Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Imzadi83]

Bostons are supposedly (it varys by dog) on the quiet side. So are English bulldogs. There are some quiet small and even toy breeds so I wouldn't dismiss them completely.

[Gizmutt]

So. I am definitely going to need to do a sport of some kind with Gizmo when he gets bigger. I have a yard, which is decent sized. But Kelpies need a job, and seeing as I don’t have livestock. . . Plus I really would love to be active in a dog sport.

I’d love to eventually do agility. It seems like lots of people here have, or are doing agility. While he is way to young to seriously start anything. What are some good starting activities?

I had him weaving through some cups ... until he realized I was just pinching my fingers and didn’t actually have a treat. At which point he flopped to his side and refused to do it again. . Like the drama king he is.

[cornspurrd.]

go to your hard ware store and buy some PVC pipes ahd tee's they're normally pretty cheap..

You can also look online for classes near you!

[Imzadi83]

So. I am definitely going to need to do a sport of some kind with Gizmo when he gets bigger. I have a yard, which is decent sized. But Kelpies need a job, and seeing as I don’t have livestock. . . Plus I really would love to be active in a dog sport.

I’d love to eventually do agility. It seems like lots of people here have, or are doing agility. While he is way to young to seriously start anything. What are some good starting activities?

I had him weaving through some cups ... until he realized I was just pinching my fingers and didn’t actually have a treat. At which point he flopped to his side and refused to do it again. . Like the drama king he is.

I've never done it but people have used pools as jumps in various configurations.

Have you looked into Triebball? http://www.americantreibballassociation.org/ It was developed for herding dogs (though any dog can participate regardless of breed).

[shadow~wolf]

Sage's birthday is on the 27th! We got her dog cake mix that we're going to make and her little "boyfriend" (friend's dog) is coming over as well as out neighbor's beagles. They all get along fine so they should have a bunch of fun! We got some treats to give the other dogs and a squeaky ball for Sage as well.

[Imzadi83]

Sage's birthday is on the 27th! We got her dog cake mix that we're going to make and her little "boyfriend" (friend's dog) is coming over as well as out neighbor's beagles. They all get along fine so they should have a bunch of fun! We got some treats to give the other dogs and a squeaky ball for Sage as well.

Aw, happy early birthday to Sage! I hope her and her "boyfriend" enjoy the party. How old will she be this year?

[shadow~wolf]

Three years! She's grown so much

[PemCorgis]

So. I am definitely going to need to do a sport of some kind with Gizmo when he gets bigger. I have a yard, which is decent sized. But Kelpies need a job, and seeing as I don’t have livestock. . . Plus I really would love to be active in a dog sport.
I’d love to eventually do agility. It seems like lots of people here have, or are doing agility. While he is way to young to seriously start anything. What are some good starting activities?

Hey! I am currently working with my younger pup (almost 10months) for agility. One thing I find that helps a lot is actually doing Rally work! Body conditioning and awareness is the best place to start; learning to back up in a straight line, using a practice board for balance, learning to pivot on front and rear legs, etc. I don't start any jumps, weaves, or A-frames until my dog is cleared by my vet at 12 months to start light work on those. The way that the weaves especially contort the spine can be really dangerous in a young dog!

I do however, practice with my jumps, without the bar. So my dog starts to understand the motions, and what I am looking forward without having to worry about him knocking it and scaring himself. Focus forward is a really big thing too!


You can safely do, tunnels, practice boards (we use this to practice contacts like the teeter and dog walk, and even the angle for A-frames) jumps no higher than elbow height, bottom level dog walks, smacking the teeter down on it's lowest level (this is to boost confidence with the sound that it makes) and a lot of handler based work, such as luring around a cone. Practicing left and right hand motions, practicing front and blind crosses... There is so much you can do!! Don't forget (if you haven't already) try to train in tugging for rewards!! The only food reward we try to stick to is the target for contacts. If you need food to start, do it and try to train it out! ^^

I know https://baddogagility.com/ and anything by Susan Garrett (https://susangarrettdogagility.com/) are my go to's, but don't forget that there are multiple types of agility organizations, AKC, UKI, USDAA. Their rules are similar, but with USDAA, for example, you can sign up, and say not for comp, and bring your tug to practice just being in a ring with your dog. There are even courses where they allow food. They tend to be the easiest for starting out, and the most accepting. Most of my work has been in UKI and USDAA. I've gone to AKC trials, but never competed through them. Don't hesitate to reach out to your local groups and see who trains what (Make sure they do train to a standard though, generally that means that they compete as well and can teach you the safety aspects and correctly), and get active! Try to attend some trials, no matter what group runs them and see what you think! I recommend going without your dog a few times so you can just sit and absorb what is going on.

Please feel free to message/ping me if you have any questions too! I'm no expert, and I'm still beginner novice now that my older dog has hip dysplasia. We never got past that because I didn't want to push him too hard!

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Reven is doing wonderfully at his CGC/A prep course!! We started practicing a bit of CGCA last class, oh gosh, he did wonderfully around the wheelchairs and scooter, and even with his leave it with an object in motion. He did startle with the gate dropping but he didn't panic and run. I was so proud! We are still using a heavy amount of treats for walking, but in one week he has come a very long way.

Our new problem to work through is marking. It has finally started... dear god. He never marks in the house, thankfully. At the park I let him mark on the fence and trees, but we are discouraging anything people interact with, like benches etc. In a store this week he did he first marking on dog food. I was horrified and the worker who helped me said it's a hot spot. There wasn't any enzyme spray used, so I can see why. Ugggghhh it's just another phase to work through! He is my first intact dog that I have personally owned. So it's a learning curve!

Gimli turned four last week too! My lucky four leaf clover st patty's day boy! We had an intact frustrated dog set him off at the dog park before that (the other dog they own is a female who was in heat, and she told me he was not great with other dogs to begin with -_-' ) so it took us about 3-4 days before we could get him some good experiences back in the dog park with some of his older dog friends, but he's doing great again. There's a daycare place near me that will take him and work with him through his anxiety too! Which is amazing! They use all the same methods that I do!
The down side? They won't take Reven. Apparently almost all dog boarding/daycare places refuse to have any intact dogs over 7 months of age. It's really disappointing; he loves other dogs so much!

Those of you with intact dogs that are highly social, whats your go to for playtime and boarding?


Some pics!!

[Gizmutt]

Thank you for all the information 🙏
I had not thought about waiting to do poles for a while, but that totally makes sense. That can be awfully hard on the back.

I had also never heard of Treibball, that look very interesting! The hospital I currently work fors’ PT department offen has old excercise balls they are just giving away- so I could get the materials fairly easily.

New question time. How do you feel about bark box/pup box?
I really like the idea, and I have a friend who raves about it ... but cost wise, do you feel like you get enough out of it? (Does that make sense?) I know I would likely spend 30$ a month buying treats and stuff, but I would be buying stuff I know he likes. Do you feels your animals like them enough?

[.Middy.]

If you’ve never done agility before, I’d honestly highly suggest getting into a puppy agility class. Starting a agility dog off right with proper instruction helps so much! My youngest already has much better weaves and contacts than my older girl because of all the foundation stuff we did when she was too young for full stuff. It’s a lot easier working with someone that knows what they are doing for your first, I applied so much of what I messed up on with my first to my second and she’s gonna be amazing I can already tell lol.




Toes at the dock! We’ve got hopefully one or two more lessons before our first trial Easter weekend! I’m so nervous/excited for it! It will also be her first trip to the beach! Kes will come along for moral support but won’t be jumping since she’s not a water fan 😂