sheena

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.

With some dogs, coconut oil can cause them to lose weight as it stimulates their metabolism. It is the lowest calorie oil available. A fish oil capsule or tin of sardines once a week is not equivilent to daily Virgin coconut oil...(been there..done that). My 18 & 23 kilo BC's get roughly a tablespoon each daily so a dog your size would probably get a heaped teaspoon. I keep a good eye on my dogs' weight & they havn't changed since I have been giving them the CO.

I am just curious about something I just read on an add that keeps pooping up on DOL, concerning the Victorian Dept Primary Industries requirements for displaying the microchip number of all puppies advertised for sale. Here is the quote "Q. What if I'm a breeder advertising the future availability of puppies or kittens that aren't born or for sale yet? A. As long as your advertisement relates only to the future availability of litters, and does not include reference to animals currently "for sale", the microchip requirements do not apply. However such advertisements must be kept up to date, in that as soon as these animals do become available for sale, the microchip details must also be displayed in the advertisement." Does that mean that all puppies should be microchipped at birth & their numbers displayed on the adds of breeders??? ie: blue puppy m/c number ???? red puppy m/c number.??... If that's the case then all the breeders advertising on DOL are breaking the law by not displaying the microchip numbers of their puppies. I am very confused with this as I would have thought there would be a minimum age/size that a puppy could be chipped. OK...so I know I am missing something here....so please fill me in, :)

If it's in a cryovac pak it should be OK for a month in the fridge without preservatives, until it is opened, that is. I buy pet mince from Highland Meats, but it comes frozen, so no need for preservatives.

I've had no luck with the thundershirt with my BC girl, but I think that may be because she is not actually "scared" of the storms. It's more she tries to chase & fight the thunder...always with a ball in her mouth. I end up locking her in her crate because she gets dehydrated from having the ball in her mouth (can't breath properly). When I lock her in her crate, she settles down & goes to sleep. I am also a bit reluctant to put the shirt on as it is usually a hot muggy day when we get storms & I don't want to overheat her, but has anybody tried wetting it down. I might try that next time.

I won't be going...& I will no longer support the rest of the market if this goes ahead

I've put my two bobs worth in, especially seeing that it is my council area considering allowing this....I am disgusted with it The mayor of Grafton is a friend of my OH's so I will be giving him an ear full when I see him next.

A few times I have had people say to me "Oh..... I just love long haired kelpies" :)

Last night I boiled up some beef liver & lambs hearts to cut up for treats & normally the water left over, I would save & add to their kibble over the next few nights. But I tried putting just a small spoonful of the broth in some water & my girl drank the lot. So I thinking I might freeze the rest as ice cubes & take it along to trials to encourage her to drink while there. Also, I put a small dash of apple cider vinegar in my young boy's water & he immediately went to it & started drinking.

Your dog has to be 18 months or over to compete in Agility trials & over 12 months to train for agility. If you go to This Link, it will tell you everything you need to know about trialling. It's on my own web page & I have put it together to help other first timers, as I had now idea in the world where to start when I wanted to trial. It was all double dutch to me at the time, but now it is all "old hat". Good luck...it is a fun sport & warning....it is very addictive. :laugh:

Sorry to dissapoint you Papillon Kisses, but Advance may be now made in Australia but it is manufactured & owned by the multinational, Mars

Please report back...I am very interested in the outcome :)

Ever had to clean poo out of a tunnel during a trial? I have Had to climb in and get it The one and only time my dog has pooed in the ring (hopefully the last lol) Mine always picks the tunnel to pee in......I start to panic if she takes too long to come out the other side I always toilet her before she runs, but it's just nerves. Luke W.....I think the time to wait between breakfast & running would be about two hours. Susan Garret has a good idea ...she feeds her dog mince meat mixed with water a couple of hours before a trial. Thanks Jess for the link to Susan Garret's experience with Encore. She sort of answered my question nicely. From now on, it's a light breakfast about 2 hours before trials, pure coconut water during the trial & lots of treats. I'll have to try her out before hand to see if she will drink the coconut water, but I think she will.

I just got a sample pack of Black Hawk lamb and rice which I put out in morning with their Royal Canin. They both ate the whole lot and then Charlie has been barking at the laundry shelf for more. I give chicken necks and sometimes sardines at night. I was putting out dry food when at work but I think Jasper is eating it all so have to supervise feeding at the moment as Jasper was looking fatter and Charlie started looking skinny. I don't think Jasper is scratching quite as much as before. What is the problem with corn in the kibble? Hi Charjas, where did you get your sample bag? I would love to get the sample to try as well :) Thanks Send Sherel an email Here & she will send you a sample :) Edited, cause I couldn't get the link to work.

I always take soft treats to a trial, so I can do some focus work, a bit of LAT & of course reward after an OK run. If it's not an OK run she still gets the treat but I make her literally crawl for it, :laugh: she thinks that's fun & it takes her mind of the fact that she is sometimes allowed to be a fruitcake. Besides, if she stuffs up, it is always handler error...except for when she pees in the ring I have always thought, because she is getting treats throughout the morning trial, that that would be enough for her, so she doesn't get breakfast. But I am beginning to wonder, after reading an article in Clean Run, that she should be getting a high energy meal about 2 hours before the trial to help her keep up her stamina & concentration levels. Just being there, at a trial, takes a lot of energy, both physical & mental. Maybe if I am worried about her getting fat, :laugh: I would cut down on her evening meal.

For an active dog who wont drink at a trial..like mine....what about pure coconut water ?

I thought I would post this question here as I havn't had much response in the Health forum where I asked about Energy Supplements (thanks Nekbert). We are always being told to bring your dog along to training HUNGRY, as the dog is more likely to be responsive to treats etc, but does this carry over to actual Agility Trial days?? I have never given my dog breakfast the day of a trial thinking that she will run better & more responsive if she has an empty stomach. But is this wrong....do you get a better performance & concentration from a dog which has had a nutritional breakfast before the trial as it will keep its energy levels up, prevent cramps etc. So often you see good dogs perform well for a couple of runs, then they lose interest especially on warm/hot days, & yes, I know it is a training thing too. What do you do...do you give your dog breakfast before a trial?????

Thanks Nekhbet for your most informative reply as it is something I have never considered before. I wasn't referring directly to my own dog, but it got me thinking why at trials, my own dog included, will have good days followed by bad days, or a couple of good runs then lose interest. We are constantly being told to bring our dogs along to training "hungry" so they are more responsive to treats etc, but I wonder if it is counter productive to take the dog to an actual agility trial & not give it a good nutritional breakfast before hand. Maybe a dog runs & performs better at a trial if it has eaten, whereas most people feed their dogs after the trial because they think it will be more responsive. Good hint about sprinkling the bi-carb on their breakfast.

I have just been reading a Clean Run article, where they recommend giving Glucose or a Glucose supplement to your performance dog to boost his self-dicipline & control during a long trialling day. Has anybody here done that & if so how much glucose would you give ??? They say it improves their concentration & performance. ??

First try out on the table & she hopped off to see what was making the noise underneath...thought it was a birdie. Then I tried her with treats & she took no notice of the beeping, just gave lovely drops & all eyes on me (& the treats). We didn't use it in ADX though, so didn't get to try it out in a run, but I think most dogs were OK with it (in Novice) & it probably helped to distract them & keep them still while the five seconds went. Definately must be tried out before meeting it in comp, though.

Thanks for the offer Blossom, but I am flat out working out how to use my mobile phone & all that other stuff is very foreign to me & I wouldn't know where to start. But thanks very much any way for the kind offer :)

:rofl: That is a bit beyond this little black duck. Good point about the assistance dogs & reversing truck sounds. What's the bet my BC girl will firstly cock her head from one side to the other, ears pricked, then jump off & have a look underneath the table for the "birdie" :laugh: Pax...the beep has to be heard by the handler, so we know when to release the dog & for people who are "slightly" hearing impaired like me, can hear it.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on the table...looking forward to trying it. I only just heard of it a few days ago & everyone I spoke to that's going to the trial seemed to be panicking a bit. Good to know we can do a bit of practice on it before the trial & also good to know that if my dog doesn't like it, I can opt to have a judges count instead. Us country people don't get as many opportunities as those that live in the cities, to try out these new ideas, & the trials we can attend are few & far between compared to city people, so every "Q" is gold & it may be another month before we get to have another go. I hope it didn't come across that I was critisising the table or the organizers, I just wanted feedback on the problems, if any, I might face with it. :) I'll report back on Monday as to how we go.