I absolutely love this series! I'm fairly new to dog sport... it's crazy how a small "gesture" can be considered help, but it makes sense because it's impossible to tell if the dog is following the command, or watching the handler. Thanks for making these videos!
Mate, I don't think I've seen a better series of videos and I am a youtube addict! Well done to you, please please please keep it up and all the best from a fellow dog training and behaviour nut from Australia.
Hi Tavis, I'm enjoying your series. I appreciate the work you are putting in for us. It would be great if you could include in the series a video of yourself doing a mock up competition explaining more about what is expected from the handler, what is expected from the dog and what the judge is looking for.
“I’m” currently being trained by your Dad in order to train my puppy Rottweiler, I can see where he gets his sense of humour lol. Great job, keep em coming.
Hello and thank you for your videos. I have been wondering about the different dog sports like schutzhund and IPO and decided to google. You've explained it well!
Well done, I love the British sense of humor. I shared your video with my club, as I believe un-intentional handler help leads to inconsistent performance at trials, due to the change in handler behavior from stress and environmental changes. Kwizii - it seemed a bit sterile at first look to me in the beginning, coming from 15 years of Collapsed Structure Search Dog work. The difference is the focus on perfect performance vs reliable extended performance in dynamic situations. It is a great sport and much safer than the other, but finding a like minded club is key. I recommend visiting clubs and see how the social aspect balances with the performance and attitude of the dogs. Thank you
Hey Travis, enjoying your videos. Great content. One thing you may wish to cover is Herding especially with the German Shepherd in mind and the protection work required. Did you know that the scoring on the protection work is the same as the scoring on the bite work on the sheep in fact that is where the bite work came from to ensure the bite work remained correct for the sheep work. I am sure you know but that link seems to be missing from your content :)
I actually like your videos, giving an objective look on this sport. However I would love to hear your oppinions on Electric collars, prong collars and other more "harsher" training tools in this sport.
This has answered a question for me, but I have another - why is there a need to scream a command? Is it distance? Is it to be heard over barking? Will you be marked down for not screaming? My background in horse training makes me want to refine everything back from screaming to subtle cues - the kind this episode suggests are not allowed (and I now understand why, thank you). I have an association from horse training that the quieter the classier; is this going to cost me points?
I know, and I love this! You shouldn't have to beat a dog to make it do something you want it to do. I believe in cooperation between dog and handler. What do you think about using shock collars and prong collars in dog training? Using this in Norway is illegal and generally shunned at as it is with prong collars. But do you think using these "helpers" is something a lot of people do within this sport? I really enjoy this series :) Can't wait for the next one!
Yes could you please do a part about choosing the ideal puppy for IPO. I would LOVE to do get a GSD pup and do IPO but I have no idea where the best place to buy a pup from is and how to go about choosing the right pup
I quote the official IPO regulations - "Especially in the obedience attention must be paid to the fact that the dog exhibits no pressure from the handler demonstrating that his self-confidence has been deflated and that he does not appear to be just “sport equipment” of the handler. During all exercises a happy work ethic and the required concentration must be displayed towards the handler. Attention must be paid to the happy work ethic in conjunction with the correct execution of the work."
Maybe you can talk a little about different training methods? Dog training (in general) is starting to become more and more positive. The dog is supposed to love training now and want to do it, as opposed to years ago when it was more about "because the handler said so". What kind of effect does that have on championship contenders? And what does it say in the rules about the dogs' willingness and love for working during competition? See, this is a very interesting topic to me :)
I'm actually having a problem with a dog I'm training right now where she's become reliant on hand signals in order to perform the command. XD So now I gotta retrain the verbal commands. x_x And in the future not rely so much on hand signals, even though I think they are easier to teach (this video explains why ^^;; ). Thank you once again for the useful information. :3
All judges judge slightly differently because they're human rather than computers so any score is subjective, but it does specifically say in the rules that there should be no body language.