CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Activities => Showing => Topic started by: ludo on September 10, 2008, 11:05:51 PM
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Mods - not sure if this should be in showing or behaviour as it overlaps the two :huh: Sorry its long - please bear with me.
Hi - at ring-craft last week the Daxlet was very well behaved and walked nicely :luv: we went to a different (new place) on Monday night and he seemed happy/relaxed, greeting the other dogs and watching what was going on. So far so good. He did the socialisation section fairly well (by that I mean he didn't lunge towards the other dogs to play) but then decided he didn't want to do the walk ph34r sat down and slipped his lead. (one of the ladies in charge said he is verrrrrry clever :005:) We sorted that out with some encouragement but then he decided he would turn around and bite on the lead and hang onto it refusing to give it back :-\
Anyhow I took him to the side and told him to leave it but he decided he wasn't going to part with it so I held the lead still with a piece of sausage in my other hand till be decided the sausage was a better offer :005: this took a while but I had time to wait. He did this a couple of times then settled down again. The lead biting (he hasn't done it since he was a tiny pup) is a new behaviour which has re-emerged (approx 4 weeks ago) - the first time was on his long line at which point he was on a food which made him soooo hyper - he is back to his old self again thankfully though can be norty like any pup. He has also done this on his show lead in the house - today we had it on the harness (Makuti harness) when he got a bit silly wanting to play on a walk (not practical owing to busy traffic). I said 'no' to the biting on lead and asked him to sit till he was more settled and then set off again which did the trick. (I then let him sniff wee as a reward - more high value than food).
Does anyone have any tips on how to discourage this in the show ring kindly :huh: I've had two suggestions - first to anticipate it and pull the lead away and to the side so he can't grab it and say no (difficult to explain but it doesn't hurt the dog) - its also been suggested to me that I get a half check show lead but I don't like the look of them - I've seen dogs wearing them for general walking and it seems to me it makes a nasty noise and they still pull anyhow so I can't see what good that does apart from tightening up on the neck and making a noise (is this an aversive method???) Ive been told they don't like biting on a chain but he would probably think yummy and demolish it :rofl1:
I would welcome some advice from the experts - Thanks everyone ;)
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I wouldn't worry too much, he's only a baby and I'm sure he'll grow out of it.
Some time ago I was judging at an open show and a young puppy was brought under me, as the handler moved her she too was biting at the lead but she still moved well and I awarded her the class and Best Puppy. I got a call later in the day to say she had gone reserve best puppy in show. :shades:
I hope Kim won't mind me mentioning her but this young pup went on to become Sh Ch Claramand Do Lally at Molkara JW, so you see her biting on the lead certainly didn't hold her back, and I believe she did grow out of the habit. ;) :D
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I wouldn't worry too much, he's only a baby and I'm sure he'll grow out of it.
Some time ago I was judging at an open show and a young puppy was brought under me, as the handler moved her she too was biting at the lead but she still moved well and I awarded her the class and Best Puppy. I got a call later in the day to say she had gone reserve best puppy in show. :shades:
I hope Kim won't mind me mentioning her but this young pup went on to become Sh Ch Claramand Do Lally at Molkara JW, so you see her biting on the lead certainly didn't hold her back, and I believe she did grow out of the habit. ;) :D
Hi Michelle - thank you; thats really encouraging ;) I'm sure you are right - went to ring craft tonight and he didn't do it once :blink: