The Spotted Devil

Very sorry to hear this kirty *hugs* I hope you both recover your confidence soon. One thing I've noticed (anecdotally) from my shelter dog behaviour research is that they can react so differently towards individual people, in different environments (eg shelter quarantine vs temp test vs adoption kennels vs home) and over time. The shelters I have worked with here and in the US have been tough on DA and HA.

I think there's a lot of truth in that :) A different situation but I have a retired breeding Burmese cat and I have no doubt she has a better life with us. She is one of very few so is lavished with attention, has her own daughter to wash for hours on end and runs the house with an iron paw. She is brilliant with the dogs (not so in her breeder's home) - puts puppies and annoying Dalmatians in their place without hesitation but her response is perfectly timed and in keeping with the level of annoyance. She has come out of her shell so much and is supremely confident, incredibly playful and slightly crazy :laugh: I had the opportunity to adopt HER mother as well (so 3 generations!) but I'm glad I didn't because she was a very bossy granny cat and I doubt Lilly would ever have blossomed as she has :) I certainly had to work hard to develop a bond with my Dally but it has payed off in spades now. I love that he really wants to come training and trialling even when young Em is in season. It took all of 5 min to bond with Miss E. so a very different experience.

I just had a look at your video... super work If your Mum has the opportunity to bring you a bit further east one day I would be more than happy to catch up. You could have a play with my Dally too if you like... he's on my YouTube channel in my signature. Lots of bad handling from me to laugh at too!

So I see! I don't know clubs in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne but hopefully someone else will :) Have you had a look at Dogs Vic website? If you want to come to a trial let us know in the agility thread or via PM. I would be happy to catch up with you between running dogs - you can also see what stewarding is all about, which is a great way to learn. Do you know the Vic Agility website?

Good on you It is hard to be self critical sometimes. Don't beat yourself up about it though - we ALL stuff our dogs up....*points to self and nods* :laugh: Feel free to come join us in the Training forum. There's an agility thread in there for training, results and the odd giggle at our own handling :D

Gah. Tough week with in-laws etc but have managed to squeeze in training most days. She's feeling super sexy at the moment so I'm fairly impressed with her work ethic. Today I ran Em on 3 cold blinds. First one across cover. Took the line well but do you think she could take a left over???? A back would have sent her into the water (bad) but left over and she wanted to come in. Walked out when it was clear she had NO idea what I was asking her to do. Give me strength!!! On the upside her whistle stops were so much better than the last few days. Second one was over water. Took the line really well and stopped and cast left no problem. Wish I could get inside her head sometimes! Third one was over bare ground and next to cover. Handling was much better on this one - took a left over and right back really well. Moved to 2 ponds to work on lining and cheating. Tossed a mark in the second pond to show her the line. Then tossed it again but heeled her to other side of the first pond and sent as a hot blind. Took 2 handles in water to keep her straight but pleased with her stops and casting. She entered the second pond, picked up the dummy and took a neat shortcut to cheat. As she came running back I met her and gave her a NRM. Heeled her back to the second pond (with her holding the dummy), received the dummy, threw it and sent her. Delivered to hand nicely. Threw the dummy again and heeled her back to the first pond and sent as a blind all over again. Perfect line out and back so very pleased and told her so as she entered the water. It was getting pretty chilly so warmed her up with some hand thrown marks into cover, an easy double and a two bird. Marking, hunting and concept understanding much improved. So much to train!!!

My Spotty dog wears a coat 24/7 at this time of year unless he's training or exercising. I leave the heating on 16C when I'm out and he has a toasty warm crate to snuggle in if it's very cold. The only time he got caught up in something was when I was home! He was being silly (surprise surprise :laugh:) and his coat got caught in the magazine rack - he did get an awful fright and his beautiful Harrods water bowl was broken in the process but he was fine. I moved the magazine rack and have never had another problem. For home use I have coats with velcro - they are more likely to come off if they do get caught. I have an extra thick jacket for outdoors training/camping that I wouldn't leave on him during the day as it is also more secure.

What a shame! I often train my dogs at the local sports ovals if they are free and, if there's a cross-over with kids sports I always tell them I'll get out of their way (often have to pack up agility equipment). They always say "no, that's fine we're just setting up" and everyone is happy. Sometimes the kids will come and watch and I'll explain what I'm doing - keeps everyone smiling.

Not an iPhone app but I do have an indoor/outdoor temp station for the rear of my car - I keep the indoor thermometer and reader in a front compartment so it's easy to check. It has enough of a range that I can leave the dogs in the car, take the reader with me and keep an eye on the temp from a cafe, for example. I bought it pretty cheaply in the US.

I stuff Kongs with a mix of dry food, a little raw diced lamb (bought some cheap off cuts) and 4 Legs dog roll or balls. I mix it up with my hands so it's almost paste like and pack it really hard into the Kong - a good 30-40 min activity for a very determined, in season, Spaniel who is being confined more than usual. A nice meaty bone, lots of exercise and training as well and she is generally content. No food in bowls at all.

Bwahahahahaha

Extraordinary Huge congratulations to all of you

Methinks a different state of mind.....

Yes, my parents said I'm not allowed to get my own dog until I move out. I'm 14 now so I've still got a long time to consider this. I'm training my cocker at the moment, I love teaching her tricks and we've only just started agility. So for now I'm just dreaming up my perfect dog, and working with my cocker. Thanks for the help! I am familiar with Guiremere, Kayladene and Adensly kennels amongst others - some great agility dogs but I agree what others have said about learning to drive before you get yourself a Ferrari My most experienced dog currently is a Dalmatian and he has been THE best teacher I could ever dream of. Super hard to motivate to do anything apart from lift his leg on a tree for the first 2 years but has just blossomed over the last 4 as I've worked out what makes him "tick". He runs really well now and gives his all (most of the time!) He wouldn't play tug or accept food or any other "reward" to begin with but now takes whatever I offer him. I do like a challenge though :) Very short, snappy, highly rewarding sessions are a good start - try to finish before your dog has had enough. Leave him happy, confident and desperate for more.

Still undecided...for the most part because I'm not sure what I'll be doing work wise...

Never not funny

It's miserably cold here too rubyroo! The only upside is that there's less people out and about - Em and my Muck boots don't mind sloshing about in poorly drained training grounds :D Found some moderate cover for marking practice yesterday. Mr TSD threw a heap of walking singles for us - started with longer ones landing in clear ground and finished with shorter ones landing in cover. One ended up in a tree and Mr TSD managed to hook another one up there trying to get the first one down Laughed so hard it hurt! Today I started with 3 cold blinds. One across cheaty cover (yes she tried), one across clear ground, through a row of trees and over a pathway and the 3rd one up on a hill so a few different concepts to work through. Lining, stopping and handling was better. She also learnt that just because she turns the correct way doesn't mean she can then veer off at right angles :D Finished off with left/right backs to pile at increasing distances from the cheaty cover so she had to turn and attack the cover with real intent. That little drill was fantastic so I cued her to pick up the final dummy as a double rise.

Not to mention FIV, vectors for parasites, cat bite abscess, limited human contact (affecting potential for rehoming) etc etc

Another whirlwind week but training both dogs helps manage the hormones! Monday - Em missed out as I had a 12 hour day then took Zig to agility Tuesday - headed to the abandoned golf course and walked the BB in. Good exercise in itself! Worked on doubles with varying success - set ups weren't always ideal so needed to tweak them. Helps if the dog can see the mark! She's got the concept ok but memory marks need more work. Wednesday (today) - bitterly cold but it drives the tourists away so perfect! Started with a quick whistle sit game before moving on to 3 cold blinds. First one was rather interesting... "What's a blind?" she asked. Whether it was general confusion or the hormones talking I'm not sure but I ended up giving her a light hearted NRM and putting the leash on. She looked miserable so I gave her another try and she was fine! Stopping and handling much better but lining off my leg/hand wasn't great today. Worked on left and right backs to pile whilst increasing distance between us and she nailed them all - really pleased with that. Finished with a few "finds" to work the nose and some more whistle sits. A productive session but found more holes!!!!

I haven't no! The treasurer on the committee at the local club has them, and I've helped handle them and others before, one of the few breeds I've handled for other people, the others being Paps, Danes and Staffords (got my start showing with Staffords!). Beautiful clean dogs, nice personalties and well trained, at least at shows. Although her dallies broke her leg when they came hooning down a hill at top speed and her big boy slammed into her! More than happy to answer any questions you have. I love my lad - it took consistency, patience and a sense of humour to get us through the teenage years but we worked each other out. Independent by nature but definitely trainable - Zig competes in agility and obedience and we dabbled in showing when I had time. He is very aware of not running into me even when playing with another dog. Being an entire male most other males dislike him but the girls just adore him. He's brilliant with my cats, foster kittens, puppies and kids. There can be a dog fight going on in front of him and he just ignores it as long as the dog is not threatening him directly. My ESS is currently in season and he is still super keen to train with me although his mind is elsewhere at times. Plus he's super handsome I reckon :D

I rarely suggest my own breeds but have you considered a Dally?

I find the older dogs love their routine and so I keep puppy out of their face as much as I can until they decide he's fun. I had a very bold (lovely) young pup stay with me for a few months and it was really interesting. He threw himself on the couch and received a very restrained hiss and swipe from my eldest cat for his troubles. That cat's daughter is very sweet and pup had much less respect for her than her Mama so I had to be more vigilant. Youngest cat hissed once and then launched straight into pup-cat play/wrestle/chase mode so supervision required (to protect pup!) Entire male Dalmatian was disappointed pup wasn't a female and was very disinterested in playing. He put pup in his place several times very appropriately and pup was reasonably respectful although he continued to push his luck. Entire female Springer thought pup was AWFUL....a week of growling and barking in disgust with the pup ignoring all that and playing with her regardless. Suddenly Em decided he was FUN and they played non stop for several hours - quite brilliant to watch it all unfold :)

That's one thing I love about my Dally - no doggy smell! Perhaps it all falls out with the hair :laugh: Whilst keeping all the hair (2 dogs, 3 cats) under control drives me a bit batty sometimes, there is just SO much about their behavioural characteristics that I love and I don't regret my choices. I enjoy brushing my ESS (field bred lines so not much coat) but once a week is plenty plus a light trim of her feathers whenever I feel like it (very few months?). I love Poodles but the grooming would drive me slightly crazier than sweeping/dusting/wiping/vacuuming every few days. I figure Mr TSD contributes his fair share to the moulting issues too!

I hear you with the Spotty Dog Janba :laugh: The house and car are set up to manage dog and cat hair - floorboards, clean lines, cargo space and the occasional "blind eye" :D Wouldn't swap them for the world. In fact, the way mud and dirt drop out of their coats is just brilliant. Everyone comments on how white their whites are....maybe it's just the dirty hair that sheds!

I've been following this thread and that pretty much sums it up Jo