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Alex C

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Everything posted by Alex C

  1. Thanks guys, I will have a try with a long line first. I'll pinch the wifes washing line and hopefully she wont realise until spring ! I have had a chat with the trainer I used with my other dog and hopefully he will be able to have a look at him over Xmas. Fingers crossed I haven't left it too late and I can get on top of this. Thanks for all the suggestions.
  2. UK Poacher, do you have any tips as to how I could achieve this ? It is something that I know I need to do. I did think a water bottle with some rocks in it to make a shaker and throw it towards him when he stops listening ? I guess something that makes a good loud noise which isn't a whistle may work ? He will always come back eventually, but in his own sweet time !
  3. No offence taken. It does look to anyone who reads my post that we have 'Untrained' him. Maybe we have to an extent. He used to be easy to walk because he wouldnt really leave our sides. If he did we would call him and he would come back no problem but always looked like he'd done something wrong and cowered a bit. The problem was he was a bag of nerves !! Now we seem to have a lovely confident dog now who is a million times better settled, but has just got it into his head that he isn't going to bother listening anymore. I really don't want to have to be that bloke with a daft lab on and extendable lead !!
  4. Maybe I talked him and me down a bit. I'm not a total novice having spent time with a decent trainer and trained one dog from a pup to a decent standard already. What I am struggling with is the 'He will only listen when he wants to attitude'. Bit of background to this dog. He was taken from a guy who thought it was perfectly acceptable to keep it locked in a tiny cage all day, and beat the proverbial out of it when he felt like it. He was very underweight when I got him and hadn't been socialised very well. I believe we are his 4th home as the previous 3 were complete idiots. Its taken a long time to get him settled at home with my other dog and kids. He was very nervous and still has bouts where he can be unsettled. Due to this, I have tried be very careful how I started training him. The only reason I use treats on this one is he responds well to them. If I call him back in as I would my other dog and make him sit, he thinks he has done wrong and cowers like he is waiting for a beating. I would never normally bother with them. Things weren't going too badly, he now walks to heel on a lead and off, and was responding really well to a recall and a stop whistle and had started working on hand signals. Its just in the last month or two its gone to pot. He wont be coming out on shoot days anymore, I was only taking him as he was beside himself being left without my other dog. As far as failing the dog ? Its taken a long time to get him to trust me, and he still doesn't completely which I think is to be expected. Wont be going anywhere near a shock collar as someone mentioned, it would finish him for good. I have however taken him from being a bit of a wreck to a halfway confident, lovable out going family pet. If I can get him to a point where I can take him shooting, great, if not he is still a great pet. But for him to do this I need to get him to a point where he can be called back when required so the wife Is happy to take him out when she wants to. Maybe I have given him a bit too much rope due to his background ? But from the above I need to Stop taking him out on the shoot - Done, wont be coming again Back to basics with heel work and lead work - he isn't too bad at either but I guess it wont hurt maybe try him on a long line at some point Try and break the preoccupation when he goes off on one - not too sure how to do this but will have a think Pro Trainer - Already spoken to the guy I worked with on my other dog but he wont be able to do anything for me for a while as he's working all season Thanks for the advice so far guy, keep it coming
  5. Hi All, Am after some advice regarding a Chocolate Lab we have rehomed. We got him at 11 months old and he has been great with the kids and was really good on walks. His recall was spot on and he was generally pretty easy to walk. Fast forward to where we have now had him for nearly a year, his recall has gone to pot and walking him is a chore that the Mrs wont even entertain anymore. I have tried everything I can think of with him. Calling him back for regular praise and a biscuit, doing stuff with him in the house / garden. It just seems that he is doing what I want him to do right up until the point he decides he cant be bothered or there is something more interesting. He will dash off to ''meet'' other dogs every time he sees one, which I hate. I want to bring him along on shoot days as he hates being left at home when I take my other Lab with me. I had him out a couple of weeks ago and he was fine, however yesterday it was as if he had ear plugs in and the end result was I had to leave him in the car for the last two drives. I wont run the risk of ruining someone's day shooting for the dogs sake Is this just because he is young and eventually he will fall into line, or is it just going to get worse ? I'll be honest I nearly lost my voice bawling at him yesterday, which i'm sure none of the other beaters enjoyed listening to. Any help would be greatly appreciated
  6. And a lovely jacket it is too ! Total bargain and a top bloke to deal with. Cheers
  7. Thanks for the replies Yes, definitely hydraulic. Looks like im going to have to stuff 6ft 2 and 19 stone into the footwell of a hair dressers car and try and twirl a spanner at the same time
  8. Hi Chaps, Just bought a 2004 Grand Vitara. Its a tidy wee thing but has one small niggle,The gear change is awful ! Its very stiff and a bit notchy. The clutch seems to have plenty of travel and engages at about mid point through the pedal travel. No signs of any slipping or noises which would indicate a knackered clutch. I have just been changing the oil in the transfer box and gear box thinking it may be that. Still the same. However when I was rooting about by the clutch pedal I noticed that the rod from the master cylinder was wet and when I checked the fluid level was low. I've topped it up and taken it for a drive and its marginally better Would a leaky master cylinder give the symptoms i'm getting ? I've had a quick look and it doesn't look too difficult to change other than i'll need to be able to bend myself in half to get under the dash. What do you think ? Get a new one and chuck it on ? Any Help appreciated
  9. Are you sticking with standard size tyres ? I was thinking of sticking the biggest ones on I could without doing any mods in the hope I could gain some ground clearance Been looking at these Insa Turbo Dakar tyres, seem to get ok reviews as a mud plugging tyre
  10. I'm from Darlo too, and i'm also a Coatesy ! Who'd have thunk it Let me know if I can be of any help
  11. Maybe I have lots of friends ?, or maybe i'm expecting to bring a bevvie of beauties home with me ? Or maybe i'm an illiterate toss pot and should look at what I've written !
  12. How do you find your Vitara ? Any issues with it ? I've just bought a 2004 today with 67k on the clock and couldn't find a buyers guide on the net, so just did the usual checks. I'm hoping to fit some proper off road rubber as it will be a dedicated hooting bus. Any recommendations ? Cheers
  13. Most Van chassis are aluminium now, so no worries on that front. Buy a damp meter and check everywhere for damp. What ever you spend on a van, if its damp it ends up worthless and its hard to fix. You basically have to remove the whole inside of the van to get at the damp. Added to that the need to fix where ever its coming in from makes it a nightmare ! Check the floors aren't springy or have soft spots as they can start to delaminate. Anything else is relatively easy to fix, and bits are easy to find. Ignore the anti caravan brigade, I have had mine for 5 years, time spent in it with the kids has been priceless. Enjoy
  14. Every apprentice who went through the training school where I worked, had to become proficient at Stick welding before being allowed to go anywhere near a Mig set. Much cheaper to buy, wont keep running out of gas. Only down side it they struggle to do light gauge stuff.
  15. Look on a Web site called Caravan Talk, Like the Pigeon Watch for shed pullers. Loads of info about all makes and models and what to look out for. Buying a decent one is an absolute minefield. We have a big Twin Axle that we take abroad with the kids, best holidays we have ever had !! Enjoy
  16. I bought a Dewalt because it came with two batteries. One on charge all the time so you never have to wait for one to recharge. I'm pretty hard on tools and I've had this for about 4 years and its still going strong.
  17. After years of racing fairly competitively in Enduro's I hung my boots up when I had my first son. After a few years break I've just bought a 2003 beta rev 3 250 2t. Don't get me wrong, its great fun, but the style of riding just doesn't lend itself to an enduro. I know people will bang on about handling slower stuff and balance etc, but the way you ride the two bikes is just so different I cant see how you would relate one to the other skills wise. I'm having to retrain my brain to do things which feel very uncomfortable and almost wrong ! Buy one if you fancy a go at trials its an easy way to get out and have a laugh with a few pals watching each other fall off. Much more of a social way to enjoy bikes as you can stop for a chin wag whenever you feel like it.
  18. Alex C

    Neighbour Issue

    Before this gets any further, a letter or conversation with neighbour explaining your concerns will go a long way to sorting it out. There is always the possibility that they use a thinner insulation on that side of the house or don't insulate it at all and just do the render ? Any reasonable person will understand that losing 6 inches in a 3ft alleyway isn't really fair. If there is still no joy then get onto planners/ council
  19. Just got rid of a Shogun and traded up to an X5. Fantastic car, goes like stink and not too bad on fuel. Tows the caravan brilliantly, much better than the Shogun. Very nice to drive around the place too. Don't expect much more than a grassy field to out fox its 4X4 capabilities !
  20. Well, glad I saw this. Was considering giving him my broken Lincoln to have a look at. Think i'll look elsewhere Cheers
  21. I find Milbury Hill to be one of the cheapest where I am. No discounts for bulk buy but I had some Gamebore Velocity for £4 per box.
  22. Awful ride was the major gripe for me. Just couldn't put up with it in the end and chopped it in
  23. I've been to the one in Bangkok too. And very nice it was !
  24. If you are after a trials bike , there is a Facebook page called Trials bikes for sale and Swap. Seems very well populated by northerners and I've seen a few older bikes on there in the past.
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