grumpette

OMG how absolutely awesome was Justice with the Husky. So very very rapt for you both. Life was great for you and Justice on that outing. May the BAT continue from here on in. Poor Thistle, just minding her own business, then suddenly airborne No way could I do that with my heffalumps

Zeph needs to drop a kg or 2 to be at his ideal weight. :laugh: Mia is the prefect exercise partner for him.

where is it? Kinglake West Kirisin, near the primary school.

DDD it is a great park, with rotunda and BBQ at one end, a walking track through the garden and a great flat surface for chasing games. Mia is gorgeous with such a cheeky personality.

Zeph and Mia had a great afternoon

So excited for you and Justice Snook. Those classes sound amazing. Yes please keep us informed.

Wow hoo go Thistle. Three stand for exams. Brilliant work. A major hurdle overcome Be very proud of what you and your dog achieved on the weekend. That is a huge leap forward. With regards to the stays, I don't blame Thistle for moving when the other dogs came over. At her level I would be rapt that there were no fights and that stays are still a positive experience for her. She just needs to learn that rewards are at the end of the exercise, when she is told, not when she decides is a good time

Dee loves agility, especially the tunnels and the jumps, but I would never consider entering agility trails. Way too much excitement and too many dogs for her and me. So we play on the equipment for our own entertainment and fun. My next dog I will learn to train in drive from K9 Pro, so that I can harness that energy, but not diminish the spirit. Each dog teaches us something that we can take with us onto our next dog. You will get there and so will Thistle.

I am so sorry that you have been shunned whilst attending obedience trials or events. But please don't let that stop you from trying these activities or attempting to compete, especially in Rally O, when you think that you and Thistle are ready. Obedience and Rally O have been brilliant for Dee, her confidence and her self control. She is DA, has very high prey drive and can be wary of strange people. Below are photos from one of her obedience trials, her first trial in Novice in August 2010. Notice her tail down, ears back and head facing the judge and the licking as he approaches. Then notice her tail up, her attention on me and her focus as she heals around other people. There is also a Border Collie working in the ring next to her. She does not like fluffy dogs, as they were the ones that attacked her. She passed that day, and went on to gain two more passes and obtain her Novice or CD title. It took nearly 3 years and I never thought that we would get out of that level, due to her lack of confidence, but we did. Before this we were in CCD, which is all on lead. She is now in Open where she gets to fetch things and jump, so more arousal and more distance from me. However, she does not enjoy formal obedience as much as Rally O. There are two reasons for this: you cannot talk to or encourage your dog during the exercises, so she gets no reassurance that she is doing well; and it is stop start between the exercises, so I am super vigilant about what is happening in the surrounding rings, just in case something catches her attention and off she goes. Dee excels in Rally O. She loves the close working distances that we have. She loves that I can talk to her, encourage and praise her as we go along. She loves the speed of the exercises and the variety of the courses, because they are always different. See the video below to get an idea of her demeanour. It is so different to formal obedience. http://vid260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/grumpette_bucket/VID-20150622-WA0002_zpsuj20f3iv.mp4 So please consider giving Rally O a go.

The Dynamic Duo. Dee also gained a second pass towards her Rally Advanced title, coming second to her brother, with a score of 93. Flintles scored a 96/100 and a High in Rally Trial. Love the Goober, who also enjoyed the Dog Lovers Show.

Thank you all for the heartfelt birthday wishes. Zeph had a very busy time celebrating at the Dog Lovers Show and at the RCV RTB Obedience and Rally trial. He got to hang with the puppies and got lots of pats from his adoring public. He also gained his Rally Novice title with a first place and a score of 94/100. Yep handler error again. As a reward he got a swim and to chase his ball. Wearing his new tag from the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation, the Purple Poppy, Remembering All Animals in War. Showing no dignity or class what so ever

I am heartbroken for you. RIP Maddison

In our house. Never. No spoiling here. Dog Lovers Show this weekend means birthday shopping.

Thank you :D

Thanks DDD He is all partied out, the poor Old Man

Thank you. How is the gorgeous Justice going with his armpit? I really hope that he is healing well.

A very Happy 7th Birthday to my gorgeous boy Zeph. You are both the biggest source of pride, and the biggest source of frustration that I have had the pleasure to share my life with. May there be many more birthdays and adventures to come.

It was a locum vet who said to leave the wound open to heal on its own, as his regular vet had the day off, and we saw his regular vet yesterday to check on it. I trust her judgement and we've been going to her for several years so I know she doesn't recommend surgery unless it's necessary, and she said there's no way in hell the wound in his pit will heal on its own and we never should have been told that. She said he needed to have the wound cut and restitched and she'd put stents in to take the pressure and put a stent in his leg while he was under, to prevent any more damage to those stitches and staples. So, he had more surgery yesterday and is a very unhappy boy. I'm not allowed to let him jump on the couch or bed so he's confined to his crate, which he's hating because he just wants to be with me. He wouldn't stop crying after I picked him up yesterday afternoon unless I was sitting on the floor next to his crate, which I could only do for an hour before my back and knees had had enough, and by 1am he hadn't had any sleep at all since getting home so I ended up lifting him on to my bed for the night. He eventually went to sleep and although he's been whimpering on and off today, and I did ring the vet concerned that his pain relief isn't enough, they think it's most likely stress than pain and said to see if he settles by this evening and if not, I can bring him in for a pain relief injection before they close. I let him lie outside in the sun for ten minutes and he didn't whimper once, until I put him back in his crate, so I suspect they're right and it's stress. Oh no. It is so bloody hard when they are upset and unwell. I slept on the couch downstairs for 3 weeks with Baylee after her cruciate operation (removed 14 stitches over a week. Apparently didn't like the blue ones and wanted white ones) and 4 weeks with Zeph and his amputated toe. Both of them were brilliant stitch removers and lickers. So cones of shame and crates required. May Justice heal quickly and the time that he is crated go even quicker. Huge hugs

Oh poor Justice. And huge hugs to you Snook. It is absolutely awful when they are healing, and as stressful as hell. Can you use steri strips to keep his arm pit wound closed? They are a bit more flexible with movement. Huge hugs and keeping you both in my thoughts.

I just saw that poor Justice is in the wars. The poor boy. I am rapt that all went well and that he will be fine once healed.

I may have to visit you blinkblink to get some tips, or just drop the dogs off and go to Hanhdorf for chocolate.

Just did Dee and Zeph's nails and it cost me 3 beef sausages. I was not prepared to part with the chicken ones, much to their disgust

At the Dog Lovers Show, we deliberately design our stand so that we can put a couple of crates away from the public, to allow the dogs to have some down time. And we rotate the dogs. Zeph and I will be there Friday and Saturday

Oh if looks could kill Snook. That is hilarious. denali, if it makes you feel better, Dee conned a rabbit ear when I was not looking. Something about D dogs and chocolate