The Spotted Devil

Who got up this morning? :D We are a few game days behind so have just discovered Cookies in the Corner. Loving this one and can really see the benefits of this and PB&J for agility. My dogs can be a bit too polite at times and this is great for injecting a bit of crazy. Zig did fantastically with the in season Em close by and she didn't even blink when I practiced around the chook pen. Not exactly the ideal low distraction environment but I don't really want to train her indoors too much as she leaves her scent behind and it sends Zig a little bonkers.

sheena, there was a discussion on Clean Run Yahoo Group recently particularly with indoor comps. Several solutions were put forward so it might be worth doing a search.

Hormones are fascinating. This crazy little dog goes even crazier when she is in season - early riser all of a sudden and is not happy unless she is hunting and running like a thing possessed or training HARD. Today I did lining, handling and double rise/double fall and could not trick her for all the world. In 2 weeks time she will be ridiculously fit and I will be exhausted :laugh:

No, but should I wish, she could wear a collar as well and I would just remove the harness.

I recommend and use harnesses very sparingly. My dogs mostly are off leash and collarless. Zig walks in a simple Blackdog martingale but Em has a harness - she is so, so, so birdy that she has a tendency to EXPLODE from a standing start to hunt, quarter and retrieve. The force on her neck is sudden, unpredictable and dramatic. It's not uncommon in field bred ESS. I prefer to train than walk her but I wouldn't have her running in a harness - too restrictive for my liking.

My heart is breaking for you LP x Our two very different but equally special companions have brought so much joy to so many people - and managed to educate them along the way. That's something I hold very dear to my heart and I hope you do too. Leo was the goofiest, most darling boy and we have been raising our glasses to him each night here in The Spotted Devil household. This beautiful poetry strikes a chord with me and I hope it does with you xxx On Joy and Sorrow Kahlil Gibran Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater." But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Maybe use a different variation of her name....Dee vs Didi?

Yes, if you're in Melbourne I'd be happy to catch up at an agility trial and introduce you to a few folk with different breeds!

I am a gundog fan but mine gets a LOT of training and intense exercise - running and swimming. The other thing I would clarify is do you want to dabble in agility or do you really want to compete? The latter requires a fair bit of commitment training wise but if you select a high energy breed you will end up with a dog that is easy to live with as a by product of all that mental and physical activity - I hope that makes sense! If you just want to dabble the CKCS would be perfect too - yes, they compete but can be a little more difficult to motivate. Love the mini Poodles - would have one in an instant if I didn't love my gundog trials so much. Dalmatians can also be awesome family dogs but do need a good deal of exercise and structured, fun training. Oh and you need a sense of humour too :laugh: I do agility with my Dalmatian and my ESS in addition to retrieving and obedience - but I like a challenge :) Make sure you get the dog you want to live with first though!

The 9th might work for me - at this stage I've got classes to run until about 12.30pm I was going to go to an agility trial on the 10th but I'm tossing up….3 hours drive (= 4am departure) and only one dog to take for 4 runs…

Yes, I had one of those DWDH with Em when I forgot that tug really isn't her thing. Was careful to push through for a little play and give her a break before using food. She really explodes with food so I don't mind. I had Zig as my demo dog in a Puppy Games class tonight. He did some lovely IYC with cheese on his paws. I was also throwing food into the crate to reward for relaxing with the door open - he was catching them in his mouth mostly but one bounced off and landed in front of the crate. He put one paw out and changed his mind, scurrying backwards into the crate. Boy he got some cheese for that!

:laugh: You guys are cracking me up! Little Em has come into season! Perfect timing in terms of upcoming Nationals etc but also great for Recallers as her energy levels go through the stratosphere and she is pretty manic about training. She is only exercised in the chook yard now (they are locked into The Chook Palace) so I am recalling her off level 8-9 distractions. Zig is entire too so lots of training to keep his mind out of the gutter :laugh: Loving PB&J

Garlic as a repellant for fleas is a myth that arose out of a single scientific paper many years ago. Yes both it and onion are toxic for dogs and cats but I wouldn't worry about a small amount that is cooked.

Damn you Leah and your adorable pups *shakes fist* What a lovely bed!

I'm so very, very sorry A I wrote a tribute to him on your blog but it's disappeared. He was such a wonderful ambassador for the breed and was such a delight to watch in the ring and just hang out with. Love and hugs from all of us xxx

Love this photo of Em taken by the property owners…the water was as cold as it looks!

Max, LAUGHS is what it should be all about I did restrained recalls today - Em is really good at them and just about leapt out of Mr TSD's arms. Zig is very polite but still runs hard. I remember ages ago when Em was really polite so there's hope for him yet :laugh: Em came into season so perfect time to keep both dogs occupied. And she was absolutely SILENT in the crate I will skip Hide N Seek as I just do that when they are puppies so tomorrow will be PB&J. My dogs do a lot of hand touches so I will refine that and catch up on the new games over the weekend.

Thanks for posting the reminder Mrs RB. That should be 8.30am on Sunday for those of us in Melb/Syd.

I have the Winter Hurrta for Ziggy - he really feels the cold and I use it when we camp (was -2C on the weekend) or to keep him warm between agility runs. It's a gorgeous coat and is also water proof. I like how it really gives him coverage on his flank and croup. I also have him sleeping on a self warming heat pad on those freezing nights. It was so cold on the weekend that I threw a light blanket over him as well which he burrowed into.

Oh you poor lass Kirty Your beloved Maisie was one of the GREAT dogs. Remember our trip to Brighton Beach with her and Zig and your Mum's Dally? That's how I remember Maisie - blowing off the advances of the handsome Dally to chase the ball in the waves like a good working dog My Dolly went exactly the same way. Stealing a loaf of bread from the kitchen one night and gone the next. It's such a shock. At least it was not drawn out and she had the best life with you and you made the tough call when you needed to. Big hugs to you Kirty. You do so much for others. Please take some time to take care of yourself Chase that ball at the bridge Maisie. You will be sorely missed.

Yes, for change of position I love using the bait plate - Sue, there is a video on my YouTube doing this with Zig - I think it's called The Spotted Devil Himself. There is a funny bit at the start where he anticipates the drop and races off to self reward at the bait plate - because I have a massive party with my dogs if they occasionally make an error and take the food, the lack of "party" takes all the fun out of it. For DOR I love 2 food game. For stays I think crate games is invaluable as well as lots of steady feet game. Oh and out of sight stays can be mind blowing in a trial.

Sue - so many positives Sometimes I find my dogs display their most inexplicable behaviours when they are working through an understanding of their 'job.' I tend to go back to basics and rebuild confidence.

Well I'm a few game days behind now but will start playing catch up tomorrow. Meant to say that I continued to do recalls all weekend and found that Zig responds really well to "come" and not so well to "Ziggy" whilst Em responds really well to "Emmy" and not so well to "come". Em is checking in more often so I do multiple nose touches for checking in so she gets something. She has learnt not to bother about running when I call "Ziggy" so interesting to see where the value is. Em needs work when she is out of sight of me - I think that is her 10.

Great brags Em was steady as a rock all weekend (in the hide is her weakness) and worked her little butt off. Top scored an All Age run for the first time (*faints*) on Saturday (and bombed out stylishly in the next run) and did 3 tough runs (3 retrieves each run) to finish the trial on Sunday (which is awesome). There was a classic IYC moment on Sunday - had she made the wrong choice it would have put us out of the trial!