Max#1 Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 (edited) I don't think anyone needs pics and news about any of our ferals tonight We will all be awaiting with interest! ETA... and there's p.101.... Edited November 25, 2010 by Max#1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilli_star Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Wuffles - my sincerest congratulations!Betsy - I also have a dog on speed tonight! I was blaming the humidity? Ha! Lilli_star - my Mum is a teacher, so I can understand with the reports. And in QLD, it sounds like they keep changing things, like the tests that need to be done, the way the reports are written etc etc. A big headache. As far as mowing is concerned... think of the exercise!? That's what I try to do! ;) I'm in NSW (Niques is in QLD- easy to get us mixed up when we both have black Labs though ) and our reports have stayed the same for the past 4 years, but with the stupid A-E grades that parents don't understand (e.g. a C means that their child can do everything at grade level and to get an A would mean that they are well above grade level, but of course, they don't get that, and just assume A means they can do it and C means they can't ) Feral dog behaviour at assessment? Oh no! ;) Do tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betsy Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Max#1 - I will blame the humidity as well. The "Tunnel High" has worn off now and he is snoozing on the floor...... Can't wait to hear about the assessment!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 (edited) Not surprisingly Elbie flunked out at silver. It was an automatic fail when he broke his group drop-stay which was the third 'event' that he attempted. After that, it was all over but we took him through the whole assessment anyway. Basically, tonight it was both Thursday and Sunday classes going through - double the dogs, more than double the people. There was no way our little dog was going to pass silver to begin with, but with all of those distractions ... not a chance! ;) He went well in most of the 'events' but as usual failed his stand for pats and was absolutely abysmal at heeling. The best the assessor could say was that we had a very 'happy dog'. I am not sure he will pass next time either but I am very hopeful that I'll be able to get his heeling up to scratch. The other things he failed were because of his own 'personality' but the heeling is very much our fault because we have never really cared for it so have never really practised it with him very diligently. Anyway it was a nice evening. We saw Clastic, Mr Clastic and Pepper, Kuma, KumaAkita and Mr KA, Saxon and Saxonpup and of course wuffles, Ava and the mysterious Satch. ;) CleoJ was there as an assessor - thankfully Elbie passed her assessment task! We'll see the whole gang again on Saturday - but without the strain of assessment. Rogue's owner said that Rogue did 'woefully', also failed so the classmates will be reunited next term. ETA: I have to say that sometimes the assessment is a little 'different' to what we do in class so we're not quite prepared. For instance, the 'go to your mat' exercise required the dog to stay on the mat for 2 minutes, but what was different from class was that you weren't supposed to maintain eye contact. You were supposed to look away. One guy stared at his dog the whole time and he passed by the instructor said that the dog was supposed to be 'relaxing' on the mat while the owner looked away. For Elbie, OH looked away and Elbie sat there. Then Elbie was a bit uncertain what he was supposed to do so got up and took a step forward. As soon as he got up, OH sent Elbie back to the mat so he actually still passed the exercise because Elbie went back to his mat immediately but it was just a little unexpected. Also, one very funny exercise was the loose-leash walking 'obstacle course'. Elbie went fine in that and ignored all the distractions (including a bowl of treats!) but today one of the 'distractions' was a guy pushing an empty stroller! It was the funniest distraction ever and also looked a bit creepy. We were joking that we weren't sure it was a good thing to desensitise your dogs to potential dodgy guys pushing empty strollers. Edited November 25, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betsy Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 The best the assessor could say was that we had a very 'happy dog'. Sounds like you guys did a pretty good job. There is no way that my dog would even be able to do 1/10th of those things with all that distraction! On the up side, be proud of your very happy dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Sounds like you guys did a pretty good job. There is no way that my dog would even be able to do 1/10th of those things with all that distraction!On the up side, be proud of your very happy dog! Thanks. There were a LOT of lunging, barking, very excited dogs tonight and Elbie was very stimulated for a bit but he sort of settled down eventually. The fact that he did well at the controlled greeting is already a huge improvement for him and I am hoping that with a bit of time and extra training, he'll do even better next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilli_star Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 The best the assessor could say was that we had a very 'happy dog'. Sounds like you guys did a pretty good job. There is no way that my dog would even be able to do 1/10th of those things with all that distraction!On the up side, be proud of your very happy dog! Nor mine! Assessment sounds hard. And stressful. Glad you had a good evening anyway Roo is currently pushing her Buster cube loudly on the floor- dreadful noise! Tonight after I came in from mowing the lawn, I turned the ceiling fan on as it was warm inside. Roo has never encountered a fan before ;) She freaked out a bit! Barking and trying to jump up and grab it :D Silly girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleo's Corgwyn Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I wouldn't worry KTB, you didn't see the trialling run throughs. It was just too warm, and even the best of dogs were lagging and unethused! Elbie is definitely improving - he's come so far this year, and you guys should be proud that he's doing so well at his age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Thanks CleoJ! We'll be working hard with him and Hoover during the 'hiatus'. lilli_star: Hoover is fine around fans but Elbie is very dubious. The ceiling fan makes him give wary, quick upward glances and it's the reason he doesn't like sleeping in our bedroom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max#1 Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Lilli_star - my Mum is in QLD! Glad to hear they're not mixing things up too much in NSW though. KTB - very interesting to hear about the assessment. I was wondering how different things are between dog schools as we've never encountered 'go to your mat'. We do have sits and stays though that have to last a couple of minutes! And do you mean off-leash heeling? Elbie sounds like he's come so far over the past few months! And besides, there's nothing wrong with having a happy dog! Betsy - mine either!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KumaAkita Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 morning! Last night was fun! We were so proud of our little boy, he was calm for most of the time, he was Led Astray by Miss Ava who kept taunting him nah, it was great... Wuffles - how's Ava's ear? Still wet? Kuma developed a soft spot for Ava's ear and by the time we all left her right ear was saturated. Oh, and Satch really does exist. He is not just an Enigma. He is an adorable boy and I can see that he and Kuma will have fun playing off lead on Saturday. He does the lean ;) We saw our old classmate Judge the Rottie. He seems to have gained confidence (and size :D ) and is a much more relaxed dude. They moved to Thursday nights and found their classes to be really great. We discussed on the way home that we might try the Thursday night classes in Term 1 next year, if it's still too hot, we can drop out. We realised that Kuma missed coming to class, he seems to really enjoy hanging out with the other dogs and got loads of attention. So glad the OH came with me, I think I would have struggled to hold him for some of the time - he gets really excited and tries to pull out of his skin. I took photos, but they're all pretty crap! This morning we met a French Bulldog called Frank. He's just turned 1 and is just soooo awesome. Kuma played really well with him too! He basically let Frank sniff away, then went to a drop and let Frank jump on him! All he did was bomp him on the head once or twice, not in a mean way, but more of a "oi, stay right there!" way. It was really cute. I was so happy... Kuma didn't try to jump on him once! hmmm... think that's about it! Have a great day everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 (edited) You sound happy this morning KA :D Ava's ears and head are all dry and fluffy again. I heard a comment from someone on our morning walk this morning that Kuma was the friendliest Akita he had ever met... I told him yes he is great isn't he, unless you are a guest who has overstayed your welcome... ;) As CleoJ says, the trialling runthroughs were.... interesting Anyway, Ava acted like she'd never heard the word "heel" before last night (at least I have video proof that she CAN heel when she wants to) and even did a poo in the middle of the heel pattern She spent most of the time trying to run back to the car where she knew her brother was, and I could hear him screaming from across the field. She did do well on her stand for exams and stays though, even when another dog came over and play bowed at her in the sit stay. At least we all had a good time afterwards hanging around, eating sausages and looking at all the different breeds of dog that walked past. And the doggies definitely enjoyed themselves. Storms predicted for this afternoon and all the way across the weekend No storms for our BBQ, please! Edited November 25, 2010 by wuffles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KumaAkita Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 You sound happy this morning KA Ava's ears and head are all dry and fluffy again. I heard a comment from someone on our morning walk this morning that Kuma was the friendliest Akita he had ever met... I told him yes he is great isn't he, unless you are a guest who has overstayed your welcome... ;) well... it's Friday! It's been a long week and I'm looking forward to the weekend :D very chuffed about the comment from your friend... that's the guy with the Toller? At least we all had a good time afterwards hanging around, eating sausages and looking at all the different breeds of dog that walked past. And the doggies definitely enjoyed themselves. We played Guess The Breed... I really love that big squooshy fat labrador, with the squooshed face in his halti. I think the lady thought we were laughing at him... Storms predicted for this afternoon and all the way across the weekend No storms for our BBQ, please! :angry: I often rely on this site Accuweather for my weather information, it's pretty accurate. Hopefully it is right for tomorrow! I find BOM a bit confusing (tho I may just be a big spethial ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Yes, while the plethora of dogs provided Elbie with High Distraction, I was certainly very entertained. Saw two cute little black pugs, my first Rhodesian Ridgebacks, my first Toller ... a couple of labradoodles and what I think might have been my first Spoodle because it looked a lot like photos of some doggies I've seen here on DOL. Max#1: The heeling was all on-leash. Elbie was just atrocious at it. We did it last so by the time we got there, that area of the field was well and truly trampled on, wee'd on, poo'd on by goodness knows how many dogs. Elbie was completely fascinated by the smells and spent the whole time sniffing. He drooped and stood beautifully on command and he was actually loose-lead walking beautifully - it was just unfortunate that it was supposed to be heeling. Interestingly, on the mat was the first thing that they teach in beginners. When OH and I first went to the club to observe a lesson, we noticed the mats so we went home and taught Elbie to go to his mat before he started class. We had a few mistakes because we used a blanket that got tangled on a smooth floor. It was one of the earlier things we taught Hoover, too. I get the sense that it's supposed to be a 'chill-out' space for dog during class. For us, we find it handy because it's our signal to Elbie that class has begun. He can mess around and sniff and talk to other dogs but when we say 'go to your mat', he knows he has to be at attention - which was why we were surprised that the 'go to your mat' component for assessment was 2 minutes and we weren't supposed to be looking at him. We don't need to give additional commands to Elbie to keep him on his mat but we do rely on eye-contact. I'm looking forward to the BBQ tomorrow but Elbie's going to be the most excitable/hyperactive dog of the bunch. We're bringing one of our soft crates so that he can 'time out' and chill-out hopefully and not distract everyone else's very placid and well-behaved doggies. He'll be fine in the off-lead play section but during the BBQ when the non-doggies are eating, he might be overly curiously so he shall be crated rather than tethered. Also, I hope Saxon is still sporting his 'eighties head banger hairdo' tomorrow. It is awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 very chuffed about the comment from your friend... that's the guy with the Toller? Yep! He was impressed :D We played Guess The Breed... I really love that big squooshy fat labrador, with the squooshed face in his halti. I think the lady thought we were laughing at him... HEHE! We were laughing at him He was so cute. Yes, while the plethora of dogs provided Elbie with High Distraction, I was certainly very entertained. Saw two cute little black pugs, my first Rhodesian Ridgebacks, my first Toller ... a couple of labradoodles and what I think might have been my first Spoodle because it looked a lot like photos of some doggies I've seen here on DOL. Your first spaniel x poodle?? They are a dime a dozen around our area. I'm looking forward to the BBQ tomorrow but Elbie's going to be the most excitable/hyperactive dog of the bunch. We're bringing one of our soft crates so that he can 'time out' and chill-out hopefully and not distract everyone else's very placid and well-behaved doggies. He'll be fine in the off-lead play section but during the BBQ when the non-doggies are eating, he might be overly curiously so he shall be crated rather than tethered. Don't be silly, you should have seen our idiots playing most of the night Not to mention mine were giving eyes to anyone who had food, especially Little Miss Garbage Guts who convinced quite a few people to give her some sausage!! Also, I hope Saxon is still sporting his 'eighties head banger hairdo' tomorrow. It is awesome! ;) I love it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clastic Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 Ooooh, I hope that tomorrow stays storm/rain free. I normally rely on BOM, but I'm liking the forecast prediction on AccuWeather at the moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 (edited) Your first spaniel x poodle?? They are a dime a dozen around our area. Hey, we live in a 37 year old house in the Olden 'Burbs of Canberra where people either have mini poodles, elderly fat labs and pugs or garden variety crossbreeds with no portmanteau name! Unlike the Young Urbanites of Gungahlin, there are absolutely no fancy DD crossbreeds in this neck of the woods. The first time I ever saw a labradoodle or cavoodle was at Dog School and the first Spoodle was last night - must be from one of the Thursday classes. ETA: Found some footage on my camera from last week at dog school. It's just some short footage regarding the rubber frisbee which is always so beloved of Elbie. Video . Seems like no matter what happens, it always ends up with Champ the lab. Also, there's a very tiny but cute smidgen of footage of Ava chomping on Hoover. Elbie and Hoover chomp on each other like this quite regularly.Here is with two dogs. Edited November 26, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilli_star Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 Your first spaniel x poodle?? They are a dime a dozen around our area. Hey, we live in a 37 year old house in the Olden 'Burbs of Canberra where people either have mini poodles, elderly fat labs and pugs or garden variety crossbreeds with no portmanteau name! Unlike the Young Urbanites of Gungahlin, there are absolutely no fancy DD crossbreeds in this neck of the woods. The first time I ever saw a labradoodle or cavoodle was at Dog School and the first Spoodle was last night - must be from one of the Thursday classes. ETA: Found some footage on my camera from last week at dog school. It's just some short footage regarding the rubber frisbee which is always so beloved of Elbie. Video . Seems like no matter what happens, it always ends up with Champ the lab. Also, there's a very tiny but cute smidgen of footage of Ava chomping on Hoover. Elbie and Hoover chomp on each other like this quite regularly.Here is with two dogs. Yay for videos! Roo likes frisbees too. I bought her a new one from the supermarket here the other day which she loves, but it's hard for her to pick up How clever are your doglets! Yays for Elbie and his many tricks! KTB, I really think I should post Roo to you or Wuffles to train for me Roo played with the GSD from next door for about an hour tonight and is fast asleep. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleo's Corgwyn Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 We were all impressed with Miss Ava's stay - especially when that BC walked over and tried to play with her. I think a lot of us found stand for exam and stays our best exercise last night, as our dogs couldn't be bothered doing anything else! I'm looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 (edited) I made some biscuits tonight for the birthday party tomorrow. These biscuits are for the humans not the doggies but they are dog-themed. Uncooked biscuits Cooked biscuits They were made in the new oven. Alas, I burnt my hand a little bit. Edited November 26, 2010 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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