Bob Scott is my inspiration.

Smoking cigarettes or drinking beer is nothing but a huge distraction for us humans. Either train the dog or drink beer. Mixing the two detracts from the pleasure of both.

Bob is my inspiration too. What has he not trained?

Thanks to everyone. I just watched the preview for the Leerburg "marker training" DVD and ordered it! I am more and more fascinated with this type of training and I look forward to learning how to do it!

-Vanessa

Randy and Connie, thank you for the kind words. I can only say that I had the right dog in the right time and place. Many different types of training for many different dogs but marker training is definately the way to get started.

If lack of expierience or a problem dog make it necessary to add correction, so be it, but marker training will be forever my starting point with any dog.

BTW
Thunder will be going for his first herding title Sept 19 - 20.
His early imprinting and marker traing has made a huge difference in how we've gone about his herding. Herding training, traditionally, is as rough on a dog as many schutzhund methods of training. Lots of control/corrections with the shepherd's crook.
With the help of my herding instructor, Terrasita Cuffie, we're getting it done with next to nothing in the correction dept.

Vanessa,
You're gonna love the DVD. Furthermore, your dog will too.

GOOD LUCK at the the trials Bob.

At the risk of hi-jacking a thread could I ask where the tests are going to be held.

Thanks Randy,
The trials will be at Whiskey Creek Sheep Farm near Washington Missouri. These will be AKC herding trials for my HT title. My goal is to do the AHBA trials which are a bit more realistic then AKC but I gotta start somewhere.
You may very well see me get run over by the sheep. The one thing Thunder needs yet is to keep back off of the sheep. He works a bit close and that has a tendency to make the sheep crowd me (trample my ass in the ground) somewhat! ;-)
He is learning though.

Darn,
I was kinda hoping they'd be in New England someplace so I could drive in to join the peanut gallery.

I'll be think'n and pull'n for you that weekend Bob.
Here's mud in your eye Bob.
G'luck.

Randy

Somewhere in the NE is Ellen Nicklesberg(sp). She does the true tending style that the GSD is noted for. Just not enough interest, number of sheep, or people that are familiar enough to do that here but there are a few working to fix that.
Other then the left and right coasts there isn't much of a following for the tending style.

I used to shun the idea of clicker training! I have a very dog -agressive dog (mostly leash reactivity), and I swore I would never use a clicker, that it wouldn't work for her etc. But I started trying marker training (basically using the word "yes!" instead of a clicker), then I actually met with a trainer using the clicker, and to my SURPRISE! I have been seeing progress!

I posted about in another thread above about dog-reactive dogs, if you want to know more about how i have been using it in that scenario, but I also use it for general obedience and crate training, and it definitely works!

The "corrections" method of training did not work for my dog, the alpha rolling, etc. I still use gentle collar pops if she is pulling too hard, or if she is especailly reactive I will pull up on her nylon choke so her front paws are off the ground.

So i basically use a combination of both from time to time. I think it's okay to do that (someone here can interject their opinion here if they think i am totally wrong about that!) but it's all about whatever methods are working for YOUR dog.

it's worth a try at least imo.

Vanessa, I am new to dog training and I basicly got involved with it at work because of our K9 program. The original dog trainer we had only knows one type of training. Which is what I believe everyone states is old school. Beat the dog into doing what you want then praise the hell out of it when he does it right. Well since I have become more involved I have utilized this site as my trainiig ground and have learn tons.I have a now 10 month GSD whom I've had since he was about 10 weeks old and I have used marker training with him. I think he is amazing. I would put him up against any of the dog my department has in obedience and I sure he would hold his own. I believe marker training produces a much happier dog that loves to learn and one that is not afraid to try things. Not only that I believe it builds a stronger bond between you and your dog. With my marker training I have use low level stimulation at times which has not affected him at all in a negative way. I'm learning something new daily about dog training and it's fun doing marker work. I love the idea of not having to yank and crank to get results. Marker training is the way to go. Just my .02
P.S. The Michael Ellis video is a must.