Why don't they bother?

[Buckman]

As we have a new pup, we would like to attend training classes for him. We saw an advertisement for dog training and found someone tot too far from us. We initially completed the contact form and when no reply, sent an email. Still no reply so one last chance and left a message on their phone and still no reply. No message to say Out of Office or anything. Surely the adverts cost them a few bob that they would like to recoup? We are now looking elsewhere and further afield. So much for trying to help the local economy.

We also had something similar with a person who advertised in the local rag. Phoned and they were around the same day. When i ask for an estimate he went to his van, tore off the bottom part of the local newspaper and wrote down the costs of the parts on that? He then asked for the cost of the tap upfront which we refused. never saw him again. We got another plumber in who did the whole job for the cost of the parts the other "plumber" wanted. He knew the other "plumber" and said we had a lucky escape.

 

[otherclive]

As we have a new pup, we would like to attend training classes for him. We saw an advertisement for dog training and found someone tot too far from us. We initially completed the contact form and when no reply, sent an email. Still no reply so one last chance and left a message on their phone and still no reply. No message to say Out of Office or anything. Surely the adverts cost them a few bob that they would like to recoup? We are now looking elsewhere and further afield. So much for trying to help the local economy.

We also had something similar with a person who advertised in the local rag. Phoned and they were around the same day. When i ask for an estimate he went to his van, tore off the bottom part of the local newspaper and wrote down the costs of the parts on that? He then asked for the cost of the tap upfront which we refused. never saw him again. We got another plumber in who did the whole job for the cost of the parts the other "plumber" wanted. He knew the other "plumber" and said we had a lucky escape.

Try the Bark website which will send you details of trainers in your area. Don't forget the Kennel Club offer training courses from puppies to advanced via local canine societies. Cost £25 for six lessons. I missed out as mine was 11 months when I applied. But success on the puppy course get you automatic entry to the Bronze course. Dog behaviourists ca be a mixed bag, with some good and other not so successful, but a lot depends on the owner and the input they put in. Our Sprocker has improved her lead walking via two weeks in Northumberland where she did the farm lane 4-5 times a day, plus the time on lead when out for the day, some of which were 6 mile walks. But by normal standards she's still "pretty" awful, so it is work in progress. Will we ever cure her with bird obsession?....I very much doubt it as our last two were born hunters.

 

[Buckman]

Thanks OC. Around here the prices start at £80 for 6 lessons. Never knew about "Bark" or kennel Club offering training classes. Puppy is now almost 4 months old.

 

[otherclive]

Thanks OC. Around here the prices start at £80 for 6 lessons. Never knew about "Bark" or kennel Club offering training classes. Puppy is now almost 4 months old.

4 months an ideal age to start training just what the KC courses aim at.

 

[Dustydog]

We always used the Joyce Stranger method from her “out of print” book TrIning puppies the first year. Sadly no longer available .
Whatever method you choose, books, classes etc be sure you both use all the same commands , signals etc. The reality is , it’s all about training the owner not the dog!
Our last two Springers were taught to react to hand signals, voice command and whistle. In the end they both knew French and German! All in the intonation of the voice ! Good luck with it. It gets much better after two years old😄😄

 

[Jcloughie]

Slight diversion. Is anyone watching the training of blind dogs. Very interesting and good tips in there for dog owners. On channel 5.

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 Series | Guide Dogs UK

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 series follows our dogs’ stories as they transform the lives of the people they’ve been sent to help and their families

www.guidedogs.org.uk

John

 

[Buckman]

Slight diversion. Is anyone watching the training of blind dogs. Very interesting and good tips in there for dog owners. On channel 5.

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 Series | Guide Dogs UK

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 series follows our dogs’ stories as they transform the lives of the people they’ve been sent to help and their families

www.guidedogs.org.uk

John

I think you meant dogs for the blind and not blind dogs?

 

[Jcloughie]

I think you meant dogs for the blind and not blind dogs?

You are grammatically correct of course, but most know them as blind dogs. But an incorrect term brought forward from old. I will need to get up to date.

My mother used to collect milk bottle tops for the association. She did very well. And we got a bronze tally for our dog, with, 'Blind Dogs Association' and a dog on one side. We engraved the other.

He was not the best of dogs, I would not put up with him today. He bit a few including me, and I still have scars.

He would escape and go wandering, sometimes for a few days. One time the police came around to say they had him. I was about 11, and I went to the police station (about 4 miles away), with my slightly older brother. The dog was in a cell. The police were actively avoiding him. Turns out he had already bitten one of them.

I believe the dog escaped perhaps a death sentence because they thought he was a guide dog. In reality, he was far from it.

John

 

[Milkfloat]

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has always been it's name, sometimes shorten to 'Guide Dogs'. I very much doubt they would ever have produced anything with "Blind Dogs Association" written on it. If you would like to reminisce then this video is worth 5 minutes f your time

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpNgd5jJYk

 

[otherclive]

Slight diversion. Is anyone watching the training of blind dogs. Very interesting and good tips in there for dog owners. On channel 5.

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 Series | Guide Dogs UK

Puppy School for Guide Dogs Channel 5 series follows our dogs’ stories as they transform the lives of the people they’ve been sent to help and their families

www.guidedogs.org.uk

John

Any tips on retrieving a wayward Sprocker. I let her off this afternoon in a meadow adjacent to the local nature reserve. The reserve has been closed since October last year to enable trees with ash dieback to be felled and removed. It was planned as an eight week job, yet it is still. closed to the public. (Same contractors as HS2?) In the meadow she has been pretty good on recall. But this afternoon something caught her attention and she dived into some scrub and eh-oh away she went into the wood.

After 15 minutes she hadn’t come back so I rang my wife to see if pooch had returned home. No reply on the phone as my wife had heard my whistles and legged it into the wood. A lady with her black Lab joined the search and eventually pooch arrived to say hello to the Lab, and the lady grabbed her. 30 minutes of free running yet not even breathless.

Need to work more on her recall such that me with bits of dried beef is more interesting than a squirrel, Pheasant or whatever else she wants to search for.

 

[Milkfloat]

If food does not work for recall then you can always try their favourite squeaky toy. We raise Guide Dog puppies and although they are generally very food led, their squeaky toys always come with us until their recall is excellent.

 

[otherclive]

If food does not work for recall then you can always try their favourite squeaky toy. We raise Guide Dog puppies and although they are generally very food led, their squeaky toys always come with us until their recall is excellent.

Labs are borne half trained, Spaniels die half trained 😂. Will try your tip in an excercise field where I can work on her recall.

 

[Jcloughie]

Perhaps the special whistles and clickers as used by the guide dog trainers may be useful.

John

 

[Jcloughie]

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has always been it's name, sometimes shorten to 'Guide Dogs'. I very much doubt they would ever have produced anything with "Blind Dogs Association" written on it. If you would like to reminisce then this video is worth 5 minutes f your time

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tpNgd5jJYk

Thanks for the video, I helped my mother with the collections, my overriding memory was the smell of sour milk. I cannot remember exactly what was on the tally, but certainly, it would have needed to be abbreviated.

It used to be commonplace, (though clearly wrong). For establishments to have 'blind dogs only' signs up. Now normally 'assistance dogs'.

John

 

[RogerL]

Thanks for the video, I helped my mother with the collections, my overriding memory was the smell of sour milk. I cannot remember exactly what was on the tally, but certainly, it would have needed to be abbreviated.

It used to be commonplace, (though clearly wrong). For establishments to have 'blind dogs only' signs up. Now normally 'assistance dogs'.

John

It's partly semantics in that the dogs aren't blind and more inclusive as assistance dogs are used for a number of different disabilities.

 

[otherclive]

Perhaps the special whistles and clickers as used by the guide dog trainers may be useful.

John

I have two Acme whistles one (210.5) optimised for Spaniels working at their normal 60m distance, and another (211.5) optimised for Labradors working at 150m. I’ve a third a 210 which my last two Springers responded to. The pooch has responded in excercise fields and beaches. But today she entered woodland rife with squirrels and pheasant. Clickers aren’t that much use in such environments. It’s work in progress.

 

[otherclive]

It's partly semantics in that the dogs aren't blind and more inclusive as assistance dogs are used for a number of different disabilities.

In Amble last week a dog came by with “epileptic “ on its harness. I thought it meant the dog was epileptic till my wife put me right. 😂