Tassie

Baby goals maybe - but super important ones. Especially when you read this in conjunction with bedazzledx2's reminder re splitting not lumping. You're doing exactly the right things - and it's good to see you back in here - and that Nationals were inspiring. :)

+1 :D

Poor RS - your lovely blonde can't be brilliant in everything - especially when momma is studying. She'll come good again. Great stuff from Ptolomy and bedazzledx2 - and thanks for the Brookie fix - super work. Well the WA gurus' class of 2012 did pretty well at our Rally trial today - RA to several of your students - including my two. Scores not as high as over there though. Rory had a 92 in the am (courtesy of his mother who messed up the stationary call front - used the wrong hand to cue him - - you're right, bedazzledx2 - it's hard when you can't get the help :laugh: . We fixed it in the afternoon, and he had a 96 - 2nd place on time (am was second too - to the same lovely GSD). Kirra only 84 and 83, but for a dog who doesn't 'do' obedience, I was reasonably happy with her - and she didn't go for the food in the offset figure 8 - which had food and toys in the bowl - that was hard for the toy - loving lil big man So as you say - on to Excellent LOL.

+ 1 - great vet surgeon, grat job ny you MG - and of course - great puppy. That is such good news.

Congrats AP and smisch! And commiserations, Luke - but great that you've come away with extra knowledge - and I feel your pain about the one bar - but to the dog that's nearly a Q :laugh:

Great brags. Agree about Rally - my agility/tracking girl likes it a lot - and she doesn't "do" obedience :D Guess your kids are a great example of the fact that Rally isn't going to adversely affect their tradiitional obedience - the opposite if anything. :D

Wahoo Go Trixie!!!! Especially with all the distractions out there! Can't believe I had to read this on DOL Great job AP and Trixie!

Double awesome!!

Hope all you guys and dogs have survived the storms OK - and that you don;t get hammered again later in the week. Scary stuff. Thinking of you.

:laugh: - there or WA :laugh: - now if onoly they weren't so hot in the summer, and if only there weren't any ticks or toads or .... hmmm - starting to look good down here, even if it's chilly :)

:laugh: kallistar! I'm not a skirt person either - think my dogs could be too shocked to work :D . Good luck for Hastings. BC4ME - I read things like this and it's one of the few things that makes me sad to be living down here. Bass Strait is such a nuisance - especially in winter - no ferry on Sunday or Tuesday. Still - looking forward to meeting/catching up in July up at Camp T.

Can't resist a tracking brag for my lil big man Rory - who did a super job on his Test 4 - would have been an Excellent except that his mum didn't recognise the cues he gave me that the second article was somewhere close by (the same cues he gave me successfully for the first article, which he'd also slightly overshot) - the rest of the track was almost perfect - he just put his nose down and motored along. Good boy! Ended up with a Very Good grade, and some nice comments from the judge. Now on to Rally next week :laugh: - no rest for the wicked - or the very good :laugh: .

That's a bummer, wuffles. But I'd agree with the ideas megan has given - lots of play - and thank goodness for Rally. And DWD? On the stays issue ..... as ness knows - I've got the dog who might disturb others - either to play, or for some less pleasant motive. And I don't like to think what might happen if a dog came to stand over him. So I don't do trial stays yet, whatever his ringwork has been like. Does cause some angst in judges when, as has been the case recently in Novice, he's on a high 180s /low 190s score. But I'm not going to take chances on his causing a problem or messing up another dog. I probably shouldn't really have himn in the ring at all - but he loves to work, and he's quite capable of performing really nicely. So I'm with you RS - let's get rid of group stays. :laugh:

Way to go Ptolomy and Bedazzledx2. Yay for the occasionally clever one - and for his mum. And so very good to see the kids all having fun in Rally. You'll have to keep going with Beans now Ptolomy - she won't forgive you otherwise - and even if there is a jump, they're sooooo low.

Thanks TSD - in some ways I wish I was coming too - but wouldn't be much fun with any pressure on for her - as it is I can just relax and treasure every run. She is nearly 10 and a half. You guys are going to have such fun though - make sure you enjoy every minute. :D (Oh, and Mr Rory did a nice job on his little training track - which had several dog and people crosses and diversions - since I used the local off lead area :laugh:

So after TSD Test 2 last week, we're back from a weekend agility trialling with Miss Kirra. She may be 10, but she's still feral - and she says she still needs a better h/younger handler. 6 runs Saturday and 8 on Sunday = only 2 Qs for the weekend, but some very near misses. And then of course there was the JDM run where we were so enjoying a really fast run down the ring (after successfully if messily negotiating the technical start) - that we totally forgot the little technical loop that came before the long blast home - which wer really enjoyed too. Who cares about the Q - we had a blast. And her Q yesterday was in Open Agility - the last run of the day - so I'm very very happy that the demon bitch and I can still run and have such fun with friends. Now back to earth to do some tracking training with Mr Rory ready for a trial on Saturday .

I sure do! :) Good to see you again :) Good luck at CT on the weekend, sadly I couldn't come down for the trial as we've got other commitments. And to meet your puppy who is a puppy no more, he wasn't even born last time I saw you I don't think! Thanks Maree, hopefully the new one will be just as good (& hopefully the dog & handler will have improved too!) :-) puppy no longer except in his boy brain. 3.5 years old. Ch,TD,ET,RN 2/3 RA and 1/2 Starters HTM and GA. Busy boy!

Yep - my bent pins one is a CC Gold Fusion - near enough to $100 I was really pleased with it till the pins started bending. Lawrence - that's the brand of my good slicker. And the other, which is OK is Gripsoft. BC Crazy - the things I've found that make grooming with my agility girl a bit less stressful - using the spray prep on the coat so it's not bone dry to start - the good pin brush - and the rotating tooth comb. Oh and doing her at waist eight on teh trolley (outdoor table is OK too.) Mind you, she still hides if she thinks I'm having evil grooming thoughts LOL. Rory is generally OK cos as an occasional show dog he gets done more often - and has been since he was little.

Hi MrsD. Yep - I'm coming up for Kamal (missed him last time because of Agility Nats in Perth - not doing Nats this time, so we can come to Kamal. And fit in a couple of comps/trials either end. Little Miss Kirra is 10 now, but still a demon bitch - as naughty and feral as ever - so you might need to be rescuing her again! Will be great to see you.

Agree with ness about the flea comb and/or pinch hair and pull methods -it's dead hair so it doesn't bother them too much - although mine aren't crazy abouit it. Just keep at it. Another thing you can use is a thinnish garden glove with rubber finger tips - that grips the behind the ears dead hair nicely. I can't remember what brand my slicker is - although I've had a Softgrip one which is OK. A couple of other thins to think about for getting out undercoat - a rotating tooth comb, and/or a collie comb I think they're called - alternating longer and shorter teeth, But whatever yo're using, try wetting the coat first -light spray with either just a water spray, or something like PP Revivacoat diluted - or a diluted conditioner. Makes grooming a lot easier. (Don't laugh, ness - jsut cos I had to earn all this stuff when I got Rory.

Yes, a little red gundog might be the go (after all they look and behave a bit like BCs ( ) . Although I saw a lovely black Lab pup on Saturday - bred by a friend who has lovely working line Labs - she'll have the pup's grandmother at Agility Nationals - and she's a super dog. Friend's husband does the field trial/retrieving work, and friend does the obedience, agility and now Rally work. Good partnership.

I'm glad it wasn't just me with the pins bending in the CC one, ness. :) I like it as a brush (BCs), but several of the pins bent fairly quickly. I now have a PP one - only had it for a few weeks, but seems OK.

Wow, TSD and Miss Em - that's super! You folks are having so much fun it almost makes me wish I had a gundog ..... but only almost :laugh:

You must be thrilled with how your clever girls (and you) are working RS. What a buzz!

Yay bedazzlwdx2 and the stunningly handsome and clever Brookie. And you're right - so lucky to have guru Sue over there too. :D