The Spotted Devil

I hear you baby :laugh: Super work with your youngster.....was asked the other night why I didn't train RC with Em but I simply don't have the time, space or equipment to do it. I started with a 2o/2o target with her and she turned it into a 2o/2o drop on the DW. Just suits her flexible body shape I guess so I let her go. _megan - I have only just started back agility trialling again after all my O/S gallivanting so not sure what you are up to - are you entered this weekend? I will be at KCC Saturday for Group 3 agility and Ballarat on Sunday.

I second the thinning scissors - I bought a single sided pair and trim Em's paws, feathering on the hock, feathering up to her "wrists" and tail. So easy to use and it doesn't look like someone with no idea (i.e. me!) has done it. My ESS does not have a long or thick coat but she does train/trial in some pretty nasty prickles etc. She looks really neat and tidy but still has the pretty coat that I love.

Oh my Vizzies are just THE cutest puppies.....after Springers and Dallies of course :laugh: Beautiful clarity on those photos (coming from a completely ignorant photo person who just knows what she likes :) )

What a lovely thread A couple of pics taken by the talented Sal Robinson at KCC park...I think they capture what it's like living with two very different dogs... Confident in water... Not so much... Serious about training... Not so much... What to do when off duty? Run! Flirt! :laugh:

Yes, I agree to a point. I am always willing to donate my time to do demos with my dogs (4 hour round trip for a 5 min retrieving demo at a winery a few months ago) but there was such a strong emphasis on me doing everything (involving time and money) and them doing nothing (and making $$$) that I decided against it. They contacted me originally, didn't follow up as discussed and then sent emails telling me the audition day was cancelled due to an overwhelming response (huh?), please submit your proposal ASAP (huh?), thank you for proposal but you were unsuccessful (huh?). And didn't respond when I replied to those emails. Clearly generic emails sent to a mailing list but simply not helpful if you're trying to get people to volunteer their valuable time.

Thank you Ptolomy, I was very pleased with Rebel, great work on the first run a double mark, short one to our left and long one over the river to our right, short one the memory bird and remember it very well. Run2, mark double rise, he did a good job on the mark but I was a little late responding when he went over the opposite side of the river and got stuck in the area of a mark from Sunday, so rather than do too much nagging asked if I could call him in which I did. Judge actually said at presentations that he was a bit disappointed with all the work on the double rise, but some still managed it. Judge also let us that were out do run3 a blind and a walk up mark (not done a walk up mark since the first trial last year ) but he did a nice sit to shot and retrieved his mark, however like all the dogs when going for the mark which was up on a high bank followed the path away to the left on it, but I did get him back and got a beautiful sit to the whistle so that the path to the blind was off his left shoulder, gave him and over and did it beautifully and just before he got to the path again, told him "find" so he knew there was something close, got his nose working and realised it was up and started his climb, so I encouraged with a couple more good boys. So while not everything went to plan he sure put in some very nice work, so very pleased.:D Strauss and Nina were very good with the gun doing off close by, and the water retrieves were terrific, a couple of stars in the making I think. :laugh: Sounds like an excellent day and some promising work Livertreats!

English Springer Spaniel - there are distinct "show" lines and "working" lines. If you are not bothered by the amount of coat the former may suit you better - lovely dogs. I have a working (or field-bred) ESS - smaller, longer than she is tall (show ESS are squarer in shape), less coat and feathering, shorter ears, has 2 speeds (asleep and flat out running) and she needs a definite job to do! She doesn't enjoy walks as much as she adores training (she gets to run!) and she has a very strong hunting instinct. That said she snuggles up with 3 cats after a long day training/competing and has one of the best "off" switches I have ever encountered. I do know of working ESS in pet homes with families, though, so it's a case of finding the right breeder who can help you select the most suitable pup :) Good luck!

I hear a lot of breed clubs have pulled out, conditions offered for admission, parking, space, housing of dogs have caused it Yes. I hear the same thing.

No. Was approached to do a demo but, based on their response, I wasn't interested.

I nearly bought one of these when it was on free shipping: http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=527&ParentCat=530 Realised I had a couple of free promotional beds (Hills??) that were not as comfy but do the trick for Zig when we're camping. I just bought one of the self-warming crate pads on free shipping: http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3012&ParentCat=526 Hoping it will arrive by this weekend but not counting on it.

Well, the paper clearly shows it's from 2010, so it wouldn't surprise me that it's the 2010 MPW. Beat me to it :) I just assumed they were talking about this year so was surprised.

May 16th is quoted in the article as being the day of the MPW. I believe that's a Thursday in 2013. Last time May 16th fell on a Saturday is 2009. Sunday in 2010. ETA: Just noticed the newspaper publishing date is listed as 2010.

Have fun! I have different bags for different activities....my agility/obedience bag has... collapsible bowls dry treats (back up plan if I leave my stuff at home) small absorbent towel/cleaning cloth for dogs tug toys dumbbell Zig's agility trialling leash poo bags hand wipes aerogard club membership/instructor badges Water, larger towels, treat bum bags (with clicker, poo bags, treats), tie out stakes, mallet, whistles, collapsible bucket for cool coats and other training gear are in the car. Retrieving bag is a camp stool backpack and has water as I'm more likely to venture further from the car.

Thats because she's in my bathroom. Made my day :laugh:

Sounds like a nice day out had by all Ptolomy - your two seem to be enjoying their new found talent S 'n' T - good luck with the RATG preparation. If it comes down to talking to your dog I'd say stuff the points and do what you need to! I've had a really busy week so slotting in training every day has been challenging but it seems to have paid off. Mr TSD discovered our local golf course has closed down and, seeing as the golf coach has been doing 18 holes with his dog, we thought we'd use it for training too :D Being on the mountain, the terrain and trees are challenging for training and for walking! Lots of marking drills, marking with the bumper boy alternating with cold 3 leg lining drills has been on the agenda. Had a super day out yesterday with a friend - between us we had 2 x 4 shot BB (mine is set up to be bi-directional) and 2 x 2 shot BB so were able to set up some useful marking drills for the two youngsters. It was a day for concepts not set ups so found some moderate cover with no trees or obstacles (apart from rabbit warrens!) Ran Em on 4 single marks down hill - long, short, long, short - with nice separation but really testing her depth perception. The first long one landed in clear ground on the up side of the opposite hill, the second long one landed in the gully, whilst the short ones landed over the crest of the down slope. Em has improved so much - nailed them all so we moved on. We set up another single mark so Em had to run through cover, cross a road and through cover to pick it up. The breeze was quite strong and, whilst she took a nice line out and did not hesitate at the road, she was up wind and could not find it no matter how hard she hunted - right in the area but could not push to the other side. I didn't want to handle nor send as a blind so called her in and fired off another dummy a little closer in. A nice confidence builder, she flew out and picked it up no problem. Took the opportunity and sent her back for the double rise - we rarely practice these but I'll often give her the verbal cue when we're running drills. She knew exactly what I meant and took off like a shot - preempted my send but I let her go as I didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm. Re-loaded all the BB and walked around to set up a nicely separated double - selection was fine but she did the same thing as in the trial and lost confidence half way to the memory mark, veering back to the area of the first one picked up. I didn't say a word but just started walking towards the correct dummy. It was delightful to see a moment in action as she worked through her confusion and took off on the exact line to pick up the dummy. I ran that double again and she was so pleased with herself. Went back to the original send point where the other youngster did a simple double. I didn't think it was challenging enough for Em so my training partner suggested I treat it as two memory marks which was a great idea. No problem picking those up at all apart from having to slow her down at the pegs! With one bumper left we decided to practice a walk-up. Away from the BB we practiced turning left and right before putting it all together with a short easy mark - she nailed it. I need a bit more practice :laugh: Had a lovely (late) lunch out, another cuppa back at the house, before visiting Em's breeder with a bottle of champagne There were a few of us to share it and then I got to cuddle puppies SO much chatter and a 2 hour drive meant I didn't arrive home until 10.30pm. A long but very productive day!

As far as I'm aware the handler must be a member also - I suspect it's for insurance purposes as much as anything because the same goes for stewards strictly speaking. Most breeders would be pleased you were doing an ET so give them a call :)

Paperwork can take a while to process - I'd be getting on to it ASAP. As mentioned member of Dogs SA is your first step. Transfer of the dog might take a while (luck of the draw sometimes!) so you might consider entering the dog under the registered owner's name if they are happy with that. You can be listed as handler on the entry form.

Zig has mostly Artemis and a little Pro-plan Sensitive. Dalmatians need a low purine diet (e.g. chicken is good, beef, lamb, liver, brewers yeast is bad) and Artemis fits the bill. A little Pro-plan seems to firm up his poo. Every 2 or 3 days he has a chicken frame for dinner instead. Em has a cast iron stomach and does brilliantly on everything so she gets all the food won in comps. She's had Canidae, RC Labrador (a retrieving trial prize :laugh:) and is currently working her way through 7 bags of Advance. She has chicken frames and lamb necks several times a week.

Sorry megan but I found that very funny :laugh: Bless them.

My Em has a similar problem but with her I think it's that there is so much going on at an agility trial that she gets a bit anxious and struggles to concentrate. To counter this I'm strengthening her pre-trial routine. I've also discovered that I handle her differently in trials - in addition my idea of "supporting" is her idea of "crowding" and "pressure". She needs space to find her entries and concentrate so I am learning to get out of the way. On Monday night I backchained the weaves which seemed to be very effective - they were in the middle of the course but I used them as the last piece of equipment. Added a few jumps each time so she was driving towards the weaves as a focal point.

Thanks Gals :D Still seriously stoked by her 3rd run - she just nailed it. Committed to Restricted whether I like it or not now....think there might be a few "donations to the club" for "a nice weekend in the country" coming up Oh and it got down to 0.6C in Ballarat on Saturday night and I reckon it was colder where we were. I was nice and snuggly in my sleeping bag but, oh boy, was it cold getting up in the morning

Now that's out of my system..... Em won her 3rd Novice today with 181 points for her NRD title :D Yesterday I had to work so missed day 1 of the trial in Pittong (about 40km the other side of Ballarat). I packed up the car, took Em to work and drove up to the trial site last night. A few new purchases made my tent set up even better (camp stretcher, new stove) - heated up my yummy dinner and caught up with friends over a lemonade (yes, seriously :laugh: Alcohol does not mix with a week and a half long headache). I'd entered Novice and Restricted just to get some experience...work between the pegs was very good all day - heeling, steady to shot and deliveries. Both stakes were held in tandem so I'll list the runs as they were held. Run 1 (Restricted) - double mark. Work at the pegs was great - lined up well and took the "leave" command no problem. Sent her for the 2nd bird down and she took a lovely line straight out. Still overrunning but one come-in whistle and she turned on a dime, flew back, hunted, picked it up and delivered to hand. Lined her up for the memory mark. She took a great line out there but fell into a young dog trap - they needed to run through cover, a ditch, cover, bare ground (a road) and into cover again. Em got to the bare ground and, like several dogs, just couldn't push past the road into cover again. When she couldn't find it she tried to go back to where she found the first one. I handled her several times - she responded really well but just didn't get the concept so I called her in. We've been doing confidence building marks through cover into bare ground so I'll put this down as experience and on my To Do list! Run 1 (Novice) - lots of sky, about 80m coming down in nondescript moderate cover, left to right. Lovely straight line, overran it, one come in whistle and she picked it up. She was pinged for her marking (as she should have been) and scored a rather woeful 54 points. Run 2 (Novice) - in water, lots of duckweed and some timber, a moderate land run before the entry. Took a nice line across moderate cover and then I lost sight as she went down the embankment. I think this is where she lost a mark as she did a tiny dog leg into the water but picked it up no problem and took a great line back. Deliver. Shake. 64 points. Run 2 & 3 (Restricted) - I only gun stewarded for this as we didn't have time to run those that bombed out. Run 2 was a double rise on the high side of a gully. Most dogs did a good job on the first retrieve but not so great on the second. Then they returned to the pegs and I swapped the game for fresh cartridges for the third run. The handler reloaded, heeled their dog to another peg, left them in a sit, walked down behind a big tree, fired at the blind in the water, called the dog and sent them to pick it up. It was enough to split the field and LL's Funky won the day Run 3 (Novice) - long, high mark right to left on the high side of another gully and landing behind a heap of fallen timber. By this time the wind had REALLY whipped up and I was thinking that any dogs needing a whistle would be in trouble as you couldn't hear a thing!!!! Em won it on this run. She ran really hard and attacked the gully and cover like a little machine. I lost sight as she went down into the gully but then saw her bolt straight up the other side through timber and cover to appear in the exact area of the fall, pick up the game and take the exact line back to me. I was so thrilled I pumped my fist in the air :laugh: Went crazy with her once the lead was back on and she was as pleased as punch. I hope she knew how well she'd done and remembers it for next time :D 63 points. Picked up 10 points on this run. Home now, Em has had a lamb neck and is fast asleep next to me on the couch and Mr TSD has just pulled a bloody great eye fillet off the Weber so I better scoot!

Great work with the borrowed red dog Livertreats! I thought he was obedience trained Ptolomy Sounds like a successful day of training rubyroo. I do anti cheating training by doing lots of call throughs on tiny ponds, gullies and cover. If she takes the correct line, yes! And throw the game (her highest value reward). If not, ah well, heel back to the start point and try again. I like to show her she has a choice....follow my line around or take the straight line. But start with the dog very close to the edge and throw a dummy 3/4 or 1/2 way in is a good approach as well. Lots of encouragement and praise.

Had a great session with not one but two gurus this morning. I've had a headache since last Thursday but it was just too good to miss :D The AA dogs did their runs and then we made it a bit simpler for Em without such tight water entries. First mark was through very heavy cover, picking up the bumper in the clear ground. Em did her usual thing of late and over ran the mark - we left her to it for a bit, however, and the good thing was she did not give up NOR did she look to me for help. Eventually I gave a "come in" whistle to get her in the area. She sprinted back towards me, picked up the mark and came straight in. Second mark was shorter but again through heavy cover. Again she overshot and, much to one of the guru's surprise, took a lovely line straight through and into the water! He certainly wasn't expecting that!!! I called her in and she again picked up the mark and bolted back. So, clearly she's just not judging depth! We sent her for the first mark again and she did a MUCH better job and I certainly made sure she knew that. The AA dogs ran another set up before we moved the vehicles to new grounds. This time Em did a shorter mark across heavy cover and water and improved so much we couldn't believe it! The second mark was across water - a decent swim and a bit cheaty - but she swam a pretty good line there and back and picked the dummy up very efficiently. A couple of things noted - with all my effort to not hurry when sending I am now holding her back a little TOO long - the longer I hold her the more she veers to the right in her line. Interesting and something to play with. Also her height (or lack thereof!) is certainly a disadvantage. BUT she's my choice of dog and I'll just have to work with it. Need more marking practice obviously. Keep them simple, let her win and get her eye in again.

I take my dogs to Bowen now as she also treats me so I know how gentle and effective it is.