Ptolomy

My daughter just rang to say she passed all her uni exams YEE HAR So all those practice examinations she did where I had to lay on the bed and close my eyes and touch my little pinky to the tip of my nose, or lift my leg off the bed so she could feel my hip joint, or the psychological testing where I would have to role play were all worth it Big Click and Treat - Onto 4th year Med she goes.........

Hey Tassie - I didn't see anything on CR looking like that - was he is the end of line, specials bin He is beautiful..........

I found a list of distributers in OZ on the net and every website I went to didn't have the balls listed. I even went into the shop that is supposed to have them in WA and they had never heard of them. So - my mate found some on ebay - we contacted the seller and instead of paying $6 postage for 1 ball - we are paying $6 postage for 3 balls - we ordered 6 balls from there - I think they are coming from Hong Kong. I then ordered another 8 from CR I think you would be paying about $10 a ball in OZ and they were $3.95 from CR. Maybe we need to have an i-squeak ball hunt and see where in OZ we can get them from. :cool:

They are like Cuz toys - probably not as hard as a cuz though. I had one i-sqeak ball and all 5 kids used to go mad every time I brought it out, so then I brought another one. I have another er.......11 coming I have never used toys in the past - all my kids are so foodie and giving food is easy, however, this has all changed. I load my pockets with food and have 1 or 2 i-squeak balls on me - this is all done before getting any of the kids out to work. This is often a mistake new people make in that they get their dogs out and then go and load their pockets with goodies. We start training - and when I feel the dog is putting in a good effort - I jackpot grab the ball out of my pocket and either throw it so they can run after it, bounce it so they can jump up and get it, or get them to catch it. All of the dogs now bring the ball back to me so i can bounce it or throw it again. I then have the option of putting the ball back into my pocket - or leaving it on the ground as a distraction. If I take the second option we start working again and when I feel they are putting in a great effort I can jackpot again with the ball in my other pocket. The look on their face is priceless mum is an endless source of fun. I often reward with food when they bring the balls back. I use the balls a lot for the drop on recall - when the dogs drop - I throw the ball over their heads and get them to race back and get it. You can also play the two food game with the balls. I have the JW i-squeak bone but they are not a hit. I have talked a few people into buying the balls and their dogs are also crazy for them - so if you ever see them - they are worth giving them a try.

I stocked up on JW i-squeak balls - my kids love them. Have started using them as rewards when heeling and they seem to be doing the trick - even for the kids that aren't toy motivated.

Now you all know the adverts with the free set of steak knives ...... well I am not allowing any trade to happen unless I can throw in a free Blaize LP - Ness has been put back in her box and told to aim high - she has the goods now she just needs to put the work in!

OK - just put her in a padded post bag and send her to me...... Maybe we could do a swap - Kinta for.....hmm Blaize!

If she ever made it to Perth - I would give him a go too I could swap you Nova for...hmmmmm Blaize Deal or no deal Now you have offers coming out of your ears!

I understand your beef - I have a friend whose sheltie works a little wide - we think its because she has big breasts and the dog can't see her face. HOWEVER - having trialed in Qld, VIC and SA in the last 12 months I have to say there are a lot of people trialling who use exaggerated signals. I am not sure if they have watched others trialling and have just copied, or really do think that their dogs need a stand signal with the left hand that sweeps across the owners body and as far over to their left hand side that their arm will reach - oh and turning the shoulder will allow for another couple of inches. :D When I first attended dog classes 12 years ago - this was how I was shown to give a stand signal. When people send me clips to watch - its usually one of the first things I comment on.........isn't it.......(names withheld LOL)

Security Security.....can we please have security to the kennel zone. Has anybody ever been lucky enough to work somebody elses obedience dog at training or a trial and if so has this influenced your decision for the breed you would like to trial?

A Toller that could stay focused for a whole round Nothing looks better than a happy focused toller - with its tail up wagging away HMm second choice would be an Aussie Shepherd Third choice would be a Vizsla or GSP.

$116 later........... I now have enough JW i-sqeak balls to start my own shop

NO definitely not!

http://www.volhard.com/pages/pat.php Have a read - it will give you some ideas

I think 5 weeks is too early to tell. ;) I usually assess litters at 7 weeks of age - and what I am looking for is a confident outgoing pup. :rolleyes: Actually I usually end up with the ADHD pup of the litter, not once, not twice but three times ;)

While we are on the subject - just wondering what everybody pays for their California Natural bickies. I pay $26 for a 2.3kg?? bag of herring and sweet potato.

Thats great to know - thanks for posting.......

All my kids do both agility and obedience. Have to say I only train 1 night a week for agility as obedience really is our forte, and all bar Lexi (who is only 2 1/2) had their masters titles before they turn 3. However - Beans and Blaize have never been taught to weave on my right and Beans has done very little distance handling work. I have only just started entering her in open and to begin with there were a lot of distance challenges that she just couldn't do - but in the last few weeks she has surprised me and actually managed to do the distance challenge, but has buggered up further down the track. :p We tend to treat agility with a lot of fun and I am sure she runs back to the car faster to get her jackpot than she actually runs around the course. ;) I took Scoota to the Adelaide Royal a few months ago and entered masters agility for a bit of a laugh. I was amazed when he not only went clear but finished 4th against "agility" only dogs. Because of his lameness problems he only trains once every blue moon. I was more tickled pink with this than his obedience win So you can definitely combine both :D

I have been using the herring and sweet potato for over a year now - its the only dry food Beans can eat without her having a skin reaction. She only gets it for breakfast, and not every morning, but she loves it. I have occassionally given it to the other kids and none of them have sent it back with a complaint to the chef. I can only get it from Pets Paradise and it costs $26 for just over a 2kg bag.

I get mine from Coles - in the freezer section with the roo meat - next to the frozen chips. I think the last packet cost me $4.79

I use sweet potato, pumpkin and cheese cut into small cubes for my girl with allergies......... She can also have dried goat or fish which she loves Frosty Paws are good for Jackpot containers.... Chunkers are good - but tend to go smelly really quickly. There are other Ball type treats called Guppy Pets - they come in chicken and vege, lamb, steak or kangaroo varieties - which the kids love. They are bigger than a chunker and can be cut or broken into smaller bits. Have to say that the kids don't spend a lot of time chewing the treats - one gulp and they are gone :rolleyes:

Its called CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM and getoverit! We have only started using a hula hoop since UDX was introduced - and by teaching the dog to sit in the hoop - you can then move the hoop anywhere to generalise the behaviour. Further down the track you can put the hoop in the box and gradually fade the hoop, or put the hoop in the middle of the cones and once again gradually fade it. This is a great exercise to teach with a clicker.

With the introduction of UDX - most of the triallers in WA are now teaching the dog to sit in a hula hoop and then gradually moving the hoop further and further away. Once the dog has this down pat - they then start introducing the 4 cones with the hoop in then middle and then they gradually cut the hula hoop down.

This is a great site and its the way I have taught my kids scent discrimination. There are a couple of other games you can play as well. http://www.dogscouts1.com/Dog_Activ-_Scent_Discrim.html

I usually pick out an event which I would like to enter the kids for as their first trial and we aim for this (I choose something around 16-18 months of age). I find it usually gives me something to focus on, like a goal. However prior to this - I am training everything up to and including UD exercises - but just not with any precision. Scoota was taught scent at 7 months of age - however it was just him going out to the pack and bringing back the one that smelt like me - I wasn't worried about presents, turns or holding articles. Beans and Lexi once they had had their first title - I put them back in the cupboard for a few months to mature. Lexi - is about to head back to the top shelf of the cupboard for a few more months I think. This means that I continue to train and work through duration, distractions etc but just don't trial her I have found that tollers don't mature until ....well not sure really, but after 4 they tend to become more consistent.