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Have you checked out this thread ?

This is a good site to compare cameras on and look at reviews.

Kelpiechick- am PMing you...

Looks great! Wish there was a group like you guys down here to practice agility with.

Helen- Its not actually my choice what camera we get but if I was buying one for myself I would go and try things. My preference is the canon ( I have used my brothers and love it! ) and its not the body thats the expensive bit but the lenses, although if we got the canon I could try and convince my bro to share lenses. At this stage the decision is up to my dad who will go to the shop and have a look. Whatever I get, IMO its not the camera that makes a good picture but the user and I hope to learn to be a good photographer with whatever I have.

Are the 20D and 30D really still available? I thought the 40D replaced the 30D as I couldn't find any info on it on the net?? edit in reply to your edit: Yes I totally agree that quality is better than quantity, better off having one good thing then lots of average stuff.

Just another question while I'm here.... If you had the choice between the Canon 40D with one lens or the Pentax 10K with 2 or 3 lenses and a polarising filter what would you get? I don't have a choice but if I did I'd probably for the Canon as its a better camera but then I'd want the Pentax because I'd get more lenses... There is a tiny tiny tiny tiny chance that my dad is buying the Canon. The problem is, if I get the Canon I'll want the Pentax and if I get the Pentax I'll want the Canon. ETA: I'm lucky to get any camera so I should just be glad I'm getting a DSLR

I'll 2nd that Excellent book! If only I could find the time to re-read it & actually let all the info sink into my head LOL Sharon Thirdly echo that ;) It's the one where it all clicked for me like a lightbulb going off in my head. He explains it in layman's terms but uses humour such as in the metering chapter - 'Brother Blue Sky' and 'Mr Green Jeans' I bought my copy off Amazon. I also bought 'Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers' which concentrates more on people photography so therefore isn't that interesting to me. Well I guess there is no choice. Thanks guys!! P.S. I think dad went to get it today but we don't get it until 25th December.....................6 days to go.....................

Vickie- I'm getting the Pentax K10 with the 17-70mm and 55-200mm lenses (i hope- thats what i told dad to get ). It is supposed to be a family camera but I think I will take it hostage . I also want to get a macro lens and a polarising filter but I think I need to start with what I've got! I just joined Flickr the other day so I should probably have another look around. Here is my page -->http://www.flickr.com/photos/21695924@N02/

Hello there DOL experts, as I'm expecting a DSLR next week I'd like to learn some stuff about photography so I can get the most out of my camera. Does anyone know of any good books about photography like using different settings and composition etc.? I already know the basics but I want to learn more. Thanks!!

OMG so cute!! Good luck with her!

Whooo! Well done to Darcy, Leo and their handlers! :rofl: I really wanted to go to Warringal as it is about as close as agility trials get to me (that doesn't mean its close ) and its that last trial for the year but I forgot to send my entry as I was busy with exams. :p ;) ETA: Well done helen and good luck with the future.

Since we often get people asking about agility, obedience, flyball, herding etc maybe it would be a good idea to have a thread with info about all the different dog sports. Add any info you want about any dog sport...I'll start... Agility What is agility? Agility is a fun game where the dog must negotiate a variety of numbered obstacles in order and under time as directed by their handler. Agility is about the dog and handler working as a team. At a trial the handler get about 10 mins to walk the course and plan their route before they run. Some common obstacles include; jumps, tyre jumps, weave poles, seesaw, tunnels, a-frame, dogwalk, chute (collapsed tunnel) and broad jump. The aim of the game (aside from having fun ) is to run the course with no faults and under the allocated time. This is called a Qualification or Q. What training is involved? Before you can compete your dog must know all the obstacles as well as directional commands and be able to sequence the obstacles. Your dog needs to have off lead control and be able to work with distractions. It is often useful to find a club before to help you train. Do I have to compete? No, there are lots of people who do agility "just for fun" and you can attend a club without competing. You will probably find that it is so addictive and will catch the trialling bug! How old does my dog need to be? Dogs should not be under 12 months before starting training on most obstacles. There is still lots of foundation training for agility that can be done while dogs are young. Dogs need to be 18 months before they can compete (i think?). What dogs can do agility? Any dog so long as it is physically fit and healthy can do agility. Non-pedigree dogs can be registered as 'associates' and compete. What organisations are there to compete in? ANKC , NADAC, ADAA (more?) Where can I find a club? Clubs are often listed on your states kennel control website or look in this thread. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=108588 Feel free to add more... ;)

Have you practised any of the techniques or are you waiting to finish the book? I have started re-teaching Abbie to go to a mat the way it says in the book. He stay on her mat at home as deteriorated drastically because of certain people not enforcing it (*cough* dad *cough* ) so I thought I may as well teach it again (with a different command and different mat). I like the way McDevitt teaches 'go to place' so the dog loves the mat, not so the dog knows it has to be there but does not want to. For the other exercises I will probably try and finish the book first and maybe read it again so I get a better idea of what I'm doing before I stuff something up.

I've only read about half but I'm finding it interesting so far.

This should be pinned!

My first response is no. However I also don't agree with the above response. I guess it depends on your idea of "good at agility/obedience" . I think a good trainer can train most dogs to novice titles in agility and obedience, but for what I regard as 'good' there has to be something from the dog too. Yes, I understand what you are saying. What I meant by good was definitely higher then novice, as you said masters for agility and UD for obed. What I should have said was most dogs, as long as it has a good handler, can be trained to be good at agility/obedience. I am relativity inexperienced with training dogs but I think that it takes more then a good dog. Also, I think one is better off breeding dogs with the characteristics needed to be a good performance dog (whether they be drive, impulse control...) then ones that have just titles.

I should add, you won't get smarter dogs but you will get dogs that have the characteristics needed to be good at agility/obedience (im talking mental not physical here).

I doubt breeding agility/obedience titled dogs would make smarter dogs. Any dog as long as it has a good handler can be trained to be good at agility/obedience. Anyway, what is a smart dog? now that's a question to think about...

I'm only half way through but this is what I can say about it so far. 'Control Unleashed' is a program designed by McDevitt for "dogs with issues" (as McDevitt says). It takes you though the steps that each week at training she would do with the class. It is not directly made for agility but since most of the people she had in classes were agility dogs with focus issues or reactive dogs it can be used as a foundation for agility or used to help agility performance.

You might be able to find a club here

He kinda chucks himself (a half jump half roll) and lands on his back......its very comical! and lucky the grass is plush. If he is doing this I would not let him on contact equipment until you have done some more training with him. Others have given some good advice here and I agree that you should try and find a club or trainer before doing any more yourself. As Vickie said safety for you dog should always be top priority.

Hi ShellyBeggs! Agility is heaps of fun and really addicting. Im only a newbie myself Are you trying to run sequences with the lead on? Personally I wouldn't start sequencing until the dog knows all the obstacles well and has off lead control. The lead might get tangled on equipment and it makes it hard for you to concentrate on the dog when you are concentrating on keeping the lead untangled. I don't really know much about jump training so someone else should be able to help you here but I'll have a go. If you line your dog up in front of the jump (at least a metre away) and call him over does he knock the bar? How high are you putting the jump? Maybe you could try only rewarding a bar that stays up. Stay with lower heights for now as your dogs are only young. Get your dog to run through a ladder lying flat on the ground. That will teach him rear end awareness. You could also get him to run across a plank on wood on the ground to make she he stays on it. If your dog is falling off the dogwalk I'd stop doing it until he has better rear end awareness, you don't want him to fall off and have a bad experience. What do you mean by 'throwing himself off backwards'?

Have you looked in this thread? You will probably have trouble finding an Australian agility book. This isn't Australian but I recommend Susan Garretts 'Shaping Success'. Its a good read even if not for the agility side.

I've just started reading Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt and its looking good so far!