Let's See Your Dogs!!

Yeah, too wild when you don't walk/exercise/work with the dog. Keep him in a kennel 24/7 and he's gonna be wild when let out

 

Ditto. It's been a bumpy road, but we are happy we made the journey. With 6 months and a lot of work, she has become a wonderful companion. I couldn't imagine life with out her any more.

 

Same story here, he was nutty in the kennel, but a little training (us and him) and he has turned out to be a great companion. The key is keeping a dog engaged. Tie him to a tree or coop them up in a cage all day and you're asking for problems. This sumbitch is one champion shedder though; I can make a new dog about every three days.

 

Well my pup is a high energy nutcase but I'd never give her up. Got walks, daycare, and treadmill as her almost daily regimen.

Now winter is coming up, anyone have ideas for mind stimulating/exhausting games to do at home?

 

I hear ya, the 6 weeks of the year of piss poor sledding around here is almost over. I throw a ball for the dogs from 5-6 AM every morning outside, 365 days a year unless I'm blowing snow to get out of the driveway or hunting. Picked up my latest pup in January and started classes 2 weeks later at 10 weeks old and still doing classes. I have been owned by dogs for many years but still feel that classes help with learning new things for both of us plus socialization with other dogs and people. The last 3 months we have been in AKC Rally classes and the mental stimulation wears the young guy out faster than any physical exercise he has ever done with the exception of Agility. I recommend a class first to get a feel for it then you can make signs up and do your own course through out your home and change it up each time. It is basically advanced obedience, but also interaction between you and your dog which is what the judges look for. I can't recommend it enough for mental stimulation and bonding between the 2 of you. 20 minutes of Rally is equal to about an hour or so of chasing balls IME, but I try not to overdo it. When he starts to yawn and looking around figure it is time to give him a break and do something else. Most of all both of you should have fun, good luck!

 

I'm with Cold Iron. Classes and training will help a lot. One thing I learned too, don't give too much stimulation. Your dog needs to learn how to satisfy themselves at times, with a chew or something likewise. The more you engage, the more they likely expect. Ignoring, aside from injury to personal or property, can be a great tool. I'm not saying locked up all day or anything, but they should be able to be in the same room and entertain themselves, to a degree.

 

Best thing i bought for my high energy dog is a Walky Dog Plus. It attaches to my mountain bike and to my dog's harness. She pulls me around running full blast for about 10 minutes then shes a completely different dog. She loves it!

 

Sticking with the topic, she was fully passed out here. A little uncomfortable you'd think, but she was happy. I always worry I'm going to end up in neutral

 

This is my GSD from Germany. He's not the biggest but is damn tall. His big tail knocks over anything on our coffee table and small children

 

You would want a video of me attaching one mine to my bike for a ride. It would make the 6 o'clock news.
Expending their energy is key to good behavior. I also spend time and money training them. A little professional guidance goes a long way.
I'm fortunate to have access to a pasture and pond behind the house. They get to free run and swim most every morning for about 30-40 minutes,and about 15 min
free run in the evening. I also work them on pigeons back there. When its too hot or too cold they're in the house alone. No problems, well , sometimes the sofa cushions are not on the sofa when I get home, but undamaged.

 

Happy dogs!

 

I have one of those too but my dog didn't seem to like it too much. Then I learned that you can extend the leash to get them further out away from the bike so I'm going to try it again with him.

Lately I've just been skateboarding with him...he runs beside me while I just go in circles in a empty parking lot.

 

Just acquired one of these for training. Gotta get Sadie to stop jumping the bird after it's flushed.

 

I've got 2 of those and a pigeon coop. Sometimes it seems like there's no end to the crap you have to accumulate.

if you have pigeons and a helper and Sadie understands "whoa", try this. With Sadie on a check cord and an ecollar. Have your helper stand about 15-20 in front of her.

He should have about 4 or more birds in a pouch. Release them by dropping them in front of her one at a time while you restrain her with the cord and simultaneously

saying whoa and applying stimulation with the collar when she lunges forward. Only use continuous stimulation a stop as soon as she stops. the coordination of all three

important. Eventually you no longer use the check cord and then lose the e stimulation as she responds to just the word whoa. Its a process that I learned with Perfection

Kennels DVDs and attending their clinics. The DVDs are worth the bucks.

 

Nice! In addition to what Carl said several of my pointing dog friends use a belly band (e-collar under the belly). Because I throw dead birds into the water, and heavy ones at that I just paid $25 for a chance to win a Winger Zinger at the Toller National Specialty. I mainly hunt upland and don't have live homers or even kill pigeons I go to a place that does, and pay a fair amount for them but it is worth it to me. In a month or so when he is ready to be trained to be steady I will do what Carl said except instead of whoa it will be hup which is sit. An e-collar on top instead of on the belly works for flushers.

Carl you got it right it is amazing how much we spend on our dogs. My crate cover came in today along with a crate pad, grooming brush and comb for show and a few other things. She started complaining that I spend more on the pup than her. Maybe time for a new girlfriend?!

IF I win the Winger Zinger I hope it has the remote control unit.

 

my GSD Colt

 

That's part of the problem. Most of the time, I'm working alone. Love to get a pigeon coop, but that's down the road for now. I can catch a few now and again at the marina where I work. But I have to do it early in the morning. I get strange looks from people when I'm bagging them. I made a big scoop with a pool skimmer and replaced the screen with a burlap bag. Throw some seeds on the ground and scoop up some pigeons, then put them in my small puppy crate. Quick and easy.

 

I used to do that at an interstate underpass. I think passing cars thought I was homeless and going to eat them!
I first built a small coop about 4x4x4 on stilts about 4' high. Size was dictated by cutting standard size lumber in half.
Bought a 1/2 doz. homers from a guy that was racing them. those guys have more than need and will sell you floor pigeons or peepers (both terms for young ones that haven't flown) for arount $5 a piece. If they've flown you'll never get them to stay in your coop. Keep them in your coop for around 7-10 days. let them out the first time hour or so before dark. They won't go far and will want back in before dark. I now have a coop that looks like an outhouse thats been built out of scrap with 20-30 birds, most are mine but some are feral that have found free room and board.

 

Dakota enjoyed tons of wildlife on our trip from Alaska to Colorado this spring. 2+ weeks of camping and thousands of photos!

 

Nice pic!