Kavik

yeah way too big for what I want :) Wonder why there is such a big difference then with Grenendaels? It isn't just one, I think I have seen at least 4 bitches that are around that size. And that is just at agility competitions in Sydney.

I have seen some Groenendael females competing in agility that were about the same size as Kaos (he is 57cm and around 18/19 kg) but the working Malinois I have looked at were all much bigger than that, and going by websites the Dutchies too.

Yes she will need a general anaesthetic to remove the tooth :)

Good to know that huski! I saw that the dog you guys were using was KNVP titled :) I thought that many dogs used for KNVP were not pedigree dogs, and not ANKC registrable. Good to know that some are :) They are all probably too big for what I am looking for, but I still like the Mals and Dutchies :laugh:

Thanks Nekhbet :) I have only met one Dutchie, and wasn't sure if it was typical of the breed or not.

Nitro had a couple of retained baby teeth when his adult teeth came in. Up to the vet and had the retained teeth removed, easy :)

Nope, I don't do dog parks :) Waaaay too many crazies in there! And Kaos doesn't like obnoxious dogs getting in his face, which occurs at dog parks regularly

Dutch KNPV bred dogs are crossbreeds consisting mostly of Dutch Shepherd, Malinois, GSD and sometimes guardian breeds used on outcrosses then bred back into herding breeds, so the Chris Jones Dutch Shepherds can't be ANKC registered. Pure bred Dutch Shepherds generally have more drive than a working line GSD but less than a Malinois. Often breeders of cross breed Dutch Shepherds sell them as Malinois when the pups are fawn with black muzzle and the coloured one's in the litter sold as Dutch Shepherds and are usually bigger dogs than pure breed Malinois standards. Some are great working dogs if you don't need typical kennel club registration. They can be ANKC registered... http://ankc.org.au/Breed/Detail/86 Only if they have the right registration. KNPV dogs are not FCI/kennel club registered and so would not be able to be registered with ANKC

Nekhbet What do you think of their dogs? (sorry off topic!)

He looked awesome, he was going great guns Thanks for the explanation on race etiquette on overtaking, I had no idea! It does look like fun!

My GSD has very worn teeth because he chews his fur due to allergies

She needs to be black in colour, that would help :D

That is a very good point, and I think that and biddability and temperament mean that it would be easier to utilise prey drive in training in some breeds than with others

Yes, definitely. It is something that is genetically very strong in some dogs more than others. Prey drive is something that can make the dog either difficult to handle or extremely well trained depending on how you develop it. I haven't met dogs with a higher prey drive than our working line Mals, but they will recall off live prey mid chase. There is no situation or distraction I have found where I can't make them reliable. I am sure some posters will jump and say 'but they are bred to be more bidable' but people who handle high drive working dogs or have experience with them, will know this isn't true - they can very easily become extremely out of control and difficult to handle due to temperament traits like their prey drive. How you train a dog with an extremely high prey drive can differ depending on your level of skill and the dogs history of reinforcement (how has it learnt to reward its prey drive etc). But it is certainly possible. People who try to stifle prey drive or stop the dog going into drive without also giving it a positive outlet for drive will never see a high level of reliability compared to trainers who can harness drive and use it. Still, biddability is something to consider! There is a reason why some breeds are more common in high levels of sport than others - eg why BCs are popular and Greyhounds aren't!

Mine are fine over night without toilet trips, apart from the occasional time if one has a funny tummy. Nitro 2yrs, Kaos 9 yrs, Diesel (GSD) 11 1/2 yrs.

Congratulations! It is a great feeling when they stay with you in the ring when you have been having issues with them running off :) I think I saw you and your dog (but it didn't click that it was you until just now!) at the Sutherland trial? I remember seeing a lovely lean Beagle type dog that I didn't recognise

Good luck!

I would like to get Nitro ready to trial in agility next year. We have made huge improvements this year, so hopefully next year we will be ready to enter!

Mine are fed separately, Kaos and Nitro in crates and Diesel loose in the kitchen. They are all fine around food, it is just me being careful. Zoe was the problem, she was a resource guarder and dog aggressive so I started the separate routine when I had her and haven't changed it.

I agree with the others, if you can it would be best to get help. Zoe was dog aggressive and it really is no fun Here is "Look at That" which is something I found to be very helpful https://clickerleash.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/look-at-that-a-counterintuitive-approach-to-dealing-with-reactive-dogs/

I would think raising the height for 400 dogs, and lowering the height for 600 dogs would help to even them out, and maybe raise the height for 200? So even 10mm might do it (lots of dogs probably around the cutoff height) 400: 366 - 465 500: 466 - 535 600: 536 + Obviously I have no problem with BCs and Kelpies since I own Kelpies :laugh: and if you are the best you deserve to win (and if you are good enough to win often, then good on you!) but I think it would be more fair if the numbers in the classes were more even. The UK does have their ABC class (anything but collie) because the BCs do dominate so much over there, but I am not sure we are quite up to that yet. Kelpies do quite well in the ABC classes :D

In ADAA the large dogs jump 650, and the cutoff is 500mm. Not that I am proposing that :laugh:

I just checked the catalogue for tomorrow's trial Masters Jumping has: 200 x 7 300 x 30 400 x 17 500 x 68 600 x 19 So somehow there must be a way to even out those numbers!

I think we could even out the numbers in different heights by changing the height cutoffs so that more end up in 400 and 600. Of course the most popular breeds will always be the most popular, but there is variation in height even among them (there are several tall Kelpies, including mine, already in 600 lol) , enough so that I think fiddling with the cutoffs would see some of those in a different height class. I think this would also help to make separate heights more fair, as of course the 500 height class has the hardest time with it, having the biggest numbers, and so it is much more difficult to place than in a less populated height class. I am probably really going to miss the 600 class when I start entering Nitro who is 500 :laugh:

It is the 200 height group that needs fixing with the numbers IMO, so very few in there. Numbers in 300 and 600 are growing. But yes there are so many more in 500 than anywhere else. We are thinking of writing a proposal for the next rule change - if you have any ideas on how to split them up to make them more even (height cutoffs etc) feel free to say so :)