Vickie

Lia, are also tugging with him just for fun? Or is every session planned & measurable in terms of distractions? I was playing with Fly yesterday & it made me aware of something that I wanted to share: Despite my resolve not to have another ball obsessed dog, Fly is possibly MORE ball obsessed than either Trim or Shine already Yesterday I was having a game of tug with her & decided that I better check she would still choose to play with me with distraction of a ball. She passed the test each time, but I did notice that my demeanor changed while I was testing her. It's hard to explain, but I became focussed in play, rather than reckless in play like I usually am. I noticed the same thing when I was mucking around with tugging technique last year. I am sure that the reason all my dogs tug so well is that I truly enjoy it and can lose myself in the game without effort. Once I am focussed on technique or testing, I seem to put more control & effort in, so I am careful to balance these sessions out with the free for all that both I & my dogs enjoy the most. Hope this wasn't too rambly & makes sense.

This is getting a hammering on some US lists I am on. Actually it's pretty entertaining reading

Just wondering where your dogs are when no one is home?

Wow! Those are awesome! Looks like fun

I like this!

Their resemblance is uncanny! They have slightly different markings but their bodies are identical. It was great to see them have so much fun Pep settled down & she & Chloe managed a 1st place NQ in Novice Jumping with a really nice run & a 3rd place Q in Novice Jumping

But this sure as hell beats the life they had in the pound... Introducing the Rescue Rascals:

Hi Danni,I just wore normal running shoes, actually not really normal b/c they're so old they hardly have any tread left on them.The only runs I felt unstable on my feet in were the last 2 & I think that was more about fatigue than the ground. My dogs felt a touch faster than normal, didnt seem to notice the surface was different and I didn't see either of the slip once. More importantly, they don't look stiff today

I thought the surface was really good yesterday at SIEC . I thought I may be a little sore today, but I'm not. I arrived at 7pm & did not even sit down till 10pm, so am pretty happy to be feeling so good (although I am tired) It is such an awesome venue...can't wait to spend 5 days there!

Well done TN we missed you at agility ;) Den was great Sam! It was awesome to meet him, hopefully I will be less busy next time & can get to know him better.

Ain't that the truth!

very well said, 100% agree. I don't think it's fair or appropriate to guilt people into getting rescues, but neither do I think it's fair to say that there are not enough rescues suitable for top sporting competition. You only have to look at the top dogs in any state in disciplines such as agility, flybsll, obed to see that a reasonable percentage of them are rescues. Itd be good if people took a little more responsibility for the impact that their training/handling has in relation to how successful their dogs are.

FANTASTIC NEWS! Huge Congratulations to both of you!!!

One of my favourite books ever! Boy did I sob! And smile! And laugh!

There is technically no refusal plane mentioned in the new rules, other than for the table. Regarding jumps, the rules now say a refusal is called if: The dog fails to make an attempt at the obstacle When approaching, the turns away or stops When attempting, the dog fails to pass between the uprights. It's all still so General to me. I wish they had taken the opportunity to fix this rule & make it less open to individual juges interpretation. I still get annoyed that a focussed dog can be given a refusal for a quick head check and yet the dogs who spin the whole way around the course & the ones who are unfocussed & do zoomies or leave the ring can technically still (and do) run clear.

TBH I don't do much shaping for agility anymore RS. I just lured her every day for a few days & then she started offering it by herself.

While i think this is hilarious & somewhat true, there are CLEARLY aspects of this video that you would not ( and coukd not) attempt with a dog who was not interested in tug yet.

Here are some ideas Elise I do this each day with Fly. She is learning that keeping her back feet on the board is a good thing. She is also learning a release word and rear end awareness. Trim is learning to send to a pole, turn around it and accelerate out of her turns Trim sending and turning

Ok, here is the answer regarding moving up a class if you get a title after you have entered. If you post your entries, you have until close of entries to email the trial secretary and ask to move up a class. If you enter online via the E-Performance entries, you can log in and move yourself up by changing the class you are entered in, up until close of entries. Note. Once entries have closed, it is too late to move up a class.

I'm just confirming now, will post definitive answer soon

Feel free to elaborate on your answer

As janba has said, what you see at 6 weeks, or 6 months can mean everything...or nothing in relation to how a dog may turn out. It is common practice in many countries to not even start training a dog on sheep until they are around 2 years. Sheepdog people tend to select a breeding rather than an individual pup from a breeding. There is a common saying when asked which one will be kept from a litter..."whichever one is left" The combination of herding traits is incredibly complex and much of it is impossible to assess, other than on stock. Different types also suit different people. Some like a busy dog, some dont. Some like a dog who thinks for itself, some don't. Some of the most successful dogs in history were someone else's rejects. Of the 3 bitches I have here, they each display traits around the house that do not ring true on sheep & vice versa. The one most likely to be fearful of every day things has the least fear on sheep. The most biddable one to live with is the least biddable on sheep The most independent one around the house is the one who works off my body the most The one who showed the most promise as a young pup, is the least talented Etc.

You're missing my point...and you didn't answer my question... What about a dog who initially shows disinterest or avoidance for a game of ball and, through training, ends up looking exactly the same as one who has been an obsessive retriever from 6 weeks? High, medium or low retrieve drive? Vickie to be honest, I think the path you describe tends to cause the breeding of dogs who are trait deficient, call me old school but a pup who showed avoidance or disinterest didn't have it in the blood and we wouldn't select that pup. As training methods evolve to generate drive into dogs who are genetically lacking in my belief contributes to the wrong dogs being bred based on training standards not nature. I have seen this happen with gun dogs over the years where a lot of hard work in training has show cased a dog into excellence which by nature was only average, then everyone wants a pup or a stud from that dog?. I like the raw abilty by preference for the future of breed performance.

What about a dog who initially shows disinterest or avoidance for a game of ball and, through training, ends up looking exactly the same as one who has been an obsessive retriever from 6 weeks? High, medium or low retrieve drive?

I would love to see some video too It's ok, I found some