The Spotted Devil

Good morning Jed! Good morning all! Lovely and warm and cosy in the waiting room, as always Another pea soup fog here this morning, broken only by a pair of VERY noisy sulphur crested cockatoos dancing on the balcony outside my bedroom. The cats were woken abruptly from their slumber to chatter their jaws as they plotted against their nemesis Oooh, I do love pancakes and maple syrup.......so do Newfies and my Diz monster apparently :rolleyes:

Thank you for the update Toohey :D How lovely of Jed to think of sending a message to the waiting room during what must be such a rollercoaster ride for her - a very special woman indeed. All fog and mist on the Mountain this morning......very Sherlock Holmes-y :D So much so that Mr TSD had a rare pipe on the balcony last night and we both had a nip of Scotch (not so rare ). Will raise our glasses to you this evening, Jed.

These are the sessions that you want to bottle Yes, well he nearly had his pair of black whatsits bottled on the spot

Just had a very funny time at the park. Decided it was time to transfer the very beginnings of the seek back to the outside world. I thought I would start safely by tossing the article into long grass first. Find! Zig shot out, sniffed around, grabbed the article and bolted back to front. Yay! Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, we had another go. Find! Zig shot out, sniffed around, grabbed the article, marked the nearest tree () and bolted back to front. Little turd I growled at him when he lifted his leg (the only thing I would ever correct for in training), gave a verbal "good" marker when he presented me with the article but didn't give a food reward. He remembered the next time round and got a big jackpot He was clearly "in a mood" or had found something very special because he wasn't as quick to be called off marking in the rest of his free run either!

I'm going all goosey and hot and cold just reading that, TSD. How came you were given this experience? Was it for an article, were you wanting to become a trainer ...... more info please . Not that I want to do it - too much of a wimp - I'm just interested in the background. It was a fabulous experience. I did a placement at Guide Dogs through my undergrad degree - I spent most of my time with the kennels but spent a day with the Puppy Raising supervisor and another day with one of their experienced trainers. We talked dogs, horses and training non-stop - we drove around the suburbs with the dogs and the trainer selected various environments he could test/train the dogs in. Having 4 dogs meant each stop was quite a lot of work! Towards the end of the day, the trainer asked if I would mind being a guinea pig as he really wanted to try his most advanced dog out with a complete stranger. It turns out that the dog had never led anyone who had actually been blindfolded (he told me that afterwards ) but you would never know it - very solid, calm, reliable and focussed - would have been great in a busy city. I ended up meeting the trainer with the dogs some time later in the city to see how they had progressed - the Lab I worked with was still amazing although one of the Goldens was a bit.....*cough*....."blonde" ;)

One of the most incredible experiences I've ever had was being blindfolded and led by a Guide Dog in training. My admiration for the handlers increased 100 fold - I felt so disoriented and you still have to give the dog direction. By the time the dog found me a seat in a cafe I was in desperate need of some caffeine and about 2L of water. The dog just relaxed quietly under my chair

My cats have certainly helped me train my Dalmatian I also have 3 chickens but I'm happy for them to do what they do best - which is keep the weeds down, poo everywhere and lay the most delicious eggs! Actually, corvus....now you've got me thinking....... Need to get my research on track first then might have a play.

huski - how excitement During stays, I've taught Zig to give me eye contact. It makes him focus on the job at hand instead of looking around and whining at all the lovely dogs he could be playing with When I've trained out of sight (so far) he continues to focus on where I've gone but that's normal for him anyway. FHRP - interesting because I have yet to take the plunge to 2 articles yet. I've been throwing all sorts of articles into long grass one at a time which helped so much to get "find" into Zig's head. Then I did it with his back turned to the long grass etc. I'm currently doing a straight line seek back......not sure what to make of it. He is SO enthusiastic but he bolts out in a straight line and THEN puts his nose down. I think I will need to try him outside home and add one turn to see if he's worked it out.

Good morning Jed - thinking of you as always There is an amazing fog on the Dandenong Ranges this morning - I can barely see the silhouettes of the gum trees beyond the balcony and decking! It feels like we're "in a cloud" Ziggy is pestering me to go for a walk but I think I might wait until I can see more than my hand in front of my face before heading out.....will have another cuppa and some breakfast first - gee those bacon and eggs look fabulous! I'm cooking porridge too (even porridge-haters love my porridge ) if anyone would like some......sultanas, brown sugar, LSA, banana and stewed apple optional. *finds space on the couch and has cuddles with with all the canine and feline residents*

'Morning Jed! 'Morning everyone! Thanks Toohey for your timely updates - some good news Does anyone think it would be such a bad thing to have apple crumble and ice cream for breakfast? I missed out last night

How lovely and cosy it is in here after an afternoon in the garden. Hope you are having a restful day, Jed Thanks to those who dropped off the afternoon tea - just what I needed. Will curl up with the Sunday papers for a little bit. Ooops...I have had to stretch out my legs so all 3 cats can snuggle in. I might be here for a while. Tough life, eh!

I'd always planned to do COP but think I will train for broad jump as well...just to mix it up a bit.

Thought I would pop in for a bit.....would anyone like to join me in a glass of red? If no-one minds I'm going to curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch 'Emma'....an old favourite on a quiet night in. Could someone press play for me please? I've been taken over by 3 cats already!

My last dog was an ACD - wonderful girl who taught me so much and, despite my limitations as a trainer, was a fabulous obedience, agility and tricks dog. When I had her put to sleep, age 17, I decided to look for a breed that was at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of personality and looks so I would never try to compare the two of them. I even wanted a male for that reason. I love elegant, beautiful dogs so considered Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, various Spaniels and I also wanted to compete in dog sports.......but wanted a challenge. A work colleague mentioned her Dalmatians but I brushed her off with: "Aren't they supposed to be stupid???" Oh boy, did I cop an earful and deservedly so She gave me the contact details for her breeder and I emailed and later chatted to them on the phone. I was sold. More by the breeder than the breed initially - I just loved their attitude. 2 years later, I had my pup - and I got just what I wanted - a challenge and a unique, wonderful dog that I have never compared with my old dog, compete with and just enjoy having around. Ziggy won't be my last Dally but I will probably enjoy other breeds as well.

I try to give Ziggy free runs in the forrest every day (45 min to an hour) unless we're trialling. I enjoy the exercise (and it's good for my back) but it seems to help him learn better if he gets a chance to really stretch out - he goes completely nuts in terms of zoomies and sprinting - and sniff and pee as much as wants to. His enthusiasm to train seems to increase exponentially when he's doing a lot of exercise.....perhaps it's the combined benefits of fitness and relaxation???

Thank you Toohey - your efforts to keep us updated are SO appreciated Another day draws to a close, another day of healing done. Sounds like you are in the best of hands, Jed. This lovely waiting room has magically washed away any angst I was feeling as I drove home through peak hour traffic. I knew we had some talented DOLers amongst us but the poems were beautiful - they obviously came straight from the heart I might just settle into a deep, comfy chair for a while as I listen to the sounds of cats and dog devouring their respective dinners.

Retrieving is AWESOME In terms of a dumbbell retrieve - yep you just want to click ANY interest in it. I shaped it using the model of the Shirly Chong method although I just started with a wooden UD article rather than the dumbbell - a Dalmatian that couldn't care less about fetching anything now does the most enthusiastic dumbbell retrieve I could wish for. You need to train the presentation to "front" separately - just position initially, then add the cue. It took us several months but it was worth it!

Back again Mr TSD is currently making coffee - any orders? I'm having a short (strong!) macchiato but he will do flat white, long black, short black..... I do like the look of those scones though.....if I can just squeeze one tired Dally in the corner on a soft bed - he's just had some training and a big gallop in the mud The sunset this evening is beyond stunning - it seems to throw a special air over this already magical waiting room. Plenty more gorgeous sunsets where this one came from, Jane - all in good time Don't forget your candle: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candle...=eng&gi=dol

Hey Kavik - have you tried having a squeaker inside the tug toy? That's what I want to try next - I reckon Ziggy will go a little nuts

CBR - did you catch my previous post? I mix 'em up - tug when he's really excited and food when he's probably a little tired or a little anxious. Don't give them a choice - but don't set them up to fail either, if that makes sense ETA: You know your dog is going to refuse the tug at a trial, so don't offer it. The first place I had success with tugging outside was our club training grounds. I was so excited I nearly over did it but learned to stop early in the middle of the game. Then I made it a habit every time I was at the grounds but never brought it out to a trial. When I did bring it out at a trial I didn't try to get Zig to play with it, just jiggled it and ignored him. When he leapt on it with excitement I just slowly built on that all over again. Weekend gone is the first time I've used the tug just before we went in the ring and even then it wasn't the very last thing we did. And I've been trying to get a decent tug for about 18 months!

sorry for my ignorance, but what is a Dally? sorry scout so i can keep an eye out for you guys A big personality driven white dog with spots - yep, a Dalmatian! Thanks mmoo We are trialling in Obedience, Jumping and Agility and I suspect that Dallies and Boxers might have similar challenges in terms of training. There are a few people at Hastings who trial in obedience too - more probably compete in jumping/agility. well why didn't ya say so So i am guessing you are really tall with blonde curly hair and you do the longggggest recalls, and your dog comes right to you. Or have i mistaken you for someone else (probably knowing my track record getting the wrong person) That's us

I've developed a really enthusiastic tug with a dog that was not interested at all. To begin with I bought a really exciting tug made of lambs wool that he went completely bonkers for - I only brought it out when he was super excited such as when I had been away with work for a week. Then at home he only got the more boring tugs and only ever got the sheepy tail tug outside - he still wasn't happy and actually became quite anxious. Then I bought a food pouch tug from Clean Run (with rabbit fur on the outside) - from there it's just got better and better - sometimes we play tug with it, sometimes tug then food, sometimes just food. I still rely on food much more heavily at a trial. Novelty is really important for Ziggy so I switch toys, tugs and food all the time. He also likes soft tugs better. I left the food pouch tug outside to dry after washing it a few weeks ago and the possums ripped it up Fortunately a friend bought 2 on my recommendation so will sell me one. Last weekend at the agility trial I experimented a little. Got Ziggy out of his crate, took him for a wander so he could get all his sniffing and peeing and scraping and prancing done Then I grabbed my chair and sat outside the ring and just asked him to relax. About 5 runs prior, I made a bit of a fuss about what was in the bag and Zig was beside himself when he saw it was a new soft tug - we had such a fun game of chase, catch, tug and give, after which I put it back in the bag and relaxed again. About 2 runs before us I pulled out a couple of bits of yummy food and he switched on REALLY quickly. We played a few catch it games with the food, did a bit of heeling, tight turns and halts then walked straight into the ring. His focus was sensational.

One of my Burmese cats is my 'demonstration kitteh' when I give cat behaviour lectures - she LOVES it and purrs herself silly the whole time. She gets so excited when she sees her harness and the travel cage come out And then I have to explain to the other cats why they can't all get in the same cage too

Goodness! Not sure that I can fit in a lammy or a jam donut after that lovely bowl of porridge but I'll sure try At this stage they have priority over the fruit! Clearly the magic in the waiting room is working, as I somehow have room for 3 cats on my lap......although now Zig is trying to play with Dizzy, I don't know how long that will last! Might just borrow that small desk in the corner, if no-one minds, so I can get some work done on my laptop. Rest easy, Jane - everything is being taken care of so you can heal at your own pace

Ouch ness! That's just given me an idea though......I wonder if it would be worth doing dumbbell instead of COP for our last Novice pass as Zig just thinks it's a hoot now. I know you can lose more points but it would be nice to do a retrieve in the ring BEFORE we make it to Open. ETA: We were sitting on 197 at the Vic Dally Club last year when I gave a really sloppy hand signal for COP - Zig just looked at me in great confusion - poor lad dropped like a bullet on the 2nd command