RubyStar

Question about this as I've been teaching foldback drops and kickback stands for change of positions.... when Ruby sits up from a down, she pulls her front feet upwards instead of bringing her bum to her feet (it's what I've been asking her to do), so if she was to do a kickback stand after her sit, she would be moving backwards in her positions - how would this be judged?!?! If she did enough different positions I am sure they would all eventually cancel each other out and I don't think she would have moved forward much, but get the positions called in a certain order and an odd number of them and it could mean she ends up going backwards Speaking of teaching stands - I cannot for the life of me teach Millie a verbal stand!!! She stands no problems with a signal and when in heel position (from a sit or moving) but give her a verbal only and she looks at you like and ask her to stand from in front of her and she also has no idea. Ruby is great with verbals but Millie, nope, just doesn't get the stand one! The only one she is proficient at is the verbal sit. Verbal drop is getting better but nowhere near as good as the sit. Verbal stand is just out of the question

Very true. I have realised Ruby has lost her "mojo" for heeling, so I am going to have to try ever so hard to pretend she knows nothing and retrain from scratch and make it more fun. I am getting nowhere just "making do" with what I have. Fingers crossed this plan will work, and even more so that I stick to it. This is just for heelwork, though, I will continue training other stuff as she enjoys the other stuff, it's just that darned heelwork What postgrad speciality are you looking at doing?

:) ;) ;) Love this one

Umm, I think 2? ;)

Go on I know you are getting Classy! Nope. She is going to a great performance home in SA. The woman already has a red merle Aussie and does flyball with her dogs, and she is now a FB friend so I can keep up to date with how little Classy matures Oh and her name is now Scarlett ;) Which is one of the many maybes I had on my own puppy name list

Hiya, I don't know the answers to your questions but just wanted to say welcome

My, doesnt the time just zip by!!!!! I cant believe my "baby" will be five years old in June!!! Ruby will be the big 4 in three days

I'll be there to cheer you guys on!! My goals are: Also lose 5kg (I have this goal every year but dammit, THIS is the year!! ) Try ever so hard to resist a new puppy addition (but can't guarantee this one) Have a successful trialling year in obedience and agility and have fun with it

Me too Are there any obedience ones? :D

Here's hoping for a better 2011 for you!

Ruby's breeder told me her and the lab people friends of hers don't really do the NYE show anymore, they prefer to have their own party, so there goes a load of entries! I may head down and join you guys, got no other plans! How about the 2nd? Might be doing family BBQ on the 1st.

Agreed We're not looking to do a dog meet though, are we? Just a human one?

Snakes!!! I want a larger property but not the snakies!! Glad everyone is safe. How long is she here for?

I wonder if Millie might benefit a bit by having you racing her to the end to get the toy, that way she might pick up a bit more drive and she will learn the toy is at the end she doesnt have to look back for it, there was one go where you did run to the end with her and she looked a lot better After watching the video back myself and all the tips from here, my next session I am going to try to incorporate a few of these great suggestions

GG85, Millie was doing that too when I first started with her, she would race out looking for the toy and sometimes she'd go through the poles, other times she didn't. Just lots of repetition over several sessions and she started to get the poles meant something. Ruby was never taught with open poles, her poles were always closed. Reason for this is I started a single session with another method then we morphed it into 2x2 weaving. She never had a problem with the straight poles, even when adding more, but Millie is going to struggle big time adding her 5th and 6th

Hope everyone has a great Christmas ;) I'm looking forward to the cocktails we'll be making the the cheese and crackers, yum Oh yeah and I suppose Xmas lunch, but the pre-lunch snacks and drinkies is more appealing to me Never too early to start drinking! Oh and the traditional Xmas brekky here is usually chocolate I had today off work but spent the day cleaning the house ready for Xmas lunch tomorrow and the arrival of my bestie from Brisbane tomorrow night. Looking forward to my days off, not back to work til Jan 4th, woohoooooooo!! This is the first break I have had all year, so well deserved I'd say!!

I've been on DOL all week Nothing and I mean NOTHING to do at work!!!!

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

My response to the answer was more No offence RuralPug :rofl:

I'm sorry RuralPug but I don't class that as a "feature"!

If it's extinct then I wouldn't that call a distinguishing "feature"

Only found in a museaum? Abyssinia no longers exits and the breed doesn't exist either? The British made it up? Sheer fugliness?

Reduced to quoting myself! Not hairlessness or ears K&P - both breed traits though, well done! Come on you don't have to be Einstein...I gave an important clue! Well "most distinguishing feature" is all subjective though, isn't it? To me, I too would have gone with the hairlessness and the ears! What about the fact it is hairless but has some hair on its head and tail?

Why not add a jump, then reward? then another jump? Mix it up? Yep, thanks, sounds like a plan I just need to take my weave set and jumps and tunnel to a park to perhaps set up a little sequence, as I can't in my yard Times like this I wish I had my larger property already

Thanks poodlefan