Mas1981

Did you mix the 2 kibble together for awhile Valley? I changed Mason from Advance to Eagle Pack Holistic, I just mixed what I had left of the Advance with the EP Holsitic and Mason was fine, I have to be careful with him as he gets the runs in the blink of an eye but saying that since we have been on the new food he is 100% better.

Where is the house?? I am very lucky I live in a circle and in the middle is a nice park, I literally cross the road and am there, its wonderful I take Mason over before I go to work or after to play fetch and I train him there..

I think Cider is amazing!

LOL Ptolomy! So funny you should say that, I went to 3-4 articles tonight just to see how she'd go! She was reliably picking up the right article when there were just two so I decided to make it a bit more difficult to test her. She made a couple more mistakes when I added more articles but by the end she was sniffing them and bringing back the right one. Am sure it is no where near reliable yet though, can't wait for tomorrow's training session! I have lots more work today before I will be sharing my video's Mason is no where near as advanced as most of the dogs on here and my handling skills are somewhat shocking, but we are working on it and when we get better will post the video's.

Is that why everyone who does obedience etc videos themselves to see what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong? For me, yep, that and to keep a diary of what we do to look back on, and to also share training successes with fellow training enthusiasts around the country on DOL ;) It's also nice to have a link handy demonstrating something that someone else might be having trouble with. What better way to learn than by watching! Candice, where is your video!! We wanna see!! ;) No way will anyone see that video lol! I may let you watch it on my PC one day but its so bad I havent bothered to upload to U-tube. And at this stage we have no training successes Valley I live in city of Swan, will try find out for you how many dogs you are allowed, I dont see it being too much of a problem as you are allowed a certain number of cats too but if you exceed it I know you can apply for a special license. How many dogs do you have, its 3 isnt it?

Hi , we went to the Trackwest open day on saturday and my dog and I enjoyed it so much that we will be starting tracking training on 10th April

My husband video-ed me training Mason tonight, I am so shocked how my walking changes when I am training him, its really bad!!

This evening hubby video-ed me training Mason in the yard, i am shocked at how slow I walk and the signals I give him, no wonder the poor dog is confused :D

I also thought it started the 10 April???

I have heard Julies in Malaga is good but I like the Natural Paws website, looks awesome, its in Southern River.

Yes, I think I will indeed have to come to a retrieving trial and meet you and your dogs! Duncan was adored by everyone - humans and other dogs. His passing was tragic :D I think RS should get a black lab as well Your avatar would be more accurate I would have been up for Piney Lakes yesterday except I did a My Kitchen Rules Marathon - some 12 episodes! There is a Golden Retriever Fun Day on Sunday 11th April - from 10am to 2pm at the K9 grounds I think. I have the flyer in pdf form but don't know how to post it here :p Is anyone interested? $5 grooming, BBQ, dancing dogs etc ;) Would love to come but I think Mason would stick out like a sore thumb.............

Maybe an English Setter will be a dog for me when I retire I know they have the tendency to be mischievous pups just like any other breed, but they look nice and calm when they grow up and oh so gorgeous At times I contemplate getting a black Lab in the future to round out my set, but thinking I might try something new. Labs will always be my #1, though A lady at our club has just gotten an aussie shepherd pup, when I saw it i thought of you lol.

That's interesting you noted dominance! Micha's breeders told us he was the bossy/most dominant one in his litter. I find him a pleasure to live with but I do think he is one of those dogs who if given an inch will take a mile. He's very smart and knows when he can take advantage. The dog I had ( my family still technically own her she lives with my mum overseas she was the family pet) her dominance was a real issue, so much so that a professional trainer told me my dog is un-trainable and she is dog aggressive which I dont understand as she was socialised so for me the MOST important thing was a dog who wouldnt dominate me and who wasnt aggressive, all the rest came after that. I am very happy with the dog i picked this time around, wouldnt swop him for the world.

I chose Mason as he kept picking up little leaves and toys and bringing them to me, he was so playful and also not very dominant which I liked as I had a very dominant bitch previously. I have been very lucky as I couldnt ask for a better dog he is everything I ever wanted, he sometimes isnt the easiest dog to train because he is easily distracted by other dogs but he learns quickly and his awesome personality makes up for all his little faults.

Pollens, grass and detergents make my boy itch, I have had him on a few different foods and it doesnt seem to make a difference which it wont if they are contact allergies.

That size cant be for Ivy??? Are you going on a trip?

I washed him in Aloveen last week saturday as he had swum in the river and the water was really dirty but we always use Aloveen alternating with Malaseb as he gets really itchy sometimes because he has an issue with grass and pollen this time of year.

I let my friends dog play with Mason's i-squeak today, so glad I bought an extra one for her birthday for her as her and Mason played and played but she wouldnt put the ball down

For the last few days I have noticed that my dog has what you could only describe as dandruff on his back, he is also quite itchy in he mornings and evenings, he seems to suffer from allergys to pollen, grass and certain plants at certain times of the year, however his skin has never been dry like this before. What would be causing this and what can I do to fix it??

Thats a tough question, I would try go raw if you have the time and freezer space, I also have an itchy dog, its only at certain times of the year though, now is one of them. Unfortuatly most of the good quality dry foods for sensitive skins are more expensive then tha cheaper foods BUT you end up feeding much less so it actually works out the same. I pay around $118 for the food I feed my boy, its 14Kg bag and it lasts us around 3 or 3,5 months so its just over $30 a month which really isnt bad at all IMO.

We just got back from class and I am shocked at how much improvement Mason has made this week, I have been working so hard with him this week re-training heel position with the clicker and its way better. He now also has MUCH more focus and I dont really know why I havent been doing anything to really ask for a lot of focus but he is just giving it to me. I thought I was going to need some one on one lessons with an instructor as Mason can be painful when he wants, he will just stick his head down and sniff the floor or watch the other dogs and ignore what I am asking him to do but he has improved such a lot I am very pleased!

Here are my pics from the storm earlier in the week, wish I had had a better camera on hand as it was really lovely and my little point and shoot doesnt do it justice!

Oh wow who's are they? I think he is gorgeous, I personally love the light coloured ones but I know you love the dark ones! I also love the light ones but the dark ones are pretty too, Dougal is quite light so if GR gets a dark one she can have one of each.... Yeah I think my next dog I would know better and teach them correctly from the beginning, saying that I have had 2 dogs prior but that was 10 years ago and no one had started positive reward training it was all check chains etc, no wonder Gabby gave me the middle finger continually, so I guess Mason does count as my first, I have learnt so much already!

I think dogs do pick their person for sure, I had 2 ridgeback x's and I was always the one to feed etc but yet the one always loved my hubby more even though he hardly paid her any attention. Long time ago ( about 10 years back) a dog trainer told me dogs bond more easily with people of the opposite sex, it was one of the reasons I got a male this time around and I do feel that he has a different bond with me then what the girls have. I think labs are quite loyal to those who would be doing the feeding and walking etc?? But then a big dog like that would probably be a bit hard for the child to handle because they are so big and excitable while its growing up, if they were going for a adult dog already it may be ok.

I just had to quote that bit so I have something to refer to when I ask you to puppysit! And yes, all that training with Mason is definitely showing! Well done! :D He is much less easily distracted at the moment, I havent been teaching him anything to help his distraction so it must just be age...