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Location: Approximately 50 miles from Missoula MT/38 yrs full time after 4 yrs part time
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Driller1
The thing that is a little different about Rip is at times we WANT him to chase.
At times in competition, at times a real hunt.
........and I take no issue with him wanting to run and chase, as stated, that type of "Prey Response" is in his breeding.
For me with my (pointing & retrieving bird dog), I do not want him to "chase".
I have some friends here in the B.R. Valley who keep various breeds of hounds strictly for running Mountain Lions (during season). Depending on several variable conditions, their hounds will sometimes run (chase) the lion for 2 hours or more before it becomes "treed". Since I'm not into hounds I don't know if they can be used to "run bears" in MT, God knows we have plenty of bears (both Black and Grizzly) here in the valley and the B.R. mountains. Between the bears, lions and the damn wolves, our elk herds have been hit very hard in the last 5 years or so.
Just courious.............what state are you in where you can run bears with hounds? And do you have Mt Lions also?
Last edited by Montana Griz; 05-24-2011 at 03:55 PM..
Reason: ...a question:
........and I take no issue with him wanting to run and chase, as stated, that type of "Prey Response" is in his breeding.
For me with my (pointing & retrieving bird dog), I do not want him to "chase".
I have some friends here in the B.R. Valley who keep various breeds of hounds strictly for running Mountain Lions (during season). Depending on several variable conditions, their hounds will sometimes run (chase) the lion for 2 hours or more before it becomes "treed". Since I'm not into hounds I don't know if they can be used to "run bears" in MT, God knows we have plenty of bears (both Black and Grizzly) here in the valley and the B.R. mountains. Between the bears, lions and the damn wolves, our elk herds have been hit very hard in the last 5 years or so.
Just courious.............what state are you in where you can run bears with hounds? And do you have Mt Lions also?
For the record, various dogs I've had have been trained to run with me on a bicycle, and also with my truck and they love it like you can't believe....the normal human walking pace is way too slow for the natural trot of a medium-large dog!
I've comepeted in agility with three dogs; mine are all used to obeying me off-leash. I hike frequently with two of them off-leash (and have an extremely large fenced yard when they're home.) I've called them off deer, wild turkeys and rabbits out in the woods, they do a u-turn and come when called. Mind you I am very careful and selective about when and where they go off-leash. A Lab and a JRT x heeler.
My Rottweiler pup doesn't get off-leash privileges because he is extremely high drive and hasn't earned that right yet. He's a working-line Rottweiler and not a year old yet, a work in progress! I do take him out on a 30-foot line; he tracks and fetches and swims a ton. He's not old enough yet for running with a bike or truck.
The thing that is a little different about Rip is at times we WANT him to chase.
At times in competition, at times a real hunt.
I've entered my JRT cross in a few lure couring events...as high as her prey drive is, initially she kept turning and "checking in" with me in mid-chase-. It took a little practice for her to realise that agility (working very close with handler) and lure coursing (LET 'ER RIP!) were separate activities with different rules.
I've also had the experience of "untraining" an older dog and breaking habits (transitioning from formal obedience to agility) and it was very difficult...I agree with snofarmer on this. It's not the age of the dog but the earlier expectations placed on it.
Training a dog to come when called regardless....too many owners don't praise the instant the dog shifts attention; they wait until the dog is at their feet to mark or praise. Or they get frustrated when the dog doesn't come when called, then either act angry or start chasing the dog...which isn't likely to make the dog WANT to come.
Wow, this thread is great! You all are giving me a lot to think about!
I guess I'm not a hard core dog owner like many of you. We got Shep because I wanted a running partner, and for deterring potential intruders. We aren't interested in hunting, don't farm, don't have time to pursue another activity like agility or herding (although I think herding would be SO COOL!). We just want a family dog. Maybe that's why we went with a mutt
That said, I find the ideas on here fascinating. They really make me take another look at Shep, and wonder what's going on in his head.
Basic Obedience starts tomorrow night. Should be fun
I've entered my JRT cross in a few lure couring events...as high as her prey drive is, initially she kept turning and "checking in" with me in mid-chase-. It took a little practice for her to realise that agility (working very close with handler) and lure coursing (LET 'ER RIP!) were separate activities with different rules.
I've also had the experience of "untraining" an older dog and breaking habits (transitioning from formal obedience to agility) and it was very difficult...I agree with snofarmer on this. It's not the age of the dog but the earlier expectations placed on it.
Training a dog to come when called regardless....too many owners don't praise the instant the dog shifts attention; they wait until the dog is at their feet to mark or praise. Or they get frustrated when the dog doesn't come when called, then either act angry or start chasing the dog...which isn't likely to make the dog WANT to come.
LOL...I was uninvited to go to the event in NC because of Rip watching me.
For the record, various dogs I've had have been trained to run with me on a bicycle, and also with my truck and they love it like you can't believe....the normal human walking pace is way too slow for the natural trot of a medium-large dog!
I've comepeted in agility with three dogs; mine are all used to obeying me off-leash. I hike frequently with two of them off-leash (and have an extremely large fenced yard when they're home.) I've called them off deer, wild turkeys and rabbits out in the woods, they do a u-turn and come when called. Mind you I am very careful and selective about when and where they go off-leash. A Lab and a JRT x heeler.
My Rottweiler pup doesn't get off-leash privileges because he is extremely high drive and hasn't earned that right yet. He's a working-line Rottweiler and not a year old yet, a work in progress! I do take him out on a 30-foot line; he tracks and fetches and swims a ton. He's not old enough yet for running with a bike or truck.
I thought of bike riding with my dog running next to me - my dog has been clocked at 25 mph and I can't run that fast myself! (nor do I want to...) It was at one of these doggie festivals where they cordoned off an area and used a speed meter to clock the dogs. Pretty funny. This wasn't fun the one time I let her off leash at the beach: dogs are allowed off leash at this one beach, and I'd worked so hard on recall that I thought she'd be fine. OH MY she was not fine. She took off like a flash and didn't come back when I called. She was getting smaller and smaller, with me running top speed - and a car coming the other way ON THE BEACH. One mistake I made was running after her - that turned it into a chase game. She did keep looking back, I guess to see if I was following. She was having the time of her life, I was having a breakdown. Thank God for the dead fish on the beach - she finally stopped.
Apparently you are not supposed to chase them, you are supposed to run the other way or in an arc away from them. But one way was the ocean and the other way were houses, and I wasn't even sure if she could hear me over the wind. Yikes.
Once I slipped on some ice and wiped out and accidentally dropped the leash, but she waited for me.
Basic Obedience starts tomorrow night. Should be fun
Don't discount your "mutt"! Mixed and cross breed dogs are no less than purebred dogs, and if you ever did want to add a working or sporting type activity for Shep, they don't always need a pedigree to acheive great things....I know a Michigan mixed breed dog who qualified and placed in international competition last year in London.
Have fun with class. Small, extra-yummy, soft treats.
Norasmom, there's a couple of types of contraptions you rig to your bike to run a dog safely. I tried a Springer that a friend had on her bike and she runs TWO Malamutes (about 100 lbs each) on it...I tried it with a large-ish foster dog I had and he was unsure and lunging this way and that initially. It was amazing, it barely affected my balance at all.
I work at the off-leash thing with my dogs (as well as other training and being generally Cesar-Millan-ish in my approach.) They start with walks on a 20-30 foot training line, and I only call them to engage them in play or to randomly give a treat. Then they get to drag the line....if they don't come immediately when called, they get reeled in, then rewarded. Also when off-leash I randomly hide behind a tree, so when the dog turns around to check in, they don't see me and get worried. They come looking, and we have a big party when they find me.
There's miles and miles of trails behind county fairgrounds near my house...it's usually pretty deserted early in the mornings. Also there is no leash law. The Rottweiler pup doesn't have full off-leash priveleges so he often gets separate walks and activities. This was the two Nottweilers on Sunday, we walked for aboout two hours. I carry leashes (and poop bags! Important!) just in case of whatever.
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He's a working-line Rottweiler and not a year old yet, a work in progress! I do take him out on a 30-foot line; he tracks and fetches and swims a ton. He's not old enough yet for running with a bike or truck.
