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Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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BaronessBL Aug 2016 8:22am, 10 Aug 2016 5,750 posts	Quote Pin BaronessBL I don't know how dogs do it, but so many seem to be spot on at the time they believe supper should be served.... Wanda included
Helegant Aug 2016 8:32am, 10 Aug 2016 3,348 posts	Quote Pin Helegant Who needs a pocket watch when there is a dog in the house? Jet reminds me, roughly every twenty minutes, that sitting down for too long is not good for a human. There is usually a ball in his mouth and an invitation to play in the garden.
Tonybv9 Aug 2016 8:49am, 10 Aug 2016 862 posts	Quote Pin Tonybv9 I mentioned before that we look after dogs for people on holiday, but don't have one of our own. It suits us, as we get such a variety of four legged friends. Last but one was Rufus, a 1yr old pointer/lab, who was fun but ultimately a pain. A kleptomaniac Duracell bunny. Last dog was Holly, a 3yr old blonde Deerhound. We had no idea what to expect, but she was lovely, and my favourite so far. A gentle, friendly, scruffy yet graceful and incredibly athletic bundle of dogginess. "The perfect dog" my daughter called her. She loved a long walk, but slept a lot in between and didn't demand attention like Rufus. She attached herself to me, and followed me around the house. She was quiet and calm, and our girls loved the daily challenge of grooming her. She wasn't a waggy-tail dog, though, which was unusual. She barely shed any fur, which was great. We were amazed by her athleticism; she was really fast, and could effortlessly clear a 3ft fence from a standing start. She didn't really chase a ball, but when she saw a fox she took off like a rocket. She was in her element bounding through the woods and tall grass - hence the daily groom - and she threw herself into any water. If she is typical of the breed, then Deerhounds make a terrific family pet. We can't wait to have her back.
BaronessBL Aug 2016 9:56am, 10 Aug 2016 5,753 posts	Quote Pin BaronessBL I'm going to have to google Deerhounds I think.....I don't think I even know what they look like
halfpint Aug 2016 10:05am, 10 Aug 2016 21,132 posts	Quote Pin halfpint I think one of our neighbours might have a deer hound. We've never actually met it up close - probably just as well as it is very big and I imagine Ernie wouldn't know what to make of it. We have to the dog walker arriving soon to meet Ernie. Wish us luck!
halfpint Aug 2016 8:21am, 12 Aug 2016 21,142 posts	Quote Pin halfpint Morning folks. How is everyone? I was wondering what your thoughts are on clicker training vs kennel club good citizens. The reason I ask is that I met a lady yesterday who does clicker classes. She was really nice, knowledgeable and interacted with Ernie. Our current class use KCGC but they are very business like, don't really interact with the dogs and I'm struggling to warm to them. The new lady said they let the dog have a play together as a reward after training, whereas current class have only let them play once in a very controlled way.
LazyDaisy Aug 2016 8:37am, 12 Aug 2016 15,231 posts	Quote Pin LazyDaisy I don't know if it's the KCGC rules or the people applying them, HP. I didn't warm to the woman running the first KC classes we went to, but the Copse Hill KCGC classes were much friendlier for both dogs and humans. And Floss still got her Gold! I don't know anyone who's done clicker training so can't speak about its efficacy as a training regime, sorry.
BaronessBL Aug 2016 8:59am, 12 Aug 2016 5,764 posts	Quote Pin BaronessBL Our class did the KCGC tests as well as the APDT tests (which are similar to KCGC but your class teacher can test you rather than an outsider - I suppose coursework based rather than exam based essentially!) But our instructor was also very keen on clicker training and often suggested we should use a clicker with Wanda, however having not started classes until she was getting on for a year old, and not having used a clicker we opted not to use a clicker.... but a number in the class did. As to which class to attend - if you will work your dog better with a trainer you like then that's important - our first class was just around the corner and Wanda adored the trainer but there were people in the class who found her a little difficult to get on with.
BaronessBL Aug 2016 9:07am, 12 Aug 2016 5,765 posts	Quote Pin BaronessBL I originally opted to go to the class in our village because it was convenient, but now with hindsight I think I might have been better off investigating various local classes and seeing what they all offered and what the instructors were like before just joining the one that was a five minute walk away because it was convenient. But having said that our first trainer took Wanda who was quite a difficult dog then into her class, and worked wonders with her, getting her through the Bronze and Silver tests at the first attempt. I can't fault anything we did with her. However the classes I go to now are (from my point of view) less stressful!
BaronessBL Aug 2016 9:02pm, 12 Aug 2016 5,768 posts	Quote Pin BaronessBL I know I am biased... and I know this doesn't tell the full story...but I am very saddened for a variety of reasons to see this on the Suffolk police website suffolk.police.uk