Quote: Kiersten Lippman

I agree with Betty. There are some really interesting strategies used to manage a pack. I've seen mushers with 20 or more huskies that they just let run loose to sniff around and pee etc., in a parking lot at a busy race site. While I have seen a few issues like a loose dog chasing a race team, most of the time there are no issues. And these dogs are certainly NOT obedience trained.

I think the management of these sled dog packs (and maybe hound packs as well) makes use of the dog's natural drives and respect for their human. There is something almost magical about it when you see a real "dog man" (or woman) working with a pack. I wish I could figure out the magic touch for my pack. Really cool to see. It's all in the dogs wanting to follow the person and please them and stay close exclusive to anything else. But it is a natural thing. No corrections/weird tools required.

Thank you also for your post it has a laot of relevance to my individual situation

Thank you

It may not be relevant to your situation, Andrew...Kiersten lives in Alaska. That is significantly different from the area where you live.
Out of curiosity, are there leash laws in your county?

the short and precise answer is in the uk there are no leash laws you will be prosecuted if your dog/s cause harm to anyone or other animal

 Quote: Duane Hull

It may not be relevant to your situation, Andrew...Kiersten lives in Alaska. That is significantly different from the area where you live.
Out of curiosity, are there leash laws in your county?

the short and precise answer is that in the uk there are no national leash laws

In the US....

Leash laws are generally implimented by local municipalities ie: towns,cities etc... not by state or federal/national mandate.

I don't know what part of the UK you are in Andrew, but here in the backwaters of Norfolk, if I walked my 4 out in public without leads with id tags on, I would be reported and summonsed, dogs on public highways, i.e. pavements and in built up areas must be leashed at all times, the only place I am likely to go unchallenged, is on a field, a public foot path or on bridleways, even then, if my dogs were perceived to be a nuisance or threat to the public at large, I could expect a visit from the local plod or dog warden.

In our current climate of breed legislation, I go out of my way to be discreet and mighty careful about alarming the public with the Mastiffs, the Pointers draw no attention, large breed, powerful dogs need all the public support they can get.

Andrew... are you sure?

http://www.endangereddogs.com/EDDRDogLaw.htm

 Quote: Anne Jones

In the US....

Leash laws are generally implimented by local municipalities ie: towns,cities etc... not by state or federal/national mandate.

Yes. I am under both county and city law where I live, but not national (or even state, in my state) control-in-public law.

(As with many other things, the more stringent law wins when we're subject to both county and city ordinances.)

 Quote: andrew harris

 Quote: Duane Hull

.... Out of curiosity, are there leash laws in your county?

the short and precise answer is that in the uk there are no national leash laws

Duane's question was "Out of curiosity, are there leash laws in your county?" ..... COUNTY. He didn't ask about national leash laws.


Tracey's post makes complete (and thoughtful) sense to me.

Not been on here for a while but have being manning the discovery dog stand a Crufts this tear for the last few days. Just to update on what progress the dogs and I have made over the last few months. In November last year I decided to seek the advice and help of a competent dog trainer and didn't choose the one I mentioned in previous posts but a lady quite local to me that is a German shepherd breeder and trainer and has won many accolades in "working trials, agility , obedience and is judge in obedience and working trials. I had one visit at a very reasonable cost of £50.00 about $35.00.

On her visit I had an eureka moment when during her consultation she explained that as well behaved as the dogs were when she met them I didn't actually control them from a point of conventional obedience training. What I thought and many friends too, was cool was the way I got them to do things without any verbal commands.Infact I realised that the dogs had no formal obedience training but more conditioning and were rewarded more for their state of mind rather than actual physical behaviours. When the training began to show me the actual process of giving verbal commands I listened intently to everything she said and did. We went through very basic commands in the house with the young female I had been having problems with recall compliance and I was boosted how readily the dog picked up and easily learnt the commands once I delivered them correctly lol and how much the dog enjoyed the whole process. When I look back at my videos it now seems obvious that I rarely verbalise commands and in reality the dogs were compliant partly due to their very close bond with me and the connection we had mentally. Having practiced and implemented the obedience routines the young female has improved so much that recently when asked by one of the breed club's committee members if they could borrow one of my dogs to help influence the sociability of their male dog by having one of my dogs go and stay in the home of the dog so that they could go out together I had no problem in saying yes and choosing the young female as the one to use. I took my dog over to the male dog owners house help introduce the two with no problems and left the owner with a list of commands that she had now been taught. She stayed there together with the male dog with no issues whatsoever between them and was easily controlled by someone she didn’t know very well for a week but unfortunately came into season and had to come back home as the male was not castrated.

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u165/bosscat69/033_zps5452d3c4.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u165/bosscat69/036_zps02941675.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u165/bosscat69/034_zps3697fdb7.jpg

Just a few pics of her with her new male friend. Once she has finished her season we are planning for her to go back .The owner told me that within less than a day she seemed dominate the male dog. I am very proud of her and now feel confident in her new found compliant ways having now put in the time and effort needed to actually do proper obedience training with her.

I do have a question I would like advice on regarding the male dog she has been asked to help but I will post this in the appropriate forum




MOD NOTE: Readers, please see http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32569&page=27#374790 ..... and do NOT follow the suggestions above starting with "recently when asked by one of the breed club's committee members if they could borrow one of my dogs to help influence the sociability of their male dog by having one of my dogs go and stay in the home of the dog so that they could go out together I had no problem in saying yes and choosing the young female as the one to use. "

Honestly, I think that you are NUTS!!! Who in their right mind would do that to their dog!

My dogs would NEVER listen to someone that they didn't know well. Even at that... there are only a couple of people that they do know well that they listen to...sort of, if they feel like it.

Actually there is really only 1 person that my dogs will listen to almost as well as to me. And they have know this person for about 7 years. My male since he was 10 weeks old. She is a very experienced trainer & my dogs have spent a lot of time together with her together with me.

If fact my male would be happy to nail someone that started ordering him around or grabbing his leash. And he would be well within his rights, as far as I'm concerned.