Kowai

I've seen a public agility park in QLD but not in VIC so far I agree though its probably better if there aren't any - so inexperienced people and their dogs don't use them.

Omg! It just seems like lately I'm joining club after club I'm a current member of the Werribee Obedience Dog Club, just joined the Agility Dog Club of Victoria and I'm thinking of joining the Alaskan Malamute Club of Victoria So I have Werribee for obedience, Agility Dog Club for agility (duh Lol), and the Alaskan Malamute Club for weight pulling

Well the introduction night is tonight Thank god we're not actually doing agility tonight.. I just started this exercise program this week called Crossfit. OMG I am so SORE I can hardly walk!!

Werribee isn't a specific agility club - you need to be in class 3 or above to play on the equipment. Some of the people there also go to the Altona club, and some went there briefly and left. We train Wednesday night each fortnight (swapping between obedience and agility), and agility Saturday mornings before obedience classes. We have an absolute ball on Wednesday nights, the classes are less structured but there's always help if you need it. Yeah I'm going to start going back to the Wednesday nights when I've learnt a bit more :cool: Also when it gets warmer! Zach and I can't handle the cold

Congratulations Zach is almost to trialling level and he STILL refuses to drop sometimes the little bugger

Wow you're doing herding?? Tell me when you compete so we can come watch!

Thanks so much, yeah I'm feeling -so- much better now Lets hope training tomorrow goes alot better! I think it was definately a one off that bad performance, and was because I was sick. Aparently I was really pale before I went into the ring I should've told the judge I guess! Tomorrow morning we're driving over to see a bit of weight pulling in the morning before driving back for our class in the afternoon :D

I think I've been checking every day! It's almost been two weeks now - they said it'd be 2 - 3 weeks so I guess its not late I just can't wait to see Zach in his new red harness --Edit-- This'll be us:

Hey guys, I ordered a weight pull harness from www.windchill.com.au the other week and was just wondering if anyone else has ordered from them before, and about how long it took for their order to arrive? I'm so impatient!

Yes We have husky hair EVERYWHERE!!

I really want to get into agility as a sport, thats why I'm signing up Werribee is great but I didn't think I was learning much there - it'll be great to practice what I learn at Altona though on the Wednesday nights at Werribee! Especially now its lightening/warming up! Psst, are you coming to Kepala?

Thanks guys! I can't wait to start! We've done a -tiny- bit of agility at my obedience club, but didn't feel like they really 'taught' it so much and decided to sign up to an agility club So far though my Zach has taken to it like a duck to water I can't wait to have some real training in the sport!

Hi guys! My boyfriend and I are starting agility next week at the Agility Dog Club of Victoria in Altona Can't wait! Just wondering if anyone else trains there too?

I'm starting to think this could be the reason. Ive heard this about bulldogs as well but could not believe it could happen to Tilly as she used to love going for a walk. Anyway hopefully this is only a phase and if it is there is always other ways to exercise her. It could be a medical thing so a good idea would be to ask your vet If you don't think its that, Tilly could be going through a stubborn faze? How old is she? Maybe you could try and walking in a new and more interesting area for her? When our Kapo was young she refused to walk on the lead too. I know puppies normally hate a collar and leash and will try to get them off, jump around etc.. But she would just sit down and flat out refuse to walk. We just refused to let her 'win' though. She had a harness on so we'd lift her up by the harness and make her walk. (Let me stress that she was in no discomfort or tired or anything, she was refusing to walk when we'd just left the house) Eventually she got the idea that we wouldn't give in to her and she started walking on her own, with only the occasional 'I don't want to go any further'. We used heaps of praise when she walked of course Now she LOVES walking and she tries to pull us over!

I read in the rules that during the exercises you're not allowed to praise or correct your dog at all, is this right? However once they've said the exercise is finished you can praise? I find it so hard shutting up during our club's mock trials.. I'm so used to -constantly- talking to my dog while training

I think haltis are a great way to get your dog started with proper heeling! Unfortunately you can't use them in obedience trials I think.. but if you're not going to trial who cares? If you are I think it'd be fine to start off with a halti to stop a dog pulling.. Once you have the correct behaviour gradually try to work without the halti and with a normal collar.. It takes some dogs ages to figure out how to heel properly. I'm not one really to talk though My dog heels pretty well while training but when we're walking.. Well he likes to be right at the end of his leash! He doesn't pull that bad though, unless he sees something exciting - like the river! (Bloody swimming dog.. )

It could be a dominance thing - my mum has a female desexed Shih tzu that will hump every new dog she sees and thinks she can be the boss of! (Sometimes she humps their head Its so funny.. )If Honey is a more dominant dog and not so submissive she may tell Toby off, and thats fine - she's telling him he can't get away with it. She may be more submissive though and wont be aggressive. Others may know more than me though

I would put my dog in for the stays definately even if I knew he wasn't going to pass.. His stays are normally much stronger than his heeling work The other day I had him in a group down stay and he looked like he was going to fall asleep! The sun was -very- nice and warm I suppose... He put his head on his paws and just sort of closed his eyes.... Luckily he didn't go into dead dog --Edit-- I guess I'm kind of lucky and unlucky because while training my dog has always been very quiet. At home he can be quite boistorous or while out walking etc but at training he is always so calm! Perhaps its his breed (Staffy) or his age? (5 years) Anyway I've found that we've had an easier time with learning obedience than other dogs and handlers who started at the same time as us because other dogs seem to have SO much energy and have trouble containing it. This I think has helped so much in particular with my dog's stays as once he's sitting or dropping he's really not going anywhere! However I think on the other hand I've had more trouble than most with my dog's heeling work. He's really good and keeps up to pace but he tends to be a bit slow when it comes to sitting/dropping/standing. Some days it seems he's just so bored with it all that he doesn't want to do it and refuses! Dropping has been such an issue for us, he would never do it without food before and it's impossible to get him down if he doesn't want to drop - he's too strong! So on days he's feeling lazy the drops are the first thing to go out the window Sometimes he needs some more get-up-and-go! Meanwhile my Husky is just like GO-GO-GO!! No attention span, so much energy! But I guess she still is a puppy

Really?? You're not kidding right? That's so cool thank you! I didn't think there was anything in the area! Thank you!!

Puppies are like babies.. You get -no- sleep Atleast your puppy doesn't have diahrea like ours did! ;)

Congratulations on your first trial!! I'm hoping to start soon - just got to get over the fear! Was it at Moorabbin? I dropped by there in the afternoon but I only got to catch the group stays.. It was good to see the judge was really nice and explained everything to the participants!

My boyfriend confessed to me once, early on when we moved into this house that late one night he had to take our new puppy, Kapo, out for a wee. Well, he decided while out there that he had to pee on our lemon tree!! Unfortunately Kapo decided the um trail of pee was so interesting that she wanted to play with it, and my poor boyfriend had to spin around and try not to pee on her!! Is this all "Worlds fasted indian" inspired?

Haha I know! But Strepsils are the only ones that taste good! All other lozenges make me want to spit them out straight away! Oh god don't make me eat them!

Thanks so much guys! I'm feeling a bit better today but I still have a sore throat! Atleast I'm out of bed anyway, and I even managed to go have a look at the Moorabbin Obedience Club's trial for a little bit too to see what its like I'm just popping Strepsils at the moment and taking it easy Thanks again guys I was feeling a bit down this morning cause of yesterday but now I feel better about training

Hey guys, Well two days ago I came down with the flu - and of course I feel horrible.. Sore throat, aching back etc Yesterday my club had its fun day. (competition day) I'm in class 4 which is pretty much CCD level and is judged as such on the day.. Anyway before it was my turn I practiced with Zach and he worked wonderfully! Heeled well, did all his drops, stands, stays etc etc.. I thought we'd do well.. However I had a little while to wait until I was up, and I while I felt okay in the morning I was starting to feel worse off towards the afternoon. When it was my turn in the ring.. well.. Zach was so sloppy with his heeling work! He's -never- been so bad! He was slow, I'd say heel and he was slow to start up, he heeled extremely wide, did his left about turns the wrong way, wouldn't sit when we'd come to a halt, and then sit wide.... It was horrible! He's never been that bad, not even in class! His stand for examination? Forget it! Dropping? I had to tell him atleast 3 times! Standing? He kept wanting to sit! Atleast he completed all his stays properly.. But I'd like to know if anyone else has had a similar experience? By the time I was in the ring I felt extremely sick and really just wanted to go home.. Do you think Zach picked up on this and just didn't want to be there? I wasn't cranky or upset with him.. I was trying to do everything the same but I feel like he just knew I wasn't well and didn't want to work..