FHRP

Look forward to your retrieving brags too RubyStar! And don't dismiss getting that NRD, I thought the same when I started in the sport with my Vizsla and although it took a couple of seasons (try convincing a lean Vizlsa that it's a good idea to go into water during a Canberra Winter!) we got there and further! ;)

Congrats, great to see another Retrieving brag!! Good luck in getting the NRD!

Hello Kitty gumboots are strictly home wear only, to the washing line when it's frosty

I can not imagine a judge would ever ping you for not using an optional verbal.

I used to suffer this, hence why I currently have a 12yr, 10 yr and an 8yr old dog!! Thankfully I realised my limits when I got the now 8 year old dog (I had another also which has since passed on) and waited 5 years to add the next. Now that the youngest is 3yrs I'm getting itchy again eta. A couple of very experienced doggy friends have recently added pups that have been particularly 'trying' which has helped lessen the itch a little

Obedience rules are available on the ANKC web site http://www.ankc.org.au/Rules.aspx

Sounds like your friend is referring to a "social dog" rather than a dog that's been well socialised. Just like people, not all dogs want to interact with others, no matter how much exposure they've had to it.

They deliver to Canberra, I have got food from them through an order that Poodlefan has made.

Glad to hear your girl is back to normal Zug Zug. My old boy went through something similar sounding a few years back. He was about 9-10 years old at the time and I was away for a big agility event, travelling with friends. One evening he became glued to me, and was a trembling mess, very very sooky. He would settle down and then it would happen again. We soon found that the trigger was my friends dog barking, in particular telling my other Vizsla off, which sent Flynn into an anxiety attack! Flynn and this other dog had spent many many hours together, had travelled literally thousands of kilometres on the same back seat of the car over the years, and he had heard her bark many times!! We don't know why it suddenly made him so worried and anxious and we still wonder if something happened when we were away from the car. There were no physical signs of an attack, and he had no problem being near her when she was quiet. He was not sound sensitive in any other way either. My vet checked him over and physically he was fine. She suggested using a DAP and to control the situations and said that it could be signs of demntia starting. He is still sensitive to this certain bark, but otherwise all good So, my first thoughts are that something may have upset your girl when you weren't there. It may be something she has never previously worried about, but it now concerns her. She may never exhibit the anxiety again, or she might be triggered again. However, I wouldn't hesitate in taking a dog to the vet if at all concerned, no one knows your dog like you do. My vets have never dimissed me when I've come in with a subtle problem with my dog, and usually we do find something going on.

Great stuff Seita!! Sounds like she's ready for the real thing Tassie, yep I've done it. Thankfully it was during a judges exam and not a real trial!

Well I didn't get the soup cans retrieved However, I didn't see any improvement ;) Which article he picked up still seemed to be very random, no signs of using his nose. When I thought he was just going for which article I put down last, I put him out of sight and it became more miss than hit He would even swap from the corect to the incorrect!!! After finishing with Polo I gave my old boy Flynn a go with the woods and leathers (run out of metals!) and after his initial snatch and grab, he remembered and did a wood and leather correctly and was very proud of himself

trifecta, it certainly felt like it could snow here today!!

Thanks.

I look forward to trying the can method tonight!! I have visions of Polo bringing me cans of soup though.... I will report back after we try

OK, did some scent discrim as per Ptolomy's instructions. Absolutely hopless! He got the wrong one about 80% of the time and when he got the right one it was just chance. So, back to the drawing board! He is having a lot of fun trying though.....

Looking forward to some results from all these 'debuts' soon!! I'm sitting here contemplating doing some scent discrim work with Polo, haven't touched it for a few days now However we had the best training of a different kind on the weekend. We went out to a Field trial for Pointer & Setters (my dogs aren't eligible) and did some training on quail afterwards. Polo was fantastic and I was again just amazed at the instinct in these dogs. Although he wanted to stick quite close to start with and spent time on old scent, he learned to get out and hunt and boy did I know when he was onto birds!!

I have a trip to Rutherglen area planned with two of my dogs in early July. I'd love to take them to 'see snow' and was wondering if any Victorians can recommend any places that might have snow at that time that I can take dogs?? I was thinking somewhere around Bright might be a go?? It might be too early in the season though....

One day you'll see the light and get a Utility Gundog Yes, titles can be earned UG & UGX I believe. I don't think any dog has yet Sorry, love my Labradors too much!! Though is an English Setter a Utility Gundog? Because I would love one of them Nope, Setter aren't Utility Gundogs. Vizslas, GSPs, Weimaraners, Brittanys, Spinoni, Bracco, WH Vizslas, GWPs, Munsterlanders all are... I'm sure I've missed some I started with a Labrador and still like them, but I doubt I'll ever go back. I did quite like the working English Setters at the Field trial I was at on the weekend though....

One day you'll see the light and get a Utility Gundog Yes, titles can be earned UG & UGX I believe. I don't think any dog has yet

Are Utility Gundog Working Tests different to GWT? I don't think I've seen any GWT here in Perth, I'd love to see one and perhaps do one. Yes, very different. They are for the Utility Gundog breeds only and tests all 5 aspects of the Utility Gundogs - conformation, obedience, retrieving, hunting (and pointing) and tracking/trailing (of game, not people). Unlike a GWT which tests a bit of obedience and a basic retrieve.

Although Dock Diving has been 'introduced' here I would like to see it actually get going! After the WDG's I've heard of no more training or events I would love the Utility Gundog Working Tests to come to ACT/NSW or indeed get going more in Victoria where it's been introduced. I'd love something more like the Hunting Tests in the USA which would make Gundog work more accessible to non-hunters.

The Pooch Pouch from Todds is a huge hit here They would be dead easy to make yourself if you had a little sewing ability, which I have none of :D

a) what breed you have 2 x Hungarian Vizsla (12yrs & 8 yrs), 1 x Whippet (10yrs) & 1 x German Shorthaired Pointer (3yrs) b) what special needs your breed has (eg working, terrier, sporting dog) The 3 gundogs are high eneergy dogs that are bred to work for their people. So they need both physical and mental exercise and training. Lots of it The Whippet is a sighthound that requires far less exercise or training. Contrary to what a lot of people say, my Whippet is trust worthy off lead and has been since young. c) what 'enrichment strategies' you have to prevent boredom, destruction etc? The two youngest get free running exercise every day, often swimming during this time also. I train my youngest each week in obedience and retrieving and sometimes in agility. The 8 year old gets training in agility most weeks (used to do retrieving and obedience). The two older boys get outings usually for shorter distances and until recently that was daily. My dogs also get to spend the days with each other and the younger two do play a fair bit. My dogs aren't destructive and don't seem bored.

What gundogs have you seen?? I am not partial to the looks of either of the breeds you mentioned, but I loves my gundogs! No Gundogs even have prick ears which the GSD has.... I'd still not recommend a Vizsla for your situation. Unless the whole family is keen to interact with the dog, which it doesn't sound like your husband is and he will be home alot with the dog, I would question how happy a Vizsla would be.

Personally I would not suggest a Vizsla for your situation, you may find them too 'clingy'. All of the breeds you have listed are high energy, but more so the Gundogs and the Aussie from my experience. Yes, my Vizslas are happy to sit around and watch TV with me (preferably right next to or on me) or go for a jog (not that I jog!), however you wont get the quiet sitting watching tv without the jog first! They need daily exercise, and even more so if they aren't going to be included in the family life entirely. Any dog can be trained to keep off furniture and out of bedrooms, but how much time does your family spend in the downstairs rumpus room? A dog would rather be with it's people, even if that means on a dog bed in the same room. I regard Vizslas as 'needy' even though some in the breed don't like the term. They need to be with their people, they need contact, they need attention. Give them that and they are wonderful dogs to have around.