RubyStar

Nope, I don't think it's wrong to take treats with you when you are out with your dog, no matter where you are. Lets you reinforce your dog for good behaviour. The woman is at fault for not being able to control her dog. Those who sit in a designated offlead dog area with a picnic on the ground is a worry, though!

Separately. Crate one while training the other or closed behind a door.

I'm disappointed because I recently changed my girls to Nutro and the amount of poo hasn't changed Just goes to show what works for some doesn't work for others! I used to feed Advance all the time and had no problems with it, but loads of people have had complaints about Advance. I'm going back to raw feeding soon I think

Naturally my girls love to work for food, they are Labs afterall. But bring out a toy that squeaks and can be chased after, the enthusiasm almost doubles. I can switch between the two types of reward, but I think in most instances, the ball is the reward of choice. Which is fine by me, I don't have to buy as many treats to train agility (I use food mostly for obedience training as I find it easier to train precision with food, whereas I find it easier to train obstacles and them focusing forward with a toy reward).

Ruby has cottoned on really well to focus on the jumps, etc. ahead. Actually didn't have to work very hard with her to get that. Millie on the other hand, is doing what Daisy is doing - finding it hard to take her eyes off me. I am doing what ness says, using a toy out ahead and releasing them to it. Millie is slowly getting the idea

Wow, Paddy is living the life, eh? Do you keep beers in there for him or just the soft stuff? I'm impressed you've taught him to use a bar fridge already, mine haven't learnt that yet

My dogs have a couple of trees in the backyard, plus a patio, plus if the weather is extreme (too hot or a storm) I leave the backdoor open for them so they have access to that back room only (which has a lock on the door leading to the rest of the house). Lots of water and a paddle pool for them, too. However, as my Dad only works evenings, he tends to pick my dogs up and take them back to his house to spend the day in the aircon if it's too hot, or I am welcome to drop them round there in the morning, which is what I did this morning. I prefer them to be in the aircon if its too hot, but I know that if I can't provide that, they will be fine in my other setup.

Contact equipment so far is separate. We work half an hour on contact equipment, then another half hour on a jumping course. My other option is when I can find the $$, I might go and get a private lesson or two on teaching DW and see-saw. Once we get this right, Ruby is going to have a ball. She loves jumping a lot, and her confidence and speed has picked up sooooooooo much running a course that she is now outrunning me! Good thing we have a SLS or I'd be stuffed! But now I am starting to hype her up on a SLS so she runs with more gusto, which is making the SLS slightly less solid, so now all my SLS practice will involve revving her up verbally and getting her to maintain it She loses momentum when I try to handle her on a harder course with lots of turns, but my handling skills are severely lacking which is mostly to blame. She slows down then but with work on both our parts I'm sure we might ONE DAY get there!

That was put under there after Ruby's mishap, to prevent other novice dogs doing the same thing while running the rest of the course. Next time there isn't many people like there was last night, I'll have to pinch the see-saw and also ask for some assistance! When there's the normal number of people there, it will be impossible to use.

Very true, however, Thursday night training is the "seniors" night, I just gatecrash So I can't see me being able to get the chance to steal the see-saw to do this. I will see, though! I'm sure the gals wouldn't mind me having it for 10 minutes, some may even help me

I wish I had access to a baby seesaw on Thursday nights where we just do our own thing (no class). I only have access to it on Tuesday nights in class. Thursday nights there is only the fullsize one. But I think we're getting one made soon for this club, fingers crossed!

I saw her face change from "Weeeeeeeee!! Look at me go, Mum, look look!" to that of horror as she came crashing towards the ground! She jumped off as it started to move underneath her.... but then she ran over to me all happy By this stage I was on the ground ready to cry, but her continued exuberance after her scare stopped me

Vickie, I'm starting to agree with you in regards to maybe I should actually teach the see-saw before going back to the dogwalk. I still do classes with Ruby so I will ask my instructor what she thinks (but her opinion to date has been don't even go near a see-saw for the time being until her DW confidence is back, and she too is a great agility trainer so I respect her opinion - but I respect yours too!!) Going back to the see-saw will delay our agility debut by a long time, but it will be worth it. I want to get it right, even if it takes her ages to get confidence on both and even though she won't need seesaw til Excellent! I remember your tip about teaching the dog to jump off the DW when I raised Ruby's DW phobia on here earlier in the year, and I've done some of that If she gets halfway up and frets, she jumps off. But I'm afraid of her jumping off at the full height, she just doesn't have the right "body" for it. She's quite a lean Lab, but I still fear Lab bodies aren't designed for that kind of impact

She loves the bang game, that's the bit I can't figure out! I've asked her to bang on the end of a see-saw and she thinks it's an absolute hoot!! But it was then going over a baby dogwalk in the same session as the bang game that made her crap herself Gosh my heart leapt last night, it was like watching your child step out in front of a car and knowing you can't do anything about it cos you won't be there in time to save them!! Slighty dramatic I know, but it's how I felt

I think I have broken Ruby's dogwalk again :D I'm SUCH a bad mum! :D I called her away from the see-saw, saw her coming towards me, turned my back on her momentarily and there she was, flying up the see-saw proud as punch until BAM, the ground fell from beneath her. My heart jumped into my throat and I'm still upset over it. I am such a bad mother for taking my eyes off her. I haved worked the past 6 months so hard in getting her confidence back on the dogwalk which she lost after she went over the BABY see-saw in class, and here she went flying over a full competition height one without any training After the initial look of horror on her face (and mine!), she came bounding over to me tail wagging like she had a blast and was eager to chase her ball some more and do some more jumps. She did manage to go over the dogwalk again afterwards, once at normal speed, next at full speed which had people cheering, then she refused to do it So I got a plank out and placed it on a table and worked on that with her which she was ok with. I remember doing that the first time she had a dogwalk meltdown and even that was enough to scare her. So with any luck, I haven't completely broken it, but I think we've gone back a step or two. Ruby, I am so sorry for turning my back on you I let you down and hope you can forgive me and let me help you gain your confidence again! Meanwhile, Millie's my little dogwalk machine And not concerned in the slightest about the see-saw in training. Keeps it interesting I guess when different dogs present different challenges to you.

Ooooh, what concerts?? :D I want to go to Canada or the US and see one of my fave bands And I'd love to go to Croatia, looks beautiful! I want to do the Mediterranean cruise that goes there, sounds devine!! I've spent like 2 days in England and didn't really get to even sightsee (my host was lousy, slept in til lunch time, what a cow!!!!) and LA/San Fran. Looooooooove San Fran I'd so love to visit somewhere in Canada (Vancouver perhaps) and also New York (and loads of other places!)

Damn you people and your OS holidays I can't even afford to go down south for a long weekend! Have fun you lucky, lucky people!!!!

Your babble ball hasn't killed you yet, ozjen??

You're making me puppy clucky... which isn't all that hard

Hot air rises.... move down south

Haven't read the whole thread, but to MalteseLuna - your Maltese are gorgeous I own a 16 and a half year old Maltese (though she stayed with my parents when I moved out), but she probably isn't the best bred thing as my parents didn't know any better and bought her out of the paper when I was a teenager. She is a bit smaller than your average Maltese, her coat always had a slight wave to it and parents weren't so into grooming so it is kept clipped short. I am no longer a "small dog person", but will always appreciate a nice small white fluffy dog The whole Maltese cross Shih Tzu thing, ugh, the vet nurses listed my Maltese down as being crossed with a Shih Tzu when I said nothing of the sort! It's probably that they are used to getting those in all the time so it was like an automatic thing to them to write that as the breed. I spied it written on the vet's computer screen during a consult so when I told her that is incorrect, she commented that she didn't think she saw any Shih Tzu in her!

Dad just called me to say he is at my house to pick the dogs up, so they will be with Dad in the aircon now, spoilt puppies

She sounds like sooooooo much fun to train, TSD!!!!

My trialling year has basically finished So I'm already looking to next year. I am going to send entries off for open obediene (not for comp) and novice jumping for Ruby in December, but they don't really affect my goals I've set for next year

Can any handler top this move on the course?