The Spotted Devil

I didn't think it was either. I'm going by myself apparently it's a bit sad at the end! Having worked a little bit with Luke Hura in the past, I like to support his work too. Ziggy did a job for Luke too. Nice guy to chat with. Might have to have a peak at this.

I have a working line ESS youngster and it is nigh on impossible to exhaust her physically. What I can do is exhaust her mentally - so lots and lots and lots of training!

Thanks for your advice, Jo! Zig is still pretty cool but Em was yapping her head off being in another room so have her in with us now. She is very unimpressed about being stuck in her crate but so far, so good

Thought I'd bump this topic as my youngster has just started bleeding. Thank goodness both dogs are crate trained! Ziggy is getting lots of training and exercise to distract him from his hormones and with a little juggling all is good so far. He has been a bit velcro too. Em is busting to train still so I am using the chook yard with 6 ft high fences (when the chooks are in their pen) to keep her thinking and exercising. It will be an interesting learning curve but I have a back up plan to send Em to her breeder for a few weeks if it goes pear shaped! I said I'll swap her for her sister or another youngster just to give me a pup to train :D

RS - I only mean casting lefts and rights as one exercise - sending to piles of dummies with no errors. Then you throw dummy left but send to right etc. Then left and right backs separately. Then add together slowly with lots of help by throwing dummies and then throw dummies and send somewhere else. There's not much on line. You will need books/DVDs - I have mentioned a few books I use. ETA: Poor Zig is going to get hammered in the training and fitness departments. Try to keep his mind off his hormones :D

lol - there goes training - Miss Em has just come into season. Wish me luck with Ziggy

Well done mollipop - glad to hear you had a good result on Saturday and a good time as well! We have been away with camping with the dogs at Lakes Entrance - 5 min walk from the near deserted beach which was just glorious. The dogs were exhausted by the end of the week A few days rest at home and we are back into training. Em started foundation agility classes on Sunday and then on Monday I refreshed her casting drills and whistle stops. By Tuesday she was all over it so I decided to try her in a single T drill. I was prepared for it to all fall apart but she nailed it so the patience with basic handling skills has paid off - she was super confident too. So, I had a pile to the left, one to the right and one out in front (an upside down T). First, I stood between the left and right piles with Em at heel and sent her forward to the top pile. I moved backwards so she was further away for her return. Sent her again (she had to run between the left and right piles) and that was fine. Then I sent her again and whistle stopped her just as she reached the middle of the left and right piles. Then I cast her to the left pile and she just looked at me as if to say "oh, ok then - I recognise that picture." Then I sent her to to the top pile once more before calling it quits as it was a bit warm in the sun. There was quite a bit of jumping for joy in between retrieves

Oh, I'm truly sorry Kirty When they are so ill at such a young age, it's just so hard on them. I know you did your absolute best. Please don't beat yourself up. More hugs for you and their Mama. RIP baby kits.

Hugs to you Gayle

Finally we are home from holidays so have some decent internet reception to say..... Seita - congratulations on Ella's OC That is a sensational result TO - well done to Jovi also! Time to throw away those nerves - you always get to take the best dog home :D RS - congratulations on your CDX!!!

Sorry to go OT but to answer colliehound's question, you train an "off switch". ESS tend to have quite a nice in built one going by Em's relatives but I do LOTS of training and age appropriate exercise and then down time is exactly that....with food toys and RMBs to keep her occupied, crate training and gentle guidance and a bit of maturity. Retrieving, in particular, is a very demanding sport - physically and mentally - so it's a wonderful outlet. Add obedience and agility and she is a very content dog. The hardest aspects to deal with are the birdiness (extreme!) and hunting instinct. Whistle recall is essential as it's like a fog descends over their brain. We are camping in Lakes Entrance and the dogs have been great. Twice daily beach runs, exploratory walks and road trips - Em is learning to relax at cafes even though the birds are right in her face and is currently passed out on my lap :D

TSD seeing a video of little Em was what made me first look seriously into the breed Simply amazing dogs and I can't wait to have one You will have fun! But it will be a shock to the system....they wake up "in drive" You will need to put a little more training into the "off switch"....oh, and they seem to think they are lap dogs :D

I grew up with working kelpies and then cattle dogs.....and a beagle I became involved in obedience and agility with the family cattle dog and I had her for 17 years. She was superb - gentle, athletic, incredibly quick and willing to pick up what I wanted her to do - which was just as well because I was a crap trainer! When Dolly died I realised I couldn't have another ACD for fear of comparing them. I love elegant looking dogs and I really wanted a training challenge. I was attracted to Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters - many of the Gundogs actually, but I couldn't settle on a breed. A work colleague told me about her 2 Dalmatians. But I told her they were too stupid to train for competition She gave me a good tounge lashing and then gave me the phone number of her breeder. I clicked with the breeders straight away and waited 2 years for a puppy. I have now learned just how smart Dallies are. Just the training challenge I was after, we trial in obedience and agility - Ziggy keeps me honest :D Em is a simpler story. A DOLer was looking for someone to handle one of her working line Labs in a retrieving trial. After some training and a few trials I was completely hooked and finally decided that my next pup would not be another Dally but a gundog. I was offered a working lab pup but was after something a bit smaller and softer to fit in with Ziggy, the cats and Mr TSD. I have always loved Springers and mentioned this to my DOLer friend over a glass of wine. She educated me about the working line ESS and steered me towards a wonderful breeder. Em is a perfect fit for us although her intensity is not for everyone. She is training for retrieving, obedience and agility. I'm not sure what will be next (not for a while!)....I'm a dreadful "breed tart" but I love my current breeds, chalk and cheese that they are

I've never had a problem with kids at trials...except the ones that beat me in agility But she loves Zig and gave me a gorgeous little stuffed Dalmatian toy so all is forgiven

Agree with kelpiechick And I'm not a strict SG follower either - just think it makes good training sense.

Your update made me SMILE Sue So pleased for you x

Minxy, you could shape a very precise "front" behaviour and then back chain the recall. I start by sitting in a chair, legs slightly apart and click/treat for a sit as tight in as they can get - if that doesn't make sense I can explain in more detail You can train him using his dinner to begin with whilst you are sitting down - make sure he can find the "front" position from every angle. While you are there shape a retrieve to keep his brain occupied, starting with him sniffing the dumbbell in your hand. Then you can stand up and go through the process again from all different angles with lots of different distractions - food/toys scattered around etc. Hope he comes good soon

How do people hang their rosettes? I have some HUGE ones from the Dally Nationals and I'm not sure how to display them. I have Ribbon Mate for sashes which are perfect.

I'm not a fan of citronella collars - if the dog does find it aversive it's not much use to have the aversive odour lingering for minutes after the dog has ceased the behaviour.

OOps I didn't see the previous thread. I guess it all comes down to how seriously you are with regard to competing. If you want to go out there, have fun and you are happy with anything over 170 - then yes I agree - don't worry about the fidgeting, the squiffy presents, the wide or lagging heeling....the list goes on. If you want the best you and your dog can be then why throw away possibly 2,3,4 points because the dog figited, when its not that hard to train it. I find the kids usually watch the direction I disappeared, and wait for me to come back For a short time I did have a problem with one of my boys (who shall remain nameless - Scoota) licking his willy and losing marks in a down stay. I told him I would cut it off and thankfully it stopped I have trained Zig to look me right in the eye on stays (because he stirs up other dogs by sticky beaking and making eye contact) - in the limited out of sight training I've done he has not taken his eyes from where I've disappeared so hopefully that works! Poor Scoota - if you can, why not?

I still use 2o/2o for the A-frame and teach it like others have mentioned - just using a plank angled on the stairs. Ziggy has had trouble sticking his A-frame contacts of late. At training it has been so wet that he's been slipping and struggling to stop his hind legs overtaking him so I've not stressed about it too much - you can't NRM a dog for what it physically is struggling with. What I am working on is some more hind leg strength and awareness - so begging (which is very hard for his longer frame), more perch work and I'll add walking backwards when I have a little time to spare. Can you lower the A-frame to reduce the angle??? That's what I will do if I need to - and have a private lesson if necessary to access the equipment.

4am is puppy party time

YES!! I swear by this, I had to use it the other week after my dog ate a corn cob! Nice gentle vomit. Good work! And well spotted! How much did you have to use (I'm thinking litres ) 50kg dog I used 20mls, then walked him around for 5min, then another 20mls and within 2-3min a vomit and the offending corn cob! It sounds strange but it was a very gentle vomit, no major heaving etc - just a nice gentle vomit. It does sound strange! But I think I know what you mean. A very good tip and easier to syringe in peroxide than pour in Lectric Crystals for a large struggling dog perhaps.

YES!! I swear by this, I had to use it the other week after my dog ate a corn cob! Nice gentle vomit. Good work! And well spotted! How much did you have to use (I'm thinking litres )

Not so much colour (generally liver or black in both breeds) but I can get caught up in markings, especially spotting in the Dally. I'm a sucker for beautiful coats and strong pigmentation. So it's with a heck of a lot of self discipline that I try to throw all that out the window. When I picked Em, there was very little difference in structure so it was all about personality and attitude. Fortunately I also loved her squiggly head marking.