sheena

I get turkey necks, turkey wings & lamb flaps from Woolies for around $4 - $5 a kilo. Also very top quality pet mince from Highlands Meats for 3.95 kilo...comes in roo, beef, lamb, chicken or a combination. My Black Hawk kibble cost me $90 for 20 kilos & she gets a cup of this at night with a bit of the meat on top. In the mornings she gets the yummy raw meaty bone. I do vary the amount of food she gets depending on her activity level during the day. I am not worried about money as long as she is getting the best value. We usually have one of our own beasts in the freezer, then she gets the cheaper cuts of beef.

I'm a Black Hawk plus raw meaty bones here.....my chocolate border collie's coat is so lovely & soft, shiny & dark. I also give her a going over most days with my LePooch brush to remove dead hairs from her double coat. Livamol is really good for dog's coats too, especially dark colours.

I have just finished watching "Foundation Fundamentals" disc 4 & it was about teaching your pup to walk by your side. Starts off.. you need a bulldog clip (coloured with some tape), treats & a clicker. Sitting on the floor, give value to the clip by clicking & treating each time pup touches the clip with his nose. When you have this going well, then attach clip to part of your clothing (still on the floor)..pup nose touches..you click & treat. Always treat as close to the clip as possible. When you have this going well, then stand up & clip the clip to your trousers at pup's nose height. Pup touches ..you click & treat. Next step put pup in a sit stay & step away (facing away from pup). Call pup to you & if pup doesn't line up nicely with your leg as he sniffs the clip then move your body to straighten up..click & treat. Last step, do it at a walk...first treating every couple of steps & gradually extend this. Take plenty of time on each session before moving to the next & break it up with lots of play. When you have mastered it, gradually fade out the clip by treating when pup moves into position & walks nicely by your side with focus on you. Have fun At any time you feel you are not getting anywhere, go back a bit in the training. ETA you need TWO identical clips because when you get up to the standing stage where pup is touching the clip, you need to have one on the other leg to teach both sides. Also when up to walking stage, with a clip on both legs you can do front crosses & turns. You can use clothes pegs instead of clips or anything that you can attach to make a target.

Bindi...week 4 ...I still don't have my SLR yet

My very first clicker charging lesson for my girl started with me throwing treats on the floor...as soon as she would reach them, just as she was about to pick it up, I would click & she would get the treat...simple. We love playing clicker games

I have been entering the Open courses with Bindi ever since we started trialing a year ago. I find them good practice & because I am not expecting miracles ("Q's"), it takes the pressure off & we have a lot of fun especially with the distance challenges. Having said that, we did manage a Q in JDO & a couple of other clear rounds, but just over time We also enter the RQH events for the same reason. Also I find, if these events are first up, then it helps to take the pepper out of her in readiness for the important runs....only problem is, when they clash & being in Novice Agility, this happens quite often. Novice Agility just about always seems to be first cab off the ranks & is probably the main reason why we are still struggling to get our 3rd Q. But that was last year...this year will be different

Don't you just love it when your dogs do that, especially if you then have to have them in the car for a long trip home

It is almost two months now since we have had formal training & over three months since our last trial. Our club shuts down during during Dec /Jan & we don't start back till 7th with our first trial 12th March. We havn't been slack though, even if we did eat a bit too much over the holiday period We have been working on distance handling, weave pole entries, contacts 2o/2o & obstacle discrimination. Bindi is now 99.99% on her weave pole entries from both sides & I am now successfully sending her from half way down the weaves. Her exits are equally as good & I can send her to the weaves from a good distance & any angle :D Her contacts (2o/2o) are almost 100% on the dog walk & the see saw, though we havn't been able to train the A frame yet. I can now send her to either the dog walk or tunnel when they are side by side, on verbal command only & can layer them. I can put her through a 4 jump serpentine by me standing up one end & just moving my shoulders...you know...the way Susan Garret does it When I first saw that video...I thought ...WOW, I'll never be able to do that. We can almost do it with sets of 4 x 2 jumps. We have also been working on lefts & rights & have had a big break through there, & can now stand directly behind her at a jump & ask her to take the next jump to the left or to the right just on verbal command...no body language. It will be interesting to see if everything she has learnt still sticks when she gets back into trialing I think my girl has done her homework well & I am very proud of her.

I Know absolutely nothing about SLR's, except that I have always wanted one. I am getting a Canon EOS 500D with 18-55mm IS Lens, 2 x telephoto lens & .45X Wide angle. I havn't got a clue what all that means, but I am sure if I stick around with this forum and ask lots of questions, I will learn a lot. What happens if I can't supply a photo a week.....do I get kicked off

I'm a bit late starting (just discovered this) so here are a couple to start me off....I am getting my SLR this week, so I will be able to keep up Photos will be of my Border Collie Bindi....1st one... On a log with all her friends & "last one in's a monkey's uncle" I promise to improve when I get my new camera

I became addicted AFTER we got Bindi (BC)....not just the agility thing, but the whole world of dogs & training. I did tick "consumes my whole life", but that is not quite true...I do make time for otherthings like holidays, grandkids & medical appointments etc, but only AFTER I have consulted my calander for agility events. Of course, training classes sees us drive 1hr every Monday night, rain, hail or shine. It seems that just about everything we do has to fit in with Bindi

Wish I was going How do I get to know when the next one will be held

Thanks Tassie, I decided to just get the Pet Nail Dremel $25 pp. I only need it to smooth the edges of her nails after I have clipped them....just not sure how long the batteries will last...but for the difference in price I can buy a lot of batteries & I probably would never use the other attachments.

I was just wondering how long a good set of betteries would last on a Border Collie

Is this Dremel suitable for dogs nails.... http://www.mytoolstore.com.au/products/Dre...v-Cordless.html

Has any one used this Dremel advertised on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Dremel-Cordless-Pet...=item2a0a7375bf It certainly is cheap, cordless, but runs on normal batteries...wonder how long the batteries would last & if it would have enough power...the feedback comments sound OK

I assume you are talking about a litter of pups. Make sure you clear it all up before they go to their new homes or you will have some very unhappy new puppy owners. Was this a planned litter & what are you intending to do with them ie sell etc. Is it something which is passed on from their parents.

So sorry to hear about your lovely Smudge. What was the vaccine for...not heartworm by any chance :D Some collies have adverse reactions to the heartworm injection.

Put your partner outside... Your pup is still just a baby & I sure your partner wouldn't want his baby to sleep outside. Sounds like maybe you should have discussed this with him before you got a pup

This is not a harness, just the thingo that attaches your dog to the bike http://www.callicoma.com.au/WalkyDog.htm

My old BC girl RIP gat dementia. First she got the arthritis, lost control of her bladder, went deaf & blind & then got dementia to the stage where she didn't recognise me & if I approached her she would run off as if fearing I was going to attack her & I had never raised a finger to her in her life. It was so sad....I loved her so much. The day I had the vet booked in to come & put her to sleep, she ran off & a neighbour found her two weeks later. We live out in the bush, & on a farm, so we were quite distraught. With her, it all happened very quickly, within about 6 months & started after we had her brother PTS for cancer. She was a good age though, 13, which is pretty good for a BC

One would think that the RSPCA would have enough power to shut down puppy farms....if they did their job right And maybe educating the public about where they buy their pup from ...but I don't think Mr. Public gives a damn IMO as to where the pup comes from...they don't even stop to think about health issues etc. How many people do you know who have bought their pup from a petshop or a BYB If you carried out a survey then I am sure the answer would be " most people"...except for those who aquire said puppy from a rescue centre, where the said puppy most probably originated from a BYB or a PF. More often than not, I am made to feel like some kind of freak, because I support the concept of ethical breeding & choose to buy my dogs from such breeders

I am assuming you have done all the training necessary & feel you are ready to trial. I would recommend going along to a trial & doing volunteer work as a leads steward for the weekend. That way you get to really see what goes on & what to expect. Before you can trial you have to register with your state body of ANKA.

I'd be trying to get him into a routine, feeding him at the same time every night..which would be the later time to suit all occasions. Maybe don't allow him to go outside for a couple of hours before bed, then when you do take him out he is more likely to do it in front of you & you can mark, praise & reward.

As far as the poo time goes...I would be looking at what time you give him his evening meal. If he is wanting to poo at 5am then feed him an hour later in the evening. I would have thought at that age if he has wee'd just before YOUR bedtime then he should be able to hold onto it till a reasonable hour. My BC girl can hold onto hers for about 14 hours & still has access to what ever water she wants through the night. It has become a night time ritual...just before bedtime we go outside, she wees (sometimes on command, sometimes not) then when we come back inside she puts herself to bed. She gets fed around 8 to 8.30 at night & doesn't need to poo till about 7.30 am. Also with the poos it might depend on what you are feeding him...with some foods the dog does more poos then it would on another food. What do you feed him at night????