What a lovely post. Should be more just like this one

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Oh god I can sooo relate to this! My OH does absolutely no training, lets him wander all over the place when he occasionally walks him and basically lets him run riot!! Because he always sits with him in the evenings he says its because I'm too strict with him and he loves him more!! Sometimes I think I'm fighting a losing battle.

Not yet. I want to go to some shows just as a spectator early next year and maybe do a bit of training around the ringside, to let her get used to working in completely new and different environments, and then maybe next summer start having a bash at actually (gulp) going in the ring....

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, i entered a few obedience comps with my dog before she was old enough to enter working trials, i liked it, and most shows take place in the summer, a bonus, working trials takes place all year round, so sometimes the weather is appauling, I'm competing on Friday at Lincoln.

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"Properly trained, a man can be a dog's best friend."
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Fancy spending 3 weeks with Poppy??? No, she's great most of the time, I'd love to get her into flyball at some point, think she'd love it but she is a little too distracted at the moment. She's going in tomorrow to be neutered, so we'll get over that first!! She'd much rather go sniff someone or a dog than chase a ball a lot of the time!!
Thank You for the encouragement!!

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what an inspirational thread. With my 3 youngsters - l am the one lacking the motivation to keep trying. Other stuff gets in the way.
I also wanted to do the good citizen dog but dropped out after family problems and never got back into it. Now l have 3 bouncy excitable, weeing pooing mutts that drive my husband mad. He is at home with them all day as he is retired - l work in the afternoons and occasionally have to do all day. I am the only dog walker too.
The mutts are continously together and if you try and take one away for training - its literally the end of the world.

I have,nt given up on them or myself - just think we are a very slow work in progress.

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Ta Ta For Now xxx Kittysoo

Great to hear things are going so well, CP!! I too have had great success with my rescue 10 month old lab (now 18 months ALREADY!!). Not trained, no, I'll change that... trained to be naughty!! He'd run off after anything - dogs, cyclists, rabbits, joggers etc. We just weren't interesting enough for his adolescent lab brain despite doing lots of playing in the house, taking him everywhere, routine, doing a touch of agility and some training classes (but not many, cos the issue was a bonding one) etc.

He got progressively better over the months and we got really good at reading situations, i.e. if someone was approaching, get hold of either him or get his attention with food/toy/stick. Started to work really well. He started coming out for rides with me and cos I would turn round and canter off if he didn't listen, he started to listen It helped a lot for our walks when he was naughtier.

Lots of keeping him close, lots of play in the house, lots of praise for the good behaviour, ignoring the bad and then finding 'the perfect toy' which is a rubber ball that boings all over the place.

In the last 2 months it suddenly clicked... WE are now the most important things in his life He ignores other dogs now, they are just 'in the way' cos mum is going to throw his ball. He'll walk to heel past anything, no lead, just cos I'm holding the ball.

... and I've got his full attention at the stables cos inbetween each chore I throw the ball for him. He now sticks to me like a limpet, just in case

He still occasionally reverts to puppy behaviour (eating shoes, nicking stuff, going lalalalalala) but god, it's SO much better!! So yes.... with time they can get better, but I do think this needs to be accompanied with consistent training.

Well done. I hope the frisbee theory works!! after a few weeks of having the best time ever she won't think about leaving your side (and best wishes for those still going through the 'nightmare patch'... it's draining!!!!)

actually, take a look at my past posts (cos I've not been on for a while) and yo'll get the measure of how crap it all was