The Spotted Devil

An odd brag here....but Em eats the dog food both she and Zig win as prizes (she has a cast iron stomach!) and I've just purchased her a bag of food for the first time since May 2012. I think they've earned their keep!

Bob-a-lot is awesome. Zig did demos for the distributer at Pet Expo a few years back. We were going to be given the used one to take home but they sold out and some guy bought it, Zig slobber and all!

I don't feed pups or adult dogs out of bowls much - for youngsters it's training, stuffed Kongs and scattered dry or RMB. Adults generally have their dry via training or a Kong Wobbler ($12 and free shipping from the USA!) plus stuffed Kongs if The Springer Devil is in season.

And that's the trick! Sounds like there was too much in one session for her - when I'm working on speed and focus and excitement I will focus on up to three obstacles maximum - and this is with my dogs that are already experienced and titled in obedience, agility and retrieving.

Honestly, I never have dogs on leash on agility equipment. I would play LOTS of interactive games - tug if she loves that or tricks for food rewards. I wouldn't be touching obstacles but would do heaps of off leash flat work as dogs spend a lot more time between obstacles than tackling them. This builds confidence and you can teach heaps of handling skills. Once you progress, for tunnels (short and straight) and jumps (low!) I do restrained recalls through or over one jump at a time and then have a crazy game. You need to build value for the obstacles and playing the agility game with you. ETA: She is leaving because she is stressed. Just because dogs love to run and love being with you it does not mean that they will love agility. My Em is a case in point - but I am teaching her to love it by breaking it all down to tiny parts filled with running flat out and fun!

Bless 'em, they're too bloody minded to die young lol.

Make that 5!!! Freaking hell!!! What a gal - go Reba!

My own ACD was 17 when she was given her wings. Not bad for a dog that nearly died after eating compost and nearly died a second time after walking into the neighbour's garage and devouring an entire box of snail pellets (including the box) whilst my flat mate was chatting to the neighbour. We went through some scotch that night. True to form she counter surfed the night before she became ill (liver cancer) and ate an entire loaf of bread. We had to walk her on leash only in her last 12 months as she would forget her arthritis and sprint flat out on the beach only to pull up terribly sore the next day.

Thanks for the clarification dragonwoman - much appreciated. I think the heat has addled my brain!

There used to be a cut off point but I think they have changed it so that the club can advertise it's own heat policy and this seems to be working well eg Ballarat cancelled their show scheduled for today on Friday afternoon. Retrieving is not mentioned in the rules as far as I am aware - I for one will be keeping a close eye on the forecast but there will be plenty of time to make a decision I think.

*bump*

A UTI can be fatal for cats - it's a very general description for a cat that is having difficulty urinating - it may indicate cystitis, blockage or kidney failure.

Two local options are: http://www.specdog.com.au or http://www.sportingoutbacksupplies.com.au/home.php?cat=279

Yes - Awesome Paws it is. I am working too many nights to start before March. Will start with Em and work on Zig at home.

Shall do. And by "next month" I actually meant March!

Dog help me I'm learning the SG handling method starting next month. Will be interesting!

Wow. What a huge weekend. Saturday. First foray into AA and I was unusually nervous. Em was a bit underdone in terms of marking practice but we will work on that. 22 dogs. 4 scratchings. Run 1: Double memory mark and rabbit blind. Get the blind and pick up in any order. Leave dog in hide. Shoot at blind. Reload. Call dog. Long mark left to right. Shorter mark left to right (to the right of first mark). Blind to the left of the first mark. Em saw the marks well and she wanted that first mark badly. It took a bit of handling to get her on the blind but then she took a super line back and picked it up. Sent her for the long mark (had to keep her off the short mark) but she'd lost a bit of confidence after all the "leave!" commands and wasn't sure she should get it. Not unusual for a dog new to AA. But we picked up both marks and I was delighted! Lost 5 dogs on that run. Run 2: Memory mark (left to right) across a sliver of very cheaty water. To the left of that another mark went up. Send your dog. Double fall went up. We managed to turn this into a memory mark and double blind damn it! She saw the memory mark well and I lined her up for the next mark and she looked back towards the first mark at an inopportune moment and missed the lot!!! I wasn't 100% sure what she had seen so sent her but had to handle immediately. Of course then I missed the double fall go up and was super late firing so had to handle that too! Sent her for the memory mark and she hit the water, swam over, picked up the mark very cleanly and ran back through the water - probably was the straightest dog out and back on that retrieve - I was delighted with her! I think we lost a couple of dogs on this run. Run 3: Hard work for both of us this one! Move to peg on river bank. Fire at mark on other side of river. Reload. Move to second peg - fire at short walk up mark on our side of river landing in reeds. Fire across river at blind (to the right of first mark). Move to pegs. Send for blind. Send for long mark. Send for short mark. I'm super proud of our effort on the water blind - for it was a true team effort. I blew quite a few whistles but, as the judge told me, I challenged the line and kept her right on target. It was bloody hard though with all the suction. At one point she was on the land and either saw or smelled the mark so it was a calm "leave" and send right. Phew! Then I had to send her for the mark and there were a few nervous moments as I could barely see her through the thick cover. The relocation really threw her. The short mark was easy after all that and she cut through the water and enjoyed hunting that up in the reeds. So we finished our first AA. I was on Cloud Nine but absolutely exhausted! It's such a long time to be at the pegs. 10 mins sometimes. Sunday. Still nervous and feeling tired but Em was ready for more. Run 1: Crikey - what a way to start! Double water blind. Leave your dog in the hide. Fire at blinds. Call dog. First blind was across water and second was a long channel swim with lots of suction including the area of the first blind, a "poison" rabbit and several tempting river exits or "points". I heard the judge comment to the steward about Em's madly wagging tail whilst she was in the hide. That made me smile. Sent her for the first blind and was very pleased - one command. Most handlers sent their dogs to the easy exit point but, in typical Spaniel style, I could see Em wanted to tackle the heavy timber so I let her go as she really enjoys it and it was on the correct line. She picked up the game and came back the same way. The bank was steep and she struggled to get up but worked it out ok. Sent her for the second blind. I didn't see this coming but she ended up parallel to the bank and I had to handle to get her back on line. I think the steepness of the bank threw her off her line when she entered the water - someone commented that it wouldn't help being so small! Anyway, got her back and I heard the gallery laugh when, instead of swimming under or around the dead branch in the water like every other dog, she climbed on top of it and stared at me like a Meerkat! Kept her on the line and when she finally hit land she hunted out the retrieve beautifully on her own. Phew! We lost 4 or 5 dogs on this run - always the channel swim. Run 2: Double memory mark split by a rabbit blind. Leave dog at pegs. Proceed to firing pegs. Fire at blind. Reload. Call dog. Fire at short mark thrown left to right (right of blind) landing in clear ground but behind heavy cover. Fire at long mark to left of blind (thrown right to left). Pick up blind, long mark then short mark. Blind wasn't too bad but I had to push her deeper a few times before she got the idea. She was pulling up short and swinging back to me. Long mark - not sure if she really saw this. I had to handle her and she left my side rather uncertainly. Had a face to face with a cow whilst she was out there. Sent her for the short mark and she had completely forgotten where it was. I handled her and she took a lovely line into the deep cover but then I couldn't see a thing. Thought she should be on top of it but she appeared way out to the left. Got her back and did the same thing but evidently she was not pushing back deep enough and she appeared in the same place. Judge said to call her in and I was happy to as she wasn't going to get it. I recall her doing something similar when she was confused like that back in Novice. I think a couple of dogs went out on that run but there was some super work. Run 3: Caught some of this once I packed up my camp. Double rise in water and a blind further on that would have caught out dogs that tried to cheat. Some great work here as well. So! 5 runs and 13 retrieves over 2 days is a LOT of experience so I am thrilled to bits. Her handling was really good. I need to stop her more quickly and send her more slowly. We need to work on harder marks. Her lining was sometimes great and sometimes crap but that is better than always crap so we will continue on with what we're doing. Had such a nice weekend with lots of supportive people who were as thrilled for us as I was. This time last year I was in the USA and Em was in Novice still - first trial for the year wasn't until April so it's been a huge 12 months.

Thanks - went out on the final bird of the 2nd run today but not before she did a tough 1st run. So so pleased - she tried so hard. Lots to work on but more on the runs later.

Finished our first AA trial today! Some bits were a bit crap and some work was sensational so lots to take away. Enjoying wine, Brie and olives in as the sun goes down. Falling asleep sitting up... And I'm not far behind...big day for us both.

Thanks for the heads up - I have a bag on the way!

Slightly opposite but my dogs are super switched on to live prey type movement, especially Em (who loves gun shot) -no interest in TV whatsoever.

My dogs aren't interested. My cats, on the other hand, go crazy for Olympic diving and their very own kitty DVD with birds, fish and toys flying across the screen.

Just a heads up about the Victorian Gundog Club's next training day on Sunday 9th February to be held at Tooberac - gates open at 8.30am commencing 9.00am. Please see here for further details including directions and registration. I will try to answer any questions you have in this thread!

Visitors tend to gush over cute dogs too, which can be very off putting for the dog in question! I crate my Springer when guests arrive so they can't harass her. When everyone has settled, I tell them to ignore her, let her out and she is soon having snuggles with everyone.

How long are you confining pup for? How big is her pen? Crates are a short term option only. It's normal for a pup to not want to be left alone so you need to teach them it's ok but in short bursts, not hours on end.