Tassie

Sounds like you two had very satisfying weekends, DD and TSD. I loved that weaving photo of Elsie ... love the head down intensity.

Congratulations, huga ... and lovely photo. Can't imagine there'd be too many Frenchies around.

So cool that it's going in the Dogs Vic mag. They deserve it, and I think it's so important to celebrate the achievements of our juniors. They are the future of our sports :-)

There was a warning about the northern beaches area of Sydney too. Looks like it might be a bad summer. One of the things that makes me glad I live down in the Apple Isle.

Just thinking about the waiting around thing. This is one of those situations where having the dog able to chill out in a crate or trolley (covered if necessary) is really valuable. My guys spend a lot of time in crates (and the occasional show boy in his trolley), so they're not at all fussed by having to spend a day waiting round at a trial. It's just a matter of getting them out for toilet breaks and then toilet and warm up just before going in - works for obedience, rally, agility and tracking. I think it's really important that they can relax in that situation. I hate to see people wandering round with their poor dogs all day - maybe it suits some dogs, but I thinkmost appreciate the rest time. ETA Not saying it's what you guys do - but I see it over here sometimes.

Lovely fun had by all by the look of it. My current two have only rarely seen snow - hasn't been too much around lately, and dogs aren't allowed up the top of the mountain now. Past dogs had seen quite a bit, and used to really enjoy the zoomies and the snow-shovelling and tossing with the nose :D . Went with a friend one day - 2 humans, 5 dogs - on the way back to the car, my then BC boy thought he was on a snow covered path - but was off the path, and found himself on top of a snow covered bush - with his tummy on the snow, and his legs dangling down through the snow and the bush. He was so tired he couldn't work out how to get himself going, so the silly boy just lay/stood there looking goofy and waited for me to rescue him.

That sounds like really encouraging progress. I can just imagine the attention Bailey got at your work - bet she made a lot of people's day :D . Good wishes for continued recovery.

Reckon you've done all you can. Best of luck for your trials. Look forward to hearing how you go. :-)

I used the Moe Strenfel Foundation stuff a lot - at that time it and the Greg Derrett foundation agility were about the only ones around. Still think it's great. :)

Wow - that is some achievement. Huge congratulations to both of them - and to you. Try and make sure something goes into the Dogs Vic mag about that.

Exactly, RS .. I felt a bit the same, but another judge outside the ring, said she wouldn't have called it either, so i was happier then. Done days the luck runs your way :-)

OK - here's the lil big man's jumping first Q. Hmmm - very messy handling in the middle there. - judge didn't call the refusal because the dog hadn't made a focussed approach - very true - and the handler wasn't very focussed at that time either :laugh: .

Here's another one I just saw today - thought this was a good addition to the concept of 'supervising' . Why supervising doesn't always work The Delta DogSafe program which operates in schools in some states, spends quite a bit of time on trying to alert children to how dogs might be feeling, and what they should do - as far as you can in 45 minutes.

:laugh:

Yay for you and OWW (occasionally wonderful Waldo) :laugh: .

Nutter (or even butter :laugh: ) is cool! When a pup's got attitude and a sense of fun, you have a heap to play with. I guess one of the things I've learnt over the years (including from some of the WA gurus on here), and that is working well with Rory, is to do tiny bits of high quality stuff - break off, have a play, and do something else. Gradually build up the duration. Spend lots of time on the disc or perch box getting heel position perfect, and building up a very high reward history for the dog being in, and getting to, heel. Then when you start moving - literally one or two steps and reward for holding perfect position. (For heeling practice, don't always sit - sometimes reward for position before the dog sits.) Other things you can do once you start getting more duration, is something like the Rally 360 right or left, and the 270 - huge party for the dog holding position. Another trick for energising the dog is to turn sideways on and sort of grapevine with the dog across your front - then turn back to heeling forwards and again huge reward for the dog hitting heel position. For our BCs - and in truth, probably for most dogs, your own pace needs to be nice and brisk and happy. (IMHO, the kind of paddock bashing that happens at dog clubs can be pretty demotivating, and you don't get the chance to pay attention to precision. Just something to think about.)

She's beautiful - and really doing well for a youngster. But yes, I must say, my preference is to let them mature a little before we put on them the pressure of an obedience trial and their mum turning into an alien through nerves. :laugh: (Mind you - I also have a boy brain to contend with :laugh: - he's nearly 5 now - and starting to settle. You know - that's a significant improvement from the first trial to the second - encouraging. But yes, I think I woiuld be sticking with Rally to get the ring exposure, and working pretty hard on your heeling - making it a game for the dog, but teaching her little by little exactly where she should be .. making precise heel position hugely rewarding for her. Hmmm - wanting to kiss the judge in SFE - can't imagine that - so many judges have been because they thought they were going to get the big slurp from my BC boy.

Kirislin wrote - How true - great job CC.

LOL - still in the camera - couldn't find the card reader last night - will try to get it off tonight and up onto YouTube. If I'm brave, might put the "kid in candy store" agility effort as well :laugh: - only got the morning runs - forgot the afternoon - but the morning was the Q run.

Just came across what I think is a great article - mainly about getting kids in a family ready for a dog - but has some very useful tips. Teaching your child how to behave around dogs

Agility trial for my two yesterday. The feral 11.5 year old had a fun day - and for the first time ever, I think, managed 8 runs without any off course DQs - :laugh: . She was naughty on the weavers in one run, and naughty with the table (haven't had one for a while), and I caused a couple of bars down by bad timing, but we ended up with 4 Qs - 2 in Open Jumping, 1 in Open Agility, and best of all, one in Masters Jumping, which gave her the last one she needed for JDM3 - clever girlie. And .... drum roll please .... although the lil big man had some kid in a candy shop moments with the contacts in Novice Agility (who knew that contact suck would trump tunnel suck :laugh: ), and couldn't do his weavers in the excitement of a course, he was still trying to listen to me. And in Jumping - one great round with one fault - refusal caused by me not trusting my dog, and ..... one Q. SCT was 35 seconds - the man did it in 23 - and that was with one little bobble when he followed my line inside a jump - but took the redirection and got the jump - not called refusal because he hadn't been making a focussed approach to the jump - phew. His time on the one fault course was 19 seconds - but not sure what SCT was on that one. So very, very pleased with my boy - the last 5 jumps on the last course of the day were on a super arc out of a tunnel - and I didn't have to tell him anything - just ran the line -not even all that close to the jumps, and watched him fly! :D Love my kids!

LOL TSD. When the dogs and I aren't trialling, I teach Puppy class at my club - know what you mean about the constant puppy fix. I sneak in a lot of foundation stuff for various disciplines - so much fun. :laugh:

It's such a great achievement. Maybe contacting the various states' tracking clubs would help?

So sorry you've had to say goodbye to your handsome old boy. He looked such a lovely dog. Hive Ava extra cuddles - you'll both need them.

I'm loving her classes RubyStar. Yes, I've had a few of those moments too - which is motivating me to look closer at all aspects of our training :) . It's a bit frustrating in Bronze because I have things I'd like to add to some of the discussions and I can't ............... so next time I'm thinking I'll at least have to start at the Silver level :laugh: . The Bridging the Gap course looks like a great follow-on from the course we're doing so now I'm waiting for enrolments to open :) I'm on my 3rd session of Denise Fenzi courses - only Bronze (observer) because I really don't have time atm to do anything mor. Did Precision Heeling, and Heeling Games, and now doing O-bility 1. Agree - easy to follow, and well worth doing.