Agility Dogs

Thinking about it. I have it on good authority that there are NO fire ants at the grounds & they are going to post it on the website to dispel all rumours. Fireants? I compete at those grounds on a reasonably regular basis and have not had a problem, nor have I heard of anyone who has experienced any issues.

:) Good news about flyball. ADAA vs ANKC. Depends on whether you want to go to a club that focuses on agility or if you have broader interests. That said - the GCDOC is very strong in agility and you can't go too far wrong. Both organisations have their strengths and weaknesses. Personal preference is ADAA, but that is probably because it is where I started. The equipment varies a little between the two organisations as do the jump heights. Some dogs suit one, some suit the other, my dogs run both.

At the moment most of the flyball clubs are up towards Brisbane or the outlying suburbs and the sunshine coast. (Or that's where they were when I was playing.) I know that a friend is looking to get a club set up on the coast. She's on here, I think her name is Wherzaball or something similar.....not much help. Sorry. On the other side - WAAG (Wild About Agility Gold Coast) train fairly close to GCDOC and are well worth checking out. They are an ADAA club, not a KC affiliate. Have fun!!

Sorry - I'm not much help on prices down your way, but will just comment that it is important you know and are comfortable with how the tests are done. I have one vet who uses an in house kit test which returns a 5 point scale type result. Cost is about $70 (or it was last time we used that vet.) The vet we use now sends the bloods off to a full lab and the results are more comprehensive. Cost - significantly more. (I tend to close my eyes and not think about it.) I know that there have been variations between the two methods for some people. Just worth asking the question so you know what you are getting.

You've hit the nail on the head for me with this bit. This way my attitude before I learned the hard way that pedigree dogs are not that much more expensive (if at all) and that stupid piece of paper can be priceless.

I didn't vote. I would not be likely to rescue a puppy. I know there are no guarantees, but I'd like some sort of indication of how a dog is going to turn out rather than a bit of a lottery. (Not judging, but there is no way of telling.) I'd wait until a suitable pup came up, even if it took years.

ABSOLUTELY........ My Grandmother spent her last months in a dementia nursing home and while I was sadly over seas when she passed away my last memory of her is something I will alwyas cherish. She was in love with my big soft cuddly boy and I ALWAYS took him on my not frequent enough visits. The last time I saw her and the last thing I remember her doing was saying 'No, let him get up there' as CK put his front feet on the side of her bed. Then she patted him and held his head as she said to CK, 'You look after him, he's a good boy.' (Referring to me.) It was always amazing the love she had for CK and just how CK, who jumps all over everyone understood exactly what Gran needed and gave her the respect and space he should have. I think your friend is very lucky to have met Dezzy and will cherish a pic like that more than she will ever be able to tell you. What a lovely thing to do at Christmas time. :)

Was this before or after the signs went up. In march at dog training I was asked what vet I went to and this person said..oh they don't like dogs on seats...I said I've never been told that...little did I know what was coming. I get why you are upset, but is it really worth ruining your week over? It seems to be one of those things its just best to move on from and not worry too much about. You can't always fix stupid. Not even with duct tape. ;)

Xena Continue trialling her and keep her fit. Keep the fun in what we do and NOT focus on our results. In the process it would be nice ad add X's to all her 'D' agility titles and get her ADO and JDM. Just keep running her in ADAA events and keep working towards her Gamblers and Snooker titles. (7 passes for each - not easy when you use them towards games dog and Masters titles.) Perhaps enter a couple of herding trials as well. :) CK Just have fun with my boy and keep teaching him new tricks/keep him happy in the agility ring. Wikki Continue to build drive and keep it fun for her. Again, not focus on results, but focus on the journey and let the results come as they will. If that works out she'll have her ADAA Champion title by the end of the year and be running like I know she can - FAST! (We only need three more Q's.) Me........ Start off a new puppy without expectations and just create fun for the puppy. Build on the buckets of natural drive the puppy will have. Put in a good showing at the IFCS WAC in the Netherlands and have some fun in the states on the way. :)

It would also be worth talking to the guys at WAAG. (Wild About Agility Gold Coast) They are an ADAA affiliated club who focus on agility. :)

Yep. This would be me too. AND it's not even the other dogs that they want to get to/at. My girl wants to play, my boy tells her off, she reacts and then my older girl barks at them both. Quite a comedy, but quite scary if you can't see why its actually happening - just easier to avoid oncoming traffic. :)

:) Love our morning walks.

Thanks. :) Next year there will be one more in there. (If my friend doesn't decide she wants another one!)

There is no way to justify that. So sorry to hear. I would be devastated and more than just a little angry if that happened to one of our cats.

The example you are trying to cite is irrelevant and frankly to me it is a little strange. The difference is that people driving a car have every right to be on the road - cats have no right to be on the road. A dog that is not on a lead has no right to be anywhere other than in a designated area - cats have different rules rightly or wrongly. The article didn't specifically mention it, but seems a fair conclusion that the dog was not on lead at the time of the attack. I'm confused about how you can compare the two scenarios. Common sense still suggests that cats are indoor or confined animals, but it doesn't absolve the dog owners responsibility.

This. :) I have a dog that I would not have put in that situation until very recently. The other two couldn't care less.

Roaming cats annoy me - intensely. We have two cats and they live inside becuase the rest of the world shouldn't have to put up with them. That said - sorry - it's unacceptable for a dog's owner to allow it to attack a cat. By that I mean if the dog is out of its yard then the owner has a responsibility to prevent it from attacking any other animal. If a cat chooses to come into a dog's back yard and the owner isn't present that's a bit different. To suggest that dogs chase cats and to justify an attack that way is just ludicrous. We choose to have our dogs in an urban/suburban environment, its up to us to protect other animals from them. I don't care what the breed is dogs should be kept under control and kept from harming other animals.

SNAP.

I've got a bit of experience now with BC's but not much with kids so for what it's worth...... I've got 3 active BC's and all are great with kids, but all need management around kids (or management of kids.) One would chase and nip if given the chance, one can knock kids over if they are playing and the kid holds the ball (or whatever toy) up - she will jump at it. (Which to be fair is what she's been taught to do). The third one doesn't like having his tail or pants pulled at (really doesn't like) and while I can do it I'm not sure that a child would be accorded the same level of tolerance (he tried to bite me the first time I pulled a burr our of his pants). The other thing is that they are an active breed that need a job. Even my lazy boy who I've built drive into needs a job or he becomes more difficult to manage. I'm not saying that all BC's need to do agility or something equally as challenging, but they do need time and a place in the family as an absolute minimum requirement if you want them to be sane. I don't know (genuinely don't know because I have no experience) whether the demands of a young family will allow that. Once they've considered whether they can manage/cope with this sort of thing (I'm not saying all dogs are like mine, but they need to consider that they could be like that or could have any one of a thousand other behaviours)then would be the time to start looking at breeders. Like any breed there is a massive difference in temperament so talking to breeders in their area is a great place to start. I like breeders I can talk to and who will show an ongoing interest in my dogs.

Puppies had fun last night playing frisbee in the back yard. :)

Had an awesome night at the local WAAG (Gold Coast) comp last night. Xena was simply awesome - 3 from 3 with 3 first places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Wikki had a good night too. Still plenty to work on, but some nice stuff in there as well. 1 from 3 (inc a second place) - the third she was a bit spooked by the thunder I think. This was my favourite, even though we eliminated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72uYb2wFun4 For Mr CK these days its only about fun. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPDzZkGofNs Only one more trial to go for the year.

These two paragraphs really ring a bell for me. (In a good way!) My 'wish list' that I talk to breeders about is structure/health, temperament, drive (linked, I know), sex, colour/markings in that order. I'm lucky in that all I'm interested in is whether a dog will work hard for me and whether it will remain sound throughout its career. Black and white goes with almost everything! (Although there is a better than average chance my next puppy will not be B&W - I'm not all that fussed.)

All three of my pedigree dogs (two that I have and one to come next year) have come from very experienced breeders who I gave a thorough description of our home (at the time) and my wants/needs. From there one agreed to give me the pup they had been keeping becuase they couldn't find the right home, one gave me a choice of two puppies suited to our situation and one will choose the puppy they think is best suited to me. I'm happy with the approach - I've always got the option of saying I don't like what they are offering and walking away, but to date I haven't been disappointed. :)

I think it can teach them that to earn a treat they have to comply with your commands not compete with each other, so it could very well have impacted on the resource guarding. I was thinking that the other day. Amazing how little things can change the dynamic.