OSoSwift

I think the price I paid for both of mine, Rommi in 2008 and Lewis at 8 months in 2009, was an absolute bargain. The price of Whippets is generally on the lower end of the scale compared to many, and I would of paid more than I did happily.

Great photo I haven't seen it on the news but I will look out for it in the paper

Hi Holly's mum if you turn into viveash where la salle is and go down to the river, it isn't technically off leash but as long as your dogs are not bothering anyone everyone does it, they can swim run through the grass and you can walk for ages at the reserve, must do the right thing and pick up after dogs i go with my three rottis they love it. other than that there are not really anywhere they can go. there is near the old govenor stirling school agian its a reserve and you can walk for ages again not technically off leash and tends to be more people not neccessarily dogs here depneding on time of day hope this helps Old Governor Stirling School??? Is it not running any more???

Great to hear Ptolomy and Bedazzled have settled in well over east

Will keep an eye out for it myself Willow, great news. So many mine shafts to fall down around Kalgoorlie!

Depending on the type of haemophillia, I know when I had a Von Willebrands affected dog who we thought may require potentially very bloody surgery it was recommended that he be given clotting factor while having surgery and for a short time afterwards. That was a long time ago so things may have changed

damned if you do damned if you don't!

HAve a great time Ptolomy and Bedazzled Hope Toby's leg feels much better very soon

As far as I am aware there is only Wendy and myself who are WA distributors of Black Hawk. My 30kg Dobe used to get 6 cups of Active premuim dog food daily to keep her weight on, plus other little things here and there. Rommi (11kgs) gets around 3/4 to 1 cup of BH and a little of something else ie meat, sardines etc Lewis (14.8kgs) gets around 1 1/4 cups it is a cooking measuring cup. Exactly how much they get depends on their body condition and what they have done in the day.

I don't have PayTV So don't have any idea what shows there are

Unfortunately dogs are being bred with weak nerves regardless of the breed standard...sadly some will still put beauty before all else.... I definately agree, there are some dogs being bred from that shouldn't be, but if they were only bred from if there temperment was correct as per breed standard then it wouldn't be an issue as no breed standard allows it. I have seen some myself in my own breed. This to me sounded a little like some breeds standards allow dogs to have that sort of temperment, so just because a dog is of a breed with a softer temperment for example doesn't mean that fearful or weak nerves are correct. Nort sure I am getting out what I mean..... I guess to me breed does not come into it, any dog of any breed that is like that is incorrect.

Well done Wuffles I pull my dogs once they have failed an exercise at all as they are obviously not working up to their normal level so why keep plugging along. If they are not on a pass I do not do the stays. If I has more trials to go to I would be more likely to pull them I think, but as getting to one trial is such an organisational feat and such a long distance, I am loathed to pull them if they are just a little off. If they were sore at all or really stressed then most definately. While placing or winning is always icing on the cake I am more competitive with myself. I want my dog to work better than the last time they were in (or on the same level if they were exceptional) or I want them to do an exercise they failed on before. If I feel we have both done our best I am happy. I do get cranky at myself when I don't warm up correctly or push too hard and stress my dog or something similar. To be honest I am happy to pass, anything else is icing. I know if I could get to more trials and the dogs had more experience it would be easier for them and I would probably get a higher level of work out of them in the trial, but I live where I do so that is life.

Yes it does thank you ;) - About to go try it! Do you use your clicker at all, or throw and get it only? I am not sure how I would go with toys, because the toy would not get brought back in time to pick it up and throw it for the next time if you get what I mean. For the fronts for example, would I get a from click, throw the treat away, then get the front, click, throw the treat away etc??? Sorry if they are very dumb questions

Is there any breed standard though that has they can be weak of nerve or fearful in their standard?? I can't think of any myself. I think an excellent temperment is as close to breed standard as possible. If I do not like they type of temperment of a dog I won't own it. I would hate to think someone got say a Dobe and breed only those with a Whippet like temperment as that is just not how Dobe's are supposed to be.

It is very interesting seeing all the different responses. I guess to me a walk is get fit get moving time, training is seperate to my walk/fitness time, the dogs are off leash hooniing around everytime we step out of the door and we see many different things around the farm doing other jobs. Biking is seperate again as is off lead at the beach. I guess if I lived in town I would treat my walks differently. Oh the owner of said young Beagle is young and able, but just can't really be bothered walking too fast, she is a very laid back person. A friend I used to go walking with was alway asking me to slow down, she is 5'2.

That would be interesting. Could you say strap one to them for a day to see how far they go in fits and starts or can you only use it for a walk, then turn it of when just wandering around at home

Personally I don't tie dogs up I crate them, but there are times when tying a dog up is useful adn mine are used to being tethered for short periods so if they need to be tethered they accept it. I use the 15 minute food rule and NILIF is a great idea. MAybe you should speak to her to make sure you fully understand what she is saying. If you are very soft you possible will find it hard, but if you do wish to give your dogs affection make sure they do something first, Ie get them to sit or drop or do a bit of heeling, then give them affection. It deosn't mean you can never give them affection.

We have no fully fenced off lead dog parks, so that isn't an option. He was also being over fed and underwalked, so if she follows reccomendations he will lose weight and get fitter. I just couldn't get over how slow she walked! Maybe years of having Dobes has made me walk fast!

Okay slightly off topic, but kinda back on topic, Two food game, what is it?, How do you do it? and what does it help with? Now back to the pub talk

OMG you know me too well I nearly called one of my kids Tonic - because I was into Gin at the time Jules P saving you a seat too :D Thanks to Ptolomy for her training advice...have had to switch to Chateau Cardboard though as the bottles were clinking too much in my training bag :-)

I am one also that lovews my dogs but I do not expect to take them everywhere. If I can I think it is a huge privlidge adn make sure they are absolutely no problem to the people I am staying with. I don't mind some people and dogs coming here, but I certainly would not let their dogs free range in my house, mine don't, they have to be on their bed or the lounge and they are not left in when I am not here. There are some people who come out for training that will bring their dogs inside but they are very well behaved and their owners make then lay down and not cause any issues. I also have many pets and livestock so off lead dogs are usually frowned upon unless I know them very well. My Inlaws insist on bringing their dogs on the back of the ute, not tied on. Every single bloody time they got off and piss everywhere (2 entire males) and have even come into the garage and pissed in there, or crap near the house. I wouldn't care if they were tied on the back of the ute or didn't piss everywhere!

Your right Erny sometimes it is good to stop and look around . I guess I am lucky in the fact my dogs have leads walks - which are more for me than the dogs! - we have 5 acres around the house so they zoom around chasing each other or I throw toys, or use the Chuck it with a ball ( I know they are not good for everyone ) we also do training and they are harnessed on the quad bike when I check cows and water troughs (at the moment twice daily we are calving) and we have off lead jaunts to the beach where they chase balls, run through water and swim a little so we do get to "see" lots of stuff as well. I am also currently trainin Lewis for the ET so he has sessions running next to the bike, which are also for fitness purposes only. So for me when I lead walk it is purely for exercise, which means I go fast as I have lots of other opportunities to check things out at a slower pace. I am so hopeless at running at it tends to give me a sore back, I am definately a fast walker not a runner!

We will save you a seat at the pub OSoSwift Going to the pub sounds fun Sounds like a plan!! Wonder what we will have.............I know "cider" and corn chips, that would be right wouldn't it Ptolomy ?

I am interested to see how long it take people to walk the distance they do with their dogs. My interest was peaked when I was approached by a lady with an overweight Beagle at Dog training who was after tips/hints to help get her dogs weight down and to get him fitter. In the discussion she told me she walked him for an hour a day - not bad I thought, so I asked her to show me how fast she walked him. Honestly she would have been lucky to get 2kms in an hour, she literally dawdled along. I have just gone for a walk so I thought I would see how long it took me. I walked a smidge under 6kms in 45 minutes. Now I know that how tall you are impacts as does the breed and size of your dog, so any and all info appreciated I walk as hard and as fast as I can for the distance I am going, Rommi trots the whole time, but Lewis paces most of it as he is taller and has a longer stride. When I am finished I am sweating, my HR is up and I feel like I have done a bit of a workout, but I am nowhere near "fit" as in I couldn't run that distance to save myself! I am 5'8 So what do you do?

Even thought I am hoping it is all fixed soon Bedazzled, it does make me feel a little better when trainers like yourself, Ptolomy and others have difficulties with things. Makes me feel like not such a bad trainer and failure . Having said that yours are of course working at a MUCH higher level than mine Hope that comes out the way I meant it!!