wherezaball

Hey AD Congratulations on your qualie for the WDG. Cooper and I will be there competing the flyball racing so we can cheer each other on!!! I think i want to start Cooper and Crash in Frisbee. Where and how do I get started? Though we have a busy few months coming up with the Flyball Nationals (are you going?) and the WDG only 2 weeks after that. So I may leave that one for next year and concentrate on getting Crash running flyball...finally... Well done again on your qualie for the WDG, awesome effort.

Hey Iluvkelpies thanks for the reply. The team who I run with at the moment Awesome Pawsome are Brisbane based at Mt Gravatt and we train on Friday nights so i don't know if that suits you better? It takes me an 1hr to get there and I live out near Springbrook. So depending where you are on the Coast the travel is not to bad. Email me at [email protected] if you would like more info. cheers

Hi all Following the success of the first AFA sanctioned flyball compeititon on the Gold Coast at last weekends GC Pet and Animal Expo a new flyball club/team will be starting on the Coast and anyone interested can email me at [email protected] I am currently looking for suitable training venues and also the possibility of joining forces with an existing Obedience or Agility club and using their grounds and offering flyball as another sport to their members. If you have suggestions on venues or clubs etc please email ...soon!!! thanks

All details to date about the WDG are on their website http://www.worlddoggames.com/ promoters are Chugg Entertainment the same people who bought out Cesar Milan. Should be a fantastic weekend of dog sports. I am really looking forward to it.

The Norwest Thunderdogs 1 flyball team broke the Australian record at the Castle Hill show on 22 March 2009. Below is the link to the You tube video. More info on the record can be found at www.flyball.org.au

I buy Thompsons Organic Flax Seed Oil capsules (1000mg). Yes the bottle I have says Linseed Oil is Flax seed Oil and it is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9. I buy them from Oze Pharmacy (in store) 400 capsules for about $35. I cant find them on Oze's website but I found this site which has bottles of 200 for about $25. https://www.vitaminking.com.au/flaxseed-oil...on-limited.html Cheaper if you can get to an Oze store their web site is http://ozepharmacy.com.au Using the oils is very expensive for more than one dog and the flax seed has all the omega oils in one dose. cheers

If the pup has correct temperament according to the breed standard, and has been raised in the correct manner, which should include sights and sounds at home, and socialisation by the breeder and with the other dogs, there will be no problem. "Socialisation" does not necessarily mean to be out and about in public, and "5 - 14 weeks" is dependent on the breed, and the temperament and development rate of each individual pup, but providing the temperament is satisfactory, there should be no problem While in a perfect world this statement would be absolutely correct, we all know we don't live in a perfect world. It is the same as confirmation. Responsible breeders strive to improve the breed and breed to standard and also for temperament etc. though in reality a confirmation fault could be found on many if not all dogs. The same goes for temperament. While the base product (temperament or confirmation) as a puppy may appear to be good. The end result as an adult will not be known until the dog reaches maturity. 3 things influence a dog behaviour and temperament; 1. genetics 2. past learned experiences; and 3. the environment/situation the dog is in. No socialisation does not necessarily mean to be out and about in public. Socialising is learning social skills i.e. from other dogs and people etc. Habituation is exposing a dog to the things and environments it will encounter as an adult is extremely important from puppyhood through to adult life. Though the ideal time is around 5-14 weeks. Socialising and habituating a puppy are still extremely important even if the temperament appears correct because temperament is influenced by many things over time and it is an on going development process and not set in cement at an early age. Depriving a puppy of important life learning experiences may contribute to behaviour/temperament problems later on in life. Every puppy I have is taken out under controlled situations. Though I am aware of some element of risk. However, behaviour and temperament issues kill more dogs everyday than parvo ever did.

Can anyone tell me the cheapest place in Sydney to buy the BARF patties (or similar) . Been thinking about changing over and really dont have the time to make my own. thanks

Nope no pics. My camera which usually takes pretty good shots hated the indoor lightly and everything came out really dark... so I gave up.

Yes it was a great comp and I was amazed they got through the 89 races in such a short time. Congratulations to Julie and her team at Albury it was a very well organised comp. We had a great weekend. It is always fun racing teams from other states. These "away" comps are about sooo much more than the racing and it was great to PICSI sending a team so we had another NSW team representing our state. DC... as you travel more you will figure out exactly what you need to take away and not take away so everything fits in the car... or do what I did... buy a dog trailer to cart everything in and then have somewhere for the dogs to sleep.

Thunderdogs are sending 3 teams and we are staying at Lake Hume Tourist Park. Looking forward to the weekend away but it will be chilly!!!!

Hi smoothcollie If you checkout www.flyball.org.au and go to club contacts. Contact Southern Cross flyball they are training out of Deerbush these days and would be happy to introduce you and your dog to flyball. Any dog can do flyball as long as they are healthy and fit. It also helps if they are trim and not overweight. As for retrieving the ball. This is not a pre-requisite as it can be easily taught backchaining the behaviour with the help of clicker training. Some times dogs who are ball mad are often harder to train as they are too focused on the ball and not on the rest of the behaviours that make up flyball. good luck.

Mick is now living and working in the US.

Yep we use this but go a little further with it. Send the dog to the box (no ball) from about 10 - 15 away. As the dog turns on the box throw the toy away from him (straight back towards where jumps should be... dont have any in the way for a little bit) then you race the dog to the toy. Be competition for the toy and have a great game of tug when you both get it. Gradually backchain it by over one jump, turn on box back over 4 and throw the toy again, then over 2 and back over 4 again.. throw the toy.... Soon the dogs expectation will be to push off quickly to get that damn toy and beat you to it!!!! Of course you cant throw the toy in competitions but you can at training and playing in the backyard racing the dog for it... thus increasing drive for the toy. As BC4ME has said it is also important to jump high on the box. Creates a much better turn. Something to think about when he "stalls" on the box.... is he doing it is because he has his reward... the ball... then thinks ok now I will go back... if so this exercise will help with that also because it increases drive for the toy.

I just bought the Double K Airmax and LOVE IT!!! It does heat up after a few minutes. Only used it once so far. I bought mine off EBAY (From Clipperworld) for $395 + $15 postage so if you can wait for one to appear on EBAY see how you go. They are on there quite often. Saves a bit of money ;)

Sounds to me that the ball is coming out of the box too fast for her. You need to slow it down possibly alot initially and then gradually increase the speed as the dog gains confidence and is successful in catching the ball straight from the box. The best way to slow it down is place some sponges in between the "bits" at the back of the where the "thing" moves and pushes the ball out. I really cant think of the right name for it right now But by placing sponges in the back there, it makes the ball pop out slower (almost a dribble) and makes it easier to catch. This is especially important for little dogs as they get frighted by the ball flying out. Place in a few pieces of sponge and as the dog gets better take a piece out at a time until eventually you have nothing. Now you cant use sponge in comps because it stops the ball coming out the required 2ft however you can in training to teach the dog to catch properly from the box. You also may need to teach the dog to "catch" by throwing the ball from about your knee height gently and say "catch" then gradually increase the distance and speed of the ball as you throw it. this increases the dogs confidence to catch a fast moving ball. Personally I dont like using the velcro method as it teaches the dog to "grab" rather than to "catch" the ball. When small dogs grab at the ball they may not trigger the box as required in the rules. Velcro also encourages the dog to "stop" at the box rather than have a fluid swimmers turn. Will try to come up with a better description of where you place the sponges.... brain is a bit dead sorry...

Hi penny As others have said your pup does need to be lifetime registered by 6 months. However Council should already have your pup on the Companion Animal Register already as microchipped but not registered. This should happen automatically when you complete a change of ownership form with your breeder when you collected your pup. That form then needs to be lodged with a Council by the old owner (breeder) within 14 days of sale. THe Council will then change the details to you on the register and send you a "Certificate of Identification". If you dont have the certificate by now you could call your council and give them the microchip number to check if it has been changed over yet. If not, and its been more than a couple of weeks I would calling the breeder to see if they have sent in the paperwork. You do not have to be on any private registers although it can be a good idea as not all vets have access to the Council register in case of an emergency or if you travel interstate with your pup. In NSW the popular private register is the Australian Animal Registry managed by the RAS and its a National database. Your vet should have forms to place your puppy on this register if you like. Also, nowadays all vets can gain access to the NSW Companion Animal Register (same as Council uses) to lookup chips only. If your vet does not have access to this I would encourage you to discuss it with them as some do not know they can gain access. If they want access their local Council animal management deptartment will (should) point them in the right direction. Remember though if you place your puppy on a number of registers you need to change all of them if you move house. Hope this helps.

I dont know who is correct but i was checking out the weekly forecast on the TV for Canberra yesterday and it said it was to be mid 20s all weekend and possibly raining. Yep i checked the BOM site today and they said the same thing... mid 20's and maybe some showers. Which sounds pretty good to me... way better than the usual hot Canberra royal :rolleyes:

Is anyone else staying there? Where are you coming from wherezaball? I am from Sydney (Thunderdogs) and am heading down Thursday afternoon. Only a short drive this time Some of us are camping at Queanbeyan, others in a motel at Queanbeyan and others in B&B's etc. We used to always stay at Eaglewahk until they kicked the dogs from the cabins. Weather looks ok for now ... fingers crossed. cheers

Looks fantastic but where is flyball???

It seems like only yesterday we were in Brisbane for last Nationals and here we are only 1 week out from the 2008 Nats. Hope its not too hot but it is the Canberra Royal which is always hot... When is everyone leaving and where are you staying?

Oh I cant wait to see the little puggie competing!!! Love watching the non working breeds at competitions. Like Callaghan the Irish Wolfie...such a beautiful gentle giant taking his time up and down the course. Loved watching him. Is the pug going to the Nationals? Hope so...

I would even go back to playing a game of restrained recalls around the other dogs. Maybe just one dog in the beginning. Have someone hold your dog and you run away in a straight line (no jumps) then have another dog at about 15 feet apart being held by someone and its handler doing a restrained recall in the opposite direction (dogs running in opposite directions just like passing). Let one dog go first and then the other. Depending on reactions. ideally you want the dog to know the other is there and be OK with it. Then gradually decrease the distance between you (the distance between the 2 dogs) and do the same exercise so at some point they pass each other. Once they are comfortable do the same exercise with one jump, then 2 jumps and so on. Sounds like a long process but you will be suprised it doesnt take that long and really helps build confidence in soft dogs by first getting the dogs used to passing other dogs then putting a jump (ie small confined space) into the equation. The key to flyball training is breaking down each exercise as much as possible and building confidence then increasing difficulty ( by adding jumps or other dogs etc) as the dog gets better and more confident. this also helps build the dogs drive back to you which is after all what we want our flyball dogs to do. We do this exercise in our beginners with anything up 10 or so dogs across the feild doing restrained recalls all in opposite directions at the same time. Some "lose it" and take off after another dog but they get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Have to agree with above. We can get very paranoid when it comes to this sort of stuff but you just have to to remember lack of social skills kills more dogs every year than parvo. It needs to be an educated balance. I tell puppy class people to let their puppies meet friends dogs who are vaccinated and well behaved and carry them to the shop for people to "goo goo" over but dont put them on the ground or take them where dogs go such as parks etc. But then my pup who is now 14 ish weeks has been almost everywhere with me. He has been to 2 flyball comps, a couple of training days and multiple puppy classes. The only place I didnt take him was a popular dog beach here in Sydney that always has dog poo lying around as many people just leave it. So that was an unacceptable risk and I decided he wasnt going. But then I could have bought it home to him or so could one of the other dogs. So you cant protect them from everything, accidents happen. Having worked in pounds and animal shelters I have seen too many dogs die from poor behaviour and lack of social skills. We really need to stop being paranoid and educate people on the pros and cons of taking your puppy out (in a controlled way) versus keeping it at home.