Tumbleweed

I'm not Ptolomy but if she doesn't want to, I put my hand up for a go with the Aussie Hmmm - wonder if I'll get any takers on the Sibe????

Hi Ptolomy - If you are going into obedience withdrawal, I have an untrained little Aussie and an unfocussed Sibe in Bunbury that could keep you busy! Also aiming at the Western Classic....might be aiming a little high at this stage though

That doesn't sound fair or nice! Come up to us ;) Yep, very frustrating. I much prefer 'workshop' style obedience classes where everyone is encouraged to share their ideas and experiences than traditional "I'm the trainer, you're the student and thou shall not speak, think differently, or try to help others" approach. Would love to train with you guys, but a 4 hour round trip is a lot for a weeknight

Well done UD dogs! I'm so jealous of your training... I went to training in Bunbury last night (first time Zazu has been out in ages as I've been overseas on holidays), and all that happened was I got scolded like a school girl for helping a fellow student . So depressing and demoralizing! If any positive trainers that love obedience feel like moving south, feel free!

Great work everyone in Bunbury on the weekend - was truly horrible (Siberian!?) conditions. Zazu and I were so close to a pass - she dropped with 5 seconds to go on the sit stays in CCD. It wasn't a very pretty round with her losing her way a little on the heeling but....she didn't run off, yippee! And we got past the starting post, which beats our last two trials hands down. Ptomoly - Scoota really did seem to enjoy himself at his old training ground! Even if he was having way too much fun in UDX.

Woo hoo! Nice work Spoilt Lab!

Spoilt lab - yes, I'm learning that! Unfortunately when my Sibes' head isn't in the game it can mean leaving the ring at a dead run , diving through the next ring and having a nervous, embarrassed & distressed owner running through all the rings trying to catch her! Not a good look at an obedience trial. Will give her a decent walk before the trial this time and see if that helps! Good luck for you this weekend too.

Yes please - send good obedience vibes and the obedience fairies south this weekend. Firstly for us newbies organising our first obedience trial! And secondly for my crazy Siberian, who has 1 pass in CCD, and 2 dismal failures in the ring....and going into the ring again after a 5 month break. Ptolomy - definately fingers and toes crossed for your red kids. Cider has a high reputation to uphold in Bunbury!

hey there Boxagirl - love the updated signature! Booker is gorgeous, can't wait to meet him. How's the obedience going with Wolf? Zazu is entered in the Bunbury trial, although I'm trying to go in and keep it very light and fun after a couple of disasters at the last 2 trials...partially my fault for being so nervous I think. I wasn't going to enter her but she has been training so well I thought we'd give it a go.

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I think she is beautiful - but don't we all think our dogs are gorgeous!? Mirawee - it has proved interesting training both. My Sibe, Zazu, is actually a much better problem solver when shaping (bred to think independently and solve problems I guess) and picks things up quicker, but is hard to keep focused on me unless I work really hard to make it fun or have food on me. Plus it is very hard to let her off lead...as (not surprisingly) she LOVES to run. Kyte is very focused on me, but definitely looks for more direction and isn't near as independent or confident (we are currently working on that). It is nice to have a dog you can let off at the park though! I'm truly amazed at how much their breed influences so many parts of their natural behaviour. I do dog sledding with Zazu and plan to let Kyte have a go next winter, so it will also be interesting to see how a herding breed goes at pulling.

Morning WA DOLers. I thought I'd introduce my new(ish) arrival...introducing 'Kyte' my little Aussie. We are also hoping to do obedience and agility in the future. She is 6 1/2 months old although I've only had her since she was 5 months, unfortunately she didn't have the ideal start to life but seems to be settling in well. A very different dog to train than a Siberian Husky, that's for sure!

OSoSwift - that is sad to hear. My Mum had the same response when she asked about the 3 year vaccine in Mt Barker. They told her they didn't want to give it because they think people won't come back each year for a check up (not a good reason!). Luckily our vet in Bunbury is a bit more forward thinking. Zazu had it for the first time 2 years ago - I didn't even realise until I looked at the vacc certificate and it said the due date was in 3 years time!

I think the 'regulations' you are referring to are quarantine regs set by AQIS. They seem to pose a significant barrier to importing pet foods into Aus as there are significant hoops to jump through regarding how the dog food is made, sources of ingredients etc. You can see more at: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/biological/checklist/animal-feed On the upside, these regs also help keep Australia pest/disease free! I emailed 3 top American brands recently and was told that Taste of the Wild food is currently going through the process to import their food to Australia, which is great to hear. No idea on time frames though. The other 3 brands I emailed (Addiction, Wysong and Timberwolf) said they do not currently supply to Australia and did not mention any plans to change that. Hope that helps. Good luck on your search - I feed Advance but after lots of research lately I am going to change to Canidae, Earthborn or Artemis when I finish my current bag.

As a fellow husky owner I whole heartedly agree with Esky's comments. Sibes are beautiful dogs - for the right people and the right situation. Make sure you do your research and get onto training ASAP (as for any breed). Don't believe people when they say Sibes can't be trained...but find a good trainer to help. Sibes do wonderfully at training - they train humans to do what they want very well! :-) Just remember that Sibes generally won't do things 'because they love you' or 'because you want'. You need to work hard at making it worth while to them by making it super fun or using food. They are great problem solvers, so can do well with shaping (read anything by Susan Garrett if you aren't familar with this). Gorgeous pup - good luck!

Has anyone tried 'Watch and Grow' dog food? I currently feed Advance but on paper there are better dog food options out there...but so far they are all American foods. I was wondering if there are any other Australian options? (Edit: forgot to say - any Australian foods other than Black Hawk Holistic, I know about this one and am currently researching it.) Thanks!

Hi katski - I haven't spent alot of time in Geraldton, but have spent heaps of time on holiday in Horrocks, to the north. Geraldton is a large country town (small city) 4 hours north of Perth via a good highway. It is pretty typical of the coast north of Perth, with a pretty cruisy beachy relaxed lifestyle. However due to being on the coast it does get strong sea breezes many afternoons - I heard from a friend that used to live up there that everyone uses the beaches in the mornings, unless you are a windsurfer! Like most towns it has its issues - traditionally there has been a few crime problems related to low-socio economic parts of town, but the last time I went through it looks like the council is making some really positive steps to develop the town. Like most large centres that distance away from Perth, it has alot of facilities there and is the major hub for the region and many outlying smaller towns. The shire website is here : - http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/ and the local tourism website is http://www.geraldtontourist.com.au/ Hope that helps.

Hopefully this isn't too off topic.... I am looking at getting a second dog to go with my 5 yo Siberian Husky and am currently tossing up between a Norwegian Elkhound and an Australian Shepherd. I love the spitz breeds but also want to compete in obedience and agility in the future and am having trouble deciding which way to jump. I was just wondering if anyone has had any dealings with training Elkhounds in obedience / agility / any other dog sports?

Thanks mirawee! That seems to be what my research is showing as well. Disappointing to think that police are pulling people over and telling them it is illegal when strictly it is not. That could be why in the two cases I've heard of, both drivers were warned and not charged/fined. If I turn up anything else I will post it here. Hope all is well with everyone after the storm. We had a great lightning show this morning here in Bunbury! (I went to check how Zazu was dealing with the thunder and she was fast asleep on her back with her belly to the sky....love that nothing fazes her!)

I'm not sure if this has been raised previously (I apologize if it has - it is a bit hard to search 900 pages of posts to check!) but I was hoping someone could help. We had our dog club AGM yesterday and someone mentioned they had been pulled over by police for not having their dog in a seatbelt/harness in their car and was warned this was illegal. I know it is common sense to use a restraint on your dog in a vehicle (to protect dog and human passengers) but can anyone tell me if it is actual law and point me to the legislation? I would like to put an article about it in our club magazine but want to find out the facts first as there seems to be a number of different stories going around.

Thanks very much for your advice everyone...looks like I'm on the right track just have to go back a few steps perhaps. Zazu isn't that into people, so never runs to stewards - she just RUNS! That is self rewarding enough for her (funny that, being a Sibe!) On that note - I took her dog sledding (well dog scootering really) this weekend. Heaps of fun, equal parts exhilarating and downright scary, especially going downhill. I highly recommend it for anyone that has a medium or large dog. Also doing well were some labs and a GSP as well as some kelpies...and of course lots of Sibes. On the up side Zazu was probably the most obedient one there . On the down side...hardly any had ever done any obedience training.

Hi - A question and cry for help from a relative newbie here. I'm currently attempting to trial with my 5 year old Siberian Husky, Zazu. We have one leg of our CCD from our first trial but have had a few disasters since (anyone at the state trial in Perth last year, or the most recent Bunbury trial may know what I'm talking about!). I am having some distraction issues, so we have stop trialing at the moment and I think we are slowly overcoming them. The other major issue I'm facing is Zazu running off! I watch so enviously at trials with dogs bouncing around close to their owners off lead! I know that a Sibe is a difficult breed to train and trial and I never expect to get to CDX or UD with her but I also don't want 'she's a Sibe' to be an excuse for giving up or avoiding certain exercises. I know we are capable of at least getting our CCD. So terribly frustrating as we did agility on Tuesday and I had this amazing attention going all night with her working off lead for lots of runs - and we had nothing that looked like running off. We both had loads of fun and it was great. But....(why is there always a but!) last night I had her heeling off lead beautifully...then she was one step ahead...then two.... and then she was off....and recall? what's a recall? So....do I stop all off lead work until it is all more solid, and never give her a chance to run? If she runs off do I go and get her and put her in her crate (i.e. 'sin bin' her)? Do I reward super heavily for any off lead work and keep it short and sharp? Any suggestions? (No-one warned me this whole dog training business had this many ups and downs and that it leaves you feeling elated one day and flat the next and was this darn frustrating!!!!!)

Hi everyone, Just read a few comments regarding the fires and as I work in bushfire management I just thought I'd remind everyone of a couple of things that you may/may not already know 1) If you see smoke check out the FESA and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) websites as they have all current alerts on them. Re-check these regularly as they are updated every few hours or when conditions change. Remember that it takes time to get information from the field to the office to the media - so updates are not instant. 2) If you live in a fire prone area (i.e. anywhere in the Perth Hills or a country town, or anywhere near bushland) have a fire plan BEFORE there is a fire. FESA has some great booklets on this. Having a plan helps you know what you are going to do before hand as opposed to trying to make tough decisions in the heat of the moment. If you do decide to leave - GO REALLY EARLY! The road is not a place you want to be caught in a fire... 3) Remember that if you do get evacuated pets and animals are not allowed in evacuation centres, so have a back up plan to take them somewhere. During recent evacuations people have brought their dogs but had to sit outside with them at the evacuation centre. Hope this helps!

Yay! Go the Sibes!

Hi Ruby Star, My Siberian Husky isn't allowed on the couch but I love to have her snuggled on the bed with me. (There is nothing better in winter than listening to the rain on the tin roof, being tucked up in bed with a good book and your favorite dog curled into the back of your legs!). I have heaps of hair everywhere but wash the cover regularly and also pop it in the drier which seems to use the static to get off lots of hair. The golden rule in our house is that she is not allowed up until invited. If she ever just jumps up of her own accord she swiftly gets made to get down. This way you still have some control. I have no idea if it would work if she was home alone but as my pooch is never allowed inside unsupervised it isn't a drama (the last time she was left inside she put fish food throughout the whole house, up-ended the fish bowl, put 50 L of water across the floor and then ate the 2 goldfish!). Hope that helps!

How will we know which one is you in the kitchen TW, or will there only be you???? I may head in on Sunday.....depending on how much sleep I get after ns. Ha ha - There should only be one or two people in the kitchen as we are preparing food, tea and coffee for the judges and stewards. Food for all and sundry will be available outside at a BBQ and coffee van. I will only be there Saturday but am pretty easy to spot being very short and apparently looking far younger than I actually am (I'm still getting asked for ID when I buy wine, despite being legally able to drink for a decade!. Grrrr.). I may be around Sunday morning walking my Sibe 'Zazu' and doing some attention work.