huski

Yes those are the ultra balls! They are great! My latest favourite Chuckit item is the Chuckit Ultra Tug, which is an Ultra ball on a rope so you can use it in training. I am really impressed with how durable it is, Wiz launches herself at it and I catch her with it and she tugs on it hard, but it still looks new (no teeth marks or anything). And because the handle is really thick and due to the way its designed, it won't come out of the ball like some other ropes do when you play a hard game of tug.

You definately have to get one Ordinary soccer balls last about 5 minutes with my Cricket, not that it stops the fun....just means we play soccer with a deflated ball He has tried hard to get into the chuck it kick it, & it doesn't even have a bite mark in it. It's even more fun because when he drops it it rolls away eratically, driving him mad :laugh: They are really great, the Chuckit stuff overall is awesome quality. The Ultra balls are super underrated, they are the best tennis ball alternative I've found anywhere, they are extremely durable and super bouncy. The ones I have for my ball launcher I have had for a year and they look exactly the same as the day I took them out of the packet

You should post that brilliant photo from the Herzhund Malinois page from 10th Sept. LOL. Lol that one was hilarious! This is one of my faves :)

Bite work. It's not all that unusual but isn't particularly common either!

We put a heat pad in our whelping box so there's the option of a warmer spot. Wiz never wanted to lie on it but the pups enjoyed it and moved on and off it as they pleased.

None of them squeak except for Darwin the frog, which is also from the Cuz range but I found him to be a bit more hardy than the Bad Cuz

My Sibe loved them too and at 12 years of age he still desqueaks them like a pro! (Within a minute or so) Wiz is super crazy ball mad, and while she loves everything Ultra balls are a huge fave here! Definitely one of the most durable balls ever. We use the ultra tug (which is an ultra ball on a rope) in training heaps. The Durafoam balls are also extremely popular, and so is her Grinz ball, holee roller and holee molee extreme ball. Oh, the Chuckit Kick Fetch ball was a huge hit but I lost it when we moved and I haven't replaced it yet. I am not as big a fan of the Cuz balls now as they are no where near as durable as the ones I've listed above, although Wiz doesn't destroy balls we use them a lot and the Bad Cuz balls fall apart and crack quite fast. ETA: I also have the Darwin the frog ball!

Hey Juice, definitely! There is no issue with breeds, we have bull breeds, GSDs, Rotties etc who have or currently are taking part in the program

Thanks to everyone who PMd me regarding this! We have no real limit on the number of volunteers, so shoot me a PM or email to [email protected] if you think your dog might be suitable for therapy work and you are available to get to North Richmond on a Monday afternoon (once a month).

I am really happy with how I have improved as a handler so far this year, looking back at videos from last year is a bit cringe worthy now! I did a Novice mock run with Wiz a few weeks ago and had some things I needed to sharpen and polish, but we are still hopefully on track to trial this year (depending on when she comes into season). Really enjoying our journey so far :)

I wouldn't make a big deal out of introducing them, you don't need to rush into doing it either and try to make them best buddies on the first day. But I also wouldn't run a puppy with my adult dogs, they are only together under supervision, and with dogs I know are appropriate with pups. My goal is to have a dog that doesn't have a high value for other dogs and is generally disinterested in them, so other dogs never become a distraction or something they want to invest in.

If you are worried about him being overly excited with the puppy I would control greetings and keep them separated unless under supervision. I personally wouldn't introduce an over excited dog to my puppy - I would only have them together when he is calm. You don't want to reinforce any silly behaviour from Wilbur by allowing him to greet when he is too excited, but you also don't want your pup to learn the same bad habits and that other dogs are super fun and exciting, because that is what created the problem with Wilbur. Having a pen set up is a great idea, it gives you somewhere to put the puppy when you can't give her your full attention. What you are doing with Wilbur now is desensitizing him to other dogs and people, his value for them had already been set so it is too late for neutralisation. But your new pup is a 'clean slate' you can start with from the beginning, and set the value for new experiences and people, other dogs etc to the level you want.

Yes it is Supreme Pet food - deets here http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Pets-and-Horses/Dog-Food-and-Accessories-/Supreme-pet-food-fresh-preservative-free-products/Shanes-Park/NSW/AdNumber=BT5VZK

I've heard of the one at Shane's Park! Do you know if they have a website or deliver? I'm right in the southern suburbs of Syd so it's a very big hike up that way for me. I don't think they have a website or do delivery, I have always just driven there. Worth the drive to get green tripe, though make sure you bring a cooler or esky to put it in as it stinks bad

IMO this is true of all dogs, I have never met a dog that doesn't ask "what's in it for me". When we talk about stubbornness it's really persistence which is a positive trait if we use it to our benefit.

I also wonder to what standard a puppy at 6 months or younger is competing at. I have seen some pretty amazing pups who have a high standard of work early on, but they aren't comp ready. I do wonder if pups who are entered right on six months or younger (When the rules allowed it) are really working to their full potential at such a young age.

I don't personally understand the appeal of titling a puppy before six months anyway. What is the point? there is such a short time they are puppies. Why the rush?

Awesome store Mumof4girls! Melzawelza you can get green tripe and other raw food at a supplier in Shane's Park if you were after green tripe here.

There are all sorts of crazy and silly things people will judge you over. My family make fun of me for being obsessed with dogs, but less so since it's my career and life now (so it wasn't "just a phase", ha!). There are people who disagree with the way I raise and train the dogs, people still think and tell you playing tug will make them aggressive :laugh: I used to be conscious of not posting too much dog stuff on Facebook for fear my non dog friends would think I was weird or crazy, but I don't do that anymore. This is who I am, it's my life - my work my hobby and my passion. If my friends don't support that, too bad.

Hi guys K9 Pro run a pet therapy program in conjunction with the charity Boystown at their North Richmond facility. The program is designed to help improve the literacy skills and self esteem of disadvantaged children. We have a new roster due to start over the next few weeks and are looking for some more volunteers with dogs that are suitable for therapy work. We have been running this program for a while now and the feedback has been fantastic. You can read more about it on our blog here; http://blog.k9pro.com.au/k9-angels-pets-for-therapy/ You need to be available on a Monday afternoon once a month and able to get to North Richmond (NSW). If you are interested or know someone who might be, just send me a PM or email to [email protected] - all dogs must pass a free temp assessment by Steve, and volunteers are required to complete a working with children check.

If you can find a great club that suits what you need and the goals you have that is awesome. IME though most obedience clubs are geared towards pet owners, so I would look at what is available in your area and talk to them about your goals as a competitor. Ask them who at the club trials successfully and talk to these people, they are the ones who would have the best advice and if they instruct or mentor other competitors that could be beneficial to you. I would also go to classes and any club trials and watch which competitors dogs work in a way that inspires you. If you go to a club and can't see any dogs working in the way you would like your dog to work, it's probably not going to be a good place to go to. ETA: personally club training has never worked for me, which is why I looked elsewhere when I started out.

Just a quick note regarding this, when we talk about neutralisation, it is still socialisation but is about setting a low positive or neutral value for distractions such as other dogs and people. We expose our puppies to lots of new experiences, but they don't learn to gain reward from them. We don't run our pups with other pups or adult dogs, but we will expose them to other dogs that are neutralised. We have a longer video demonstrating how this works here so you can see the sorts of exposure we give pups to other dogs; When you are raising a competition dog they will need to learn to work around distractions like people and other dogs without engaging them, for things like the SFE, group stays etc. If you raise your pup to have a high value for other people and dogs, this will be something you have to address later on in training. If you raised your pup to have a low positive or neutral value for other dogs, then they won't be a distraction you have to over come later on. We find this approach works for both pet owners and people raising high end working and competition dogs. A really common reason pet owners come to see us for training is that their dog has too high a value for things like other dogs, and won't recall reliably, won't walk on a leash nicely around distraction etc. So it isn't something that only benefits 'hard core trainers' - though obviously any training approach you take needs to align with the goals you have for your pup.

Hey Roova, we wrote a blog post just recently that will give you an insight into how we approach raising and training competition and working pups. http://blog.k9pro.com.au/distraction-proof-your-pup/ Here is a video of one of my dog's puppies demonstrating how our approach to socialisation works and the benefit over time. I advise using the time you have now to do lots of research and as Kavik suggested, finding an approach that will work well for you. There is heaps of information out there now and lots of different ways to approach training competition work. The most important part is having a clear goal, and setting a strong foundation in your pup from the beginning. We don't train a lot of formal work early on, at least not until pups have a really solid foundation in drive work and a great relationship with the handler. When you have this solid, teaching new things is easy.

I don't know how handy this is for training reactive dogs but for me training competition obed there are lots of little things I am always working on. I always make lists of problems I have or areas to work on and I update it constantly.

Terri I would write anything you want to ask down so you don't forget :)