pawsaroundoz

The Boyz get hosed down after the beach excursions but only get bathed every 304 months unless they have rolled in something that was previously alive This is definately the case when we are on the road and living in very close quarers! I too have noticed that Clancy Whippet does not smell nearly as much as Carlin Labbie - even when they have rolled in the same eeeeky stuff! Annie and her boyz

Why not the Cabana? My boyz love Cabana too I cut it up into tiny slices and then 1/2 it for Clancy at least, sits in my treat bag whilst out and about (my treat bag is also my poo bag container and key holder-all in seperate sections I should add ) Just have to remember to put treat bag into fridge when home! I also change treats around, ie cheese bits, liver treats, etc Annie and her boyz

Hi Katlek pleased to hear that the lovely Miko is starting school! Yes, train seperately, or at least have the dog/s you are not working pegged/crated out of earshot. Not just for clicker but they can get confused from verbal commands too! It is also quite a good training session to have them sit/lie there and await there turn....especially if you take them to other dog events. Annie and her boyz

First of all I do hope you are feeling better now. Of course your mate knew you were sick and even that you were feeling worse later in the day, my boyz always seem to know if I am sick or even if my lupus is playing up on me. If I am feeling fairly bad in the am of a trial I do give it a miss, but that is my decision, I know others will have different opinions and I respect that too. Annie and her boyz

Not going, bit of a drive from Darwin lol! But good luck! I used to train at Gawler years ago and always thought they were a wonderfully friendly team, cannot have changed that much! Have a good day! Annie and her boyz

Yes my boys looove sardines or tinned mackeral (both the ones in fish oil) and it helps keep coats lovely and shiny and healthy too! I am not a great fan of canned food as a rule but feed fish once or twice a week, great when away on a trip. Never had any problem with runny tums either. Annie and her boyz

I have already shared a couple of my funny (as in what colour is red?) stories from way back in the obediance ring, but there are a few from more recent times at Retrieving trials.... Like the time I was running Crash in a Restricted, the second run was one of those great runs with a 2nd bird going up whilst dog is on way back with 1st bird. It all needs really good co-ordination between judge and stewards....various problems arose and after Crash crossing a creek and successfully finding the 1st bird 3 times only to have the 2nd bird not go up he was getting just a tad bored with this 'game' and starting to wonder what he was doing wrong. Finally everything went right, Crash got the first bird, saw the 2nd one go up, bought the first bird back to me, returned to get bird 2, when out of the blue one of the all age dogs coming racing along to 'pinch' Crash's 2nd bird.....it was like watching a race as to who was going to get there first.....if I had laughing fit to have an 'accident' I would have taken bets as to which dog would get there 1st! As it happened Crash made it ! However the icing on the cake was when the judge told me seriously that I should take it all 'far more seriously', now that really cracked me up! :p Annie and her boyz

Ok here are two funny stories... In Utility with my 1st Obediance dog Wellington (way way back) - the Utility ring was set up almost next door to the bbq, Wellington went off on his seek back lost article, working very nicely when he got the scent of the bbq, trotted out the ring managing to give good impression of still working, dashed up to back of bbq and pinched a sausage, ate it on the move, found the seek back article and bought it to me..... In a novice trial a few years later with Rocky....on way in to ring Roacky spied a lovely big fat vanilla slice someone had dropped or forgotten, I didn't see it at that time though, it was outside the ring and sort of behind the centre line of the ring. Rocky is sitting on a pass, we get to recall, I leave him at other end of ring, walk back down, turn and on judges direction call my dog, who flies in straight as an arrow until about 2 steps from me he ducks past, scoops up said vannilla slice and comes back to sit in front of me with vanilla slice all over his face.... My dogs do know how to make me turn a lovely shade of red ! Annie and her boyz

ooops! I think I did leave out a couple of the important steps in my scent training programme.....galloping altzeimers is catching up fast! Have no time to do it now but will get right on to it asap annie and her boyz

When training scent articles I have always ensured my dogs were happy to retrieve any reasonable item I asked them too 1st! Then I start by short exersize with either wood or leather - just 1 to begin with. Once dog has shown me he can do that easy as we move on and repeat with each article type. oh, and i tell me dog to 'sniff' as the command. Next I will put 2 articles down - same or different, wellspaced to start with ....then we basically work up, very slowly - I found the old saying of 2 steps forward and 1 step back applies to UD exersizes! (oh and Lablover, Utility is all positive training as far as I am concerned, I would never dream of using negatives in UD especially, and basically use majority positive in everything nowdays anyway) At least in training never forget if the dog has even just 2 items out it is scent discrimination, you don't have to ahve a whole set out all the time. Annie

Hi I too have used Supercoat ( the one called Energy whilst the boyz were working and Adult when not working) I am always very happy with results and dogs like it too. Feeding much more of a barf diet now, however I like to feed dry food once or twice a week in case they end up having to be kennelled at any time, due to my ill health or accident or if I have to go away without them (not that I ever plan to!) In my book a Premium dog food is the one they do well on and enjoy!

I was so bad at left/right that I actually painted a L / R on my runners! Great you are so enthusiatic, hold onto that and keep the fun in it all, don't get caught up in being too serious, that is when it has all fallen in a heap for me, at least. Enjoy! Annie and her boyz

I think the appropriate term is Bugga.....I have been looking forward to doing a k9force session for so long and now within 24 hours of course I am a very sick girl with a dose of the flu I think..... Please accept my apologies for tomorrow peoples. K9 force I will catch up with you one day, I will, I will. Annie and her boyz

Oh Yes - But am used to it by now! The weirdest is when I am doing out of sight stays....and lying on the ground behind my van watching the boys from underneath!!! Only dog people really understand dog people, that is why dogzonline is soooo great! Annie and her boyz

Hi K9 I popped into your site to look and also saw the martingale collars, what are the sizes on the small and medium? Thanks Annie and her boyz

Hi GSDog2 Once your boy has become more comfortable with one person doing stand for exam don't forget to get lots of different men/women, with hats/sunnies/skirts etc long years ago whilst trialling my Golden (rainbow bridge back in '95) I had a similar problem, he considered anyone nice enough to come and touch him was an instant new friend!! Got him over that but was a very naughty boy with women wearing skirts...there are some places cold noses should NOT go! Good luck Annie and her boyz

Rest Easy Maya, safe in the park beside the Bridge, Crash will play with you. Take Care Labsmum, thinking of you. Annie and her boyz.

Thanks for this K9, I have been really keen to try some of your 'stuff' since Lablover has been telling everyone of your virtues! But being away travelling I couldn't really do anything about it until now. I have only had the boys on this programme for 3 days but already I am seeing differences, I am also learning more about my boys. The big surprise for me is that Clancy my 10 1/2 month old Whippet is just soaking it all up, just won't take his eyes off me and has voluntarily thrown in a sit for good measure! While the older lad Carlin is taking longer to 'catch on', despite his additional years of obedience and retrieving training.....that surprised me. So far no probs though, but if I do hit any 'brick walls' it is good to know you are here! Thanks again Annie and her boyz

Please Please Please keep me informed on this....If nec. I will race down to Perth area to be there and then back track a bit to see the pats I missed! But as I have not been to Perth or WA before I will need some really good directions to get to wherever it is being held! Thanks Annie and her boyz

Welcome To Your New Home, Yank! :D Can't wait to meet you when we get to where you are!! Clancy wants to know if you can do 'Whippet Rips', and if not would you like to learn? Carlin just wants to wag tails! Annie and her boyz

When do you think it might be held? I am travelling through WA, hopefully finding some work for a while on my way back to Victoria. Will be down around Perth end about Sept>, would love to come as Lablover has told me all about K9's courses! Annie

Hi Cheyanne Fury I listen/watch everyone, think about how their methods would work when used with my own dogs and use the bits that do work, file away the other stuff in my head - you just never know when you are going to have a dog that it will work with! I mostly use positive training methods, all of my excersizes are broken down into the tiniest little bits, taught to the dogs in a sort of 1 step back, 2 steps forward sort of way, with tons of praise/play and food behaviour shaping. There are times when I will use verbal correction.....Carlin for some reason has always seemed more mentally comfortable with a slip collar....why I do not know, most of the time it is on the 'dead' ring anyway, but when he feels concerned about something, for instance walking over bridges, he's always hated the knowledge that there is nothing underneath! he will seem to be much happier if I change rings and walk him over on a collar that is not tight or choking by any means but that he can feel - perhaps it's just that he feels safer that way? When I have a particular problem with an exersize I like to think about how I am training it and what is it about the way I am doing it that my dog doesn't understand....quite often it will be something very simple. The way I set up the jumps, the way the oval is shaped has made a difference at times. I always try to put myself at the dogs level to get a view of what an exersize looks / feels like....er does that make sense? Good Luck anyway, and good on you, we should all give this some thought from time to time. annie and her boyz

Thanks for the info HR, As we are 'on the road' distance education may be a bit difficult, I don't have a computer whilst I am travelling, I just borrow or use cafes and or Libraries! But when I get back to Victoria I shall make contact with Ndtf. Annie and her boyz

Hi BL Never been a problem until I stayed here in Darwin where there seems to be an abnormal number of unsocialised and feral dogs. Carlin, my own Black Lab is not too bad, he will sometimes want to go sniff but doesn't bark. Clancy is amnother story however! He wants to bark and play.... I have a pocket full of treats and as soon as we get close to one of 'those' houses I talk to Clancy, really get his attention and as we pass, he has now moved on to being rewarded if he hasn't woofed....to start with I rewarded him as we were passing, telling him what a good boy he was for being quiet! Might work for you too?! Annie and her boyz

Hi Ernie & HR Do Ndtf run a course most years, in Victoria that is? I will be back in Victoria at end of year I should imagine and would rather like to study a recognised course, never had the time or a job that would allow me to previously..... Thanks Annie and her boyz