RubyStar

I think having a list for starters is a great idea, as usually you go into the next pup/dog with the best of intentions, but forget some of the stuff you wanted to do from the beginning! I'll be making a list when the time comes for my new pup, and try to refer to it often! Hopefully with each subsequent pup throughout the years, I'll get better at remembering what's on the list and have a more structured approach, and better at adding other stuff that should go on it as I learn!

:D Will you be back before Xmas and New Years? Would be amazing to be in NYC for NYE! So what dog show is at Arkansas?

Awesome! What's this holiday for? Family or by yourself? Whereabouts are you going? I'm trying to live through you as I can't see me having another overseas trip in a long, long time!! It's because I can't go to Crufts because it conflicts with uni ( ) but I need to go overseas while I am uncommited here I am going with a friend. We are going to Los Angeles, Las Vegas , Arkansas, Baltimore, Washington D.C and then New York Arkansas is to break up the flight from east to west and to sneak in a dog show Sneak in San Fran.... it's GOOOOOOOORGEOUS!!!!! I've only done LA and San Fran myself, would so love to do Las Vegas and NYC, and I'd also love to go to Canada (and Ireland..... Irish accents mmmm!!) Bummer about Crufts

Awesome! What's this holiday for? Family or by yourself? Whereabouts are you going? I'm trying to live through you as I can't see me having another overseas trip in a long, long time!!

That might be her next one

Ruby fetches me a present every time I let her in the back door. Millie doesn't. Ruby loooooves her soft toys, she carries them around for hours on end if I let her, ever so gently. She doesn't do anything with them but carries them around, then when she lays down she lays it next to her, then when she gets up she brings her toy with her :D I'm yet to see if this soft mouth will translate to birds when we introduce birds in retrieving. I tug with her on occasion and she loves to chase balls, but she has a soft mouth when it comes to soft toys.

This sums me up! I could easily have more dogs, I want more (think I'd like 4 or 5), but training and competing is my life and I just wouldn't be able to cope with finding time to train more than 2 or 3 at a time. I have 2 now, and holding off on the 3rd until my current 2 are at a "maintenance" training stage for competition. Currently, they're still learning heaps, as am I! But if I wasn't into dog sports, I would probably have quite a few more furkids!

Very well could be, I don't know I usually only think of those retrievers in the Gundog group as retrievers, but you're right I think the poodles were bred for hunting weren't they? Don't think they are eligible for Retrieving officially as they aren't a Gundog (ETA: why not though if they were bred to retrieve? Interesting, hope someone can educate us!) As for your original question, sorry, no idea

Is he crossed with a retrieving breed?

The ULTIMATE in squeaky dog toys!!!! http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...product_id=1293

No show puppy here (at least not in the short term), but just wanted to say all the babies are looking gorgeous! So much variety in the purebred world - how could you go past a purebred!!

Even I'm tempted by that Tidying the garden today ready for a house inspection on thursday, and I'm sweating bucket loads! I couldn't see it advertised, maybe I am looking in the wrong spot! But I'm thinking if it includes painting I have a few internal doors that still need painting and I can't be !@#$ doing them myself! I'm so over painting!!! I also have a deck that needs staining. Hmmmm!!! This could be quite useful! But a bit sad at the same time when you have to pay someone to do it instead of having my own fella I could whip into shape to do them for me

I'm an owner of a 16 year old Maltese, but tend to just chat Labs

Can we pay extra if he is a bit of eye candy, too?

I want a new puppy to train I don't really know what I am doing, either. That is why Ruby is now 4 and we haven't gotten very far, and I started looking into this before she was 2. But I have started watching and helping out at trials, have started training with a friend every now and then and she gives some nice tips, and I am watching the DVD again that the retrieving club made and sold last season. So slowly by slowly, a few small pieces are starting to make sense and I have a bit more direction to take my training, now. The experienced people at retrieving trials are only too happy to help. One lovely lady sat with me after her All Age run at that retrieving weekend and gave me all these drills to work on. I tried writing down what I could remember when I got home but I think some of it fell out of my brain before I had a chance :D I plan on stewarding at many trials this coming season so if you are interested in learning more, you should come along and help out, too We can share the driving which should help us both out. I'm sure your new pup would love it and I KNOW the breeder would be CHUFFED!!!! :D

Thanks for the tips :D So far we've ridden on the road, footpaths and grass, but when I get time I will take them down to our K9 grounds as the carparks are gravel and safe to train on when it isn't a training or trialling night, so very little cars passing through. Need a padded bike seat though, two short bike rides and I can feel bruising already I haven't looked up where the Perth ones are held, so wherever they are here. If I can get the training done, I plan on entering the 2 that are being held, one with each dog.

Where did you get info on that? Yay, that is awesome news about the dogs!!! :p :D Practice trial info on WA Click.

I had a hunch you were using your new backyard and ditching us :p Great news your training paddock now has lights! You know how insanely jealous I am of you?! You know my small patch of back yard? Well it has further been reduced for training because one corner has become "poo corner" and if I dare chuck anything to retrieve in that corner, they make huuuuge fusses about picking it up or flat out refuse - even when the poo has been picked up ;) And I didn't win lotto on Saturday so looks like I have to keep making do

Thanks Tassie. I wouldn't call it pulling, just not next to the bike. And yes, I intend to nudge her with the front wheel (ever so gently of course) to let her see first hand that it isn't a very good place to be up there Riding on grass is going to take some time, as they can't help themselves with the lovely smells and spend the grass time with nose glued to the ground, grr!!

Where's all the retrieving talk? We disappeared to page two I took both mine out for some training yesterday morning with a friend and we did good :D Ruby is starting to show she understands how to take direction and is showing good focus on dummies thrown out in front of her for a bit of direction work. Millie is a bit too but is still a bit too enthusiastic (ie. takes off for them before commanded ) Steadiness I can work on so I'm not too concerned, but gotta love the enthusiasm!!! Worked them both on a more lengthy single mark with the thrower and both nailed it Even did one with a small gully they had to go across and both jumped it Though on the way back Ruby trudged her way down it and back up again. Started on some blind work with both, setting up a few dummies at a flag and only a couple of metres away and sending them. Hope to build on it steadily. All in all, had a ball!

My dogs had their second bike experience tonight. Took them a slightly longer ride, but still keeping it short to start with. Was only about 10 minutes, around the block, to the park, so we had a bit of grass biking, then back home. Until they settle into it, they are jogging a head or two in front of the front wheel, is this too far? Once they get into the swing of it they are gaiting nicely next to me, but not all the time. I am going to run Ruby over as she isn't concerned about getting in the way, and ya know what, I think I need to to show her to get the hell outta the way :D

Welcome! Your choice in dog breeds are spot on I own 2 Labs and hope to get an Aussie one day :D Your girls are gorgeous!

Congrats OSoSwift!!! :D

Taking all of them and decide on the day which is best sounds like a plan to me Good luck That's how I pack when I go on holiday - pack too much for "just in case" and then end up wearing the same thing most of the time anyway :D