|
Dec 2018
9:12pm, 12 Dec 2018
27,102 posts
|
halfpint of mulled cider
Me too 
|
|
Dec 2018
8:30am, 14 Dec 2018
8,481 posts
|
SantaWoo
And me
|
|
Dec 2018
9:46am, 14 Dec 2018
5,842 posts
|
Mazlin
Wow, well done Wanda! (I hope you don't mind me saying, Wanda gives me hope that persevering with training does pay off. I'm looking at you, Rory, and your eleventy billion hours of 1-1 recall training...)
|
|
Dec 2018
9:59am, 14 Dec 2018
14,153 posts
|
Shark the Herald Angel
Wanda is a GOLD award dog don't forget! Jess was ASBOd from her Silver class (in my humble because she didn't respond favourably enough to the trainer) so Jess is only a Bronze dog.
However it was the training we did with Nat (not Kennel club stuff) that has proved the most valuable. One of Nat's brilliant things were her 'Group Walks' (she had two versions - one for everyone and one for small dogs and puppies). Nat very cleverly supervised the group walks, always knowing who should be on or off lead, where they should stand in the pack, whether to allow a dog to approach another one etc, etc. The entire aim was to build confidence in dogs and owners, so you'd know when it was ok to have your dog off lead - we found it invaluable.
Nat always said we'd done very well with Jess - not a rescue but a very driven, antsy sort of Shepherd. She said Jess was happy, and that was what ahe wanted to see in a GSD. Not anxiety!
|
|
Dec 2018
10:00am, 14 Dec 2018
14,154 posts
|
Shark the Herald Angel
But yes, Wanda was great. No worries at all about walking the two dogs side by side, or one in front of the other.
|
|
Dec 2018
12:11pm, 14 Dec 2018
7,391 posts
|
BaronessBL
Jess has grown up into a fabulous dog though - the KC tests are 'useful' stuff but it's not as if anyone ever asks to see the certificates once you have them. For reasons that most on this thread know, it's useful for us to have lots of bits of paper that show Wanda has progressed at training and thus we are 'responsible' owners but there is little that we did in our KC tests that I actually use or continue to practice now - sometimes off lead walking at heel and the stop probably being the only two. The one about being able to eat a biscuit in front of the dog without them trying to take it.....Wanda is selective depending on who she is with, about that one!!!
|
|
Dec 2018
1:04pm, 14 Dec 2018
11,012 posts
|
D2Turtledoves
I disagree BBL, I use the gold exercises almost every day....
The ability to tie Indi up while I do something on the farm that would be dangerous for him but without him being upset even if I go out of sight for a while
The ability to stop him in his tracks if there is something I don't want him to do like chase a squirrel etc
To be able to send him to his "bed" and stay there
To walk without pulling on his lead no matter what else is going on in town or anywhere else
To walk beside me off lead and KNOW he wont budge no matter what
To LEAVE anything thing that looks like food as it could of course be poisoned
To come instantly when called, always.
All of these things were in the gold award and I use them all the time. My life would be very stressful if I couldn't rely on these trained commands.
|
|
Dec 2018
2:06pm, 14 Dec 2018
7,392 posts
|
BaronessBL
Luckily when we took the gold test we only had to demonstrate the Stop - it is the one I still continue to practice as often as possible but have rarely had to use in earnest. If there was a squirrel in the equation though, then I might as well forget it!
The relaxed isolation is probably the one we use least (we were tested crated rather than tied up) Although I used to leave her tied up if I popped into our local shop and she was fine - the fear that someone would do something stupid and the accuse her of 'putting them in fear that they were going to be bitten/attacked' (fear of is all that is needed under the DDA) is a risk I can't take. But obviously in your situation on the farm I can see how it would be very useful.
|
|
Dec 2018
2:08pm, 14 Dec 2018
7,393 posts
|
BaronessBL
As I was typing the above there was a knock on the door. Some canvassers signing people up to support Battersea. I said I did have something I could offer them...........but apparently they weren't looking to round up past residents!!
|
|
Dec 2018
2:09pm, 14 Dec 2018
14,155 posts
|
Shark the Herald Angel
Lol Baroness!
|
