RubyStar

Not too shabby at all, Sue!!!! Go little Waldo!!

RUBY * A pass in UD obedience would be glorious!!!! I won't hold my breath, though * Might step up the agility training with her again and go all out and aim for ADX and JDM titles. We'll see MILLIE * Let's go for broke - ADX and JDM titles! Been aiming for that ADX for a while now, it's seeming like a big ask! PIPPA * AD and JDX titles * CD title if I ever decide to enter her into obedience for real! * Might give Rally-O a crack and aim for RN as well A relatively short "wishlist" for 2014 compared to other years, but still a big ask of the kids. Most of all, keep having fun and stay healthy :)

Looking back on my trialling goals and our year of trialling, and we didn't do too badly! RUBY Ruby achieved her RE title and her NRA title. We entered a handful of UD trials this year, and came so very close to a pass numerous times! Trained a bit of retrieving early in the year, but decided not to trial. We trialled in retrieving ability tests instead and gained her NRA title. Had no agility goals this year with Ruby, but we gained 2 ADX legs (2 to go) and 3 JDM legs (4 to go) this year. MILLIE Millie achieved her RE title, SD title and her NRA title. She gained 3 legs towards her JDM. 4 to go! No ADX title, this one will forever elude us. We gained another 2 legs towards it, though. 2 more to go! As for UD, let's not even go there Trains in it very well, trials in it with her own madeup exercises PIPPA I got Pippa in the agility/jumping ring this year and she gained her JD title (in one weekend at the state trial) and 1 leg towards JDX. No passes in agility but some near misses! We also entered some Novice obedience rounds as Not For Competition at the end of the year to see where we're at and I'm pleased with how she's progressing!

Poor Elsie!!! Hope the massage and rest helps her Last trial of the year for us last night (we usually finish mid December, but some lovely people organised us a fundraiser obedience and agility trial for this weekend, yay!) We had fun :) Pippa bombed in both her novice agility and excellent jumping runs, but she did really well! She only missed the last weaver in agility, and ran around one jump in jumping - the rest was lovely and enthusiastic! So proud of this little dog :D But the :D for me last night was a surprise quallie in masters jumping for BOTH my lab kids!! I walked it thinking there was no way we'd get around it, and if we did, we'd be so far over time. We managed to get through under time (just ) What a great end to the trialling year!! I plan to work on better handling to get them round that few seconds faster - I can already see a couple of things I could have done to reduce the time, so I'm looking forward to next year! Here's the little ninja's agility run, damned weavers!!!

Two vet opinions and a piece removed in surgery for further testing still didn't reveal the answers for my Millie's nose that started out like that. Hope you can get answers! But there usually isn't anything that can be done, except for applying creams and stuff when it gets cracked and sore, and keep them out of the sun as much as possible and lather with sunscreen/zinc when sun can't be avoided. Let us know how you get on at the vet!

Thanks, they be my babies :D Outtake time... About to take the photo after lots of trying for the perfect photos, SO CLOSE!!...... and then the fridge gets opened. All in unison

OUCH!!! Just ordered the 2 coats - $225 later Fingers crossed they arrive before our next trial on the 27th, in case it is a hot one!

RM, I may be interested :) I am thinking of getting the cool champ ones for the Labs, but a backup cool runners one might be useful.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone :) I don't believe the cool champions have gel in them? Good point about the elastic, NC, that is probably why the girls felt so comfortable laying in them last night. If the girls feel comfortable obedience trialling in them (with judges permission of course!), then it sounds like it might be worth the splurge. But I admit these cool runners ones are enticing for price and comfort! Edit: but I am worried about them not fitting snugly enough around the body, I don't want them slipping around and being uncomfortable. Thanks PME, but those are the kind I already have (and have misplaced ) and I think they dry way too quickly for my liking. The girls also aren't comfortable laying down in them, so no good for my circumstances!

Soon to be broke student, can't afford to do that

I want a coat that goes down to the tail and down the sides as well, I want it lightweight and I want there to be enough room around their arms/shoulders so they can lay in it comfortably for obedience stays/waiting in the car, and be able to jump in it. Ruby was able to lay down in her borrowed cool champions one last night, but I obviously haven't tried jumping her in it, which is something I'd like to try as she isn't the best jumper anyway and if she feels restricted, she will hesitate and either won't jump, or mistime the jump and hurt herself. Ptolomy, are you allowed a coat on them in the UD group stand?

Would you trial with a Cool Champion one on? That is the part that is now swaying me to the Cool Runners chamois one. If I can cool Ruby down enough to allow her to trial in the day, we might be able to do some more obedience trials in the future!

Thanks, they look a little thick, though. I am after something thin and lightweight - which is why I am ruling out the Hurtta ones which are a good price. Swaying towards these for their price: Cool Runners Chamois Cooling Coats

I've been researching cool coats all morning after borrowing some Cool Champions coats last night for the dogs at our agility trial as it was a scorcher of a day that led into the night. I was really impressed with the Cool Champions, when I removed them for their runs, their backs were really cool and the girls seemed to tolerate the heat. I'm in a current mode of shock at the price, though! Going to cost close to $230 to get 2 mediums for the Labs I was looking on here and found old threads I can no longer post in about cool coat recommendations and found a lot of people saying their Cool Champions are no longer used as they use a different brand, so I thought I'd try my luck to see if anyone is wishing to sell their second hand Cool Champions cool coats to me? Got nothing to lose by asking I guess! :) Also, does anyone know if they can be bought elsewhere cheaper? I'm looking at the Silver Eagle Outfiitters Australia online shop. Cheers

Awesome!! Wish the neighbours down the road from my place would up and leave. 2 human aggressive dogs that have been out the front several times. In the end, I was too afraid to walk my dogs because I wouldn't want my dogs involved the next time they tried to take a chunk out of my leg!

This is the sort of course Ruby likes, where she can just stretch out and jump :) Mind my terrible handling!

Wow Tassie, Rory is doing great!!!! Well done to everyone who has had great success this year! And wow TO, masters already, well done!!! I had an absolutely awesome time at the agility trial last Saturday night. No clears, but wow my dogs were running the most focused and fastest they have done in a while! Ruby tore around ADX and weaved with much bounce to end up DQing (took an off course tyre when she should have weaved as she was just in "squeeeeeee!!!" mode and just roared onto the next thing in her sight! For her, LOVE IT!) and then missed her A-Frame contact. Then onto JDM for her and again, she tore around the course like it was the best thing ever! Just the one knocked bar, my fault for not supporting it enough before taking off Would have been in time, too!!! Definitely one of the best runs I've had with her! :D I will have to upload it later and share because I am just so pleased with her. Disclaimer: when I talk about Ruby tearing around an agility course, I am not comparing her to the fast dogs! I am comparing her to her slower self! Millie got one fault in each of her ADX and JDM runs. She ran well and didn't blow me off to sniff (ok, just a slight sniff when she stuck her seesaw contact!) AND got her weave entry and stayed in them! Nice weaves they were, too :) Pippa ran like a little ninja :laugh: She came undone in AD because her mum was standing outside the ring so had to run out again to see her before the last obstacle. Sent mum home before her JDX run and she stayed in the ring, just one refusal. I didn't have to baby sit as much, she is starting to be a bit more independent

Much of what everyone else has said :) Except I've personally never used a target to teach heeling, I am useless with too many things in my hand and I would rather the dog see the end picture from the start and not have to worry about fading the prop. You have to do a bit of bending at the start for rapid rewarding (unless your dog is awesome at catching falling food and staying in position!), but you can/should move quickly from that and again, I try to give the end picture as soon as possible. I don't do bending for signals even though the dog is little, I am still upright to deliver my down and stand signals. I started this by kneeling next to the dog in heel position and keeping my upper body upright and got the dog used to the signals that way. After doing some work on stationary position and making it a good place to be, at the beginning of moving I was rewarding every step or two. Keeps the dog in position (make sure reward is delivered in position!!) and keeps their attention on you. Gradually build this up in duration and what I also did is if the dog looked away or stopped or just got out of position, I ran away. Dog notices, runs after you, reward and praise when dog finds its way back into position. But if this is happening too much, then you have moved too quickly and need to go back to rewarding in position more frequently before you lose them. After a small amount of success of rewarding in position as you heel (you don't want to do too much at once and bore the dog), you should break it off before you lose them and have a game! Two food game, tug, personal play/hand touches, etc etc! Heelwork can be fun :D

Ramps to go in the car you mean? Those are probably not on free shipping. Bulky things are usually excluded.

I knew there'd be a thread here about it :D Any Perthies want to combine an order?

Way to go, Waldo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cheer: Definitely need video of that talented little man, please tell me you do!

Interesting! So different :) Are your novice classes the ones you have to win out of, or was that just agility/jumping? So how do you get an Obedience Champion title there?

Well done, DD!!!! Thanks for explaining. So how does one get a UD title over there? For us, UD sits between CDX and UDX.

As I was reading it I was thinking, is it April 1st? What a joke, a lot of those statements were so far out that it was funny sunny1shine, how very sad that "Cavoodle" made that list, but hey, I have 2 out of the 5 best family breeds in this household, win! And of course because it made a random blog post top 5, it must be true :p Edit: yep, quality publishing on that blog!