Tailwag

I am also waiting to hear & see who is judging :). NZ is looking very tempting, i havnt been there and would love to compete over there as well :)

Looks like a fantastic FAST course to run and yes we would have used a turn away here, out of the 5 dogs we run i suspect 3 would have turn nicely the other 2 who dont totally 'get it' would have taken a bit more of a push to get them back over that jump.

Firstly good luck with the appointment Smisch, I too would advise seeking out a good performance vet they are worth their weight in gold. I agree with Vickie as to when to retire a dog, it is a personal choice for all that do any form of performance based activity with their dogs. I was faced with the possibility of retirement with Dash when she was 4 (she turns 10 this year). Long story short she had damaged her back hind leg when she was young that in turn caused other unforseen damage due to overuse. I undertook a very detailed rehab program with her and was told at the time she wouldnt compete beyond 5 if she kept going the way she was. We did the rehab program and wow you know at the age of 10 she is running better than ever :). If i had to retire her i would, but that would have been my choice. I am lucky and she is one hell of a tough dog. Injuries can be a pain in the backside especially when they are niggly ones that reoccur and we have no idea why. I really hope you find the source of the issue with Den :).

Agree the surface in Tamworth was spectacular, the 3rd ring was a little soft on day 1 but they repacked it and it was as Casima stated running on wet sand with a little give, my guys increased their speed ROFL, as if i needed that, but i cant remember when all 3 of my dogs ran so well over a 4 day event. By day 4 my legs were feeling it a little but that soon passed . I believe the equestrian centre is somewhat different tho and not the same surface guess we will see come January 7th at the fundraiser trial

I think both the new AgCh rules and old have both pros and cons about them. I guess with the new rules it takes away that needing to win scenario, now handlers can take their time gaining it knowing all too well everytime they go clear they will gain points. I still think the title isnt easy to achieve you still need to be consistant and if you have a fast dog that places in every trial just means you will gain it a little easier than with a slower dog that will go clear in every trial but may not place, however, that doesnt take it away from either dog given both are a great consistant dog. It is a real shame to see dogs and handlers like vickie and trim fall shy of such a well deserved title, these two have become one of the most consistant teams around, so to now have to utilise all that hard earned work into points is a real shame. As sad as that is, i suspect it wont take them long to gain it with the consistant fast runs they are having .

We will be there and looking forward to it. I will be running 4 dogs but hey always love a challenge best i work on my fitness now i guess . If the arena inside is anything like AELEC (ADAA Grand Prix Tamworth) then man i cant wait. That surface was fantastic and very fast.

And of course the 24 Weave Pole Challenge (only got a few dogs in this)

Ok i have just uploaded both Links and Sweeps runs, so here are the links for these guys , there are good and faulted runs in the videos but hey both my kids ran so well . Dash, Delta and Charlie are still waiting to be uploaded so will put those up once they are done. Enjoy Sweeps Runs Links Runs

We had an awsome time despite all the issues we had preceding the GP with our van. Dogs ran beautifully with many 1 & 2 fault runs, then the guys and i started to put it together for those long awaited Qs. The rapport at the GP is fantastic and everyone cheers on everyone else it is really wanderful to see. We had great results some being Delta 1st in the Regular Medallions Stakes final, 3rd in Gamblers, Dash 2nd in the 24 weave challenge (5.17 to be be beaten by a 5.15 time not bad for a 9 year old dog), Link 1st Starters jumping (Midi)& a Jumplers Q, Sweep 1st in the Tortoise & Hare (Regular Maxi), Dash Q in Open Jumping and Tortoise & hare, Charlie multiple Qs in Starters, Intermediate Jumping, Open jumping and jumplers. The venue was amazing i have ever only missed 2 GPs and given i missed last years this was brilliant to be there this year, the surface was amazing to run on (and the guys manage to speed up which threw my timing out the door ). But man i wish i could run on that at every trial, we will definitely be there next year (me running 4 dogs argghh).

Hi All, yep Delta Charlie and i will be their with our 7 Bcs altho we are only running 5 of them. Should be a busy weekend for us with 76 runs all up (i have 46 of those ). So look out for us with me having 3 Tri Colour BCs and a Predominatnly Black one, and Bec with a B&W, and a predominatly black BCS and a cattle x Be good to ctach up with you guys there

I dont find it hard at all, i was messing around with running AF with Sweep....Link is a definite 2o2o and Dash is a lie down. Rush my young pup will follow her mum in a 2o2o. I screwed up both Dash and Sweep with there contacts and i wasnt going to do the same with Link, she has solid contacts and it is something that i will be consitant with. Besides in all honesty i can get their contact names right but i cant seem to get the name of the dog i am running right lol, lucky my dogs are used to me calling them different things

We have a few of our Border Collies that drop at the end of a DW, AF no that is a 2o2o, SS our dogs either have a 4 on, or a lie down. I prefer not to have a 2o2o on the SS, altho with the new one, flipping up isnt going to be too much of an issue as it is very low to the ground anyhow. What i dont understand is why everyone must be doing the same thing in class. I know when i intructed years ago i worked with what worked with the dog and handler, not all dogs and handlers are the same, not all learn the same, and not all can do the same thing. You work with what you have and if a handler has something in mind that they want to go with then i would work with them to accomplish it. I really find that hard to understand. For teaching the target i also highly reward for any touch of the target then my criterias increase to what the dog must do, i prefer not to use a clicker but utilise verbals ie 'yes' and go from there . Remeber tho it is all a game .

Well the Weesaw has arrived and all i can say is 'Oh Dear'. I am sure Links pups went over something bigger than that for playtime.....all i could do was laugh there was no other option it really is rather funny. I suspect this thing is just gonna be used as a running contact with most dogs.

The bang game is probaly one of the most important games to play with your dog it helps build not only confidence with something moving underneath them but also helps desensitise them to the noise it make when it drops. With Links pups i screwed a piece of pvc pipe onto a board for them and they started running over that at 4 weeks with great delight. Wobble boards are also great to get a dog used to something moving underneath it. Speaking of SSs we have our new weesaw being delivered this saturday so at least we will have both sizes now to train with. It will be interesting to see what the big guys do when it only drops a few feet lol, i suspect some of them will try and use it as a running contact lol.

ya reckon complexity it certainly is Remember FAST isnt everything . I have spoken to a few who would love to own a 'FAST' dog, but with fast comes lots of learning to handle fast, lots of thinking on your feet, and lots of training. Every new dog i start is generally quicker than the last, i have made plenty of mistakes along the way, fixed those mistakes to make new ones . Fast is a fast learning curve. But in all honestly i wouldnt have it any other way (that is just me ). I love running my dogs, i love the adrenaline rush they give me, i love the game we play, but the best thing is, i love the looks on their faces when we finish a great run (regardless of Q) that is truly priceless .

Right now the only reason we do agility is because Elbie really enjoys it - it's just that watching the trials on the weekend was quite interesting in terms of seeing how different handlers take different approaches to things so I was thinking about how to introduce that into our practice. For instance, some people pull their dogs out of a run after a single fault whereas most others would just let the dog finish even if disqualified. Disqualifications were the norm over a clear round, which was another very interesting thing to observe. At the end of the day, even though it's just for fun - I would like to make sure we do things properly: (1) just because we should; and (2) the option is still there to compete one day if we're ready. LOL we were at the BDOC trial on Saturday and i think we managed to pull 4 our of our 5 dogs running at some point during the day. I will emphasise tho, this is something i wouldnt do to a young dog, new dog, sensitive dog and the list goes on. There are certain criterias our dogs are required to adhere to out on course, if the criteria is broken then the game ends. For my dogs agility is one big game to play with mum, but there are rules . I totally agree with Vickie on many points she has mentioned, you can have both speed and accuracy on your dog you dont need to take one out to have the other. A good place to start is to think about what you would like your dog to do out on an agility course. So what contact behaviour would you like, ie running contacts, 2o2o, 4 on the floor the list goes on. Think about how you would like to start the dog, position IMHO doesnt matter i usually go with what the dog feels comfortable in, again Link goes into a down up to 10-12 metres from the first jump but will go into a sit if the tyre is the 1st obstacle but only 1.5metres away, Sweep goes into a sit as does Dash roughly 2 metres from a jump. Rush when she starts will go into whatever she feels comfortable, distance i will adjust as she starts running. I really dont like to see people slow their dogs down, it comes to teaching them correct obstacle awareness, as well as learning to direct the speed in the right direction. Easier said than done sometimes. I use alot of verbals on my dogs as i am usually a few obstacles behind, but if need be i can get to where i need to by either layering, sending on, or set myself up correctly for any cross i need. I know running Dash in JDM on saturday there were alot of hairy areas where you opened the dogs up but then had a tight sequence to work with, Dash and i have this uncanny understanding of each other, but that is years of experience running her. DQs on saturday were pretty high, the courses were great to run but there were plenty of areas that the handler had to get to to ensure the dogs didnt take any off courses lol, IMHO that is our job to get right the dog is only as good as its handler or how it has been trained. Remember that agility is a game that both dog and handler should enjoy if you do decide to trial down the line then have FUN coz really that is what it is all about

Hi Superminty yes these are my photos i cant help myself when i see dogs work i try to capture 'something different' I particulary like the last 2 as does Seans Owner .

Well we took the guys to do some sheep work yesterday, beautiful day for sheep herding and a beautiful day for photography . I got to see both of Links pups work (Rush & Cruize) and their dad, plus Whip had a good go as well. It is times like this that i feel a very proud breeder . Rush Cruize Whip Ryans Sean (Rush & Cruizes Sire)

I love ADAA for the NFC runs, i still use in on my experienced dogs if they are having issues with things in the ring, my young dog at present is having some contact issues she knows her job but a calf injury on my part has caused some doubt in her mind, the NFC allows me to reward her for her good efforts int he ring . As far as when to know when to compete....i guess it depends on yourself and your dog. If your dog is confident on all aspects of equipment albeit weaves then i would say go and have some good fun runs in jumping, they dont have weaves and it will give you a good indication of where your training is up to . It also helps with ring confidence as well as running with you when there is someone else in the ring ie judge. I dont believe your dog needs to be doing masters courses to start competing, as long as you are happy with where you are up to go and give it a try there are alot of agility people who will help you out at a trial of the hows, whys, can dos and cant dos . We all had to start somewhere and are more than happy to help out a newbie. One important factor to remember have fun

no offence taken just wanted to state that even tho we do have choices (i am thankful we do) that is it making in increasingly harder on the dogs to be able to adjust themselves. I LOVE both ANKC & ADAA and it is why we do what we can to make the transition between the two codes easier on our guys, unfortunately my young dog at present is finding it hard to adjust to the height of the AF in ADAA vs that of ANKC, we are doing alot of NFC in ADAA at present to overcome this and she is getting there but sometimes forgets the steepness of it. That said i there are parts of the rules i am all for in the new rule change just the SS change is at the bottom of that . I am going to be very interested to see how the dogs that are competing now deal with the height change in it.

we choose to do ADAA for the courses, the atmosphere, and great for young and up and coming dogs. Yes this is OUR choice to do this, yes we have trained our dogs accordingly to adjust to the differences, i was purely pointing out that there are alot of differences Re: equipment the that dogs have to adjust to. Do i agree with a 1/2 sized SS no i dont i actually think it is going to make it harder on the faster dogs, the SS is one of the hardest obstacles to not only control but to get right. Just my opinion.

I am not particulary happy with the lowering of the seesaw either but what can we do albeit wait another 5 years for another rule change....i tend to think we are going backwards in some aspects of agility which is a real shame given the rest of the world is going forward with the sport. The one thing i am happy about is the tyre becomming a break away tyre AMEN! I guess for us we will not only need to retrain the lower seesaw but also give it a differnt name to that of the higher one (the joys of doing both ANKC & ADAA). And yes the dogs now have weave width differences (600vs550), AF height differences + cleats (yay), DW diiferences (no cleats vs Cleats (yay)) and now SS diffences 1/2 vs full height. Nothing like making it harder on the dogs .

Well 2 of Links pups got to see sheep for the first time yesterday, both pups showed some beautiful style with Cruz turning straight on, this pup is going to be awsome if he continues very much like his dad Sean. Also got to watch Sean strut his stuff . Some photos of the little guys an their dad working, both pups are only 4.5 mths old and for me it was a real emotional moment to see them work, i am very very pleased with this breeding. Whip also got to see sheep yesterday too, he did some lovely stuff but was a little hesitant at how he was was supposed to go about working them, i suspect with more exposure this little boy will start to show some lovely style he already has lovely square flanks. Rush (Ohutu Link x Ryans Sean) Cruz (Ohutu Link x Ryans Sean) Whip (Cole Laird of the Nite of Ohutu x Ulara the Oracle) Sean (Ryans Sean)

I am the same, i would never pay more than a $1000 for a dog unless i was importing. I just bred a litter Mum Tri and Dad B&W. My litter consisted of 3 Tris and 1 B&W, all pups sold for the exact same price i dont believe in charging more for one colour or the other. I also didnt sell my pups for very much but their lines are some of the best working lines you will find in Australia , UK and Scotland .

I agree Vickie it never hurts to revisit where we find holes in our training that just makes you a better trainer ;) for actually being able to spot them. I am a little late on this original thread so i will kinda add bits and pieces. I run 3 BCs all whom i would love to run the same and in some courses i do i.e JDO. The only difference between my dogs would be committment and stride (i am sure their are quite a few others but these stick out like a sore thumb in a course situation). Dash will turn on a dime, and i can call her off with minimal fuss, same goes for Link altho she is still very much a baby. Sweep on the other hand needs much much more notice to turn, his stride will take him over a jump before i have even blinked. When i walk a course that all 3 dogs are entered in i will pretty much walk it the same for all, albeit notating where the challenges are and how it applies to each dog, i am pretty good at thinking on my feet so i usually utilise this when the situation presents itself. Link at present is showing what i love in a dog not only does she have a good all off but a very good go ahead, some thing Dash unfortunately hasnt, but Sweep does. I like to play to each dogs strengths and build on their weaknesses, and all of my dogs have both. I still have many holes in my training and with each new dog i manage to not to create as many , and if i am unlucky enough (which i usually am) create new ones :p. I am still struggling transitioning Links contacts into a trial formation, she is getting their but it has been a slow process, but each time she goes into Agility we learn something new pull her out and train for being better. Like Sally i have been there done that with Dash rushed and paid the price dearly for crap contacts because i was too inconsistant. I am not going to make the same mistake again with Link. Her contacts she has proved on course to be solid but they are not consistant. Grid work, i like Vickie do some but not alot. Personally i dont believe in fixing something that aint broke. The only dog i have actually had issues with in the jumping department would be Link, she has struggled with adjusting her stride to accurately take her jumps. So we have done a little to help her out. My other two i usually do some for the fun of it and the fact they enjoy dabbling in it with their mum. Verbals is also something i enjoy teaching my dogs, only coz i seem to be lagging about 3-4 obstacles behind them most of the time. Dash in this needs much more work i can usually get myself to where i need to be with her and i havnt really had to use that many, Sweep i tend to use alot of verbals and he has picked them up pretty well, Link is also learning the same ones as Sweep. Makes my life a hell of alot easier yeling something out to them without having to rely on my body or position for them to know what to do. I have seen this done by a few people and it is magic to watch. These i will always use in my training sessions so the dogs continually get used to what their mum is blabbing about . We usually stop agility mid November, my dogs then have the same 6-8 weeks off to just be dogs and do the things that dogs love to do best. The things i do concentrate on are usually fitness, so they get alot of beach work which they absolutely love we then also go back to building everything up once they have had a really good break ready for the next trialing year.