bob d

Hi Dog Lady, Thanks. I'm guessing you mean the sequence shot - the camera shoots at 8.5 frames a second - I clicked for a catch - then I assembled all the photos as layers in PhotoShop - aligned them, and then used a common background, and used the jumping sparc from each layer. That was the VERY short a simple explanation - I have been doing that sort of sequence for a while, and I can get into way too much detail - I'm hoping that will get you started.. Don't want to really hi-jack this thread

As many here might recall, last year I built a fairly full set of agility equipment - teeter, jumps, tire jump, plank, weave poles - and Sparc uses them (multiple times) every day - still. (from last May) Nearly everything has broken at least once - I used 1/2" and 3/4" PVC for various things, and I can't actually think of a piece of equipment that has not been repaired a few times. WInter winds are quite severe here, but Sparc uses his agility stuff year round of course. I'm just suggesting that if you use PVC - and I think it is the way to go for lots of parts - use 3/4 or 1" PVC - it may look like too much, but really, over time you'll need it. (As I recall, 1/2" and 3/4" was suggested)

Just wondering: I've had a dog, or two, my whole life (I'm 53 now) - and my dogs have always been considered to be well trained, well behaved, and 'smart' - I think this is because I have always taken the time to do a reasonably amount of training, so they fit into my world well. Our BC is about 2 and a half - and I have given him the attention he needs I think. The result is a dog that is incredibly smart and well trained (even if I say so), and I think it is simply because that is the BC way. I so often have even BC people mention this (saying to me "he's so smart..") - that it makes me wonder: Is my experience uncommon - that my first (only) BC is an order of magnitude smarter than any other dog I've had? Do most folks with BCs, that have had other breeds before, find there BCs to be just a bit more 'everything' (smarter, energetic, etc) - or do other find their BC to be a whole new level of 'smart'? Unlike every other dog I've ever had, this one continue to learn new 'things' all the time - and the number of 'tricks / things' he knows - absolutely stunning. But I take it for granted, until someone comments - and I am taking him out with me more these days than ever before, so I'm hearing comments all the time. Oh - should explain - I'm not trying to suggest Sparc is brilliant, or I am anything special as a trainer - I know the reason Sparc is this way is that 1) - he is a BC, and - because of medical realities for me, I have spent a tremendous amount of time with him, and iii) - I have enjoyed giving him new challenges, which results (after a couple of years) in A LOT of things learned. I really do believe he is just a 'regular' well exercised (mentally and physically) BC - great dog, great breed. Cheers, Bob

I think you need to start with a budget in mind Kee - a 'good' camera really can be found in every price range, but you can't compare across ranges. I mean - a good $400 camera, is really a good $400 camera, but it will not compare to a good $1000 camera. Whatever the price, I'd suggest deciding what kind of photos you want to take, and then looking for features that support that. As an example - if you want action photos - you need fast focus, you need minimal lag time (delay from pressing shutter to actual capture), you need fast shutter speeds, fast ISO speeds, etc. Other types of photos will need other types of features, and until you're in the $1000+ range, you'll not find a camera that does 'it all'.. FWIW - I have a Canon 1D MkII - I love it. My daughter Liz has a Canon A520 - she is doing some very good photography with it (a $200 or so? camera as I recall - and she shoots exclusively in manual now - I've tainted her!)

Oops - thanks for clearing that up - I had no idea (10 + years on the Net, a five year old and very large discussion forum, and I didn't know what OP meant - YIKES) I am sorry for jumping in when I was so far off target. FWIW - in my forums, I do not allow the OP to edit after 2 hours, or delete their thread EVER, just because this has happened to my forums - Mods or Admins can edit at any time, but the originator has just two hours. My bad..

This is a shame.. But first .. What is an OP? Now - my view, the shame.. Criticizing the actions of a moderator or administrator. We don't have to participate here, and if we do, we MUST accept that the Admin or Mod get the 'final' say. They (Admin / Mod) are such easy targets for criticism, that it is to me such a shame when it happens. Why do this in public? FWIW - I have a very large discussion forum of my own, well over a million visits a month and I have rules that specifically explain that complaints about moderator actions should be taken up via email or Private Messages (I have 20 moderators helping me in my Forums) I try to protect my Mods via rules because it can so quickly get ugly, with bad feelings and confusion, and NOTHING is served by complaining about the Admin / Mod in public - and of course, the complaints will 'go away too'..... I like this place, I think it is amazing that we all get along so well (wish my forum's members were so well behaved ), and this just bugs me.. OK - more than you wanted to know about Bob.. And I wasn't even following the thread that seems to be missing..

Hi Christine, My whole life I've had dogs, and before Sparc I had never allowed them to jump at all around people. I haven't seen the specific type of jumping you're mentioning but if it is something like this: or this: I started by simply allowing Sparc to jump 'at' me - but I would (and still do) have him "sit" and "stay" until I told him "OK" - then he'd jump at me (I would be sideways to him), and I'd grab him with my arms under him - very quickly he got used to the idea that I would grab him (I mean just a couple of jumps), and then he further got used to the idea that my arms were now the target - so it I set my arms to cradle him, now while he is sitting, he knows that "OK" now means LEAP into my arms. In the first photo - the cool thing to me is that he, from a sit, can reach my arms (I'm 6'2", and my hair grew back) - and in the second he is jumping off a Spa cover - about 6-8 ft to my arms - he goes without fear, without hesitation, and because I was just adding onto an existing behaviour, teaching the trick took just minutes..

How old is he? Maybe it is just an age / attention thing? My BC didn't care much for frisbee until a couple of weeks ago (he's 16 months old) - he has always been big time BALL CRAZY, and even now, his reward for frisbee is to chase a ball - but until a few weeks ago, he just didn't care much at all about playing frisbee with me - he loved to throw it himself, chew on it, etc.. but not bring it back, now all of a sudden, he's on his way to being a frisbee dog.. Just a coincidence, this is from today (the challenge was throwing, grabbing camera, focus, and shoot ): For over a year, I'd throw the frisbee, he'd usually sort of ignore it - I'd encourage him, he'd get it, but didn't really care to bring it back.. Then, one day a couple of weeks ago - he goes running, and JUMPS!.. I still have to encourage him, he'd rather play BALL, but he seems to love frisbee too..

BCs are really different Lauren - although you've certainly figured that out by now. My wife and daughters spent 2 full years trying to convince me to get (for the wife) a BC - so we finally did... and within a month it was clear the new dog was MINE - simply because of the attention he needed - it all worked out with a happy 'ending', I mean I don't mind, I was ready - but it certainly was not what we had planned. As a new puppy - our BC received 2 to 3 hours of play time (tons of running and thinking) each day (he still does) - and his responsibility was then to be nice (quite and calm) when he's not playing - and he is. We started with a routine that continues to this day (14 months later - Sparc is now 16 months old) - that requires he be calm in the evening - and he is crated over night. There was a little protest from him a first, but just a little - consistency is the key - they will know if there is a lack of that, and then you're in trouble. I'm nothing if not consistent, and Sparc has responded wonderfully - because he, like all BCs, is so smart. I can not imagine how a BC could be managed if one did not have hours to spend with them each day - I enjoy the time with our BC, but thinking of 8-10 hour a day away from home working people, with BCs - it seems sort of sad for the BC - at least in my limited experience.. Every time I leave the house for more than a couple of hours, I am greeted on return as if he thought I'd NEVER come back - if this was daily, I think his heart would break. Cheers, Bob

Interesting stuff. I just measured Sparc - 16 months old now, he's about 21", and about 38 pounds. I had thought he was reasonably lean, and this was my intent for him (he's a jumper)- but being around working (herding) dogs a few times lately, Sparc, not looking fat or heavy, is most definitely NOT lean.. "Does all this fur make me look fat?" (sorry, couldn't resist sharing a photo)

Thanks Alaska, some excellent points and things to consider. Sparc is my first BC, it is a wonderful match (the two of us), but I don't know the breed terribly well except for what I read here, and my 'hands on' stuff. He is a loving and very smart dog, and time will tell if the last 7 months will have 'warped him' in any way.. Looking forward to seeing your photos .. Related (photos I mean) - I decided to put together an online album of a few of my photos of Sparc: http://www.bobdunsire.com/ninenote/galleri...parc/index.html Cheers, Bob

We actually do live on a very quiet and rural island - so at home, or in the neighbourhood (forest) there are really no great distractions either. (just lots of birds, deer, etc - he stares at them) While I've been in hospital (basically 5 days every 3 weeks), he gets to walk around part of the University of Washington campus with my wife - she spends most of her days with me (in the hospital), and the dogs are sort of stuck in the van - except for their walks and play time before she comes to visit me.. He is a good sport about this, but shys away from other dogs and people (making control of him very easy for the wife). It just hit me recently that the poor little guy was originally very good in social environments, but now, after all these months, has evolved into a 'shy' and 'scared' dog when encountering people and other dogs. I do plan to expose him to lots of stuff (distractions) so he will have a chance to get over it, but.... (I worry about him)..

Sparc loves agility stuff, and I have been making obstacles in the back yard for him - at least three times each day we go through his 'course' (multiple jumps, large teeter, tire jump, weave pole, 'plank to walk' - and a bit more. ) He listens to me, takes direction well, learns stunningly quickly, and just appears to love this stuff - the only issue is... Sparc is now 13 months old - when he was 7 month old I was diagnosed with cancer, and I have, for the past 6 months been spending A LOT of time in hospital (chemo and 4 surgeries) - the net effect is Sparc has not, in all this time, had any exposure to other dogs (except for our 9 YO Sheltie), or much exposure other people (chemo has been brutal, and I have had to worry about infection, so I've been a 'home body' for nearly all this time). My concern is that I want to find a club / group / gathering / .... where I can take Sparc to play / experience agility, but for half his life he has had no experience with distractions - and I know, when people come to visit as an example, he gets very wound up ... He is (like all BCs) so smart, but I wonder if he will ever get over this? I am more than a little worried that he is always going to pee when meeting new people, and generally get stupid for a bit - and from that I worry that he won't settle and enjoy the 'agility group experience' I do plan to try to help him get over this, but I wonder ?? (Next Tuesday is cycle 6 of chemo for me - home from hospital on Saturday, and I'm DONE - as soon as I stop throwing up.. I plan to find a BC group for us )

Thanks Diane, I am making the most of my two weeks between chemo rounds - new toys for Sparc, new camera body for me , and trying to have as much fun as one can between chemo rounds.. Related to weave entry - I'd guess 2/3rds of the time we enter that way, so I'll just drop the other side entry - good to know. I do hope to some day take Sparc to agility events - the challenge is just the timing of them here - I am quite busy most summer weekends here with bagpiping events (which usually also include agility trials ) I really do plan to find some events for him (us).. I have been fairly careful to limit jumps until recently, but I was thinking at a year, and with our ground very wet and soft... I had no idea about weave poles as a concern? Or the A frame? (which was to be one of my next building projects) Cheers, Bob

Thanks Barb, It was actually embarrassingly easy to get those photos of Sparc - I simply had him 'stay', positioned myself on the other side of the jump, then told him 'through' (perhaps a strange command.. but he knows what I mean - he knows 'over' 'under' and 'through' for jumps so far... humm - will there be anything else?).. I took those using the AI Servo function of my newest camera - Canon 1D Mark II - AI servo automatically tracks moving subjects (at up to 180 MPH) and the motor drive shoots at 8.5 frames per second - so I have dozens of sequences of Sparc jumping through the 'tire'. In the case of that photo - the close up of Sparc is simply cropped from the other image, to show his face..