The Spotted Devil

Those independent weaves are insane

The background is an interesting read… http://bawp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Isbester-v.-City-of-Knox-SCV-17-June-2014-administrative-law-questions-on-Council-decision-to-destroy-dog.pdf

There are NO hormones fed to any chickens in Australia. Certainly different dogs have different dietary needs and this can change over time :)

That can happen sometimes. If it's any consolation I had to wait for 2 years for my Dally pup! Worth it though :D Now that I'm planning my own litter (ESS) I understand better the vagaries of it all.

The chairman of GRV has resigned.

Balance is the key. I work on drive and self control with youngsters in my care - be they field bred ESS, GSPs or Dalmatians. And yes, I compete in retrieving trials, train with some of the best handlers in the country, shoot over my ESS bitch in the field and alongside experienced GSP folk.

Where is your pup from? Your breeder might be able to help too.

Yep. Just love it.

Can you leave her in a safe, restricted space indoors using barriers? If she's distressed by you leaving (could be triggered by the new home) this may be a solution.

I made a special point tonight of complementing a lady and her young daughter on their lovely green collared Grey (Samantha) - turns out they'd only had her a week and just adored her. Great work GAP Victoria!

I've seen a crazy, full on Border Collie youngster run wild with half a dozen adult BCs - lots of chasing, growling etc and he had a hoot. My Em did the low down Spaniel crawl, creep and play bow and he was completely terrified! Em recognises Dallies and any Spaniel from afar and will drag me over to meet them. 98% of male dogs take an intense dislike to my Dally - it's way more than being an entire male I suspect as he is targeted when he is minding his own business or even working with me and 100% focussed.

Visited a dog breeder in NZ and my jaw nearly hit the ground when she showed me a huge possum fur rug on her lounge She completely forgot they were protected in Oz and I completely forgot they were a pest in NZ. There was a similar look of shock on my face as I watched her send her dogs into long "snakey" grass in the middle of Summer! We had some good laughs I can tell you!

Sorry - in a bit of a rush but yes GSP club for sure or PM me and I'll see if I can rustle up some Pointer folk to help you. No need to rush on bird work. Get pup well socialised to people, dogs (doesn't mean he plays with them all!!!) and take him to lots of different environments. Obviously watch for snakes but this is perfect weather for him to be introduced to water play, reeds, mud etc.

Im based in South East Melbourne, Berwick. Yeah I dont have him doing retrieves, just pointing at it then snatching it away before he gets to it. Ok - don't snatch it. Have him on a lead or long line with enough play that he can point at it but not get it. When he's pointing stroke him down his back. He will go a little stiff and starry eyed. You can then gently pick him up, remove him and go wild with the praise and play even.

My other priority is recalls. You cannot play fun awesome recall games enough. Then I add in puppy retrieves. Don't do retrieves on wings. Way too early. I don't train pointing dogs but that part sounds ok. Where are you based?

For gundog stuff - there's no rush and I wouldn't mess around with cap guns at the moment. Yes it might be fine but you might catch him in a fear period. What I do is have the dog some distance from the capgun (held by someone else). They fire it. You feed the dog a treat. If all ok take a step forward. You actually want them to see the gun as producing reward rather than condition them to have no reaction. For more gundog stuff have a read of the Retrieving thread in this forum.

What sort of gundog work do you want to do with him?

oosham I still try to keep my sessions super short - it often means I have to train SMARTER! Super cute pup!!!

Agree with the others I would also suggest that you ditch teaching the "stay" as such (it really is an abstract concept for a dog) but teach "sit means sit until you're told otherwise." You do this by ALWAYS releasing from the sit, reward heavily for sit and release (fun, fun, fun!) and only ask for tiny increments in improvement plus work on fast sits, distance from the dog, duration and distractions all separately. That's based on my experience with my ESS in gundog retrieving trials and agility and my Dalmatian in agility and obedience trials. And my dogs STILL think training is just a whole bunch of playtime :D

Mr TSD went to 3 pet stores looking for absorbent pads for Em's pants (she's in season). No luck but one of the girls behind the counter advised him to pick up some panty liners from the supermarket. Bless him he managed it without a phone call to me but I might need to send him to counselling

Sorry I missed your post. Welshies are lovely - the girls I've met have a bit of an independent streak but are not as intense as the working ESS. There is no split. The person I know in Vic would be great to speak with - she breeds occasionally and does tracking and agility. Details here: http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/member.asp?name=HMEAVESBIGPONDCOM

It's easy to feel overwhelmed! I just feed a good quality dry food plus RMBs and lots of treats (egg, chicken, cheese, 4-Legs, tinned salmon etc). Zig is on Artemis and a bit of Pro Plan plus chicken frames because I think it is the best food for Dalmatians who all require a low purine diet. Em eats and does well on just about any dry food - but corn makes her itch like crazy - plus chicken frames, lamb necks, turkey wings etc. Cats - the biggest issue is dry food. It's complicated but cats generally don't drink sufficient water to counteract the lack of moisture in their diet. Mine get 1/8th cup Artemis dry in the morning. Dinner is a chunk of human grade raw meat (chicken, beef or lamb for Dizzy and chicken only for Lilly due to an established food allergy), Eagle Pack tinned (particular flavours only due to Lilly) mixed with water plus lysine for Dizzy and paraffin for Lilly. Supper is a chicken neck with a little water. Since I've started adding extra water to their diet UTIs have reduced to zero.

Very nice Sheena!

Fantastic! So glad you are settled. It only feels like home when the furries are IN!

Not sure if it's the dogs that are discerning or if it's the cats :laugh: Yes they are very good at patterning!!! It's always a problem when training agility! I play wild tug or bash 'em ups with The Springer Devil and when she's really engaged I call out sit or drop. As soon as she hits the deck we play again. Big lesson for her to LISTEN for the correct cue rather than assume what's coming next...