TigerJack

Yes I agree with you however my Jack would not run unless he had his harness on. If he wasn't dressed for the occasion it was just training and he'd wander off and do his own thing. Put the harness on and he never put a foot wrong. I don't use a harness on my Kelpie

This is my Jack, now passed on. HE is Ridgeback cross Malinois. He raced with Cookie and they passed each other in the lineup. Jack often went over the top of Cookie. Cookie is a rescue and he is supposed to be a pom x sheltie. Ridgeback x Not sure if Cookie is a Pom x or a German Spitz or what. Someone may know her and be able to help me out LOL

Skip, now you've got me wondering who you are?? Yes I will have all 8 of mine along for the ride. Thanks for your kind words on my handling skills. I reckon most of our DQ's are my fault, the dogs are doing fine.

I will be there with my whole menagerie in tow. I will be running my Kelpie and my Silky Terrier. We have been trialling since about April. Mostly beginner events for us. TigerJack (Jo)

I have had fake lawn for about 4 years now. Its the best thing I ever did to my back yard but yes it was expensive. Having seen the work that went into it and the gadgets they used to do it I would not attempt it myself. Mine has developed a few small dents in the high traffic areas so I would recommend you get the putting green version of the ground prep rather than the lawn version (which i have) as that means double the depth of crushed granite and sand and rubber layers. I have 8 dogs who all pee and poop on it and it cleans up very easily. There used to be two more bigger dogs as well, a Dane and a ridgeback X so lots of poop and pee. It is a whole lot of layers of ground prep and then underlay and then the grass which is all glued together and pinned down every 10cm all the way round. After all that they pound a mix of sand and rubber granules into the pile of the grass. This makes the grass sit up like grass, not flat down like carpet and it makes it softer underfoot. The ground prep drains very well and the grass itself is on a base that is perforated all over so water does not ever pool on it. It does feel a little warm to me barefoot on 40' plus days but my dogs all just lie out on it and bake in the sun, they love the heat. You are supposed to keep the organic matter off it (leaves etc) but mine always is just about buried before I sweep it off and no issues so far. The occasional squirt with a hose is all that is needed. You might get a bit of a pee smell in really hot weather but I just squirted some water around with biozet in it. Frankly a real grass yard would probably also smell of pee in the same situation. At least I can actually put biozet onto mine and not kill it. It was well worth the expense and I would recommend it but only if you get it professionally laid with all the special layers of ground prep and sand/rubber etc.

dogbesotted, what is the local version of the septic starter powder called?

I have 6 small dogs inside the house while I am out. They all go on towels. I have the plastic tray out of a crate laid down on the floor in the bathroom with folded towels on it. The rim of the tray is only about 2cm high so easier for the dog than a litter tray. I used to put fake grass on top of the towels as the dogs are used to it as I have fake grass in the yard. I gave up on that as they use the towels just as easily. I do have to remember not to leave the bathmat on the floor or they will use that too. Can't blame toe dogs for not being able to differentiate between dog towels and people ones.

I met this little girl on Tuesday and I agree, she is lovely. She was eager to please and loved the tug. Would make a good dogsports dog. She did have good focus. Jo

Keep an eye out for the Better homes and Gardens show tonight (friday 11/06/10.) The Dr Harry segment is all about Flyball. In May a group of people and dogs from several Sydney clubs spent a day up at Castle Hill filming with Dr Harry. There's even a doggy cam, with a camera mounted onto a harness on a dog (called Harry!) Look out for my big red ridgeback cross dog Jack. That was the last time he did flyball and it was his birthday. He died two weeks to the day after the filming from cancer. Jo

I have a silky terrier. Coat needs a fair bit of maintenance but she never sheds. Its like quite fine, long baby hair, not like a dog coat at all.

My vet has a cat called speedy who wanders freely through the reception area and into and out of the consult rooms if the door is ajar. I can see that some dogs would be hard to control in this situation so it might annoy some. He often is asleep in the consult room sink. Most of my dogs are tiny and don't know what a cat is, they might yap at him but have never tried to get him, he probably outweighs most of them 2 to one anyway. Of my bigger dogs the two sighthound crosses would love to get hold of him but they don't go nuts, just whine a bit and look at me pleading for me to let them have him. My kelpie is weird. She freezes completely immobile at the sight of him and its almost like she's pointing. You can wave your hand in front of her face and she doesn't blink or register that you are there. Eventually she starts to drool as she forgets to swallow. We actually use speedy if we need her to keep still for something. Bring in the cat and pop him in front of her and she freezes and stares at him and then you can stitch away with no problems. Very handy really. She is like that with my nephews bunny and pet mouse too.

there is a good website called dogscooter here and they have a good section and other links on training. I took two of my dogs along to 'mush up' this year where they had a beginners day. My ridgeback cross was perfectly happy to trot along next to my kelpie but he didn't take up the slack in the line even once. My kelpie pulled like a trooper, she got very excited. We even went in the ladies race that day and placed third and beat alot of huskys. I tried it later at the netball courts near home and she wouldn't pull, kept coming back alongside the scooter rather than staying out in front. I think its because I haven't done all the foundation work. I was lucky at the mushup that she pulled so well but really it was because they used a lure dog and scooter team out front of the beginners so she was trying to catch up to them. In the actual race she got so hyped once she realised there were start lights that beeped and there was a countdown to go. The noises got her hyped like at flyball and then I used the same words that I do at the start of a flyball race so she knew that mean't go go go! It was great fun but I know to keep doing it I would have to go back and do all the groundwork so she will pull whenever, not just in the excitement of a race.

post a message on the yahoo group flyball Oz. If you aren't already a member it only takes a day or so to join. Quite a few boxes get advertised on there.

The dog spectacular show doesn't involve a lot of dogs all together. The following is from an update just released to the flyball fraternity. In terms of Spectacular competitors it looks like there will only be 8 Agility Dogs, 8 Frisbee Dogs, 4 Dock Diving Dogs (the Dock Diving Dogs are not selected as yet and we have been advised that eliminations will be held in early September - anyone interested in trying out should email [email protected] asap) and the 24 flyball dogs involved in the 4 teams.

I have banana trees in the back yard and the dogs are forever pulling them down. My old Dane used to stand up on his back legs and get hold of the whole bunch and pull till the tree snapped off. He would then take his time munching through them. I do not have a hills hoist anymore as he managed to drop two heavy trees directly onto the top of it and snapped it off. All of my dogs seem to like them, skins included. They also will spend hours shredding the trunk of a fallen banana tree which is quite helpful as it driews out faster and I can get it into the green waste bin faster.

Hi Netti The only club currently listed in tasmania is Tassie Flying Paws and the contact details from the AFA site are Dot Baverstock Phone: 03 6288 1309 Email: [email protected] I think they are in Hobart but Dot should be able to tell you if there are any others interested up your way. Also email the Tasmanian rep for the AFA, Maureen Williamson on [email protected] AFA website is www.flyball.org.au Good luck Jo

Well I might just need my head read but I've entered the Sydney ET on the 9th of August. Not so concerned about the ET itself but its the day after I am running two dogs all day in a flyball competition. Might be needing the monday off I think. It won't bother my Kelpie, nothing slows her down. Who else is doing the Sydney ET? Jo

My Dane was constantly getting diarhoea but then he was 14 and did have multiple cancers. He got the runs for about the last 3 years of his life and it was always after the slightest change in his diet. I couldn't let him eat anything other than the nutro lamb and rice for sensitive stomachs. I had to watch him like a hawk so he didn't get any treats or scraps from anyone. My vet put me onto a product called Peptosyl which is a pink coloured liquid that you add to their meals as soon as you see runny poos and you keep adding it to their food until the runs stop. I think it is a bit like mylanta for people, quite soothing to the gut. Worked for Sam but it took about 3 days each time. My vet sold it in tiny little 250ml bottles and Sam needed about 30ml per dose (twice a day) so I started buying it online and then you can get a one litre bottle for not much more than the vet charged for the 250ml. Think it was vet products direct that I got it from. Word of warning, a Dane who doesn't want medicine squirted down his throat with a syringe is going to leave you wearing alot of pink sticky goo. I just tipped it onto his kibble and he ate it no problem. I echo what others have said though, I first had him checked by the vet and the stool sample checked for bugs etc. It was just Sammy's dodgy old sensitive gut and was likely from metastases from his cancers. I wasn't putting him through any more major surgery as he was 14, pretty amazing for a Dane. I miss my Sammy but I don't miss cleaning up those gigantic poopy puddles.

I got a 2nd hand kickbike off ebay for about $200. They come up fairly often, was one there about a month ago and it didn't sell so have a look. Kickbike's are the ones with the big front wheel and the little back wheel. Mine is technically a road bike so I took it to a bike shop and got a chunky tire put on the front. I got all my gear about 5 years ago as I thought it looked fun and I thought it would be easy to train. Turned out my dogs wouldn't pull so all the gear has been gathering dust. About a month ago the husky club had a beginners day down at Wingello and I went along. Jack still wouldn't pull, let my Kelpie take all the strain. My kelpie (who wan't born when I got all the gear) turned out to be great. She got so hyped she was barking her head off and loved it. I had taken her and Jack around the track during the beginner session and then figured out I was allowed to enter the 'proper' races too so we went in the ladies race. She was going off, clawing the ground to get going. Husky people thought it was quite amusing. I'm glad we weren't first out though as she liked to chase the teams ahead. Considering that she was the only dog in the race that had already run that day, we came third and beat a whole lot of 'proper' sledding dogs. The next weekend I took her and the scooter down to the park to have another go and damned if it doesn't work without teams to race against. She would line-out ok but as soon as we start off, she'd slip sideways and come back to run next to the scooter like when she's running next to my bicycle. Seems she will only haul the scooter during the hype of a race. Either that or I need someone else there with another bike/scooter and a dog for her to chase. It was interesting, I could use herding words to turn her while we were racing and use flyball words to rev her up at the start. I didn't need to try new commands. Definetely going to persevere but might just have to attend husky events for a while, meanwhile stick to the bicycle and springer around home. Jo

I cycle 5km with my 4yo kelpie and she isn't even panting. I did 10km on the weekend with her and she was in the back yard playing tug with my foxie within a few minutes of getting home, ran around for hours. Don't think anything wears her out. I take out my 8yo Malinois cross ridgeback and he is happy for about 4km then he tries to slow down. He is huge but very lean and still does flyball but he just doesn't have the stamina of the kelpie. (Don't think anything has the stamina of a kelpie actually.)

I went to this introduction to sledding day yesterday and it was great. Took Jack (big goofy ridgeback malinois cross) and my Kelpie girl Kobe. Jack was a total no hoper. Took the two dogs out at once and Kobe hauled like a pro. Jack just trotted along next to her and never took up the strain on the line even once. After the beginner run, they had the 'proper' races so I entered Kobe into the ladies race. She was so hyped, she knew what was about to happen and a few flyball 'are you ready's' and she knew it was a race and she was barking her head off and hauling at the line before the start. The husky people thought it was hilarious. We came third against a field of all huskies so I was pleased, expecially considering she had already run one race an hour before and the huskies were all fresh. Interestingly, I used her herding side commands to turn her, very pleased that those transferred into another activity. It was great fun and I'll be going back for more. The husky people were very welcoming and had no problem at all with the non-sledding breeds having a go. Everyone was very helpful. I'd recommend it to anyone who's dog loves to run. Jo

My little chihuahua had dreadful problems with anal gland abscesses. He would spend a month on antibiotics and then a week after stopping, back they would come. He was miserable andsick and losing condition so after about 4 months of this he had both of them removed. Apart from having to wear an ellizabethan collar for a while he was fine after surgery. No problems at all since either. They do tell you how there is a risk of incontinence etc but he has had no problems. The downside is that it was not cheap. That tiny little scrap of a dog's bottom cost me over $600 to fix.

I have a male chihuahua like this. He loses weight easily and doesn't always want a meal when its offered. I keep satin balls in the freezer and every now and then he gets those added to dinner for a few days (after he finishes the main meal.) They work well to get some cover on his bones and he does love them too. Far too rich to feed exclusively but they are a great calorie rich addition to his normal diet. Jo

gosh, I have only just seen this thread and I can't believe there have been no answers. I hope you've found some help in the meantime. Best thing is to join a club so you can get some experienced help. Getting Rommi to trigger the box won't be hard if you make sure you take the time to teach a proper swimmers turn over a box jump. Chasing a tennis ball isn't really what you want to encourage as it makes the dog more interested in chasing the moving ball rather than getting the static ball in the box. The motivation should be bringing the ball back for the bigger reward of the motivator toy or food or whatever Rommi works for. Best advice that I wish I had been given, don't be tempted to rush into racing. take your time and proof against distraction. Break the whole thing down and back chain it and don't rush ahead until you are solid on each little step. eg recall over one jump, then two, then three etc. Separate task, lure onto the box over a box jump, then shape it till you fade the lure, then add a little distance (one footstep length at a time.) Then when the dog is really driving onto the box (this is important, don't do it before) then send to the box and return over one jump. Slowly add distance till returning over more than one jump, remember you've already backchained the recall over the jumps so the dog will realise they already know that bit. Build it up till you can send over one jump and return over a jump and so on. Every time you come out to training, go back down to a smaller step (just a box turn, no jumps etc) and build up to where you left off last time. After you've got the dog running the full course, then introduce the ball. After that, then introduce distraction, other dogs, noise, cheering. Whatever distraction you do at training will be nowhere near as distraction and overstimulating as their first comp. Its hard to train by reading what someone writes, you really need to be shown in person so find a good club and ask lots of questions. Good luck Jo

Can you use a springer attachment on the bike, or must you have the dog on a hand held lead?