Thanks all thats really interseting. I have the usual books and DVDs and l find the clicker training one quiet difficult. I know timing is everything. They make it look so easy on the dvds but l have found them to be a fair waste of money.
I trully believe that the forum is the best place to come for proper advice as we are all basically the average dog owner and just need to find the most enjpyable way to train.
I have 2 questions for you all - one is - what is ringcraft? Is it to do with training or is it teaching the dog to walk around for a judge and stand for being checked over for when they go to be showed?
The second question is - is there a correct order for training your dog. Do you start with lead work - a few sits then a few downs etc or do you mix it all up. Do you have a set plan of training that you work to rigidly or just randomly ask different things of the dog as you feel like it.
Also there is a third question - l have just remembered.
Do you use wait and stay? If you do what should you teach first. I always say wait before l let the dogs eat. I also say wait back when l am going through the baby gates first. I don't seem to use stay at all but that is what l heard when l went to my training class with Schmoo when he was 3 months old. Also l did'nt finish the class as my Dad who has dementia had a few physcotic episodes when he moved into his new home and l ended up having to dash over at all hours. I missed 2 sessions out of the 6 and then felt totally depressed as l was finding the training hard. I took the easy option and quit!! This is someone who wanted her dogs to go all the way with good citizenship!!! Muppett
I have been a very lax trainer l can see. I have'nt given them a lot of structure and quite a lot of the time l walk them all together just to save time.
One thing l have always noticed with my old dog Seiger is that he has never sat straight away
. I have seen dogs on the tv that sit so fast that they almost bounce off the ground. When l tell my dogs to sit they seem to take a couple of seconds and then do it. - how do l quicken that up.
Hope you can all help here?