DeltaCharlie

On Elizabeth Drv at Bonnyrigg Heights (near the garden centre) there is a chicken shop. They sell chicken frames 5kg for $5; mince for about 50c/kg; as well as liver, hearts, wings, drumsticks etc. When I was working at Mt Pritchard I used to call in on the way home and buy the dogs food from there. Nice people that run it too.

I have found the secret is to keep it varied. If the dog knows what the reward is it can choose whether or not to work for it. If you keep it mixed up the dog never knows if it will be a superduper good treat this time. It also stops them getting bored with the treats. My treat bags usually have a selection of (not necessarily all of these at once, maybe about 5) cheese, chunkers, raw chicken, cooked chicken, frankfurts, cabanossi, devon, supermarket dry treats, popcorn, kibble (mine are raw fed so kibble is the ultimate to them LOL), rice crackers, plain biscuits. I also carry chicken necks for when they do something incredibly well. Charlie was obedience trained with a tennis ball as he wouldn't work for food. I used treats to mark the right position but as soon as there was the slightest break (even 2 secs was fine) I threw the tennis ball into his mouth. It kept him motivated to work as he wanted the ball again. ETA: I also trained a foster puppy with chopped raw chicken hearts one night. I ended up with hands covered in blood by the end of it but the results were amazing LOL

The woolies near me sells lamb fry already sliced into good sized pieces and diced kidney I also feed chicken liver without issue but I know many people who avoid it. I try to avoid beef stuff whenever possible (raw and treats). Beef is a great way to give your dog irritated skin, not sure exactly what it is in there that causes it though. I just know that I was having trouble with my dogs scratching and someone told me that beef shouldn't fed to dogs and cats for that reason, once I got rid of the beef the scratching stopped. They still get some occassionally if thats all I can get my hands on but anymore than a few days in a row of beef and the scratching starts again.

No it is just being run by ADAA. Not any actual clubs involved.

Wait longer and longer to give him the treat. Build him up to having to wait half a second, then a second, then 2 seconds etc.

Few different methods, not sure which ones you have tried. - Luring down with food (which sounds like what you are doing anyway). Have you tried touching his bum when it sticks up (not pushing, just kinda resting your hand on it)? Have you tried luring from a sit so that his bum is already down? - Luring them under your legs. Bend your knees just enough so that he has to crawl to get under them. As soon as he is in position say "drop" and treat him. - Is he clicker trained? It took me ages to teach Charlie to drop, his bum went up when luring from a sit and he was too big to fit under my legs. In the end I just sat on the grass with clicker at the ready waiting for him to get so bored that he lay down. Took a few minutes for the first few times but then he started to make the connection and he started offering it immediately.

Yep, definitely Maxi LOL. Mine only squeezed into Midi by 1cm... Join up as international, he will be jumping 550 in any combined level courses (elementary and starters). If you are really stuck register him and I will help you with the entry form at the ADAC trial. They are pretty good at accepting late entries (someone entered on the day last time). Plus, Nicola and Penny only worked it all out on Saturday night so the forms would have been received by ADAA today, which means the schedule wont even be up just yet. I imagine they will give people plenty of opportunity to get entries in.

Elementary and starters are both in the combined program which means that regular and international compete against each other at regular height. I enter my dogs one height above so that they are jumping a consistent height (normally they would jump 550 but regular program would be at 400, to keep the consistency I enter them in the next height up so that they jump 550). You only really need to worry about which program they are entered in once you go higher than elementary and starters. Mine are both regular program (I didn't understand it when i first joined up for the camp last year) but I plan on changing them. You can switch between the 2 up to 3 times in their life. Regular program is good for older dogs or ones that can't really jump the full height as they get to jump one lower. I would register Kaos in international program. Im pretty sure he would be Midi height (same as mine, would normally jump 550mm). Enter him in elementary jumping as either Midi (will have to jump 400) or Maxi (jump 550- thats what I do).

Elementary doesn't have weaves. I will be at that trial, it is only going to be a jumping one (elementary, starters, open, and then a game called "jumping without weaves"). Charlie will be going in the elementary and the game as he can't weave, Delta will be doing elem, starters, and the game.

It doesn't work

Ive got the same issue with mine. They have been measured for ADAA but never competed with ANKC before. We have our first one next weekend and I am just going to have to get them done that morning.

Mine very rarely eat anything that isn't frozen. Only room temp stuff they get is canned fish.

Not necessarily. I know I missed dinner a few times as a kid because I wasn't feeling well or had a migraine. If dinner had been McDonalds I'm sure I would have still eaten it though I agree that you need to balance the diet a little better, the lack of bones was the first thing I noticed too. Can't imagine that causing problems in this short period of time though. Is she normal in every other way? Just wondering if she is unwell for some other reason and not eating is a symptom of that. Possibly still a little residual pain from the surgery (if it was recent). If she has been eating it fine for a few weeks and she isn't sick then I would say she is being fussy. How do you actually feed it? All mixed in together? Try just feeding her the meat part of it, whether it is mince, chicken wings, tuna, whatever. She really doesn't need the fruit and vege stuff anyway so don't worry about missing that out.

I am so sorry hun, hugs to you both ;) Take comfort in the fact that he was able to go on his own terms, when he was ready and in his favourite spot. He saved himself (and you guys) the pain of enduring surgery. Take care or yourselves RIP Duke

After having a really fearful dog (Cody) I went over the top with Delta's socialisation. We did puppy preschool but from about 10wks she also went to obedience and agility every week and a range of different people (kids and adults) looked after her while I trained Cody. I didn't take her to any random parks and she only got to play with dogs I knew, but I still took the chance with her being on the ground at training. It paid off in that I have a well adjusted dog who can cope with pretty much anything and is good at reading dog behaviour and acting accordingly. Its a matter of weighing up the risks I guess.

Is it a weekly course? If so I would try to book her in for the day after so that she has 6 days to recover just in case. Delta was desexed on the Wednesday, came bounding out of the vets, went to obedience on Thursday and then on Saturday we took a 6 hour trip to meet Charlie where she participated in the 5k million paws walk with him on the Sunday. I can't see obedience being too much for her, every dog is different though. I don't think Delta even acknowledged that anything had happened or that she had stitches in her belly. It was up to me to keep her calm as much as I could, and obedience was a good calming activity for her.

Delta is 490mm tall and 13kg. Border collies vary so much in their size it is impossible to give you anything other than a giant ball park figure. Perhaps if you show us some photos (side on and from the top) we could give you a better indication. If she is really fluffy then a wet shot would be even better.

Same here, my dogs don't have a problem with fleas so I don't use preventative stuff. Id rather treat them if they happen to get some than medicate them just in case. I orginally started using Interceptor as I was already using frontline and didn't want to double up on the flea stuff, then I stopped using the frontline and haven't had any issues. Not sure what I will do now that it is tick season again, so far I have used tick collars when needed. I have never had any issues with interceptor, its been great.

If you are going to be using advantix anyway, I would switch to Interceptor so you are not doubling up on the fleas and saving money too. I started using frontline for tics last summer (couldn't use advantix with a cat) and didn't want to double up so I switched to interceptor. Ive been using it almost a year now and have had no issues with it whatsoever.

Agility Australia group Thats the list they would be referring to Good luck finding someone, if I find my schedule Im considering entering the trial but don't think I am ready for games just yet sorry. ETA Just too fast for me Vickie lol

No advice on lenses sorry but I absolutely love my SB-400 external flash.

That's Eastwood and Obedience rather than Agility Kaz asked for Obedience

I dunno You are talking to the most geographically challenged person in the world Somewhere near Dundas I think. Is Dundas a suburb?

Not quite hills area but I know Brush Farm are sunday afternoons.

I use heel for everything, it is only the hand signal that changes. Afterall, "heel" means "get yourself to my lefthand sidead stay there no matter what I do or where I go". I have never had issues with dogs not knowing the difference, I seriously doubt that they pay any attention to the words anyway. We teach it by having the dog in front and a treat in both hands. Move your right leg back as if to walk backwards and lure with your right hand, cross the lead behind your back and pick up the dog with the treat on the left hand, move right leg in front of left and then bring the left leg beside it. By taking that step in front the dog is encouraged to keep moving to get into position and can see the left leg stop which should be its cue for an auto-sit. Most dogs only need this done once or twice before you can cut out the extra step. Then cut out the backwards step after a few more reps. I have not known a dog to have trouble working it out after a few minutes. They may not be in perfect position but that is easy enough to correct, so long as they understand that the left hand moving backwards means to go around behind.