Sayreovi

Nova - His enthusiasm for life and his greeting 'ahh whoo whoos' Darcy - His sweet, gentle nature Jovi - Her over the top, zealous greeting every single time complete with happy growling

I am planning on doing the 2016 Nationals :D Depending on when they are I might also have a baby dog in Novice :)

Good luck everyone!! I am extremely jealous of everyone going, wish I had entered now

Breed and sex picked out for next pup. Playing around with names though, I am loving Raavi at the moment but already have a Jovi and a Nova who gets called Novi so think it's all getting a bit to close :laugh: My girl was named (both reg and call) before she was born, she was always going to be Jovi. So I don't have any issues any more picking a name before I meet the pup.

Well done RS! Jovi and I had what possibly would be our last agility trial for the year (puppies are on the card for her!) and she not only got one but two master agility passes and placed 11th both times, first in her height. Considering the amount of dogs entered (about 60 I think) and severe lack of training, she did amazing! I only entered her in agility runs and she was firing in all her runs, even the last run of the day she was going so quick and I lost alot of time with poor/slow handling because she was being a loon! But I got to see what she is really capable of and she and I had tonnes of fun and that's all that mattered!

We are going to have a bit of an easy (cheap!) year this year in regards to trialling but I have a few goals; Nova Ch. Ximinez Driver Reviver AFCH Get his RN (only one pass needed, no rush as he won't be doing higher levels) Start tracking Give tunnelers in Nadac a whirl Enter enough shows to get his neuter championship Darcy Ch. Magpielane Rebel Wind RA FM RE....get a few passes towards his RAE Have a go at NADAC Start tracking Get a 0.000 start in flyball! (always get so so close :p) Remain fit and healthy Jovi Ch. Sherbrooke Living On A Prayer ADX JDX GD RA FM Jovi has one goal this year, to have a safe uncomplicated pregnancy and birth of at least one girl puppy thank you :p I will probably end up accomplishing nothing in regards to the boys as, if all going according to plan Jovi will take up alot of time and money from March onwards :laugh: Spoilt little bitch :p ---------- True to form, I haven't accomplished any of my goals yet :laugh: Though Darcy has remained fit and healthy, and I fluked a 0.000 start in flyball with Jovi again not Darcy :laugh: Jovi ended up coming into season over a month earlier then anticipated after being so predictable so her litter has been pushed back until next season which now will apparantly be anywhere from July to September!

Yes, was a great day! Beautiful weather, great courses, happy dogs and good people. The passes everyone got seemed to be the icing on the cake :D

Jovi and I got our very first Masters pass ever, got it in agility :D Pretty thrilled with her, the only time she has really seen agility things are at a few trials over the past year so to pass a masters course and nearly go clear in 2 others (1 knicked the broad and the other 2sec over time) proves to me how amazing my little feral really is, she is truly a once in a lifetime girl and has been the first of many things for me :D

Well done TSD :D Jovi and I got our first masters (agility) pass at the same trial, we are still struggling with the time in masters jumping as I haven't found her on switch again which is a shame as we have gone clear in jumping a few times but always a few seconds over. We had a couple of goes with her tug in NFC runs and boy was she flying! She brought her flyball speed so I know she has it in her, I think I may pull her out of jumping for awhile and enter her in just agility and if there are any NFC runs to see if I can bring back her enthusiasm. That being said she is about to have a fairly big break as I am hoping to breed her in July/August :)

Nah no penalties but as CBD said the closer you get to it the more of a head start you get on the other team :) Sometimes especially in Div 1 a good start can mean the difference between winning and losing a heat/race. It's a personal goal for me, as start dog there isn't many other things to try and achieve :laugh: We just had a two day comp and Jovi was down for 42 runs before all my false and double false starts , so they also need to be super fit to stay at a consistent speed right up until the last race, even more so when they are also a height dog!

Love the photo! My first was a fluke! Same dog but I had only started her maybe once before hand and it was when she was a newbie and she was getting quicker and quicker (first comp to now she has dropped 3 seconds!), so same here no idea how it happened but wasn't going to say no :laugh:

Unfortunately (well not so unfortunately) with Jovi again! I've only got two and both have been with her, starting to think I will never get one with Darcy as he is getting old enough now that I can't keep pushing my starts with him so he doesn't have to rerun. Whereas I can with Jovi. Exactly! I was inching closer and closer all day, they were awesome starts but to me they were annoying and just teasing me! :laugh: Rubystar, in flyball we have starting times, the perfect start of 0.000 means your dogs nose hit the start line as soon as the light turned green. Sounds easy in theory but very very hard to do. I usually get below 0.100 with both dogs but again not many people can, it's all about learning how fast your dog is, how consistently fast they are throughout the day, where and when to let them go etc etc Then alot of pratice and good luck, even then doesn't always happen Sort of hard to explain :laugh:

Finally got my perfect start in flyball, I already have one but been trying for over a year (with two dogs!) to get my second. :D I have earned myself a bit of a reputation as I always push my starts and even the second start, so have done alot of false, double false and even triple false starts to my name :laugh: All in good fun though and my fellow team mates are pretty forgiving for my continous attempts :p

Had an awesome flyball comp yesterday, my club hosted and all three teams we had entered came first in their divisions :) Very pleased with how they ran, my boy hated the grounds as they were very loose and not great unfortunately but nothing was stopping my little feral :laugh: Both ran brilliantly all day and didn't put a paw wrong :) Then today had our first agility trial in months and my little girl did so well, I think this was our second ever Master agility trial and while we didn't get any passes we were so close and had a great day. Had 3 runs, one was over time (I got lost as I didn't walk the course, but clear otherwise), dropped bar in another, and one refusal in another as I stopped so she stopped :laugh: I was so thrilled as she did all the harder parts that got even some of the experienced handlers and dogs :D

I am feeling the same Aussielover. The difference from going from excellent to masters was such a big jump for us, we lost motivation trying to do all these moves that even the more experience dogs and handlers struggled with Doesn't help that I can't get to training regulary....well ever, we haven't been able to train for 6 months! I've been taking advantage of the NFC runs that are being offered to bring the fun back into it for me. We haven't trialled since I think November last year (she came into season early this year), first trial back this weekend so will see how we go :laugh: Should be interesting!

I've always used a soft crate for my youngest who fortunately never went through the chewing stage. I trust all of mine completely in soft crates and have never had an issue of them escaping or toppling over but my guys all crash like good dogs when they go in their crates :) I do use soft crates in summer when trialling but that's only if I am trialling one dog and she usually spends all her time sleeping on top of the crate (yes she is weird) and only goes in when I am unable to be nearby. If I have more then one dog, I take the big c-crate regardless of temperature and that's big enough for 3-4 Tollers :D

I had the same experience with vets in Vic. My vet who now says she can do it for $170 said it's too much of a hassle for the practice to open an account with Vetpath. When I told her that there were vets in Vic charging only about $80 she didn't believe it and suggested I had misunderstood. I'm also presuming that $170 fee would be for bloods taken in the course of a consult for other reasons. I'll bet if I went there just for a titre test there would be a consult fee on top of the $170. Yes, I had the same issues. Vets were wanting to charge hundreds per dog (I even had one come back at $500 per dog!) and a consult on top of the test fee as well even though the only reason I would be there would be getting blood drawn. Luckily I don't need to go through it again for another year or two so hopefully more vets will be up and going with it, when I need to retest :)

Victorian vets aren't really interested in doing titres unfortunately I found. I used Paws to Heal in Geelong, and she sends them directly to Vetpath so only charges about $80-$90 per dog. I never thought to ring Vetpath either and see who has an account with them in Victoria but even when a vet investigated signing up they still came back with a price of $250 plus per dog It's only an hours drive to Geelong from Brunswick but it's a bit inconvenient so they may want something closer but will end up paying.

I do, especially as they require a medical certificate before participating. A vet wouldn't pass an unfit older dog and if they happen to, the checks during the test would sort out the ones that shouldn't continue. Who knows what the logic was but I personally don't consider 8 old for a medium or a small breed especially with all options now available to ensure longevity in our dogs.

The difficulty with upper age limits as I see it is that it doesn't account for breeds (some are going to be going strong when others are flagging) OR is a disincentive to those who DO manage their dogs to keep them sound into older age. What might be sensible and practical if enforced is that JUDGES excuse from the ring any dog they consider unsound (which I think they can already do) and for some instances, require a veterinary assessment before a dog can compete again. I can hear the howls of indignation already. I don't agree with imposing an upper age limit. I am still competing in flyball with my 9 year old and he is quicker then he has ever been and is perfectly fine after a comp. He isn't a dog to go hard and do stupid, risky things though. Why should I be made to stop competing with him because others can't keep their older dogs fit and healthy? I wouldn't care about doing a vet assessment either as my vets have no issues with him still competing and say he is fitter and healthier then most dogs they see :)

Yeah QLD has titles for lure coursing but as far as I know none of the other states do which is a shame as my guys would be awesome at it

My little pack of Tollers. From left to right, Darcy 9 years, Jovi 3 years and Nova 11 years.

I currently have 3 and am going to 4 at the end of the year. All of the same breed, medium sized and I find them easy to look after. I wouldn't want any more then 4. Ideally I would love only 2 just for ease of going places but I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. I compete in dog sports and have one retired, one on the verge of retiring (probably will when I get my new pup) and my main competing girl. So usually need to take all 3 when competing with two so that's why I want an even number.

I get this sort of attitude as well, along with my dogs "shedding" more of a virus then a yearly vaccinated dog and responsible for every dog that contracts KC at a trial :) They didn't have an answer for me when I asked who was responsible when my at the time fully vaccinated (had her yearly booster a few months before) dog contracted KC while attending a trial? Funny that :) I've also been told that there is no such thing as a titre for Parvo or distemper.....said by a person in a "power position". Quite scary. I used Dr Pearson at Paws to Heal http://pawstoheal.com.au/holistic-vet-clinic-for-geelong/ for my titres. Less then $100 per dog (I think it was $60 or $80) and results back within a few days. Worth the travel with 3 dogs when I was charged less going to Geelong then taking one dog to a local vet.

Biddability and intelligence definately don't go hand in hand unfortunately with my lot :laugh: I have a mixture, all within the same breed and also related. I have an intelligent dog who isn't biddable (I always say he is too smart for his own good!), a very sweet but dopey dog who would bend over backwards to please and lastly a very intelligent and biddable dog. It really does make an interesting experience training them and while they generally all learn at the same speed, it's the repeating what I want and doing it on command that sets them apart. Also if anything requires thinking and trouble shooting it's where the intelligence shines through over biddability.