ness

Problem apparently with the biceps tendon is that it can fully be rested and then the likelihood of it reinjuring and putting you back to square one is pretty high. Maybe she might just have to be my obedience dog. I suspect that is what we have just been through. She was back to about 95% before Easter and was around 60-70% last weekend a bit improved on that now though.

Kenz specialist update: Likely biceps tendonitis - could mean 8 weeks in a crate and no agility for a long time to come .

Yep I agree with what Ptolomy suggested. I will often release Kenz on the return with the DB/take off running as she picks up the DB/also used restrained retrieves - so I'd rev her up and then get her really excited and release and race her to the DB.

Hmmm sorry Wuffles can't help you Kenz thinks retrieving anything is mega fun but always has. Maybe try incorporating a retrieve at breakfast or tea time with a big reward or anything else your dog really enjoys .

Kenz says tell Zac there is no reason why not (wants to see bedazzledx2 rock up to training with a sheep) - although a duckie might be a little easier. Maybe you could get him is own indian runner and bring that to obedience .

Kenz says midget BCs can do dokkens just paint her red and sign her up :D . Well maybe they can do dokkens when they don't have a sore shoulder. Oooh I know you could get yourself a red and white BC ;) - save on paint then.

Hmm decisions decisions - I DON'T DO DECISIONS :D ;) .

He better have two brothers RS - cos I want one as well. No I think RV should get a herding breed - hmmm a midget BC :D

You must be really bored Ptolomy :D ;) . So no training tonight for anybody??

I don't drink but Ptolomy can raise a second glass to Zeus for me . Great news about Scoota - glad to hear the batteries aren't flattening quite as quickly and he is back to his old self (or at least well on the way). Now guys fingers crossed for some good news for me when my little midget dog heads off to the specialist ortho vet on Monday to have her shoulder looked at. I could sure use some.

Ptolomy I think the difference probably now is that you know what your doing and adding a pup isn't the end of the world but I definitely would agree with leaving a few years between a first and a second (maybe not the 7 years I had to wait that was a little too long ) but definitely 5 years. I am thinking of looking for a new pup next year or the year after and Kenz will be 4/5. As Ptolomy said having 1 old dog is bad enough I couldn't imagine not having something to trial.

Hugs Emery .

I know a great way to build drive - nearly 5 months of limited training and exercise with a shoulder injury - hmmm don't recommend it though and no Kenz really didn't need any more drive what we had was plenty. .

Drive makes things a little easier but not the end of the world. I think my biggest hassle with Ness and UD isn't a lack of drive but its having trained her so wrongly from the start and having had years of history to undo. If you have a reasonably motivated dog (either food or toy) and you train correctly from the beginning I do think its possible. I think the more drive the dog has the more forgiving they are of mistakes in the training process. Least thats my view from my two - I am sure Ness would have had a UD title if she had been trained more and bribed less in the early days. She has some drive but certainly not to the levels Kenz has - having said that its all really hard to know how much is training anyway versus inherrent drive. Consistency in my view plays a huge part in the final result (will now slink out of this thread before Ptolomy gets our her stick which she tried to beat me with for years ineffectively ). And the other thing I do think matters is what else you do with the dog. The higher drive dogs might get away with doing more activities outside of training but if you want a trial dog to put full effort into there training then you don't go walking them 6km a day and still expect a UD performance on the same day .

From my limited experience I would tend to agree - not sure drive is totally all its cracked up to be if Kenz's rounds are anything to go by - then again that might just be the trainer .

I joined a club (well I was a member of that club of years anyway with my older girl) and then when I got my youngster she was trained on the periphery of the club. I didn't do it in a way that interfered with the classes in progress and when she was trained to an appropriate standard she just went into the trial ring.

Interesting I train at what I would consider a pretty traditional club yet dogs are only ever taught a u-turn left about turn (and thats not a recent thing either). When I started training Ness at the same club nearly 11 years ago that is the only left about turn we are taught. I know a few really old people do the handler pivot version but on the whole most seem to do the u-turn.

WA I probably should have introduced myself ;) . Just as well you returned to collect her though I was making secret plans to dognap her LOL.

Halo did so well WA . Showed up some of the older dogs thats for sure.

Open A is for titled Open Dogs, Open B is for dogs who don't have there CDX.

Good girl Cider but bugger about the stay - Kenz says sit stays totally suck!!! Did you get video Ptolomy?

Ptolomy there was a dark green, mint and toffee combination posted that would suit a toller and a nice toffee, brown and antique gold lol.

I was dusting off some UD exercises with Kenz tonight and it occured to me this might be worth posting. How often do people do an exercise as it would be done in a trial versus what you might do in training. For example, do you always heel forward and halt prior to a recall or dumbbell retrieve for example or the ones I was doing tonight were gloves (so do you just have gloves out and line a dog up or do you always do the about turn and send) and same with articles - do you just have the dog find the article or always have the dog complete the about turn prior to being sent. I tend not to include finishes in my training at the end of exercises because of anticipation issues. Just got me thinking as I know with Ness when I have fully trained a UD exercise I always did it as it would appear in the ring but not sure this is necessarily the right approach so thought I would see what others do. Kenz is a little way off being trial ready for UD obviously having only one Novice pass to date. Kenz can do the exercises complete with the fiddly bits but wonder what the point is if your trying to isolate the principle feature of the particular exercises.

Hmm Ptolomy what about teaching a drop on a target (but hesitate to suggest that as it might kill your UDX sendaway teaching method). I taught Kenz to drop on a mouse pad and then placed that between me and her. I haven't touched on a DOR in ages but its one idea that I tried. Another suggestion I watched on a youtube clip was place a bar on the ground and have the dog drop behind the bar.

Well done Ptolomy and Cider - glad to see she recovered and bounced back from her trip to Sydney. And well done with Mason on his CCD win.