sheena

Perfect! I was throwing it backwards but not between their front legs, or feeding them head lowered to push their weight backwards . Thanks Vickie. Excellent - a step up from throwing the food under the chair, but reducing the option of them wanting to run through the chair and then back around to face me . Will try this too I knew DOL would give me some ideas Can you tell that I'm now trying to do some training that plays to my dogs' (and my) weaknesses rather than doing the simple stuff With my method...the ONLY treat which is used as a lure is the first one, the rest are rewards for behaviour with regard to placement of reward ie. back between your legs. After teaching this to Bindi, it is the first behavior she will offer me when playing clicker games.

After trying other methods, it took my BC about 1 minute to learn by this method & it is so simple. Provided your dog knows the value of a clicker. Stand facing your dog with your legs apart...dog focusing on you. Place a treat on the floor just between your legs & back slightly. Dog moves in to take the treat then steps back to look at you again..click as soon as she takes the backwards step & treat placing the treat between your legs & back. Click for backward movement & treat gradually increasing the distance you put the treat. Doesn't take long for them to realise they are being clicked for the backward movement. When you have them going & understanding well, then put a name to it.

Plenty on this Forum on Black Hawk....thoroughly recommend it

I use the back gate for proofing a lot of her behaviors like perfect start line stays & weave pole performance. If she performs the perfect behaviour then & only then do I open the gate, do a few spins & turns, toss a ball etc, then release her & we go for our morning walk. Maybe I could set the table up between the stay & the gate & see how she goes with that. :D

Is this much different to the Canon EF-S 18-55mm which came with my camera. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am only very new to SLR's I also got with my camera a HD 2 x Telephoto Lens & a HD 0.45X Super Wide Angle lens & don't know what to do with them. They are a generic brand (disappointed there) & I am not sure how to attach them to the camera. Do they fit onto the front of my existing lens (re above) or do they take the place of the above :D

Thanks Guys In training at home & at the club she is great on the table..jumps up & drops (mostly) & waits like a little princess. I have also set up a table at trials outside the ring & she is pretty good. It is just when she is running in the trial & is going so fast she overshoots the table. It doesn't happen all the time but every now & then. Can you get disqualified if your dog stops and/or drops on command in the ring other than on contact obstacles. One thing I do need to do is put her practice table up to the full height so that it wobbles like the ones in trials when hit at full speed. :D I have practiced with the run pass & all that stuff, so she pretty much knows whats required of her. There was a very good article in Clean Run a few months ago on proofing the table, which I practiced...maybe I will have another look, I may have missed something.

Is there a way of getting your dog to slow down during a trial, especially when approaching the table. This is something which I can't emulate (correct word??) at home because she doesn't get THAT fast at home or at Monday nights training...it only happens in trials. Because our Novice Agility is always first run of the day, she is full of pepper & this combined with a table which is slippery with dew, sometimes results in her hitting the table too fast & either jumping off the other side or slipping off. I have started teaching her to stop/drop on command, but not sure if you are allowed to use this in a trial...it may be counted as a refusal

Unfortunately, it is raining here

i take it you're not a cat person, huh? No...I am not a "cat person" & didn't know there was a law that said everyone should love cats. I am a "native wildlife" person & you can't be both unless you keep your cat locked up 24/7 & no animal should be denied access to fresh air & sunshine IMO. ;) OT sheena, it was just your choice of words [as bolded] is all... i too am for native wildlife and i've managed thus far to keep my cat safe and within the confines of my backyard, offering her full access to fresh air and sunshine without detriment [and i would know] to any wildlife it can be done, but if you're not a cat person, that's okay, and not everyone is! just like not everyone is a dog person or a mouse person, or a rat person yada yada --- it was just your word choice Skruffy & Flea...I didn't take any offense When we moved to our 200 acre farm & bush block about 30 years ago, we had big problems with ferrel cats, some, no kidding, were almost the size of a border collie. After an extensive & humane trapping program, together with the neighbours, we eradicated the area of feral cats along with thousands of rabbits & some wild dogs & foxes. We havn't seen a cat around here for about 20 years & our little patch of land abounds in wildlife & especially small birds, that are so tame they will dance around me while I garden. What I don't like about cats is that they will kill for fun & not for food. I may have to take in my elderly mothers lovely cat one day, but it will have to be an inside cat, but I wouldn't actively go out there looking for a cat to keep me company. Unfortunately, even inside cats, kill the wildlife I have living in the house ie. geckoes & penny lizards & are good at escaping between one's legs & getting outside among my fairy wrens & pygmy glider possums, no matter how careful one is, especially children Anyway...this is a little

Another one with balance & ball & blanket OR Balance with sticks

Lovely one of Jazz...Piper. You have really captured her expression well I am hopeless at keeping up with the weeks, but here is one taken at last weekends Agility Trial

Schedule is out for the ADAA Grand Prix in October

You are right. Passes from any level (except elementary) count towards your AAD title - must be Jumping or Agility as you have said. Games only count towards Games titles and you MAAD title. (yes, jumplers is a game). Hope that helps. Thanks for the info....one of my passes is Comb-Starters, Agility, can that be used towards to AAD Title

i take it you're not a cat person, huh? No...I am not a "cat person" & didn't know there was a law that said everyone should love cats. I am a "native wildlife" person & you can't be both unless you keep your cat locked up 24/7 & no animal should be denied access to fresh air & sunshine IMO.

To get your AAD Title with ADAA you need four passes with at least 2 being in Agility. Does a pass in Agility Open or Jumping Open count towards the title A pass in Jumplers is not counted, I guess as it is a game, am I correct.

It is probably just my observations, but every one I know who has trouble with fleas on their dogs, also either own a cat or have cats living nearby. I havn't seen a flea on my dogs since we got rid of our last cat, some 20 years ago.

Because we live on a farm & have an enormous backyard (by most city standards), those methods are just not practical for us & of course by the time a snake catcher got to my place the snake would be miles away. I have bird netting around in places but have only ever caught one snake in it.

Thanks for that feedback. They are even cheaper on Ebay (the Sentinals). I am waiting to hear back from Oakent as they have on their home page "buy 2 get one free" but the $'s dont make sense.

Has anybody tried these solar electronic snake repellers http://www.oakent.com.au/Sentinel%20Snake%20Repeller.htm

Just how often do you get the table in ADAA. Bindi drops nicely on the table during training, automatically, but won't offer it in a trial. In fact, once over the weekend, she didn't even stop on the table...too busy looking at the dog running on the next course

I gave my girl a frozen turkey neck yesterday morning on the verandah, where she staid & ate it....She then proceeded to do a huge pee on top of the spot where she'd just been fed I always give the bones on the verandah as the lawn is full of sandy ants nest. But can't understand why she would want to pee where she'd just enjoyed a lovely bone.

I wouldn't mind giving this a go...think I might order one

Who's going to the ADAA Nationals in May at the AELEC Centre in Tamworth. We are

We'll have to compare notes as we go Sheena. You with your boy (maybe) and me with my first girl. What are your planing on doing with your next puppy? The breeder is holding the two of them for me till they are 4 weeks old & then we will decide (might have to flip a coin), First & foremost is has to be a companion, living in the house & going camping with us, but I will be training it as my second agility dog & I would like to get into herding some day. I have a stack of training DVD's to watch..pity you don't live closer, I could lend them to you.

You can get wire rat traps, which are like a little cage with a door that closes on them when they go for the bait. Good except you then have to dispose of a live rat.