Out Training

This morning we transferred some dogs from outing on back-tie to handler staking.

Handler: Eugene
K-9: Satu
Helper: Arman



Handler: Ricardo
K-9: Reno
Helper: Dennis



Handler: Tony
K-9: Wegas
Helper: Dennis

Some heeling and stick work with Leo the Mali

Dog Handler = Edward
Helper = Ricardo

Frontal attack. Took pressure quite well but we are still working on his bite quality1

Zag & Zyra turned 4 today

Here's a short video of me training one of my pup named Zag early this evening. Both Zag & Zyra are introduced to article search. Currently item used is RM0.50 cents coin. Enjoy!

OB & Agility with MG's K-9 Team

This morning the handlers did some OB & Agility work. These are level 2 dogs and handlers but some handlers are new in the team. The handlers today gets to prove how much they have worked their K-9 partners.

Below vid is new handler Ricardo with K-9 Reno. Reno is a Slovak import bought during my study at Tarheel K-9 Training. He is a Dual Purpose ( Detection - Patrol ). Reno has a very good drive with phenomenal speed and agility.

Here's a video I've edited for fun from this morning session. Enjoy!

Today's training - catching Leo the Malinois

The 1st bite on frontal the dog did good.

2nd bite the dog looses his grip but managed to give a re-bite.

The 3rd one he looses his grip when pressure was applied using clatter stick.

The Young Ones

Here's pictures of my two young GSDs. Both of them are out of West German (Working Line) and Australia (Pet Dog). Born in April 19, 2008. They will have their complete vaccination in a week time.

Today for the third time they were given a dewormer. I am trying out this new brand called 'Triantelm-Intervet' which I got it from my friend (not free!).

Both pup grew up on "Regal Pet Food' and Animalac Fomula and due to lack of supply I have switched to Eaglepack -Lamb & Rice.




Above - Here's the pic of Zag (male) & Zyra (female) at 5 weeks and 3 days.




Guy in yellow - Zag at 7 weeks Guy in Blue - Zyra at 7 weeks

The two pics above were taken today at 13 weeks old.

PICTURES OF SOME OF MY TRAINING EQUIPMENTS

Nothing fancy here but I've decided to put up some of the equipments that I am using for my training.

This is a picture of my 'Scratch Pants'. This pants is use during 'bite work'. It is suppose to protect you from getting hurt by the dog/s you are catching. Sometimes when the dog strikes, both the front legs will land on you and the sharp nails may hurt your body or even legs.

No matter how careful you are sometimes accidents will still happen. There will be instances whereby some dogs may migrate their bites and go for your leg. With the scratch pants it will reduce the damage done. This pants are not supposed to be used to catch a leg bite in training. It is normally made of leather or nylon and they cost from USD130-250.


These are my 'Bite Sleeves'. There are many different types of sleeves available in the market. Each of them has their own purpose and use on different dogs depending on their level of training.
(left to right) Hidden Sleeve, Mini Puppy Sleeve, Intermediate Soft Sleeve, Soft Jute Sleeve, Trial Sleeve (front) Regular Training Sleeve.




This is a leather harness called 'Padded Harness'. It has felt padding inside to absorb impact from the dog charging during bite work especially when working dogs on a 'back tie'. Normally a harness is used on young dogs that have not develope their barking and also dogs that tend to charge when decoy is in front agitating.

Sometimes it can also be used for tracking or man-trailing but some prefer to use a non-restrictive harness when dogs can move more freely.
(picture coming soon)

The item in black is called a 'Jute Roll' and the other two are rubber ball which I've improvised to be use as a reward for the dog during training.
Some trainers do not fancy using toys as a reward but some think otherwise. Me, it depends pretty much on the dog/s I am working with.

These are leashes and leather lead. Personally I prefer to use a 6 foot leather lead for all purpose. In this pic you can see retractable leash (around 15 feet) which can be used for recall training, long lines (15 feet & 30 feet) that are used for tracking and bite work, nylon leash with 3 rings & double snap on both ends, and some 6 foot leather lead.

Chain - Prong/Pinch Collar (Hermes Sprenger-HS), Choke/Checker Chain, Fur Saver Chain
Collar - Flat leather collar & Nylon Collar
Halti
E-Collar - Dogtra 150NCP


















** more pics coming soon.

I AM YOUR PUPPY

I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth,but please know a few things about me.

I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month-old child. I am a Puppy; I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.

I am a Puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours.I cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle.It is your fault. As a Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after: Eating, Sleeping, playing, Drinking and around every 2 - 3 hours in addition. If you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me.

I am a Puppy, accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.

I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, and chase fuzz balls, other pets, and small kids. It is play;it's what I do. Do not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate,mellow and sleep all day. If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial, use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty of chew toys for me.If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "dog talk", by giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a few moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.

I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a 6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same tome. I am delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked,kicked or beat. Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance, if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new sock, or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.

I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who caninstantly obey your every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your family, and your life. You got me (I hope)because you want a loving partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be here.

I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your Veterinarian, books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my particular breed and it's"characteristics", it will give you understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please teach me with love, patience,the right way to behave and socialize me with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a lot of fun together.

I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you, and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work? We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger,pain, thirst, discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to understand one another's language, body signals,wants and needs. Some day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you.

Love, Your Puppy

Copyright 2000, by J. Ellis - Southern Shadows Rottweilers.

FEEDING YOUR DOG

Heres some basic knowledge to help you with the important decision of selecting a food that will provide your canine friend with a healthy diet.Considering the fact that dogs can have a variety of needs and conditions, this is basic information dog owners should have and is designed to help you.

Perhaps one of the most important, yet commonly overlooked components to a long-living, happy and healthy dog is his diet. The old saying, “You are what you eat” is also true for our pets. The knowledge of pet nutrition has evolved at light speed in recent years. Although no pet owner desires to intentionally harm their pets, manyowners make decisions based on out-dated information and are easily manipulated by the sophisticated marketing commonly used in the pet food industry. This important decision can be bewildering.
How important is my pet’s diet? A pet’s diet is the foundation to his life. Diet plays a crucial part in his physical condition, overall health, functioning of organs and immune system. Improper diet results in many common ailments including, but not limited to: poor health, decreased lifespan, poor muscle tone, allergies, depressed immunity, and a variety of skin and coat problems.

How do I know what is in a food? By reading the label you can get some idea as to the contents. Although labels can be misleading, understanding them is a place to start.

Government Regulations require companies to list ingredients in descending order based on content. The first ingredient listed is predominant, followed by the second ingredient, the third, etc.If corn is listed first, that is the primary ingredient.

Manufactures are also required to list the amount of protein, fat, fiber, moisture ect. Inthe form of a percentage. Manufactures are not required to state how digestible each of those categories are.

What should I look for on the label? Understanding the quality is a crucial part of thisequation. Select a food with a meat ingredient listed first on the ingredient panel. If the label states Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, etc. first, at least you know the food contains a higher amount of meat that a food listing corn or soy first.

Here is a simplified explanation of the way meats are defined:• Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, etc. mean that the meat is clean, non-rendered muscle tissue.These ingredients however are weighed when still in wet form. Some weight is lost due to the drying process.• Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Lamb Meal, etc. is clean, non-rendered muscle tissue, asabove, with the moisture already extracted.This offers a more concentrated source of meat protein.Either of these listed first means you are getting a quality source of meat that is highly digestible.

What should I avoid? Foods listing corn or soy as the primary ingredient are not as digestible.
Any source of meat by-product is of lesser quality.By-products contain parts other than the muscle tissue, and are not as digestible. Artificial colors are added for the eye-appeal to owners. They serve no nutritional purpose, and believed by many to be potentially harmful. Chemical preservatives are also coming under scrutiny.BHA, BHT, and ethoxiquin are commonly used in lower quality foods. They are inexpensive chemical preservatives and best avoided. Excessiveamounts of sodium, sugars (often labeled as sucrose) and texture stabilizers (propyl glycates, glycols, or similar) are used in lower quality foods as flavor enhancers, and best avoided. Also avoid non-descripted meats that do not divulge the source such as Meat Meal, Meat and Bone Meal or Meat By-product. These are the lowest quality and often contain slaughterhouse wastes. They may contain Horsemeat, road kill and the carcasses of dead, dying or diseased animals.

Feeding Instructions - Keep in mind, the recommended amounts are only guidelines. Your dog may require more or less based on his individual metabolism and activity level.
If your dog starts gaining undesired weight, cut back slightly.Undesired loss of weight means he needs more.

The cost of Feeding - If you do the math, you will find this can be a misleading factor in your choice of food. Higher quality foods result in a higher purchase price. Check the amounts needed per day, and you will find them to be much less than so-called bargain brands.

SOME BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT DOG TRAINING

1. Your dog is always learning, by observation, trial and error, 24 hours a day whether you are with him or not.

2. In order for a behavior to be maintained, it has to be rewarded. This includes desired and undesired behaviors. Your task is to figure out what the rewards are – and either eliminate them or increase them (depending on whether you want the behavior to stop or continue).

3. If you want your dog to follow (obey commands), then you have to lead. The best type of leadership is by controlling access to resources (not by physical domination and confrontation, although they may be needed.)

4. The cause of most “unruliness” in dogs is the inability to accept physical restraint: by lead, line, crate, fence or human hands. You must teach this skill first!

5. It is easier and ultimately more rewarding to focus on and teach “good” behavior, rather than punish “bad” behavior. If you must punish, always teach your dog an alternative "good” action that can be rewarded.

6. You should be the best motivator your dog has – make your time and attention valuable by using a “work to earn” program and playing with your dog daily.

7. When you call your dog to “come,” whatever happens in the next two minutes will dictate whether he comes the next time. The key to a dependable recall is to get your dog to come reliably, quickly and automatically (without thinking) first, in your home and yard. Asking your dog to “make choices” too soon will result in inconsistent performance.

8. If your dog is not 100% controllable on-lead, don’t take him off-lead.

9. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of training – if a behavior concerns you, do something about it now!

Everything you need to know about dog training in a few sentences:
If you want the dog to do it again, reward it.
If you don’t want the dog to do it again,
unreward it. Reward is something the dog wants.
Unreward is something the dog doesn’t want.