Gayle.

When I bought my bike I had the seat swapped for a very luxurious gel one. I have never had a sore bum, no matter how far I've ridden.

Awww, that would have been cute. You looked very beautiful this morning, thank you so much for taking my naughty, wriggly boy in.

BBJ must have been busy, she took Isaak in for me this morning. We were all done and dusted by 9am and had left by 10.30. Stuff to do at home, and we wanted to stop at a garden place on the way. It was nice being so close to home.

No, but there are lots of different temperaments in both breeds.

Or what colour Aussie.

The one we were in, there was a border collie being run by someone other than it's owner a few places ahead of us. They stopped for the dog to toilet about halfway through and I kept waiting for them to come back, I was aware they'd probably come up fast behind us to take their place again and I didn't want Benson to falter when they went past. But they didn't. Apparently the dog looked at the handler and realised it wasn't it's owner and flatly refused to run another inch. Just dug it's heels in and wouldn't budge, so they had to pull out.

Part 3 The marshall counted down the seconds, and off we rode, slowly, wobbling along for the first few metres as we got our balance and settled into the ride. As we left the starting line, a misty rain started to fall……it fell long enough to fog up my glasses then stopped and that was the last we saw of the rain during the ride. Benson’s excitement ramped up and before too long, I had his lead shortened as he desperately tried to catch up with the riders up ahead, and Renee, who was riding directly in front of us, was treated to the sounds of Benson choking on his collar. I held on grimly and talked to him quietly and eventually he calmed down and settled into the easy, ground covering stride that’s a hallmark of his breed. The judge rode up and down the line of riders and runners as we wound our way along the paths and roads that circle the two lakes. The terrain was flat and smooth and as the dogs all got over their initial excitement, the line of riders flowed along easily and steadily. The first 8 kilometres flew by and before I knew it we were back at the start, pulling over for our first break. I felt fantastic and Benson was still bounding with energy. We lined up at the vet table, to discover his temperature had soared and his standing heart rate was a lot higher than when he’d started. The vet commented that she didn’t want to see it go any higher, but his pads were fine as was his overall well-being. Ruth wandered around amongst the dogs and riders, handing out words of encouragement, and much to Benson’s delight, Cheese and Bacon Balls. He was only allowed one, but every time he spotted Ruth walking by, he’d put on his best starving, pleading face in the hope that another yummy treat would come his way. The second leg of the trial seemed to be over in mere minutes. It was probably the most perfect conditions for bike riding…..overcast but not cold, with the sun peeping out from behind the clouds every now and then to light up the lake. The ducks, moorhens and other assorted birdlife gathered on the shores to watch as we rode by, and at least one of the gundogs took more than a passing interest in them. The local dog walkers, joggers and fitness junkies were out in force and stood and watched as the long line of bike riders, runners and their dogs passed by. Benson had settled very quickly into this leg of the journey and was moving along smoothly beside me. Every now and then he’d look up at me and I’d marvel at the fluid movement of his gait. An Australian Shepherd is bred to work stock, and the ability to cover a lot of ground effortlessly, for long stretches at a time is an essential part of their makeup. It was wonderful to see my boy striding along as if he could do this all day. We pulled over for the second break and headed for the vetting table again, my heart in my mouth in case Benson’s temperature had risen, but I needn’t have worried. His temp was lower as was his standing heart rate, and he was given the all clear by the vet. He was still looking as fresh as a daisy and had a quick drink of water, a small snack of dried liver then we were on our way for the final leg of the journey. Once again, the kilometers flew by and before I knew it, the trial was over. We completed another willingness test……our dogs had to show they were still willing to work with us by heeling for a short distance, and following some simple obedience commands. The vet checked the dogs for the final time and we passed. My beautiful boy had a title. Hevnsent Darktown Strutter ET. Despite having just ridden 20 kms, I could have easily lined up and done it again. And Benson looked like he could have too. Every GODC member who rode that day titled their dogs, and we were a very proud bunch who headed off to the Sale clubrooms for a bbq and the presentations. The rain came bucketing down shortly after, but it didn’t dampen anyones enthusiasm and each and every competitor who completed the endurance test and titled their dog that morning wore a huge smile for the rest of the day. The End.

Part 2 I loved our bike rides. I found it was a fabulous way to bond with my dog, as there has to be trust on both sides. He trusted that I’d ride at a pace he was comfortable running at, and I trusted that he’d run beside me and not pull me off my bike. Our peaceful, leisurely rides along the bike paths of Traralgon, on mild summer evenings became one of the small pleasures of my day to day life. As the weather got cooler and the evenings got darker, it became harder to train, but we made the most of the wintry weekend afternoons and stretched our legs on some longer bike rides, and kept up fitness levels with walks, Frisbee playing and whatever other exercise opportunity presented itself. I filled in the entry form for the endurance trial and sent it off, and received a vet certificate a few days later, to be completed by our vet before competing in the event. Benson was pronounced fit and well, his standing heart rate and temperature recorded, his muscle tone and pads checked and his weight noted for posterity. Hmmmm…..30.7 kgs. It’s no wonder I groan when he decides he’s small enough to snuggle up on my lap! Saturday July 4th …..4.30am, the alarm shrieked and I leapt out of bed full of energy and ready to tackle anything. OK, that’s a lie…..the alarm shrieked and I nudged my husband to shut it off, pushed Dusty off my legs and stumbled out of bed and blindly headed for the coffee pot in the kitchen. It was pitch black outside, cold and raining. Lovely. But the coffee was brewing, the gas heater warming the corners of the living room and I was slowly waking up and starting to get excited about my day. We set out just after 6am, with a dog in the back of the car, a bike strapped on behind , a Drizabone, a bag of dog treats and other assorted bits and pieces I thought we might need. We’d left Dusty in the backyard, screaming her lungs out and stamping her little white feet in a tantrum of almighty proportions. Our neighbors wouldn’t have been thanking us for the early morning wake up. We arrived in Sale at 7am, and it was still dark and cold but fortunately the rain had stopped. I took Benson out of the car and attached his leash and we headed for the check in area. He was beside himself with excitement…….up early, a ride in the car, lots of other dogs, plenty of new smells, a walk on the lead….and it wasn’t even daylight! How much better can life get for a dog? He towed me from tree to tree as he let all the other dogs in the vicinity know the big black Aussie from Traralgon was in town, as he merrily peed on everything within reach. As we checked in and waited to be vetted, I greeted our fellow GODC competitors. Kaye and Oban, Renee and Spike, and Ruth’s partner Kelvin with their little dog Katie. Plenty of other competitors were arriving, unpacking bikes, stretching sleepy muscles and mustering excited dogs as we all milled about the vetting tables and prepared for the trial. Catalogue numbers were attached, willingness tests completed, everyone warmed up and we lined up at our numbered posts ready to start the EGDOC 3rd Annual Endurance Trial. There were 17 starters, 15 on bikes and 2 joggers. An assortment of dogs stood beside their handlers…..elegant Borzois, active Border Collies, sturdy cattle dogs, hyped up Border terriers, a Rottweiller, a German Shorthaired Pointer, an Akita, a Gordon Setter, an assortment of M&M’s (progeny of mixed marriages), and my lovely boy Benson, the only Australian Shepherd in the field.

Part 1. Inspired by Ruth: Endurance Trial 2009 In August 2008, I picked up a copy of the club newsletter and took it home to read over lunch. As I flicked through it, a story written by a club member caught my eye. I always enjoy reading the members contributions, especially personal experiences, as I feel I’ve then got to know that person a little bit better. The story was written by Ruth Harvey and was her re-telling of her experiences in the East Gippsland Obedience Dog Clubs 2nd annual endurance trial. I read through it from start to finish, then went back to the start and read it more slowly, enjoying her descriptions of the chilly morning, the sights, the sounds, the whole experience of riding in an endurance test. And I wondered if I might be able to do that. Ruth had made it sound like so much fun that I was at least thinking about how I might manage it. There was only one minor drawback that I could see…..how I was going to get around the course. I had two choices…..jog or cycle. Jogging was out, I can’t run 20 metres without falling down gasping for breath and no amount of training was ever going to get me fit enough to run 20 kms. And I hadn’t ridden a bike in over 30 years. Probably closer to 35 years and had no idea if I could still ride one. But apparently it’s a skill you never forget. Well, I was about to find out, as I made a personal commitment to enter the 2009 endurance trial along with my Australian Shepherd dog, Benson. The first thing I had to do was organize a bike for myself, as a quick search through the shed and garage didn’t yield anything rideable, so I Googled, researched and chose a brand new hybrid bike, then bought it for myself for Christmas. And there began our training regime. Eventually. After I learned to ride my bright and shiny new bicycle in a straight line, without falling off and doing myself a permanent injury. Once I’d mastered that skill….more or less…..I added the dog to the mix and we wobbled our way around the local school oval a few evenings each week, then ventured onto some of the local rail trails for added interest. We fell into a training pattern over summer. Each evening after dinner, I’d take Benson for a run with the bike and we’d meet my husband and our other dog Dusty on the school oval for a play with the Frisbees and some obedience training. That way, we increased our level of fitness as we increased the length of the rides, and also gave Benson the chance to run fast and free of the leash chasing the Frisbee. On weekends, if the weather wasn’t too hot, we’d go for long leisurely rides around town and on the rail trails. The longest ride we did was 17 kms and Benson and I handled it with ease.

Oh cool. We are about a half hour from Sale so if you need some dog friendly accomodation, we have a spare room with a comfy queen sized bed; dogs most welcome inside. I was going to trial Dusty this year but we had our old place on the market and did al the selling and buying and stress right at the time I should have been training her but we're in a much better place to traijn her for next years one now.

Here's the basic rules. You can run or bike. The dog stays on your left and you stay in your position in the line, unelss the dog needs to toilet, in which case you pull over, then catch up afterwards. I found when Benson needed to toilet, it was a great opportunity to run him flat out to catch up and get some of the early energy under control. It's run at 10km per hour approx, or a fast walk, for 20 kms. It's done in 3 stages, 8 km then 6 and 6. The dogs are vetted before the trial then after each stage. They check temps, standing heart rate and pad condition as well as overall well-being. Before and after the trial, you do a "willingness test" which is a very basic obedience test....heel on leash, sit a few times. The judge needs to see your dog is willing to work with you. The dog needs to be on a flat collar or harness, No correction collars and no bike attachments. The dog needs to run beside the bike without towing you along. I absolutely loved it, I wrote a story about it for our club mag which I can put here if anyone would like to read it.

Benson and I did the ET in Sale, Vic last year and it was the most fun I've ever had with a dog. We biked it, and it was a breeze. The course was flat, smooth and around a very picturesque lake. Next year I will do it with Dusty, and the following year with our current baby. I am 50, overweight and not very fit and if I can do it, anyone can.

We are going on Sunday only. Isaak is second in the ring in Group 5. Do the cow stalls stink this year? They were bloody gross the last time I entered the show at Maffra, which is why I didn't enter last year.

Given she likes to dig long narrow holes i was thinking more along the lines of grave digger.. Trenches. She could dig firebreaks for burnoffs. Jeeze, we could be onto something here. You could single handedly change the meaning of "foundation work" for dogs.

Maybe hire her out to a fencing contractor. You could make good money out of your four-footed, waggy tailed post hole digger.

Or in my case, like a crime scene. There are plush toy animals strewn from one end to the other. Yeah, that'll be my place. Little dead bodies of teddies, flattened ducks, headless rubber chooks all over the yard. But I have to admit for having three active dogs, our garden is surprisingly nice and aside from a few broken plants due to zoomies, they leave things pretty well alone. Puppy loves the fishpond though so my plans to fill it with fish are on hold.

Can I suggest something completely different? Maybe for when you're feeling better which I hope is very soon. Could you take the dog on the grass and play with her, give her treats and generally have a fabulous time as long as she is NOT digging. As soon as she looks likely to start, remove her and remove the good times. If you do it often enough, it might work. Might not either but it'll be a lot nicer for her than screaming at her and pushing her on the ground. I have a dog that lovesxto dig in sand. He just adores it but thank goodness he doesn't care for digging in the garden.

This is what I was thinking. Dusty is very calm and quiet and woould make a great child-handlers dog. Not all Aussies are full on, and if you spoke to a few breeders about what you're after, they should be able to carefully choose a pup to suit.

I got a really good backseat buddy from Autobahn. Cost around $35, but it's nice and thick and protects the backseat really well. I had a cheap one from the Reject shop but it was crap compared to the better quality one, although it might have been OK if my dogs were smaller and lighter.

I take my puppy to our local obedience club. I've been a member there for a few years and all three of my dogs have gone there as puppies. The class is all on leash, in fact NO dogs are allowed off-leash unless under instruction, and they would be dogs doing advanced obedience, not puppies. The puppy class is nice as we teach them some basic commands, allow them to meet and sniff each other while on lead and they become confident in a safe, friendly environment where there are lots of experienced dog people who know how puppies should be treated. It's much better value than a "puppy pre-school" dedicated to puppies being allowed to terrorise each other. To socialise the little guy, take him for walks around the time school gets out, take him to your local shopping centre and playgrounds and just let him meet people and be amongst them.

As for the food, Science Diet is OK, not fabulous though. Eagle Pack, Nutrience, Nutro, Pro Plan etc are all better but if he likes Science Diet and he's doing OK on it, don't be in too much of a hurry to change it. Dogs don't absolutely have to play with other dogs. It's best if they aren't frightened of them, or agressive towards them....in fact non-agressive would be best but if he's clearly not comfortable with other dogs, let him stand back and assess the situation. I would never, ever put a pup in a situation that ended in a free-for-alll with a bunch of other pups. Not fair on any of them.

Don't take him back to puppy class. Sounds like a bloody nightmare.

Your poor mum. She must really, really be missing Clover.

My son did a tour of duty in Iraq. In fact he celebrated his 21st birthday shortly after he got there. He is a commisioned officer and it was his first overseas posting. Every time I hear of one of our soldiers being injured or killed I spare a thought for his mum. In fact I spare a lot of thoughts for her.

My dogs all like the Kitty Rochers, but thank god they leave their own poop alone. My sons dog used to eat his own shit, he had the worst breath....but they started adding pineapple juice to his meals and he stopped doing it.