ness

Nope you certainly don't have to be part of a club. I trialled my two girls in a comp in Sydney in 2009 without belonging to a club (I live in Adelaide). If you want to find information on the sport in Melbourne you can check out the following website - has all the states in Australia. http://www.danceswithdogsaustralia.com/victoria.html

Hahaha no probs - she can shoot me later when I embellished it with the word JACKPOT . Sorry I just reread the message and it said "WE" so unless the red kids have taken up drinking I guess bedazzledx2 has arrived safely as well.

Word from Ptolomy - she said to let everybody know she has arrived safely in Sydney and has already tracked down the nearest bottle shop - JACKPOT .

Word from Ptolomy - she said to let everybody know she has arrived safely in Sydney and has found the nearest Bottle Shop - JACKPOT .

LuvLottie I know a few people (including Ptolomy) use the Dog Scout method for teaching scent discrim . http://www.dogscouts.org/Dog_Activ-_Scent_Discrim.html As for seekback I have never had to many hassles with either of mine - its not an exercise they seem to struggle with. We just built it up gradually but fairly quickly and I know with Ness she doing a full length one inside 2 weeks and has only ever missed one in the 3 and a bit years she has trained or trialled UD.

Hmm LP nope my two are fine using the same seekback or articles or whatever.

ok maybe here we aren't as soft as you guys - I have been trialling on Ness for 8.5 years and we have never had a trial cancelled due to rain and we have certainly had some very wet trials. The GSD agility trial the weekend before the 2007 Agility Nationals here in Adelaide was really really wet.

Nope the only time trials get cancelled wuffles is due to it being to hot (and thats only now we have a heat policy in place before that they would hold them regardless). I have never had an obedience or agility trial cancelled because of the rain .

;) who is the 1/2 red dog .

Kenz gets balls handed to her or placed at her feet - keeps her sane but no fetching here unless its DBs/gloves or articles. Good luck bedazzledx2 and Ptolomy - all the best at the Royal. Have a safe trip and have lots of fun. Look forward to hearing how they went on your return.

well RS I was looking back at some old trial videos the other day and the Novice pattern Kenz had last weekend was the same pattern this judge uses in Open. So I suspect they don't get any harder (least not here they don't). Maybe the judging gets a little tougher.

The logic for all three positions in all three paces I was told is to give the dogs enough opportunities to complete one of each position type in the heel pattern. The newbie judges seem to go with this. The older judges seem to be then happy with less but if you haven't nailed at least one of a particular type of position you will normally get a final chance at the end of the figure 8 (at least that is my experience).

Watch Ptolomys or bedazzledx2 or caffy's LuvLottie .

Great work LuvLottie - awesome first trial and you managed to even avoid looking nervous - huge bonus in my book.

Well done kathq - hopefully a pass isn't to far around the corner. I played a little UD articles with Kenz today and she seemed to have her brain screwed back on again. Last time we played it wasn't to pretty but today she did it as though she had been doing it her entire life. Just better hurry up and get there.

Way to go Lottie - knew she could do it - fantastic work LuvLottie . Well done xena98 as well with the agility. I was so glad I wasn't entered when I woke up this morning and it was pouring with rain . The disappointment at not being entered totally vanished.

Looks great wuffles and Ptolomy beat me to the comments - great minds think alike ;) .

Congratulations wuffles - all the best next weekend too .

I would also pull Kenz for shitty heelwork and have pulled Ness out of UD when she has been off with the fairies and its been like pulling teeth. Occasionally I will try for a second exercise but normally that one goes pearshaped to so now I don't even bother with that. I have been prepared to pull Kenz out of stays depending on who we have ended up alongside in the stay line up even though she has been sitting on a pass at the end of the ring work (from ok to brilliant scores). I have also considered pulling her out because she is sore (well sore enough to struggle with her sit stays).

LOL just don't look at my LATs wuffles they are a shocker :p :p . Nawww now bedazzledx2 if its that pearshaped you could always send Brookie to me - we are still waiting for his arrival .

She would have lost points in the heelwork for being ahead a little and her positions being a tad forward and not totally square. Points off on the recall I suspect for her squiffy finish. Not sure on the COP - considering she got full marks on her SFE but moved her back foot (LOL), at the time I thought she might have moved a back foot when I left her on the COP too but no. Kenz tends to work a little forward and a little crabbed (her Saturday round was worse and she was only on a 183). She hasn't had much proper training lately because of her niggling re-occuring shoulder injury so when we do anything she is just a little rough around the edges. Although it was a nice round especially considering it was the middle of the afternoon by the time she was in the ring (they had CCD before Novice) and it was fairly warm to be out trialling and it was day 2. Lots of the Novice dogs were totally off with the fairies and lagging so all things considered she worked very very well. She was also not a happy girl on Sunday and a little flat and really she just wanted to stay in her crate.

I thought I might post this one here - it's Kenz's Novice Round from last Sunday's trial. She has certainly come a long way from the shy timid little girl who wouldn't even work around strangers without crumbling let alone give me pushy work with attitude and stand solid on her stand for exam. Very pleased with her work - just a shame she didn't nail the sit stay to come away with the pass. Ah well she will get there.

:D kiesha she probably has. I tried a game with Kenz at the park this morning. Put her in a stay then went and walked a short track, hid the ball behind a tree and returned. Didn't bother with making it formal and having her on-lead just wanted to see what would happen. Yep no brainer. Went and added another tree into the mix and again no issue. Might make a tracking dog out of her yet - might just need to find another way to go about it.

Uncle Zombie - Ness has trained me in lots of different sports in 10.5 years but she reckons tracking seems to be the easiest one on the planet so far. I mean you get to use your nose and get fed free treats at the end - sure why not.

can I join in - just back from taking my two girls out for there very first tracking training session. Finally after 10.5 years I have found a sport Ness is a natural at Why didn't I think of trying it earlier.