The Spotted Devil

Oh she's fast all right - but this one was freshly dead and near the game she was supposed to bring back. Could not get bunnies out of her head ALL day and, although we finally completed all the runs, we definitely owed the judge points by the end of it. We're still living it down

My obedience dog from the weekend (yes, that IS the judge).... And my ESS who was supposed to be retrieving FEATHERED game (don't look if you don't want to see what she found instead)....

Welcome Misteri :) Probably need a little more info - your experience in dog training generally, retrieving specifically, breed/age of dog, methods you want to use, what level of competition you are aiming at etc. There are a number of books that I have read and have taken bits and pieces from all of them. And you really need to find some retrieving people to get you started - they have been my best resource. You'll get lots of ideas from this thread as well - probably worth having a good read from the start when you have the time. I love "The Focussed Puppy" from Clean Run. I also have "Positive Gundogs" - it's not too bad in terms of learning theory but doesn't give you a real insight into the complexities of retrieving. The Americans really know their stuff in terms of retrieving concepts - I don't always agree with their approach or interpretation of learning theory but they are still worthwhile.

Relax. Enjoy your dog. Forgive your mistakes. Celebrate every achievement. I'll let you in on a secret....many of us are in the same boat!

He's a bit cute eh! Smart as a whip, the little devil. Nah, a fellow PhD student who I share an office with was having a ball snapping photos and I had to clean up. The look on my Prof's face when he came to chat with us was priceless Young B had everyone smitten, attended the research group meeting and was on our group's Facebook page by lunchtime :D Much more food motivated today all of a sudden and Em finally relented and played with him!

Gutsy putting a tree up at all With 3 rather energetic cats and successive puppies it's easier to decorate the deck and the cat enclosure - looks great all lit up!

Congratulations PA - how exciting! Look forward to following your progress If it helps at all, I didn't start Zig on agility until he was 2. Skipped all the foundation work and had to plug the gaps later but he turned out ok :D

I'd be more worried about them blowing away in a big gust Sounds like the mini Schnozz peeps are having all the fun

Sphynx are good at that so I hear :laugh:

TJ - I just ordered a Hurtta winter coat for that wrapping and ability to adjust. Looking forward to getting it, especially after your review of the cool version.

I thought it time to add to this thread..... I meant to enter Em this weekend in a trial but with all the excitement and craziness surrounding last weekend's Dalmatian Nationals I forgot. Not to mention that I really need a weekend to myself after stewarding at the Vic State Champs and multiple weekends doing agility. I learnt heaps at the State Champs - spent time on the thrower and gun stewarding - highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn. She needs one more win in Novice so I am really working on our Restricted skills in earnest. We've been doing handling drills, lining drills etc etc for ages and she was doing double marks quite easily before I went overseas. However, 3 months with no training and we have both slipped a little. Never mind! I have a list of things to work on and the last few days I've been doing hot blinds combined with a memory mark - she's doing them fine but knowing her body language like I do the concept has a way to go yet. I think she is really enjoying doing something different, though! Had Mr TSD throw a mark for her the other day so she went across land, water, land, water, land - she nailed the distance and attacked the water entries really well. Have finally set up my new Bumper Boy so just need a spare few hours to get the hang of it. Our temporary resident, Barkley, is quite the character! At about 16 weeks he is being taught some manners by Zig, Em and the cats. He has a lot more respect for the cats than he does for the dogs!!! He's not really interested in food so far but is extremely motivated by social rewards and toys. Although he was much more excited about food when I trained all 3 dogs together last night (now that was funny!) I'm going through the puppy games class that I started at our dog club - recall games, 2-food game (just adding sits) and steady feet to start with. He is learning that "sit" is the default position for everything and I've shaped it from the start - go through a door, get out of his crate, have his meal, have a pat, be given a toy. He's a smart little thing so I've now upped the ante and he has to sit still for a few seconds (:laugh:) until he's released. A little impulse control never goes astray! We've started doing puppy level walking singles with him the last few days - the small dummy is a bit big really but he makes every effort to pick it up and is really keen to retrieve. Not so keen to bring it all the way back at this stage but that's not unexpected. He has always got something in his mouth to carry, even when he goes to the toilet! Last week, he bypassed puppy pre-school and the rest and went straight to University!

Do you find you need them both at all (not at the same time)? I have cool champions and got the chilly buddys from cleanrun. I'm thinking about selling the cool champions but I'm worried that there will be "scenarios" where the cool champion will be a better bet. I haven't used the Cool Champions coat since I bought the Chillybuddies. I only have one of the CCs for Zig - he is much more temperature sensitive and I'll probably only use it at home when he's more likely to be playing. One of the original reasons I bought the Chillybuddies was that the CC coat left him too cold sometimes - it's hard to keep a close eye at a trial when you're running a couple of dogs and being able to use the Chillybuddies dry means it's easier to keep Zig cool but not too cold.

They still look like a bargain though :D

I have the Cool Champions coat and also the Chillybuddy from Clean Run. Both work well but I much prefer the Chillybuddy for trialling - it's very light and breathable, can be used dry or wet depending on how much you need to cool the dog and it's reflective nature is brilliant if you are forced to stand in the sun. Also - Cool Champions are probably a bit more robust than the Chillybuddy - the latter would probably tear more easily if the dog is lying on a rough surface or gets snagged on something.

How long have you had them? I've got some isqueaks from about 3 years ago that are still squeaking, but the ones they are selling today I hate to say it are rubbish quality. Such thin rubber! I thought the bad cuz I got yesterday felt like stronger rubber and I was impressed, but the squeaker fell away and was rolling around on the inside while the outside was still perfectly in tact! I might buy a couple more cuz's and only use them in training and see how they last. The large isqueak however felt ok quality and withstood half hour of solid squeaking by Millie! I think horus sent Ziggy the good Cuz at least 5 years ago and sent Em the bad Cuz nearly 2 years ago so that's not bad! What a shame they're not lasting as long - the squeak is the best bit!

Who did that? Em? Send her to me then.... (you already have the box from cleanrun, just tape it up) :laugh: That was The Spotted Devil himself!!! I remember coming home and laughing till I cried at the sight of it all - great silly grin on his face, he'd had SO MUCH FUN!!! Em is more into Mr TSD's wallet, credit cards and drivers licence. Oh, and cat toys :D Maybe I should send you the newest kid on the block....he went into Uni last week...

What are you doing to the squeaks! I have a good Cuz and a bad Cuz here that are on their 2nd and 3rd puppies respectively :laugh: Still squeaking!

A fu-splosian no less

Took me a while to find the old photo of the Snooza futon....

Just heard on ABC radio that the child has been found 3.5km from his home. I *think* the dog was found as well but not 100% sure.

State Codes of Practice ARE enforceable. Many people are under the false impression that State CoP are guidelines only.

Love it RS How on earth do your dogs stay with their given toys long enough to get a photo??? Mine all want to play swapsies :laugh: Don't forget the collapsible bowls MM....just sayin'.....

Seeing as Ziggy won so much food and gear on Friday, the least I could do was to order him a new waterproof jacket....plus it's free shipping....Tassie, you could make the same excuse with your results over the weekend.... Love the collapsible crate bowls by the way.......just in case you can't decide whether to order something else.... :laugh:

Snooza futons are lovely.....if you don't have a bed destroyer :laugh: I bought 2 Snooza D1000s for their crates 2 and 5 years ago - not a mark on either of them, I throw a blanket over the top and the dogs love them. During the day, they like the round high sided bed to snuggle in. Or the lounge :)

And here I was thinking that Clean Run were all out of cute puppies. It's amazing what can get through customs these days :D