Old Mill dogs

Thought I would share with you all my lovely pupils who have been training with us at Old Mill Dogs
The agility classes and at the end the lovely puppies making a start on agility equipment (note - they only do equipment suitable to their age and breed, there are plenty of exercises you can do with a puppy before you start agility with them)
Most of these dogs have been training with us for 6 months or less and they are doing amazing :)

Dog training methods - 3. Targeting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EoYPBg7yhA

Targeting is where the dog learns to interact with an object. This can be a target stick like in the video. You can then use this object to lure the dog the same way you would with a piece of food.

Many trainers prefer this to luring as it is not bribing. To be honest if you follow the steps to fade out the food lure properly I do not see a difference in the learning of a dog who follows a lure or a target.

Where luring comes into its own is the fact you can have other parts of the dogs body interact with other targets. For example the paw cross is taught with a target the dog interacts with its paw with, then the dog learns to cross its paw and finally the target is faded out.

Because the dog is not forced into position with manipulation and it has to use its mind I find dogs are much happier and more attentive with this method. They learn faster.

Also sending a dog to its bed or on to a mat is an example of target training, the dog targets its whole body onto the mat.

This is the point where training methods get a little muddled up because in the video you can see the actual training the dog to touch the target is a capturing behaviour, and later for the shy dog it is using the luring method.

I doubt any trainer uses just one method, but a mixture of many.

What to do when my fingers are to stabbed to felt

I have been felting away lots trying to hit my targets for the new year.
I am happy to announce that I have smashed my Jan target for two sales a week with 9 sales already! Fantastic! Some are trades and some were charity listings so I am not rich but its really good to know that I can manage that target.
A downside is my arm shoulder and back are a little sore and my finger is v stabbed.
So yesterday I though I would have a little go at drawing again
Please dont laugh

The Boxer I am almost happy with, its just a quick sketch so not too much detail
The left eye went wrong but overall not to unhappy


I should have stopped there but no I had to try again


The weaving collie just didnt work out at all :(





So I felted - just a little - tiny - a poodle about 1 inch tall

Kiss the dog, my new venture has a name (and a facebook page)

For ages I have been trying to think of names for dog behaviour training classes.
I am rubbish at names - and I know how important they are.

So thinking about what I wanted the name to say

First - that training should be kind and fair to the dog
Second - that its simple - too many training methods seem to over complicate dog training. Trying to imagine what your dog is thinking and figuring out how he is being bad, disobedient or dominant and then how to assert your authority over the dog.
For example - and this is something I have actually seen
Dog chases children
Problem must be dog is thinking it is too dominant
Solution
Dog cant go on sofa or upstairs and must wait till after owner has eaten before it gets to eat

Too complicated!!
Problem - dog chases children
Solution - teach the dog not to chase children

Simples (OK well there is more to it than that but you get the point)

So thinking of my old days in the world of business I remembered their fave acronym
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid
and thought that was perfect way to say what I wanted to say

Kiss The Dog, Kind Simple Effective dog behaviour training

What do you all think??

Poor Ben

Yesterday was a lovely frosty winters day.

I took the dogs for a great long walk. It was lovely the dogs were perfectly behaved, we did lots of playing together, trick training and the dogs sniffing and zooming about.

Perfectly lovely walk, until..

5 min before home I see Bens paw is bright red. No yelp, no limping no crying his paw is just bleeding.

I get him home and clean it up and its stopped bleeding but there is a big cut there

So we had a long wait in the vets and now he is sporting a lovely lamphade, and his skinny wee leg is shaved.

Poor wee guy - he must have been feeling left out with all the vets attention Mia was getting.

On the great point for the day tho - I got word back that the venue I was looking at is fine for me to run training classes. Initially for Mia and some of her friends but if they go OK I might be taking my first steps into becoming a behaviourist

(well the 2nd steps - just one more essay to go on this module for my diploma!)