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Family Money: Funds of Funds
By Leslie
Wright,
Managing director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd.
Growing Popularity
Since the mid-1990s funds-of-funds have been growing in
number, and now there are well over 150 available. Just over half are run
as a mixture of equity and fixed income, on an aggressive, balanced or
cautious basis. The rest are primarily equity funds.
There are regional funds-of-funds (global, European,
North American and Japan, for instance) and specialist funds-of-funds -
for example, there’s an “ethical” funds-of-funds, and there’s even
a technology fund-of-funds for those with strong stomachs.
Tax Benefits
There is a strong technical reason for considering a
fund-of-funds product. You can buy units in a fund-of-funds with, say, a
balanced portfolio.
Alternatively, you could buy a similar balanced
selection of funds directly. But in the latter case, whenever you wish to
switch holdings, you realise a capital gain on any profits you may have
made. If everything is held within a fund-of-funds instead, the manager
can switch funds on your behalf without creating an immediate tax
liability.
Of course, small UK investors are unlikely to reach the
annual exemption limit for capital gains - ฃ7,900 for the 2003~2004
tax year - but it is still a potential liability, especially if the market
rises sharply.
Costs
In theory, then, funds-of-funds sound great. But in
practice, there is rather more to them.
The main drawback is the double layer of charges: you
have to pay fees on the underlying funds as well as those for the
fund-of-funds manager. With annual charges for most funds averaging
between 1~1.5%, an extra 1% for the fund-of-funds management means total
annual charges of up to 2.5%.
If that basket of funds is going to outperform the
fund’s benchmark index by more than 1% a year, it’s worth the extra
1%; but very few actively-managed unit trusts do outperform their index.
Stock market returns are lower nowadays, and getting 6~7% with income
reinvested means that an extra 1% on the fee equals 13% of the return.
It’s certainly a gamble that would not have paid off
in the majority of cases in recent years. For the three years to 14 July,
the average return for actively-managed funds-of-funds was minus 31.25%,
compared with minus 31.24% for all active-managed funds, including
funds-of-funds (Source: Standard & Poor’s, bid price to bid price,
income reinvested). However, over the same period, balanced-managed
funds-of-funds beat their overall peer group - losing 23.65%, compared
with 24.84% overall. And cautious managed funds-of-funds lost 5.56%,
compared with 6.29% overall. Small differences, perhaps, but significant.
But the argument that funds-of-funds are ideal for
cautious investors is refuted by the fact that a low-risk investor
wouldn’t want to be in equities anyway. Funds-of-funds are more for
medium to high-risk investors who are prepared to invest for the long term
in equities. And even then, in the vast majority of cases they have little
to offer: the capital gains tax advantage is the only thing going for
them.
The comparatively high total charges can also be
reduced if the fund can only invest in in-house funds. While this may not
be an ideal arrangement, given that even the best investment house is
unlikely to have a strong track record right across the board, it does
make the fund cheaper to run as the managers are likely to get discounts
on switches. However, most funds-of-funds are actually unfettered: they
can invest in the whole range of funds in their sector, regardless of who
manages them.
With in-house fettered funds, the total expense ratio
is a bit lower than for unfettered. For example, there might not be any
exit or entry charges, and the annual management fee might be lower. And
fettered funds-of-funds can give you access to the best managers of a good
house. Unfettered funds will get a good deal, but not as good.
One well-known investment house - BestInvest -
recommends a fettered fund-of-funds: the Threadneedle Global Equity &
Bond Fund. They also like Fidelity’s Moneybuilder, Global Portfolio and
Wealthbuilder funds, which are all fettered, and all run by Richard Skelt.
If you look at the performance in the active-managed
sector over the past three years, there is a disproportionately large
number of funds-of-funds in the top quartile. Since the market has
bottomed out, a number of these funds have done very well.
Lessons To Learn
But even if you prefer to pick your own funds, the
methodology used by funds-of-funds managers can offer pointers as to what
you should be looking for.
One leading fund manager points out: “There is not
one ideal unit trust out there. We try to build a balanced, blended
portfolio where we can get repeatability. We aim to put together a
portfolio of best styles and best approaches, so the fund outperforms when
the market goes both up and down.” The investment process used by the
funds under consideration is a key factor in this decision, he says.
Part of his approach is to marry two opposing styles.
“For instance, we hold both the value-driven JO Hambro Capital
Management European Fund and the growth-driven New Star European Growth
Fund. We then try to blend these so we can still replicate the market and
its risk, but in different ways. That means when mid-cap growth performs,
we do well, and we also do well when large-cap value performs. We’re not
clever enough to chase the market on a day-to-day basis,” he says. I
wish all my clients were as modest!
Another house uses a number of performance filters,
which include consistency, risk-adjusted returns and momentum. The
momentum filter analyses which funds are in the top quartile on a rolling
year-to-year basis, so it indicates which type of funds are doing well,
such as large-cap or value funds. Funds may also appear in this group for
other reasons, perhaps because of a change of manager or a change in
approach.
At the other end of the spectrum is the GAM UK
Diversified Fund, run by Andrew Green. This is the purest kind of
contrarian fund which buys bombed-out stocks at the bottom. Because he
buys these stocks early, there are extreme deviations from the market, but
it’s worth waiting through the underperformance to reap the rewards.
Another fund manager says they look to blend different
styles, to get a mixture of funds that perform at different times in the
market cycle.
However, most managers agree that spectacular
out-performance is impossible: “You would never expect a fund-of-funds
to be top of the table in its sector because you’re investing in such a
broad spread,” says one, “and there’s no way you could beat the best
fund.”
Snap Shots: Processing - the hitchhiker’s guide to photoshops
 by Harry Flashman
I believe that the first rule of photography is nothing
to do with Keeping the Sun Over Your Left Shoulder, or similar sage words,
but should be to Always Question Your Photoprocessor. Harsh words?
Perhaps. But with today’s fully automatic cameras, and today’s fully
automatic processing machines, there should be very few occasions when you
get your photographs back and they have turned out not as you expected.
 Take
a look at the two shots, taken in the Grampian Mountains in Scotland. The
purple flowers and dark rolling hills looked particularly photogenic. The
shot was taken in the Auto Mode, and should not have been too difficult
for the camera’s meter to work out a suitable exposure. Likewise, the
negative should not have been too difficult for the photoprocessor to
handle, but that’s where it all went wrong.
The initial print that was given back in Scotland was
very dark. The sky was a beautiful blue with pure white clouds, but the
purple flowers were lost in the dark vegetation, and the standing figure
in the mid-ground had almost disappeared. I checked the negative, and all
the important details were in there, but not in the final print. For
reasons known only to the photoprocessor’s brain, it had decided that
the sky was the most important feature and made the print to suit.
Taking the negative back to the photoprocessor produced
the lighter print, where the details in the vegetation were better, the
purple flowers purple again, but the sky was a little ‘blown out’.
However, this was much better than the initial print.
The fact that you must always remember is that the
photoprocessing machine, is just that - a machine. It really has no idea
what it is looking at, just a mixture of colours and tones and it makes
arbitrary decisions as to what is the most important area of the
photograph. Most times it will coincide with what the photographer wanted
- but sometimes there will be glaring mistakes.
What you must do is not to be frightened by the
machines, or their operators - who are normally all lovely young ladies
with sweet smiles. All you have to do is to take the print back to them
and show them what you want. With darker or lighter, this is easily done
at the twiddle of a knob.
With colours, this is not quite as simple, as screwing
up the reds can affect the blues, but again this can be subtly changed.
This is particularly so for skin tones. Thai girls with that beautiful
dusky hue in their skin should not come back looking like pink westerners
with almond shaped eyes. Even when you drop the film off, a word to the
girls that you want the skin tones to “look Thai” can mean you will
have to do fewer trips to ask for reprints. There are always limitations
with print film as we know it, but other than fluorescent colours,
today’s photoprocessors can go reasonably close.
So how do you pick a good photoprocessing shop? This
can be difficult, but busy places are usually better than ones that only
do a few rolls of film a day. The reason for this is that the busy shops
generally change the chemicals more frequently, and the operators are more
experienced, so know what to do.
So where do I go? Since I travel all over Thailand
these days, I have different places I go to, but when in Chiang Mai I have
used Combine Photo Express (Fuji), next to KFC in the lower floor of Kad
Suan Kaew and have received good work, and when in Pattaya I use Royal
Express on Pattaya Second Road, just past Golden Beach Hotel, whose girls
have always given me great service, with consistent attention to detail,
for many years.
Modern Medicine: Several good reasons
to avoid getting old!
by Dr Iain Corness, Consultant
Picked up a medical textbook the other day (Pattaya
International Hospital Treatment Manual 2003) and it opened at a section
called ‘Geriatric Medicine’ and what a depressing start to the day
that was! Gloom, doom and disaster! However, the picture is not really as
bad as all that, so I thought that this week I would go through the aging
process, and then what we can do about it. The recipe for the elixir of
youth is not enclosed, but instead, some ways you can stay feeling
‘young’!
Let’s begin with the depressing news that you have
actually been going downhill since the age of 14 (mentally) and from the
age of around 30 (physically). That bar-room ditty that relates to what
you used to do all night, now taking all night to do, can be too close to
the mark for some of us. But don’t despair, help is at hand.
The book suggested that the aging of our individual
organs is influenced by diet, environment, personal habits and genetic
factors. Read that again - did you notice that three of them (diet,
environment, habits) are actually under our control, so the angle of the
slippery slide can be changed. Good News number one.
The physiological changes associated with aging include
an increase in body fat, a difficulty in reading and a clouding of the
optic lens. Glucose metabolism goes a little awry as well, as we get
older. In the lungs, the elasticity goes out of the lung tissue, meaning
that the lungs don’t absorb the oxygen as well as they should.
It doesn’t end there. The arteries become less
elastic too, so the heart has to pump harder to force the blood around,
increasing blood pressure and enlarging the heart. The liver doesn’t
cope as well with toxic chemicals as it used to, and the bowel gets a
little lazy as well, leading to constipation. For men, the prostate slowly
enlarges and makes it difficult for the bladder to empty properly, so you
have to get up to pee a few times a night. Finally, the brain shrinks and
you begin to forget things, “I’ll never forget what’s-her-name”
being a real problem!
So what to do? The main thing is to make sure your
organs get enough oxygen to work properly. Oxygen gets into the blood via
the lungs. Clogged air sacs in the lungs is a big problem. Answer? Stop
smoking - immediately, and get some exercise every day, so that you start
to use the lungs, and their capacity, again.
Now we have some oxygen back in the blood we have to
circulate the magic red fluid. Cholesterol build-up in the arteries
produces blockages. Reverse it by lowering cholesterol in your diet. You
do this by decreasing animal fats and increasing vegetables. That’s not
too difficult either, is it?
Now the sugar problems. Another one with an easy fix -
cut out all the ‘extra’ sugar in your diet. You don’t have to use
sugar in your coffee, and chocolates should be a very occasional
indulgence only.
The liver? The main toxic substance it has to deal with
is ethanol, otherwise known as booze. Give the liver one day a week to
recover. That’s your AFD (alcohol free day).
So look at the three items again under your control -
diet, environment, habits. The answer to aging is there. Begin with fags,
fat, booze and fancy foods. It’s the right start.
Horsin'Around: My first horse in Pattaya
by Willi Netzer
It is now exactly 20 years ago that I was living in a
big old house very close to where the present Sugar Hut entry is. At that
time, I was fortunate to have met an Australian lady whose Thai husband
owned a stud farm in Kao Yai. With her recommendation, I was able to ask
for a retired Thai racehorse and I went home as the proud owner of a
16-hand bay mare with one eye and two wobbly hind legs. We named her Lucy.
The first thing she ever did to me was stand on my foot and the first ride
came inclusive of a nice big buck.
 From
then on things went rather smooth. I built her a shed and fenced in a nice
paddock. Her wobbly legs were actually showing only in a walk. Her trot
was quite brisk and she could really run.
We started venturing gradually further and further from
home, all around the big Pattaya Hill and made it finally down to Jomtien
Beach. I wasn’t actually really prepared for all the attention I got
there. Everybody kept shouting ‘mah’ ‘mah’ and my poor horse kept
snorting at the splashing waves and had problems keeping her balance in
the deep sand.
This was a far cry from what I had visualized - with
all these pictures in my mind of galloping on a deserted beach with
flowing mane and wind and waves.
It actually got much worse on the way home. There were
people that kept sheep, a few hundred of them, somewhere close to Pattaya
Park. What I didn’t know was that they had acquired a pony-stallion and
the little macho was on the loose. I could hear him before I could see
him, so off we went as fast as we could. It didn’t take long before he
could catch up with us, and my mare started kicking at him while running.
What saved our neck was a fenced-in house with a garden
around it and a very fast thinking local owner at the gate. It took all
three of us two rounds around the house until I got things organized, but
finally we were separated.
This mare stayed with me for many more years and bred
me three foals, among them Tong, one of the best horses that I ever owned
and still do.
 Heart to Heart with Hillary
Dear Hillary,
I would like to take you to task over your suggestions to the man you called
‘Generous George’ and described by you as being the ‘family cash cow’
(September 20). You infer that the situation is all ‘give and take’ with
the Thai family doing all the taking, while George does all the giving. What
you are ignoring is the fact that George has been taking too. He admits, in his
own words, “The association has been mutually beneficial, with me enjoying
her company and the attentiveness for which Thai women are so famous.” George
is trying to have his cake and eat it at the same time. I am from the UK and I
would like to ask George what did he leave back in the home country? He said he
is a widower, so he had no mutually beneficial relationship, and not much
likely to find one either. What George has found out is that the famous Thai
attentiveness comes at a price. You get nothing for nothing and men all over
the world forget this. They think they deserve a free ride in life, but nothing
in life is free. George has made his bed, he should now lie in it, and meet the
dues that the society he has chosen to live in expects.
Wilma
Dear Wilma,
Is your bra on fire? Even if not, the rest of you seems to be, my Petal. I
think you are being unfair to George, and to me. Is there some unwritten law
that has been broken here? George is in a relationship involving his Thai wife
and himself. This does not mean that George has to forget his own roots and
ideas. What George and his Thai wife have to do is to work out between them
what they, as a couple, want to do. This is not a one-sided arrangement as you
would appear to be promoting. George was not asking for a free ride, but was
more enquiring what the bus fare should be. Wilma, you should learn to be more
understanding. It will make you a nicer person and give people like George less
reason to flee their native shores and come to Thailand.
Dear Hillary,
It is usually the chicks that complain about their guys and the footy, watching
the telly and all. This time the letter is from a feller who doesn’t like
football, but my bird does. I want to go to the pub and she wants to stay home
and watch Manchester or Arsenal, all the players have unpronounceable names
that she can’t say anyway, and as far as I can see they are all big girls
blouses, all lying there pretending they’ve been hurt. What can I do to break
her of this craziness?
Left Right Out
Dear Left Right Out,
If you did not realize it, Thailand is crazy about David Beckham, and he has no
L’s or R’s in his name so is easily pronounced. If Beckham isn’t playing,
then anyone in a red or white football shirt will do. This is a very difficult
habit to break, my Petal. Be prepared for a showdown of “Football or me!”
Be prepared for football to win. Be prepared to go to the pub by yourself or
learn to like Beckham. As far as lying on the field and moaning a lot, I notice
that a yellow card seems to bring about a cure. I think they should try some of
these magic cards in the local hospitals. Think of the saving in plaster casts.
Dear Hillary,
I am very confused. Last night in the bar I met the most beautiful girl. She is
not like the other girls I have met in bars here. I have seen quite a few as I
have been in Thailand for two weeks. I have never seen anyone as gorgeous as
this girl, she is tall even taller than me with long black hair and a super
figure. She can speak English but whispers in my ear rather than talking out
loud in the noisy bar. Hillary, I am worried because she seems so reluctant to
talk that she may have something wrong with her throat. Could laryngitis be a
symptom of some other disease, even AIDS perhaps? I feel I have to know before
I go any further in this relationship. I would hate to find that I would have
to be a nursemaid to her or lose her to some terminal illness. Can you tell me
how to check?
Confused
Dear Confused,
Before you rush off to the Ear, Nose and Throat department, I think you would
be better off checking with the Gender Reassignment department. Tall gorgeous
creatures with husky voices are more than likely to be the same sex as yourself
Mr. Confused. And you have been here two weeks and you are rushing headlong
into love far too soon. It has been said many times that the best looking girls
in Thailand are always guys! You have been warned. Slow down, Confused, and
stick to girls smaller than yourself. It is much safer.
A Slice of Thai History: Jim Thompson, the man behind Thai Silk
Part Three: The mystery behind his disappearance, 1967
by Duncan steam
Jim Thompson had been to the Highlands twice before his
disappearance, the first time his love of trail walking almost causing him
serious injury when he disturbed a nest of hornets that chased him until
he managed to dive beneath the waters of a stream. He revisited the area
on his next visit and had told friends he planned to go and check out the
spot again on the Easter holiday.
By this trip, Thompson, who was liable to bronchial
problems, had been suffering from gallstones for the previous year and
needed to take medication on a regular basis. He had been in hospital
twice in the past three years with pneumonia. He packed his medication in
a small case he referred to as his ‘jungle box’. He was also a heavy
smoker.
Travelling with a long-time friend, Mrs. Connie
Mangskau, the owner of one of Bangkok’s leading antique shops, the pair
flew to Georgetown in Penang and the next day hired a taxi to take them to
the home of Dr. and Mrs. Ling in the Cameron Highlands.
On the Saturday morning, Dr. Ling told Thompson about a
new jungle trail he had found that led down to the local golf club.
Thompson wanted to see the trail and, with Dr. Ling in tow, left the
cottage to walk to the golf club. They agreed to meet Mrs. Ling and Connie
Mangskau later at the club.
However, on the walk down the trail the pair managed to
become lost, and Ling compounded matters by tripping on a tree root and
spraining his ankle. After a few anxious moments, Thompson and Ling
managed to find their way to familiar surroundings.
On Easter Sunday 26 March, Thompson spent the morning
attending church with Mrs. Mangskau and the Lings and accompanied them on
a picnic to a nearby site. Returning to the cottage around 2:30 p.m.,
Thompson’s companions decided to go to their rooms and take a nap.
From the available evidence, Thompson didn’t go to
his room and lie down, but instead chose to go outside and went for a
walk. He was never seen again.
Over succeeding days, then weeks, months and now years,
countless rumours and suppositions have been put forward regarding
Thompson’s disappearance. So far, no-one has satisfactorily solved the
mystery.
One of the puzzling features regarding his
disappearance was the question as to why he hadn’t taken his cigarettes
and his gallstone medication with him. The simple answer may have been
that he expected to be away for not much more than an hour or two, perhaps
taking the same jungle trail he’d explored when attacked by the hornets
or attempting to find out just where and how he and Ling had managed to
become lost the previous day.
Among those who came to look for Thompson was the
highly-respected jungle veteran Richard Noone. He spent just 36 hours in
the jungle talking with the local tribes people and when he came out
stated, “I am fully convinced that Mr. Thompson is not lost in the
jungle.”
Charles Sheffield, Thompson’s friend and the man who
was to assume the mantle of managing director of Thai Silk, was equally
convinced that Thompson was the victim of an accident in the jungle. Both
Noone and Sheffield went to their graves in 1973 convinced the other was
wrong.
Was Thompson the victim of foul play, an accident or
did he stage his own disappearance? His fate remains one of the enduring
mysteries of Southeast Asian history.
Personal Directions: Don’t look back
by Christina Dodd
Have you woken up one morning to find that you have
woken up to one of the worst days in your life? We all have woken up to
nightmares! And the thing is we think that we are the only ones having a
bad day or time or life! Nothing can console us and we are oblivious to
others who are having perhaps an even worse time of it. Nothing is wrong
with this ... such is our nature.
Getting through bad and difficult times is tough ... it
really is. Very few people are endowed with the patience and the coolness
of thought required to tackle emergencies. Few of us collect our thoughts
and emotions and tackle the task at hand in a measured way. We are human
beings and our emotions tend to take charge first.
But there comes a time in our development where we
should be able to take hold of “the wild horse pulling us along in the
stampede.” No matter what the event, we have to be able to, at some
stage in our personal development as adults say, “Hey human being, come
on and settle down. Let’s take a look at this first.” Some people can
do this and do it very well. They view the situation with calm and clarity
and then make a plan of action. Other people, and I would think most
people, are not capable of this at all. Or is it that they are capable and
just don’t know it!
The reason I am talking on this subject is that I am
increasingly meeting more and more men and women who are suddenly finding
themselves on the receiving end of the “downsizing stick”. This is the
nightmare they are now waking up to. It used to be the case that this
never happened in Thailand. But it is on the rise and has been for quite
some years, and those affected would of course never admit it to anyone.
In my travels and meetings with people who are
presently living this experience, it is extremely important to try to
inspire confidence and enthusiasm in them after such a “defeat” in
their careers and lives. It is no easy task to do. Not at all. When such
an event touches people it can have severe consequences. Overcoming the
depression that accompanies the loss of a job is like trying to put out a
fire with petrol. But in spite of this, the battle to overcome the present
“temporary” defeat must go on. No matter how difficult and impossible
it all may seem, the fight has to continue.
Human beings react to failure, loss, defeat, in various
ways. And some react in the extreme. Some cannot pick themselves up as
well as others. Some find it an enormous struggle to find their way again.
Some find the obstacles too overwhelming and give up. Some need more
guidance and care through a time that they thought would never enter their
lives.
For individuals affected by downsizing or for companies
who are “having to let people go”, a strategy - let’s say a future
path or exit strategy - is an absolute necessity. At Asia Training
Associates we have created our own Future Path Program “Don’t Look
Back”, designed specifically and on a very personal level to assist
individuals going through this experience.
The name itself, Don’t Look Back, reflects the
positive nature of the elements that bind this program together giving it
dynamic force and energy to the individual participants. We don’t sit
and sympathize and sip tea, we begin with acceptance of the situation and
analysis of what went wrong. It is in a way a reality check and as such is
an extremely important step of letting go and finding focus. Assessing the
past, looking at the present in order to face a positive future.
It’s all about learning to walk again and identifying
new possibilities. It’s about thinking in a different way to the norm or
how you used to think. It’s about finding the challenge in the situation
you are in and working out ways of meeting that challenge. Becoming
motivated to overcome the fears of change allows you to find the courage
to succeed. In this process you also learn ways to be calm in the face of
fire and to bind every strength together for the ultimate victory.
The program looks heavily at goals and the goal-setter,
the reality of goals as opposed to dreams. It helps the individual
identify, set, prioritize and plan. It looks at needs and actions,
learning from past experiences in order to build and initiate. Knowing
what to expect from others, knowing what others expect from you.
It covers all aspects of getting organized and provides
the nuts and bolts of what you need to do in terms of resumes, interviews,
contacts, networking, identifying support bases and so on. Preparation and
planning are paramount to success and this program takes you through every
key area.
An integral session of the program is, “So what’s
stopping you!”, which takes into account the abilities of the individual
to succeed. It brings alive the “You can do it” spirit and reinforces
self-confidence and self-esteem. It re-ignites personal belief, faith and
desire in oneself to achieve and to come out winning! Don’t Look Back is
a new step forward in a new direction and future. It is a truly rewarding
program.
To fight and win the battles that are constantly
confronting us in today’s harsh world, we have to equip ourselves with
every possible weapon. The best weapon of all is developing the ability
and power “within ourselves” to stand straight and to stand and walk
tall in the face of adversity. We possess immense capabilities within us
to achieve and succeed. If we come out fighting with the correct tools and
focus ... We Will Win!
If you are interested in our Don’t Look Back program
and indeed other areas of training we provide, please contact me at
Christina. dodd@ asiatrainingassociates.com and take a moment to visit our
website. We promise you, You Won’t Look Back! Until next time, have a
great week.
Roll over Rover:
Keep an open mind when choosing training methods
I own an automobile. Lots of people do. I didn’t NEED
one, but for lots of reasons I wanted one and I’m very happy I have it.
As an owner I neither designed it, assembled it, and when it breaks down
or malfunctions, I am not knowledgeable enough to diagnose the problem and
repair it. I do know how to drive, and realize the car must be maintained,
and there are some ‘do’s and ‘don’ts’ that accompany driving.
But I’m just an average person and my realm of knowledge doesn’t
include expertise on every subject in the universe. Just like dog owners.
Most ordinary people own dogs for a variety or reasons.
Whether your dog is a friendly mutt or a dashing pedigree, Rover’s role
is most likely to be only a delightful member of your family and a loyal
companion unless he’s on a breeding program or in the show ring.
Otherwise there is no reason for you to be an expert on the field of dog
training. Most dog owners simply want their pets to be well-behaved and
fit into their lifestyle without causing uproar. That means some basic
obedience training. But how do we sift through all the schools of thought
on training methods?
If you have done some reading, research or investigated
dog-training schools, you have found there are a number of different
training methods available. None of these methods is perfect and none are
guaranteed to work on your dog - regardless of what you’ve read or been
told.
Like any topic, people frequently disagree over which
methods are “good” and even which are “best.” This is pointless as
the effectiveness of each training method is subjective. Find one that
works for you and your dog. Don’t worry about the many theories that
surround this subject. However, realistic suggestions to help overcome
specific training problems may be what you need and you shouldn’t reject
them simply because they are not included in your method of choice.
If you choose a trainer instead of doing the job
yourself, remember; a good trainer should be aware of many different ways
to teach your dog how to do something. Trainers and obedience schools
should be flexible and pick out the best method-match that will actually
teach your dog something. A good trainer sees each dog as an individual
and evaluates accordingly. If one method is not working on your dog, the
trainer should find another way to present the lesson.
When owners choose to take it upon themselves to train
their own dogs they must understand that most basic rules in training are
uniform. Consistency, good timing, and patience are the basics. You must
be consistent: use the same word for a particular command every time. For
example, don’t use “come” sometimes and “come here” at other
times.
Timing, like most things in life is essential. With
practice, owners will eventually develop a fine sense of timing when
introducing new commands and later correcting behavior on learned
commands. Patience is needed. Losing your temper is counterproductive. If
Rover is a family pet the whole family must agree on basic commands. In
the beginning, only one person should be assigned to train the dog to
minimize confusion.
Establish a daily training period - preferably just
before dinner. Hungry dogs are usually more alert and will be more
inclined to focus their attention on you. After they eat their attention
will turn to other things.
Lessons can be as short as ten to twenty minutes.
Establishing a routine helps enormously.
Here is a tip: dogs are creatures of habit. They not
only respond well to rigid schedules, but find that a fixed and dependable
routine is comforting because it is something they can rely upon.
Don’t expect overnight success. If you have a puppy,
it can take up to two years of consistent work, depending on the dog, to
turn Rover into a well-trained pet. Don’t let this discourage you.
We’re not talking perfectionism here. Good behavior according to your
personal expectations is enough.
Another basic rule - no matter what school of thought -
training methods follow simple basics. One of them is PRAISE.
You must physically demonstrate your praise. A smile
won’t do it. Give abundant verbal praise, scratch your dog on the head
or chest, give him a cuddle, or whatever you feel makes him know you love
him.
Make the command word part of a praise phrase. For
example, whenever your dog is in the desired “heel” position, you
could say something like “Good heel!” in a praising tone of voice, or
when he sits, say, “Good sit.” The praise phrase creates
reinforcement.
If you have a puppy, don’t wait until the pup is 6
months old before you decide he needs basic training. After he has had is
first series of health injections enroll him in a kindergarten puppy
class. The same applies if the owner is going to do the training at home.
When you see he is having fun with basic lessons, that’s the signal it
is time to start short training sessions.
For puppies, make lessons fun, short and repetitive.
Pups have short attention spans so don’t bully them when they’ve had
enough.
Woman's World: Turning the tables
by Lesley Warner
I was sat chatting to my friend the other day when she asked me
a question that I had never thought of before. She said, “Have you ever
heard of a man going off sex after his wife has had a baby?” At first I
was unsure how to answer diplomatically, knowing that she had, not long
ago, her first baby. So I said that I seem to remember reading in a
woman’s column something similar. This led to her ask me if I would
write my column about the subject. I agreed to research it and this is
what I have come up with.
 There
are literally 100’s of couples with this problem and many theories for
what could be the cause.
1. The problem that seems to come on top of the list is
tiredness, we all know that having a new baby can be exhausting to both
mum and dad. Sleepless nights can affect all areas of your life both at
home and at work.
2. Was your husband involved in the birth? Apparently
this becomes all too much for some men. Unlike the prospective mum who has
all the joy of growing this new life within her, from feeling butterfly
movements to almost physical abuse to the internal organs near the end of
the pregnancy. There is excitement and sometimes relief to her at actually
bringing this little person into the world and it wipes out all the pain,
screaming and mess. But to the prospective dad, as an observer he quite
often does not see or feel about the birth in the same way. After all, can
you imagine trying to get rid of the image of the placenta coming out of
your lover; and then conjure up sexual fantasies about her!
3. He may have a hard time thinking of you in a sexual
way now that you are the mother of his child.
4. It may be difficult for him to get interested in sex
while your breasts are being used as a source of nutrition for your baby.
5. Some men are really nervous about having sex with
their wife after the birth for fear of hurting her.
6. The idea of a man being jealous of his own baby
seems ludicrous but it does happen and quite frequently. Where he may have
been the most important person in your life, suddenly he’s not and not
only that you don’t have much time or energy for him. Try and involve
your husband with the baby if you think this could be the problem, but
don’t burden him. Make it a fun thing.
7. I recommend that you make every effort to keep
yourself looking good, regardless of how much time the baby takes. It is
important for your self-esteem, not only for your husband’s sake. Do
exercises and keep fit, don’t tell me it’s not possible because I know
it is, having had 4 children myself. I started my exercises on my hospital
bed, with the other mums laughing at me, but whose laughing now?
As you can see there could be a variety of reasons for
his lack of interest. The best suggestion I can make is talk to each
other, what have you got to lose? Maybe counseling would help. Believe me,
you are not alone. This is another one of those taboo subjects, don’t
let it be.
My final word to any of these ladies is do not lose
your self-esteem. It is not you and he is not necessarily playing around,
which is always our first thought if our man doesn’t want us.
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