DogsAndTheMob

Where I grew up, there were casuarinas (she-oaks) in the dog yards. The dogs reverse sneezed when the casuarinas were flowering (it looked like a red dust on the casuarina needles) but never at any other time.

Yes, Bluey's now driving... hopefully well enough for at least A course intermediate. I've had a few hiccups with his outrun, but I think (hope) I'm getting them sorted. I've now got a few ewe lambs to train on. They are sweet little things and stay together better than the goats, but they're very light and move before Bluey has completed his outrun, causing him to slice at the top of the run. I really need to work him on a variety of sheep... particularly heavier sheep. I need to work the pup on heavier sheep (and a larger mob) too... he's too intense for the lambs at this stage in his training. I've seen the Erskine Park 2012 calendar; do you have any suggestions as to which training days would provide the best opportunity for intermediate level training? Kerry PS - a belated congratulations for Coles HIT!

Hi, I'm new to this forum, although some of you may know me from Erskine Park and elsewhere. I thought I'd post some photos of Bluey and my 7 month old pup Tim, then follow up with a question or two (or three). Here's Bluey... ... and here's Tim. I look forward to going back to Erskine Park when I can, but I was also wondering about herding clinics, especially in the Hunter. I have seen references to a few (e.g. one at Crookwell) with the comment that they are finished until the weather cools down. Can anyone tell me if any have been scheduled for 2012 yet? Whom do I contact? I also saw a reference to one at Gresford (I heard about that at the time, and hoped to get to it, but I was sick.) Was that run by the same group as the Crookwell clinic? Are any more clinics at Gresford likely? And another question... What is the best place to find out about forthcoming clinics? Kerry

Does anybody have a copy of Peidje Vidler's border collie book? I can't find my copy , but I think it has a diet recipe for dogs, with meat, vegetables etc set in gelatin. It might be possible to feed the mince in small quantities by adapting this recipe. Feeding mince in a slurry with water when reducing portion sizes also helps the dog to feel satiated at the end of the meal. I must admit, however, that I tend to buy meat/chicken portions or meaty bones rather than mince, because I have found that some butchers dispose of old meat by selling it as mince, using preservatives to make it look and smell fresher. (I had a dog with preservative sensitivity, and I found it almost impossible to get preservative-free pet mince.) I believe it is illegal (at least in NSW) to put preservatives in mince for human consumption, but it does still happen, as evidenced by packages of mince that are nicely pink on the outside but brown inside. I think beef shin bones (but never lamb or mutton shin bones!) are good value for dogs... lots of chewing with relatively few calories. However, keep them on a hard surface when they are chewing these bones, as grit on the bones can wear their teeth.