Mas1981

Sorry double post

I would find out what his allergys are and then go to a homeopath to treat them, they have loads of success with allergys.

I just found that they never fitted my dog properly no matter how I adjusted it and I gave up on it, I found the gentle leader or halti to work much better but I have stopped using that now too. Good luck!

I will watch next week, sounds good.

Cider is a very lucky girl, she has one of the best trainers/handlers around! I have a 3 year old who struggles with attention, so don't beat yourself up MM I just know that with my next dog, focus and attention is one of the very first key things I will be teaching! I didn't know it was so important back then :D You learn so much with each and every dog! I tried to teach Mason attention when he as younger but that didnt work out so well....... he is doing well for his age but I know most of the time when he does stuff wrong its my fault and sometimes I dont know how to fix it. Edited to say 90% of the time I dont know how to fix it.

I find it much easier to watch the video's and then try it out with my dog, I enjoy going to class but sometimes its difficult to see what you and the dog should look like when the instructor just explains what to do but without a dog. This is my first dog that I am training properly even though I have had dogs before and I just want to help him get things right he is smart and learns quickly. I just saw that Cider is only 7 months old?? Help my boy is 11 months old and he is no where near as good as that That focus and attention is sooo good.

Think I ruined my lab, he has always had squeak toys and loves to squeak them.....oh well too late now.

Thanks I will look at these videos an go from there. Edited to say I watched the video's and it helped a lot, your dog is lovely and very smart, wish mine would sit so close to me in the heel

I have been trying to get him to line up nicely at heel, it may seem like a dumb question but what is doodling on the spot?? Havent heard of it before.

I started pre-trialling classes on Sunday and we have started to do heeling with turns to the left and the right, anyone got any good tips on how to teach a novice trainer ( me) and a young dog how to do the turns, at the moment I just use food but he seems to be a bit confused that we are now turning. I guess what I am trying to ask is how do i cue him in that we are about to turn so that its not such a surprise??

Here are Mason's photo's, Thanks to Ptolomy for organising and GR and Rubystar for the getting them to me...

Mason was happy with his yesterday and ran after it like mad but today he actually retrieved it and squeaked it the whole way back to me.... he gets excited if i lift the ball off the counter he starts jumping backwards...

They were HUGE! Bigger than golf balls some of them! All our cars at work have hail damage - we had to just stand there and watch I was driving home through the flash flooding and other people had no windscreens and rear windscreens! Our power was out for 12 hours, has just come back on now. That was certainly the worst storm I have been through. Bugger GR!!! That sucks about your car Does anyone remember the big storm we had back in the early 90's sometime? It was like a cyclone. I remember our parents were in Sydney at the time so my sister's boyfriend stayed over with us kids, and we're all camping out in the most unsafe room in the house, the loungeroom with cathedral ceilings! Lucky we didn't lose our roof, but many people did. That was the worst storm I've been through. Though the one yesterday was pretty damn scary, I was on the train when the brunt of it hit, I was convinced that the train was going to be struck by lightening and I was a goner! From where we come from the storm wasnt that bad yesterday, we are used to much louder thunder and way more lightening, every house my mum has owned has been struck, its as scary as, the plugs on the electrical appliances actually explode out the electrical sockets and nothing works after that. I think here in Ellenbrook we had the mild bit but I do believe some schools are closed around here.....

Yeah I am definately going to give retrieving a go next year when Mason is a bit more obedient.

We were lucky up here in Ellenbrook, we had no hail and had power up until 2.30am this morning and it only came back on after 10am this morning, we had a short but intense storm at 2.30 am which did knock the power out. At around 18h00 last night the sky went very orange, I have attached some pics of the orange sky and rainbows.

Mine eats anything he finds:) its actually scary.....

Hi Mirawee, Would you consider your property for use for a retrieving trial ? I compete in retrieving, and judge, and we are desperate for new sites to hold our events. Biggest problem has been water, and it looks like you have heaps. By the way, to those gundog owners saying they have to toss up between obedience and retrieving, or agility and retrieving. You don't you know. There are several of us who do two or more disciplines, including retrieving. Training for retrieving trials is the same as training for any discipline, consistency, building confidence, gathering information, and training often. If you do obedience, you will have no problems with retrieving. Get a toy cap gun and get your pup/dog used to the noise (at a distance at first, then closer), then practise steadiness at heel, then a retrieve on command with a return to in front position. There is lots more of course, but if you have the basics, then go to the training classes, talk to people who trial for advice and suggestions, and have a go. You won't ever have as much fun with your dog, and, your gundog will be doing what he/she is bred for. I would love to do retrieving with my lab but the retrieving training is on the same day as my obedience training, will definately join next year when I will train obedience mostly on my own when I know what I am doing...!!

Lol I fetched mine from Golden Rules today, Mason loves his ( he had kidnapped Rubystars ones a few times to I know he would) I only let him have it when I am playing with him, he also will heel etc for it. He has a cuz toy on the way in the post so we will have to see which becomes his favorite!

Its the only thing my boy wont eat, I bought it once and the whole pack went to waste, maybe it was just that bag but I havent bothered buying it again....

I am on Holistic Select Giant and large breed adult but will soon also be feeding Anchovy, Sardine and Salmon formula.

I know what you mean, I feed Mason 1,5 cups of Holistic Select a day and a bit of mince, since this photo he has slimmed down a bit more , he seems to only lose on the back half though?? That's because the front part is his ribcage. He has a nice deep chest like a labrador should. He's only 11 months old and has a lot of filling out to do yet. Not fat, just substance - how much though, depends on his bloodlines. I saw this dog when I rehomed him at 12 months old... he was a skinny, ugly (but beautiful) long legged adolescent looking dog. I knew he had the potential to grow into something beautiful and fairly big. I next saw him a year later and didn't recognise him. This is him at three. If it wasn't for those eyes that I know so well, I wouldn't think it was the same dog. LOTS of substance and you can see that I am not talking about fat. Cant believe how his head changed! I think Mason still has a lot of filling out to do, some of his brothers that I have seen are much broader and bigger than he is.

I know what you mean, I feed Mason 1,5 cups of Holistic Select a day and a bit of mince, since this photo he has slimmed down a bit more , he seems to only lose on the back half though??

No I dont think he is skinny either, I feed him very little as it is and I dont want to feed him less as he is still growing at 11 months, he is also very active and fit.

Could you upload a pic of your dog so that we can see what she looks like?? I get told by some people at parks etc that my lab is skinny, IMO i think he is a good weight ,he weighs 32Kg and is a 11 month old. I uploaded a pic of my boy, is your girl bigger than this?? Edited to say I feed Holistic Select Large and Giant breed Adult, for some reason my dog cannot digest bones they make him ill otherwise I would feed more raw.

It amazes me how much they love soft toys, Mason will choose a soft toy over anything except a squeak ball...