FHRP

In terms of faults, nope. If your dogs get a correct entry and pops out after a pole or two you can move straight on to the next obstacle for one fault! The weaves are judged the same way in Open as in any other Agility or Jumping class.

It'll be a big nudge next year, the Nationals are in WA! :D I'm sure help for the NSW State Titles wouldn't be knocked back though I really enjoy watching the Championships, I see some great dog work but I also see that dogs are dogs and none are perfect. I come away keen again (for at least a short time ) to get out there and train Polo 'cause I'm sure he is capable of most of those runs with some training, not saying he'd get through them all in one weekend though Funny that I can see Flickr photos at work but can't see Photobucket images or Youtube!

The new weave rules can be a little confusing. A dog can not reattempt a gap they missed, but they can continue to weave past a missed gap. So if your dog goes in but misses a pole and continues to weave, or is put back in further on it will be a fault. If it misses a pole and you put it back in the missed gap it is a DQ. Hope that helps! Make sure you go to the judges briefing where they should also go through their start line procedure which can differ a little between judges. If you have any questions, ask at the briefing!! Good luck and have fun!

Day 2 Day 3

Lovely topics we discuss But I agree, I hate the pit loo, espeically when you're there for more than a day (without going into detail ). I have uploaded the Nationals pics if anyone is interested. I think there are a few good ones in there! Day 1

If I camp my dogs are in the tent with me, or the van if I have my parents van. I prefer accommodation where the dogs can be in with me, but it's not always possible if I don't want to tent it I always have at least two dogs in the car so they can snuggle up together and I find after a day of trialing, there are no complaints about sleeping in the car It's just so much easier if you have dogs that can be accommodated this way I've found. I must admit when field trialing with Polo only I found accommodation where he was able to be with me, in the vain hope he'd keep his brain all weekend from sleeping so well Anyway, if people are keen to trial they will find accommodation that works

I won't tell my girls that, they will think they are hard done by getting tinned sardines, even though they love them! My dogs won't eat fresh fish!! They love their tinned stuff though Finding accommodation that allows dogs inside is tricky, especially for a reasonable price, my boys sleep in the car just fine. I figure I have a lot of motel accommodation to do before I cover the cost of a caravan, and I don't have to tow :D

You wouldn't come even if he was able to eat kibble :p I rarely camp if I can avoid it but I'm often away for weekends without access to a fridge for the dogs food and I can still feed them raw. Chicken frames that are frozen when I leave and kept in a cooler bag are fine for feeding the second day, as are lamb shanks etc. I did the camping thing when I started retrieving trialing, but one or two seasons in a tent in the freezing cold with no showers and often only a pit toilet, I chucked that in! Most others have a caravan but a few of us head to the nearest cheap motel, hey rubyroo :D

Have fun Livertreats! I have spent the last two weekends sitting in bushes, on rocks, on a cliff edge etc. taking pics at the NSW State and Nationals trials!! I must have sat on a few ants nests as I now have the bites to show for it Lots of fun (mostly) with some great dog work seen, but I'm yet to finish going through last weekends 2000+ photos If anyone is interested her is what I uploaded from the NSW State. http://www.flickr.com/photos/91992433@N00/sets/72157627474244417/with/6115643443/

Awesome stuff Vickie & Trim!!

Congratulations wuffles and Ava!!! Lovely score :D

Thanks for stewarding today wuffles and koalathebear! I'm glad you learnt a lot wuffles, hopefully not only what not to do ;)

To compete in Retrieving Trials or Field Trials your dog must be a registered pedigreed Gundog on the Main or Limit register. To compete in Retrieving Ability Tests for Gundogs your dog can be an associate as long as they are a Gundog breed (not a cross). I would ask Dogs NSW if you can change her from associate to main or limit register, although I do know of someone who has done it but that was several years ago.

Do you mean breeders forcibly taking back a dog they've bred from a bad situation? Or breeders taking back dogs that the owners can no longer keep or care for?? The former may be considered a rescue, but hopefully with carefully vetted pupy homes this is uncommon. The latter I certainly do not see as rescue, these dogs are breeder rehomes. Any breeder worth their salt will take back a dog they've bred and rehome it appropriately if the owners can no longer care for the dog. In fact many breeders stipulate that they must be given the first option of taking back the dog should an owner want/need to get rid of the dog they bred. There's a good chance a lot of the dogs would never end up in pounds, but be sold or given to other people by the first owner. Many come from loving homes where circumstances have changed and the dogs aren't being 'rescued' from a bad situation. I know I would hate to have a dog I bred that I needed to rehome referred to as a rescue, unless it was genuinely rescued from a poor situation.

There are many, many breeds capable of the above. Running at higher levels is different to what might be termed 'competitive in agility'. If you want a dog that is capable of winning consistently at the highest levels against all comers then your breeds and breeders are much reduced IMO, and your training and handling skills must be far better than average As others have said I would look for breeds I'd like to live with first and then I'd determine the most physical and mentally suitable of the breeds. I have a love of the gundog breeds, espcially the Utility gundogs, most of which are very capable of agility at higher levels. I've also developed a love of Gundog competitions, so for the foreseaable future I'll be sticking with the Gundog breeds, however as much as I like a couple of the heavier built dogs, I am hesitant to get one while I want to do agility. So, although I go with the breeds I like first, I do put consideration into the physical ability.

My dogs didn't make it any further so saving space ops, now they're back

Glad you enjoyed the trials mollipop and that you had some success I was bummed I couldn't make it out at all over the weekend, such lovely weather for trialing too.

Congratulations Seita and Ella, fantastic achievement!!

Awesome RV! Sounds like you've got a natural backer :D

Congrats, always great to see kids getting into dog sports Buffy, an Iggy, did a Test Track (now known as Track 1) with an 11 year old handler some years ago too

Depends what people mean by a good dog A good show dog may not come in a bad (but acceptable) colour, but as mismarks aren't showable then that would impact further than colour. A performance home may however say that a good (working) dog doesn't come in a bad colour or markings. Plenty of mismarked bc's excelling in agility, herding, obedience etc.

Not hard in Vizslas, they only come in the one colour, although I do prefer the mid colour in terms of darkness. In GSPs I strongly prefer brown over black and it would have to be an absolute exceptional pup for me to consider black. I also prefer GSPs without white blazes on their head, however I'd certainly overlook that on the right pup I don't think there's anything wrong with having colour and marking preferences as long as it's not your only criteria.

Yay rubyroo! One down, two to go!! :D Congrats also mollipop, sounds like Molly will be ready for restricted when she's fully recovered

UD training might start up again later this year when the weather warms up. Field Trials are over for the year, but training hasn't Congrats to TSD & DSO also on your agility results!

Thanks, sounds like quail I believe that's what they use in QLD, which IMO is what it should be as that's the game they're hunting. So, a dog has to do both a retrieve, and be the dog in the stay for another dog? That makes sense. The land retrieve in a trial where game can't be shot is to replicate what happens in a 'shooting' trial. Utility Gundogs are expected to retrieve the game directly that they've found and flushed, with a soft mouth. A dog is also meant to demonstrate steadiness when it's bracemates completes a retrieve, as does the retrieveing dog when there is another dog close by.