Introduction
Beryl
I have just joined the group and thought I should introduce myself
although I already know many of you from previous discussion groups.
My name is Beryl. I am a retired primary school teacher. I live in
Goulburn, NSW, Australia, about 2 hours south-west of Sydney and 1
hour north of Canberra. I acquired my first flatcoat in 1989. I have
owned 4 more since then and have bred 2 litters. I previously had
Irish Setters for many years, one German Shepherd and one English
Setter. Although I like many breeds, I adore flatties. I enjoy showing
but prefer obedience and I no longer have the stamina for agility. I
currently do not have a flattie and have not had one since 2004. It is
the first time since I was 8 years old that I have not had a dog in my
life. Since I tragically lost my last dog I have moved and added a
significant other to my life. We are just not in a position at the
moment to have a dog but hope to in the very near future and it will
definitely be a flattie. I was surfing the net tonight, feeling a
liitle low than suddenly remembered Gordon's wonderful fables and of
course came across the group. So hi to all those I've had previous
communication with and I hope to make some new friends. Maybe I can
even encourage the group to be a little more active. I'm sure you all
have stories to share about your wonderful dogs and I for one would
love to hear them. How else can I get my flatcoat therapy?
Cheers for now,
Beryl
Andrew & Beryl Mullen
Thanks for letting me know about the flatcoat group on Flickr. I will
certainly have a look at it. I really enjoyed your slideshow set to
music. Actually it moved me to tears as I just found out that my
brother's 12 year old Irish Setter had died in her sleep. Everyone of
our dogs are beautiful and precious. I loved your photos. Your girls
are obviously very typical flatcoats enjoying life to the full.
Wow, that was some trip! Andrew and I are planning to drive around
Australia sometime soon (with a couple of train trips included) but
minus the two dogs. It is not so easy travelling in Australia with
dogs so we may have to do it before we get another dog. Dogs are not
always welcome in caravan and camping places and definitely not in
motels and hotels. If we ever make it to America, the National
Specialty will be on our itinerary. Flatcoats are still very much a
minority breed here and the closest we have to a National Specialty is
the Flatcoat Association of Victoria's Show. I have been a few times
and it is wonderful catching-up and meeting new flattie enthusiasts.
Have any others in this group attempted long trips with their dogs?
Any tips or funny stories to share?
I am sure Doris and I could swap lots of stories about our teaching
days. Young children and flatties share a common bond with their
wonderful zest for life. It is a shame that we, unlike our dogs, so
often lose it.
Thanks Bruce for my flatcoat fix for the day,
Cheers,
Beryl
Michael Corby
Hi from Perth. You 'prefer obedience' but adore flatties??????
Mike and Magnum
Andrew & Beryl Mullen
Yes I know obedience and flatties don't seem to go together but then I
do like a challenge. I had Irish Setters for years before my first
flattie and had reasonable success in the obedience ring. I found that
both breeds have a lot in common and they are both very intelligent
although lots of people (usually ones who have never owned either
breed) would disagree. The secret is in the way you train them. You
always have to be upbeat and positive and you never ask them to repeat
an exercise in a training session. If they do it right the first time
then that is where you leave it because if you get them to repeat an
exercise they think it is very amusing to put their own variations on
it. I only wish that at the time I had my flatties and I had had more
time to spend on the obedience side. It was just such a busy time in
my life that I didn't get to do half as much obedience as I would have
liked. I believe that the dogs really enjoy it to. Flatties are born
performers no matter what it is they are doing.
On another note how did you go with Magnum's feeding regime? Did you
find a brand that suited him?
Beryl
Michael Corby
We're using Supercoat and getting good results. He is definitely a food snob though, and will often prefer to leave his dinner half-eaten if there are no left-overs or something yummy like the juice from the bottom of a tin of sardines stirred into the biscuits: plain biscuits=big yawn. He's on the lean side as a result (and is well-exercised) and has good stools. A happy boy.
BTW: He is very, very, VERY 'licky'. Is that typical? Excessively affectionately licky.
Interested in your commments.
Mike + Magnum.
Melissa Frohloff
I've had good success with Gauge and obedience and have found that he loves to work. You do have to be patient, but we do well and the judges have always commented on how nice it is to see him work since he obviously enjoys it. Gauge earned his CD at 10 months and then we took a break for me to have our second child. After that, we got back into the obedience ring and he earned his CDX a few days after his 2nd birthday. So yes, Flatties can do obedience! :)
Subject: [Flatcoats] Re: Introduction
Hi Mike
Yes I know obedience and flatties don't seem to go together but then I
do like a challenge. I had Irish Setters for years before my first
flattie and had reasonable success in the obedience ring. I found that
both breeds have a lot in common and they are both very intelligent
although lots of people (usually ones who have never owned either
breed) would disagree. The secret is in the way you train them. You
always have to be upbeat and positive and you never ask them to repeat
an exercise in a training session. If they do it right the first time
then that is where you leave it because if you get them to repeat an
exercise they think it is very amusing to put their own variations on
it. I only wish that at the time I had my flatties and I had had more
time to spend on the obedience side. It was just such a busy time in
my life that I didn't get to do half as much obedience as I would have
liked. I believe that the dogs really enjoy it to. Flatties are born
performers no matter what it is they are doing.
On another note how did you go with Magnum's feeding regime? Did you
find a brand that suited him?
Beryl
Andrew & Beryl Mullen
a CDX in such a youngster and have a baby yourself at the same time. I
admire your dedication. You seem to have the knack with Gauge. Are you
planning on taking him further in his training? What part of the world
are you from?
Beryl
from near Canberra, Australia
Andrew & Beryl Mullen
Glad you're getting good results with Supercoat. I often used to buy
the no frills brands of sardines and mix them, oil and all, through my
dogs' dinner as a treat. They all loved it. I don't think there is
anything wrong with Magnum being on the lean side. If he has good
stools and a shiny coat then he is obviously healthy.
As for being licky I have found that the breed in general seems to
lick more than many other breeds and some individuals can become quite
obsessive. I had a lovely liver girl named Shaina. She used to love to
sit next to me while I was working at the computer. She new by my
reaction that I didn't particularly like being licked so she would
wait until I was really concentrating on the screen and she would
stretch up and lick my hand while it was on the mouse. Then I swear
she would smile at me with a look that said, "Ha, ha. I got you!" I
suspect that it may be heriditary as her daughter who lives with Anne
Cook in Beechworth in Victoria is a really enthusiastic licker. All my
others would lick on occasion but not to the point where it really
bothered me.
On the subject of Anne Cook mentioned above. She has the distinction
if being the first person in Australia to obtain a UD with a flattie.
Her girl Jaana then went on to get her tracking titles and is, I
believe, not only the first but the only flatcoat in Australia to be
awarded the title of Obedience Champion.
Cheers,
Beryl
Melissa Frohloff
Subject: [Flatcoats] Obedience