DeltaCharlie

The brindle pup looks a lot like Flow (except she only has 1 blue eye), who belongs to DOLer "nikivds". Flow is a suspected staffy x koolie and is much smaller than these guys will be but doesn't mean it can't be amstaff instead (plus all those other breeds thrown in to make these little guys). Lots of working breeds can have blue eyes, one of the the pups in our last litter (working border collies) has a blue eye.

The owner of one of our 16mnth old pups runs her dogs on a treadmill (not sure if the pup does yet but her older boy certainly will). They are border collies, one long coat show lines and one short coat working lines. She is already in the ad circuit with her dogs though so she may already know about it.

Ahh this reminds me of the argument I had about 5 years ago with someone at obedience (when I hadn't quite learned to nod and smile yet). I was there with Cody who was a definite border collie x australian cattle dog. He probably could have passed for a working border if I wanted to but knew he was a cross. The only thing really ACD about him (other than temperament) was the black and white heavy ticked coat, he had the longer coat (about the length of most of our working bcs) and his body shape was BC too. This guy came up to me and asked what he was, I told him and he replied that he wasn't actually a crossbreed, he is what they call a "texas heeler". This went back and forth for a bit until he asked how much I paid for him. When I told him about $200 he got incredibly excited and walked away muttering about how much of a bargain that was and how I was too stupid to realise I had got such a great deal :laugh: I later googled it and realised that a "texas heeler" is supposed to be and aussie crossed with an ACD so I still got to have the last laugh

Going slightly off track but I remember a few years back we had flyball training at Parramatta. A friend was there with his pedigree fawn coloured Briard, Dudley. Someone from the public happened to be walking their dog on the field at the time and struck up a conversation with us as his dog was almost identical in appearance to Dudley (only the owners could tell them apart). We stood the 2 next to each other for a photo (don't have the photo sorry) and we all swore it was another Briard. Turns out the neighbour's GSD had got to their Old English Sheepdog and this dog was the result. Sometimes the most pedigree looking dogs can be made of completely unrelated breeds. I'm sure that somewhere in the past Briards, OES, and GSDs all have a common heritage but they have been bred pure for a very long time now and I was amazed at the similarities between these dogs. Had he ended up in the pound I have no doubt he would have been labelled as a briard.

Reminds me of a Pet Expo I attended a few years back as a representative for Springwood District Dog Training Club (written in big letters above our stand, which was in amongst the breed stands). We had numerous people come up and ask us about the temperament of a "Springwood" and why they all looked so different (we had everything from amstaffs to beardies there that day). My personal favourite was the guy who informed us he had a Springwood at home I have been informed by numerous Koolie "experts" (including breeders) that Charlie is likely to be a pure koolie. Nevermind that his mum was some sort of cattle/staffy mix and dad is likely to be a kelpie/BC.

We feed a big meal the night before but don't feed anything the morning of a trial. We have a rule in this house that you do no exercise 2 hours before or after a meal, and most of the pack are actually crated for a few hours after a meal so that they cannot be rolling around or anything. Bloat is always a big concern when feeding a meal before exercise. Many of ours are fed treats throughout the trial though, and they also get watermelon etc. In regards to drinking at a trial I have discovered that if I soak Delta's cool coat and then put it on her in her crate she will lick every drop of water out of it LOL Won't drink from a bowl though...

We have 9, and will likely go to 11 after Link is bred early next year. They consist of 2 elderly terrier mixes (13 and 11- although the 11 year old is still fitter and younger in the head than anyone else in the pack LOL). Then the border collies are 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 21months, and 16months old. We are on 15 acres but they are never outside unsupervised and not permitted in the paddocks during summer due to snakes. They all live with us in the house as indoor dogs, although they are never all out at the same time due to pack dynamics in enclosed spaces. The most we usually have out is 7 with the pups put in a big pen to play. The 3 youngest are crated at night.

We use an anti-barking vibrating collar on a few of our dogs that makes a similar beeping noise as a warning. The only dog of ours (we put 7 on it) who even acknowledged the noise on the table is a dog that has never worn that collar. When we initially played the noise at home around those used to the collar beep we got a few ears back and uncertain dogs. Once we actually saw the table though not one of those dogs made the connection. The bigger concern we had was that it sounds an awful lot like the countdown beeps for the start of a flyball race LOL I think people need to wait until they see the table before they pass judgement on it. What is the point of creating an issue until you know whether the issue exists in the first place? I'm speaking from experience here, I was a little apprehensive about it and keen to try our guys on the table last weekend but it turned out I had nothing to be concerned about. I know it is hard when you have been listening to all the to and fro on various lists to approach it with an open mind, but for the sake of the dogs (especially if you think they may be concerned by it) don't work yourself up about it beforehand or the dogs really will think something is up with the table as they will pick up on the change in your approach to the obstacle.

I knew Ava was one of the ones who had taken a dislike to it, there was another young dog who wasn't overly keen on it either. Both of you have the right attitude though, expose the dog to it, get them used to the noise, and then put them into the trial ring with it when they are comfortable. Its not different to working a dog like Charlie who is scared of chutes, if he isn't comfortable going through them that day, then I avoid them and do more work on it. Or I use NFC in ADAA to work it with a tug toy. I don't avoid trials altogether because there may be a chute in the course. There is a good chance that most dogs at the nationals won't even see the table. Like I said, a 1 in 5 chance that it will be used in your ring, and then only if the judge happens to want to use it. So, for arguments sake say it is only being used in the indoor ring and the day your height is in there the judge doing agility chooses not to use it, you won't even see it anyway. Then, if you do happen to get into the final it will be in there (given Le is judging :laugh:) but you have to actually make it into the final in the first place.

I saw it for the first time last weekend in Canberra. It didn't make much of a difference to me as I was only entered in pairs and jumping last weekend, I won't really need it till the nationals. Delta being in Masters will rarely see a table and Charlie (who is too much of a blockhead to notice anything) doesn't run in AD very often so the only one I will need to really worry about is Whip who showed no visible signs of even noticing the sound when I put him on it. Mind you he is trained at home on a hession tramp bed LOL so if he can cope with the fact that the table is actually solid, taller, and has a different surface to a tramp bed I am sure he can adapt to the fact that it beeps as well. One thing I will say is that as soon as a club member had arrived with keys to unlock the agility shed Le (CFS) was straight over and asking for the table to be pulled out first so that everyone could have ample opportunity to practise on it in case it was used in a course. She didn't need to rush over and do that, she could have waited until competitors started arriving and setting up, then casually wandered over and asked about the table. I don't think there is much else that she could have done to better prepare the competitors and their dogs. By the time people started arriving the table was already set up and people could go straight over and line up for a practise. Dogs waiting in line heard the beeps countless times before it was their turn and nobody missed out on an opportunity to practise. I think the whole table thing has been blown completely out of proportion. Perhaps the nationals wasn't the best place for other states to see it first, as everyone is already that little bit more concerned with how their dogs are going to cope with the arena, the surface etc. The way I look at it though, even if CFS had bought this table 2 years ago... the first time many interstaters would get to see it would still be this years nationals. So what is the difference? The nationals will be the first time that many interstate dogs are going to see rubberised contacts, I would be more concerned about that than a beeping table that you have a 1 in 5 chance of even seeing anyway (only one beeping table and 5 rings running). Rubberised contacts changed the entire contact performance for my dog who was used to sliding into position, trying to reteach her that she needed to actually pick up her feet to get to the end was a lot harder than exposing her to different noises on a table. The nationals in 2010 was the first time my dogs had ever seen a lollypop tyre. People like me could have kicked up a stink about not being prewarned that it would possibly be used in courses, but what is the point? You teach your dogs that not everything is black and white, sometimes the same obstacle can look and sound different.

Why not go with both? Our performance dogs see a chiro fairly regularly but also see a physio in case anything muscular crops up that a chiro may miss. In fact, our physio can actually manip too we just don't use her for that purpose. I'd be inclined to go chiro first to make sure that things are lining up as best they can, as they would be constantly thrown out of whack I would expect. Then, when things seem to be lining up nicely I would see a physio once or twice to get some ideas of exercises to help keep him strong enough to prevent everything slipping out of place all the time. Then continue with the chiro every so often to keep everything lined up. Does that make sense?

Sorry should have been more specific, I was quoting something I read years ago, not necessarily my personal experience. We have working border collies... given a job they would happily work for us 24/7 without stopping to sleep However, left alone during the day they will spend most of it sleeping, perhaps waking up to stroll to a different place to nap for a bit longer. The dog in question is a dog that is going to be left alone regardless, so you cannot compare it to a dog that you have around you all day long. For the time frame mentioned, I see no issue crating the dog for that period of time. Ours are crated longer than that without issue, that includes our little terriers who are not performance dogs. Some of them have toys and nylabones to chew on, 2 of the BCs are crated together and everyone else is crated individually. All have plenty of room in their crates to stand up, turn around, and stretch if need be.

Worth noting that yours are sports dogs though so would get much, much more exercise than the ordinary family dog. Not necessarily :) During the week they just lay about the house when we are home. That isn't to say though that the OP can't do more with their dog each afternoon to make up for crating during the day. Or take the dog for a walk before work (not always possible for non-morning people like myself) so that it is tired and happy to sleep all day in a crate. It all comes down to how happy and comfortable the dog is in a crate. Dogs that are used to being crated are quite happy to spend all day in them. Also then has its advantages if god forbid something happened to the dog and it was seriously injured, requiring constant crating for rehab.

All 9 of ours are crated each day from 8am to about 4-4.30pm. Most of them have water in with them, unless they like to play and then they just have a big drink before they go in and then again when let out. Never had any problems with it, the dogs happily go into their crates each day and then they cruise around with us in the afternoon/evening. I would rather know that they are safe in their crates then possibly wandering the neighbours paddocks and risk being shot. Dogs will usually sleep 20 hours approx a day so they don't really care whether it is in a crate or on a random patch of grass. It is no different to the timeframe that many dogs are crated for overnight with no problems. Ours are well and truly used to spending long periods of time in crates, if we are camping somewhere for an agility/flyball trial then they are crated for days on end, only coming out to compete and possibly a toilet walk after dinner. Dogs are very adaptable and most get used to being crated pretty quickly.

We have begun some sequencing work with the young pups and they are amazing us with how much they can do. Here are a few videos of their progress over the last few weeks. Until these, neither pup had sequenced more than a handful of obstacles and never with weaves and/or contacts in the sequence. I can't wait to see them when they hit the trial ring in a few months time, very exciting stuff :) Rush and Whip 25.3.12 Rush 1.4.12

The abbatoir at Rouse Hill has a great range of well made and tough dog beds for incredibly cheap prices. We always stock up whenever we travel to Sydney :)

I have a few people seriously interested so hold tight will let you know if if sells :)

Forgot to add that the manual for the d70 is included :) The 70-300mm lens also has a lens hood too.

Yeh its a great entry level one that is easy to learn on. I did have a d40 for a short time before this but was pretty inexperienced when I bought this one, it has taught me everything I know :) While you are learning you can leave it on auto settings which means it is not really any different to a point and shoot, then you start to experiment as you get more confident and learn more. My mum has my d40 and 4 years later still only uses auto settings and she gets some great shots with hers. It has all the same auto settings you get with a point and shoot (auto, portrait, landscape, sport, etc) and in all honesty you could get by with never moving past those if you wanted.

Our litter went to their new homes at 8 weeks with a pretty reliable sit, drop, come and sit/stay (they would be in a sit stay and fed in turn without anyone moving). They knew their names, had begun housetraining and were used to spending time locked up in a crate alone. We had exposed them to clickers and begun teaching them things like rollover to encourage them to learn how to learn. Knowing that they would be going to performance homes we had also taught them to engage with toys, particularly tugging as a reward and they had been exposed to uneven surfaces, baby seesaws, as well as chased each other through tunnels and over boards. They had interacted with the reliable pup-teaching dogs of our pack and our friends, and had seen a variety of people visiting the house. Yes it was a lot of work on our part but we will never hesitate to do it all again as the new owners were so appreciative of all the work we put in and all the pups have done incredibly well in their new homes. The feedback we received from not only the buyers but others who then interacted with our puppies was very positive and we know we did the right thing by all involved. It meant taking time off work (and I was on my 6 week christmas holidays) but it was worth it :)

Well ideally I would love a d7000 but given that I also want an 80-200 f2.8 lens (or more likely the tamron equivalent as it is supposed to be even better and cheaper) I don't think I can afford both. Looking at a 2nd hand d90 from a colleague as a stepping stone for the interim. Oh the lack of money is not good...

Yeh its going in there now... just copying over the post as we speak :)

Forgot to add I can post to anywhere in Aus at your expense :) Otherwise can possibly arrange to pick up at an agility/flyball comp or in the ACT.

Hi guys, I have been looking at upgrading my gear for a while and figured selling the old stuff I am not using will help fund the upgrade :) This would be a great start up kit for someone looking to get into the world of DSLR photography. All items are used but have been taken care of and are in perfect working condition, they have no major scuffs or scratches and minimal signs of wear. Included: -Nikon D70 body (black). Review here. Comes with black front body cap. -Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6 lens (black). Review here. This has been my main lens for agility/flyball photography and has certainly served me well. I believe Vickie uses the same lens for most of her agility photography too, or at least she used to :) Comes with front and rear lens cap and UV filter. -Nikkor 28-80 f3.3-5.6 lens (black). Review here. I haven't really used this lens too often and forgot I even had it. Takes some great shots though. Comes with front and rear lens cap and UV filter. -Black camera bag. Easily fits camera and both lenses, large enough to leave 70-300mm lens attached to camera when packed in bag. 3 partitions plus front pocket, 2 x side pockets and mesh pocket under lid. $500 ONO for the lot. Here are some shots taken with this camera. With 70-300 With 28-80 ETA: Not the clearest of shots but were taken with my phone sorry.

While I have never used the Canberra branch of it, 2 difference branches of Pets at Peace in Sydney were just wonderful. They come and pick up from the vet for you (or home if that is where the pet dies) and are very prompt and professional. My poor cat had been in the freezer at the vets for a week while I got myself together and worked out the financials, when I was ready they went and picked her up for me and I had the ashes within a few days.