Rosco -- adopted from a reputable Boston shelter in 2002. He was labeled a "beagle mix." Go figure! Lexi -adopted from The Arlington Animal Welfare League in VA in 2004. Luna - Purchased from a reputable breeder in 2007 to be my show and performance dog. Fell in love with the Aussies and am not looking back. :) Puppy X - To be acquired in the 1-2 years and will come from a reputable breeder. He'll be a conformation dog (I really want something I can campaign and special) and also a

Clearly, I am confused as well. I thought it was about using an e-collar on vibrate for a marker and/or on low stim for a correction. If we're just talking about its use as a marker, then I don't see why a vibration can't be loaded the same way a clicker or other marker can.

[quote user="kpwlee"] Also your aussies are handler focused - surely you worked with dogs that aren't concerned about what the 'human' wants. Put extreme prey drive in a super powerful dog that isn't handler focused and training them without 'tools' is another story. [/quote] Just wanted to chime in to clarify that not all Aussies are handler focused and naturally biddable. Luna is extremely motion sensitive, smart and very independent. I am the only person she will

Yay! Aussies! This isn't helping my puppy fever. Can't have just one Aussie!

DH and I started talking about adding a fourth dog in about 9 months - year. We must be nuts. With Luna spayed, I don't have anyone to show in conformation, and am handling friends dogs for them. Lu will still show in the altered division of ASCA, and we're doing rally and agility when we have time, but I miss conformation. First time it hit me that I actually have the bug is not having a dog to get ready for a show in Syracuse this weekend. In the past we've said three dogs is our limit

Julie -- you might want to try these: http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9X46&dir_id=1633&group_id=1930&cat_id=5743&subcat_id=7018 I plan to get some and like that I can attach them to a variety of stuff -- leash, collars, me, etc.

[quote user="Liesje"] More control and diligence, NILIF 100%, different corrections. [/quote] Our current foster falls into this group. She is very pushy about whatever she wants. Clearly, it worked for her in the past, and she's adjusted nicely to having all the rules changed on her. She's very willing to do whatever is asked of her, and offers good bahaviors to get things, but if she is given an inch she'll take a mile. So it just means NILF all the time. She'll need a

Step 1: Lock them up Step 2: Throw away the key.

Julie -- just saw your ARPH e-mail. I am so sorry. Is a blood transfusion an option?

TGIF! I've started work at 7:00 AM all this week, and it's drained the life out of me. Can't wait to sleep tonight. Also, I found a flea on Cricket today. All three of my dogs had their Advantix done a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't do Cricket's because she'd just had a bath, and then forgot to dose her two days later. She got spayed last week, and I can't apply it again until next week. What the eff do I do!?! I have a sneaky suspicion that my next door neighbor has