THE PACK LEADER
Christmas 1999

Just a short note to let everyone know that Ross and his team are having some well-deserved time off over the Christmas break. They will finish on the 13th December 99 and return 17 January 2000. Just remember that although some of you have lessons paid up to or through this period that the lessons will still be valid for next year. You pay for eight lessons - you get eight lessons.

Also you may have noticed some new faces around instructing you and your dog.

First we have Barbara Thompson. Barb has had many years of experience in the dog training and show scene in both NSW and Qld. She is also a very experienced instructor and she is a valuable acquisition to our team.
Barb originally came to Ross about 12 months ago because her Airedale, Otto, was a social outcast among other dogs meaning he was extremely aggressive towards other dogs, and not backward in giving people a piece of his mind either. Otto is now rehabilitated and is being prepared for his first level of dog trails.

In keeping with Ross's policy that only people who have successfully competed in dog obedience trials are eligible to become instructors, we now have Mike Maynard training as an instructor.
Mike started off with Ross with the same problem with his German Shepherd male as Barb had with her Airedale. Mike was at the point of getting rid of Atom due to the frustration of not even being able to walk the dog without his arm almost pulled out of his socket, apart from the dog trying to tear everything in the vicinity to pieces. Thanks to recommendations from the Woodford Prison Dog Handlers, Mike kicked in training with us. Seven months later Mike and Atom had gained their Companion Dog Obedience title. The last trail they scored 192.

Now you should know Jeffrey by now, he is also an instructor and has been competing in the obedience ring with his dog Ray, the German Shepherd.
Jeff rescued Ray from the Noosa RSPCA and he was a handful. Both Ross and I think they are well suited, talk about dogs and owners having similar characteristics. Ray was both dog and human aggressive but that has come to a halt once again due to dedication and practical, common sense training methods applied by the owner.
Ray is expected to gain his Companion Dog Obedience title in the near future, and with scores in the previous trials and sweepstakes with 188, 193,192, Jeffrey remains quietly optimistic. Theis has all occurred in less than eight months of training. 
Well done crew.

Briefly. I would like to let everyone know that I (Tania) am having a break for some time to do an Interior Decoration course.
I have spent three years with Ross, the first nine months working my butt off rehabilitating my Rottweiler, Jake, who you have all met. I can't thank Ross enough for the work he put into Jake and myself over those years. Without Ross, Jake would have been put down. He now has a C.D. title and I am working on his C.D.X., (Companion Dog Excellent) and this has been a real challenge for me.
If one good thing came out of Jake I would have to say it was the experience he gave me. Also I would not have had the pleasure of working with Ross and his clients.
I am not disappearing all together however, I'll be seeing you at training from time to time.
In short, I would also like to congratulate Kirsty Morgan and her 12 month old Staffordshire bitch, India, on their first time in the ring at last Saturday night's Gympie sweepstake trial. 176 points and third place in C.D. Very well done considering the nerves had taken over. Unfortunately I couldn't make it to lend support, but well-done girls.

Earlier in the year Anne Sweres and here Doberman bitch, Ebony, achieved a C.D. title which was in its self, another success story. This dog was a total mess when she started with Ross. Other trainers in the area gave up on this dog, not to speak of the psychological damage that was caused through inept training methods. Ebony could not be taken within fifty metres of another dog without it flying into a vicious rage. Ebony was in fact, banned from Sunshine Coast Dog trial January 1998 due to her behaviour. The following January, Anne and Ebony were back to successfully gain their first qualifying score. All in les than seven months training.

Next on the list to congratulate is Julie Clark and her beautiful red and white Border Collie bitch, Tess. Julie and Tess obtained their C.D. title in short time with very high scores. Now Jules, how about pushing a little harder for C.D.X. 

During the course of time I have been assisting people overcome various problems with their dogs, one thing in particular stands out in my mind:- "The hardest thing for owners to do is show pack leadership with their dog, particularly when the dog has been treated as a spoilt human for so long. The owner is not the only one to blame, some trainers out there don't teach pack structure or the importance of socialisation. Who gets the blame when the dog is out of control? The dog unfortunately, not the bad owner or their trainer. "

To all the dedicated dog owners out there that attend our classes, thank you for your support throughout the year and keep up the good work. You may think that you are going no where at times, but stick with it because there are no quick methods to train you dog. But dedication and perseverance on you and your trainers behalf helps make it easy. We also have some promising looking dogs coming up for next year that will be entering in obedience dog trials and I hope they do very well.

The Reason we are so proud of the success of our students in the trialing arena is that it proves that the training methods we use work well in producing a well-trained dog. It is easy for people to talk about how good they are and the methods they employ, but when they place themselves under the scrutiny of an experienced, independent dog trialing judge the story can be quite different.

Early this year Ross was nominated as the official dog trainer and assessor for the Coasts largest security service, Naskam Protective Services man/dog patrol teams. It is a pleasure to see at least one guard - Tony Collins of Mooloolaba, Naskam - preparing his patrol dog for the obedience trials in the near future. The training and behaviour of security dogs has long been a subject of conversation amongst people involved in the training scene and it is good to see positive measures taken to rectify the criticism. Congratulations Mak.

Some good new for the owners of dogs that attend the classes, Mike and Jeff have come up with an idea to have "inhouse" obedience competitions for people who have non pedigree dogs. You and your dog will be assessed on obedience in a similar fashion to trials. The winners will be awarded with trophies. If anyone wants to know more about the competitions please ask.

I would like to add that I consider myself very fortunate to have been trained by an experienced former working dog trainer. (Ross was RAAF) I have trained and attended seminars under other trainers over the years, and having locked in with Ross I still find it amazing how much one con achieve with puppies and adult dogs through the philosophies and ethics used by the working (or former) dog trainers. Their ability to push both the trainer and the dog to achievements for abouve the expectations of most dog trialers - or trainers who set themselves up with false credentials - puts their training in a world of its own. It may have something to so with the hard yards and no stupid excuses accepted.

Thank you and we hope you have a good New Year.
Tania

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