The Spotted Devil

I have one for Em - just for in the back of the car if I have the rear door open (on a short lead so she can't hurt herself). It's exactly as it looks if that makes sense - quite wide, padded and slips easily over the head. I use a limited slip lead on Em usually. Quality product - typical Clean Run!

I did until recently - I download them as PDFs though.

Fantastic Lisey and RnH Sounds like you are having fun! I had a great night at training tonight....Em should have been exhausted with all the retrieving work today and yesterday but she was delightfully feral and keen - nothing funnier than a 400 dog who thinks she needs to clear 600! Super responsive and hard running. Zig was great and I pushed him harder - layering and sending from further out - mucked him up but he bounced back and worked it out! I also had the privilege of running one of my favourite dogs - a super quick 400 Masters BC - she reminds of Em and was more than happy to run for me. Nailed her contacts, was heaps of fun and only mucked up the weaves because I didn't use her correct command early enough. I was so out of breath!!!!! But it gives her handler another option at a trial as her knee gives her some grief.

Sorry Tassie but What a shame TO - I love Hastings trials....my old club! But it's always very well organised, relaxed and super friendly.

Congratulations DD What a lovely reward for effort I love the pic of Elsie weaving - she gets really low down! I really enjoyed running the dogs at yesterday's trial - we were all relaxed and fresh and the cool weather added an extra ZING! The first 2 Masters Jumping and 1 Master Agility runs were in the same ring and the courses were tight, twisty and not really what we were used to. Zig ran beautifully, got me out of trouble once or twice and ran clear in all of them. Unfortunately the time on the JDM courses was very quick for a tall dog on a tight course (4m plus/s) and we just missed on a Q. We weren't alone, though - there were only 3 or 4 passes out of more than 70 entries in each JDM run! Made time by a country mile on the ADM course, though, and came 1st in 600 height and 4th overall out of around 60 dogs. Then it was 2 ADM courses in the afternoon - should have nailed the first one but I managed to pull Zig off a jump right in front of him by dropping my shoulder just a little too much Of course he did all the hard bits :laugh: Nailed the 2nd course though (it was nearly twilight when we were running) and came 4th in 600 height. Em ran the best she has in aaaaaages - so glad I pulled her out of agility - it has taken the pressure off. She ran like a little thing possessed, handled like a race car and really concentrated on keeping the jumps UP. I did an awful rear cross in the first JDX run and pulled her off a jump, thus blowing our chances there, and she misjudged a couple of take-offs in the second course and brought some jumps down. SUPER attitude and she is getting much faster....which is a little scary!!!

Urine Off is also excellent - Petstock usually have it.

There's certainly a lot of variables. Bushwalking with Zig is very pleasant but not with Em. She cannot walk and run like a normal dog but is straight into quartering and hunting mode - probably doesn't help that her training means her value for game is constantly heightened and is pretty much insatiable unless she is carrying something. Some of the retrieving people I train and compete with are astounded at how badly she wants her prize and what she will do to get it - both on and off the job. But that is what she is bred to do. When she's training I can handle her off live game and onto dummies but that takes a lot of concentration and effort for both of us. It has certainly been an eye opener and thankfully she is not an average dog :laugh:

Link

My ideal is to call once - voice or whistle as appropriate. I have called my Dally off several kangaroos and he has stopped and turned back as soon as possible, even when in full flight. That is my ideal but he has a very long history of being reinforced for snappy recalls. And was definitely NOT a natural. My Springer, on the hand, is a work in progress. Doing obedience, agility, retrieving, free running on the oval and she is fantastic. Let her loose in cover on live game and look out - just too much instinct if left to her own devices. So I don't :) I never take my dogs' recalls for granted and continue to raise the criteria and reinforce as needed.

She's beautiful. Much better behaved than my crazy pair :laugh:

How lovely you have an Ed daughter - a wonderful legacy and I'm sorry to hear of Ed's injury. Best excuse EVER Wow, 3.5 already Where has the time gone??? Sorry for OT - talk about blast from the past

Finishing PhD. Seventeen million* casual jobs (Uni teaching, research assistant, dog trainer). 2 overseas trips - mostly study. Retrieving trialling with Springer (Em) Zig still going strong in agility. Em does a bit on the side. Ran Zig in CDX at Dally Nationals last year and he was great - except for the hilarious moment when he mistook the judge's legs for mine and took the dumbbell over to her. I have it on DVD and the look on his face is priceless Not much really :D * possibly a slight exaggeration

Hey shoe-y

I've been meaning to try a Dremel with my Dally - his nails are THICK and he tolerates trimming because we do a gallop down the hallway to a biscuit afterwards. My ESS (and my 3 cats) are weird. They all love having their nails done....on their back on my lap. I swear a queue forms when I bring the nail trimmers out - it's just another excuse for one on one attention I suspect! Everyone has nails done approx every 10 days. The dogs run on grass and Dally nails sit very high and don't wear...the quicks can get long in no time.

My Dally doesn't have a particularly good "off switch" when he's away from home and sleeps very heavily after spending time in kennels. He would be one of those dogs that is delighted when everyone leaves for the evening as long as he is warm and comfortable. I always board them off peak and they spend a good proportion of the day in the exercise yards. Boarding is never ideal, especially when your pets are used to a lot of human interaction, but my lot tend to respond better each time they are boarded. And I'm very fussy about where I leave them.

Thanks rubyroo :D Birthdays go for anything up to a month in our house so not too late at all :laugh: Any WA folk at the recent state champs? I've seen the results of course but I'd love to know how everyone went and what the runs were like!

Yay Tassie

Happy Birthday Em Talk about an exponential learning curve for both of us!

All Dallies have the gene unfortunately. There are likely to be multiple influences as some develop it on an ideal diet and others do ok on a crap diet.

I can't say I've ever seen that available here although it may be new on the market. The big no-no is liver treats - please emphasise this especially.

Oh dear Thanks for trying. DCA definitely has the best info.

I feed Artemis adult, a bit of Pro Plan Salmon and raw chicken frames. I have read a lot of ingredients lists and have settled on this diet. Treats are cheese, 4 Legs, chicken, egg and salmon. Tuna is not so great. Salmon is ok. Red meats are not so great. Chicken and turkey are better. Organ meat, especially liver is bad. I also avoid dry food with Brewer's yeast. Brocolli (I think!) is bad as are oysters....I eat Zig's share :laugh: Dally Club of America has lots of info: http://www.thedca.org/purines.html If there is a current stone forming issue then one of the Hills diets might be best.

Em generally cigars when she's mentally tired so I take it as a sign that I've done too much. I suspect she was "shopping" yesterday and, when I whistled her to hurry up, she just grabbed at anything :laugh: I'm not a fan of training DVDs - much prefer books where I absorb the detail. We both have so much to learn but I'm realising that I can't do everything at once. Today I found a small lake that we haven't used before. Weather is pretty average - very windy and not exactly warm but the rain stayed away. Worked on lefts/rights across the water with a dummy....I moved around to guide her and she got the hang of that. Ran it until she was super comfortable and then worked on selection. Throw first dummy into water. Leave. Throw second dummy into water. Leave. Pick up first dummy. Pick up second dummy. Throw double fall as she's swimming to second dummy. Leave double fall. Throw dummy on land. Pick up. Pick up double fall in water. All good - needed a reminder not to pick up double fall. Warmed her up with a few land retrieves...Throw first dummy. Leave. Turn 60 degrees to right. Throw second dummy. Leave. Turn 60 degrees to right. Throw third dummy. Pick up third dummy. Heel to left through line of second dummy (leave!) and pick up first dummy. Pick up second dummy. Throw 2 bird. Pick up 2 bird. Dry off and home for some couch time

Sneaky :laugh: This course is designed for potential performance pups and it's great to stretch owner ideas... lots of motivation balanced with impulse control for the pups and constant lessons in timing for owners.