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Gypsy Wolf · 24-02-2010, 22:55

Hi all! My husband, a forum freak, mentioned this site, so here I am! Yes, Luna is a brat, but in a good way - she has a lot of traits I look for in a working dog - strong retrieve drive, prey drive, desire to grip, likes to chew metal (one of my puppy tests is throwing a bunch of keys and I look for the puppy that carries it around in it's mouth) and s a bit of a hard bitch. She gripped the showerhead, all pissed-off, when I bathed her the other day. She also got dragged around New York City and that really exposed her to a lot of strange stuff.
Now that we are back in FL we re going to do puppy kindergarten, conformation classes, beginner agility stuff (no jumping or running, though) and I plan to put her on sheep soon.
As for how I train - mostly positive reinforcement and training utilizing drive - food or toy drive. Once the behaviors are part of the dog's foundation, I can use corrections, if needed, to polish the performance or correct issues, if there are any.
I got my Bachelor's Degree in majoring in Animal Behavior and I consider myself an Ethologist (Ethologists study animal behavior in the animal's environment, Behaviorists study it in a laboratory). My favorite thing is learning, speaking and teaching their language. Most of my dog training clients are really there to learn from me and THEY train their dogs, not me. I give tools for a lifetime, not just train a dog and give it back. One book I can say is invaluable for dog folks is "Canine Body Language" by Brenda Aloff. Tuurid Rugaas also has a great little book and video on "Calming Signals" and I think Ivan Balabanov's videos "the Game" and "Clear Communication" are worth their weight in gold.
I am always learning - I never consider myself an "expert" in anything - there's always more to learn. Right now I am looking into our breed's foundation stock pedigrees and the genetics we have inherited from them. I have some good workingline GSD resources who know about the various "Old Blood" lines and the genetics passed on through them. It will be invaluable for us as breeders and stewards of the breed.
Anyway, I look forward to getting to know everyone - we are truly a small, though global, community and we all need to ull together to make sure we stay true to the vision of the breed and do right by our CsVs.
~Sara Donadei-Blood
www.CasadelMango.com
"A Well-Balanced Dog Has Titles At Both Ends"

24-02-2010, 22:55	#20
Gypsy Wolf Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Florida & Minnesota U.S. Posts: 252	Hi from Sara (Luna's Mom) Hi all! My husband, a forum freak, mentioned this site, so here I am! Yes, Luna is a brat, but in a good way - she has a lot of traits I look for in a working dog - strong retrieve drive, prey drive, desire to grip, likes to chew metal (one of my puppy tests is throwing a bunch of keys and I look for the puppy that carries it around in it's mouth) and s a bit of a hard bitch. She gripped the showerhead, all pissed-off, when I bathed her the other day. She also got dragged around New York City and that really exposed her to a lot of strange stuff. Now that we are back in FL we re going to do puppy kindergarten, conformation classes, beginner agility stuff (no jumping or running, though) and I plan to put her on sheep soon. As for how I train - mostly positive reinforcement and training utilizing drive - food or toy drive. Once the behaviors are part of the dog's foundation, I can use corrections, if needed, to polish the performance or correct issues, if there are any. I got my Bachelor's Degree in majoring in Animal Behavior and I consider myself an Ethologist (Ethologists study animal behavior in the animal's environment, Behaviorists study it in a laboratory). My favorite thing is learning, speaking and teaching their language. Most of my dog training clients are really there to learn from me and THEY train their dogs, not me. I give tools for a lifetime, not just train a dog and give it back. One book I can say is invaluable for dog folks is "Canine Body Language" by Brenda Aloff. Tuurid Rugaas also has a great little book and video on "Calming Signals" and I think Ivan Balabanov's videos "the Game" and "Clear Communication" are worth their weight in gold. I am always learning - I never consider myself an "expert" in anything - there's always more to learn. Right now I am looking into our breed's foundation stock pedigrees and the genetics we have inherited from them. I have some good workingline GSD resources who know about the various "Old Blood" lines and the genetics passed on through them. It will be invaluable for us as breeders and stewards of the breed. Anyway, I look forward to getting to know everyone - we are truly a small, though global, community and we all need to ull together to make sure we stay true to the vision of the breed and do right by our CsVs. ~Sara Donadei-Blood www.CasadelMango.com "A Well-Balanced Dog Has Titles At Both Ends"