Misteri

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I really hope so! Charnwood is too close for comfort.

Ooh another Toller, I also hope there are pics :)

Both my dogs were registered as being entire when I brought them home. You don't need a permit to do so (not sure if that's true if you're registering an adult dog). I've never heard anything from the council about needing to get them desexed, so unless my vet notified the council when they were desexed then the council probably still thinks they are entire (and probably doesn't care).

Interesting point, I always forget about that. Perhaps the rule should say a subdued colour to the dog's perception then!

Yup, I wanted to check out the one in April but I think I was away that weekend. Then I was hoping to check out the Queanbeyan RATG but I heard that it wasn't going ahead. So now I'm looking at Sydney... the one at Orchard Hills also has a conformation show so we could at least get show points if we bomb out at retrieving. Question: the rules say the dummy needs to be 25-30cm long, does it matter if it's longer? Mine are a bit longer, but the circumference and the weight are right. I also need to cover them to make them a "subdued colour" because they are bright red.

We haven't done much training apart from obedience stuff. The heelwork and recall should be easy enough. We have been practicing retrieves of up to 40-60m but they have all been pretty straightforward and in short grass. I really need to find myself someone to throw the dummies for me! I have been looking around but am struggling to find anywhere with large patches of rougher terrain. I don't know of any training groups around me, unfortunately. There is a gundog club in the ACT but it doesn't seem like it's very active. My Toller doesn't do water yet... so I have my fingers crossed that the RATG won't include water!

Hi retrieving people, I'm thinking of entering a RATG... I've read the rules a few times but it's not the same as seeing one. Does anyone have a video that I can have a look at? It will be at the Orchard Hills facility in Sydney, which I've never been to... so any tips about the venue would also be appreciated. :) Thanks!

I sent an email to the Tuggeranong club enquiring about show classes... never heard back I'd also be interested in attending showing classes, so let me know if you hear of any! Our club - Belconnen - doesn't run show classes but we have a growing number of people who have been showing their pups.

Heh, my dog also likes to stand there and stare at me. I always wonder what he's thinking!

You could try a target stick and train him to touch the object with his nose (I used a wooden spoon like utensil). When you say walking, how many steps are we talking about? If he is not staying in position and you're only going 1-3 steps, I'd be doing more stationary work.

How can a thread with this title not have a photo?!

Naww, look at Mr Hank, he's so cute! You take very nice photos, what camera do you use? My older dog (JRT x) did the same thing to Tango... when he came home to us he was the same size as her, and then he continued to get a little bigger every day. She was probably thinking "okay, that's enough, stop growing now!". It's been aaaages since I posted in this thread. Tango passed his level 2 obedience class last weekend (flawlessly!) so we are in the level 3 class now. My smart red boy continues to impress me every day! It's so hard to believe that he will be 8 months old next week. Time flies so fast, so enjoy your baby puppies while they're babies!

Not much to add as we don't have stairs... but teaching him to go down them slowly seems like a really wise idea, not just for when he's a pup. Make sure he isn't jumping off the bottom when he goes down too. (I really just wanted to post to say that Hank is so adorable!)

Don't worry, I collect ribbons and certificates for my dogs too. I've still got my older dog's puppy certificate in a frame in the study! They put her picture on it, which was just adorable :)

Yvonne - Banjo is so cute : ) Steph - gross! I hope you all had a lovely weekend with your puppies! Tango won another BoB for 6 points on Saturday, it's still so exciting to win even though there wasn't anyone to beat. No points for us on Sunday, because I took him to school first and then when we got there at 10:15am the Weimaraners were in the ring already so we'd missed our call. Doh! They'd gotten through the breed judging super fast. We had a great time at school though, his focus is just amazing :) Oh... and Tango cocked his leg and peed on a tree for the first time while at school! I was proud, is that weird? We went back to the same tree later on and he sniffed it then peed without lifting his leg... so he's still figuring out how to be a real boy... but he's getting there.

Loving all the latest puppy photos! Tango won his first Best of Breed last Saturday at the Southern Region Country Classic, our first 6 points towards his title! This was our first weekend away by ourselves, and he was so well behaved all weekend. He'd even go to the door of the house we were staying in to be let outside to pee :) Tango with his first Best of Breed and Dog Challenge, Dogs NSW Southern Region Country Classic 29/06/13 by misteri82, on Flickr

Thanks for the pics, Atticus is so gorgeous!

There is? What's the group called? :)

Thanks :) Tango had a reunion with his litter brother Bruce this morning! Bruce is very energetic, smiley and happy... very different from my focussed serious boy. Tango is a bit taller than Bruce. Tango and Bruce, at 6 months by misteri82, on Flickr Tango and Bruce, at 6 months by misteri82, on Flickr Bruce and Tango, at 6 months by misteri82, on Flickr

Me too, big hugs from Tangoland. Yesterday was Tango's first show being eligible for points, and for once we weren't the only Toller entered, and of course the other one was a boy too! So we got Minor Puppy of breed and runner up to the Best of Breed, or maybe it's actually runner up Dog Challenge. I'm not sure which one is correct. Today we have a very special play date... pics to come later.

^^^ Totally agree with this, and the same can be said about doggy birthday parties!

So sorry to hear your news Lhok, fingers, toes and paws crossed for a miracle.

Show leads - I bought a purple show lead, it's pretty lightweight. It has a loop at each end, and at the dog end there's a bead you push down to make it the right size. We used that for training in the cul de sac on our street. At our first show I bought a gold chain and a goldy brown leash that attaches to the chain. I'm not a gold person, but the colour looks good with Tango's coat. Some of the ones with beads are pretty nice, but I like subtle better. Either buy a colour that contrasts well, or a colour that blends in with your dog, or a colour that complements what you'll be wearing. I think I'm almost there! I've got my dryer now and my trolley should be delivered today. I bought a show suit over the weekend too. I would like to get a lightweight jacket for Tango because he is suffering rather badly from puppy ripples in his coat... but I think I have everything else that I need, for now at least!

Aww Koda is so cute :) Congrats on your showing successes Cassie! Tango and I also showed over the weekend, we got Baby Puppy of Breed in a very competitive field of one! No luck in group, the adorable baby Cocker Spaniels and Labradors are very tough to beat! Next week we go up to Minor Puppy *gulp* Hope you all enjoyed your weekend with your puppies! Dory, sounds like you had lots of fun at the Rottie show. I like that they give critique for each dog... at the all breeds show they just pick the one they like and you have no idea why.