DagBoy

Hopefully one day I will get to see you guys dance in person :) I am working on getting the video up on YouTube - though a bit was missed because the person manning the camera was so busy watching they forgot to move the camera. Two days on and she is still smiling like an idiot.

Thank goodness there was not a trial on when we got married

Thanks for the pics BC4ME - nice to know that Ebony sometimes looks at me - when I am out there it feels like she is looking everywhere else. Thanks Steve for the weekend - some great information and I loved watching all the dogs working so well. As ever I feel all inspired to do some training - but I am sure if I lie down the feeling will pass Cheers, DagBoy

It would be horrible for you to be the only person there with scruffy dogs, so as a kindness to you, and at great personal sacrifice, I have decided that maybe I will not get up early tomorrow to bath all of ours, but let them stay dirty instead.

What is this "training" thing of which you speak?

Bugger the sage smudge stick, I have told MrsD that we need to get some Old Spice. Look at your dog, look at me, look at your dog, look at me ... I am on a horse

I had a good time too last night - in spite of meeting a couple of scary DOLers ;) Cheers, DagBoy

And we are hoping we can get one of the breed clubs to run a sausage sizzle for us so people coming straight from work do not starve.

It is being held inside the CCCQ buildings at Durack, so no dogs allowed (except possibly Richard will have a borrowed dog to work with). As far as I know, he will be talking a lot (he is good at that) and also illustrating some things with some video footage. Cheers, DagBoy

But it does not have to be glitzy - it just has to suit the music/routine. If glitzy was a requirement I do not think any of us would be even thinking about it. ;) . Cheers, DagBoy

You better visit me or there will be trouble! Where do you think we were planning to park our caravan?

It took a little time, but I have finally got video from the DWD competition up on Youtube. Tuesday 11 August, DWD Freestyle - Started Sharon and Murphy Cheryl and Prize Sharon and Cian Lisa and Cass Maree and Chook Sharon and Casey Tuesday 11 August, DWD Heelwork to Music - Started Sharon and Cian Lisa and Cass Sharon and Casey Friday 14 August, DWD Freestyle - Novice Ros and Banjo Gay and Gemma Robyn and Jarrah Angie and Inka Robyn and Max Val and Whizz Friday 14 August, DWD Heelwork to Music - Novice Gay and Gemma Angie and Inka Cheers, DagBoy (edited to remove dead links.)

I plan to video it and if I can manage to stop the video battery going flat half way (like last year ) and if I can get my computer working again soon, I will be putting it up on Youtube. I will be trying to get all the performances if I can. Cheers, DagBoy

Richard Curtis has 3 or 4 DVDs plus a book on how to teach your dog some of the freestyle moves & he is absolutely awesome, both as a teacher & as a competitor. I love his teaching style & thoroughly recommend them :rolleyes: . If you do a google search on his name you will find his website (K9 something). (MrsD posting as Dagboy because I can't be bothered to log out & log in again on Dagboy's laptop)

It is just over the border, but I am pretty sure they run on Qld time - none of that poncy southern daylight saving. Google maps - just type in Coolangatta, then scroll down and left to see where the Tugun bypass crosses Kennedy Drive. Cheers, DagBoy

Unless you have updated your GPS, the Tugun bypass may not be on there and it will try to take you the old way which will add about 10 mins (and traffic and speed restrictions and lights). I use my Garmin if I do not know the roads, but at other times she tries to take us on some really bizarre routes or wants us to turn off the edge of a bridge to join the freeway below. Cheers, DagBoy

If Mr Tomtom is anything like Miss Garmin, it would be a waste of money - you are better off using a map. If you are coming down from Queensland, just keep on the Pacific motorway all the way down till you reach the new Tugun bypass, then take the bypass. That runs down behind the Gold Coast/Coolongatta airport. As you cross the border into NSW there is a big ugly red thing (modern art I supose) and you need to take the next exit off the bypass. That brings you down to Kennedy Driver where you turn right. Follow that for a couple of km and it turns into Scenic Drive - keep on that for another 2 or 3 km and it turns into Bilambil Road. Another couple of km and it reaches bilambil and a little roundabout where you turn right up Carool Road. About another 3 km of winding hilly road and Camp Tailwaggers is off to the left. There is a big sign on the side of the road next to the driveway. The driveaway is quite steep. When you get up the driveway the training centre, cabins, campsite and day visitor parking is all off to the right down a concrete road that is just a little wider than a car. For those who have not been before it takes us about 1hr 15min to 1hr 30min to get there from our place and we are right near the gateway MWay and Old Cleveland Road junction. I would allow at least an hour and a half from the gateway bridge. The last section of the journey is on steep and windy roads, which tends to slow you down a bit. Camp Tailwaggers is an awesome place and Ann and Tony are fantastic hosts. The cabins all have their own secure yard and there is a big off leash area as well. The seminar space is under cover, though the sun does come in from one side, so you might want a tarp or something to cover your crate in the morning. If you do not have a crate it might be worth giving camp tailwaggers a ring as they sometimes have a couple of spares - last time we went to a seminar I borrowed a crate for Ebony (GSD). Hope you all have fun. Cheers, DagBoy

Now have Ros and Banjo up on youtube too. Here is a Cheers, DagBoy

I have most of Ros's routine (2nd place) which I will put up tonight. I did not get any after hers because I had battery problems and was saving it for Robyn's. I do have video of some of the VIP girls performing at other places - next time I see them I will see if any of them would let me put them up on youtube. Cheers, DagBoy

I have now added a clip of Lisa and Jess with their routine that won first place. Cheers, DagBoy

I finally got around to putting MrsD's routine up on youtube. She got 3rd place and here is a Rather irritatingly the camera battery died about 10 seconds before the end I also have video of the routines that came first and second - just waiting on permission from the dancers before I put them up too. Enjoy, Cheers, DagBoy

When we got Ebony as a puppy we did very little (I was clueless and MrsD was not well enough and also Ebony nearly died from a tick as a young pup). I started obedience with her at about 2 years old, started herding at 3 and doggy dancing at about 4. The only thing I wish I had done as a pup was more playing (tug toys, balls etc.) because she really has no drive for those things. We do: obedience - though we have not competed in anything yet Agility - thinking about it - maybe later this year Tracking - no Endurance - I started training last year - maybe next year I will do enough Herding - we have our HIC and HT passes. She is not a natural - does not work like the border collies and kelpies - but I reckon we could get PT if we put some work in Flyball - have not tried Lure coursing - we tried once - she watched the lure shoot past, looked at me, then trotted back to the paddock gate and sat down. Schtzhund - no Conformation - she is from good lines, but you would not know to look at her and showing does not interest me in the slightest Also, not on the list above: Frisbee - she is simply not interested Dancing - we are working on this - I got sucked in to saying I would enter a competition later this year Cheers, DagBoy PS. the trouble with so many sports available is that there is never enough time to do them all (or even several of them) properly, so best to try a few and find the ones that you and the dog enjoy the most

Coming soon

Mine are pretty simple, so they should be achievable. Whether they are achieved is probably down to me. Obedience. Last year I was thinking I could get Ebony into CCD and get at least one leg - we did not quite manage that but we did finally get through the classes at the club so we are now in trialling class, so I think it is a possibility this year, so I will set that aim again. Endurance. This year I am going to see if I can actually do a bit better than just starting a thread about ET training and taking her for a couple of runs The big problem this year is that I started the training and finally had to admit that a. I have got older in the last 7 years and b. Having done no running for the last 7 years has affected my fitness. I am serious about this - I am going to go and buy a new pair of runners and one of my new year's resolutions will be to do more running and get fitter.........which is just as well because: Agility. I might give it a go this year. I think it is within Ebony's intellectual capabilities and she would enjoy it and we think Jonty would enjoy it too so I have been earmarked as the handler for that. Herding. I would dearly love to get enough control and confidence to be able to do PT - but I will only be attempting it if we can do it well because there are so many BCs and Kelpies doing herding and so few GSDs that I want us to stand out for the right reasons. Frisbee. If I could just get her to look at the thing ... and maybe chase after it ..... then I could work on her bringing it back .... and from there it is a small step to catching it ... jumping and catching it ... running 40 m leaping through the air in a graceful arc and catching it mid-leap, then racing back to deposit it at my feet. Oh OK - we will probbaly do nothing in frisbee Cheers, DagBoy

Thank you all for your kind words. I am very proud of Ebony - she has proved she is not a boofhead all of the time. Watch this space (in about 7 months time) for me telling you we have passed PT Oh OK, maybe that is being unrealistically optimistic. Cheers, DagBoy