Levi

Ooooh the support group sounds like a fantastic idea . It can help me through the trauma of spending and prepare me for less stress during the next spending spree .

Well, I bit the bullet and gave the credit card a workout and bought Susan Garrett's Shaping for Success, Crate Games and One Jump. I also bought the mesh tug it starter . It's a shame the 2x2 weaving DVD isn't out yet because I scared myself with the amount of money I spent and I am not sure if I will be game enough to buy this DVD as well when it comes out .

Hi Kyliegirl. VIP Dog Club trains at Yatala (next to the VIP pet food factory) and offers dances with dogs .

Thank you for your replies everyone . The consensus appears to be that they are all good. I think I will start with Shaping Success and maybe Crate Games if the budget will stretch and then add One Jump and 2x2 weaving to the wish list. Alternatively, I can use my Christmas Bonus to buy the lot !!!

So basically Tailwag, what you are saying is "Get them all"!!!!!

Just spotted that Pax. Bindi is 14 months old.

I do both agility and dog dancing. The 2x2 weaving topic has really sparked my interest in Susan Garrett's work and I will most probably buy the new weaving DVD. As I am new to Susan Garrett's work, I would like to know which of her books/DVDs you recommend and why. I am looking for something that explains the foundation of her work so that I can get the maximum benefit from the weaving DVD. I am also looking to improve heel position in dancing. Bindi walks nicely at heel, but does not really maintain postion when I move sideways or backward. I have seen some footage of Susan working a dog at heel and would like more information on her training methods. So far I am looking at: Shaping Success, Crate Games, and Ruff Love. Which do you recommend of these as the most comprehensive training tool for starters? I would rather not have to buy all of them, but will if I have to . Perhaps some of them double up on info and one may do? Edited because I can't type .

Once again a fountain of information MrsD . Interesting reading, it is good to see the guidelines in writing.

Thanks for that . Do you think I would miss out on much info if I just wait for the DVD or is the ebook well worth purchasing? Sorry for all the questions, I just really have to watch the pennies. However if the ebook is full of really useful extra info then I would still like to purchase that, I just don't want to spend money unneccessarily Do you know if the DVD is a stand alone method for teaching 2x2 weaving or will I still need to purchase some of her earlier work? It does look like a great way to teach weave poles. At dog club I was taught to lure her but it just makes her follow my hand and miss a weave if I am not right there so I stopped teaching weaving until I can find a better way to do it. I don't want to stuff up weave training and I really like Susan's method. I just need to make sure that I get all the info I need in the most economical way .

I am new to the 2x2 method but really like what I have read so far. Is the ebook a stand alone in learning the 2x2 method or is the DVD or some of Susan's earlier work also a requirement?

It was great to meet you and your lovely dogs too. Laffi is such a happy smiley dog :D . Thank you for the compliment, I too was very impressed with how much we learnt. Bindi is a little fire cracker and she is really forgiving for a learner handler, I just love her . Once I establish some handling skills she will be a great little agility dog .

You beat me to it Laffi :D . I also want to thank Ann and Toni for welcoming us to Camp Tailwaggers. The setting is stunning, the food fantastic, the people awesome, and the trainers superb. Bindi and I are agility newcomers and the camp was designed to masters level . I received the same attention and respect as all others and was never made to feel that I was "less than" the more advanced participants. We learned so much this weekend and we completed the whole course at the end of the first day . Thank you Le and Keith for making the trip to come and spend the weekend with us and I hope that you will come back to Camp Tailwaggers very soon .

Hi Laffi, Bindi and I will be there too and we are very excited!!! See you there !

Hi Hesapandabear, do you not worry about the extra stuff that they don't need every month to treat the other worms?

Thank You Natsu Chan. The DNA may be the best thing to do here. Does the fact that she has not had any adverse reactions to the ProHeart mean she is not sensitive, or not neccessarily? I have a 13.5yo Border Collie who has been on mectins all his life as I was never aware of this sensitivity until I got Bindi. I have also put him on ProHeart but it looks as though that is not the way to go either. Neither the Border Collie breeder nor Bindi's breeder, nor the breeder of my last Sheltie prior to Bindi have ever mentioned anything about this. It seems that I have been lucky so far .

I am aware of some of the daily heartworm treatments that do not contain 'ectin' but would prefer a monthly treatment if that is at all possible . I have replied to your PM.

Hi Lillypilly, I am a little confused by your post, maybe I wasn't clear in my initial post? I have just discovered that it appears that the sensitivity in the collie breeds is to 'ectin' products, not just 'mectin' products. I thought it was just to 'mectin' ie. Ivermectin and that ProHeart was safe to use as it contains Moxidectin. However, if the sensitivity is to 'ectin' that includes ProHeart and it looks as though I need to find an alternative. I anyone able to recommend a monthly heartworm that only treats heartworm and does not contain any 'ectin'? How confusing, it sounds like jibberish!

I was just searching DOL about heartworm and thought I had done my research before getting my Sheltie, but it appears that I misunderstood the collie breed Ivermectin sensitivity. Bindi is 12 months old and has been on monthly ProHeart since puppyhood. I thought the sensitivity was to 'mectin', but it seems that it involves 'ectin' which then includes ProHeart. When Bindi was a puppy I discussed the sensitivity with my vet at the time and she recommended ProHeart as it does not contain Ivermectin. I am really worried now that it appears I have been poisoning my pup all this time even though I carried out extensive research at the time. My concern is finding a monthly heartworm that does not contain 'ectin'. Interceptor and Sentinel Spectrum are mentioned but they also include treatment for other worms. I am not keen at all to worm her for all worms monthly as she only needs this three monthly. I really need some advice here. Does anyone know if I have done damage to her by giving her ProHeart? Every time I think I have researched everything and am doing the right thing, I find out something new that blows it all out of the water.

Awesome DagBoy! Do you have any more? They are a great inspiration to watch. Any of the VIP girls?

:rolleyes: whoohoo MrsD - Well Done!!!!! I am going to practice really hard with Bindi now so we can be there next year :rolleyes:

I train at VIP dog club at Yatala and both Bindi and I love it . It is a private training facility so a bit pricey but if you pay for a yearly membership you can do all the courses as many times as you like and join all activities for no further cost, it turns out great value. We go three times a week and there is lots to do .

I use Browns Plains Veterinary Surgery on the Cnr of Browns Plains Rd and Wembley Rd. Both vets there are really good and Dorry (Dorothea Hofman) also specialises in natural medicines and supports raw feeding. Very happy with them, they are genuinely caring vets ;) .

Great link Bulltiful. I have bookmarked it for future reference, they have heaps of great stuff .

I have used Sasha's Blend, Joint Guard, Fish Oil and Cartrophen injections on my parents' 12 year old Border Collie and none made a difference. I now use SynFlex liquid supplement which has made an enormous difference to him. Recently we switched him back to Joint Guard as it is a bit easier to get but we saw a definite decline and we immediately reordered and put him back on SynFlex and saw an improvement in days. I order SynFlex off a US based company Shopthezoo on ebay and have done for 2 years. It costs about $90 AUS for three bottles and it lasts ages. It always arrives within a week of ordering, their service is excellent and the difference in the dog is amazing. I swear by it - it may not work for all but it has been a saviour for the Border Collie .

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I bought a black dog mini pouch as I only have a small dog and the next size up is huge. I also found that with the larger ones they are really tight to open. The clip on the mini one is sewn on so I don't know how that could come off but the pouch did keep falling off. I will get an old bum bag or belt and thread it through the pouch to stop it falling off. I did find it fairly easy to use.