New Training Class

[aslan]

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but if he's nervous he tends to arch his back and sink his head back into his neck.

seems to be an Iggy thing. Whippets can do this too.

Sounds like you're doing everything right in stacking him - he's just got to learn to do it properly and not be nervous. Have you tried making it a bit of a game - has he got a little toy that you could use as "bait". Stack him first then produce the toy for him to focus on? Then when he's stood still and looked at the toy - give him the toy and do the excited "good boy" and other stuff.

I've been trying to teach Miss Midnight to bait - because I want to show her in the line up standing in front of her, with her attention focussed on me, rather than kneeling down beside her. At home she does ok - Sometimes she's keen for the liver and will use her ears, other times she just couldn't care. But once in the ring, there is too much going on around her to make her anxious and her love of food is not strong enough to distract her from things like the Maltese breathing heavily behind her. :blink: I usually find in that situation I have to turn her around to face him so she can at least see what's making the noise but I still have to kneel beside her and hold her in position.

 

[zilloot]

I've tried baiting him but the minute I move my hand towards my pocket (etc) he shoots forward to see what I've got. He'll do this in the 'ring' set up too as I've tried at classes. And he does it on the table. He's got a lovely ear carriage so I'm all for him putting his ears up, and the judges try all the whistling and clicking stuff, but he won't do that when he's asked - arghhh. Have you tried cheese for baiting? I'm going to try again with his little squeaky toy but I can't take that in the ring.

I read an american article about training Italians to self-stack in front of you. It meant teaching them foot by foot to get into the correct square stance and it took months and months of tiny improvements to get close. It reminded me of how the Shetland Sheepdog people and the Akita people work their dogs. We have to do a very quick free-stand at the end of our movement and, again, Zoomie hunches and stands all 'bendy'. That's what we're starting to work on now that he knows what 'stand' means.

My whippets all learned this quite quickly. I think Zoomie plays up because I have utterly spoilt him and he thinks he's just about to be kissed and cuddled again and it all doesn't really matter My fault. I find it hard to be firm with him and of course he just gets all worried if I lower the tone of my voice.

Anyway, we have a show tomorrow :thumbsup: - I'll let you know how we get on :lol: :teehee:

 

[kris]

you can channel naughtiness into showiness.but if a dog hates showing and you shout at him youll never get that cocky confidence back.make it a fun thing so he enjoys it.when judging i dont mind a dog being a bit naughty if its showy with it,but i hate to see a bored 'ring tired' dog theres nothing looks worse. when you stand him and are baiting him tell him in your strict voice WAIT,and sound like you mean it,and each time when you are training him to wait,make him wait a little bit longer.also pick something for bait that he loves,like liver or sausage,and ONLY give him this treat at shows so that he associates it with showing.never give him this treat at any other time.he will then associate bait and his special treat with having to perform for it.dont say WAIT it in a nice voice,but dont shout at him.also dont forget any pup is going to have a very short attention span and any decent judge will make allowances for this. :thumbsup:

 

[EJW]

I've tried baiting him but the minute I move my hand towards my pocket (etc) he shoots forward to see what I've got.  He'll do this in the 'ring' set up too as I've tried at classes.  And he does it on the table.  He's got a lovely ear carriage so I'm all for him putting his ears up, and the judges try all the whistling and clicking stuff, but he won't do that when he's asked - arghhh.  Have you tried cheese for baiting? I'm going to try again with his little squeaky toy but I can't take that in the ring.
I read an american article about training Italians to self-stack in front of you.  It meant teaching them foot by foot to get into the correct square stance and it took months and months of tiny improvements to get close.  It reminded me of how the Shetland Sheepdog people and the Akita people work their dogs.  We have to do a very quick free-stand at the end of our movement and, again, Zoomie hunches and stands all 'bendy'.  That's what we're starting to work on now that he knows what 'stand' means.

My whippets all learned this quite quickly.  I think Zoomie plays up because I have utterly spoilt him and he thinks he's just about to be kissed and cuddled again and it all doesn't really matter   My fault.  I find it hard to be firm with him and of course he just gets all worried if I lower the tone of my voice.

Anyway, we have a show tomorrow :thumbsup:   - I'll let you know how we get on :lol:   :teehee:

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I've only just read this :- " I hope you had a good day & that Zoomie behaved like a little angel :thumbsup:

 

[zilloot]

Well he was very good. He was wired like a monkey on a spring when we got there and took ages to be calmed down and get used to the noise etc. But I just kept standing him quietly outside the ring and he cottoned on.

He stood very nicely in his class and on the table especially as the judge was shoving her face right up against their noses and making kissy sounds( :wacko: ). The really odd thing though was that I set him square and the judge moved his back feet right back until he was spread out like a whippet - don't know what she had in mind there :teehee: doh??? He was almost rolling back off his front and looked very odd and very unbalanced. So many toy people here in Scotland have never seen an IG and don't know what they're looking at. He moved beautifully and was full of 'showmanship' up and down the mat.

Anyway, he won his class :thumbsup: and was third in the group. In the group he was twisting his neck to see what was going on outside the ring so that didn't help. I still think he looked stunning compared to the others o

(My whippet, The Supermodel, was 2nd in whippet open with another strange judge; she said to my girl that she must be very unhappy to hold her ears tight against her head.... unhappy??? it's my understanding that's where whippet ears should be!!!! ... the judge has Elkhounds and they are shown baited so maybe that's where she got that odd idea from.... judges eh :teehee: :clown: )

 

[EJW]

:cheers: Well done :huggles:

Sounds as though you had very strange judges though :blink: