SmoothieGirl

Of course, doesn't every toy poodle! She's very cute and I love her colour. Oh Nekhbet, how are you going to bring yourself to give her back?

Hi Jules, I remember you and little Amber, yep, I was at Nyora last weekend and the last three clinics. The weather was, hmmmm, changeable is probably the nicest way to put it. Just before all the testing it pelted down, then is was mostly dry and sometimes sunny during the testing. During presentations when luckily we were all inside, it chucked it down again. Seems like it was a very successful weekend for many of us, I hope there are many more to come!!!! Congratulations everyone

Oh god, she is just too cute and I bet she is going to milk it with every single one of you. Look out Charlie, you are going to have your paws full.

Thanks Dyz, great to see you and your girl again, she's such a credit to her breed. See you out there in PT, in a paddock somewhere soon. Btw, I think you are still too quiet :D come on, fess up.

Bronte passed two Herding Tests this morning and is soon to receive her very first title to her name. There are a few others with some similar results...don't stay quiet now...

I'd say you have nailed the mix. My friends dog is a Whippy x Staffy x Staghound (which again is a bit of a mix I think). She is marginally finer in the face than him, but the ears are exactly the same and its as if her body struggles to stay in shape all the time. She's very leggy, but a slightly rotund for the delicacy of her legs - hilarious. Oh, I forgot to say, he has lovely markings, very attractive looking dog.

Kirislin the slide show is awesome. I love that photo of the whippy gazing at the gentleman with the glasses, it really defines devotion. Bummer, I'll be overseas for your next race day, but if you don't mind an observer and a ring in Smooth Collie (not as a participant) then I'd love to come and watch. Whippys are on my 'one day' list!

Ooooo, so cute. Can't decide which I like the most, but that tri on the right is marginally in front at the moment. Will wait for head shot yet to decide.

Spent Easter at Central Springs Cottage in Daylesford and loved it. There are two bedrooms with double/queen beds and a sofa bed too. Small, but cosy, smart and clean. Very close to the centre of town, dogs allowed inside and there is a fenced yard, however if your dog does jump fences its probably no good as the front and back fences are very low and the side fences aren't real high either. Bronte loved running up and down the hill in the backyard with a toy in her mouth and watching people walk past the front gate from her doona on the veranda. When I went out without her she remained crated inside with no problems. There are heaps of walks suitable for dogs around the Daylesford area and the town itself is very dog friendly, even with a small pet store and a vet. Only downfall is that the fridge is very small and the freezer is tiny, but you can get daily supplies from town anyway. Don't bother trying to book for Cup weekend though - I've already done that

She'll be plotting against the dog then, she's always on her best behaviour with me, I never realised cats could be so lovely until she 'acquired' me.

Too good a photo op to pass up. I had Bronte on a stay behind me so she didn't pounce on Lara and I army crawled across the yard to get this shot on my little Canon Ixus 55 - no time to grab the other camera. I just think its a lovely shot of Lara and shows her pretty eye colour and angelic personality.

I've nicked my Dad's which is the same as Erny's and really like it. I never thought I'd be able to get Bronte near it, but sufficient treat rewards she will lie flat on her side while I do her nails, it only took a couple of goes for her to 'get it'. She used to hate having her nails clipped but is good for this. I've cut the top off the file packet but the bands are Dremel brand, I think 1/2 inch in size and 120grit. Good for a Collie sized dogs nails. May have to go up for a bigger dog and of course down for a littley.

I love the liver and white boy. Who am I kidding I love them all. Lovely setting too, a beautiful first photo for all of their photo albums.

You can get pups of both rough and smooth coat types. But the Smooths from such litters tend to have a slightly longer coat than Smooths from two Smooth parents. Pups from two Smooths have a really tight coat. My girl, pic below is a Smooth from a mixed coat mating, you will see that her collar is quite excentuated for a Smooth.

Hi all Well no luck at the Dermo so far. When we got there Bronte's skin had broken out with a new bacterial infection, so two more weeks of elim diet, antibiotics and then back for testing on the 30th. She is really really really itchy at the moment, I don't know which if us is coping better, but its driving me mad to always see her scratching and nibbling. Anyways, onwards and upwards. Went to a Herding Clinic there and guess who was there, the Rotties! Bliss is a natural, she really got it. Next Sunday we are trying for our Instinct Cert and a having a bash at the Herding Title too. I was going to drag my Dad down to KCC as Bronte's personal photographer, but realised he's off to Tasmania for the Targa Rally - damn! I'll have to con some stranger into taking happy snaps instead, stay tuned for photos next week of Bronte and the Baaaa-ddies.

CL - Ooooooo, cutie Collie pups. Can't wait to see the growth pics. There is some nice depth of colour in some of those Sables. What coat types are they? Hard to tell from the pic given they are so young.

Kynan don't you get dizzy going round and round the oval I've already devoured your first reference, but I'll go off and find the Couch to 5km training schedule. My Walkydog arrived tonight, so I've had fun reading all about that. Bronte has been quite sick this month with varying issues and is a couple of kilos underweight at the moment, so we won't be trying it out anytime soon as my first challenge is to put some body condition on her. Then we are tackling her Herding title. Given that I haven't been on my bike in two years, I think I need some practice too before I risk a bike and dog challenge. Keep going peoples, this is a very motivational thread.

Wow 18kph, never would have thought about getting up to that speed, good tip. Quietly taking notes.... Good luck everyone, I'll keep popping in to see how you are all going.

Hi guys, I'm watching this thread with great interest as I might do this with my girl in a year or two. It's completely foreign to me though, so its a steep learning curve at the moment. Kynan, can I ask, your original 3 mins was that at the suggested 10kph? I would have thought previously (clearly I was WAY off the mark) that a dog could easily do that for 3mins. Is it the speed, the consistency or something else that makes it difficult for them? My challenge will be getting to a safe training area to ride a bike with a dog as I live in an area with very busy roads. I'll probably have to buy one of those car roof attachments to drive to bike paths and forest tracks. Our Walkydog has already been ordered, but probably won't be used until next spring or summer. SG

Hi guys. I was the one that reported it and trust me, I'm far from a sensitive soul. But no matter which way I look at it, it strikes me as very disrectful to associate flippant humour with the death and maiming of humans subjected to the horrors of war, but maybe this only came across to those who grew up when those images were current in the media. Joke was very funny, without the clips, I agree. I don't know, perhaps its a generational thing? I'll shuffle off to my hidey hole now, nuff said.

Is Fairbairn Park on lead or off lead? its off lead Oh so cool, I never realised that. Might have to check it out one day. its a massive park with the river running alongside. lots of nice people. we love it. would be great to see you there! just dont go wednesday nights- there is a group that meets (informal) all with the same breed and the dogs have attacked bert and another dog whilst they stood back and did nothing and then told us to 'f#ck off' out of their park. have reported them to council but nothing has changed so we simply dont go on a wednesday night, not worth the risk Nice attitude! Unlikely we would get there Wed's anyway. Might check it out one weekend, especially as we are about to lose daylight savings.

Is Fairbairn Park on lead or off lead? its off lead Oh so cool, I never realised that. Might have to check it out one day.

It wasn't a bug, nor had it been tampered with... the joke (which yeah, probably isn't very funny to some) went completely over your head. Yep, it sure did go over my head, but (genuine question) how is it funny? What have I missed here? I get most jokes, but clearly I'm not getting this one? Help!

Is Fairbairn Park on lead or off lead?

So pleased I popped back in to see the photos, I have been waiting for them all day. Happy birthday to a beautiful girl! :D She's very photogenic, but then most Dobes are, aren't they. Oh, now I miss my own Dobie girl, off to cuddle the Collie.