aquaticmalamute

Hot there, too? It's disgusting here ... and I actually love the heat usually! Yah huh, it was 38 degrees here and tomorrow will be even hotter *sigh* How hot was it down your way?

I'm having a bad day, nothing is working for me "Catching Flies" is the best I could produce today........ I blame the heat!

Working at night/sleeping during the day doesn't leave me with many options for going out to look for subjects - thus the last 2 days (and todays) efforts are quite dismal. But I finished work tonight at a reasonable hour and decided to pull down the Chrissy tree, what better than to make my subject for todays photo Christmas tree related! I love my bauballs, each one has a memory to go with it or occasion it was bought for. Here is my very first bauball bought for our first home, with my Rocking Horse from Niagra Falls and bauballs from Disneyland in the background.

I spent the day playing with my marine fishtank, so had to have a 'beachy' theme for todays picture :rolleyes: Canon 20D Lens: 28-105mm with a Mandee macro magnification ring/filter Focal Length: 28 F Stop: 4.5 ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/50

Todays Photo Canon 20D Lens: 28-105mm Focal Length: 60mm ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/8 F-Stop: 4.0 Thanks "Riviera" is the brand of our boat

We also brought in the new year with glo-stik fun! Canon 20D 28-105mm f4.5 ISO 100 Shutter Speed 2/1 I also like this one so had to add it as well... Canon 20D 28-105mm f3.5 ISO 400 Shutter Speed 1/200

Here are a couple of shots from our outing on the boat on Sunday (Lake Macquarie) These guys followed us up and down Swansea Channel for about 1/2hr

Don't we all!! Due to huge cost I had to settle for the f/4 version which I love (but loved the 2.8 more! :rolleyes: )

Wow, I love your first lightening photo - such a great shot! I wish I could get some nice stike photos, but alas living in town doesn't get you much without powerlines getting in the way

Wow, i'd love to get that as a Christmas pressie, you lucky thing I had the option of getting the lens or the 50D. My 20D is still cutting the mustard and I would much prefer a new lens than upgrade the body, especially considering the 50D was around the $1100 mark before the exchange rate went kaputt. I just can't bring myself to spend $1700 on the body knowing that the price will come back down when the dollar gets stronger. Bodies will always change, but IMO, lenses are forever so spend your money on the best you can afford. I also went into the shops for a play with the f/4 and the f/2.8 to compare. I really liked the 2.8, but the thing that was making me doubt it was the weight of the thing. IMO it's just too heavy for me without needing a monopod - I plan on taking the lens overseas with me as well which the 2.8 would just not be practicle.

I got my first L lens for my birthday on the 27th, and I must say that I am in love ;) I was worried that it would be too big and heavy to use without a tripod, but, after a few minutes of playing around on Manual Focus and on Auto my mind is at ease and I can't wait to take it out to the dog show on Sunday with me :rolleyes: A few sample pics from yesterday. Lens is the 70-200mm L F/4 USM (no IS ;) damn thing was just too expensive with the IS) And I love this one but i'm dissapointed that I didn't get his head/body in focus ;)

Don't worry, I can't keep mine in show condition for more than 3 days, even while living in a crate! I wash my show boy weekly with Aloveen or Kelko All Natural and haven't had a problem at all, in fact he is outside in the rain ATM with water just beading off him and he is happy as larry - I last washed him 4 days ago. My pet girl gets washed on the change of season (4 times a year) or if I am particularly lazy she can quite happily go with 2 washes per year

I love my Liberty (stand dryer though), but I don't use it on a professional level. It gets used weekly to dry two Malamutes (sometimes 3) and it is yet to miss a beat

Fantastic tips, thanks :D Roxy - I love the photo album idea! Even if I don't get this job I can always have it on hand and add to it for next time a similar job pops up. Good to hear that employers have a preference to people in the dog world too, and the fact that I can easily handle big, stubborn breeds is advantagous. Unfortunately I don't have any friends with dogs I can practice on, they have either other Mals, Labs, Staffies, GSD's and Rotties ;) Perhaps I can offer to groom the dogs at the local pound or letterbox drops for willing participants. Vehs - I don't think I have any photos of the dogs with me in them. I'm the official photographer for my dog's breeder and have done shots for her friends - she handles my dogs as well. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to photography so i'm always the one behind the camera. Alas I don't have any buisness cards either to pop up next to the dogs to prove that they are mine, they are advertised online and I have the original shots though, perhaps a link to them with my name would suffice? I'm punctual too so that would be worth mentioning then! I used to show up 1/2hr before my shift just to organise my workspace in wake of the last Manager on duty, so that has to count for something. I used to do alot of unpaid overtime (without complaint), not something I think I should mention though Shell - Thanks for the wishes of luck! If I get the job i'd be more than happy to come down for a visit and share my new found skills/tips/methods

I'm also a fan of Sards Wondersoap - fantastic stuff!

Hi all, i'm after a bit of advice I'm applying for a grooming apprentice job and was wondering what qualities an employer would be looking for? A quick run down of myself.... * I show my dogs so have a high standard of presentation and attention to detail. * I groom (my own dogs) for photoshoots and advertising, so obviously I expect them to look their best and have confidence in my own skills to do this. * I have extensive experience with Hydrobathing and Blow Drying * Being that I have a natural breed the most coat alterations I can do is scissoring - I have no experince with clipping (except for my OH's hair ) * I am more than happy to pay for my own education by attending a grooming school outside of work. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time but again, having a natural breed I haven't been able to convince the OH to let me spend $7,000 on a course that I wouldn't be able to put into practice. * I am highly ethical, have great customer service skills, flexible, energetic, a fast yet precise worker and am honest and reliable. * Can't forget that I am dog savvy and have no issues with aggressive SWF I'm looking to get out of my industry of a retail manager, but finding entry level work in a job that I would love is few and far between. I'm 23 so long out of the 'junior' age to get the experience I would need... sigh... Is there anything I should add to my resume/cover letter to help my chances? I haven't exactly been lucky in my job hunting endevours. I'm going to add photos of my dogs fully groomed, anything else I should mention? Is it better to post the application or go in in person? Any help/advice is greatly appreciated

I would say it's a simple case of the dog blowing it's coat now that spring is upon us. It's triggered by the amount of sunlight the dog recieves. Being that your friends dog spends most of it's time outside it would be recieveing more sunlight than your dogs who spend the majority of their time inside. It's quite common for a dog to blow all of it's undercoat and be 'bald' for a few weeks, also don't be alarmed if the dog starts blowing the guard hairs too, again, completely normal

If it helps shell, I can bring my dryer and generator for you to try out at the spitz show? I've got a stand liberty. There should be some vendor stalls there too that might have dryers you can test.

Mine is the same. His bowl is a big heavy ceramic one with a brick in it, but as you have found out the brick is pretty much useless I'm home all day so I don't mind going out 3 times a day to re-fill it. We would love to give him a clam shell to play in but we are yet to find a good thick sturdy one, the thin ones from BigW get demolished pretty quickly - they rip in half very easily

Sorry, I don't think I said that Boh doesn't know the stand command In fact he is fantastic with stand - my problem is that he associates "stand" with standing stock still, not stacking correctly. I am however working on teaching him to free stack with his feet evenly placed when I say 'stand'. He stands perfectly when we get back from our routine (triangle/up and back etc) and in the line-up and he thus far has never sat in the ring. My previous dog (who was baited and died at 7 months) used to offer a sit when he wasn't rewarded straight away for stacking. At home he was great as I could reward him straight away, but at the show while baiting him on a line-up he did offer random behaviours It's my fault for not teaching him to hold his stack for longer before giving him the treat. I didn't come here to ask about sitting or stacking, and don't really want to feel like I have to explain myself when I say that I don't want to teach my dog to sit. There is split opinion about teaching show dogs to sit or not, and i'm one of those who choose not to teach sit. Peroid. Kavik - Thanks for the video, having never done/thought about doing agilitly I wouldn't even know where to start teaching my boy. I thought it would be a great way to work his mind and body while helping keep a close bond and good communication. Corvus - Wow what a reply! I'll try and cover everything for you I'm unsure about his pack status. He does show quite a few dominant behaviours but only toward Kodi, I think it's more of a working out pack structure at the minute. He is a very confident pup at home and in a show atmosphere, but go for a walk which he associates with charging, barking dogs, he falls apart and just doesn't know how to respond. I get the impression that he thinks he should do something about it because Kodi and I obviously aren't - we ignore, look straight ahead and keep walking. I've tried the whole ignoring the behaviour, reprimanding the behaviour and encouraging him to focus on me, which none are terribly successful, next in line will be to do as you suggested and actually stop to do some focus work outside the dogs fence still he calms down. I don't think fussing him will help with his problem, he is the kind of dog to think that there really is something to worry about, thus making him worse. With free shaping do you have a command to go with the clicking? Say when Kivi Tarro starts to walk backwards do you say 'back' instantly following the click? See with Kodi, when I had Flinne she was fantastic at disciplining him. I never had a problem with him harassing her all day. I'm not sure if it's the fact that Kodi is getting older and doesn't want to challenge him for position in the pack, or she has turned into a softie and is letting him keep his puppy licence. Seperating them at the minute is a very real option if I can't get his hyperactiveness under control. As you said I can step in when i'm here which is what i've been doing when I can, but he is smarter than that and i'm sure she cops it while i'm gone. I agree with you when you wonder if he has really bonded with me. Malamutes are awefully aloof and independant, they don't need their people and are more of a dog-pack dog. It feels like the time I spend with him at home is either training or rousing on him. I do spend alot of time outside just being with the dogs while I garden/weed, hang clothes on the line, wash the car and the like, they do hang out with me but are more intent on playing with eachother than me. As you would know I spend alot of one on one time with Boh, when we are alone he is great - obedient, mellow and very well behaved, but bring Kodi into the picture and he just goes bananas! Swimming is an absolute fantastic idea, i've already organised to go to my parents on Sunday for him to have a swim in the lake - we shall see how it goes! The last few days i've been trying out the different suggestions, he is working for all of his meals which eats up alot of his time (and gives Kodi some peace!), he has beef bones to chew on which last as long as it takes till he gets bored of then then buries them A sand pitt is going in up the back for him to dig in to his hearts delight, and to look for buried treasure! I've also cut down on his Euk and upped his raw AND taught him a new trick to use in the show ring, he performs great for a squeeky toy so i've taught him to catch it - he caught on real quick too! So we'll try that out tomorrow at the show Diva - Poor thing! it sure is hard to live with an Energizer Bunny! Like you none of my previous dogs were this hyper, each one had a very similar upbringing so I was at a loss as to why this one was so nutty. But, as they say, each animal is brought into your life to teach you something (and boy am I learning!)

Again Nekhbet, great ideas! He will be great at the hiding a treat under a box trick, he is too smart when I give him both of my hands and ask him which one - he gets it every time. I must admit though that I do put a box on him and watch him try to get out, though I think that it amuses me more than him He is always hungry so the treat ball with his meal in it will work well, as will 'find the treat' games He already gets a chicken frame once a day (large carcass including organs) and lamb flaps for lunch when I don't have a kunckle bone on hand. In summer I like to go fishing and give the dogs my catch so that will be good to add to his diet too. Cowanbree - That's helpful to hear that your Aussie is similar. Now I don't feel like i'm the only one who owns an energizer bunny for a dog. I also worry that the more I exercise him the fitter he gets and the more work he will need to keep up with his fitness. This is something I don't want to have to put a puppy through. I would much rather exercise his mind to tire him out. It really hit home when my OH and I sat down, and he looked at me with all honestly and said "we might have to seperate them permanantly" i'm determined to make this work and not have him living in a run. Shell - Zero loves water eh? All of my dogs have been mortified at the thought of getting wet, which is why it's such a suprise that Boh actually likes water! I do freeze treats for him too, maybe I need a bucket not an ice cream container! Boh usually gets bones in his. Thanks Someone who lives with a nordic breed and understands how hard it is to keep them focussed is great! Boh, gorgeous? nah he has just had a growth spurt and is going through the uglies - skinny head long legs tail is doing silly things - even his cuteness can't save him this week! Erny - Interesting thought, perhaps a forced rest during the day is in order - wouldn't hurt to try anyway!

I know that's what you said and I said that it was great that you got your puppy to hold a stack. Nor did I imply that you had push button dogs but was simply stating that Malamutes aren't because.....

Great post Nekhbet! Just the kind of advice I am after! I will feed him only from a treat ball, fantasitc tip I'll also freeze his raw half of his diet in an ice cream tub to make him work for that too! Interesting to know about the different types of calories and how they are used in the body. Believe me I would MUCH rather up his raw than his kibble. I hate Eukanuba and he is being fed it till he matures (he is co-owned and I have to feed him what his breeder asks) I'm more than happy to alter his diet slightly (and save some money!) I'll have a dig around in the tricks sub-forum to try out on him too, anything to keep that mind ticking! I never thought of the radio, I always have one on in the stable for the horses but didn't think about the dogs - won't hurt to try! He finished teething about 2 weeks ago so i'll try and find the toys you mentioned too. Now the weather has warmed up we will be going to the beach often, my parents also have a house on the lake to i'll get him in there too - i'm sure he would love to do some regular swimming. Considering he deliberately fell in the lake a few weeks ago, and kept doing it when he discovered how fun it was I think I have a water baby on my hands, not like any of my other dogs! i'd love to let him swim in the pool but i'm sure the chlorine won't be terribly good for his coat. Poodlefan, yes I know there are some mals who are fanastic at Agility, it can be done i'm sure! I think if I go in with an attitude of not expecting him to be prefect, if he is terrible I won't be dissapointed, but if he does well then I think I will add an agility title to my goals for him.

What? you mean not teaching a dog to sit and not going to an obedience class because I don't agree with their training methods and the one I do is too far away? terrible dog mum I am! Thanks for the mocking... appreciated Sorry but a Malamute isn't exactly your push button dog. That's great you got your puppy to hold a stack when asked but it ain't gonna happen with a breed of dog that was bred to dismiss their owners commands - it certainly doesn't help when there is food involved

Ahh thanks! I wasn't sure what you meant by crate training We do training with friends and their dogs, and also I work on him at shows with lots of distractions! He knows that showing means work and is an angel at shows (minus the constant talking ) Oh and I don't expect much from him at Agility, Malamutes aren't exactly known for their reliability offleash It's more of an activity to keep his mind busy, I don't expect to get competitive with him. We do keep him lean, he has a lovely hourglass shape to his body and ribs are easily felt. I'll dig up a photo from 2 weekends ago when we went to Coffs Harbour, he isn't exactly pudgey by any means...