JulesP

The only dog I know that has been de-barked still manages to make heaps of noise and it is a really, really horrible noise at that.

I know people though ;)

Very hard to get a BC from a known kennel on the mains register in your name only. Start stalking breeders, lol. The BC breeders seem to be particularly thingy about it. I am even considering getting an Aussie for a show pup as I reckon I will have more chance getting one of them!

Think they are planning to trial cattle this year in Vic. That should be interesting.

Just having a read of the rules and noticed this: About Turns: Handlers are to execute about turns, i.e. pivot and or U turns, as they see fit during the heeling routine without penalty. Has that always been in? What does it mean? That you can do an about turn whenever you want to?

What is the difference in the ISDS trials?

Janba are your 3 sheep trainers border collie people? I am thinking about the benefits of training with people that specialise in your breed.

I found it fascinating at the weekend to watch how the stock reacted to the different dogs. How close they would let dogs get, whether they scattered and split etc

I guess the pressure wouldn't diminish by backwards steps if the dog was still in the flight zone. Perhaps that is the difference?

lol. I couldn't remember you having a puppy and was thinking you must have changed breeds!

How old is the pup Sheena? I switch my border pups onto adult food pretty early to try and avoid OCD/rapid growth problems.

I was impressed to see that Cardinia Shire allowed more pets on acreage unlike Shire of Yarra Ranges. I don't live far from Emerald now it just isn't a place I have been too much. Will have to do some day trips. What is the tourist traffic like? I love Healesville but the traffic is out of control on the weekends there. Would drive me nuts.

I have that bath jedi knight. If you only have one dog or always blow dry your dogs then the bath is ok. I find that the heater doesn't warm up the water quickly enough to wash one dog straight after the other. It does take a while for the water to warm up too. A good 20-30 mins even on a warm day. I also had the element blow after maybe 6 washes and the services from The Barf Shop was not very impressive. I would next time buy the bath from the state I was in so in case of a problem I could go visit them in person! I would also go for a non-heated single tank and get hot water to the bath.

Don't think the wheat is a popular ingredient in the Puppy formula. i did use the Holistic lamb & Rice Puppy a couple of times with good results. Or rather no negative results.

Well I am buggered! Apart from the herding I didn't sleep much in the car. I'm pleased with how Poppy is coming along on the sheep. No more shoving the sheep in the corner and holding them there. She has also picked up a little too much speed on the sheep so need to settle her down a bit. She needs a bit more distance off her stock too. Her last sheep run I was very pleased with as the sheep nicked off to their 'Mummy' who was standing watching. They went the length of the A course ring and Poppy went by herself and brought them back. Previously she had a very set distance that she would leave me. I was worried about the cast in the B course but looks like she will go the distance needed now. Had a go on the ducks too! Sitting outside the ring Poppy wasn't at all interested and was looking for sheep. Went in and it only took a tiny while for her to realise that she could herd the funny bird things. She thought they should be kept in a corner though, lol. So with a bit of training I think she would do the ducks. Watched some videos too of some US trials which was interesting. All in all a good weekend.

The website doesn't have to be flashy. Up to date is good. A website gives you an idea if you like the breeders dogs without you having to go around a look at them. It is the initial "Is this what I am after" type thing. When I wanted a cat I googled, so if a breeder didn't have a website then I was unlikely to ever find them. I wouldn't not buy if a person wasn't a member of my breed club but my breed club was my first port of call when I got my first ever dog and was were I went when I had been out the club for a while and had lost contact with breeders. It used to always be my recommendation if people asked were to get pups but they don't have a listing anymore. I don't really do waiting I wouldn't be waiting for years that's for sure, not if I really wanted a pup. A couple of times I've said I would be interested in certain matings but in both cases it wasn't like I needed a pup. Not really sure how to explain the difference! The difference between want and need maybe. When my old dog died and the younger one was pining I needed a pup immediately. Since then it has been want and I have waited for certain litters to be born. I wouldn't have got just any old pup though in any of the cases. The rare breeds would drive me nuts!

Wow Strauss has got big quick! Looks great. My trial group started this week so we had a whole 1 week off, lol. I had done no training with Poppy and she was pretty good. Off herding this weekend!

Is the Emerald Lake park nice to walk around? It looks to be all onleash?

Does anyone live in Emerald Victoria? How is it? How is it from a doggie owning view?

The dogs sadly didn't make it either. I did a Warrandyte walk today and was super careful to keep Amber out of the grass.

Just thought I would let everyone know that a couple of dogs have been bitten by snakes at the Liverpool Rd Retarding Basin in Kilsyth Vic. Think a couple of members walk there.

I have noticed how different Cash is on ducks as compared to sheep. Poppy doesn't even look at the ducks when we walk through the duck paddock though. Will be interesting to see what she does.

The Trans K9 crates? The dog would still get flung into the sides, back & front in an impact. If it hit the wrong way could do a fair bit of damage IMO.

When I looked into it I ended up deciding that there really wasn't a super safe method for the dogs.

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