Abbiestar

Padded bike shorts are a must. It is worthwhile spending the extra $$$ and getting a good pair of shorts, or 'knicks' as they are known. Visit you local bike shop for advice. M

Yes, you should. You can start at dogssa.com.au M

M Is pulling on the lead frowned upon? Akira has good days and bad days when it comes to that still! It may be frowned upon by some judges, but it certainly is not penalised. There are no points awarded for this part of the exercise. It is "Q" or "NQ". I don't mind seeing leads pulled, just as long as I see the dog's "willingness" to work for you. M

Remember, you can also double command and physically assist the dog (ie placing the dog in the sit position, not bashing it on the head!!! ) M

me too :D wonder if they would accept a stack, an out and back, then a triangle then another stack Seriously, Esky and Rebanne, the willingness test is the EASY part. When I judge I give a short heeling pattern, a right about turn, left about turn and a halt. And a recall on lead. It is that easy. M

Mr Revan looks like he will do it with ease....and then want to go again! M

ETA whereabouts are the grounds Murray Valley and the Dallie Club use please. Murray Vally is up near the border. I think near Echuca. Dallie club uses Tatterson Park at Springers Leisure Centre in Keysborough. M

Oh Excuses ! Excuses! Seriously though, hope things improve for you. Hope you get to compete this year. With any luck I may be in Canberra for their ET. M

The dates for the Victorian ET's this year are as follows: Sat May 26 - Hungarian Vizsla Club KCC Park Sun June 3 - Murray Valley Kennel Club Sat June 9 - Dalmatian Club Tatterson Park Sat June 23 - GSDCV Altona Sat July 7 East Gippsland DC Sale I believe that the GSDCSA will hold their ET in Adelaide on June 23, same as GSDCV. ET date for Canberra has not yet been confirmed. M

yes 2, once with a GSD, once with a crossbreed who is still with me and coming up to 15, so it's been a while eta just remembered where I did the ET, it was at Knox. 2 years in a row. The test has not changed too much since you last competed in one. Hope you will do so this year! M

Hi SS, Altona is a great course. Probably the best course and the best run ET out of all the Victorian ET's. (Wells done to the GSDCV) Only the GSDCV use this venue. KCC can be very wet under foot and the weather on the day can play havoc with trying to complete the test. That said, it is a level ground with lots of paved areas on the course. Dally club hold theirs at Tatterson Park in Keysborough. The course is OK, lots of gravel and shared with small amounts of traffic. Again, can be wet if the weather is inclement. I actually like Canberra. It is a bit hilly and a bit more interesting as a course with the different levels of ground to cover. I never heard whether the ET at sale went ahead last year. Apparently there were only 2 entries so I don't know whether the club abandoned the test. Anybody know? M

Hi jrm88, I have competed in 9 ET's and am also an ET judge. Go to my website www.abbiestar.net and click on the "Endurance Test" page. There is a full description of all that is involved in the test. Feel free to ask me any questions if there is anything of which you are not sure. M

wow 4, you will be busy Hi Rebanne, welcome to the ET thread. Have you competed in ET's before? M

An addiction to this sport is par for the course! Which tests do you have in mind? M

M, maybe time to start a 2012 ET thread ? A good idea. Will attempt to do this! M New Thread started. Go to "Endurance Test 2012". M

2012 thread for Endurance tests

M, maybe time to start a 2012 ET thread ? A good idea. Will attempt to do this! M

Hi, the willingness test is the easy part. It used to be called an obedience test, but this terminology was changed to "willingness". The dog no longer has to be "obedient", it just has to show a "willingness" to work for you. You can correct, you can double command, you can physically assist the dog. Also, you can have a separate handler for the willingness test and the run. The same handler must perform both willingness tests. M

Hi All, Happy New Year! The first ET of 2012 is only a few short months away. Time to start training, or at least get talking about it! What are people's plans for this years ET's? M

Hi All the GSDCV have set their ET date for 2012. It is Saturday June 23 at Cherry lake, Altona. M

Hi Terranik, Ososwift and Sir Sniffalot, Thank you for your condolences on the loss of my mother. Your thoughts are very much appreciated. M

Hi All, I have been off line for some weeks now. I lost my mother to cancer four weeks ago. Her fourth battle with this insidious disease. I will endeavour to find out the dates for the 2012 ET's. There are no more scheduled for this year, and as was mentioned, they are usually held in the cooler months. M

Best of luck to all those competing at the ET in Canberra this weekend. Very disappointed at not being there to judge and meet you ! Looking forward to good news of lots of passes. M

Will see what I can do.... ;) Keep me posted for RCV. M

Abbiestar, do you know if any others are being held after June 2012 around Melb please? Hi Dyz, AKAIK, HVCV hold theirs last Sat in May, Dalmatian Club, Saturday of June long weekend, GSDCV last Saturday of June, Sale, first Saturday in July. Unfortunately, not many clubs host these events. Perhaps petition your club into hosting one! I am more than happy to speak to any club that is interested. M