J...

Mmmmmm hadn't even thought about using food! Probably work well since the little chunker's on a permanent diet Thanks for that CTD - will try that one at the lake tomorrow! ;)

I *think* I'll be going..... work sponsored a show ages ago and promised that I would go for the presentation, same day unfortunately..... will have to con my workmates into doing it instead! Its only a local show So I'm 99% sure I'll be there..... ;)

Awesome photos!!!! ;) I think I got a swimming dud.... She absolutely loves water, but will not take that next step to actually swim..... Tried going in myself today while it was hot.... made no difference at all. Frustrating as I really want to add it to her fitness/weight loss program over summer until she's old enough to be doing more road work.

Darcy the chunker dog (lab x kelpie) gets: Lean meat bone (normally lamb leg) 1/3 cup Eagle Pack light 1 cup mushed vegies and fruit 1 tablespoon fat free plain yoghurt 3 fish oil tablets 1 teaspoon Vets All Natural Health Booster Gets fat on the smell of an oily rag this one...... :D She's been on this for a while now and could still loose a few kilos.....

Maybe someone needs to do this to the instructor and see how much they like it! Sorry I can't help you with clubs in Melbourne as I'm out in the sticks, but good luck in your search for a better club - I'm sure you'll find some really good ones out there! :D

The big difference I notice is when it comes to "cleaning up" and the difference in smell..... didn't notice it that much because I changed Darcy's diet around a bit to find something I was happy with.... but when another dog goes toilet in obedience class pheweee!!!!! Stinky!!! Plus I notice that Darcy herself smells far less "doggy" than she did! BIG difference for which I am very grateful of! BTW Darcy is on EP Fat Dog food (can't remember the proper name!) plus vegies and bones

Darcy's last batch had: carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini, bok choy, celery, apples, turnip, and swede. I think that was all. I make up about a months worth in one afternoon and freeze it all in takeaway containers.

Yeah come on LL we wanna see your prey drive videos....

He's not keen at all is he LL? I have a question.... hope its not a stupid one but here goes. Been reading/watching a lot on agility training etc, and motivation either by toy or food. Is there any difference in motivation for the toy as used in agility, and prey drive as used by many on this forum? Seems to me that there is... i.e the toy is the reward but whether that is just a "fun" thing as opposed to a prey item? I've just seen a few dogs that aren't that reliable, some at quite high levels i.e easily distracted, that if they were in prey drive they would be more reliable? Or am I barking up the wrong tree so to speak?

Could've sworn I posted in this topic earlier Apparently not... I feed mine a natural fat free yoghurt (she's a chunker!) so mostly the Jalna fat free or Tamar Valley fat free which is a better consistency.... I feed a tablespoon a night to mix in her powdered supplement, and the Tamar one mixes easier I've found!

Glad to hear he's feeling better Sparty! As for the dog responsible, it may not be malicious in intent, but its still dangerous for other dogs. From your description of the incident, it could've been far worse. Not to mention knocking your dogs confidence around. Does the dog have to cause serious/permanent damage before the club will do anything about it?

How is your dog Sparty? Hope he's feeling better!

I've not had any problems with supply down here in Vic but then again I go to stores who have only recently introduced it and thus have a lower turnover of it. I hope everything is ok - taken me ages to find a dry food I'm happy with and can get locally! Hope you find something suitable for your boy - maybe try some other stores - you may have to travel a bit but at least you'll have food for him. Or contact a different EP rep, you may find another rep more helpful!

That's a tricky one... IMHO if you were running the only available course (like we do at our club) then all dogs should be on leash and under control, with the exception of the dog on course. If you're doing training in sections (not whole courses) like I've seen them do at Ballarat then chances are there will be more than one dog off lead at the time. If it was the former then the owner should've had their dog on lead and under control. If it was the latter then it gets a bit cloudy on responsibility (club, owner of offending dog or just one of those risks you take ). I would personally approach the owner of the offending dog and ask that they contribute to the bill. If that is not effective then I would be bringing up with the powers at be at the club. Especially if there is any doubt the owner of the dog didn't have the dog under effective control. It is only a relatively minor injury (not to downplay it at all ) but it could've been far worse, whether it be "dog induced" or something like a joint injury from being knocked off balance at the wrong time while on course Hope your dog is okay!

Speaking of doggie life jackets, where would be the best place to get one from? What are they worth?

I've been using the Vet's All Natural Health Booster for about 2 weeks, probably too early for a real assesment of it. But ingredients as follows for those who are interested...... dolomite, liver granules, flaxseed meal, Vit C powder, Green tea, Milk thistle extract, grape seed extract, brewers yeast, barley grass powder, kelp granules, parsley powder, ginger, lecithin granules, wheat germ, garlic powder, colostrum powder, shark cartilage powder, boron chelate, zinc chelate.

Hi Flycow! What I call dino bones are the ones I get from the supermarket which are cow legs - but I'm careful which ones I get. The short ones they've been selling lately are very fatty - had to trim a heap of fat off it before I gave it to her. The longer ones have less fat on them. Keeps her busy for a few hours.... unlike everything else I give her I refuse to feed smoked bones, cooked bones are a no-no for dogs and I believe smoked bones are no better. Plus I think they are far more expensive than your average fresh bone? :D

Awwww spunky pony Kymbo!

I would change quite a few things.... would start TOT and drive as a young pup, work on basic manners but leave more formal obedience until later, and probably start on agility basics when suitable. Would probably work on socialisation a bit more myself - PPS didn't do Darcy any harm but I look back and think maybe there was a better way to go about it. Also would introduce the "yes" at an earlier age too!

I got mine from the same place I got some horse leads/halters etc from - made out of 8 mm yacht braid in a range of colours. Cheap as, very quick service, and given its used for handling horses the dog has no chance of breaking it.... Mine was $10 plus postage. http://www.lodgeropes.has.it/ They're not listed on their website but email them and they will send you details!

Did I get what suited my requirements? Yes absolutely - so far. Still only a young dog really, we will see how she goes when it comes to competition age for agility (18 months). But she's keen and quick to learn so far. Sound nerves and good drive? Well there's not much that scares her - very accepting of new situations. If she does get a fright she will investigate. Good drive? She's not bad - would do much better if I went 110% on drive training. But I'm reasonaly happy with her drive. She works well for agility and obedience. Would I get the same breed? Well given she's a xbred, kelpie x lab, probably not. Would probably look at pure kelpie for speed in agility, plus drive. Will be quite a while off yet - Darcy still has a lot to teach me before I get a higher drive dog.

Hours??? Wow I wish - Darce can demolish a lamb leg bone in about 20 mins. ;) Empty a kong in way less than 5 mins. Completely finish a so-called "long lasting chew" in 11 mins. If anyone has ANY ideas for something that will last longer than 20 mins (other than dino bones) PLEASE let me know.... Must be low-fat/low-calorie! Flycow - watch lamb flaps - they can be fatty. Lamb legs are good - them, beef ribs and dino bones are about the only bones Darce gets (another Jenny Craig candidate!)

I am doing both with Darcy (9 months), just got put up to Class 3 for obedience. Still doing beginners agility due to her age. She loves the agility but could probably take or leave obedience. I wouldn't mind trialling her in obedience but my preference is the same as hers - agility!! So did you continue with both, or did you just focus on one? Did you find obedience beneficial beyond what was needed for agility?

Hi SM! Don't be embarassed! I sort of had a similar problem when Darcy was quite young.... was trying to take it all really seriously, was learning lots about very basics of obedience i.e what foot what hand what signal.... the more I though about it the more I tried the more I stuffed it, and the more she "lost it" at training. Bloody perfectionist tendencies At about this time, I switched clubs and started beginners agility as well as obedience. The agility class was a big confidence boost for me because I felt that I didn't know what I was doing, I was letting my dog down because she is smart..... but agility was fun!! And she did well at it! Despite her newbie owner.... :D From that moment on, I've made classes fun for her as much as I can. While waiting for other dogs to do individual stuff, I play tug with her, razz her up, tease her and just have fun with her. Reward her with a game at the end of each exercise. The improvements in her work are amazing, and I'm finding more and more that the right thing is automatic to me and I'm not so worried about screwing it up because we'll get there in the end. Everyone makes mistakes, thats how we learn! Don't put so much pressure on yourself..... you will get there! Have fun and enjoy it - thats what our dogs are for.

Just watch chicken frames - I have a chubby "smell food and gains weight" dog and she doesn't get chicken frames any more as they put weight on her like nothing else! Even 3 a fortnight was making a noticeable difference to her weight! I feed Darce lamb leg bones, trim any excessive fat (rarely need to!) and she eats all but the middle 10 cm or so.