The Spotted Devil

Just make sure they're my fancy ones Nik

Breathe. Smile. Admire the beautiful dogs trialling around me. Admire my own (quite perfect) dog. Remind myself that he needs my support and that we are a team. And then remember that it's all a game

Ah so you've ordered from them before (Pet With Pet Care)? Good to know they aren't one of those typical dodgy online companies that advertise decent priced products then don't send them, and their number is conveniently disconnected The website advertises free shipping on some products, don't suppose you know if that includes to Australia? I changed the country in the PayPal checkout screen and it still said free so it might be I did email them though to double check, just waiting on a response. Did you hear back from them at all RS???

I must say that your lovely new lounge complements the Whippies perfectly Kirislin :D

That's my legs UNDER pup and cat!!! It's not unusual to have 3 cats and pup....fortunately Ziggy isn't very snuggly! We actually did have a rule 'no dogs on couches' until Em arrived as Zig was a complete ratbag as a puppy using the couch as part of his zoomie equipment. Em just got up and went to sleep. Mr TSD and I debated for ages about who was going to turf her off and we just never came to an agreement ETA: Tibbies are a bit more elegant than Em I must say lol ETA (again): Oh, and Ziggy has the single lounge chair now.

Definitely no dogs allowed on the lounge here... Or cats for that matter...

mollipop - did you buy them from muckboots or from a dealer? I take birds to my local sports oval which is very quiet generally - Mr TSD is fully briefed to pack them up quick smart if anyone else rocks up Springers are F.U.N. I will take some more video of her training soon as her attitude is so much more intense since the last videos we took. I'm sure Molly will be fine - sounds like she is doing pretty well anyway!!! Remind us when the weekend draws nearer so we can cheer you on from afar! Thanks for the results TO Good to see a variety of breeds doing well!

The Boxer personality reminds me a little of my Dalmatian (who competes in obedience and agility) - not the easiest dog to train but it's not due to a lack of brains....if it is a lack of intelligence it's probably on the human side ;) They are a heap of fun when you find out what makes them tick and they really keep you honest as a trainer.

No - idiot that I am I double booked myself after promising Alex I'd enter I'd also love to hear how it went. Training wise - Em has been doing fun water retrieves, 8 dummy (4 W, 4 O) wagon wheel, lining drills and casting drills. In the wagon wheel she was coming unstuck on the second last orange dummy - kept getting sucked in by the white one and then was so confused when that wasn't right. However, big break through today - she was still a bit hesitant but took the line so much better and we had a huge party Pushing distance on the lining and casting drills too. LL is still away training (she got suckered in by the improvement in the weather!) so we are concentrating on drills for a bit. ETA: It was Saturday ;)

Em went through a stage like this. At the time I was feeding her daily ration through training (i.e. lots of recalls around the house/yard, sitting etc) so I just concentrated on toileting outside in the rain. Every time she toileted in the correct spot she got a 'jackpot' (big handful of biscuits) and I made a huge fuss of drying her off (which she also loves). If she toileted on the deck she got nothing and just ignored. It worked so well that she was running outside every few minutes to squat in the rain - I thought she had a urinary tract infection until I realised what was going on

Really sorry to hear about your Cav Both my dogs are inside and the only thing more important than them are the cats :D Dalmatians can be a 'lot of dog' although of course there are some more laid back than others. I have one of the 'others' He suits me perfectly but he's not for everyone. They shed. A lot! Zig requires daily exercise and mental stimulation but now he has passed the mad teen stage he is happy to curl up on the couch during the day. He's not a cuddly type dog at all. A spaniel type might suit. Em is an English Springer Spaniel and she is the snuggliest little thing - I often have her and 3 cats on my legs if I'm lying on the couch in the evening! However, she is working lines - so whilst she's a bit smaller and has much less feathering/coat than the show ESS (which equals less grooming ) she is an absolute live wire and very high drive. Brilliant if you want a dog for retrieving/obedience/agility but not so great if you don't have the time to channel her energy and work ethic into something constructive.

I don't know enough about the reasoning behind it to comment. Is the change bring made to accommodate small dogs? Aren't there many more comps to choose from in the US for small dogs?

I think you put it more clearly than me Tas :D Yes, likely immediate table rules come 1/7 in Vic.

Yes - that is what I was trying to say Tassie

Zig - obedience and agility/jumping - training, trialling and titled but we have a LONG way to go. I've also shown him but that's fallen by the wayside for a while now. Em - retrieving (mainly), obedience, agility/jumping - training only (still a baby!) Tracking and the ET are on my To Do list. I take the training process very seriously but it's much more about fine-tuning my skills as a trainer (constant ) and developing a relationship with my dogs than having expectations of them. Trialling shows me what else I need to work on. Quallies, ribbons, placings and titles are the icing on the cake. Zig and I had a tough day of trialling last weekend as we worked through a couple of problems - no quallies for us but so many positives that I came away feeling fantastic and I hope Zig did too. It depends on the sport, the trainer, the dog and how much time you have! I spend a LOT more time doing retrieving drills with Em but there are a few cross-overs with obedience, which will come in handy. A few retrieving people think it will confuse her to do multiple sports but I think they complement each other quite well. ETA: I am quite competitive by nature but I try not to take it to the trialling ring as I would take myself too seriously. Ziggy picks up on it and crumbles. If I'm singing and smiling and relaxed he's a different dog.

In the new ANKC rules (which come in soon), the table height will be 400 for 400 and above dogs I believe. And 200 for 200 and 300 dogs? Really? Wow, I didn't know about that. Even when the table comes out at training (rarely) it is never a 600 table. Has never caused an issue for us - I think proofing table behaviour may be more important than height. Rumour has it that this may come in early - July even. It's not so much for the dogs but for the judges/stewards - I was told that many judges don't include a table in their course because it takes so much time to adjust the heights (and some judges like to peg the table down).

Last weekend I camped at Wymah Valley Holiday Park in Albury/Wodonga with my dogs. Being off season it was very peaceful and the manager was kind enough to direct me to somewhere I could let the dogs run and swim after long days at an obedience seminar. It's normally dogs on lead and they are only allowed at camping sites as I imagine people broke the rules about no dogs in cabins. I had an ensuite camping site which was just fantastic. It's about half an hour's drive from Albury but so much quieter because, unlike many of the other grounds that allow dogs, it's right off the Hume. Wish I could have stayed longer

mollipop - I have Blundstones. They certainly won't set you back that much. However, I have bought some inserts from Athlete's Foot which I just need to cut to size to give my arch/foot more support. I have to wear mine standing relatively still for 4-6 hours on concrete - my legs still ache but it's not comparable to being out of the field.

I just arrived home from a 1.5 hr muddy, wet jaunt with my pair. At the first park I did a session of 'find heel' with Em which was heaps of fun - sometimes she was literally 'off with the birdies' but soon worked out the game. Zig had a turn with some duration heeling and he enjoyed himself so much I had to remind myself to give him a break. I really tried to work on my posture with both of them as I know I drop my shoulder during training. Em did a blind retrieve drill - pushed distance HARD and she was all over it, which was dreadfully exciting! Then Ziggy played the 2 food game with fast drops - normally he hates dropping in the wet but the treats were damn fine :D Em did another session working on distance handling drills (backs and overs) - tough one for her and she made a few mistakes on the overs but that's not unexpected. After all that we headed off to the lake for a long walk, some off leash running and a swim to try and wash off some of the mud! At home we've been working on dumbbell/article presents as Ziggy has been mouthing a little and Em thinks wood is to be CHOMPED. I keep picturing SH looking over my shoulder and saying 'No - don't accept that' I notice that I have much higher expectations after a SH seminar!!! Em quickly cottoned on and is bringing everything to me with no problems. Ziggy is coming along nicely now that he understands what he shouldn't do. Lots of perch work on the telephone book too. Em thinks that is the greatest sport ever and is doing 360 spins. I've added heeling into the picture and it has really improved her hind end awareness. Zig seems to be so much more motivated now that Em is here - just having to watch her train makes him burst out of the crate and try things. I have neglected his perch work because he was getting really frustrated but the break seems to have worked wonders and he is really getting the idea now. So all in all we are enjoying ourselves immensely

I'll certainly enjoy my 15 min travel time

We'll be easy to spot :D

My Dally came across a koala on the ground and tried to nose it like he would one of our cats. Not so much prey drive as play drive :D

My ESS caught a massive moth last night. She disappeared to the dog bed and her cheeks looked a bit big. Moth was perfectly fine and I released it outside. She is the same with geckos. We have started her on birds for her training - she is SO birdie but the dead pigeons she trains on have been unfrozen, retrieved and re-frozen multiple times and they are still in great condition.

Yes, that's what I was thinking - white will help for sure. Hmmm...getting some ideas now but they may not come to anything ;)

Nope ;) I forgot that I posted this. I don't have this problem either, Ella always has plenty of oomph! But I was chatting to someone at a trial on the weekend who thinks their dog needs a spell from the ring every so often to keep him fresh and keen. I've heard this from a few people and was wondering if anyone else found similar issues. My issue is more trying to keep me fresh and keen and interested, I get a bit over trialling every weekend! I definitely train and trial Ziggy lightly but I expect when Em is ready to trial she'll be happy to do as much as we can fit in. Whilst 'drive' is not my favourite term, I know that Em has a lot more of it than Zig does I was doing some shaping with both of them today on the same thing - very interesting to watch their different responses - Em throws herself at the task at hand and just keeps trying stuff to the point where you have to be really quick to mark the behaviour you want! Zig will get disheartened much more quickly and you have to reward incremental steps for him. ETA: I would never enter Zig in a double obedience trial on one day or do 2 days of trialling (obedience or agility), unless it was something exceptional like the Dally Nationals. I used to rest him the day before a trial but now a nice long walk the morning before seems to working well. In the past I would never attend agility training on Monday night if we had trialled but that has changed in the last few months so clearly something is working!