Midnitstar Aussies and Trained Dogs.

07/07/2023

When everyone betrays you...your dog is the only one who stays by your side ..the true love

29/06/2023

This is cute...
https://fb.watch/lsZMCtMFOW/?mibextid=YCRy0i

13/06/2023

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dNXrF0JG4ZHgncr_D23ujfqG83BsRfNT/view?usp=drivesdk

13/06/2023

11/06/2023

My shadow...Tiny Tot, he always has to be on my lap while I scroll thru my phone...lol

10/06/2023

My rescue Jack...took him about 2 weeks to warm up to me, but now he always has to be on my lap. He needs a home he can get All the attention . He is a good boy.

08/06/2023

For those dealing with the smoke from the wild fires
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/wildfires-smoke-dogs/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_org&utm_campaign=20230607_posting&fbclid=IwAR1wnxbF5TYNkGhDS4vDC5S2Xtv2ThVYsTUHphanH_kNehiFnJpPM-6xXvQ

With wildfires ravaging regions of the U.S., the AKC wants to make sure that both humans and pets are given the resources necessary to stay safe.

07/06/2023

Working with summer on recall.

16/05/2023

Aspen, blue merle female, on hold

16/05/2023

Summer, black tri female, on hold

16/05/2023

Bunny, blue merle female, she has a ton of confidence. Little explorer

16/05/2023

Lance, black tri male, handsome guy, he is such a lover.

03/05/2023

Lol, ain't that the truth lol

🤣🤣

03/05/2023

I posted this on a training group I am in.

Let's talk Socializing. We see a ton of post for issues people have with their pups in public. And education is the key.
Socializing isn't just about people and other dogs, but starts out more about environments. When puppies are born, they live in one spot for 8 weeks, never seeing beyond that kennel or yard, not to mention only seeing a couple of people. Then 8 weeks happens, they are taken from the only place they know, and thrown into a whole new world were nothing is recognizable, not even the people. They learn that yard and learn to trust these new people. But yet can't investigate the outside world till usually around 16 weeks when they finish up puppy shots.

Here is were the important part comes in...
Once those shots are done, some are then taken to new places, with lots of loud noises, lots of strangers, flashing lights, air brakes on trucks and busses, children yelling, screaming or crying, horns honking. Different smells like food, chemicals, grinding brakes, the manufacturing plant down the street. They have different surfaces to walk on like concrete, asphalt, grates, wood chips, etc...They are attacked (so they think) by strangers hovering over them making strange sounds and all kinds of arms coming at them. Touching them as their owner watches and says its ok. Younger puppues are usually ok with this, but puppies around 6 months old, going thru a fear stage are terrified. And we wonder why they get scared and act aggressive, which is usually fear.

Do a test...go around your family dinner, and try to pet family members heads, see what response you get. Some will knock your hand away, others will move so you can't touch their head and some will laugh and look at you funny.
Go out in public and tell people you are doing an experiment. Ask them if you can touch their 3 year olds head, find a 5 year old and do the same, then an 8 year old. Record the responses. Babies that are under a year old, won't think much about it, but the older ones, some will cry, some will try to move so you can't touch them, and some will try to slap your arm away as it comes towards their head.

So why do we expect our puppies to be able to deal with this and be happy about it? There are thousands of dogs that get rejected from special groups, every year, like leaders of the blind, service dogs, scent dogs, police dogs, and the list goes on and on. So why do people think all dogs should be great in public, without proper training. Those dogs rejected, get proper training, but many are still rejected.

What can be done?

First accept that not all dogs will love being in public, or being pet by strangers. DNA has a little to do with it to. If you get an Aussie from a show home, those dogs are Socializing right from 3 months old, then bred for generations, while a working farm aussies is usually never taken off the farm.
But even with those working dogs, there is still a chance you can get them to like going for walks in public, you just have to expose them to different environments.

Here is how you start:
For puppies less than 6 months, focus on environmental stability should be 80%, with maturity, environmental stability can be integrated into other exercises.
With the youngest of puppies, environmental stability should be with novel toys, different surfaces in play area, which can include grated floors, slippery surfaces, hard and soft surfaces. Enclosed spaces, moving parts and things you go up over, under and thru. All of which builds confidence. Then once puppy is ready to travel, you go to beachside, trails, quite play ground when kids are in school. You don't go there to walk you puppy, you go there to let them explore. Take treats, encourage them to go over the rock, or under the log, as long as it is safe, walk across that moss, all while praising. Take them to a park on the edge of town, were they can hear all the crazy sounds from the city. Slowly moving them to more populated areas. Changing environments frequently so puppies learn to generalize their skills.Then their reward comes from the environment, instead of the handler.

Set them up for success.
Proprioception: the bodies ability to sense its location. Proprioception allows dogs to move freely without consciously thinking about our environment. Agility, balance, coordination.

Look at the end goal. Where it is you want your puppy to go with you. Noise and lights play a big role. Find sound tracks that mimic the noises of the city, turn on a strobe light, start out with low volume, gradually turning it up, add some bass for vibration.

Touching puppy: most young puppies don't mind being petted. Always watch their body language. If ears are back and they act scared, pick them up and see if that makes a difference. I know I don't want 8 arms coming over top of me. If they still don't like it, ask people not to pet your pup. See if some people will toss cookies at your pups feet, so pup sees them as a positive. Keep it positive. There is a chance that pup just won't like strangers petting them, and that is ok, as long as they can walk thru a crowd at ease. After all, I didn't get my dogs for other people to pet. It is a bonus when you pup grows up and likes it. But I don't have an issue asking people not to per my dog.

Remember baby steps...start out in quiet places and slowly build up to environments with more distractions. This helps keep their experiences positive.

23/04/2023

Midnitstar Pistol Annie took Best in Breed Altered, and 2 first place Rally level 3. Great job Kim ❤️

18/04/2023

Aspen, blue Merle female, she is the most kicked back out of the litter and just beautiful. #3 in group pic

18/04/2023

Bunny, blue Merle female, she has alot of drive, has to be out in front. She will be a great sports dog with the right parents. #1 in group pic.

18/04/2023

Lance, black tri male, he is a little tank, alot of bone. He is the lover of the group. Would rather be on my lap, then playing with the others. He is a doll. #4 in group pic.

18/04/2023

Summer, black tri female, she has a great personality. She is the smallest of the litter and just gorgeous. #2 in the pic with all of them.

08/04/2023

Teaching babies to sit calmly before getting a drink

08/04/2023

It is hard work destroying ever piece of paper you can find...lol

13/03/2023

Abby and C**ts pups are 3 weeks old. Abby is one of our Frisbee dogs. She is pretty kicked back unless she is on the field. She has produced sports dogs and service dogs in the past, not to mention great family members to love on. C**t is pretty kicked back to, unless he is in the show ring, then he struts his stuff. C**t is an ASDR Elite Grand Champion, with 2 Reserved Best in Shows and many Best of Breed wins. Their babies will be large minis and 2 will be small standards. Nice babies with lots of bone. Both parents Genetially tested and clear. With Good hips.

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas

20/12/2022

Finn came to us about 9 months ago. He is a sweetie, he had issues of resource guarding and biting. He has never tried to bite me and he is 85% over his resource guarding. A work in progress, and a smart boy, that came with lots of tricks in his basket.

The Amazing rescue

20/09/2022

Midnitstar Pistol Annie rocked the show ring this past weekend. She got Best of Show Female and Best of Breed Mini Aussie and Reserve Best in Show Altered.

C**t got Mini Aussie Champion Male. Kim Ross did a great job once again ❤

28/07/2022

Looking for Frisbee competitions, go to Mid Michigan K9 Events, on Facebook 🙂

11/04/2022

Sprout is getting ready for Easter

29/10/2021

Babies are getting big. They will come with registered microchips, three wormings, vet check, one year health guarantee and first shots. Parents are both genetically tested, Clear on everything. Hips good. Dad has Champion title, mom does frisbee, agility, tricks and much more. Been raising Aussies for 30 years, just love this breed.

18/10/2021

Yep, it was Monday...