Perfect Pawz and Hardy

Hardy completed his Obedience Level 2 training last night, getting a gold envelope with his certificate for his trouble. (He refrained from eating it as he once had done with his discharge papers from the vets)  And while he is not perfect (yet) he is much more under control and well on his way towards getting better manners. 
Anna Bradley who runs Perfect Pawz has been absolutely brilliant with her advice about how to get him to stop pulling so much and how to work with him instead of against him. I really like her training ethos. Lots of treats and praise. Behaviour Modification. She is currently working towards her kennel club accreditation and will become the only trainer in the North East to have it.
It was great to see how well all the dogs in the class performed under her guidance. Last night, I suddenly realised that Hardy was not the worst behaved and that ALL the dogs had their unique quirks. Poppy the Boxer who would not recall, Midge who won't sit and stay and Kobie who just wants to play and turn over on his back. Hardy simply likes to pull and refuses to heel. Hardy is brilliant on stay and can do recalls. It is going to take time and working with the walking on diagonals but after one week of trying this, I can already see a difference.
Anyway,  Perfect Pawz covers the Tynedale, and Newcastle area and is based in Hexham Auction Mart. The classes are small and Anna takes the time to talk to everyone about their dog. The dogs really seem to respond to her. If you are looking for an excellent trainer in this area, do consider contacting Perfect Pawz.

I know I am glad I did. And Hardy did enjoy himself (particulary the high value treats of sweet chilli and port sausage) One great tip was to have a variety of treats and move up or down the scale depending on how  Hardy was responding.

Perfect Pawz runs a variety of courses and Hardy may yet go on another one...

IN OTHER NEWS:
My Roman Undone has finally been scheduled. February 2011. Title to be decided. But hooray!

Hardy and the halti

Because Hardy and Tess have been pulling so much and I now have repetitive strain injury, I have resorted to a halti -- or head collar. Years ago I used one on Chile our Labrador and despite going back to an ordinary collar and lead, Chile still does not pull.
You do have to take the dog in and get the collar to fit properly btw. Because although they give some guidance, it depends on the dog and you might a halti one size smaller.

When you put on a halti, you instantly have more control as where the head goes, the body must follow. The dogs also can not apply as much tug. So you are not putting all your might into getting them to do what you want.

Once he realised that he could not pull, Hardy took to leaping in the air and trying to fly. But I pushed the lead down as he was starting one of his midair twists and he rather flopped (instead of flying). Since then, he has been walking to a near perfect heel and I only have to shake the lead slightlyto remind him.
Tess is beginning to get used to it and is walking better. And the walks are becoming much more enjoyable even after just a few days.
At first dogs do try to get the halti off, but they do learn very quickly how much more pleasant it is.
I understand some people use a gentle leader which basically acts the same way. The halti works for me though.

The war of the bottle

Yesterday, I stripped the label off a plastic bottle and rolled it on the floor. Tess & Hardy chased it here, there and everywhere -- crying slightly if it became stuck. First Hardy carried it into their sleeping area with Tess following and then Tess emerged with Hardy in hot pursuit. Tess has the hang of fetch far more than Hardy. I did try two bottles but they both wanted the same bottle -- whichever that bottle was.

They were not fond of air being blown over the top of the bottle. But as demonstrated later that night, fireworks are ho hum. It was not the Castle letting off the fireworks, but someone else and my goodnessthey were loud. Luckily, a plastic bottle held more appeal.

In an effort to better train and understand my puppies, I have been reading more books. There is no right way to train a dog, simply ways that jive better with your personal philosophy. Personally, I have no time for choke chains. I like to think of puppies as individuals and perfer a positive approach. So getting a bit bored with the four simple rules of Jan Fanell (is gesture eating really necessary? Every single time? And ignoring the puppies when someone comes home is not an option, sorry), and finding some of Cesar Milan odd, plus wanting more from Barbara Sykes (and not wanting to crate), I took a look at Gwen Bailey and The Perfect Puppy. I have been surprised to discover that there are huge arguements in the dog training world about the methods to use.

The thing I like about Bailey is her philosophy that dogs are different than wolves. They are not feral and have evolved. Dogs are dogs. And a well trained puppy will become a well adjusted adult. She also has an emphasis on training and socialisation. So she gives ideas and games that you can play with your puppy. You do not have to ignore your puppy when you come home. Like everyone else except may Jan Fannell, she counsels against getting two puppies as they are hard work. She also does not feel that everything is lost if a puppy is not trained by a certain time (Ian Dunbar is very rigid on this). It can just take longer after 14 weeks. And she is all about postive reinforcement rather than punishment.

Ultimately I think people use the method that suits them best. Littles bits from each.
Tess & Hardy are basically housebroken now. There may be a few accidents, but they both know enough to break off from games and go to the back door to be let out. There have been no puddles at night for awhile either. It really is all about getting the owners trained.

With my work in progress, I really think that doing the longer synopsis has helped and I have figured out some of the holes and where I want to go with it.

Oh and Julie Cohen's latest The Girl from Mars arrived yesterday. My daughter inhaled it and adored it. She is now threatening to go around the shops chanting Braiins. So if you want a feel good read, and an antidote to post exam stress, The Girl From Mars is a good place to start.