Sayreovi

While I agree that priorities and situations change not once for me has it ever changed regarding my dogs. They have gone everywhere with me while I "explored" the country. In the last two years I have moved 4 times within 3 different states, granted it was alot of changes for my boys and I, within a short time frame but not once did I consider it a burden. I moved every where by myself so I relished in fact that we got to see all these new and exciting places together. They loved running through the desert in South Australia, playing at the beach in Western Australia and spending all this time with me. Without my boys I never would have done anything like that, I would have lacked the confidence to do so while I was young. My dogs never held me back......they made me push forward and become the person I am today. To the OP, if you are willing to commit to your dog for the next 15 years then get a dog, I got my first boy when I was 15 and then my next when I was 17. They are now 7 and 5 respectively and I wouldn't have traded the world for them. Will say though you will come across a few breeders who won't sell to you because of your age. I just love bragging about my boys now, at where they have been and done. They were National Champs, they have been to every state bar NT and Tas and thats only because I haven't been there.......not bad for dogs that alot of people thought would have been kicked to the curb when things "got too hard"

I agree, 3 Staffords running up to my dogs would have ended up with an all out brawl. My dogs don't like staffies and the dog being entire and off lead running up to them wouldn't have been good. I am not ashamed to admit it but I would pick up the closest stick or something and start fending them off using force. Hopefully combined with me coming after them, they would run. Then again it's the reason I don't take them to dog parks and avoid other dogs like the plague when walking them. I love dogs, but I love MY dogs more.

I think you mentioned something along those lines when I picked them up or thereafter? Not surprised though, Nova is such a ripper of a dog but because I didnt raise him well (wasn't hard enough on him) I can't handle him in a trialling situation without getting extremely nervous and then he takes off. My training issue but with someone else the element of the unknown is there and he wouldn't do such things.... Darcy I can train anywhere and trust him. Nova is an awesome dog to train but can't trial, Darcy is a great dog to train and very easy to trial.

I can see why you got her though, regardless of colour I love the sables but have never heard of an Aussie breeder trying to breed them. Though to be honest I haven't stuck my head in BC business for quite some time Was she the only sable?

It is funny though, some of the different ways they try to do things I remember training Nova for flyball, after him doing a run every different possible way after he knew what the right way was, I reckon he had enough fun and started doing it correctly! Silly.....well smart for him, he brought the ball back nearly every time as he would get a reward for it because he was still 'learning' and you could guarantee if he wasn't rewarded he wouldn't do a run properly next time so you had to break it down and start again. Until he decided enough was enough and started doing it correctly, well nothing got done! It was and still is a learning curve for both of us. Just glad I got him desexed at 3 years rather then leaving it and still be struggling through! Darcy is my entire male who is 5 and is a dream dog too train with his willingness and throw himself at it attitude, a real ditz at times, actually most of the time but he is a handsome ditz!

Interesting. My next dog will be a bitch, and never having a bitch before (except for the rescues) I don't really know what too expect. Hopefully given the lines she will be an awesome focussed dog who goes great in sports! Would be nice having a dog that just focusses on what is required, sometimes my boys get distracted and completely forget what I told them to do or even what we are doing. It does make training and trailling tedious at times.

Wow a sable!! She is gorgeous, who bred her?

Uhh wow, that is scary!

Apollo Armand Baxter Benny Brock Brockie Brody Bud Caramel Charlie x 2 Chip Coco Cooper Cowan x 2 Cuba Danny Darcy Dash Digger Dumas FlashBazil Gandor Greedy Hudson Ivan Jack Judd Juggie Kasper Kiba Kisho Kyzer Lestat Lukas MacKenzie Max Maxie Merry Milosh Minook Mistral Nammu Nova Onslow Payton Piikki Raffy Reeve Riku Rover Rupert Scout Shadow Sterling Storm Tazz Tirra Tusca Tye Ulf Watson Willy Zedley Zephyr Zorin

Thanks, looks like it's shade sails all the way then!

In the next week or so we are sectioning off part of the yard for the dogs so the other half can be lanscaped. The problem I have at the moment is given that it's a new house there is no form of shade. What do people use to give instant shade that can stay there and be useful once the run is removed? I've thought of shade sails but really want something solid that can reflect alot of the suns rays. Can you buy grown trees?

Both of my boys have coped very well with the heat suprisingly, we have moved around a fair bit in the last 2 years and in doing so avoided hot summers. Both boys are outside but I came home around 2.30 to make sure everything was full and cool. Resupplied the frozen esky blocks which got chucked under the caravan which is always much much cooler then any where else. They were probably better off then me with my works air con that struggles too cool and massive store in the heat. Bring on the cool change!!

Stuart isn't actually a Lancashire Heeler, I have no idea why she thinks he is but they are not a breed in Australia as yet

You don't The three month thing that Vic does lets you know what clubs are holding what but that is all, no contact details....nothing. I only consider entering the ones in the gazette because it's too much of a hassel trying to track down schedules that aren't printed. It's annoying but it's the clubs that are losing out from all the entry money lost.

Actually attend one show this year, 2009 just didnt lend itself to showing unfortunately. Get Darcys title and hopefully pick up some decent wins now that he has matured out Hopefully have a new bitch puppy arriving mid year (fingers crossed) Apply for my prefix

Ahahaha Pug zoomies! That is a classic, laughed even harder when the Lab pup joined in and was keeping up LOL My two have daily zoomy fests. Have too hold my breath a fair bit with Darcy, as he tends to try and take shortcuts and pass by things as close as he can.....not fun when those things a brick walls and a caravan!

I've also been told that dogs that are in the rolled hip stay generally have better stays then the Sphinx drop because it's more of an effort for them to get up. Don't know how true it is, but that aside it would be more comfortable.

Would it be considered rude if I yelled out to the steward to remove the damn dog or I would do it myself? If they didn't I wouldn't hesitate to go to my dog, in fact it would be my first instinct to do so rather then wait for someone to eventually remove the dog. Plus that moronic owner! Darcy's stays are one of his best points in obedience, but having a dog stand over and growl at a confident entire male laying down is just asking for alot of trouble! I can already tell I wouldn't be too popular in the obedience rings

Both my dog's natural tail carriage is raised above the spine, the standard calls for their tail to curved into a C when gaiting and excited. The only time the tail is dropped is when they have a fright.

Another year, another wish list that will probably go unfulfilled Nova: Would like to start doing tracking trials with him, he is still in training so would be good. That's pretty much it for him, he is much happier being trained to do something rather than the trial aspects. Darcy: Ahh well where too start? I will be getting at least his show title and an agility and jumping title. Thats the basic minimum I want to accomplish this year......I just need to get my arse into gear and enter trails instead of putting it off!

Go the Victorian teams!!! 5 out of 8 divisions won, awesome results.

Good luck everyone and have a safe trip to those travelling interstate!! C'mon the Vic teams bring the cups back to Victoria!!!

Definately, if she thinks that getting back faster and touching a target will get her another run faster then I would certainly give it a go. Perhaps if you can train her with a clicker to touch your hand and when she has a pretty solid touch going just on the flat, get her to recall over one jump and just work from there. I would be avoiding using a ball for a reward at this stage just so she has a chance to actually think about what is required rather then just go into working mode. Just use food with the clicker.

But where do you get them from? Australian Shepherds are relatively easy to come by these days.......there are almost always litters advertised on DOL, and the state breed clubs could probably help potential buyers out with other litters available. All in all, you wouldn't have to wait long, even if you were quite specific about colours and markings (I was with my girl and I waited a few weeks for her to be born, then another 8 weeks til she came home) . Koolies aren't a breed I've ever seen advertised anywhere. I realise they aren't yet ANKC recognised, so how do you source a good breeder? I was wondering this just half an hour ago! Didn't find any answers though. Quite easily actually, just do what most people do when trying to find info and Google it. First result on both Coolie and Koolie was this site......http://www.australian-koolies.info/

I haven't done training in ages, but what I would do is stop doing full runs and retrain the recall aspect of the run until she will take food then slowly introduce the ball again and continue adding extra down jumps but only if she is accepting the reward. Try and get her to understand that the recall is another part of the exercise and therefore gets another reward. Ideally dogs should see it as 2 seperate things, go fast down and get ball which is the reward and come back fast and get another reward. If that makes sense? Good luck, maybe some other flyballers who have faster dogs then mine will respond on how they got their dogs coming back just as fast.