My Aussies, New and Old

[Edna]

Introducing Camille! She turned 8 weeks old and came to live with us right before school ended. One of her litter mates looked more like my other Aussie, with more white on the face, and was my first choice until I actually met and played with the pups. The family had two little girls who were running and racing and had the other pups really wound up. Camille was calm and quiet even with all that activity and seemed a better choice for me. She's very smart, already has a basic understanding of "Wait, OK" at the door, a basic understanding of where to take care of business. She accepts being in a crate for short periods and sleeps in there from 10 PM to 4 AM every night. We only need to stretch that time by 90 minutes to have her ready for our school routine. We are having her meet new people whenever there's a chance, take short rides in the car, and are working on beginner obedience with just praise, no treats.

Camille

Ponette will turn 4 the first of September. She has always been a happy dog, with more "up" than "forward." Before we started doing obedience, walking her to the park was more like flying a kite than walking a dog. She/we have come a long way and she is now a pleasant member of the household. Along the way we started playing with agility, something we both enjoy. The trainer I've worked with has really pushed me to start competing. Not so much fun. I am too painfully shy to do that. I can go through all the steps to get myself there, but when I step into the ring my whole persona disappears and Po can't do agility by herself. No more trials for us. We are taking the summer off, starting with a new trainer this fall. In the intervening time we are just playing, no treats, just love and praise. After 2 days with the new routine Po has become happy again and has even learned some new things!

Ponette

 

[dmarcus]

Those are two nice looking dogs

 

[Jacqui]

Beautiful! Aussies were one of the breeds on my list as possible "next dog". I was letting my pack thin down and then I wanted one to work in agility and compete with (along with obedience). Instead I ended up with a new dog needing a home two days before Christmas and just about a week ago, somebody handed me a chi puppy. Guess agility competitions will just be a dream for a few years more... I think you should give it a try and see how you feel after doing a few competitions.

 

[Yvonne G]

Very pretty. I understand they need a lot of exercise or need to have a job to do. The pup is so cute!

 

[Edna]

We tried 3 trials, the most recent this last weekend in Maybell, Colorado. As a team, we love every part of it other than our time in the ring. The twice weekly practices, mini-courses in the yard, drives in the truck, camping together, hanging out with other dogs and people are the stuff of dreams. I felt like the first two weekends were learning experiences, telling us what we needed to work on. This last one was simply too painful for words, and I won't put us through that again. We can have fun doing all the rest of it, with no entry fees!!
Yes, Yvonne, they do need some exercise and a job. However, the exercise can be just chasing the tennis ball in the yard, and mine at least doesn't go nuts or anything if we miss a day. The job can be as simple as sit-stay-down-wait-roll over-get the ball-get the stuffie-ride in the car. Po gets very tired from all the mental excertion and spends lots of time asleep at my feet.

 

[Wirewehear]

Love your Aussies! That pup is just adorable. There is nothing more adorable on this planet than a puppy.
I wonder if an Aussie would try to herd all my Torts ... lol .. it would be like herding rocks.

 

[african cake queen]

hi, love the pictures. they say so much just with those eyes. super cute. lindy