Vickie

Sorry Jules, I haven't been very clear. This is a sheepdog breeding. I am a good agility trainer, but a total Novice sheepdog trainer. I am lucky to have naturally talented sheepdogs that make me look better than I am to the uneducated. Lol, to anyone who knows what they are doing, it is clear that I lack the skills required. But I have improved a lot & will continue to improve. There will always be people breeding good sheepdogs, & certainly good enough for my skill level at the moment. I just really like this bitch & if there isn't another litter, I will find another breeding I like I guess

Thanks all, lots of opinions & lots to think about. The big thing is that: skill wise, I am not ready for this pup right now. I can offer a great home and raise a happy well adjusted & well behaved dog. I am a good owner, but There will be no shortage of homes for this breeding & they will all be better & more experienced trainers than I am. The question is, how much can I increase my ability & skills by the time this pup would be ready to start some serious training. Do I put everything I have into it & hope I'm ready when the time comes? Or do I put everything into it & wait for the next litter so that I can be more confident in taking a pup? I already have 2 talented dogs that I have not trained to their potential in this field. I kind of think I owe it to everyone, but especially myself to put the effort into them first. I have the dogs, the time & a tonne of support to help me. The more I think about it, the more my gut says to wait and make sure I have the skills I need.

When one of your favourite bitches is about to be bred (likely to your favourite dog) and you hadn't planned on getting another pup for a year or so?

We have no problems with 3 bitches. We regularly have another 2 or 3 at a time here as well & they all run fine together with no issues.

Things are not always as they seem. I worked both my dogs this morning with a stockwhip in my hand. Dog 1 was not at all worried about me having the whip before I started to work her, but did respond to it & was respectful of it when I did work her. Dog 2 was tied up when I worked dog1. She was showing extreme shut down behaviour about the whip. At the other end of the lead, turned away, couldn't look etc. The second she started to work, all that disappeared & she Responded but was not nearly as respectful of it as Dog1. If I had looked at their initial levels of stress reactivity, I may have predicted a very different scenario and chosen a different (and incorrect) path many of the extreme CM methods are not fir the average handler with the average dog. When you are dealing with extremes of instinct, aggression, fear etc, average methods are probably not going to cut it.

Have you contacted his breeder? They should have advice & be able to help

Judith, I agree with TSD I really think you need to get some professional help with Jed. Reading your other posts, it sounds like you have had a few issues with him & that the problems between him & your male cat are escalating. Jed has not yet hit maturity. I think it would be wise to get a few things ironed out before he does. Where are you located? Maybe we could suggest someone? Are you doing any Formal training with him? Tricks or sports could also help build your leadership skills with him.

No video TSD, but it's not a bad idea. I think the thing is, I was ready to pull the pin if I felt at all uncomfortable. As it turned out, I got so carried away reading the dog that I forgot to be worried. Not a reason for complacency, but it was nice to feel confident in a situation that I never thought I'd feel confident in. The bonus is, I get to make a great dog's life better

just wanted to share an experience Yesterday someone who lives near me asked if they could bring a dog over to see if it had potential for agility. I said Ok (but was a touch apprehensive) Dog is a one person dog. Used to be a working cattle dog in the outback. Hasn't done anything for a few years. Doesn't take to other people & has bitten before (people who were warned not to interact with him who thought they knew better) I have always admired this dog from afar, never touched him though. He slinks around his owner just like many working dogs do & obeys commands. Anyway...I was very calm with him & got him sitting for a ball. At first he wouldn't bring it back, but me turning my back a few times & walking off soon changed that and after a couple of mins had him dropping it at my feet. Next we moved to a low jump. I just walked around it & kept him calm. I discovered that, like many working dogs he responded naturally to me applying & releasing pressure. Pretty soon I was able to throw the ball when he took the jump. 10 mins later I was able to get him to take the jump consistently but he wasn't really offering it. We had a break for 5 mins to let him have a think. When we came back, he started offering the jump straight away & was driving over it. Other than the 5 min break, this dog went solidly for 40-50 mins with no sign of tiring. I'm looking forward to our next session. A year or two ago, I would never have attempted this with a dog like this. It has made me realise just how important The experience I have gained over the past couple of years is. Sorry this is long winded & probably a bit boring . I just wanted to share.

Sounds like great session TSD

so true Clyde. Not only that but many groups & carers (even though they are trying) are only providing aspects of quarantine anyway. To provide 100% quarantine is beyond what is practical for most rescues or carers. Eta, i am not for a minute suggesting that quarantine is useless, just that it is difficult to make it foolproof.

Best wishes for you Poppy & Huey. What a dreadful thing to have to deal with.

so sad

Good Luck Dasha!!!!

I guess the question is why would you? Different people have different concepts of what they are rewarding, depending on their level, skill, goals. Some people are happy to reward the dog successfully negotiating an obstacle, ie jump- bar stays up. Some feel there is a lot more to a jump than the bar staying up, ie jump with forward focus, not jumping too high, being able to place your dog over a specific part of the jump, distance from the handler, reading a turn cue etc and all that is just one jump. Over a sequence or courses there are a hundred things you may want to reward

I took my dogs back to sheep today. It has been SUCH a long time. I wasn't sure how they'd go, but they were great! Trim looked like she had never had a break & Shine was much better for having the break. I also got to see some of shines half siblings have a go. Cool! I guess I'm hooked again

Dogs land on their leading leg. If they are turning to their right, their front right should hit first, left, left will hit first. When dogs are going in a straight line, their leading leg will generally be the one on the same side as the handler. Generally, dogscan be left or right handed & lots of them can be quite one sided when they start agility, but this should be overidden by what I have written above

No worries. Lots of people would probably disagree with me, but I never start mine low. They don't jump till they're physically ready & start on competition height. I do some grids to teach them to use their rear end to jump & some to teach collection & extension. Others do heaps more. Just a personal thing I guess, but I've seen too many dogs with poor jumping styles who have done excessive foundation grids so have decided it's not for me or my dogs. And I guess it's a bit of the old "if it ain't broke..."

there is a list of clubs here: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...08588&st=15 each club generally holds 1-2 trials a year. Dogs are not allowed to compete until they are 18mths

She doesn't look like she's jumping early. She is hitting the top of the arc over the jump which is what you want. Only problem is that it's not much of an arc. Personally I would jump her higher if she is up to it physically. She's jumping quite flat b/c the jump is too low for her. You can see that she is not really using her rear end to jump.

fantastic Amypie :D

:rolleyes: that makes heaps of sense TN

This is the way I look at it. If you are looking at your dog & your dog is looking at you, there is much potential for your dog to miss obstacles & for you to run into them. It is hard to set lines & both of your speed is limited. If you run and focus ahead, your dog is likely to as well. You are less likely to run into stuff, your run is faster & your lines smoother. Your dog, if inexperienced, can still miss obstacles...but since you are driving ahead, it is easier to continue on like nothing happened. People who tend to look at their dogs a lot also tend to stop & get their dog to fix a "mistake". Since a dog missing an obstacle is a generally a handler, rather than a dog issue, fxing a mistake can be confusing & drmotivating for the dog. I would take a fast happy, dog any day that incurs a fault due to handler error, rather than an uncertain/unmotivated one who runs clear.

or their butt :rolleyes:

I try to only look at mine when they are coming towards me.