Aahhtt!! The difference in training is black and white

29/06/2023

I saw this and thought it should be discussed. GOOD breeders know which lines cause genetic problems that carry onward. GARAGE/BOUTIQUE (backyard) breeders look for AKC/champion listings which mean very little as far as the health and temperament of a dog goes. It irritates me, no, maddens me, when I see posts about "breeders" being the problem with all the sheltered and abandoned dogs. No. No, it isn't. It is the "weekend warrior" breeders. The breeders out to make a buck. The breeders who don't use the breed for what it was intended and so have no understanding of what to look for and look out for. This type of breeder has driven up the cost of dogs while simultaneously eroding the breed they sell. People must do homework on the litter, the bitch and stud, other breeding from those two, earlier litter outcomes, the breeder, and the general breed if they want a good dog. It may not be easy, but it is worth it

Here is an example of the kinds of pedigrees that WE as breeders AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE, we will never use a sire or dam whose pedigree looks like this coming out of Europe today!
THese are the names WE DO NOT WANT to see even once in first 4 generations, let alone several times and on BOTH SIDES OF A pedigree...
My commitment to longevity forces me to scrutinize these pedigrees, because the science shows, that To have one known producer is bad enough, but to have him in both sides and in third generations and fourth.... further back well into 8th or 9th or 10th, is quite different influence but still an influence of some risk....
These dogs are seen in every single pedigree being used now...
This pedigree has DCM deaths in it, and DCM producers (MAXIM DI ALTOBELLO, FEDOR DEL NASI, PRIDE OF RUSSIA SIDOR) and eye issues (PADOKU) not to mention cancer, which we all have, but this average age of death of dogs in this pedigree is well below 9 years, more like 7-8... its a given that some of these progeny will not make it to 7 and most will never make it to 9 and one might make it to 10...

23/05/2023

This is how it works. This is something faced by many owners that obedience simply does not teach one to handle, yet is an important lesson for both dog and owner.

https://www.facebook.com/1385395753/posts/10231381411583582/

10/04/2023

I don't know know if it is due to our lack of pragmatism, our culture, consumer propaganda, race, or just plain laziness, gullibility, and ineptitude, but we make more excuses for our dogs' bad behavior than I can stand. I have chosen some examples of the difference between what we allow or expect and what other people allow or expect from their dogs. Below are three videos. First is the start of the Iditarod and watch how many people are needed to handle the dogs. They are all nuts. The excuse will be they're excited for the race. The second and third are how the Inuit deal with their dogs. Yes, the dogs in the first clip are excited, but settle quickly. In the second of the Inuit clips, the dogs are near other working teams, yet are not being touched at all and are not running off into the wilderness like asses. People, stop making excuses and begin teaching your dogs self-control.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HEaa74aLQ7E?feature=share

https://youtu.be/C0hUVb6T-WA

https://youtu.be/s68JHnoCiyE

26/02/2023

We ask the impossible of our dogs. We demand our dogs be friendly with everyone, but protective. Bark to warn of threats/dangers, but be silent. Be maniacally happy, but calm and self-controlled. Accept any stranger into the house, but defend our territory. Raise and discipline the other rude or misbehaving dogs in our household, but accept all misbehavior and rudeness from our children toward the dogs we claim as family. Not chew on things in the house, yet reward chewing (in their minds) with chew toys. Expect them to exhibit self-control, but continuously teach them out of control behaviors. Expect good manners and behavior, yet allow them to associate with dogs having neither. Be a dog, but not allow, nor understand, how dogs function and think. And lastly, respect us when we don't respect them.
This comes, I believe, from methods of training that have proven over the years to be highly unsuccessful for the general public and majority of dogs. This is substantiated by the massive number of dogs/owners failing classes (or even quitting due to lack of change in the problems), the high number of dogs being euthanized, the support via purchase from backyard/garage breeders who know nothing, and trainers who have almost no true intimate real life work partnership with dogs.
In my opinion, the two most visible groups handling dogs correctly today, neither of which resort to obedience training, nor buy into the "cult of the dog" are the working Border collie HANDLER and homeless people (you never see a rude, out-of-control homeless person's dog). This is why I share this post, because I agree, for the most part, with it.

(I have reposted this as several of you who shared it stated my portion didn't post. This format should allow that. Thanks for sharing)....

'"Just a generation ago if you went near a dog when he was eating and the dog growled, somebody would say, 'Don't go near the dog when he's eating!, what are you crazy?'
Now the dog gets punished or put to sleep !

Back then, dogs were allowed to say, NO.
Dogs are not allowed to say no anymore!!!

They can't get freaked out, they can't be afraid, they can never signal 'I'd rather not.' We don't have any kind of nuance with regard to dogs expressing that they are uncomfortable, afraid, angry, or in pain, worried, or upset.
If the dog is anything other than completely sunny and goofy every second, he goes from a nice dog to an 'AGGRESSIVE' dog."
- Jean Donaldson

Listen to your dogs people, they are trying to communicate with you in the only way they can !" Jade Hayley Brightmore

14/02/2023

Had to work a couple of dogs in Livingston - they were great, smart, willing dogs. Got a sit/down - without moving for a LONG time, come, walking nicely on the leash, and self-correcting during the 2 hrs (and repeated them several times in various circumstances). The roads were dry and good. NO ONE was on them. Showdown Ski Area had only 3 people on the entire mountain - made me want to pull in and ski for an hour or two. The Crazies and Absarokas were spectacular. These are some of the reasons I love working dogs.

11/02/2023

I am not a person who posts much as far as Aahhtt goes. There are many reasons for this: I find the accepted forms of obedience training demoralizing for both owner and dog; I am busy with clients; I have learned that the best way to reach new dog owners is through the dogs of owners I have worked with, as their dogs are the proof of what I do (IF the owner follows through). When I roll on here I find a bunch of trash. Many adds. Many unrelated posts. Many I simply do not agree with as far as handling dogs. So, I thought I'd just throw this up here to let you know I still am in the land of the living. Still working a LOT of dogs. Still meeting some fantastic dogs that only need the chance and directions to be the best dogs they can be and owners that are willing to give them those things. Thanks to you all, and thank you for dropping me notes and telling me "this is the best dog I've ever had."