~*Shell*~

No sibes

Who says men can't multitask?

My photo for this week - um... yes, sibes shed a lot.

Lol - thanks SB. I had 4 days worth of shots in my camera today. I think I need to spend less time at work so I have plenty of time to set up my shots! Love the cards shot - I've been tossing up ideas for that word. I think I've got it but I don't know where I'm going to shoot it. I might have to do it on friday...

Wow - you guys are fantastic!! I love it! 7th February - "blah" it was such a blah kind of day because it was pouring down rain and very very boring. I curled up with my doona and some DVDs, Mow curled up under the rug. 8th February - "taste" I brushed Zero out and he decided it would be a good idea to nom the piles of fur I was pulling off him. 9th February - "high" Mow loves being up high. He knows he's not allowed up on the bench but if you get up in the middle of the night, you'll usually hear the sound of his paws hitting the kitchen floor as he jumps off the bench. 10th February - "heel" Zero's heels, my heels and Zero in heel. Not too original but I was working with Zero on his heel work tonight so I thought I would capture it.

The ANKC has rules which the state controlling bodies abide by - the rules should be the same in all states but different states have tendencies to mark differently I'm told. If you want a printed copy, call dogsNSW and they'll be able to send you out one.

From the ANKC: http://www.ankc.org.au/media/scripts/doc_d...ad.aspx?did=201 Edited to take out the Dogs West link - the ANKC is probably the better resource!

I use both - that's how I taught Zero to return to heel which he just couldn't get his fluffy brain around for months (or more like, I couldn't get my squishy brain into gear to find a way to effectively teach it to him! ). I had easily taught him to go around the back but for a bigger dog without a graceful bone in his body, the tight turn required when returning to heel without walking around me was a big stretch. It's still not the most graceful of maneuvers but he can do it. I mostly use the clicker to train tricks, though I also taught Zero to do a formal retrieve with it. While I do use free shaping, I find that a combination of luring and shaping really works for us.

Both. The signs are easy to follow when you know what they mean, although when you're nervous, it does make them a little bit harder to follow!

It couldn't be helped with you here Angelsun! Your passion for rally certainly spreads very easily!

Rally O is great - Zero has a tendency to get a little distracted during formal obedience because I don't have food on me. In rally o, he's a lot more focussed because I can talk to him the whole way around, give him praise and give him all the cues I want. I can't wait until it really takes off here!

Nuh-uh, Brisbane's next Pfft! QLD just had one! ;)

Yep - very happy customer. I'll definitely buy from them again.

In the end I went with this shot for last week: I think I took the shot I'm going to use for this week's shot yesterday (I haven't got it off the camera yet) so I'll have to have a look over the next couple of days and see if I want to use it or something else.

Sydney first!!

It's so he doesn't damage his skin when he scratches. It's working and he looks pretty trendy! Lol - next thing you know, he'll be wearing band merch... Is this so he doesn't have to wear his bucket?

I'm sorry Nik but when I look at that pic I squee because Jedi is wearing a t-shirt!!

Don't let people tell you what you can and can't do dog-sports wise! So many people tell me sibes are untrainable. They're not - they just need some creativity because they won't do drills of their commands for you.

Bahahaha - you definitely haven't seen hair until you've seen a sibe or a mal when they're blowing coat. Zero's at 2 months and counting. My house looks like thredbo. And yes mackiemad - it really is just a brush. I prefer the comb and pin brush on Zero to the furminator. Zero's furminator gives him terrible static electricity - both of us have to get sprayed down with anti static spray!

What Kirislin said! Keep in mind that the focus will be a bit different to your kit lenses (I'm assuming that's what you have?) - when I first got my 1.8 (which I broke when I dropped it out of my camera bag), I had a lot of shots where the focus was off. Half press the button and let your camera show you where it's focussing - i wish i'd known that on the first couple of days I'd had the 1.8!

Gorgeous!! And yes, they're lovely looking dogs - just stunning.

What a bullshit generalisation Not every young adult or even teenager feels 'tied down' by the dog they love and have waited years for. I have had dogs of my own (either gifts or purchased myself) consistently since I was 11 & I'm now 25 and have not once felt burdoned or tied down by them. I know I am not alone in this. I agree. The OP sounds like she has and is, thinking long and hard about this decision and doing her research about what breed would be right for her. I'm sure she will have thought about the potential restrictions she might have on her life, such as travel, rental properties, etc and has decided to make her life fit dog-ownership rather than feeling like the dog is a burden. Personally, not once have I ever felt that my dogs have been 'holding me back' - quite the contrary actually. I would have to agree as well. I had wanted a dog of my own since before I could remember. I got Zero (the first dog that was mine) when I was 20 and I have never felt tied down by him. Sure, I can't do some of the things people would ask me to do because of him but quite frankly, I would rather have him and not do those things than live without him. I have been offered jobs overseas (one of them was a dream job for me), asked to go on extended holidays and even asked to study overseas (again, a course I would have loved to do) and I didn't think twice about turning them down. To me, not having Zero (and my other animals) would make my life very boring. You sound very well thought out PC - all breeds of dogs have special considerations, perhaps you could take a look at the breed subforums or in dog breeds 101 and ask anything in there that you can think of. Who else can give you better advice than people who own and breed the breed of dog you're interested in. Good luck in your search!

Yesterday's effort: Wait - Zero waits for his dinner but the second you tell him "okay", he explodes out of the position I told him to stay in. And today's: Lemon(grass and ginger tea)

Food is a big one for us - Zero always had bones and fish etc but I probably never would have thought of feeding him a grain free kibble if it wasn't for DOL. It's helped me discover Zero's wheat allergies and because of that, he's a lot happier!

Some 50mm 1.4 action for this week: Self portrait: Portraits of Zero: ETA: I really love this lens - it's versatility constantly surprises me.