Mrsdog

I will be there with Kiss, white Lagotto. Jolie is due to have her puppies this weekend so she will be staying home on "nursing" duties. Watch out for Team Lagotto in the pairs racing. Cathie and I will be in all black with Team Lagotto Romagnolo on our T-shirts. Should be fun. We kick off with the Mass Obedience Demonstration in the main arena this Friday and Saturday. You can also catch us in the agility demos Saturday and Wednesday, and the agility competition proper on 26th. Love to see you, so please say hello. Noella & Lagotti x 3+

Me too, the kind people added a packet of treats but they got confiscated. Note said that I could put in a complaint about this, but I didn't bother. Where did the treats go? Noels.

I think perhaps you were reading the promotional requirements wrong. "Checking the dog is only meant to be a slight check on the lead". Promotional requirements from 2 - 3 too much "checking" will result in failure. 3-4 too much checking will be failed. However, this is a hopelessly outdated page from 100 years ago (seems like) and isn't all that clear. I will look into it and have it brought up-to-date. Thanks for your input. Noels

I am a senior instructor with Sutherland Shire Dog Training Club and am most definitely a positive trainer as are most of the instructors at the club. We do have one instructor who still believes in check chains but he does use food rewards. You always have a choice to go to another instructor if for any reason you do not like something. You also have the advantage at Sutherland of being able to do Agility, Flyball, Dancing with Dogs, Canine Mans Best Friend and if you dog is suitable we have a group of handlers and therapy dogs going to Shire nursing homes. If you like you can pm me with any questions. Noella.

Kiss (white Lagotto) still needs a pairs partner for SPDX for Far SE Bemboka Trial on 27/28 March, 2010. Please help if you can, entries need to go off this week. Thanks, Noels.

Now this is really bad - my young novice dog has managed to find herself a partner for Strategic Pairs but poor older sister Kiss is the wallflower, left sitting on the sidelines. She is a 400 dog but often competes in 500, so that is not a problem. She is in SPDX. Please somebody help me - imagine the psychological problems developing!! Noels

Hello Danni, Have sent you a message. Noella.

The Lagotto is relatively new to dog sports but seems to be doing remarkably well. Kiss has placed in Agility and/or Jumping at the Sydney Royal the last two years and placed at the State Obedience Titles last year. She also has her FMX (flyball master excellent). There are more Lagotti competing now that the breed has been in Australia just over ten years. They seem to be quick learners and willing to take on whatever you want them to. They love to swim and are ball mad. Jolie is now old enough to compete so it will be interesting to see how she goes this year. More drive than Kiss so more of a challenge initially but lots of potential. Guess I will have to get my act together!! Noels

My Lagotto girls do it and also like to carry soft toys around. They don't destroy the softies except for chewing the button noses off! At about the time that they are due to whelp (even though they have not been bred) they collect soft toys and put them all in their bed. My boy on the other hand is a destroyer of soft toys - rips heads and legs off and disembowels them. For him I buy expensive balls that are impossible to destroy, this is what he prefers anyway. I don't think it has anything to do with being taken away from their mothers early. Have always thought it was more of a comfort thing and it does seem to put them to sleep. Noels.

For all those who have been enquiring about Rally-O, Sutherland plans to hold a fun competition on Saturday 20 March 2010. This will not be an official competition as we will not have a qualified judge. Look on it more as a mock comp and a learning experience. Probably charge a small fee, like $5, and there will be prizes. Haven't finalised details yet, but think we will have two rings: one for beginners and one for more advanced. How does that sound? You are very welcome to put your comments here. After all, we still have heaps to learn about Rally-O. If you are not sure what Rally-O is, a simple definition is that it is an obedience type course where you move from one directional sign to the next (instead of the judge telling you what to do). You are allowed to talk to and encourage your dog. The judge is simply marking your score. Your completion of the course is timed, so you try to be speedy. If you are interested, look up the signs so you will have some idea of what is expected. You can print out the signs off the internet. Noella.

What a wonderful weekend. Heather is so inspiring and made the learning just as interesting as the "doing". Now that we all know the basic how to do things we have to just get out there and improve our own techniques and spread the word amongst others. Actually taking part in four courses on the Sunday and being judged and getting our marks back for each of them, was so exciting and we were able to see where we went wrong and what needed work in the future. There were the usual tight leads, crooked sits, reading the signs wrong, which were easy to see how to correct. Tightening up the 270's and 360's, particularly the left ones which require the dogs to back up, could take a bit more work. Getting the dogs to back up beside you, even more work, but not necessary in the novice course. Who ever said Rally was going to be easy? I'm keeping a notebook handy and jotting down things as I think of them. There was just so much information in this weekend that my poor brain is bursting. The improvement with each course was just wonderful to see. We were all gaining confidence and managing to make fewer mistakes. One brilliant team even managed to get a rare "100" and Heather told us she hardly ever gives that score to anyone. I don't know how Heather does it, she is on her feet the whole weekend and just so bursting with energy and enthusiasm. So here's the challenge: Which club is going to hold the first Rally-O event? Now that is going to be a momentous occasion. Noels.

Aah, all you perfectionists! Sure, it is nice to be really good at something, but if you don't try them all how do you know if you might be missing out on the one thing you are REALLY good at (or that your dog really prefers). Obedience is the starting point for all things and never becomes redundant. This is your first building block. Then you prioritize. If you want to be really good at a particular thing then that is what you spend most of your time training. Now don't shoot me down on this one, but I truly believe that doggy dancing is the hardest of them all. To get a really good routine going takes untold hours of practice. Remember you have to teach your dog a routine, know the steps yourself, and keep in time to the music. There are a lot of so/so routines out there that are not really very interesting. In order to be entertaining you need that extra pizazz, and to get that takes lots of time, imagination and dedication. I am your Jack of all Trades and Master of none, taking part in obedience, flyball, agility, title my dogs in the conformation ring, have done doggy dancing but decided I am not dedicated enough to be good at this, would like to do tracking and gundog, and am spending this weekend finding out about Rally O. Remember, the most important thing is that you and your dog enjoy what you are doing. Doggy doesn't care if you get first place or last, he is happy to just be there with you and he will keep on trying to please you. At the end of the day we all go home with the best dog there anyway. Noels.

Not many sleeps to go........nearly there for Sutho. Weather forecast is possible showers on Saturday (we'll be inside) and fine but cloudy for Sunday, when we will be outside. 18 degrees both days, so a bit colder than it has been. Since it is raining here today I'm planning to tidy up the clubhouse tonight and start getting things ready for Saturday. Think we now have 23 people, with a fair cross section of various Sydney clubs. Noels.

Over the hills and far away............cold vibrations...........(sign language acceptable)............

Angelsun, your emails keep bouncing back. I need to let you know the details for Sutherland on 30/31 May. Noels.