Sorry, should intro myself!

[Lilcamper]

Hi all, I am a dog owner who is learning all the time. I researched a lot before I got my now 16 month old lab.
I am clued up on modern learning theory, I am totally against dominance based dog 'training'.. That's me!

Hello, nice to meet you.

I am Magrat and I have a whippet and a lurcher. I usually frequent the pointy hound thread, but it's Saturday evening and I've got nothing to do so I'm sticking my nose in elsewhere!

Hello Lil, nice to meet you (waves at Magrat). Also a pointy owner, but like you, very interested in learning about how dogs learn and their behaviour/welfare in general. I've been doing clicker training with one of our greyhounds and we are really enjoying it, and it's been a revelation for me. We are extremely fortunate to be working with a really fantastic trainer - a member of the APDT who is terrific and loves using positive methods.

also a pointy owner

For the love of Jeff Scuttle you are Micro Managed by a select group of greyhounds.
Stuff and Nonsense about pointy owner - they own you

I bet somewhere in the world there's a greyhound with the racing name Stuff and Nonsense .....

Hi Lil, new to the dog ownership thing myself. Nearly 6 month old Springer puppy and learning all the time

Thanks for the welcomes! Scuttle I stumbled across all this force free stuff a few months ago and had a complete lightbulb moment. Hoping to get on a course at some point to get qualified, have already joined the PPG.

70 - you are absolutely right! It's probably more accurate to say I am their adoring slave.

I've just been on the database and there are in fact several greyhounds with the name Nonsense.

Hi Lilcamper

I am a newbie to Mn too. I have had dogs all my life but now spend time concentrating on reactive dogs or the ones noone else wants. . I always have a few fosters in the mix as well.

I have a degree in dog behaviour and training. What course are you looking at doing?

idirdog really don't know, money is as always an issue. I have loads of knowledge but need some recognised quals. Also I have been out of school for a very long time so maybe a short course to start with would be an idea.

Hi Lilcamper, welcome and nice to meet you!

I've been here since I got my adult rescue last September. I was looking forward to owning a dog, had had one as a child, knew the overhead and thought that was that! Lovely days walking grateful hound lay ahead I was sure!

Instead, I ended up with a highly reactive dog with no experience of recall and who wanted to eat my cat. I have learned loads from this forum, read many of the books recommended, become well versed in the dominance vs reward debate (which I never knew existed before) and started to understand many of the issues around breeding/rescues/rehoming/backyard breeders etc.

I never expected to do any of that, but 7 months later I have a dog that will recall beautifully (most of the time), does not bark and snap at others and an uneaten cat! It's been really really hard work for both of us but much more fulfilling than anything I had anticipated. The support and really expert advice I've had on this forum at a number of crisis points has been fantastic!