wuffles

Love the steady feet game :) One more thing to think about, have a look at how he is standing when you leave him. I had an issue where my dog was not standing square/balanced, so she would move her feet to straighten herself, but this then became habit. I had to retrain her moving stands to make sure she stands square.

IMO stopping on the right and bringing the left up is done for the same reason as stepping off on the left. That is the leg closest to your dog and theoretically it is easier for them to recognise the signal on that side. It's a more obvious signal that you're about to stop.

I use Nature's Gift to stuff Kongs and see no issue with it. I wouldn't feed it as the main food though.

Sad update from me. Satch had a bleed so we gave him his wings this morning. He was very stoic and had a great 10 weeks or so after his diagnosis. Thanks all for your words and support.

They are great for teaching heelwork positioning :)

This. Chiro identified hip/spine alignment issues with my dog (she had persistent anal gland abscesses) and with regular chiro we are able to keep on top of the issue and avoid anal gland problems. She does also get psyllium husk every day as backup.

My dog has a perfect drop on recall but my point was, they need to be able to do a drop at a distance before you do it in the middle of a recall. I'm more wary of confusing my dog than other people because she is super sensitive. If I gave her a no reward marker for not dropping fast enough I'd be likely to get a dog who just sat there and stared at me the next time I did a recall (shuts down, it's safer just to do nothing when you're confused).

That's ok then :) Mine doesn't really run unless she's doing something or asked to do something so I couldn't have trained it like that! :p

I wouldn't want to do a recall and ask them to wait/drop straight out (or running between equipment, etc). Pretty sure that would confuse the heck out of my dog, or maybe she is just special. That's why I like the two food game, as you don't need to call them, they are already moving in one direction without a command to confuse them.

My marker is a release, so I do as Kavik says. Otherwise I'd click, "ok" then throw the food. Might take a bit of finesse!

I taught it using two food game too. Need to click and release as soon as they hit the ground. She knows the faster she goes down the faster she gets rewarded :)

Boo Bex Blink Blur Chess Charm Chill Dare Dove Fizz Flip Flick Ink Jinx Jive Lark Pop Prim Roo Qwik Quiz Twix Thrill Wren Zest Zoot

Welcome to the world of Aussies, Whipitgood! :) As far as breeders go, it depends what you are looking for. But I look for someone who is responsive and friendly and is interested in the future of their dogs. I want a pup who has grown up in a house rather than kennels, with exposure to other dogs/kids/cars etc before they come home with me. I want a breeder who allocates their pups only once their structure and temperament have become evident, rather than at birth based on looks, so that they can choose the right match for me. As far as colour goes, they shouldn't make a difference for dog sports. Obviously if you want to show you might look for nice markings and obviously not a mismark. My Aussie is a mismark (too much white) and her hearing is as sharp as a tac, but it is wise to be careful of too much white around the ears/eyes as it can cause hearing/sight issues. Reds do tend to bleach a bit in the sun if that matters to you. NBT or tail also shouldn't matter for dog sports. There is some argument that tails help with balance but I've never seen any evidence of that in my time in the obedience/rally/agility rings. There are lots of both NBT and tailed Aussies competing with no issues. However, if you are interested in showing, NBT is probably better. You can show tails, but in general it is a bit harder to be competitive with them.

Sorry, I had to have a bit of a giggle, at our house we call this "ears painted on". I have an independent mutt and an Aussie Shepherd and I can tell you it's quite a regular occurence with both!

BDOC's next session starts on August 11. Give the office a call tomorrow night if you are interested to see if there are spots available. :)

As promised, here are some photos, taken by the lovely KumaAkita...

Oh guys, I've only just checked on this thread. I'm so sorry Nina, what a horrible disease this is Thank you to everyone else who has responded and sorry to everyone else who has lost their precious dogs. Satchmo is doing well. It has been a month and a half since his splenectomy. To be honest you wouldn't know anything was wrong except that the fur is still growing back on his sides. He had follow up bloods last week which came back fine. He's still on piroxicam which has been great as it's also helped his arthritis. The only difference in his behaviour is that he has become much more interested in attention and contact -- he's always been a very independent boy and although enjoys pats, has never been one for cuddles or closeness. But lately he's been seeking out affection and even snuggling with our other dog, which is very uncharacteristic for him. I will come back on tonight to post some photos that my friend took to remember him by. I realise we were very lucky to detect the bleed and remove the spleen so quickly so we want to make sure we have a lot of memories.

I have no problems keeping my dogs slim. They are always hungry no matter what I feed them.

So when you say "at all" do you mean literally not at all? When I say I correct, I am talking about saying "no" as soon as he creeps, stepping back to him, positioning him back on the spot and starting again. Yep, I don't say no. I would just release her then try again. But my dog is extra sensitive.

I agree with JulesP. You're just pushing it a bit too far if they break :) I don't correct stay breaks at all (actually depending on the dog's temperament this can actually cause a lot of anxiety with stays which is something to be avoided). Obviously that depends on the dog though.

This has happened to my girl. We think it was just an irritation (eye drops cleared it up).

Here's another. I think he's comfortable enough for now :p

Here are some pics of the big man. :) Sorry they are a bit big. On Sunday after coming home from the vet. Never too sick to go for a walk! Still demanding pats...

Sending my healing vibes to Zig and hoping you find some answers. Zig and Satch would have overlapped at the emergency vet last week.

Thanks all for your lovely words Wow, that is wonderful! So glad your girl is still doing well. I'm sorry about your boy. If we can have three happy months that will be lovely. Satch's surgery was last Friday so it has been a week today. He is being his usual cheeky self and demanding walks (short ones) and his eating is back to normal. The only issue we are having at the moment is that night times are rough. He's very demanding and needy as soon as we go to bed and will pace and stare at us. He's fine during the day and will sleep on his bed for hours... up until we go to bed. We are going to try leaving a light on to see if that helps!