The tamer the better for new dogs :smt001
Please tell me he started your dog off with the Dogwalk, [ the one which goes up, then flat along the middle, then down at the other end, ], with the planks on the ground first to let her get used to how it felt to walk on without her feet going off it, and with the A-Frame. [ the one which goes up then down and looks like a giant `A` ], at it lowest setting...

The smaller than Large dog height classifications are as follows, [ under KC Regs ], :

Medium Dogs, measuring over 350mm (1ft 1.75ins) to 430mm (1ft 5ins) or under at the withers, the maximum allowed jumps heights are 450mm (1ft 5.7ins).

Small Dogs, dogs measuring up to 350mm (1ft 1.75ins) at the withers, the maximum allowed jump heights are 350mm (1ft 1.75ins).

There is also whats called Micro height at some other shows which are for very teeny dogs, [ ie under one oranisation, for dogs that measure under 11in at the withers, Jump height will be 9in ].

This might show you better for comparrison :

On the photo below, the jump height is set at Medium.
The cups on the jump wings above the pole are for Large, the cups at the bottom are for Small.



Pugs are generally up to but not over 11 inches tall, [ according to Breed standard ], so unless your littl`un is uncommonly tall, she should not have done over the maximum agility jump height for Small, [ as mentioned, the jump height being 350mm (1ft 1.75ins) ].

I'm guessing I was one of the ones who has made comments about Mic on here..
I didn't think he was too bad until an incident on the last series made me look at everything else he had done and I had felt unsure about.
Mic used to post on here about the last series until he was asked a specific question about that incident, which he didn't answer and as I say he's not been back. That made me lose any respect I had for him as his silence actually spoke volumes and his attitude about it, prior to the silence (worse things happen abroad) I didn't like. A shame...

I'm glad Mic helped you, I'm also glad you haven't just left it there and are continuing to work with and develop your relationship with your dog. brilliant. that's what all good dog owners do all the time. Obviously Mic has helped you and that's brill for you, your girlfriend and your dog. I don't much like his methods, but each to their own.
Dog training is just like teaching...methodologies come and go, get rehashed and played with al the time...the wheel is constantly being reinvented...

I don't know enough about agility to comment, but i have been surprised at how much of the equipment the dogs seem to do in such a short training time...

Back to offlead exercise...
Yes, its lovely to see dogs running fre, but I also enjoy watching them using their brains and thinking things through, I enjoy 'doing' things with them...not just walking with them (I enjoy that too of course) but i really like to engage their minds and I do that best, in my situation, onlead...I enjoy what we do and judging by how enthusiastic the dogs are to go for onlead, rather than off lead walks...they love it too, their tails never stop and they are alert, perky and keen...it's brill.
Some dogs, never get offlead exercise...they are still'exercised' and occupied and happy...they can't be let off lead because they've got appalling recall or they are dog aggressive or there is not an appropriate area nearby...that's fine, in all honesty, I've found NOT relying on offlead exercise to exercise my dogs at times has enhanced our relationship and my understanding of them as I have to think more about what I get them to do.

As for the lab this week, he should not have too much offlead exercise as he was only 10 months old...it would be easy to damage his joints...

Didn`t see that - is that the one doing agility which AJL mentioned ?
If it is, thats *yet another* underage dog doing agility then...

If you can hear a hissing noise right now all around the country, its from the steam coming out of my ears :smt091

Really trying to rack my brain here about the agility stuff.

The height of the jump was roughly the same as the sofa in our living room that she spends all day jumping on and off, so she didnt have any problems in terms of clearance, and is certainly used to the height.

Further, we have a set of 3 steps leading to/from our bedroom, which she seems incapable of walking down - always needs to jump the lot! Think she's actually a rabbit?!

I hope this maybe puts your mind at rest?

Please dont hate me!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It seems to me that whatever method you show on television, there will always be someone ready to shout the "cruelty" accusation around.

I've been lucky enough to communicate directly with Rob from the series, about some of the comments levied against the programme. Interested to hear how many people have written to him complaining? To quote Rob himself:

Yes, he is the man who dares to shake that lethal bottle in front of the dogs. If there is one thing he has said that I fully agree with:

I'm for lovely kind words and a gentle coax as much as the next person. But, there's a limit. This limit is usually way past by the time that dogs reach Dog Borstal.

I can't help thinking that many people throw their disdain at the wrong party in this case. It's the owners you should be throwing it at, not the trainers! The trainers task in this context is to undo the work that the owners have done.

It also astounds me that, Mick, who let's face some facts here, has been in the business for some twenty years or so, gets so much criticism. To even think that he hasn't successfully done what he does a thousand times over is inconceivable.

And yet, we, many of whom, I must presume, are just like me, know-all armchair trainers and enthusiasts, feel that we are somehow more qualified to judge? Come on. Aside from being arrogant, it's just crazy. Owning a dog or two, does not a trainer make! It's akin to watching a film and then shouting that a camera shot in from the left would have better than from the right. Watching films does not a Director make either.

I believe that if you are the type of person who feels compelled to judge everyone as either cruel or not cruel then you shouldn't watch the programme in the first place. It still completely baffles me that some people here have expressed that they see the shaking of a bottle with pebbles in it before the dog as an act of cruelty or wreckless. I can only presume, in these cases, their own dogs must walk around with ear defenders on and never experience sounds such as car horns, doors slamming, people dropping cutlery on the floor, and so forth.

It's one of the key reasons that I have stopped visiting here with any degree of frequency, as it seemed to me that there are some individuals who are so fanatical about what is a good and bad method that you almost daren't say what you did with your dog last night, for fear of someone branding you as a cruel trainer or owner!

For the show itself; sure I have complaints with it, but mostly are social ones, like why is it now almost customary to have a gay couple on? You know, I get it, Mic is a tough guy and might be abrasive with them. Whippee. Hardly ground-breaking stuff there. I'm really not interested in the hissy-fits shown by any of the owners, I couldn't care less about where they sleep, or indeed what time they got up in the morning. I personally feel that too much attention is spent on the them, and not enough on the dogs. But there I go, armchair Directing....

:smt023 well said

I too feel i have to watch what I say round here, as I use plenty of +R, but ALSO little +P in my training, and with other peoples dogs.

What I will say is that Dog Borstal, done over a few days is hardly fair. They have to get results quickley, what else can they do but jump to using methods that will get the job done. But I will say none of the dogs seem to flinch at their owners/trainers, overall implying that the work they have done is postive.

I remember one lab in particular who seemed to adore Mic.

Missed ya GSDLover you really should frequent more often

Thanks. I have been extremely busy rebranding my site and stuff. I have PHP code falling out of my ears I think.

But I'm back, and realised that I haven't done the October Blondi photos!