JulesP

Trudi had us driving with a long lead Piper. The sheep were on a fence and we had the dogs on a really long lead. We were behind but also further into the paddock. All the dogs seemed to get the hang of that pretty easily. Trudi said she pretty much started with driving like that when the dogs were pups.

Well done Sue & Cindy I was wondering how you went today. Well done Kavik

Thanks guys

The other herding thread was mine, it sort of grew from when I was fretting about doing HT I'm having a herding break at the moment. Not sure what I want to do next with Poppy. Am letting Amber grow a bit more as she is only a little girl.

I dunno Sheena. You might be killing something off in the mix when you zap it. Sounds like whatever you are killing didn't agree with your dog anyway.

Jolly good. They are pretty helpful as it is a small company and they seem to really want to help animals as against just making a dollar. 10kg isn't too bad. I just looked at my box which is 5kg. It says 5kg makes 50 meals. The stuff has a pretty good shelf life too. Mine had it with sardines last night.

Some questions If you have regular access to a trial ring set-up how do you use that time? - Do you do a mock trial? - Do you do your own thing in the ring? - Do you have someone instruct you in the ring (as against having a judge calling out commands)? How often do you go into the ring?

The pet supply place next to Horseland in Lilydale sell it Kirislin.

I find it really good for putting weight on. All my dogs have always liked it, including my current fussy pup. I usually give them more meat the first time I try them on it. Poos are a bit different on it though. I find they get a bit soft but kind of like horse poos rather than sloppy dog poos.

Bad ness!

Why you not flying to Melbourne?

I use it I put in about 2 and a bit cups to about 5 cups of water. Let sit for 10 mins. Add 1 kilo of mince. That does 3 border collies for 2 nights. If you call Browns they might be able to do one minus the lentils or whatever as they do custom make mixes.

I shouldn't whinge as we have some great people at the club I go to but I do like me a seminar

Are there no such seminars happening in Victoria or do I just not hear about them???

More info needed

They have been around for a good 80 years and breed true to type so that makes them a purebred dog IMO.

There are 2 different raw feeding diets. One is BARF and the other is RAW (probably variations of both around). BARF has you feeding veggies, kelp, eggs etc. RAW is pretty much chunks of various bits of various animals For BARF I would recommend getting Ian Billinghurst's "Give Your Dog a Bone" book. For Raw google Tom Lonsdale.

I wasn't super impressed with the ingredients in Natural Balance. Assuming you are talking about the Australian version? You have rice as the first ingredient and it also contains corn gluten & oat bran.

Yeah I am not sure on the number of dogs and getting better.... My first trial dog was the best I've had! Soggy Bear is too cute to pick apart. I am intrigued that you appear not to get told off for looking down over there??

Erny have you tried Natures Gift semi moist kibble? Only suggesting it as it is quite different from other kibbles. It claims to have a digestion aid in it. From their website: “In my experience Nature’s Gift semi-dry dog food with Biogestion5 is the first complete pet food that supports and maintains the digestive tract as well as delivering all the essential nutrients for your dog’s health and well being. Researchers around the World have discovered the importance of specific prebiotics and dietary fibres in maintaining the health of the digestive tract as well as balancing the immune system. Biogestion5 is a unique natural blend of selected prebiotics and immune modifiers that have been scientifically formulated to promote beneficial bacteria, reduce disease causing bacteria, improve food digestion, enhance nutrient absorption and support your pet’s defences against illness. In short – promote better digestion and gut health. Linking the technology of Biogestion5 with the high quality ingredients used in Nature’s Gift pet foods ensures your dog receives all the essential nutrients necessary for a healthy and active life.” Dr David Tivey Senior Scientist B.Sc (hon), PhD (Post doctoral training – Babraham Institute Cambridge UK)

The code of ethics is a little more than a code. If rules are breached the kennel club can suspend or ban the member. Doesn't stop them breeding obviously but does stop them from registering pups. Seems like each state has different rules but for the OP they cover things like selling to pet shops, not having litter after litter from the same bitch, age that you can mate the dogs etc

Probably no more mixed then the Australian Shepherd Sounds like the breeders didn't want them registered by the AKC. They have their own registry and can get registered in various sporting/stock registries. I got interested in them after some popped up on a 'sable border collie' facebook page. An American herding instructor also asked if my sable border collie was an English Shepherd as sable is common in that breed.

Sounds like a spring 'hayfever' issue then. Do you have any trees bordering the pen? Or around the edges of the garden? They don't have to be in the pen just near it. If you can keep him inside until about 9.00am in the morning and get him in around 6.30-7.30pm, that might help. Pollen rises early in the morning and falls at night. Wiping him down everyday to get the pollen off might help.

Does the little dog have itches all year round Menacebear? If he is in an area with only grass and concrete, I would try locking him off the grass for a couple of days. I've noticed that contact allergies improve really quickly once the allergen is gone. My dogs have improved within a day for instance. The antihistamine worked quickly too. The Neocort cream not so helpful. The cream was making them itch & scratch more. Quit Itch worked well (available from horse shops).

I agree It can be hard, as many of us likely know to try and explain something to some one who does not 'get' it or who is not really open to learning. It depends of course as others mentioned in how you deliver the information. I still find this slightly ironic-- a rant about ranting Rants about a rant about ranting even! :D