RubyStar

LabRat, retrieving is a spectator sport, but, there are times that the runs are held in dense terrain making the job of having a spectator gallery with a full view of the run, almost impossible. On most runs the judge will try to have the run visible to spectators for the majority of the run. Often the spectators can see much more than the handler on the block. Also, as a spectator, it depends on whether you enjoy seeing a dog work with the instinct of its gundog breed. To me, seeing a dog with spectacular drive to retrieve, and one that will stop to the whistle at 150metres and take direction from the handler, is nothing short of amazing. The dogs absolutely love doing it and it is very obvious. If you do want to come along it will be at Carbadine Pool, down Noble Road off Albany Hwy. and on private property. Bring a chair and refreshments. You may bring a dog, but it must be restrained, and be very quiet while the dogs are competing. I hope I don't get lost!!! What time do the campers usually arrive on the Friday?

I think a lot of dogs though will do an hour's sit stay for their dinner I know mine would. But get into a trialling situation and it becomes a different game!

You're more than just a pretty face there, Ptolomy, you also have some good training tips

I think it's funny that all of Ruby's novice passes have NOT been on home grounds where she trains several times a week! She's had some really awesome scores and near passes (bloody sit stay ) at home grounds but has come through with the goods at other grounds

YES!! Ruby gets bored sh*tless if there is nothing going on so opts for grass sniffing to occupy her. If there is something going on outside, she is more alert and keeps looking around instead of putting her head down

Just a lot of praying in my case Before going into the ring today for stays, I practiced a few short sit stays, probably 30 secs each. Then worked on opposition reflex by pulling on the lead not only outwards, but downwards too and rewarded her for maintaining position. Pulling downwards was a good one to do because my girl gets bored on sit stays and leans down towards the grass to sniff/eat it, and then that leads to her laying down. I think I'll be doing a lot more of this now

All mine are wet, slimey treats. I use mainly 4Legs/Chunkers, or chicken necks. Training pants need washing often, cos yes they do get smelley! Not so easy when you wear jeans, especially when you dont like the residue treats leave behind, give me my blackdog pouch anyday I have a pair of shorts, trackies and jeans that are used for training, and gross stuff goes in there I guess it just depends what level of training you are aiming for, because if you aim to trial then you need to phase out the treat pouch. But if you aren't, then you won't be interested in gross things in your pocket which is fair enough

eek. Not when you have slimey meat. Trust me, you get used to it. I had chicken necks (yes, raw) in my pocket today. The idea is you don't use your good pants for this, have a special pair of training shorts/trackies for the job, or a vest with pockets

You know what the most effective and cheapest treat pouch for training is? Your pocket

Today I lost a point for my boy licking his willy in the down stay - hmm not sure what I am going to do about that one - I thought that was one toy he could take in with him and not be pinged for it Boys will be boys

Congrats on Lincoln's first points!! How can you be non awarded for being too young, though? Don't think Ptolomy mentioned how Cider went?!?!

What you've deleted me out of your phone already? Geez!!

Beans is awesome, you don't cut her enough slack Send her to me anytime, Aunty RS is happy to have her

Congrats DSO on your CD title today, too!! Congrats TerraNik on your first Novice pass, woohoo!! To all the agility brags, congrats too! Love watching those videos!

Well I had to pick Moo up from mum and dad's.... then got home and did some heelwork with her and COP and fast pace with Ruby ;) I don't think there's much else for me to say Yes we got our final leg of Novice today, hurrah!! Wasn't one of her prettiest rounds, but I've been told that if it's a title you're meant to forget that part So it's onto Open as soon as I find the guts to do it We almost had an issue though, dummy handler said the wrong command in the COP but lucky the dog was able to read the hand signal and gave me the benefit of the doubt when it came to the wrong verbal!! ;) And her sit stay was one of her best ;) No fidgeting in sight! Can't say the same for the down stay. While she stayed put, she decided to rip some lawn runners up and munch on them. At one stage she had a piece between her front paws, chewing on it like a bone

Did you do Novice RS? I opened my eyes at 7.00am and heard the rain...and rolled over and went back to sleep Yes, dedicated I should have done the same Just when my dog was starting to become consistent and reliable, pulling off some great heelwork, she decides to give me the middle finger. It sucks because I KNOW she can do it, she just chooses not to sometimes

You forgot to mention your occasionally clever dog managed 1st in both Open and UD ;)

Speaking of the attitudes of some.... I was sitting ringside one night on my own, watching a fellow DOLer in the ring, when one of the other puppies in the ring took a nice dump while it was being examined. They were all looking around desperately for a poo bag when I remembered I had one in my pocket. Thought I was doing a good deed, I jump up to give it to them when the steward said "no that's ok, such and such has gone to get one". No worries I thought, so I turn around and walk back to my patch of grass, when this pack of b!tches next to me made some really snotty remark in a really condescending tone "it's not the steward's job to pick it up" while laughing with each other in my direction of my apparent stupidity. I was gobsmacked! The nerve of these women to be so vicious to a spectator who was clearly only trying to help. It got my blood boiling. I can't imagine the remarks they must make to actual competition!!! Way to encourage new people into the showring. I walked away thinking this is soooooooo not for me

None

Yes, lumping big time was happening even when I set out at the beginning to NOT go too fast too soon. I wanted some solid foundations but by attending class to learn foundations, it caused a lot of rushing and lumping. Not blaming class, I blame myself for not taking that information away with me and then actioning it as necessary. I got caught in the trap of doing it in class, like you'd normally do or why else would you go to class? But too fast, too soon. Which is an easy call in hindsight, you always seem to learn things from your mistakes and hopefully do better next time! Just a bit down that Ruby had to be the guinea pig in that scenario. She usually copes very well with being my training guinea pig!! Hmm, think outside the box, not too sure I'm very good at that! Gosh I have sooooo much to learn when it comes to training dogs and dog behaviour! Lucky I'm persistent and hate giving up :D

Meh, I'm doing it wrong then. OK is my release word for everything (well, except for dinner, that one is "take it" ), so it is easiest for me to use it in agility, too. I wanna know what gumby word you tried out briefly, now :D

What is side-loading? Great idea with the walking backwards and turning Well I never thought we'd be doing the seesaw in class yet because of the fact seesaw isn't introduced until Excellent and we're not even in the trialling nor pre-trialling Novice class yet! Just in Elementary. The dogs are not 100% confident on the dogwalk yet either. I regret putting her over the seesaw so soon. She is being rewarded for jumping all over both ends and has even tried jumping up onto the top plank of the baby dogwalk, so she can clearly see it won't tip! But now I think it's not a tipping issue, because she had this fear before. The seesaw caused her to freak a bit and yes I think it was transferred to the dogwalk, so now she has just lost confidence in the dogwalk altogether because I think she feels like she is going to step off the edge. I'm concerned because this fear was already in her, and she hasn't overcome it like I first thought.

No, you don't want Ruby's caution if you don't want to spend ages overcoming a fear Training issues I can deal with, fears are something else. Millie looks like she needs to wear a superwoman cape going over the dogwalk/A-Frame But so far if I don't run with her, she stops in the middle of the dogwalk waiting for me to catch up Thanks for the horse tip, not sure what to do but I'm thinking of just leaving it so I don't keep stressing her out, I don't want her to shut down on me altogether just so I can get her to do a dog walk. Agility is the least of my priorities with her! She's such a happy and enthusiastic dog to train that I'd hate to lose that!!!

Can we do stays under a gazebo? That's even if I make it to stays! Ruby doesn't have a rain jacket. If she did, she'd need one with a hood too, the big wuss.... Just got Mason's raincoat in the mail today, he is so funny though as he wont move when he is wearing it he freezes, if I let him wear it for stays it would be cheating Can I borrow it? More than welcome, of course we would need to be in a class where stand stays are necessary because with a jacket on he mostly wants to stand ....... Sounds like it could be the cure for my Stand for Exam problem She's getting better at them, though - fingers crossed she can pull one out for me on the weekend

Don't judge me