Heartful

It is possible that there is another problem but impossible to know without the diagnostics that you will likely have recommended at the referral practice. The history of on again off again lameness and “lazy”sit go hand in hand with cruciate disease, but there has been more discussion of popliteal muscle injury in BC recently, as a possible imposter to cruciate disease. Hopefully they offer x-ray and soft tissue ultrasound! There can also be lameness associated with ilipsoas muscle strain, but I usually find that these dogs have no issues with a correct sit. Bunny hopping is typically associated with hip disease such as dysplasia. But again, with hip disease sitting is not generally a problem unless there is a problem in the pelvis/sacrum/low back as well. Panosteitis is generally limited to growing puppies, so not as likely for your kiddo. Good Luck!!! Make sure they take comparison X-ray views of the other leg!!!

I was wondering about that. He has very good engagement for the most part and I could care less about his love or lack there of of strange dogs, as long as he is comfortable around them. Thanks for the reply

I have a young neutered male dog (just turned 2yrs) that Ive raised since birth. He was a singleton puppy, therefore I believe has some missing pieces as far as dog to dog socialization. Generally speaking he could care less about other dogs. However, recently, he was rushed by 2 puppies in a group class and did not take kindly to it. He recovered well, worked very well (agility) but I could definitely see that he was keeping his eyes on at least one of the puppies. Easily distracted with some behaviors and engagement. I have also noted that, if he feels slighted or put into what he considers a stressful or surprising situation from another dogs pressure, he holds quite a grudge. I am looking for ways to help him feel more confident in situations that are out of his control. I will not be going back to this class because I do not want to risk him developing behavior problems or reactivity that result from people who cant control their dogs. I absolutely do not use any aversives in training and, as I said, he has never really been overly concerned with any dogs in the past...this seems to have developed over the past 2-3 months. Could age be an issue or is it just that he has started stacking triggers over time and now he is developing an actual issue? Thanks!

I have started to audit Anne's foundation course and look forward to learning a new game. How do you feel your dog's understanding has evolved?

There must also be a gene for the opposite behavior. One that makes people (or dogs), well...unfriendly.

Can anyone tell me if there have been any new findings on epilepsy since this thread was originally shared?

Definitely shorten the distance and probably the duration that the game is being played - end the game when you have had one or two successes, well before she chooses to end the game. My young dog is finally starting to reliably bring me his toy. I stopped picking up the toys at all - if he wants to play he gets to bring me the toy. I also use another toy in my hand, as I throw one toy, when he grabs it, I make the toy in my hand "alive" - sometimes out of excitement he will drop the toy he has but he is driving back to me quickly, which I want. He will now retrieve his less favorite toy, knowing that when he brings it back, I will play with him with his favorite toy. When my dogs are tired or hot, they will definitely stop bringing me the toy right away, so I know if I have to ask them to bring a toy, they are probably done with the game. I try my best not to let it get to that point. Also, I initially train in a really small area, like a hallway in the house..Be really, really consistent and don't put a timeline on it. Too many people seem to think that every dog should learn a specific "trick" within a certain amount of time. I know of dogs that it has taken a year to get a reliable retrieve... Have fun

ohhh - stepping into my dog's space is a good one!!! will have to try!

At my last agility class my instructor was talking about proofing her dogs in the weaves with a tunnel entrance pointed in her dog's face about 3-4 feet off of the weave poles. She asked her students if they thought their dogs could do the challenge... Proofing is so much fun!!! Here's the result that we had What kinds of proofing do you do for your equipment???

Agreed. Dogs do have a brilliant way of generalizing behaviors. My agility dogs do not go into herding mode when i am doing agility, nor do they go into agility mode when they are working sheep. My young dog, in fact, has much more patience and even thoughtfulness on sheep than he does in the agility ring. This is just my personal experience...I am no professional trainer or competitor and my dogs are not "finished" in either venue.

haha!!! Very narrow escape!!!

Enjoy your month off! It's not easy but well worth it for everyone!

My primary reason for teaching them separately is because I really feel that the target plate with sustained nose touch helps teach the dog to drive to position, as well as makes it VERY easy to mark the correct behavior, so that there is no question from the dog. By teaching a nose touch to a target plate on the ground, I can easily get the behavior without a ton of failures ON agility equipment. I never want my dog to associate equipment with failure or too many lack of reward repetitions.... I want it to be easy and to progress quickly once on equipment. I can work foot placement, stay, toy proofing, speed, motion proofing all on the ground without introducing agility equipment. I do work it on a lot of other equipment - balance equipment, stairs, etc...before getting to the agility equipment. By the time they get to work on equipment, they basically already understand the behavior... I teach 2o2o without the target plate so that the dog can learn how to use his body - rear limb awareness and driving the rear legs back into position as the front feet come off. I think putting a target plate out to early puts all of the focus on the front end. Those rear legs should "Stick" and that requires strength and awareness work. The dog does not likely see them as one behavior if they are both used in training...they likely see it as two - I run to the end and put two feet off, then touch the ground with my nose (or target). It also makes it easier (IMO) to revisit in the future...

- video 1 video 2 video 3 This is my approach to 2o2o, I teach the 2o2o position and the target separately. Then I put them together. I don't add agility equipment until my dog can drive across my equipment at work. I do a LOT of short sessions over the course of my young dog's early training, teaching to target the plate on the ground without moving his feet around was very challenging but I think will be VERY helpful when we get to actual equipment. The video listed is the third videoed session. I moved along too quickly which is obvious in the first video. Video 2, I use a step to help him with an exaggerated position. Video 3, things start to come together. But I will still start the exercise with a target plate on the ground with no equipment (OR in my hand). I am not a professional, but this has worked well for me so far

The timing must be a challenge to get down...I have thought about teaching a running a-frame, but I'm worried that I wouldn't be fast enough for a RDW...

How to proceed depends on many factors: Is the knee unstable (cranial drawer or cranial tibial thrust)? What types of career goals do you have for him and can he be successful if his knee is unstable? How long do you want to wait for him to "heal" if you opt not to do surgery? Does he have any other orthopedic conditions which would be exacerbated by compensatory responses? How old is he? Do radiographs show any significant OA? Doing exercises is great, but I would really recommend going to a rehabilitation professional so that they can give you the correct exercises and teach proper form. It's not just about getting on balance equipment. Laser therapy - I personally haven't seen any success with this for CCL injuries in the 9 years I've been doing rehab on dogs. Once the knee is unstable it either gets stability from scar tissue or surgery. Be sure to rule out other soft tissue injury. Yes, it is much more likely to have the other CCL sustain an injury within 2 years. IMO, this is due to compensation and return to work too quickly (before the dogs are 100% evenly weight bearing). Can also be due to conformation and, I believe, they know there is a genetic component in some breeds. Sorry you are having to deal with an injury. My own worst nightmare, only because I see them every day at work. Kristin

WHen you say he shuts down for a 2o2o, do you mean he stops working? Or just doesn't have a really good understanding of the behavior? How is his teeter? I have no experience with running contacts at all but.... My personal experience with creeping into position (I have seen my dog "slow" down to hit the position) is generally related to a toy reward being thrown or used as a proof...The border collie comes out in her and she starts to go into stalk mode. When I start seeing that behavior I work on fast sits and downs, moving downs, racing to toy - because she gets sticky on offering those behaviors quickly if I have a toy. I also go back to clicker training the end behavior with food reward and collar pulls. If she is still sticky, I will work a target plate only in my hand to teach her to drive to the target plate. (Or to revisit) Then I will move it to the floor, then on a variety of equipment outside of agility equipment. Another thing to consider They have such amazing memories, that all it takes is one or two rewards for a behavior we don't want then they develop a question about what exactly the expectations are. Also, if you do try a 2o2o you will want to change your verbal cue because the current cue may now be a poisoned cue. Meaning, there is some aversive quality (even if it was created by the dog). Anyhow, good luck!! Either way you go, I suspect you will be breaking things down as if you were starting over to train the behavior.

Shape up dogs foundation summer session!!!

Having used Derrett Handling, I was unsure that my dog would make the switch to send and go work that Shape Up Dogs uses. She has. I so can't wait for the summer class to start and it looks like there are a few folks here who are joining!!!

Denise is one of the best. Without a doubt.

Some 8 year old children act 6 and some act 9. Some 4 year old children can do the schoolwork of an 8 year old...I think this is the point we are all trying to make. No one here (nor anyone else) can reliably tell you anything differently. As much as we would all love to have a crystal ball, it just doesn't work that way.

Every puppy is different, even within the same breed. Some mature more quickly than others. Let the dog tell you when they are ready to progress in training. If you aren't sure, find a good trainer who can. Connect with the puppy first. Play. Have fun. When the puppy finds you more valuable than the surroundings, and you have focus and desire to work it's time to progress. It seems like people have way too many expectations of their dogs and puppies. It takes YEARS to make a good dog brilliant. Regardless if they are a house pet, a herding dog, an agility dog, an obedience dog. Let them grow up.

Your best bet is to find a qualified trainer who avoids the use of correctional collars, harnesses and training methods. All of these have been scientifically proven to have a negative affect, can cause fear aggression and a myriad of other problems. Look up Karen Pryor Academy for a qualified trainer in your area. The Pet Professional Guild is also a good resource. Additionally, there are many other on-line resources and classes which can work very well if you are willing to try that venue. Denise Fenzi is very well regarded. Best of luck to you!!! Your girl is super cute!

Awesome! Congratulations!

My lab would pick my tomatoes for me. As soon as they were ripe...