pie

We shall see

Mmmmmm, cake! :laugh:

No good Rach Hope Buddy will be okay, hugs to you.

I reckon that's why puppies sleep so much Gayle, because they are so adorable when in slumber that it makes you forgot all the naughty things they have done that day

Yep no problems, guess I'd better clean my car though

I was looking for both actually I'm planning to do either obedience or agility (not competitive, just for fun) after the pup has been through puppy classes. Doesn't hurt to research ahead I probably already told you but ACWA do run puppy agility classes on Tuesday nights at Canine grounds too, if you do go I'd love to meet your pup (I dare say Trixie would too - her breeder also has Airedales) http://www.agilityclubwa.com/

Very interesting topic. I've been guilty of doing this before (putting myself & my dog down and putting myself down), sometimes I get frustrated for whatever reason but a strategy that helps me is focusing on the positives. I know that sounds cliché but sometimes we forget to do this and it is rare to find no positives at all. I'm quite self conscious and have caught myself in the past being negative when talking to other people about my dog's progress because they are experienced and perfect and their dogs are so clever and my dog and I are nervous hopeless wrecks Thankfully I snapped out of that one because it doesn't take long to see that NOBODY is perfect, every dog and handler is different. There's no point comparing my dog to others in WA because there is no other dog like mine, nothing even close really. I have some great people around me who are very encouraging and have given me some good tips along the way and pointed out positives that I hadn't even thought of. I try and do the same where I can. I think everyone needs a bit of a confidence boost every now and then, particularly when starting out, it feels like such a long time training your first agility dog and it's easy to get disillusioned but I try and keep the encouragement going with people less experienced than me and not let them quit! I think some things to help confidence are: - Writing down positives after a run / training session and also writing down 'things to work on' (not labelled 'negatives') - Keeping a journal with goals and then looking back on it to see progress (one I intend to start doing) - Filming runs / training sessions to look back on and compare to see improvements - Reminding people that it is supposed to be FUN for both you and your dog! (I have to be reminded of this to sometimes ) I think people who constantly put their dog down but do not put themselves down are achieving nothing and shirking responsibility, it is better to seek help and try a different strategy to train it that will make the dog understand the task better / respond to the handler better because something obviously isn't working (and it is more than likely the handlers fault). Sorry that turned out to be a bit of a waffle

Weave bases, cha cha cha!!! :rofl: Hey I should wait until she's over 12 months anyway Yeah I know I know

I'm looking forward to having a go at teaching Trixie with the 2 x 2 method, really want to see how it goes, taught Kyzer with a channel.

My precue is to bring my outside arm up. It's kind of like starting my front cross early but keeping my shoulders straight until i want the turn to actually happen. The arm coming up means my dog should be collecting and preparing for a turn. If on long straight stretch, it is very useful to get a tight turn at the end of it. it is also useful to avoid off course obstacles you can see it here: Arm comes up at 9 secs & stays up till 13 secs. You can see Shine collecting & wrapping the bars on the pinwheel You can also see it here at 11, 18 & 26. it is helping her to stay collected despite tempting obstacles all over the place Hope that makes sense. Thanks so much Vickie, I did watch that second video the other day and was intrigued by the opposite arm actions, it makes sense now. Much appreciated

Your OP sounds similar to how my boy was acting but his problem was that he had been eating bits of polar fleece toys, he went off his food though. I hope you get some answers soon Pebbles and that little Mick improves!

It takes two years for you to get over the trauma of raising a puppy, then you start looking at puppy photos, and make some phone calls and before long *BAM* another puppy appears in your home and you ask yourself "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" as you try to wrangle a biting screaming crying piddling needy puppy Or is that just me Then another two years goes by and the process starts over Except in Ptolomy's case, she's a sucker for punishment

I have a rear cross verbal that is invaluable at times, especially in Open & Masters Gamblers where we are working at quite a distance. I would be hopeless at left & right. My verbal means turn away from me. I still follow it up with body language & timing is obviously important but it works well and I don't find it confusing on course. Depends on your handling style. We use a precue system and teach a wrap on one jump, gradually increasing the distance. My general rule is that if I am running parallel, my dog should be running straight. Me turning into my dog is the signal for my dog to turn towards me. I do lots of training with just 1-3 jumps & reward every turn. If they turn so tight that they miss the jump, I generally still reward and watch the timing of my turning in the next time. The other thing I am very conscious about is giving the right line into a turn...to the point where I will choose the spot on each bar that I want my dog going over. Sometimes I want them to jump right through the middle of the jump & other times, I will set the line before the jump so they are taking it at an angle or taking it next to an upright. the majority of dogs i see running wide on pinwheels & serps are doing so because their handlers are watching them go round rather than driving to position & providing direction. I was guilty of this for a long time. Most new handlers are. Thanks Vickie, much appreciated. Lots to think about. What do you mean by the bolded? What is your precue?

RS you could get a Cider baby one day! Hahhaa

Definitely helped Just checked out their website and it sounds good (although they don't do puppy classes, but that's ok.) Thanks amypie! Were you after a puppy pre school (i.e. the 4 week classes for puppies from 8 - 12 weeks usually held at a vet?) If so I don't really have one I recommend sorry.

I know a few who have trained them but don't know anyone who uses them in the ring. I haven't bothered, 1) because I don't feel I need them even with a fast dog and a not so fast handler, and 2) I can barely tell my left from my right at the best of times. Add speed and pressure and trying to figure out my dogs left and right I'd have no hope. As for tighter lines, you can work on it with things like GD's double box work and basic sequences. Video them if you can and check your positioning and timing. I rarely run courses for training any more, I find going back and working sequences has been really valuable and has improved both my consistancy and my confidence (which flows onto my dog as well). A little of it is just experience for both of you, but just keep working on it. Just don't get so bogged down in the tight lines that you pull the speed out of your dog. Thanks Jess We have a few people over here that use them, I was mainly thinking of having them in case of emergency if he is out ahead of me and needs to turn etc. I know on the GD DVD it says to train them but if you think you will get them mixed up then don't use them because it will just confuse your dog. Yes I'm planning on doing a lot of jump grid work, I actually really enjoy them! Might film some to watch back - good tip. Awww how cute is Mack!

Hey Rach - I had a brainwave, if it's easier for you I can pick you up from Murdoch train station on the way there (and drop you off after but we usually sit around for a while )?

I was feeding Trixie Advance to begin with (she was weaned onto it by her breeder, she did ok on it but not great, wasn't gaining enough weight) so I changed her over to Eagle Pack Holistic because I preferred it for Kyzer and felt it was a better food, but ended up quite unhappy with it, she wasn't keeping weight on at all despite eating bucket loads of the stuff (went through a 15kg bag of it with 2 very small dogs surprisingly fast! ) she looked like skin and bones and it all came out the other end just as quickly. So I changed her to Nutro Puppy Chicken and Rice and I have been really happy with it, she looks healthier and shinier and is keeping weight on a lot better than on other foods. She's been on it for quite a while now (she's nearly 1 - probably been using it for about 6 months). Sometimes I use the Adult lamb & rice too. Stools have always been good on this food from both of my dogs (unlike with the Eagle Pack). Going by the ingredients list EPH looked a lot better to me than Nutro, but the results are a lot different and were quite surprising to me. So thumbs up to Nutro for me. My dogs are predominantly raw fed now but I still give them the occasional meal of Nutro and it's their back up food.

I am completely stunned by reading this! Some humans should be put on a small isolated island! This happened to our 'office dog' too, he is entire, and was on his daily walk with my boss, they were at the off lead park and he was playing with this female dog, started trying to mount it and got put back on a lead and then the female dog's owners casually mention that she is on heat... unbelievable. It messed our office dog up for about a week - all he would do is sit at the window and cry! iheartmorrison I hope your boy recovers with no lasting damage, poor little mite

The Canine Centre is not far from Jandakot, maybe 15 minutes max, Southern River Agility & Obedience hold classes on Monday nights for dogs from 12 weeks old up to trialling level. Their website is here: http://www.southernriverdogclub.org.au/ Hope that helps :D

It will probably be good Varda weather too

Oooohh are you going to bring Varda? A Lappie and a Toller, that'll get the crowds in!

I'll send you one of those fandangled email thingies, might be a bit technical for someone of your age

Yes you do win! I suppose we will share our presents with you, old girl

I thought your birthday was three days before mine? Mine's on the 4th August. Attention Meet Attendees: In case you are wondering, RubyStar and I WILL be accepting advance birthday presents at this meet.