Dog Tails The dogs delight & the delight of dogs May 2010 Newsletter Fred s Pass Positive Dog Training Club Inc Postal PO Box 1167, Palmerston, NT, 0831 Email training@fppdt.org.au Website www.fppdt.org.au Email Editor ctstone@bigpond.net.au 2010 Committee Members President Sarah Baker 0417 773 095 Vice Pres Maike Krause 0406 643 143 Treasurer Fiona Clarke 8983 2569 Secretary Ray Clarke 8983 2569 Members: Tanya Reichstein 0430 181 926 Alexandria Bailey 0414 875 382 Cele Stone (editor) 0400 453 899 Training for 2010 You will need to pre-book classes in 2010, details can be found in the Reminders section. Obedience (Tuesdays) Beginners 1 Beginners 2 Intermediate Advanced Pre Trial & Trial 7.00 pm 7.00 pm 7.00 pm Training Fees 8 Week Course $40.00 For more information phone Sarah on 0417 773 095 Agility (Thursdays) Pre Trial & Trial Beginners Intermediate Advanced 6.45 pm Training Fees Per dog $ 5.00 Beginners 4 Week Course $ 20.00 Yearly Fee $150.00 For more information phone Fiona on 8983 2569. May Notices No Training Due to the Fred s Pass Rural Show there will be no training on Tuesday the 11 th & Thursday the 13 th May 2010. Next Trials Our next Trials are Jumping Dog on Friday 21 st and Agility on Saturday 22 nd. Please feel free to come along and watch. Fundraising Help We have the opportunity to raise funds by working for an NT club. The work is easy and is for 5 hours each day with varying times on each date. PLEASE donate a day to the cause. We need at least 4 people each date and they do need to be over 16 to participate. Dates available are: Sat - May 8th Sun - Sep 5th Sun - June 27th Sat - Oct 16th Sun - July 11th Sun - Oct 24th Sun - Aug 1st Sat - Nov 6th Sat - Aug 21st Sat - Nov 27th If you can help us for just one of these dates please let us know either at classes or on email. New Club email address training@fppdt.org.au
Presidents Welcome Hello everyone Welcome to all our new May members!!! May sees us host only one weekend of trials on the 21 st and 22 nd and we d like to welcome our Judge, Allan Schmidt from NSW. Classes run are Jumping Dog x 2 on Friday at 7pm, then Agility x 2 on Saturday at 6.30pm. Good luck to all those competing. These trials bring about a first for the NT in the form of the Not for Competition Class (see Training Report for more details). FPPDTC is proud to be the first club to host this event and we are looking forward to the helping hand it will be for our new competitors, both canine and human. Once again we have the opportunity to raise some valuable funds in the form of working for the Moto Cross club. We need 3 volunteers for this Saturday (8 th May) to work between 5 pm and 10 pm. Please help the club out and give an afternoon of your time. Those of us who ventured over to WA for the Agility Nationals have returned after an excellent trip. Our dogs did us proud, we learnt a lot and reconnected with many agility people from around the country. For our small attendance number of 7 dogs, we had 3 of these make it to the finals with two being placed in the top 10. Not bad for the state with the lowest entry numbers. Reminders Vaccinations Every dog that attends training must be fully vaccinated. Please bring your vaccination certificates along with your 2010 membership forms to training. Help us to help you let's protect all our dogs from contagious diseases! Changes to Training New dog intake is only the first Tuesday and Thursday of each month. All Tuesday classes are pre-booked and pre-payment will ensure you a spot. Class numbers are limited, so please email the club or phone Sarah for more information and to book your class. All Beginners Agility classes must be Pre-paid. Annual Membership Fees $10 Single, $15 Double or $20 Family per year Please remember to renew your membership (bring the fees to training) so you are eligible to participate in training and at the AGM. Membership forms available on the website or at the table. Cadbury Chocolates Can you sell Chocolates at your workplace? Selling Cadbury chocolates provides vital fundraising dollars for the club. If you can help us out please contact Tanya on 0430 181 926. Our 7 dogs returned home with a staggering 20 Quallies between them congratulations to all of you. It was rewarding to know that although we are a small club without the same number of trials as our southern friends, we can still compete alongside and hold our heads high. The next Agility Nationals will be held in NSW in 2012. I hope there will be more of you joining us in making the trip, as they say, the more the merrier! NOTE: FPPDTC takes no responsibility for any weight gain experienced during this fundraising activity. For those nurturing an interest in Agility, come along to sign up night on the first Thursday of each month and get yourself hooked on this fabulous sport. Our Tuesday classes continue to bloom and we find it a joy to watch you and your dogs progress and work as a team. Thank you to all our members who are doing such a great job with their dogs. Until next time, may the hounds be with you, Sarah & Cooper the Brittany The dog was created specially for children, He is the god of frolic. Henry Ward Beecher
Thanks to our kind Sponsors: Top Agility Dog Award Unit 2, 17 Benison Road, Winnellie Phone Tanya on 8947 2856 This Month Garrard s Recommends. SILVER MAGIC www.silvermagic.net 100ml spray bottle - $9.74 200ml bottle - $11.39 500ml bottle - $19.47 1 Litre - $33.42 Silver Magic is a Bacterostatic Agent that can protect the body of both human and animals from infection, rid the body of toxins, stimulate new and healthy growth of tissues and assist in repairing damaged tissues. It is non toxic and safe for both humans and animals. Can be used topically or orally. Top End Lost & Found http://telaf.wordpress.com/ Cele runs classes, in home training and consults for problem behaviours. Cele sells Black Dog Bait Bags, natural treats & chews and colourful dog leads. Top Trialling Dog Award Daphne is the local supplier for Blackdog collars, leads and harnesses and she also runs Puppy Preschool for pups from 8 to 16 weeks of age on Wednesday evenings in Palmerston. Please contact her for further details. TELAF Reuniting pets & people Congratulations Congratulations to Sarah & Cooper who earned their Jumping Dog Masters Title at our inaugural trial for 2010. This makes Cooper the first dog in the NT to have gained this title where each pass along the way was received in the NT. However, not only were they gained in the NT, ALL of Coop s quallies were gained at Fred s Pass Positive Dog Training Club Trials. An amazing effort from an inspiring team! Our first NT trained and trialed Master. Top Obedience Dog Award Catherine is a qualified groomer who treats her clients to five star pampering at her Plush Pets salon which is open 7 days a week. Catherine only uses natural, environmentally friendly products which are hand made by a naturopath. Cooper in action doing what he does best!
Volunteers Needed - TEMC (Top End Moto Cross) We have the opportunity to raise much needed funds by working for five hours for the TEMC. The work involves holding up a flag if a rider comes off so as to warn other riders behind them. Please consider donating one session as a thank you to those who volunteer their time and effort to bring you obedience and agility training and trials. The dates we need you are: May Saturday 8 June Sunday 27 July Sunday 11 August Sunday 1 September Sunday 5 October Saturday 16 Sunday 24 November Saturday 6 Saturday 27 Please contact the club or any committee member if you can assist us on these dates. Walk Location Registration Walk Commences Length of walk Event Concludes Jingili Water Gardens From 8am 9am 1km or 3km 1pm Do you have a joke or article that you would like to see in Dog Tails? Do you have a business that you would like to advertise in Dog Tails? Or a topic you want to find out more about? You can email it to the Cele at ctstone@bigpond.net.au or the club email address training@fppdt.org.au or post it (PO Box is found at the top of Dog Tails) and it should appear in next month s issue. It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is as true of men as of dogs Eric Hoffer
Training Report: Trials Explained Trialing A Trial is the name given to almost all events that are not showing, and are held under the rules of the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC). Here in Darwin we have 3 clubs that hold trials, Freds Pass Positive Dog Training Club (FPPDTC), Darwin Obedience Dog Club (DODC) and Palmerston Gundog Club (PGC). The PGC holds only trials relating to gundogs which are Retrieval Trials and Field Trials. Tracking trials are held sparsely in Darwin and Endurance is held in Alice Springs. Our club trials are Agility, Jumping, Games and Obedience. In each of these there are different levels from beginners up. You start at the low levels and once you have achieved a prescribed number of Qualifications (quallies) in one class, you apply for a title and move up into the next class. The classes get more challenging as you head toward Masters level. A title from a trial gives your dog letters after his name eg: Spot CCD AD JD Agility and Jumping Most dogs love agility and you should be aware that this sport can be addictive for you as well. Agility consists of an obstacle course, a judge and a clock. The obstacles are: Jumps which come in a variety of 1 bar, 2 bars (spread) or planks on the ground called the broad jump and lastly there is the tyre. Table your dog must jump onto the table and wait for 5 seconds. The Judge times this and tells you when you can go. Contact obstacles are solid and have an area that the dog must touch one paw in before leaving the obstacle. They are the A frame, the Dog Walk and the See-Saw, which actually has to touch the ground before the dog leaves it. Weavers are 12 upright pvc poles spaced 600mm apart where the dog must always start with the first weaver at his left shoulder (correct entry) and must weave through each pole, missing none. The judge sets the course, measures it in meters and then applies a meters per second formula (course rate) to get the Set Course Time. You start in novice and progress up, the lower levels have fewer obstacles, slower courses rate and generally easier courses. As you go up the levels the courses get harder, quicker and more challenging. Tunnels - the sock tunnel has a ridged entry (such as a drum) into a material sock of 4 meters long. The flexi tunnel is a plastic concertina tube that can be shaped in many ways. You lose points for going over time, knocking bars, missing contacts or weavers. You can be disqualified for doing an obstacle in the wrong direction, doing a wrong course, touching your dog or at the judge s discretion (correcting the dog or bad behaviour). The difference between Agility and Jumping is that Jumping has none of the contact equipment or table and the course rates are quicker.
Class names and number of quallies are: Novice Excellent Masters Open * Champion ** AD JD ADX JDX ADM JDM ADO JDO AC JC Agility Dog Jumping Dog Agility Dog Excellent Jumping Dog Excellent Agility Dog Masters Jumping Dog Masters Agility Dog Open Jumping Dog Open Agility Champion Jumping Champion * This class is open to all dogs and has part of the course handled from a distance. ** This is where you have your Masters Title 10 times over and have come first in at least 10 of them. Not for Competition This is a new class in the NT and our thanks goes to DogsNT for their insight in introducing it. This class is for dogs who are about to commence trialling, are returning from an injury or are retired but can still have a go. Any dog entered in this class can t enter another class at that trial. It s also for the new handlers who get to experience a trial without the pressure of competition and to gauge their dog s preparedness. Obstacles are set on the height chosen by the handler, courses are run at Novice level and no entry form is required. Games There are 3 games, each has different rules and challenges. The games are fun and very challenging. Snooker The dog jumps 1 colour, 1 red, 1 colour, 1 red, 1 colour & 1 red, then you can do the rest in any order you like. Different obstacles have different points value and the run is timed. Gamblers All obstacles have point values and you get as many points as possible by completing the obstacles. Then the bell rings and you must complete a sequence of obstacles (the gamble) before the 2 nd bell. 3Q 5Q 7Q 5 Q Strategic Pairs A course is split into sections of obstacles with one dog completing the first bit, then the second dog and handler doing the next bit etc. If your dog refuses an obstacle, misses a contact or knocks a bar, the other dog must race over and do that obstacle. Obedience There are five levels of competition in obedience, each containing a different set of exercises that were designed to get progressively harder. Obedience can look a little austere but by using positive reinforcement training it becomes a wonderful dance between you and your dog. The exercises are merely tricks and your job is to make the training fun. All the levels have a heeling component either on or off lead and at slow, medium or fast paced. They all include sit, drop, stand and stays at a sit and drop. As with agility they are designed to challenge you and your dog more as you progress through the levels toward Utility. As you go you will start to reduce the physical (hand signals) and verbal cues you give to your dog, the stays get longer and eventually with you out of sight. All classes have a stand for exam where you leave your dogs side whilst the Judge comes and runs their hands over your dog. Class names and number of quallies are: CCD Community Companion Dog 3Q CD Companion Dog 3Q CDX Companion Dog Excellent 5Q UD Utility Dog 7Q UDX Utility Dog Excellent 7 Q Trialling - how to We recommend attending training before entering a trial! To enter trials you need to be a current member of the North Australian Canine Association (NACA) and your dog needs to be registered with them too. You then fill out an entry form for the club holding the trial indicating what classes you are entering and then post entries and payment to the club 3 weeks before the trial. On the day of the trial you need to be there at check in time to collect your numbers, catalogue and have your dog vetted if necessary. In trials, only entire bitches are vetted, which means they are checked to see they are not in season. Bitches in oestrus are not permitted in the vicinity of a trial. Things to bring to a trial are a chair, crate or tether stake for your dog, water for you both and a great attitude. If you d like to come and watch a trial at any time, just check the schedules tab on our website for the next date. Cele, Bon and the Spotted ones
FOR THE RECORD 2010 Dog & Handler # Passes Obedience OBEDIENCE - Open (Companion Dog Excellent) 5 Fiona & Ellie 1 Sarah & Cooper 1 OBEDIENCE - Novice (Companion Dog) 3 Marion & Frigga 1 Natasha & Sharni 1 Ray & Inca 2 OBEDIENCE - Community Companion Dog 3 Lucy & Marshall 2 Maike & Gizmo 2 Agility AGILITY - Open 5 Ray & Inca 1 Sarah & Cooper 3 AGILITY - Masters 7 Lyn & Milo 5 AGILITY - Excellent 5 Trevor & Mac 1 Fiona & Ellie 1 AGILITY - Novice 3 Alexandria & Keter 1 Kirsten & Cooch 2 Lucy & Marsha 1 Marion & Frigga 1 Nicole & Trey 2 Sarah & Millly 2 Jumping JUMPING - Open 5 Fiona & Ellie 1 Lucy & Shady 1 Sarah & Cooper 4 Trevor & Mac 3 JUMPING - Masters 7 Lyn & Milo 3 Ray & Inca 3 Sarah & Cooper 10 Trevor & Mac 2 JUMPING - Excellent 5 Lucy & Shady 1 Nicole & Trey 2 Fiona & Ellie 2 JUMPING - Novice 3 Alexandria & Keter 1 Alexandria & Zeus 1 Chavonne & Blaze 1 Heather & Juba 1 Kerrie & Finder 1 Kirsten & Cooch 1 Marion & Frigga 1 Michael & Jazz 1 Tanya & Schooner 1 Games GAMBLERS - Novice 3 Chavonne & Blaze 1 Kirsten & Lucy 1 Tanya & Schooner 1 GAMBLERS - Excellent 5 Ray & Inca 4 Fiona & Ellie 1 SNOOKER - Novice 3 Daphne & Star 2 Fiona & Ellie 2 Karen & Darla 1 Kirsten & Cooch 2 Kirsten & Lucy 1 Michael & Sara 2 Sarah & Milly 1 SNOOKER - Excellent 5 Lucy & Shady 1 Ray & Inca 4 Sarah & Cooper 1 STRATEGIC PAIRS - Novice 3 Cele & Jazz 1 Fiona & Boris 2 Michael & Sara 1 Titles Earned In 2010 AGILITY - Excellent Ray & Inca Sarah & Cooper Alexandria & Boof JUMPING - Open Ray & Inca JUMPING Masters Sarah & Cooper JUMPING Excellent Alexandria & Boof JUMPING Novice Sarah & Milly Please let Cele know if any of the above figures are incorrect or if any of these dogs are no longer trialling.
2010 FPPDTC Trial & Event Calendar May Tuesday 11 No Obedience Training Thursday 13 No Agility Training Friday 21 JD Double AG Agility Saturday 22 AG Double JD Jumping June Saturday 12 AG Double SP Strategic Pairs Sunday 13 JD Double GD Gamblers Friday 25 SD Double SD Snooker Saturday 26 SP & GD Double Sunday 27 TEMC Volunteers Needed July Friday 9 SD Double Saturday 10 SP & GD Double Sunday 11 TEMC Volunteers Needed Friday 16 JD Double Saturday 17 AG Double August Sunday 1 TEMC Volunteers Needed Saturday 7 Obedience Sunday 8 Obedience Saturday 14 Obedience Sunday 15 Obedience Saturday 21 Obedience Sunday 22 Obedience September Sunday 5 TEMC Volunteers Needed Friday 17 Obedience Saturday 18 AG & JD single October Saturday 16 TEMC Volunteers Needed Sunday 24 TEMC Volunteers Needed November Saturday 6 TEMC Volunteers Needed Tuesday 9 Xmas Party & Handler Awards Thursday 11 Triallers Awards Saturday 27 TEMC Volunteers Needed Remember to play with your dog today! 2010 Handler Awards The Handler Awards are to formally recognise the Handlers who have shown the most dedication and commitment to their dog during the year. It is for patience, persistence and kindness. It is open to all members and is about the handler dog relationship, not trial qualifications. Handlers will be nominated by their Instructors at the end of each month. The Handler Awards will be decided in October and the Award Presented at the Annual Christmas Party on the 9 th November 2010.