Mrs Rusty Bucket

My dog tried bin raiding like Zephyr and it must have bit her - cos she's never tried again. Really yummy things like meat wrappers and roast chicken debris - tends to go directly to the outside bin - and she hasn't figured out how to get into that yet. If there's something I want to protect on the kitchen counter, I line the edge of it with stacks of empty tomato tins and tuna tins and etc. She stole the (crumbs only left) meat pie bag off the bench the other day. I should have known she'd do that. I really don't like it when she gets rewarded for counter surfing. At least she hasn't figured out she can jump on it if she really wanted.

I used to have one or two days off every term which i called "sick of school" days. I'd write the note and mum would sign it and I'd take it in the next day. After about year 10 - I usually had sports days off. One year I got incredibly sunburnt because teachers made us sit in the sun - so Mum wasn't any keener on sports day than me. If you were not the first or second best in your school "house" at anything - then you didn't get to do anything all day. Well there might be a three legged race and a sack race (boring) but what do you do for the other 5 hours and 50 minutes? Same with swim days. The two best - got to do everything and the rest of us were bored witless all day. You weren't supposed to read books either - you were supposed to cheer your team. Right...

I've met one lagotto R down at our park - and it was fine with all the other dogs. And several more at our crazy pet expo - and they were fine too. I've met quite a few grumpy dogs - but it doesn't seem to be very breed specific, though some breeds /dogs have much longer memories than others and seem to hold a grudge (I'll get you before you get me) based on bad experiences much longer. And some dogs just completely fail to learn that the dog over there pretending to be friendly and pretending to want to play - hurts the other dog every time. I've got no idea what breed would meet the "smooth coat/non shedding sheltie" criteria. Maybe a mutant (very small short coat) Border Collie?

@Rebecca A litter of puppies can have several different fathers... I'm wondering if one dog got where it should not have, then maybe another did too. So that could mean your dog's colour and temperment is from a completely different father. You could verify with DNA test - ie parents and puppy - with "known" parents you can verify if they are indeed the parents. But you'd have to pay for three dna tests. But like some of the others said, who your dog's parents are is really irrelevant and your dog should not have been declared "dangerous" on that basis according to the QLD law as stated. The ranger's decision really needs challenging.

Kelpiehoundmum had good success with him when her Bloodhound started getting a bit above his station. He trains the owners more than the dogs. But he reads the dogs really well. If I have any more surprises out of my evil hound I will be consulting him too. She has just started getting protective without my permission and it can be scary. There's some posts about him here. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/232871-obedience-training-adelaide/page__p__5686966__fromsearch__1#entry5686966

Alternatives. Lagotto Romagnolo or Portuguese water dog. Everyone will think you have a labradoodle but you will be smug in the knowledge you have something much smarter. Curly coat retriever - might also suit. That's if you want a bigger dog. Ie poodles come in several different sizes. This link has a good list of purebred alternatives to poodle cross. http://pantonepoodles.com/doodles.htm wasn't obedience competition invented to show off how smart poodles are? I think that's what scares some men - they don't want dogs or women around that make them feel stoopid. My dog does this to me every day, I think I'm getting used to it. edit to fix dog breed name

I don't think that "innocent until proven guilty" applies to dogs. Council can declare them as long as someone is willing to point the finger and say "those dogs did it", and then it's up to the owners to prove their dogs were interstate at a show at the time or something.

You could ring the council and ask them. They might not know the dogs are back home when maybe they shouldn't be. Dogs that have killed stock - end up under very strict conditions (in secure run, muzzled and on lead if out of the run etc) if they get declared. Unless the pony owner doesn't want them to be - which would be odd.

congrats RubyStar. I don't think my dog fully understands what "retrieve" means. sometimes she does and sometimes she just abandons the whatever it is over there and goes off with the fairies.

I gotta second the cattle dog. My cattledog x puts on a really scary show. And she starts barking as soon as the gate squeaks. I'm pretty sure you could train your dog to bark with the gate as a cue. Maybe put some bells on the gate to make it a bit louder. Pay attention to what gets her excited and use that to build up excitement on cue. I'm also thinking you might want to swap bedrooms with your Dad for a week or so. You can tell his unwanted visitors that he moved to a nursing home interstate.

It's a bit tricky. I think as long as you ask - and wait for the owner to give permission and supervise - it's ok. But it gets a bit tricky if the owner walks away and leaves her dog with someone the regulars don't know. Last weekend I went to our local pet expo, cos some of my friends were doing dances with dogs. I watched some of the routines and then went to find my friends and their dogs. One team came out of the ring and the dog promptly came up and schmoozed me and I just patted under the chin and on the chest without thinking about it. The owner said I must be a doggy person because her dog doesn't normally do that. Oops. I apologised for not asking first. I think we'd all met before though. And later I saw someone walking along an "isle" behind all the dog crates - with dogs in them - the backs of the crates making the edge of the isle - just unzip that dog's crate and reach in. And I said - I wouldn't do that without asking and she said - "it's my dog" - I said you don't look like the person who just did the dance routine with that dog. She said "that's my mum". I felt a bit embarrassed then, but I also said "you probably want to go round to the front of the crate, so you look like part of the team otherwise General Public might think it's ok for anyone to do what you're doing. And the "if one person pats the dog - anyone can pat the dog" - did follow me and some of my friends round a bit. Ie I'm friends with some quite anxious dogs who seemed very pleased to see me in the busy environment but if I patted the dog - little kids would rush up to pat the dog too... and mostly their parents intervened and things were supervised and friendly but it could have been bad. So I imagine at a busy show - dog owners have to be quite wary that strangers don't think it's ok for them to do what friends can do. Unless everyone who is a friend is wearing a team uniform - it's a bit hard for the general public to know the dog is only friendly with some people and not everybody - or likes a formal (slow and careful) introduction with new people. Also at the expo - there were some stations for hand washing and disinfecting - and signs about being careful with puppies etc. I can imagine it might be difficult to control germ exposure with puppies. Though all the animals looked clean and healthy to me. What there wasn't at the expo - were nice public free escape routes for dog people to take their dogs out for pitstops and etc, without running the gauntlet of people who aren't sure the difference between a cuddly dog shaped toy and a live dog.

My guess is Tri coloured BC x Lab Cavaliers also come in that black and tan colour so maybe Cav x Lab. Personally I don't see the Rotti but who knows. I think the ears look a little bit spaniel to me as well. Very nice happy looking bitsa.

My dog loves boarding kennels. And yes it's got to be the right ones. She loves playing with other dogs and she gets along with most all other dogs, so it makes it easy for the kennel staff to place her. And I'm confident - with boarding kennels recommended by my friends - that she will be looked after, and she won't be escaping to look for me. I suspect if we went for in home, she'd protect the home from whomever I was trying to pay to look after. I do know one in home service, but she only does "outside the home" so the dog has to have access to outside the home, and I can't leave my dog outside all the time - because there is no proper shelter for her there, and I don't feel she's entirely safe being left outside. There is a really nutty dog hater at the end of my street - basically screams and yells at every dog owner she sees. And a barking dog hater in the middle - very close to where I live. And I don't have a dog door. And one big enough for her - would be big enough to let burglars in too.

I've got my dog to S&P on command - so between runs, I take her for a walk - until she performs then loads of praise. First thing at a venue it can take 20 minutes or 2 laps of a football oval but it's worth it not to have it happen in the ring. I always think that a handler hasn't given their dog enough toileting opportunities in the ring if they go there, unless it's clearly marking over some other dog's previous effort. I also think it's a stress thing, like go sniff, shaking, scratching etc. Ie a dog should be able to manage to hold on for 60 seconds or so. Not sure about the boy dogs.

My hound has been known to bee line to where the treats are...skipping all the stuff she's supposed to do inbetween. we had one very funny run at training where I (or the instructor, didn't matter) put the treat out before we started the run, and as soon as I released - that's where she went, ate treat, came straight back, ready to go around the course now... was a bit disappointed when the grass square was treatless when we got to that bit. You ate it already - it's not the majic pudding grass square. I might have to test for this with training. She doesn't usually find the treat bag without me exciting - so it might work. She did stop to check out someone else's treat bag on the way in but didn't run directly to it when we started - which was a relief. She didn't notice the woolie tug that some other dog was besotted with that was on the way in either. I guess that's a good thing.

Is Reggie desexed or not - I've read that delaying a desex (or not desexing) until a dog is about 18 months can help their bone strength. Though it's hard for me to say - since my AWL puppy farm dog bitsa was desexed at 8 weeks and seems fine doing agility at 3.5 years old. Otherwise - really not sure if a full vet work up would predict anything or not. Ie a full joint check, hip scoring under general anaesthetic (anything else you want to get done while he's there?), might indicate he's not suitable for jumping sport, but an all clear doesn't mean he wouldn't have problems either. Maybe less chance but not no chance. Same as the way footballers can break themselves and their joints. Maybe you could find a vet who is also into dog sports so understands the specific stresses and vulnerabilities, to do a check or at least answer your question. There's quite a few vets into agility. All you have to do to find them is show up at an agility trial to watch - and ask around. And if you bring your dog, you can get him used to the environment - it can be very exciting for a puppy or even an older dog.

My dog did better at runs on warm days, when I sponge bathed her before the start. Depending when I was starting - I sponged her before I walked the course, or if there were 10 dogs ahead of me, after I walked the course. I decided to do this after she really clagged out on Saturday - and based on what she's like at the beach. Couple of zoomies and she jumps in the water and swims for bit ie she gets hot easily. I was warned to focus on the belly and chest so as not to weigh her down, but she doesn't seem to get weighed down at all - short coat. I focus on belly, chest and her head. Cos I don't like sun on my head - causes complete brain fade. But when she gets distracted or freaked out - food does nothing. Maybe I should skip the previous night's meal - except I think that would just encourage her to go foraging. We have done well using treats for warm up instead of tug if she's not focussing well. First thing, we go out for morning walk - Before - we have nothing, after she usually gets something like three spoonfuls of yogurt after that and treats on the walk - depending how much "heel work" we do. At the trials, in the crate - a kong full of frozen roast chicken got her attention, and some carrot sticks - which I thought would help with her not drinking much but she was pretty good. I also have a drink bottle and a garden sprayer (cools me off better than it does her), yesterday I had a couple of buckets of water, an icecream carton and a bath sponge to cool her off. Thought it worked quite well - no DQs hooray. I would love to figure out how to use soft treats in our warm up - out of my pocket and then find some way to hand them off when I go in. At the moment it's dry treats and a pocket lick to make sure they're all gone. And I wish I had something on hand for as soon as we're finished the run. Our transitions at the moment (keeping the dog excited from crate to started and from finish to crate) - completely suck. It's not really fair on her. So I don't think based on comparing Saturday's runs with Sunday's that the problem had much to do with food. Sunday was pretty good all day - best run was first one after lunch - but I liked the course (no rear crosses). Saturday - best run was first run - coolest part of the day - worst runs were the middle two - before I decided to try hosing her down (didn't have the sponge bath or buckets with), last run was ugly (DQ) but we did attempt all the obstacles - some of them once too often. Personally I can't eat and run - I throw up. And I know it takes Frosty more than 4 hours to digest kibble, but the home made casserole gets absorbed much faster. In her days of being car sick - we'd get kibble back exactly as it went in, hours afer she'd been fed. So I'd feel ok about feeding something that was wet food with not too much filler a few hours before a run - but given her normal meal is in the evening - normally she gets it after we get home - including after evening trials or training. PS at the first trial - I think my main sustenance was iced coffee and this weekend - several litres of gatorade/staminade and water.

I would like to thank Ness for filming jumping run for me too. When I get nice new computer and editing software I will stick it up on youtube...

This weekend... most of the judges for novice at least - were into the "are you ready" - handler must say yes or no and be clear - then "you may go". One judge said - she will say "you may go" when she reckons we're ready. But... if I tell my dog to wait and let go of the collar, and I look at the judge who says "you may go", and the dog nicks off but not past the first jump, I can go grab her and set her again. But if she nicks off through the jump or around it (refusal) we're started (being judged) and touching her again would be a DQ. Fortunately in 8 starts this weekend - it didn't happen. One start - once I lead out and said "go" - was a definite "go sniff" and we didn't do a good job at all - pretty much random selection of obstacles after that. She eventually ran with me and did some of the things I indicated. Too hot and not the right "warm up" - I discovered a bit too late to fix that run.

Congrats everyone on your successes. Ok - does anyone remember their very first agility dog and their very first title? - whoo hoo - I'm so excited... Frosty and I - to follow up our run a few weeks ago, yesterday managed a jumping pass, and today another - that makes three and a novice jumping title - Yes? Very consistent - all second places. Now I get to bring cake to club training on Wednesday night. We also managed to stop our run of DQs in Agility - but have yet to manage a clear. Ah well. Things I learned today 1 - Frosty is much better at sunny midday runs if I sponge her down completely with cold water first. She's got a short coat and being sopping wet at the beach seems to get her going faster. 2 - We'd better learn to do a proper rear cross ASAP. 3 - the right food will get her attention for warm up if tug won't. Things I learned yesterday 1. - I can get lost on course, and still make the nick of time. Can never have too many course walks for me. And ask the judge to make sure all the numbers can be seen from where you need to be able to see them. If you need to be dead in front facing the obstacle - you don't need the numbers (if only I was that good). 2. - if it's hot and sunny, EH is going to get brain fade. 3. - if there is a choice of a jump straight ahead and a much closer tunnel mouth on a tight turn at the bottom of the scramble - even if I am facing the jump and pretty much blocking the tunnel mouth, EH is going to risk tripping me up sucking into the tunnel. Maybe she was looking for more shade. EH - Evil hound or Evil Handler.

The little boast would be - We were one of very few dogs to go clear jumping novice at the mock trial and the labradoodle that beat me at the previous trial - botched it. Which made me feel a bit better. They could have been experimenting with a big lead out or something though. There were a lot of tricky turns and traps in the mock trial course, and there are some advantages to having a velcro dog on a course like that.... I did put the brag about getting a qual in my first run for points in the brags thread - a week or so late but it's there... It was a weird night. I think 9:30pm is after my hound's bed time as far as doing competition runs go. I know her rules (and the right questions to ask) now. I was thinking we were going to stuff up the weaves and contacts and those were all good. We stuffed up the start and the table. Go figure.

Yes, I'm good with this one. Mostly I started the thread because Judges at the same trial eg one on jumping and the other on agility - are saying different things about what you can do by way of setting up, and when you were deemed "started"... I guess Judges do that, and it's up to me to find out what each one wants and work with that. I'm pretty used to officials all having different interpretations on things from playing and umpiring hockey. No point arguing about what's right, just find out what they think is right and get on with it. Given I'm novice too - ie it's the first time round in this for me - I'm not willing to quit a run because she moved a paw. But I really would like to reset her (grab her collar and turn a circle and line her up again). And I do have to pay more attention to what the start (and finish) looks like from the dog's point of view. Funny how that is not an issue at training.

My dog has started doing this too. Lucky I've got two hands and can pat two dogs at once. It's good and bad in my opinion. She has also started getting a little bit protective of me as well. So as long as the other dog is polite, it's all good but if the other dog starts acting like he has rights over me ahead of her, there's trouble. Like she scolds him and tells him off. I'm stuffed if I know why this works when dogs do it to each other but not when I do it... We've had a couple of problems because of this but I deal with it the same as treat handouts, nobody gets anything until they settle down. Although I have been known to do stupid things like grab the dog that is telling my dog he owns me by the collar to stop him going after her. And been nipped in the process by the dog I grabbed. But I'd still take that risk and stop it from grabbing and hurting my dog. Ie fewer dogs are human aggressive than dog aggressive and you can get much more attention from council with a human aggressive dog than with one that just bites other dogs. That's been my experience anyway. Ie being push from my dog is ok but there are limits. Ie it's not ok by me for her to be scolding other dogs whether they deserve it or not - that's my job.

I think this is what I'm going to have to assume - though it's a bit unclear in the current rules. So while the judges might not all agree and it would definitely be worth finding out at each trial - it will be still better to have a proper start line stay against all distractions and delays (like letting go and finding out the judge or steward isn't ready). Gawd - glad I'm not the only one. I will have to ask at next club training. I might have to borrow some. Though they're a bit awkward to cart around and set up and my back yard isn't quite big enough for a full set.

Not really. I've only done one counts for points trial. Got a perfect start line stay at the first run which happened to be jumping - and I was confident about running that, nice straight forward course with no tricky bits. And we finished in 22 seconds out of 33 allowed, and got second place, beaten by a labradoodle. Next start was agility which I was not that confident about - and that's where she spooked - which I didn't expect ie it's very unsual for her - she doesn't do this at training - unless the instructor starts talking to me after I've set her - which does indeed send the transition to hell. I don't think very many in SA have a good handle on how important a quick transition is. One of these instructors even went to the Derrett seminar too. And this was where I'd let go of her but hadn't moved so when I went to put her back - the judge was yelling at me. And then it became a training run - which the judge had said we could do as long as we didn't take too long - given it's novice (aka beginners). We did start ok after that and then stuffed the table for good measure. None of it was the dog's fault, I just expected a bit much and lead out too far, and I might have sent her at the table too fast, and there were two more obstacles after it in a straight line... We mostly practice table with a change of direction ie there are no more obstacles past it so I guess that was a "trap" and I didn't pick up on it or adjust accordingly. Next three starts were the mock trial so they were indeed for training. Got a paw movement on the first one (open), perfect on the next one (novice agility) and a stress shake on the last one (novice jumping) so not ideal but not as horrible as the agility start in the first trial. I think I am to the point now were I can't learn or train much more at club until I get into the "trialing class", I have to get out there and do and learn from mistakes you only make in the ring with stewards and friends who like to feed your dog treats at club, and judges who set courses that you haven't seen the like of, on equipment you haven't seen before. The courses at the mock trial were much harder in terms of remembering where to go next and how to get there than the ones at the counts for points trial. And I made the mistake of entering open at the mock trial so I did tell the judge what was going to happen there. And I learned a whole lot about me and how what I do affects the dog doing it - which is good. Better than doing that in a for points trial and will help all my training.