Jumabaar

hey, anyone who is dedicated enough to set up a Keeshond to trial deserves to have a mittel and join the very cool group of spitzy triallers ..(proving spitz breeds arent just spectacular and glamorous !) what`s one more dog?? mittels fit into small spaces !! ooops sorry to spell your name wrong last time !! good luck with Jedi at your next trial ..wooohoo for the Keeshond !!! where will you be so perhaps I could cheer you on? my mittels wont be ready till next winter. Too right! Spitzies are great to train! Thanks for the well wishes! We will be at Glendenning, Spring Fair and Hills District/Castle Hill. Hopefully I can have Jedi's allergies fixed up by then otherwise he's going to keep having problems with the stays (he gets too itchy and has to scratch). You know, a mittel would be a nice height dog for flyball... hmmmm! How would you compare the Mittel personality to the Keeshond personality? Are they similar? Ok I am at MY dog limit- and no one would even notice a german spitz at your place (could just sit under Jedi and no one would ever see it) and our spitz team does need a height dog.........

I think the most important thing is to make sure your dog is under control. I wouldnt be worried about not getting everything right, so long as you didnt create any bad habits at a comp. My girl was ready (but had to take 18mths off so only just getting back into training) but she would run off at comps so I wouldnt enter her until she has stopped doing this- and when i do enter I know i will run the course wrong or something!! You can go to a comp and watch- I suggest a chair and perhaps some shade! This is great as you can learn so much by just watching!! Look at what a novice course is like but also look at masters so that you can see some good handling. Not sure where you are in WA but the Agility Nationals are at perth next year (cant remember when) and it would definatly be worth going and looking. Another suggestion would be to do some stewarding at a comp as you will get to know ppl this way and they will be able to help and when you do start to trial. Keep us updated!!

Oh please share what you find out about lenses. I am a bit blonde when it comes to cameras (like was siting there for a day trying to work out why the camera wouldnt take any more pics- answer.... Memory was full ) but am really starting to enjoy taking pictures. This is my first purpose bought camera (even my little snappies were freebies) Its just a pain that I have dark shiny dogs that make it a little difficult to learn! I think that in a few months I will be ready fro a new lens too.

I have the same one!! I have just working out how to use it properly (got it for christmas last year)!!

I jackpot ALOT when training for dog sports and want them in high drive. For Bluey it is a cuddle- food for a good effort, cuddle when he has done the whole sequence correctly, he like food but a hug just makes him work all the harder! For Abby and Safire it is treats given quickly like Nik- when she has improved what she is doing or when she has done something correctly after having difficulty. If I have them in a lower drive environment I rarely jackpot as they can go a bit loopy with it and it takes them a little while to settle down.

I agree that it is confusing if it will continue in Aus- could they be planing run multiple world dog games in a year rather than just one country per year. The information looked like it was going to continue in Aus and that in future yrs here the dock dogs would be an actual comp type thing rather than a demo?? It would be nice if it did stay in aus!!

YAY- well done Molls. What a great way to win!

Any chance we can get a breakdown on each team in each division with competition points? Would be interested to see how close some of the teams were. From what I understand second place first division was a tie for second, tie on a count back and it Norwest 2 beat us by one heat!! (they won 9 and we won 8)!!! SOOOOOO close!!!

I had SOOOO much fun!! Abby ran PBs all sunday (And I had been worried that she was not fit enough and wouldnt be running the second day). I think I saw her do a 4.41!!!!!!!!!!!! And this time last year she was continually overheating just watching flyball and she has only been running around 4.8 since she got back into it!!!! This was only her 6th comp ever and only her third comp since coming out of retirement!! I am just so stoked with her- She loved it and really had nothing left to give by the end (I had to move back 2 foot in the last race as she was doing early passes!) and in the last heat she continued out the back of the ring after her run to jump in the pool! Anyway great day- just wanted to share my own little victory.

One more sleep!!!!!!

One of my boys does it to the alpha bitches bowl (I think he is very brave coz i certainly wouldnt try to do something like that!). He doesnt to it to the other four food bowls just hers....

One of my dogs was working, although weightbearing more on the outside of his foot and would randomly yelp. I ended up getting an x-ray (about $50, no sedation etc) and it was fractured. I just kept him quiet for a fortnight - not crated but no zoomies or strenous exercise and it healed nicely. Still dont know how he did it. No cast or covering as weighbearing is the best thing for a brake/fracture and there is not much they can do. to. Just try to keep Kaylah from licking it so that she does not irritate the area.

When I began Abby was in beginers for FOUR months !! but after that she flew up to Blue within about another four months. I liked Castle Hill (although have recently left ;) ) because they have small equipment for beginners, green and yellow and then went up to full sized equipment for Blue and Red. It is definatly FUN. Good luck! ETA- Classes can get a little crowded however I used this time to do trick training and focus work which really paid off in the end.

I agree with keeping two meals. It works the same as in humans- smaller meals less often will work better than one big meal. That having been said make sure that the key word is SMALLER!!

I have all my dogs on it, and they love it. They are the fourth generation to be fed on it but I agree that it is not for all dogs. I use it to keep weight on them so be carefull how much you feed as the amount on the packet is way too much.

I tried positive to train a recall for my dog. I ALWAYS reward when she comes back I have tried lying down/running wasy when she does it, Hell I have even driven off and left her behind (with friends watching her however i guess that was negative reinforcement). I put her on a long line- perfect recall, pretended to take the long line off- perfect recall, Acutally took the line of- NOTHING she took off in the other direction! In the end I found the most effective recall was a big NO as she was hightailing it away. In the past I had used that when she was doing something very very wrong ie about to jump on the stove!! She turned around and came straight back- I managed to squeeze in the come command before she arrived. She then got a big run around with me for being a good girl! I got into a little trouble from another trainer for saying NO but I have to ask if it worked, it didnt hurt her why is it so bad. So I guess I use both not rewarding (some nights there is more time spent in time out then there is training) and also a marker word for an incorrect action- Be this running away or going through the tunnel when i said the A-frame. I dont yell t her but calmly say no in a firm voice. Depending on what it was she will either be put away if she was being naughty or I will correct her by performing the task if it was a mistake I think I use it mainly when she is self rewarding (something she does so well) and so I need to let her know that she should not be rewarding herself and that I am not happy with what she is doing. I tried positive only however I ended up with a dog that had me wrapped around her little dew claw! I do think it also makes a differenece what you want out of your dog. If you want a companion that you can train in your own time that doesnt have any vices then positive only would probably work. However if you are in an environment where the dog CAN self reward easily (and they have the inclination to do so) and you need them to do something then I think balance is the key. I think a dog needs to know what they are doing wrong so the can work out what they are doing right. We always finish on a positive and I ALWAYS set her up to succeed so she really does get more positive than negative!

Oooh you are near me I would recomend Dr Anthony Chu if you want a mobile vet. I go to All Natural Vet Care at Russel Lea where he also works but I know of a few ppl that have him visit their homes (not sure on price)http://www.activet.com.au/history.shtml He was really good about vaccinations and I know he is up to date with all the information. He advised me when I had a sick 6wk old pup (that I bred) what to do regarding vaccintion and I am happy to say she is very healthy now (my local vets were waiting for me to PTS). He does holistic (both western and alternate) veterinary medicine. I know the clinic does titre testing for memory it was about $80 + consult but I usually get half an hour to an hour for a consult! Abby was giving a 'regular annual' vac two yrs ago and her titres are still normal. She does flyball, obedience, herding and showing so is in contact with a lot of dogs. And he is really nice/easy to talk to!! and he was also very gentle with my dogs. Good luck ETA- he will take the time to really explain it all to you!!

mmm been doing some thinking- to anwer my own question. Would you consider the tennis ball, tug toy or even food to be a kind of target for the dog. She may not like to tug but perhaps if i taught her that she had to touch the target before she could run again?? (off to teach Abby to target better using the clicker!!) I do agree that she needs to learn a better recall (in general the rat bag!) so would using a target help this?

She would be in HEAVEN

I have a kelpie that FLIES down to the box to get the ball and comes back fast… but not as fast as she goes down. I was just wondering if you could think of some Ideas to get her back faster- in the end it doesn’t really matter that much too me as I only do it because she enjoys it, I guess it is just something that I can continue to work with her to improve. My problem is that she doesn’t like to be rewarded at the end of a run- she doesn’t tug, will sometimes chase after a ball if I throw it for her as she is coming back (and sometimes she wont), she doesn’t like food (although she is normally a food driven dog- she ate in between having puppies!!)- she really does see it as her JOB and so you don’t distract her with these things. Her mentality is to go down and get the ball, you come back so that you can line up to go back down for the ball and anything not involved in this is a wast of time!! She is supper reliable (when I get it right) but I would like to think that there is always room for improvement. (have just started clicker training- I think i am finaly co-ordinated enough to do it so any tips are welcome!)

Is the World Dog Games going to become an annual event??

See you all there- thank Dog I am local so no camping for me . I CANT WAIT!!

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I got my first Kepie (working) when I was 5. Now breed, show and do dogsports with four Kelpies. 4. What is the average lifespan? I lost my first girl at 13 from an allergic reaction- but she was quite healthy at that age and I think she had quite a few years left in her. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? They are generally very Intelligent (opening doors, training humans etc) In my experience they seem to settle down and mature around 4yrs of age. At this age they seem to become more comfortable in their own skin. Overall they have a very good temp so long as they have been well socialised as a pup and have come from good stock. I think they are very different to train than most breeds ie the Border Collie. A kelpie wants to please however if they think it is not worth it or that it is a stupid command they will not follow it. This may come out in agility where they will ‘add’ jumps if you are not fast enough giving commands. It does not make them difficult to train however they will get bored with repetition. Once they have decided that something is ‘work’ they will do it perfectly, generally without mistakes. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? I do dog sports and they will take as much work as you will give them. I know from experience though that 20minutes of herding or agility will tire them more than an hr long bike ride!! They (should) have been bred with an off switch- you work at full throttle and when you get home you rest so that you can get the energy to go at full throttle when you next go out. I have found this true with both the working and show dogs that i have owned and met. If your Kelpie is being destructive- digging to china, barking non-stop, pulling clothes off the line- then the best bet is that it is bored and/or has way too much energy from not getting enough exercise. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes- so long as they have met a few before and are willing to put in the time to keep them stimulated. WARNING: Kelpies train humans very well and so it is important for new owners to realise this and make sure it is them training the Kelpie 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Two of my dogs have been only dogs and it just means that you have to do more with them than if you had two to occupy them. I didnt have problems however if the dog is not getting enough attention they will let you know. 9. How much grooming is required? I bath every 6mths or when they roll in something disgusting!!! They do have alot of fur when they moult- I have mine indoors and the fur bunnies are currently breeding like crazy and I am vacuuming every day. But when not losing their coat I do very little grooming (even for shows). 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? I was always with my Kelpie as a child- she would lead me round by my hand and would 'herd' me. I got her after I was bitten by a BC so I would not be scared of dogs (and it worked) She was always very gentle. I think that if they grow up with polite kids they are very good family members however they can be boisterous in their teenage yrs and rules need to be in place by then. As with anything they need to be exposed to children if you decide to have children when the dog is mature. My grandparents have a kelpie and he is very gentle with them however will jump all over me- all my dogs seem to be aware of people that they must be gentle with. I hope to have one of mine become a Delta Dog in the near future. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? There are a few genetic diseases such as Cerebellar Aboitrophy in both working and Show Kelpie and Krabbe Disease in working lines. There is no test for CA however pups develop symptoms by 8wks of age and so breeders should be able to see this, and there should be a test for Krabbe in the next yr or so. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) I would want to see the parents- depending on your needs there are many different lines with different personalities and level of drive.

I have used a backpack- round on my front to take a Kelpie pup for 'walks'. She was quite sick and so her first vac was at 8 wks and I left her second till 16wks. I choose to do short walks round the block with her from 10wks just to get her used to cars, people and dogs walking past. I just used a cheap back pack and put a jumper under her so she could see out and had a harness on her incase she made a jump for it. By then end she didnt need anything to raise her up. I also used it once she could walk as she was tiny and didnt always want to walk for as long as the rest of the gang. At 18mths she dosent want to be picked up anymore than my other dogs and I think she is probably the easist of my Kelpies to walk (understood early on what a loose lead was!). She didnt come for every walk so my other dogs had 'alone' time, which is important to consider with your new addition Kem- the walk will probably be time out for your older dog! Just see how you go and have fun with pup WP