Ptolomy

I sure am - I booked my flights the other day - I arrive on the 21st October and fly home on the 2nd November. Just not sure which red child I will bring with me

Another one of those better ways is food for me because I am now poor after spending on my money on a husband for Cider, a new house oh and some weave poles :D

I would love to have come over for the Melbourne Royal this year BUT the accommodation costs go from $155 per night to $295 per night at show time which just makes it unaffordable add to this flights, car hire, dog airfare, food and entries and I could think of 100 other ways to spend $1500

This is what worries me also - lack of space - and having to be locked in all day. Don't think I'll do it. But I would like to participate in other team events, now I'll have to try and find a team for those! Amypie it is worth doing - just wanted to warn you of the set-up. Agility at the Royal gets the biggest crowds - much bigger than the Agility National Finals. with kids sitting on the ring ropes eating all sorts. You do have the option of sitting on the other side of the road near where they show the sheep, you wont see the ring from there, but you will have more room. I think the Classic would probably be the next team event.

The crowds worry me but then he was pretty good at the nationals final which was pretty full on, it was just that I stuffed him up He did stand and look around at the people with a confused look on his face for a few seconds though Also the other three people are really good and are way ahead of us so I feel like we would let them down! The others are Tracey with Chester the Sheltie, Deb with Maggie the Kelpie, and Tracey with Taz (I think) the Border Collie. You've still got over a month to decide. Agility day at the Royal is the worst day to enter for a newby - I haven't done teams for a couple of years. People are lined up at the gate at 5am to get a spot under the tent and I have to say it really is wall to wall dogs/crates/people/chairs. It did help when they put the extra tend along the fenceline - but that tent gets the afternoon sun - so be warned. Obedience day there is plenty of room - but from memory in past years vetting was first thing in the morning which meant most of the dogs had to sit around all day before they were on.

Not sure if anybody is interested but there are weave poles on ebay at the moment a set of 6 on a metal base for $65 + $20 postage.

Need to save her for the Royal and the States

So I guess the next question is - how often do you do duration heelwork and do you do anything else at that training session? For me its 3 times a week and NO duration is all I do.

Hmm although a Vizsla is on my wish list I really have to be honest and say that I don't really know their exercise requirements. being a gun dog, I would guess they would be similar. I find with tollers - while yes they do need exercise every day - they also need mental stimulation.

I was wondering this the other day and had a look -the last one arrived on the 28th April, so it should be here in the next few days I would imagine. The photo on the front cover wont be as good ;)

It's Cider's birthday today - hard to believe that the little bundle of fluff who chewed my garden hose into 1 inch pieces, would dig holes the size of craters and who could scream the place down where i dare take one of the other kids out training and not her, has actually made it to 1 - Happy Birthday Cider Bear ;) and what did she get - a pigs trotter and a new i-squeak

I use NRM's for Cider, but I can't for Scoota.

Lovely work Seita and she sure is a happy girl. Interesting watching the first glove - from where the camera was you could see that she was never looking at glove 2. Could you tell from standing next to her which glove she was locked into?

When is your next special group training lesson???

I agree with Huski - I don't think he is ready for duration heeling yet. Cider had absolutely lovely heeling and attention before I started duration last week - basically I am now asking her to increase the length of time she does it. As a matter of interest if you took half a dozen staps and Mason was inattentive what would you do?

I transferred some money at 1pm today to pay for my import - it cost me $30 and at 4pm our time I received an email from the breeder to say the money was in the correct account and nothing more had been deducted I was very impressed

Um - what happened to Angel?????

and their nicknames when they drop scent articles at your feet

Training duration heelwork is a necessary evil I am talking about no positions just heelwork with the dog looking up and paying 100% attention. If the dog drops its head or loses attention you stop. What are peoples thoughts on how much is enough duration training? So if you were doing this with your dog, time wise when would you say yep my dog can heel for xxxx amount of time I am happy with this. I have done 2 1/2 minutes with my older kids when I was building duration, but I found that I had had enough by then - I know a lot of people who do more than this, but what is the consensus amongst others?

I thought that was your new perfume Hmm we need to compare sardine notes I think - mine tend to go all squishy when they defrost and are definitely not suitable for putting in my pocket. Are yours still partly frozen? Have to teach her that taking the jump on the way to the box does not score bonus points, though ..... Rubystar you must be lumping again

Tassie I think I would have to be doing it a little more often than once a week. 20 more days and I can have weavers/Aframe/jumps/obedience ring permanently set up in the backyard training area Duration heelwork is on the menu again for tonight

Getover it - if Caffy can do raw brains in her pocket you can have a container with goat and mashed potato in it and give him a handful every time he gets it right

Nope, he'll chew it for about 1.5 seconds and then spit it. Which is why he wont bring it back and hold it - bless him Some more questions.......(I too have a breed who don't do repetitions well) When you hand him the dumbbell and the second he starts chewing it - do you ever take it off him withdraw your attention for a second and then ask him to hold it again - or would this be enough for him to tell you to stick it up your jumper? Have you tried using a clicker and C/T the second he takes the dumbbell off you and before he starts chewing? I would be looking at using his dinner as his reward - splitting his dinner into 10 parts and if I got a 1 second hold without chewing he would get 1/10 of his meal.

Sas - will he sit in front of you and hold it - thats where I would be starting, slowing increasing the hold time, taking it and rewarding heavily.

Obedience - her sessions are very short - she would be out of the car for less than 5 minutes at any one time - but she would have 3 or 4 of these if I had taken her to K9. I also don't tend to get her out and stand around talking while she is on a lead - she comes out we do something and then she goes away and then I go and talk. When i get her out I expect her to give me 100% attention and in return she gets 100% of mine Agility wise - the beginners go for an hour - but I am usually only doing things with her for 30 minutes at most and only a couple of minutes on each bit of equipment.