Tassie

Just had a look at what Cathy has got on her agility click. Reminded me I was going to mention the Alphabet Games book of Nancy Gyes - there are some great training set ups in there and a skills list at the back.

There are a couple of generic ones, and some class specific ones (limited to people enrolled in the particular course) .. not that I'm enabling or anything :laugh:

Hope you enjoy the course, CK - as you can tell, there are several addicts here on DOL. And there are a few NZ students. Have you discovered the FB groups?

That's so good to read, superminty. Bet she had an absolute ball :laugh: And talk about doing it in style

:cheer: That's wonderful ... way to go Sue and Waldo!

That's disappointing SC. What did she do?

How exciting Sue .. congratulations to you and Waldo ... talk about pulling it out for the big time.

Another Fenzi addict here. Although you're so right about work getting in the way, Ptolomy. :laugh: This quarter .. Bronze in Stays, FCI Heeling, the continuing Retrieve one, and I had a rush of blood to the head and upgraded to gold in K9 conditioning .. to force me to keep up.

That's encouraging news CC. Hope next week's check is good too. Poor Louis is such a little trooper.

I decided to upgrade to Gold - working slot. I need someone cracking the whip to make me build this conditioning into the routine for the dogs. No laughing now, Gila. :laugh:

Hi Gila - I'm signed up for Bronze (auditing) in this - but considering upgrading. I have some gear, and plans - but I need the discipline of a class to get me into a routine. :laugh:

Nice brags, fols - well done!

Have PMd you RS :)

Onya Zig! :laugh: Yes, a bit more obvious than a BC in that setting :laugh:

Miss Kirra can open her zip on her K9 soft crate too -- I have to remember to have the zips meet at the bottom - she hasn't worked that out ... yet. To the OP - I'd say wire crates are the way to go if there's a risk of over excitement and/or anxiety. They are heavier and a bit more awkward, but you can get a nice light trolley to help transport them. And you can get/make a waterproof cover. Another happy customer here for K9 soft crates. And not that I'm enabling or anything, but you can quite cheaply add your dog's name embroidered on the crate - as I did on Kirra's new one - finally got her a new one - the old one is still going after 10 or so years, but a little bit the worse for wear. Hi Tassie, Just a quick tip to prevent Miss Kira from opening her zippers on the crate doors... unless the crate is over 6 years old (or a factory second) it should have zip locks both the front and side doors. Both zip tags on each door should meet together at the top on the side of the zip lock and can be secured there if you have an escape artist :D Awesome -- thanks so much for that tip. I'll have to go and investigate. She normally doesn't bother, but I think she could see a way of getting to some food . She absolutely loves her crate - makes a beeline for it as soon as she's done with whatever she was doing in the ring.

Poor Louis - and poor you. Hope the change of meds helps.

+1 Paws crossed for continued great recovery.

Miss Kirra can open her zip on her K9 soft crate too -- I have to remember to have the zips meet at the bottom - she hasn't worked that out ... yet. To the OP - I'd say wire crates are the way to go if there's a risk of over excitement and/or anxiety. They are heavier and a bit more awkward, but you can get a nice light trolley to help transport them. And you can get/make a waterproof cover. Another happy customer here for K9 soft crates. And not that I'm enabling or anything, but you can quite cheaply add your dog's name embroidered on the crate - as I did on Kirra's new one - finally got her a new one - the old one is still going after 10 or so years, but a little bit the worse for wear.

That's really great to read .. she's a tough little girlie, isn't she. You are such a good dog-mum .. the cake looks super.

Not too much in the last week obviously - though walking on hard surfaces in preference to grass would help. The second week before a couple of longer - as in 6 - 8 km rides wouldn't hurt. Even better if you can find someone else to ride with you - that always adds an extra dimension :-). And the other thing that's important I found is to make sure you and he are comfortable at varying speeds. The average speed will end up about 10 - 10-5 kph, but sometimes it will be faster and other times slower, and some dogs can struggle to cope with either of those. (Last one I did I had a guy behind me running it - and he and his Border Collie had obviously trained at a faster pace than the test was being run - kept running his dog right up close behind my entire male BC, who was a bit spooked by it. Luckily there was a BC bitch ahead that my boy loved, so I could distract him.)

It's usually within a fortnight before the test I think, from memory. Yep - here's the relevant bit from the rules

Have fun, DOLers doing their ET soon. E & H ... wouldn't worry too much about the 'obedience' test at the endd - it's primarily a willingness test - usually done on lead - and really just to see if the dog is still as willing to work with the handler as he was at the beginning :laugh: . Precision obedience is definitely not required - and you can prepare him by pairing food with personal play, to give high value to you - or enough to get you through . And if all esle fails you can pretend. :)

Is the puppy school a puppy pre-school - where they can go nbefore they've had their 12 week booster shot? Taking pups out and about before their 12 week booster is a calculated risk. They certainly should get out and see the world - but where you walk them, to some extent depends on the prevalence of parvo in your area at the time. Check with your vet if there are any local outbreaks - less likely in winter, but not impossible, and avoid areas where there are likely to be invaccinated dogs, and/or lots of dog droppings. Frequent shorter outings rather than long ones are preferable. Great that you've brought her inside at night. She will likely need a couple of outings during the night to pee at least. I used to get up around 2.00 am and take a puppy out (on lead cos I'm on an acre bush block) and wait for the pee, loads of praise, then back inside, back into bed with a biscuit or something. Then repeat about 6 or 7.00 am. After a week or so the night time outings can probably be reduced. But I still take my adult dogs out on a lead igf they need to go out in the middle of the night - just so they know it's business not play time. Your posts made me feel apologetic all over again to my first dog I had as an adult - many years ago. She was a Kelpie/Border Collie cross, and I was going to have her as an outside dog. I didn't know then what I know now, and it was what I'd grown up with. There was no place like DOL to learn from then, so it took me longer to realise that the way I was managing her was not in her or my best interests. So kudos to you for coming and asking, and listening, and learning. You and your pup will reap the benefits.

Done! Reminds me that I need to do more conditioning with my two.

If you can find a good (i.e. not just free for all) puppy pre-school near you, it is possible to start classes in safe environments before the puppy has had the second vaccination. (They are usually held at vet surgeries - but be sure it is a well-run one.) Please be aware that you hopefully won't be taking Bobby to agility training before he is quite a bit older and has had some general training - many clubs require dog/handler teams to have done a few months of obedience training, and while you can do quite a bit of foundation and ground training in preparation for agility, most people delay any serious agility training on jumps etc. until after the pup's growth plates have closed - likely about 12-14 months in a Border Collie. Having said that, there is heaps of great foundation training that you can start now which will be good for all kinds of sports . I second/third the recommendation to have a look at kikopup's YouTube Channel (Emily Larlham) for some great ideas. It's worth mentioning too that not all Border Collies really enjoy the close company of random unknown dogs. A lot of them prefer their close trusted group of friends, and can have a large personal space in relation to other dogs. This is not necessarily a bad thing - it's just the way they are. IMHO, it's most important to ensure that your Border Collie is closely bonded to you, and is comfortable with all sorts of people.