitally helpful in terms of the knowledge and skills presented by the teachers. It was just really helpful to have a setting where dog can be alongside a dozen other dogs in a fairly constructive way.

ALL trainers have pet weird ideas that you have to be polite about.

or weird pet ideas. Either.

I'd be extremely grumpy after that experience. We ended up going to two classes and I found them very different. One was doing the Kennel Club award thing , the other clicker training. The KC one was only any good for socialisation and I dropped it. The other one is a max of 5 dogs, deals with the basics plus any problems we have and tailors it around these. Dotty has really benefitted from these but she didn't get these consistently until 7 months.

I think you're doing brilliantly on your own and maybe you could sort something out with a friend who has a dog to get her used to concentrating on you with other dogs around and for socialisation.

Eleison, tbh the socialisation is the main thing I'm after. We are meeting lots of dogs on our on lead walks but that's not the same as learning dog manners in, as you say, a more constructive environnment. The best bit of the whole hour was being allowed to let her off the lead at the end (and the rabbit shit).

Wynken your sessions sound fab - I loved the cone smelling exercise. It's finding a class that runs during school hours that is the problem for me. I might call my trainer and see what she says.

I have a friend with a bouncy cocker, will have to arrange more meet ups with her.

Thanks for reading my moan you guys

I don't think Plog has learned better doggy manners from the classes as she hasn't had any off lead time at classes but does spend the whole time wrestling with her friend Bramble. Where she's benefitted from the other dogs is having to focus on what I am telling her to do with the other dogs being distractions. She's gradually developed good manners whilst out and about in the woods etc and being told not to hump other dogs when they have come round to play.

We have been very lucky with out trainer, the best thing she's done was getting started down the clicker route. Friend's springer was trying the scent cones today for the first time, he's not clicker trained. It was really interesting to see the difference in the speed he picked it up compared to the CT dogs in class, he was much slower.

Some other options maybe to look at is someone local who does training walks and our local dog rescue has a field to practice recall where I imagine there would be other dogs for socialisation.

Have you spoken to your vet practice to see if they
can recomend a class, that's how I found mine. I know what you mean about the difficulty in finding suitable hours, I really don't like doing them late morning on a Saturday but couldn't sort any other time.

Oh poor you. Sounds like you were doing really well on your own. I'm not doing classes but have read loads about socialisation, puppy development, about clicker training, and its going well. People who meet Phoebe are amazed at how well trained she is (I think she's a loony with very selective hearing btw!)

Oh, am so sorry it was a let down. I'll bet you were looking forward to classes too . Do you want to find another class? Sounds like you're doing brilliantly

dunno oxo.

If I'm really honest I'm not entirely sure what classes like the one I went to yesterday are meant to achieve - unless of course you want to do obedience competitions and the like. For instance when we had to do recall we weren't allowed to praise the dog until it had done the recall then gone round the back of your ankles and sat down on your left right next to your foot.

Now I know that looks super tidy but tbh I really couldn't care less where the dog sat, or actually if she sits at all (if I want her to sit I'll ask her to sit) so long as she comes back to me when I call.

I'm probably making novice dog owner incorrect assumption no 1 there.

I think I'll stick with the clicker at home and on the road (as the books say) and try and organise as many meet ups with other dog owners as possible.

I'm off to start another dog thread now (no 345 I think) as I am seriously seriously grumpy after today's walk.

sorry Wynken didn't see your post there. No I hadn't thought to ask the vet. I will try that, and I must try to remember to call the trainer too. I'd do a class if I could find one at a time that suited me and that was fun and along the same lines as the clicker/positive training lines - like your one.

I think that is utterly ridiculous Slubber and really far removed from either of the classes I went to where the aim is just to get them back to you. I can't see the point in starting them off to do that at all either but am maybe also making inexperienced owner error somewhere on that reasoning but I don't think so. The aim with recall is not to fall into the trap of them coming back most of the way but not all of it ie. they come right over to you instead of you having to move a bit and grab them, well that's what I think.

Our trainer is full of little useful tips which is handy but nothing you couldn't get off the net if you wanted. The bits I found helpful were things like if you're teaching a stay it means you go back to the spot you left the dog, it is waiting for you to come back so can adopt a relaxed position. With a wait it is awaiting a further instruction so is on full alert. Don't say leave when they already have an object and things like that which are common sense really and most people won't need them, it's just I lose the plot !

I'd carry on with what you are doing for the minute as it sounds like you are both doing brilliantly and see what comes along. If you find you hit a slightly dodgy patch you can always have a bit of a rethink on the whole class thing.

Thanks Wynken. I'm a bit woods for the trees atm and dithering about.

Must stop overthinking the dog training thing. We'll all turn out ok in the end I'm sure.

I think you'll end up with an incredibly well trained dog that will be down to your really hard work . The whole thing does get easier and it slowly starts to become second nature.

Tell you what though, I haven't worked as hard as I have on this whole dog malarky for years.

It is quite time consuming isn't it. I'm still really enjoying it though and have had some lovely comments from passers by at how nicely she was walking on the lead and not jumping up at them.

I'm dog free atm - she's gone to my mother's, dh and I are off shortly to Edinburgh for a romantic (read simultaneous lie in past 7am) break. It feels rather odd to be typing this without a dog on my feet.

Oh how fantastic, I am very jealous! We have early morning issues atm, with the dog that is, not the DC's. Somewhere along the line we accidently made barking early in the morning very rewarding by giving a treat to get her back to lie down in crate or if it is past 6.30am she gets to come up, stick paws on side of bed by whoever didn't get up and try to have a lick then lie down on her cushions. Both of these are obviously much more rewarding than waiting quietly for us to come and get her. It was all going so well until she went into season

A dog free house is a strange concept now, must be very quiet. I think the whole thing is a bit like having a toddler, very full on. Then once they do start to calm down as Plog has thank goodness it is a bit like when toddler grows up and goes to school all day.

And I am so impressed Elsie doesn't jump on people, I can't tell you how much. You are definitely not missing out anything passing over the cling on for dear life to stop the dog entering orbit stage.

What happened when she came into season? We have early morning barking too, but that coincides with the first loo flush of the day. Fine when it is me at half six, not so fine when it is a dd having a wee at 5.05am. I never thought I'd be listening to Farming Today on R4 at crap o'clock after I had got through early waking with the babies. ho hum.

When Elsie meets strangers she mostly lies on her back with her legs a kimbo. It's slightly less impressive than a polite sit but you know...slowly slowly catchy monkey.