wuffles

I've had similar observations as everyone else regarding herding breeds. BCs and kelpies seem to like hanging out together. Neither seem to like Aussies too much, the Aussies prefer to body slam and rumble whereas BCs and kelpies like a bit more decorum My Aussie is a little tart and would play with any dog you put near her (not really typical of her breed). Edited to add: At any dog parks I've been to, I'd have to say the beagles in general have the best social skills. They don't annoy any of the other dogs, are happy to play bow and instigate play but are also happy just to sniff around. No other dogs seem to take offence to the beagles.

At 8 nearly months old we are definitely seeing results Things I have found to help... LOTS of rewards. LOTS of praise. LOTS of communication. Ava loves when I talk to her and her focus is so much better when she is receiving regular feedback (good or bad tone of voice). The first 5 minutes of our walks (the most exciting time for her), I barely stop chatting to her. "Good girl, oh such a clever puppy! Gooood girl... uh uh! No. Good! Yes, good puppy!" I can phase this out as the work goes on and she calms down. Working at a distance from distractions. Other dogs and people are our main distractions and I really need to work on this as soon as we see them, when they are just a dot in the distance. When we see a dog or person, I ask Ava to sit and reward. At first I didn't even care if she was looking at me, as long as she wasn't going nuts. We are still working on this, but now I can at least get her to sit and look at me when distractions are a reasonable distance away. I also generally use a martingale collar as I needed a little bit of help to get her to focus on me, AND we use a front attach harness if we go somewhere we know there will be heaps of distractions or with the other dog. It has helped to get her out and about and used to the distractions without having her choke herself I take her for 45 minutes each morning. Probably more than is recommended for her age, but she needs it.

She looks like such a little character, and loves to have conversations!

Have a look on Youtube, there are lots of videos of CCD and CD trials We go to obedience training, we love it, and Ava is smart... but we are nowhere near ready to trial. I'd say although it's definitely possible, it would be rare for a dog under 12 months old to be truly ready for the precision required in trialling (particularly one with a novice handler such as myself).

Mine (5 years and 8 months) both sook when the other is taken out of sight on a walk, or if one of the humans walks away on a walk. Satch *screams*. Also in my experience... males are the sooky ones

I see a fair few around. There is one that roams an oval OH plays sport on, and despite having complete idiots as owners, she is lovely. The first time we met her she came over and play bowed at my dog. The last thing I read about this was that there was going to be a "line up" at DAS as two likely dogs had been identified, does anyone know the outcome?

I want a Spinone :laugh:

If Elbie doesn't like being chased, the off leash area probably isn't the best for him! It's pretty full on in there... We are doing well in bronze, I've been doing heaps of work but we'll see what happens on assessment day. It's not a big deal if we don't pass as Ava is not even 8 months old yet

Our big boy is walked on a flat collar. Our puppy is walked on a martingale when being walked on her own, and a front-attach harness when with our other dog.

And then consider that advice from two people with lots of experience and knowledge can also be completely different! See you on Sunday KTB?

Mine have a few different treat dispensers which they get their brekkie in. They both get a Kong of a morning with frozen Nature's Gift tinned food. I found that for our older boy who gets bored easily, the Dental Kongs are the best as he can lick them from both ends and he finds that easier as food doesn't get stuck up in the small bit. I love the 'Busy Buddy' range of treat toys. We have a Tug-a-Jug which is too hard for Satch but Ava loves it (I observed Satch one day steal this off Ava, proceed to lick the end which has tiny holes but no way to get the kibble out for about 2 minutes, then try and chew the very hard plastic for a few minutes, then get bored and walk away ). We have a Squirrel Dude which is also quite hard to get kibble out of. We also have a Twist'n'Treat which is relatively easy, Satch will push it around with his nose. I have heaps so that I can alternate and they don't get bored

I have a working breed in a small suburban yard and we do fine. It is a lot of work though and she definitely needs more than 30 minutes exercise a day (she won't chase a ball though!) So the right individual dog would be very important

I doubt a kelpie would suit, my kelpie boy makes my BC girl look like a couch potato! And since they said they like BCs, if they thought they would be able to have one, they wouldn't be asking the question. Sure, most working breeds will be high energy and a lot of work. But there are also a lot of individual dogs that aren't like that. I have met quite a few young working breeds who are calm and laidback. I've met BCs that are happier lying around the house than being out and about. I've also met BCs who spin and bark and carry on if they're not given hours of stimulation every day. A lot of people think that every working breed dog is GO GO GO which isn't the case.

Ours are inside when we are. We usually go to bed around 10pm and get up at 6am. The pup is toileted before we go to bed, but our big boy usually doesn't go out again after his dinner around 7pm. He will wake us up if he's desperate, but that's not often. Sometimes on weekends he hasn't been outside for over 12 hours and we have to chuck him out to toilet

Collie Smooth or Rough. If they did their research they could probably handle a BC or an Aussie or a kelpie, from the right breeders, and pick the most easygoing of the litter.

I can't blame Erik for wanting to snuggle with that

Mine don't

I leave our two alone unsupervised but the smaller one isn't exactly small, she is 19kg and our big boy is 36kg. I tried separating them when the puppy was younger and smaller but they hated it, we have had no issues (touch wood). Edited to add: Both dogs are very stable but we know accidents happen and accept the risk of this as we feel the benefits of keeping them together outweigh the negatives.

Thanks CleoJ, I will definitely remind you I am only just getting used to treating from my left hand, but have been doing some work on that throughout the week, so hopefully that will help.

Oh my gosh Genevieve is adorable! You sure make her work for that one treat though :rolleyes: I've seen some brilliant cavs doing obedience and agility :D I grew up with a tricolour cav named "Pokey" who was one of the most perfect dogs ever.

Thanks huski, I do as well, and that's why I'm having trouble with the leash in class :rolleyes:

I must be weird because I really like different dogs rather than matching ones! Our next will probably be something like a puli :D Ava is doing really well with her obedience but I can't see us trialling any time soon as she still has to grow a brain, and I need to get my handling skills up to par as she is ridiculously in tune with body language. Once I raised my hand to cover my mouth when I coughed and she did a "spin" :rolleyes: I know this has been discussed before at some point, but how does everyone hold the leash for heeling on leash, when your dog is still learning and still needs a lot of praise/rewards/reinforcement? I'm finding it really difficult to get it right.

:rolleyes: :D I am in a similar boat. Going to obedience classes with Satchmo wasn't much fun at all, and it is sooo different and nice having a dog that wants to work with you (although I wouldn't change Satchy for the world, he is damn stubborn! ) How old is Luuka now?

Aww! We will hopefully come to the next clinic, I don't think Ava will be so polite though