ness

I think feralpup is jealous of the trials we are having. Hmm PAX I wouldn't be so sure Ness can do open with her eyes closed she just gets bored and doesn't work hard enough for me sure you would do great with her.

Hmm PAX I'll loan you Ness I reckon with the right handler she has it in her . Oh and Feral Pup just to make you even more jealous we have another one next Saturday evening .

Given the popularity of the 2007 thread of a similar vein I thought I would instigate a 2008 Brags thread . To start the ball rolling we had our first agility trial for the year last night. I had three really lovely enthusiastic/driven runs. Her first run in Masters Agility she was absolutely feral considering we haven't done anything agility for over a month. Next run was Open Agility and unfortunately we suffered a bad call (along with half a dozen others) with a missed contact on the scramble which I know she didn't miss but it was a really lovely run. Finally Masters Jumping. Masters Jumping passes seem to be few and far between for us but she ran a really lovely round last night and ended up passing and getting her sixth pass towards her long awaited JDM title . Only one more to get now :D . What better way to celebrate (considering we didn't get home until nearly 2am this morning ) then with a long run/swim at the beach this morning followed up by Macca's for breakfast and then home to a bone . Any way enough brags from me bring on the rest of 2008 and lots of brags from everybody.

K's first trial will be when LP gets off her backside and trains her for Open and UD .

Hi Jeff, I would say if it bothers you then you have a problem and it needs sorting otherwise maybe its not as big an issue as a trainer might think. To me it would depend on how important it is. I am realistic with mine now in that I don't think she could cope in a kennel environment and pretty sure will never have to be placed in such an environment. I also believe that some signs of separation anxiety can be situational (well at least from my own personal belief). I would have long denied the fact my BC had separation anxiety but it was very apparent when I last took her interstate on holiday and left her behind at the place I was staying only for her to have jumped the front gate about 10-15 minutes later. Funnily enough this was also the first time she has refused to eat while I haven't been around. She was left with a bone and other dogs around and people. She has jumped gates at home when I have been across the road at my uncles place doing work, even when my parents have been home. She does however manage out of sight stays for obedience alright and is non-destructive at home when we leave so it can't be horrendous. She is also pretty independant at the park so is this SA or not? Does it bother you that your dog shuts down when your not around especially considering you are talking about an environment away from home? If the dog is good at home and good in other situations I certainly wouldn't be resorting to a drastic situation like placing the dog in a boarding kennel for a week. ETA. Yep I would agree swimming can put some dogs over the top so it might magnify any problem. Also on the matter of playing hide and seek funnily enough this has never caused my dog any problems but I guess thats just one example and maybe she doesn't have SA.

Ness gets pork ribs quite often (the ones with bones attached not the spare ribs) and has no problem with them.

Thanks muchly although mm Ness's freezer is stocked at the moment maybe I might wait till next week . I actually google searched rainbow meats and I got a little map which shows me where it is .

Sounds like a trip down to South Road might be in order for tomorrow or up to O'Halloran Hill.

Here are a few change of positions trial clips so you can see what you are suppose to do:

Ptolomy showed me a different way that doesn't use a barrier. The problem you have with a barrier is that the dog can start creeping when the barrier is removed.

You know at the end of a UD heel pattern the judge will have you stand, drop, sit, come and finish. That bit that is all I was meaning. The exercise for open commences with your dog in a stand and you will be asked are you ready. Then you leave ala a SFE and about turn and halt when told. Then you will be asked or signalled to drop, sit, call, finish. You can use both a verbal and a signal for each position (given simultaneously).

Yep I noticed you restrained yourself - hmm as for your lectures yep they certainly did and the threat of no help ever again sealed the deal .

Ptolomy would shoot you if you mentioned the possibility of doing a Broad Jump in Obedience - much better to do a COP as it leads onto UD. COP for open is the end bit of silent signals - stand your dog, drop, sit, come, finish but you can use both verbal and signal . So if you do COP in open you get plenty of practice for UD as it is also the last exercise in open before you leave the ring plenty of opportunities for high level of reinforcement so the dog is super keen by the time it gets to the COP signals part in UD due to a high level of reinforcement for this particular exercise.

Mid Feb you start funding yet another overseas trip . Poor boy Ness sends her sympathy and she says lucky she doesn't have to see that horrible needle person again but Scoota must be a brave boy .

I will check the December Journal and see what it says. I was just going from memory.

October long weekend usually Southern/SAODC the one weekend and then the next weekend would be Dover - thats off the top of my head. ETA. You sure about the double obedience trial Southern usually is only a single and its the same weekend as SAODC who also hold a single.

Guess it also depends on the size of the dog. A smaller dog could quite conceivably earn all its food for relatively little training whereas a more sizeable dog (or one with a higher metabolism) might need to be fed from a bowl (or trained more :rolleyes: ).

:rolleyes:

I wasn't going to dob you in Ptolomy . I did pike at heart originally but hmm its ok when its frozen solid and inside a plastic bag :D . But yep Ptolomy's kids sure eat VERY well (better than she does) and they get lots of that as rewards for training. If you don't then you do find the dog gets on the porky side, especially when you want to do lots of training :rolleyes: .

Hey you can use raw food as training rewards to. I have been known to use frozen chicken necks cut into pieces but also you can have things like sardines, even small bones in jackpot containers and put the dog up whilst they eat it. At home I will sometimes do an exercise and reward with a chicken carcass or whatever. The food can be used as a distraction for a more advanced dog. Like placed on the ground in front of them and then do a change of positions and reward with the food. One of my friends tells me that she knows of somebody who will even put raw brains inside there pocket. Both she and I draw a line at this but you get over it. Raw chicken in a pocket is nothing (well ok I do place mine inside a zip lock bag and like I said its usually frozen). ETA. I guess you could also place raw mince inside a jackpot container.

Edited to remove the double post.

Flour works well - know from experience . Bi-carb soda works as well apparently. Guess who else thought nail trimming was on the agenda today and cut one too short .

Geez I was going to say yep they are different over in the West but I think most people in SA also use a leather seekback article - they all have these fancy plaited leather ones for the most part so maybe we aren't that different from WA ;) - well ok as far as seekback articles go :D .

Go get a lesson from Linda LP and what about looking at some of our old chats I think I already explained some of the UD exercises and how to teach them to you already .

Leopuppy what do you mean UD takes some time I thought I told you how to get started . You need Ptolomy boot camp .