jesomil

We used to sell them where i worked. You can order them from pet stores. I think it is Kramar who has them.

With my last Rotty I did obedience, agility, tracking, flyball, tricks, a bit of schutzhund, tv work and pets as therapy visits all at the same time. We were very involved in all our sports and it took alot of time. She didnt get confused because we trained at different places and every sport has different commands and different body language being used. With my current dog i am finding that i can only do sheepdog trials with him. That is what he is bred for and the reason i bought him, so its fine by me. I started doing competitive style obedience with him but found it was not good for his sheepdog work so have stopped it completely and will never do it again with a sheepdog. I think with sports that dont require instinct, you can do as many as you can find the time and motivation for. You will probably do best at the one you enjoy most and train the most for.

You sound like you are very hard on yourself MrsD. Nerves make us do crazy things and every dog has silly days. Its great for experience and learning .

Thats a great thread Vickie and you made some very, very good points. I particularly liked the discussion on the photos you posted.

Cant ever guarantee that ML, I think we all know what a Heeler is. I agree. It is very sad that psychologically some breeds are not capable at all of achieving their original purposes. Some may be to a certain extent, but some not at all. Several years ago I was after a Kelpie and didnt know much (still dont ). I rang the Kelpie association and explained that i was after a working line. The lady said, "why would you want one of those leggy, skinny dogs, they are so ugly". I think that says it all.

Congratulations!! Is that you guys with a qualifier in there? Well done!!

It is very annoying the amount of dogs i come across that are obviously carrying too much weight but the owners wont do anything about it because the vet says its fine. The amount of basic dog knowlegde that some vets lack is very disturbing.

Congrats everyone. Well done Cash for getting high in PT for the day. He is a good boy. Are you guys still going to try yard trials? Well, i had a look Saturday morning. It was interesting. I watched one run in the Advanced then all the Intermediate dogs. Had a look at the ducks also. It was very different from the sheepdog trials i am used to. But i guess it has been designed to allow many breeds with many different levels of instinct to compete. I still have many questions but i am glad i went along to have a look. Glad you guys are having so much fun.

Tony, I completely agree with what you are saying. I have pondered the same thoughts.

;) Sorry, i thought you meant there will be no one trialling at all. I am heading out for a look now.

So does that mean that no one will be there tomorrow?

Mine took one week to arrive but they said it would take up to two weeks. They make fantastic harnesses, I am so pleased with mine.

Yes, I am heading over for a look. I will be there Sat morning if something is happening. Can someone tell me when it starts? Are the advanced classes definately on first? I am looking forward to it . ETA I just found the last thread about it and found the schedule. The trial classes are on Sat and the test classes are on Sun. 8am start!! Is anyone else going on the Saturday morning?

Thanks Erny, I was starting to feel ignored . I shall await her reply then. I am asking because so often when I tell people what i do with my dogs, they want to have a go with their own, so i was just wanting a little more info on what happens out there.

Looking forward to hearing how you go. I trained an Afghan quite a few years ago. I entered her in one obedience trial and she passed some of the exercises but not all . It was hard work keeping her motivated and focussed. She also had about a 90% recall which i was thrilled with. She taught me soooooooo much.

As long as you are not putting too much pressure on your pup and you are keeping training fun and happy, its all good. I train my pups from 8 weeks. I only do short sessions and use lots of treats. It is so much easier when they are young and innocent.

Hi Kelpie-i, Do you guys offer further training after the initial workshops? I mean, if people want to get involved in herding trialling etc? I get asked quite regularly about where people can take their dogs for sheepdog training and it would be good to have a direction to point them in. Thanks

Thanks for that Riles. I should have read the whole thread .

Hello Can someone tell me when the next herding trial or test is on at KCC park? I would love to come and have a look and finally see for myself what it is all about. Thanks

Great posts. I particularly like this line I am probably the worst trainer i will ever be right now. I was better years ago and hope to be much better in the future. I dont think it is ever possible to be the best you can be because training is always a work in progress. There is always something to learn no matter how much experince you have. You think you understand something well and then you will come across another way of thinking or another dog who throws your theories out the window.

The problem i am having with my pup is that as soon as she sees food, she sits as I have worked alot on obedience. It would be easier to teach showing first but certainly not impossible teaching both together, you just need seperate commands and cues.

I think that is George you are talking about. We are actually taking the dogs out to see him tomorrow morning. He only charges $10 and is brilliant. I take my dogs a few times a year because they can get quite knocked around in sheep yards and with the crazy running around and playing that they do. They usually dont show any signs but sometimes they might have something a bit out and he fixes it. He is great. I think it is best to have dogs checked out because we cant always tell there is something going on.

Very well said :D . What in the VIC laws make it difficult? There are clubs in Victoria.

One thing i have noticed from watching Schutzhund training is that alot of the dogs at the top level are male and are mostly working line GSD's or Mal's. Are males more suited to the training? Why is it there doesnt seem to be as many of the other breeds? Is it that they arent being bred with suitable temperaments?

Great points Kavik!!!