RubyStar

Are you talking the GDC obedience trial this Sunday? I'm entered, so no laughing if you're stewarding my ring guys

Ok that makes sense. Will the dogs still hear the gunfire? This Sunday reterving traing is being done by Maggie Hankinson and I am so tempted to go down for a little bit before work to hear her wisdom. It will be well worth it, she's a wealth of knowledge Yes the dogs can still hear stuff, they just can't see it!

First you have to decide if you want an ES or an Aussie Yup... or another Lab

First you have to decide if you want an ES or an Aussie The Aussie at Mason's birthday party the other day was divine :p Aussie?? Which Aussie??

If you want to watch the action, you can't have your dog with you. You have to keep them tied up or crated in the holding area or whatever it is they call it. The dogs there aren't allowed to see the action. I'm sure fetchindawgs can be more technical than I am trying to be! Ruby slipped her collar which is how she got loose. I didn't have a slip rope one at that stage (what are they called again?), but now I have 4 and gave up retrieving right after I got them

By the way, from out our way ST, it's quite a long drive! It didn't help that I got lost, missed the turnoff, and had to backtrack at 40km/hr to find the right street that was barely marked!

I did that last year, took Ruby to a retrieving trial in Upper Swan. Won't do it again! She got loose and came running to find me I was so embarrassed amongst all the fabulous retrieiving folk Plus the uphill/downhill climb with a dog and other stuff was horrid!!! It was very steep and slippery.

My rescue choc Lab, who yes probably from poor lines (aka BYB), has a very narrow waist where you can clearly see where her ribs end. I did try and pack a few kilos on her when I first got her, but all it did was make her chest even more round and it didn't change her backend one bit. She looked awful! So I have to keep her slim to make her look more in proportion. Sounds a bit like me but in reverse, more eating and it stacks on my backend and not my chest

Did you want to go to the trial on the 18th ST to watch? I might be interested, if you're talking retrieving trial?

I would have another puppy in a heartbeat if the time was right... but at the moment, it's not I guess I could MAKE it the time, but I know in the longrun it is better if I wait If I didn't already have 2 dogs I would probably be on the hunt for a pup right now!

Puppy breath does it for me, it smells like sweet coffee or something Only dog people understand me

I try to practice start peg lineups and saying "Ready!" and when Ruby looks up, click and treat! So when I say "Ready!" in response to the judge, the idea is she will be focused and ready to go. Still a work in progress and naughty me keeps mixing it up with "Yes!" which also gets her to look at me. I must be consistent

I have only made 3 jumps, which is probably enough for now. Just enough room in the backyard to have them set up I leant a plank of wood I have for my solid jump against it last night cos I was too lazy to set up the solid jump - I might just do this in future, so much easier

I'll bring one of mine down next week so you can take a look and I'll let you know what you need to buy :p The jump cups come from the USA unless you want to make them, which I'm led to believe is quite painful I currently have a drop saw too so I can cut the PVC all nice and square if you don't want to use a hacksaw. Geez NOW you mention that! Cutting my pvc with the wrong kind of saw was a painful experience! I still have more jumps to make so might have to use your drop saw :D

I'll bring one of mine down next week so you can take a look and I'll let you know what you need to buy

I could be wrong but the ganglies seem more apparent in larger breeds. I don't remember ganglies in my Maltese You definitely get ganglies in Labs and from what I've seen, Aussies too I think a red merle would look lovely with your blue merle Beth ;) I am tossing up between red and blue merle for when I eventually get my Aussie. Ideally I'd love one of each but I don't think I am going to be able to find the time to train 4 doggies!!

You get your results on the day, but generally you know if you've passed or not. You can sneak a look at the board for your score when the stewards aren't busy, they should let you look.

I have daggy trackies, daggy jeans, and daggy shorts for all seasons for training Bumbag with treats got the flick a long time ago

Don't be sorry Beth, Lottie is gorgeous I enjoy the first month or two of puppyhood then it's like hurry up and mature already! They lose that fresh little puppy look so quickly that I can handle puppy naughtiness while they're so cute, then they get gangly but still act like a puppy and that's when I said to Ruby I wish she'd hurry up and be an adult ;) But now that she is an adult, I'd give anything to have puppy breath again Hopefully some puppy breath just like little Lottie one day

I still haven't figured out where our weaves are, maybe at 75% accuracy? Maybe in the month off I'll try and retrain him with the 2x2 method Yeah I might start teaching weaves soon, just to add to the gazillion other things I need to teach! RosieFT - you can easily make pvc jumps. Even dummy me managed to make some! They don't break like somebody's did last night ;) Well ok, I need to glue them in parts to prevent them slipping apart when moving them, but the jump cups are nice and sturdy!! Amy's look so professional though, with the caps and tape! I'm yet to do that for mine.

Lol you will just have to come to dog shows ;) Toby won't even be able to go the 6th of June because I have a Rally Seminar. There's a fair gap in obedience trials after this weekend too, me thinks Hate long waits, especially now that I am just chasing one more pass for her CD title! I've only just started agility and I am getting hooked! Can't wait to be at trialling stage there in about 5 years

I don't think all show Labs are that big, there are some very nice ones out there who are stocky but not overweight (not knowing conformation lingo, that's the best I can put it!). But if I ever got into the showing game, I would choose to show a different breed because I like my own Labs to be smaller than show Labs. I'd be laughed out of the ring with my "skinny" Lab. Just my opinion

Sorry DoodleBliss, I forgot to welcome you!

JulesP, I'm not a border person, but your puppy in your avatar is divine

Pfft! Mason is so not psycho, he doesn't come close Candice Have you not heard Millie carry on like a pork chop when I get Ruby out of the car for training?