sheena

Jess...when did you introduce the verbal cue?? Thanks for the videos. I wasn't sure if at this stage I should be running with the dog & cuing it or still standing still. I havn't seen Rachel's video on the "box", I only have a print out that my instructor gave me at training. We havn't had training now for four weeks because of the rain But I think my instructor is new to this as well, & we thought we would give it a go training our up & coming new stars. I am always open to new ideas. Watching Jess's videos, I think we are up to the stage of adding jumps, lead outs etc. I will try to get hold of the DVD ....what is the name of it. I have her "Bridging the Gap" one.

I thought I would give the "box" method a try on teaching running A-Frame contacts as I am not real keen on 2o2o for the A-Frame. I don't think that position is very good for the dogs body. Has anyone else used this method & if so, how did you go with it?? I have done the first bit ie. shaping the dogs to walk into the box.....all four feet in the box & looking ahead (not at me) I click & throw the treat forward, so they learn to keep going through it. I've now moved the box out of the lounge room & onto the grass, but havn't put a verbal cue on it yet. I am a little bit "stuck" as to what to do next & feel that maybe the next step is to put it onto the A-Frame in it's lowest position. For anyone wanting to know what "the box" is...it is a poly-pipe frame the same shape & size as the contact area on the A-Frame.

I was worried about all the bleach they use to clean chickens with but probably nowhere near as bad as the pet mince rubbish.... because I am vego I spend a lot of time contemplating meat :laugh: I actually spend most of my shopping time in the meat department. First dog has been eating like a king, but OH might begin to notice the cost when I'm buying for two! He already has been salivating over Snipers lamb offcuts. We live next door to a cattle station and if I had the freezer space I would buy a killer off them. Might be worth investing in a chest freezer? I don't think they are very expensive to buy and run... :) You might get a fright at the cost of the steer though, especially seeing it is only for the dogs. We get ours done & it works out at about $7 to $8 per kilo, which includes all the bones, & all the fat. Expensive dog bones which I mainly throw out because I don't find beef bones real suitable for dogs & the fat I have no use for. Sometimes I boil the bones down & make stock....but it is expensive stock. Unless you are going to eat the meat yourself, it works out heaps cheaper just to keep your eye out at the supermarket & buy things when they are on special, if you want to feed them human cuts of meat. To buy a steer & have it cut up, depending on the weight of the steer, you would be looking at least $1000.00 :)

I am without a partner for Strategic Pairs Excellent 500 for the NSW Northern Regional (Coastal) to be held in Coffs Harbour on the 2nd June. I would prefer a dog that doesn't bark a lot as it is running around the course. Any takers :)

That's very interesting, Tassie. Only this morning I was looking with disgust at the bindi's that seem to be appearing early this year. They covered our lawn last year, probably because the army worm got in & ate all the grass. We have the dreaded tunnel/funnel ants as well. I am very reluctant to spray with anything because of the dogs & have never sprayed, but the bindis are so bad, I have decided they have to go. . I was googling "bindis" & up came a solution using iron chelate & water sprayed on them, so I am going to give that ago this year. My house yard is about the size of yours

You might find this link helpful Puppy eating own poo :)

She sounds absolutely adorable & yes...you did get me on that one You must admit, though, that it was justified.....their are some pretty ignorant dog owners out there, but it's only because they don't know & havn't been told :) Have fun with her.

She is lovely, but surely not an agility trial :) At her age I wouldn't have her doing jumps...plenty of time for that IMO :)

No need to melt it...just put it on top of their food in a solid state.

A "Must Have" is the Foundation Fundamentals by Mary Ellen Barry. A six DVD set available from Clean Run.

Lamb is the only one for Adult dogs at the moment.

I just googled "Bandog" & up came adds for breeders & puppies for sale in Queensland...so they can't be too illegal.

Thankyou Labrador for the link. What she is talking about is what I was thinking of when I posted the question about it being potentially bad on the dog's body. When my dogs jump off the jetty into the water, they are focused on the water & can position themselves for the best landing/splash. But in DD they are reaching, extending their neck & spine & focused on the flying toy & have no time to prepare their bodies for the right way to hit the water. I don't know...when I saw a clip from a competition out of America, I thought it looked a bit cruel. One of those things you do to delight the audience at the expense of the dog. That's just my opinion. :) I would LOVE to come & watch DDS, but unfortunately I am a good 8 hours from Sydney. I am probably basing my "fear of injury" on the programme I watched on competition in America, & of course, we all know the Americans can go a little overboard :D I think I will stick to my dogs diving of the jetty into the dam or diving into the swimming pool. They certainly love doing it, but it's at their own pace & they are not chasing a toy when they do it.

Either or both. Depends on how much area needs to be covered and/or how bad it is. I like to give bad skin issues and/or very itchy dogs a good soaking to make sure every crevice is wetted up with the CT. At least for the first go. They can drink it if they want to :). PS : I recently developed an ulcer on my tongue. Went to GP and was prescribed Kenalog. It improved it but didn't fix it. Ulcer flaired, expanded and became painful. I gargled and also drank Calendula Tea. Even after the first night's treatment of the CT, the ulcer had MUCH improved. I've continued with it for 4 nights, saw the GP today and she's proclaimed the ulcer as cured. :D I find a sponge very helpful, then a little bit goes a long way especially if you can catch the drips in a bath.

I'll have to see if my girl will eat watermelon too. I will try her on the seedless one so I don't have to pick all the seeds out.

Thankyou Labrador for the link. What she is talking about is what I was thinking of when I posted the question about it being potentially bad on the dog's body. When my dogs jump off the jetty into the water, they are focused on the water & can position themselves for the best landing/splash. But in DD they are reaching, extending their neck & spine & focused on the flying toy & have no time to prepare their bodies for the right way to hit the water. I don't know...when I saw a clip from a competition out of America, I thought it looked a bit cruel. One of those things you do to delight the audience at the expense of the dog. That's just my opinion. :)

Hi Sheena, I don't use mine on the carpet....except for 1 rug. It seems to work fine on that... but I don't know if it really has enough suction to really get the dog hair off a big carpetted area. Ill trial it for you on carpet in the next couple of days and let you know :) Thanks. I priced them at between $699 & $799 so for that I would be wanting it to do a whole lot more than what I can do with the broom. :)

Thanks for getting back. I am going to start feeding breakfast to her anyway, before a trial. From what I have read here, it's the right thing to do for her health & enjoyment even if it doesn't improve her performance. At training tomorrow night, I am going to try leaving her soccer ball at the finish line, but at training there is never an issue anyway...she goes almost perfect...little show-off :laugh:

Also, during competition, just like human diving comps, they keep the surface of the water moving, so that the surface tension is not an issue. Cheers, OK...that makes sense. :)

Question was....what's it like on carpet for picking up dog hair :)

What's this thing like with carpets...as in...getting up the dog hair etc ?? I have a Dyson at the moment.

They are landing in water, but we all know that water can be pretty hard if we hit it the wrong way. Humans dive into the water hands & head first making a minimal impact on the water surface, but these dogs are hitting the water at all angles on their bodies...back legs, hips, rib cages, sides, twisted,.. etc etc. & in competition whey can get up to some pretty big heights before they splash back down into the water.

We are lucky that we have it in our own backyard :) But I have often wondered if proper "sport" dock diving may not be good for the dog's health/joints etc It must put a big load on their bodies.

I just spoon it straight out of the jar & sit it on top of their dinner....its' the first thing to get eaten. I don't bother measuring it out....I just guess. Sometimes for a change, they get a raw egg yolk (no white) instead, depending on how well the old girls are laying. Raw egg yolk is also very good for their coats.