Stella in Modern Dog Magazine

Good piece :)
Wish more people would think about drives and what their dogs will work for. My dog doesn't love me unconditionally, he loves me because food falls out of my pocket and I have a mean throw :p
 
Stella's fame is spreading :D. All Evies good behaviour is motivated by "whats in it for me?" Given a choice between me and her ball on a rope I know what would win, and it wouldn't be me.:(
 
Squeaky toys for my boy - for Lil, I haven't found it yet, she's not overly concerned by squeaks OR food, however, she's an awesome ragger, so maybe a sock!
 
Kits, have you tried a rope pull toy then? Henry loves his as a reward:)

For Henry, it's food, a tennis ball, or one of his other toys like his phessie or his rope to have a game with! Or being allowed to leap up and bodyslam me, which is always a fun recall reward:)
 
I'd be careful of socks, they can be swallowed and a dog will find it hard to discriminate between her sock and all socks.
Piece of sacking or a quality flannel in your pocket to tease her with or tied to a short piece of line to keep it active would work.
Or if you hang around with crazy shepherd people, tied to the end of a schooling whip :p instant flirt pole!
 
All my training sessions with Henry incorporate a play session, it is a good way to let him release all the energy that he has (hopefully) been keeping under control while he works, and gives us both a break from concentrating before we refocus.

Teaching through play is the best way IMO, for example we are learning the stop whistle purely through play at the moment as the more formal way with a line is not working for Henry. So instead I use his tennis ball as a reward - you want me to throw the ball? Then sit when I blast the whistle and stick my arm in the air (with the ball in my hand) and I'll throw it for you to chase:)
 
If anyone can come up with a more practical reward for a husky than allowing her to chase squirrels up trees (sadly I have not yet trained a squirrel to run into her path on demand and throwing balls or furry toys doesn't seem to recreate the same urge) I'd love to hear it. :p

Oh to have a food-motivated dog again... :o
 
Real rabbit fur dummy on the end of a long line? You can get a rabbit skin for £6 or 7, and stitch it onto an old sock, then fit it over a dummy ala Kirstyhen's genius instructions (my gundog trainer was very impressed when I showed her Bugsy the Bunny at our last session):D
 
Spudlet said:
So instead I use his tennis ball as a reward - you want me to throw the ball? Then sit when I blast the whistle and stick my arm in the air (with the ball in my hand) and I'll throw it for you to chase:)
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Whenever I'm playing fetch with Stella at the dog park, I make her sit and wait every time, and I do this for every dog that joins us (usually I have at least one other joining in with the game). Maybe it's coincidental, but it seems to stop any scraps from breaking out.
 
Spudlet said:
Real rabbit fur dummy on the end of a long line? You can get a rabbit skin for £6 or 7, and stitch it onto an old sock, then fit it over a dummy ala Kirstyhen's genius instructions (my gundog trainer was very impressed when I showed her Bugsy the Bunny at our last session):D
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:D :D I'll admit it, I am a genius :D :D


I see a movie career for Miss Stella beckoning next :D
 
Spudlet said:
Real rabbit fur dummy on the end of a long line?
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My neighbours already think I am mad - if I start running around squealing and dragging animal skins behind me they may finally call for the men in white coats. :eek: :p :D

Could do with one of those greyhound training bunny machine things, though, bet she'd chase that up and down all day. :D
 
kirstyhen said:
:D :D I'll admit it, I am a genius :D :D


I see a movie career for Miss Stella beckoning next :D
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She's already been in Japanese Vogue, Psychology Today Magazine, she's one of the faces of a brand of dog treats, one of the faces of her boarding place, and we've been interviewed for a documentary on Central Park's "The Gates" exhibition, and fleetingly appeared on Season One of the Apprentice. She refuses to walk with me these days without her publicist in tow :D
 
Out of interest what do you train? Are you just re-inforcing previous training?
I'm sure my two would like it, but I don't know what I would train them, they already, fetch, sit, lie down, stay etc so I'm at a loss for something new to teach them! Apart from attack the handsome man in the park, which could work!
 
Heel? Focus? Over? Through? Speak/quiet? Roll over? Wait/stand? Distance control (ie sit, stand, down at distance)? Find it? Discriminating between objects?

And yes I do reinforce previous training. That's not to say it is for everyone or every dog, I just like to keep their brains ticking over.
I just like the idea that dogs play and think, it tires them out as much, if not more than, physical exercise, I know dogs who literally don't know how to play and I kinda had to teach one of mine to be interested in a ball.
 
CaveCanem said:
I looked all over Central Park for you in 2008!
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Hilarious. If ever you return, please do get in touch; we're about to move uptown so it'll be mutiple walks in the park every day. Just make sure you have your best throwing arm at the ready, cause Miss Stella reckons you'll need it :)

No demands during the photo shoot, Cayla, but Prince was very whiny on a recent photo shoot for Neiman Marcus. (I randomly got stopped on the street and the photographer wondered if he could borrow the pug, as Prince's coat perfectly matched the model's peach dress. Alas, I forgot to pick up a copy of the catalogue starring Fat Man.)
 
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