freundhund

Yes it is a big class, we have 502 GSD's entered in conformation and 60 entered in obedience. I am showing in both. (Sucker for punishment!!!)

Hi TerraNik I am doing so much work with the Diva as we have the GSD National over the Easter weekend. There are 79 Intermediate bitches in her class!!!!! Can I recommed to everyone after biking today, practice biking in the rain!!!! Especially, practice for your dog stopping and shaking, then practice riding thru puddles nice deep long ones Then practice riding thru mud!!!!!! do you know how hard it is to ride in mud!!!!!! Also can I recommend that you try out your wet weather gear to make sure that it fits over your bike helmet, I am lucky because mine does but I thought that some people might need to check. And pack pain killers as well, I am finding I need them as my knees and shoulders are killing me after a bike ride. I have also lost 5 kilos since I started, note the Diva hasn't lost any weight but has got to the stage that as soon as I get the bike out of the car she starts to dance with the excitement at the thought of going for a run.

No, I won't be out at the Royal until Wednesday!!!!

Okay, well as the Diva has a major show over the Easter weekend, I have really upped her training. So at the moment I alternate between, standing up to my chest in sea water for an hour while she swims alongside me, biking her for 20 Kilometres or going for a 8 kilometre bushwalk of lead (which means with all the Diva's extra running around means she puts up about 10k's+) Also she goes to obedience training twice a week, agility and show training once each a week. I then do some extra obedience training and show training with her everyday. After the Easter show is over I will cut down her workload a bit, the problem is at the end of her 20 kilometre bike ride the Diva wants to go again and I am exhausted. Mind you about 8 weeks out from the ET I shall start to increase her workload up to this level again.

Bink The two times I have told people that my puppies were expensive prices was when these people wouldn't take. "I am not prepared to sell you a puppy." They wouln't listen to the fact that my breed wouldn't fit into their lifestyle. These people thought they could throw money at me for a puppy, my price was absurd.

Bink I also don't advertise the price of my puppies on my website. I have a price in my mind that I set. It has been known to change when people arrive ie I am not happy with people and they don't understand the remark I an not prepared to sell you a puppy. I have also been known to drop the price of my puppy IF the buyer looks like a stunning home, is a repeat home, ie if they have had their first dog from me. ier the current dog is aged. So when you ring me up or email me and your first question is to do with price, I am not interested in you as a customer/buyer/prospective friend!!!!!!! I want you to meet me, meet my dogs, talk to me so that I know what you are looking, I have turned people down, I have sent people to friends because my puppies were not exactly what they were looking for.

Unfortunately, down here in Sydney and I live in the inner City and travel to places like Bondi Junction and Chatswood where there is a chain petshop, around $1500 - $2000 for a "pretty" puppy is not unusual. What we have to remember is that people see "cute" puppies and impulse buy, the chain petshops have an advantage over the quality pedigree breeder, the chain petshop has an EFTPOS facility!!!!! Also to be frank, the petshop just wants the buyers money, they don't bother to question the buyer to make sure that the buyer knows the "breeds?" issues and whether the buyer will be a suitable owner!!!! Also I honestly don't think the average member of the public's brain works when they see a cute puppy, also I don't think some people know the price of a good quality puppy. I sometimes wonder what the people do that I turn down for a puppy do, have they listened when I have told them I don't believe my breed suits them. Have they listened when I have said that their children are too young to cope with a young puppy. Have they listened when I have told a husband, I don't really think your wife wants a dog!!!!! But then in saying this I have one family who has kept intouch with me for years, took my advice and waited 2 years until their children were older and could cope with a puppy.

At the moment Dr Wyburn is not expecting to read X-rays for the foreseeable future. He and Dr Lavelle have organised a permenant new reader for the GSDCA.

Lucy normally takes the month of the Royal off, as she does some work beforehand out at the RAS grounds.

He does make sense. I enjoyed his seminar when he was in Australia a number of years ago.

Okay, I am about to be shot down in flames BUT I think fox-hunting is far more humane than 1080 poison and in some cases even shooting as shooters don't alwasy get a clean shot!!! The fox has a chance to get away, and being chased a couple of times can act as aversion and move the fox to another area. There have been studies done on this in the UK, but of course can I find them this morning? I particularly don't have an objection to fox hunting here in Australia where the fox is not a native animal and the damage it does to native marsupials and native mammals is horrendous. In some areas the fox is more responsible even than feral cats for decimating native mammals.

Hi Merrirose I spent $8 in Kmart and brought a computer that you attach to your bike that measures distance and speed, and other bits and pieces. Abbiestar is the best person for information. Cheers FH

Okay, lets be frank about the RAS here at the Royal Easter Show, they don't want the dogs and haven't for years. When you look at the miserable size of the area allocated to the Dog fraternity to show dogs, do obedience, agility in etc it is very obvious they don't want us at the show.

I like to see lots of breed stalls, some of the breed clubs put so much time and effort into their stalll, that the stalls are almost art works themselves. I then like to see the rescue organisations and the obedience clubs as well. Particularly I feel that we need to see lots of obedience clubs so that the General Public can see that there are a lot of obedience clubs around and there is one close to them. (ie no excuse not to go and do the basic training with their dogs.) Boutique stalls ie like Studio Sebastian, different products for dogs, even things like whelping boxes, agility equipment makers, dog pens and dog crates, car dividers and training books the harder to get ones. I hate the commercial stalls run by the big dog food companies, and the pharmacutical companies. Thank Dog that Studio Sebastian is coming to the Sydney Royal. Will take my pennies along to buy another bowl. (Of course the man has NO RIGHT to go and live in Tasmania, we mainlanders appreciate him .)

38 to go!!!! I have to go out this afternoon so won't know what happens when it hits the 500 for ages. (Need a smilie for going to hide in the corner and sulk.)

We are always saying swimming is good for dogs, but I was wondering if anyone had found any links or articles preferrably of scientific nature as to how it helps the dogs and if it helps the dogs. I was also interested if there are any studies on how long a dog should be swum, is there any specific length of time etc. Is it breed dependent, (read breed also as size dependent). Hopefully my questions make sense. Thanks everyone in advance for their help.

Hi Leelaa17 I live in Sydney.

Try walking on lead a nice well behaved, well mannered GSD bitch, non aggressive, and out of the house dive 2 TOY poodles who promptly snap at both my girl and myself. I have now twice asked the people to control their dogs, next time I am going to contact the council ranger as is not funny and I am really frustrated with these peoples. Note I am on the opposite side of the road.

Vegas is a young dog who has only been here in Australia approximately 11 months. All his progeny is very young, so there are no hip and elbow statistics available as yet on what he has produced. This year at the GSD National being held in Sydney over the Easter weekend will be the first time he will have a progeny group shown. It will also be the first show that a number of his puppies will be shown at. Please remember fifty percent (50%) of your puppy's genes will come from the motherline, so it is equally important to have a good dam line. Followed by what you do to raise your puppy remembering that the first 16 weeks of a puppy's life is most critical. All the very best to you and your new puppy.

Dr Wyburn is definately not back, he and Dr Lavelle, have recommended another reader to replace him for the GSDCA scheme. However, I don't know as yet if this person is going to read other breeds X-rays or not.

Just a reminder about the meeting next Friday evening.

Hi Murve Is it possible to train for the time being in whatever collar suits you, then closer to the time of the ET put your dog on the flat collar and see how he goes. I honestly think that if he goes okay, you should possibly only put the flat collar on for the ET. Hope this makes sense. Good luck, I am off to swim the Diva, I am sooooooooooo sick of Sydney rain.

Bumping to make sure people in the Northern Territory see this.

Hi murve I have a GSD who I am training to run on a flat leather collar, I started off with her wearing 2 collars so that I could have the control, as she is very reactive to other dogs, not negatively but she wants to play and I don't want to get dragged off the bike. I am working with Diva, that when another dog is coming towards us, she pays attention to me for treats. The first few times I got of the bike and treated her. Next I stood astride the dog and treated her until she was comfortable with that, then treated her while riding slowly passed other dogs. BUT I still don't have her ignoring dogs that rush up off leash or run alongside fence lines!! We are wokring on this.

Hi Paptacular! I know that a lot of people are putting time, energy and money into getting the club up and running again. I think it will be really good for all dog owners in the Territory.