sheena

I agree....a metal crate is a must & get a canvas cover for it. Not sure how little your puppy is.( JRT??), but I have seen a goanna take a fully grown duck, & lost a cat once to a python. Then there are other things, like wedge tail eagles & wild dogs.

Not a recent photo, but probably fits the bill....Dogs balanced on a branch (well could be a log ) Like the one of the balls of the feet on the window sill

That should take care of the neighbours chickens too

I have always been taught to "keep your eye on the dog", but after reading a few posts on another thread, am beginning to wonder if this is a universal rule To keep looking at your dog, you have to have your head turned slightly if your dog is lagging behind & I wonder if this sometimes gives the dog a confusing body cue...ie dog thinks a front cross is coming up. Maybe it is better to look & focus straight ahead...at least that would mean less times I fall over, but am really not game to try it as I know I will be howled down by those that know more than me. I don't have real good periphial vision & I have to have my head turned to look at the dog. Interesting to know how many people prefer to break this rule & why

Have fun on your camping trip. We love camping with our BC girl & she loves it too. A wire crate with a canvas cover is a great thing to have along...wouldn't leave home without it. Just one more thing of concern...if you are camping near a river that runs into the ocean, be careful with the run out tide if your pup decides he really loves the water.he could get taken out to sea. My girl loves the water so much, that I wont take her near the river/beach if it is a run out tide. These days I am also paranoid about bull sharks which like to frequent rivers near beaches & they just love dogs Apart from this....camping with your dog is so much fun, we do it a lot during the trialing season.

X 2 Being a cattle farmer, I can tell you that cows definately have personalities, feelings & emotions & I swear I have seen cows get very emotionally upset when they see their calves go on a truck to market. What most people don't realise is that thousands of 5 day old baby calves are slaughtered every week in Australia, just so we can have milk. I refuse to watch the cattle go on the truck & I certainly refuse to eat veal I also agree that most slaughtered horses are either failed race horses or unwanted/ unrideable. Not too many much loved pets would go to the slaughter house. Doesn't make it any easier to accept though.

DOUBLE TROUBLE Well I have the cupboard & I am sure there is a blanket in there somewhere

The food or toy is meant to be thrown AFTER she has gone through the set, not used as a lure. You throw the food/toy along the line of travel so that she learns to keep going in that direction....does that make sense sort of throw it as she is coming out of the weave & if she goes forward to get the food, then she wont be looking back at you.

Thanks guys! Ill look into the books and DVDs- its a shame they have to post it all the way from the US! Im heading down to the Agility Trials at Durack next weekend to have a bit of a sticky beak as well Doesn't cost much & takes only about two weeks to get here. It is a Clean Run production & I got mine before Christmas when they had all their DVD's on free postage.

Clicker training (or shaping) is so much fun & my BC just loves it. Basically you need a clicker & some small yummy treats. First charge your clicker (put value on it) by tossing a treat & when pup reaches it..click just before he picks it up...keep repeating this & soon he will associate the click with the treat. Then you can use the clicker/treats to shape behaviors. ie. if you want to teach him to shake..1/ click & treat when he sits..2/ touch his front leg, click & treat when he starts to lift his leg 3/ repeat clicking only the behavior you want until he is putting his paw in your hand when you offer it. You are basically shaping his behaviour tiny bit by tiny bit until the light bulb goes off, then party, party. When you are sure he knows what you want then you can put a verbal cue to it. Of course you don't do all of this in one session...break it up. You will probably need a bit of patience & go slow with the first trick, but after that being a BC he will catch on to the game & offer behaviors when he knows it is "clicker time"....that is why I never taught my girl to toilet using the clicker method

An excellent DVD is the six DVD set called Foundation Fundamentals from Clean Run http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...p;ParentCat=175 It is for puppies & is just like being in the class even though you havn't left your lounge room......it is excellent & my next pup is certainly going to benefit from it

What about shake hands...that's easy. I am finding Bow a bit hard to teach my BC even though she knows a bag full of tricks. Are you clicker training him???

My BC girl is going great on it...lovely shiny soft coat & loves her Black Hawk. I sometimes babysit my daughter's two maltese x's & they are very fussy eaters of kibble. I put out two bowls of BH & went looking for the second dog, not realising the first dog had cleaned up both bowls & was keen for more. I have suggested to my daughter that she buys them some BH, but she claims that her dogs get the farts if they are fed lamb. Has anybody noticed an increase in farts in their dogs. Mine is fine..she is a real lady at the best of times.

That sort of covers their backside pretty well...think I will stick to Permoxin & Proban & picking them off one by one. She seems to be getting used to them & doesn't itch as much as she did earlier in the season. I have never seen them so bad

When I was taught this (& it was at a DWD), the dog puts it's front paws on the box & faces you...as you take a step the dog should also line up it's rear end so that it remains opposite you. Bindi can do it really well in one direction but it's a bit harder for her in the other direction, but she is getting there. Mind you, this is with DWD...I know absolutely nothing about competition obedience. :D

It was on the menus of all the good restaraunts in Alice Springs while I was there a few years ago...not that I was fussed on trying it. I guess it has probably made its way into pet food too, as they cull a lot of feral camels, but this article was about human grade. It makes you wonder about beef coming from those areas which would be grazing on the same bushes. I did a big hike up there a few years ago & saw one of the bushes concerned.It was called "dead finish"...I think it's the one that they get 1080 from...also saw plenty of dead cows which had grazed on it.

Warning about feeding human grade camel meat to dogs. Dogs are dying from it Here's the link http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/04/3155157.htm

I have thought about using these to repel grass ticks, but am not prepared to take my dog off Proban, just to see if they work. I would like to use them (if they work) as a compliment to the Proban as the Proban doesn't actually stop the irritating little buggers getting on her, but the web site states that they should not be used with other chemical treatments. Also I am not too clear on the long term effects of electomagnetic energy on her health. I know that Shoo Tags are a sponser of DOL, but I would like some feedback from those who have tried them.

You said in another post that you kick your pup to stop it biting you....could this be a reason why he is pooping green..maybe you have damaged something with your kicking & a visit to the vet might be a good idea The only time my girl did a green one was after eating one of those cheap Chinese artificial bone things which was dyed green.

Clean Run...a lot cheaper than you will get in Australia even with postage

I got mine from Pet Stock & very happy with it...it's an x-large one that I mainly use at home or for camping. I picked up another smaller one from Ebay, second hand, for travelling & trials. I also got the canvas covers from Ebay (brand new).

I am a bit behind, having been away, but took these today Bindi being the "ball boy" for 4 year old, grandson, Tobie & I love this one...playing doubles

Yes she can target with both front paws and her nose. I will also look into getting a copy of that dvd that Dxenion mentioned too. Not sure about trainers in my area but if anyone could recommend a trainer in the Coffs Harbour area I would be greatly appreciate it. Thanks --Lhok Hey...that's where I live. I belong to the Dog Training Club there, but don't personally know any speciality dog trainers....I could ask around.

I roughly pan fry the mince...trying not to break it up too much in the process, so that it ends up like rissoles, which I break up in front of her, when delivering the treat. The anticipation is as good as the treat, in her opinion. You can also mix something into the mince, like garlic or parmeson cheese.

I have often thought about trying the Shoo Tag for ticks, but would only try it as a back-up for the Proban, as it states that it actually repels the ticks. Unfortunately, they also say that useing it with a chemical treatment, deminishes its effectiveness, so in actual fact, I would have to take her off Proban, to see if the tag would work, & I am not prepared to do that. My daughter was given a bottle of something years ago which she gives to her two little dogs whenever she finds paralysis ticks on them & it works wonders, but not sure what it is. I have used rose geranium oil/lavender oil mixture sucessfully to repel ticks, but it has to be put on the collar fresh every day, but I don't like collars & she hates the smell. 30 years ago, when we first moved to the farm, an old timer told us to give condies crystals to animals suffering tick paralysis. We saved many calves, cats & dogs over the years using this method, but I wouldn't risk it now, just in case.