Yonjuro

For those that have troubles with getting their dog to take pills :) Probably won't work with all dogs

This is also a good training game for focus, it is worth investing some time in training so it is super easy if pills are required

Tips.

1. Use high value soft meaty treats

2. Throw a couple before hand if you need to

3. Break up tabs if too big.

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Happy happy birthday Mac :thumbsup:

That is really cool!! looks like lots of fun :)

Thanks very much Casima :)

I don't bother with it anymore :-)

Recent thinking from raw feeding extremists is that your are better off spending the money on a hunk of beef etc as far as nutritional value goes. The same thinking argues that the probiotics found in RGT are from herbivores and won't really survive the dogs GI track??? Dunno how accurate this is though ???

They go on to say that it became very popular in days gone by because it was so cheap or free and dogs love it... now it is not longer cheap it makes the decision to buy it more questionable. Having said that - dogs do bloody love it and it is definitely not bad in moderation :D

If I could buy it fresh then I would be more inclined to purchase it, as most is sold frozen in Kg bags and I don't want to feed all in a couple of days or refreeze. The K9 Naturals stuff is in pellets so it is easy to just take out some at around $13kg

Wow that was fantastic! I was amazed that he just kept going and going, you could see he was having a ball :laugh: @ the tourettes.

Thanks Hazy :) Doing what the breed was intended to do :) he can do double that distance with very little slowing - just needs to get his pace up a bit at the beginning -erm and mine too

Loved it! And he seemed to avoid the puddles. You had a good kick leg action going on too! Really enjoyed your video, thank you for posting.

Thanks JayGee I am glad you liked it :) Yeah, I was very pleased that he avoids the puddles :D smart dawg. some people came back covered in mud LOL I find the high kicks a bit easier as you can get a swinging motion rather than lots of smaller ones, that are quite exhausting :)

Love them but maybe Ronin needs a selfie stick on top of the harness so the camera is above his fur :D

:D Thanks Rebanne - I know, I don't think the harness is well suited to Ronin's coat LOL - will try another some time without this particular collar :) Even the under chin mount slopes back too much.

Here are some vids testing out the go pro with the dog harness, not great vision but it was a first go... and may be interesting to some :)

I wonder why the commands are Haw and Gee. Pretty sure that's the same with carriage driving horses. Why dont they just say left and right I wonder. hmmmmm

:D You are correct, they come from horse commands. Some people do use "left" and "right" - I like the traditional commands as I think they are easier to use without the T at the end. I can say "HAWWWWwwww" or "GEEEEEeeeee" or HAW HAW HAW or GEE GEE GEE depending on the severity of the turn etc - but it is completely up to the driver :)

It also appeals to my warped sense of humour that when I am walking Ronin around the block I say "Haw" many times and people think I am calling my dog a whore or that I have tourettes :laugh:

Lovely again! Was this his first proper race?

Thanks LisaCC,

Yep it was the second heat of a sanctioned race. We didn't podium, but I was happy with this run :)

Aww thanks Westiemum :)

He slept the whole 2.5 hours drive home which is a bonus as he still gets stressed with car rides. Not nearly as bad as before but I think car rides are generally more exhausting for him than Mushing :D

that was great, I felt like applauding when you crossed the line. :laugh: He must be pretty fit, you both must be! How do you steer him and make him stop?

Thanks Kirislin :)

Oh I wish I was fit, but sadly not fit enough, :D Ronin is getting there, we are only new so he will get a lot faster. Steering is done by verbal commands Haw = Left, Gee = Right, On-by = Pass, Whoa = slow/stop. Hike it up = Go faster.

It was surprisingly easy to teach him the commands, "on-by" is the most challenging as some dogs don't like to be passed and others lunge towards others. Thankfully Ronin is pretty good at the etiquette. I just taught him the commands when walking him as a puppy :)

Awesome!

What distance do the dogs run?

Thanks Denali :)

Ronin is only a novice so 1.5km

1 dog open is around 2.5 - 3.5km

2 dog is 4.5

3 and 4 dog is 5.5

Distances vary sightly with venue

Racing is only in Winter and temps + humidity must be low

I thought I would post this in general as there might be people interested who wouldn't normally look in the training section. Happy for mod to delete if required?

This is Ronin and I racing at Collie on the weekend. Minus 3 degrees, average speed on this heat 23kmph. Still a ways to go with his training as we are new to the sport.

It was so cold that my scooter had frozen to the roof rack, and I needed to unfreeze the brakes etc. Coldest I have been in WA :D But great for the dawgs.

A bit of fun racing in the country :)

I'd love to give it a go!

Not much around here, could get the equipment and give it a good old try though.

I very very dangerously (Don't try this at home kids), used to do it as a teenager with my labrador on a normal mountain bike He was great at it, but we are both lucky we didn't hurt ourselves.

Look up bike-joring as it might be similar to what you were doing with your lab.

Regarding giving it a go, there are heaps of clubs in NSW . http://www.assa.asn.au

They have beginners days where you can try it out using their gear. Normally these are on before winter though. :)

That looks like great fun!

Thanks Lisa,

It is a real blast when he takes the weight in the harness and leaps into the run like I am not there at all :-) BTW, I have seen Aussies and BCs do quite well in the sport :-)

I took this last night doing some sled training. It might be a bit boring for most, but there is a little more action around the 4'10 mark. Not really Ronins best efforts but he did pretty well considering we are beginners and he wasn't feeling 100% last week :-)

Sounds like it might have just had really terrible conformation. Poor dog, hopefully it will be ok.

I hope so too :)

It is amazing what people see as normal.

I think your awesome for spotting this and pointing it out . Knowing that something isn't right is the first and most important step in getting dogs help!!

Thanks Jumbaar :) I don't normally make any comments to fellow husky owners about structure, but I was really concerned about the dog :-(

Sounds more like a hock issue

My link

Thanks Steve! That is exactly what it looks like to me, a cross between the first pic and last. I got a message from the girl that said she went straight to the vets, and they seem to think it is fine, but keep an eye on it! No X-rays... I don't know as it was the worst I have ever seen I have asked if she can make a video.

What is the normal prognosis and treatment for a hock issue like illustrated ?

Hard to know without seeing the dog itself as these could be ruled out easily by watching it.

But it could be a range of things, Hip dysplasia, an inner ear issue, back issue, degenerative myelopathy. Would recommend a physio type vet as well :)

Thanks Denali - I thought it would be a tricky one to guess from a written description. Can just hope for the best I suppose. Good idea to see a vet with physio background

Hi all,

I saw a 7 month old Husky at a park this morning that looks like it has some serious issues with the hind legs. I noticed the back legs were crossing over past the centreline when it walked. Picture a catwalk model when they walk with step crossing over? The dog didn't look very comfortable.

I chatted with them as it was one of the worst I have seen and was quite concerned. They said they would visit the vet tomorrow, but had seem the vet a month ago and nothing was said. It is quite possible that the vet didn't notice and the owners didn't know it was anything to be concerned about. Dog also seemed overweight to me :-(

Dog came from a "registered" breeder but I have seen some from the same lines that I have raised my eyebrows at. The owners mentioned that this dogs sister had a similar gait so she thought it was normal.

Any ideas what this could be from my description?I have given the owner my email and hope she will keep me posted.

The Airdales I have met have been great :)

I used to be a "don't wan't a shedding dog" bloke... I now have a husky LOL. I can guarantee he takes far less grooming than my late mini-schnauzer :D I prepared myself for the husky hair onslaught, but I am totally honest when I say, it's no big deal at all. A forced hair blower is a godsend and it blows out most of the undercoat at coat blow time, and then a good brush once a week and we don't have much hair in the house at all (he is an inside dog)

A good diet reduces the amount of guard hair breakage too, so there are things you can do to make life a bit easier and less messy indoors :)

I am not suggesting a Husky would be the dog for you but, my point is that shedding is really no big deal (assuming the dog has hypoallergenic fur - if you need it so)

So if any of the above seems doable or manageable then your options with greatly increase :)