How exactly is the trainier training harvey going to do it? From what they said he doesn't use treats, so was he intent on using praise or what? didn't sound very promising. I think so far the ronnie corbett is going be the best one, he seems to know what he is doing. I agree about Michelle ryan and buddy. But she did say it was a family dog so she probably doesn't have much to do with it training wise.

How did I manage to miss this I will have to watch again next week.

Karen

Harvey was ace, didnt see it all someone knocked at my door (why does that always happen)
what breed was Valerie ?

Heidi

I think she was a crossbreed or mongrel (don't particularly like that term) from a rescue. She definately had black lab in her but don't know what else.

Hi Lucy - there's nothing wrong with the word mongrel - I used to have one so I know! (I've never owned a crossbreed, though!)
:)

They pant and snort precisely becase of their poor conformation. Muzzles too short, necks too short, too much stress on chest etc. Ah well, as long as it amuses you who cares, it's only a dog eh?

I too loved the programme and look forward to seeing the next. The Eastenders girl's Buddy made my Buddy look like a saint. Everytime she called Buddy my Buddy was looking at me. He must have wondered what the hell was going on. Anyway looks like it will be compulsive viewing.
Budmag.

Lindsay said: "I was very surprised to hear he specialises in difficult dogs, blimey, how on earth does he do that, doesn't seem capable, but still, we shall see"
(sorry I can't quote properly!)

I've actually heard how he solves problems, I'll give you a clue...
buzzzzzzz..

someone who lives in the same area as him told me, she knows because half of his clients go to her for help after he's achieved nothing but terrorising the dogs! I imagine that the other half think all dog people are cruel, bullying monsters and stay away from all trainers and behaviourists for the rest of their lives.

I can't tell you how much I want to see him fail, which isn't like me at all, I'm usually very understanding!

Jo

If he does buzz the dogs I cant see Johnny letting that happen to Harvey.......
poor dogs

We used to have a mongrel many years ago, we used to nick name him an asp (all spare parts) or a heinz 57 (57 varities).
Valera is a little shy but i think she will do quite well as lonas sergant major doesn't do any thing horrible to her.

Cordelia

We love Valerie, She is so sweet, we`re hoping the `seargent major` doesn`t terrify her too much. But we`re going to watch Buddys progress with great interest. I agree with budmag it made my Skye look like an Angel, very interesting to see him biting and I thought he was quite wild and uncontrollable when in the field but wasn`t this wasn`t shown or mentioned when she was in the garden with him.

Hilary

I quite enjoyed it, made my two look like Crufts obedience champs.
Don't know where they get the 'celebs' though. Never ever seen the bloke with the bulldog or the girl with the choc lab. Felt sorry for the bulldog with breathing problems though.

Hope not, but then with modern collars you don't get the shock you used to, so maybe he could talk him into it. The dog deserves better, and is obviously loved. Did you see Johnny get emotional when he said how Harvey protected his family? :) Aw - and that trainer just said "yes i can see you are emotional" or something. Putting down emotion really. I really dont like him!!! Where do the BBC get some of the trainers from?

Who is Johnny when he is at home, anyway? Is he a DJ?

Lindsay

Johnny Vaughan used to present the Big Breakfast ....then he got his own chat show on one of the TV channels :)

Thanks Mel - i had heard the name, just couldn't place the face :D :) Seems like a nice bloke :)

Lindsay

I can't quote to save my life either, Jo - Must learn sometime <g> :)

Ah, i had heard about this guy too, someone mentioned he was once, or maybe still is, involved with Pac electric collars. He just seemed so totallly clueless focussing on the negative and lacking understanding of both dogs and people, how on earth do people like that get to be trainers !!! He said that Johnny used his hand and the dog sat expecting a treat, but i didnt' see that at all - he sat because he was used to hand signals andnot the voice, his body language showed no expectation of food.

I am like you Jo, i wanna see him fail too :D Bad Lindsay LOL!!!

Lindsay

Hi

Dudlyl, the girl with the choccy lab is an actress, plays Zoe in Eastenders?..... :)

Lindsay

johnny vaughn is one of the funniest men on television. he also has a radio show.you can see harvey is spoiled rotten lol. i had a bet with my hubbs on how quick someone would say something negative about harvey.:) :) :) .

Ok I am not trying to argue, I thought the programme was brill, loved all the dogs and Harvey....but he did look like he was about to collapse at the end, it was a far to hotter day to have a dog (IMHO a Bulldog) out in that weather! BTW before everyone leaps down my throat he did look fit at the beginning but seriously guys who can honestly say Harvey wasnt suffering towards the end of the programme?

don't forget, we are only being shown the bits that the bbc wants us to see. it's only a half hour show and they have to make it entertaining to keep viewers interested. i wonder how long the trainers spend which each owner/dog ?. i suppose they could be making harveys trainer look a bit mean by only showing the negative bits - that way people will feel sorry for johnny vaughan and vote for him to win (lets face it, his comedy series and his chat show have been axed) - he needs a bit of good publicity, bless him !.

val.

Oh my god I'm speechless. It was degrading to say the least to us friendly dog trainers and behaviourists and now to learn that a zapper may be used, what are the BBC thinking of. Just wait till I tell my daughter who is also a dog trainer and behaviourist. I shall continue to watch just to see what other tricks are up there sleeves. It certainly wont encourage owners to train their dogs and seek out friendly professional trainers. Was that a cigarette he was smoking!!!

If anyone uses a zapper on Harvey they are mad. Those training collars have a place, but they are totally inappropriate for what appears to be a charming and fun pet.

When they introduced the trainer as "old school" I thought he was going to use a choke (check) collar, that's old school to me.

Stacey

I would be very surprised if they allow him to do anything too controversial - after all, the programme is supposed to be entertainment mostly :)

I wonder if he will use a check chain? That would be more likely i would think, but i would worry about poor Harvey's breathing in that case. I think the programme should carry the rider "no animals were harmed in the making of this series" :D LOL ;)

I'm really looking forward to seeing Sarah Fisher and TTouch :)

Lindsay

I very much doubt he'll use a shock collar, not on tv, it would damage his 'image'.

I agree it could be the way the programme is edited, but from reports I've heard of him, I imagine there were more awful bits cut out than there were shown! I wonder if he was the trainer Michelle Ryan refused to let near her dog? If he wanted access to mine, he'd have a fight on his hands!

Regardless of his questionable experience and lack of knowledge about dogs ('he's following your hand because he thinks you have a treat' springs to mind, dogs are more responsive to hand signals than words because they communicate by subtle body language, not by speaking) but he has no people skills whatsoever, essential in any good trainer, it's all very well knowing how to deal with a dog, but if you can't get that through to the owners it's a waste of time.

Carolyn Menteith came across the best, she managed to pass on her enthusiasm to her celebrity, explained her methods in simple terms, and even showed him what it's like for the dog. Whatever happens on the show, he will have a much more rewarding relationship with his dogs as a result of it. She, and the one with Buddy both went straight onto the training, rather than took the time to criticise and ridicule the owners first.

I too am really looking forward to Sarah Fisher, is she going to use TTouch as a training method? Does anyone know anything about it?

I hope this really raises the profile of positive training methods, showing what can be achieved when done correctly. It's all choke chains where I live, and ones that are being used incorrectly at that!

Jo

Hi guys-I 'm looking forward to see how well Michelle does with Buddy. As a lab owner myself, I hope that if the programme does nothing else, it will give prospective owners a chance to see what a lab puppy can be like with no/little training. Too many times pups like Buddy come to our training school with owners who know nothing about the breed apart from it being the Andrex puppy'. They seem to think that because labs are used as guide/assistance dogs, they come ready trained!!(I wish LOL:) ). I also think that Michelle wasn't too confident - I wonder if her family has had labs before? Anyway, I wish her and all the others all the best-am looking forward to meeting Linda Barkers Dachshund- looks like it could be suffering from what I call small dog syndrome.
(Before I get shot down in flames, what I mean is that it looks like it gets carried everywhere, therefore re-einforcing the 'I'm higher than you are therefore I must be better than you'-I am not having a pop at anyone out there who carries their small dog around, but in my own experience,some small carried dogs seem to have a superiority complex:))
I am also looking forward to seeing Valerie and Julian trained by the MOD instructor-could be fun- I was also trained by an ex-MOD man so it could be a case of 'deja-vu'. ha ha :)

Ali:)

well at last a TV programme I have actually seen!!! :) (Dont be shocked Mel!)
I thought the idiot girl with the lab was diabolical [$ shouldnt be left in charge of a dog :( I thought Ronnie Corbett seemed sane & switched on, but his dogs were much too fat] the bloke with the bulldog seemed very sensible but the trainer was a bit neanderthal and the poof with the little black mongrel was hilarious & his army trainer was brilliant! :)
....and if I hear any one mention clickers...............:(

Jean genie, its not that i don't like mongrels, i think they are great i just think the word sounds derogatory, kinda like a put down, don't know why?! I thought Harvey was wearing a half check collar anyway wasn't he? (I could be thinking of some other dog though!) And i hate to say it sam but so far the clicker training looks like a winner to me!
I must admit though, although i think johnny vaughn is a great guy i don't think he was only defending the dog, i think he was defending himself! IMHO to have a 4 year old dog that knows so little isn't very good. My 6 month old pup knows more than he did. It must have been very embarrassing for him, theres nothing worse than asking a dog to do something and it completely ignores you. (and i should know!!!)

Hi Lucy,
'Mongrel' isn't a put-down at all - it's a proper technical term! A crossbreed is the offspring of two purebred parents (ie 2 breeds only) - a mongrel has more than 2 breeds in the previous generation - ie one (or both) parents was a crossbreed.
:)

Thats good to know. I don't know where i got the impression that it wasn't a nice word!

thats a bit harsh on poor Michelle isnt it. Maybe its her first dog and lab puppies are real handful, even for experienced dog owners. At least she's making the effort to try and train him and to learn herself. It wouldnt be much of a program if they all already knew what they were doing, they wouldnt need the dog trainers would they???

So, where does this Mr Bing hang out then. Just so we can all avoid him?!

Last nights programme was just as good. I wouldn't put money on Dora and her Tibetan Terrier, nor on the Italian trainer either!

couldnt help but feel sorry for the italian trainer-------amazed he could offer to sit through a meal with her---i bet he felt more like strangling her :D

i thought dora bryan and george were hilarious! lol.and tiger lily......pml.:) :) :) .

weren't the choccy labs jsut gorgeous but i am biased of course.I also loved harvey the bulldog, what a babe:)I am getting excited now cos me and my friend are going to view a litter of boxers tonight, she wants the white one, i know i'll be tempted too but with 4 labs hubby is saying definitely NOT!!!spoilsport!:)

Can someone please teach that stupid bint linda barker what her breed is called! Sausage dog!!! Oh..is that what they come under on breed lists??!! God she annoys me! Go back to currys!!!!
And Dora....go back to the mental home!!!!
Stupid brat with the lab (Michelle Ryan)..."oh buddy..come..come buddy...buddy come"...yeah, like he's really going to listen to you!

:)

Stephnmilly.....oh how I agree with you 100%
Dora whatsit is even more irritating....how can anyone sell a dog to someon that stupid???

I think I'm going to ask that italian trainer round here....and he would'nt have to do any dog training either...........

pinkfrillies!!!!! shame on you-take a cold shower :rolleyes:

I think it would have been quite fun pairing up julian clary with the italian trainer, he definately would start mincing then! Judging from last nights show nearly all of the trainers are using clicker training. I couldn't quite see why they were trying to teach tiger lily dancing, she doesn't have to weave through legs in the dog show at the end! Personally though i think the amount of stuff they have to perform at the end is quite tough; sit, down, stay, recall, send away and retrieve. Thats quite a lot - particularly for the young dogs - in such a short time. They are going to have a tough time!

I felt so sorry for the Italian trainer - Doran Bryan is sweet but totally clueless, bless her! I don't think she will do any proper training in between sessions either, which will count for a lot. He must feel so disheartened - if he can get George even one up from bottom, he will have worked wonders ;)

Love Jake and Dilys, she is such a couch potato - i reckon they could be a great team, and i like Sarah Fisher, but i reckon Dilys might lose concentration on the day.

Little Valerie is sweet but i reckon she will get some stage fright when asked to do the final exercises. She seems quite stressed and wants to run off and find a dark hidey hole somewhere, but there are still some weeks to go yet!

Interesting that the one trainer i don't like has now resorted to training Harvey with Schmackos! Ha! :D in spite of saying he wouldn't the week before. Harvey has him "sorted" now ;) , and in fact i guess he may even be a dog to reckon with.....he is a clever llittle chap and now he is motivated, well, he could surprise us all. But i don't want him to win 'cos of the trainer :D

I think Buddy could do well, his owner is just not sure what to say and when, but she was getting the hang of it much more on Saturday. I can't wait to see the last one or two programmes, it will be great fun to see who does what....... I have to say, so far i am really enjoying them :) and i have no idea who is "winning material" at the moment..... !!!!! :D

Lindsay

I'm absolutely gutted I've been missing them.
Was soooo looking forward to watching this programme, and especially Johnny Vaughn and Harvey. I like Johny Vaughan and love Bulldogs, so was really looking forward to seeing them in action together.
How have they been getting on??? What have I missed?? and who is Dora Bryan???
:)

Dora Bryan is an actress, who loves her dogs dearly, but never ever changes her tone of voice when she talks to them. She's all sweet and lovey-dovey little-sweetie voice, and the dogs stare at her in total bewilderment, then amble off and do their own thing, because they haven't a clue what she's wittering on about, and there's nothing else to do!