Arnold

I would like to know how you get a job within the charity medical detection dogs. You can find info on volunteering but not employment.

Any ideas or places to look would be appreciated.

Me and my other half are going to Thailand in April, we are getting married over there and having our honeymoon there too.

We start off in Bangkok and then fly to Koh Samui.

Any tips on what vaccines we should have, what to take, what it's like in either of these places.

Any info would be great.

We are looking at using Thai the Knot to organise our wedding at Koh Samui, Thailand. Anyone used them to organise their wedding or been to a wedding organised by them.

There are so many companies out there that organise a foreign wedding. I am impressed with Jessica Holmes from Thai the Knot and wondered (before I book anything) if anyone had any experiences with this company and if so how they found them.

they wouldn't end up with most of the problems posted on this website. Puppies need socialising from birth to the time they leave the breeder in an enriched environment e.g. people visiting regularly, exposure to household noises etc and then this needs to be continued once the owner takes them on. Breeders should re-home puppies between 6-10 weeks to allow enough time for the new owners to socialise them with other things like other dogs and people without the support of the mother and littermates. The guide dogs proved from their breeding programmes that puppies leaving litters at 12 weeks upwards were much more fearful and most of them as adults were too fearful/timid to work as guide dogs. They therefore release them into new homes now at 6 weeks approx to allow them to grow into well balanced, social adults and a huge majority now pass. However there are still problems and poor advice being given when puppies should leave the mother although all the evidence is available and clear.

I work in Rescue as a trainer and we are seeing more and more nervous aggressive dogs than ever before, many more than 10 years ago when vaccinations weren't as important. It upsets me to see all these emotionally damaged dogs that could have been social, well balanced and non fearful dogs had they been socialised correctly between 3-14 weeks old. But what do we do?

The puppies that are strays and out and about in society are proof that early exposure is crucial as they tend to be very sociable and cope with life so well but then there is the risk of illness/disease.

Maybe owners aren't aware there is a vaccine available at 7 and 10 weeks old which allows more time to fit in socialising. People still buy puppies from puppy farms and poverish environments, supporting this poor way of raising dogs and it is becoming more common for people to buy dogs off the internet and not meet the puppies parents or even the environment they have been raised.

Sadly, most vets still recommend that puppies don't go anywhere until they are fully vaccinated but starting socialising at 12-14 weeks is too late, particularly if they have come from a poor environment. There has to be a compromise or more and more dogs are going to face being put into rescue centres or being euthanased because of behaviour problems. There is little risk in carrying a puppy to places to see and hear different things, mixing them with vaccinated dogs and inviting friends to the house to meet them during the critical socialising period. Owners don't realise that by taking a puppy into the vets is the most risky place for them to pick up an illness yet they restrict them going to other places with much less risk.

Anyone who is thinking of buying a puppy should make sure they research the breed thoroughly, approach good breeders who offer informative advice and only buy puppies that have had a first vaccination or are young enough to start them (6 weeks old) as soon as they take them on.

I'd love to know what you think on this subject

I meet more and more people on a daily basis who dislike and who are frightened of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. If you ask most dog owners what breed attacked their dog on a walk, it is usually the Staffordshire bull terrier.

I have worked with Staffies for years and I now own one too. Often the ones I have met have been great around people but difficult and often dangerous around other dogs. After researching the reason for this I realised there is a massive mistake people could stop making who own a Staffie puppy so it doesn't turn into another fighting machine!

Critical socialisation period is 3 -12 weeks old. That means if a Puppy of any breed doesn't have positive meetings with other dogs, people, children etc etc between these ages there is a chance they won't be sociable towards them as an adult dog. Dogs have been bred for different traits and behaviours so for example a German shepherd that has been bred over many years to be wary of strangers and is a guarding breed needs lots of socialising around people in order for it to be accepting to strangers as an adult. Staffies were designed to be dog fighters and therefore need to be well socialised around other dogs at a young age. Vets recommend that puppies are kept away from other dogs etc until they have have had both vaccines which means they are then at least 12-13 weeks old and this in my opinion is too late to start socialising a staffie with other dogs. Surely if we are careful and use friends and families dogs to socialise our Staffie puppies we can produce really well balanced staffies that are safe around other dogs on walks. Would be interested in your opinions on this subject. Is it better to follow the current advice and run the risk of having an aggressive dog or do we start socialising early and run the risk of them catching an illness. I know I'd rather risk the chance my puppy might get an infection and socialise him than leave it too late and have an aggressive staffie.

Q. Why is it that reinforcers and punishers cannot be defined independently of the effects they have on a behaviour?

I am finding this question hard to research, any help would be gratefully received.

A dog that is being trained to do heelwork using rewards is heard to whine and bark during the exercise, much to the annoyance of the trainer. Why does this occur and what is the name for this behaviour?

This is a question from a project, not something I am experiencing.

Describe the differences in the role of the stimulus between classical and Operant conditioning. Project question. Any help would be great.

I need to explain a fun test that could be carried out in dog training class to examines the insight learning abilities in dogs. I am struggling to come up with anything interesting so any help would be appreciated.

I am stuck on a question for my project. Sometimes the magnitude of a reward is too large, Why?

Please only answer if you understand reinforcement/punishment training. I don't intend on using the method I just need to know the answer for a project.

Take a look at test C in Obedience and see if you can come up with the ORIGINAL PRACTICAL APPLICATION for each of the exercises – what was the concept behind them?

Heel work

Send away, drop and recall

Distant control

Sit for 2 minutes, handler out of sight

Down 10 minutes handler out of sight

Scent discrimination

This is info I need for a project. Any Help will be gratefully received.

I have to try and work out what the original practical application for each exercise is in the control section. Why was it important at the time that these exercises where in the trial? Any help would be gratefully received.

Probably a stupid question but wanted to check it means what I think it does.

with toys and have off lead access? I just need to know how much of each day a Guide dog is working and helping the person it lives with. Are they allowed toys? Allowed to play with other dogs?

I'd appreciate any help from someone who has lived with a Guide dog or knows someone who does.

I am in the U.K

I am in the U.K and would appreciate any help with this project question.

Does anyone know where or when there is a Working trial in North Yorkshire or the North East? Any help would be gratefully recieved. I need to attend one for a project I am doing.