Kavik

Is the bowl stainless steel, plastic, something else?

That is a great result Vickie! Your JDoY run was also very good :D

I think it would be easier to understand what you are actually trying to say if you could try to be more concise with less meandering padding in your posts. The padding not only makes it long, it also detracts from any point you are trying to make and is often unclear and 'muddy' which makes you come across as inconsistent and unsure of what you are doing and what you think.

In addition to alpha bet's reply crating is very useful for : * Those of us competing with our dogs So you have somewhere safe to put your dog while setting up/taking down equipment or gazebos, or walking courses in agility etc. * If your dog gets sick or injured and is not allowed to run around and has to be confined

Actually I am trying to overcome that problem of transition to competition where you can't carry rewards in a different way. I am doing almost the opposite and wear a BIG treat pouch with treats and toy in it, and then place that outside the ring or at the end of a sequence (for agility) or on the ground a (short at the moment) distance away from where I am training in obedience and carry nothing on my person. I then the sequence for agility or heeling or whatever for obedience and then release to the treat bag when finished.

You can put wet treats into a sandwich bag and then put that in your pocket so it doesn't get messy

This was a lot of fun, I had a great day :p First up was Jumping Dog of the Year - What a great competition! Some amazing runs! The dog that came first amazing! Our highlight was Novice Jumping - Kaos had a great run, fast and keen and responsive, missed one tunnel but apart form that perfect! If he had gotten that we would have come first in 600s

Agree, especially with the bold bit. It is obvious you are an academic as your posts are often very wordy ;) like post #40, rather vague and ambiguous, it is hard to see what you really think as it seems to be all over the place I have an academic background too but try not to be too wordy as concise answers are easier to read, understand and reply to. One thing I have really learned about training and has helped a lot in agility - set clear criteria.

A good Kelpie has an off switch :D Mine are happy to relax in the house, even Zoe (who doesn't have a nice a temperament or as good an off switch as Kaos).

RIP Evie

Thanks that makes more sense I think I may go with 3 yr vaccine - unfortunately I am not made of money enough to do titre tests after vacc and then instead of vacc and possible revacc if necessary.

We've entered Novice Jumping and Open Jumping. Though I am going to DQ myself and find a nice sequence to do if I can instead of doing the whole course.

For auto sit I would ask for a sit every time you halt in a heeling pattern - they soon catch on This is where anticipation of the next command actually helps you After a while test the auto sit by halting and not asking for a sit and see if they sit on their own without the command.

Oooh nails Kaos is a tricky bugger with nails. At least now I can do them without him trying to bite me, though he still does try to pull away.

That is a great idea Deltacharlie! How would I find out who is selling their old A-Frame? Otherwise I can wait til next year for Eddy to make it

Another for Andrew Marchevsky at SASH!

Firstly I think a headcollar is definitely overkill on a 5kg dog - it is 5 kg, not 50, I cannot see why anyone would need to put one on such a small dog. Then look at the angle that occurs when you put pressure on a headcollar on a dog of that size. And what would happen if the dog lunges. And they are pretty fragile if so small. I don't think they will get better walking together unless you specifically train for it, which means not letting her pull. When they are together they are probably more excited than by themselves. The best would be to have a good loose lead walk separately, where they know the rules (however you decide to teach it, stay still until they focus on you, or correct or change direction etc) and then put them together and use the same rules. That may take a little time for them to get used to, but otherwise they will be so excited where as you have noticed they don't pay as much attention. A harness will mean that she doesn't choke herself when she pulls, but it won't give you as good control. I saw 2 littlies pulling and whining like mad on my walk today, while I practiced focus and loose lead walking around them with Kaos.

Honestly there is no way I would put any head collar on a 5kg dog. Certainly teaching her not to pull is the best option - shouldn't be too hard. The reason she seems oblivious to neck pressure is probably because she is being allowed to pull which is a steady pressure instead of being corrected or rewarded for not pulling. I would work with them separately and then together working on not pulling, maybe don't plan to go too far that trip Until then maybe a harness would help. Do they walk fine separately?

Is he still making them? I wasn't sure with the new bub I've emailed him about it but haven't gotten a response yet.

Hi guys I am looking to buy an A-Frame around Christmas time or so (parents getting it for me for Christmas) - anyone know who makes them in Sydney? Or will I have to go interstate? Thanks

So how useful are titre tests then? Kaos is due for vaccs and I am deciding what to do. The whole titre test thing besides being very expensive still confuses me Tempted to do the 3 yr vaccs but even that will require prompting for my vet to do

I'd be careful with the seesaw though. It is a scary piece of equipment for the dogs, and if not trained correctly and carefully your dog may get scared or injure itself. Also I'm not sure how sturdy that one is or how big your dog is. If your dog is big or heavy, it would be safer to get one that is properly made or at least a proper base.

I have exactly the same problem! Kaos will tug like no tomorrow at home but not anywhere else - won't even look at it at the park! I think my problem is that I am more self conscious about tugging in public, and Kaos picks up on that. So it is more my problem than his as is part of our issue with him running differently at trials to training. Nerves and self consciousness on my part. Hopefully I can overcome that. Also he knows he gets his favourite squeaky toy at the park and training. While I would like him to tug, I am happy with the fact that he likes his squeaky so at least I have a toy reward I can use at agility.

Sorry Brooke, But I think any of the contact equipment (A-Frame, dogwalk and especially the seesaw!) is far too dangerous for someone to attempt by themselves with a dog that does not have basic control and understanding of how to learn. You can easily frighten your dog on the seesaw or even injure it due to the movement.

No offence but he just sounds like he does not yet understand what is expected - or how to learn so to speak. You said yourself he does not understand hi 10. I think you need to work on the basics - teach him how to learn so he knows how to earn his rewards, and that rewards come from you and not on his own when he wants them. As much as I like free shaping I would not use it to teach something as basic as sit and drop, are you sure that is how you did it? Luring seems much more practical for something like that If he is not interested in his food for training have you tried reducing the amount you feed him in his meals? If he is an adult small breed he should only need one meal a day. What about toys or balls? Tug? Chasing something? If there are only a few things you can get him to do it is beccause he does not understand how to learn and that he must follow your direction. If he gets easily distracted start with something simple. Hand touches are a great thing to teach, simple, good for getting attention and keeping them interested.