THE PACK LEADER
March 2000 Newsletter

In House Trial
Our first in House tail was held on the 4th of March at Beerwah Sports Oval. The day was better than hoped, with 20 people attending and 10 dogs competing. On the day a football match was under way, providing many distractions for the dogs. We could not have planned it better. The distractions of crowd noise, cars parking close to the trialing ring, referee whistle blowing, football flying through the air and sirens sounding added so much to our training. For those competing in level assessments there were some successes and a few mishaps.
Achieving passes in Level One, Verlie Guest and her Doberman "Luke", and Jill Zimmermann and her American Staffordshire Terrier "Axle".
Achieving passes in Level Two, Christine Becht and her German Shepherd "Tyson".
In the Trialing levels, work was again outstanding, showing commitment and the standard of training of our members.
In Level Three (A). Kirsty Morgan and "India" took out first place with 188 points. Second place Monica Krueger and "Eddie" with 186 points. Third place Tony Collins and "Beau" with 163 points. Tony was sitting on 193 until Beau stood up in the drop stay. Congratulations to all, you r work was very impressive, remembering the distractions of the football game and our own food on the ground.
Level Three (B). Atom and I took out first place with 161 points. Second place Jeffrey Allan and Ray with 149 points. Again the day proved a little too much for these guys, the novice judge our pack leader Ross Allan had a few testing moments which his son Jeffrey puts down to Alzheimer's. The end of the day saw both, myself and Jeffrey attempting, Level 3 (C). Remembering the distractions of the football game and our own food on the ground, gunfire and dogs dropped in the ring while competing all did very well.
Our leader Ross Allan conducted presentations. The trophies were impressive and well earned. Words of praise and encouragement followed by Ross whose pride in his members was obvious. The implementation of the event of our own in house trail's is not only leading the was in dog obedience training but is also breaking new ground. The opportunity for you to compete with non-pedigree dogs, and also improve the high standard of the trialing dogs.
A barbecue ended the day with all enjoying the food and conversation, a great way to end the occasion. We also thank Verlie Guest for manning the barbeque plate. The raffle first prize steak knives, was won by Melanie Flaye and second prize, acrylic glasses was won by Maiska Herbert. Congratulations to all.
Report Micheal Maynard

Internet Sites
Another interesting site I have found. Not on dogs this month but another favourite interest of mine, food. Check it out if you are into cooking and enjoy eating. http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes  67087 recipes in index. Thanks to David and Melanie Flaye another site on dogs and health. http://www.barkbytes.com/index.htm

The Flaye’s Heart Break
For some weeks David and Melanie’s dog Kayla has been limping, a sign something was wrong. A trip to the veterinarian sent them spinning. The dog diagnosed with OCD. A keen young couple embracing the principles of dog training, their future hopes for their dog and possibly trialing shattered. A subsequent x-ray showed no sign of the dreaded condition much to their relief. The dog was suffering some form of muscle sprain. Congratulations on the good news and all the best for both of you and Kayla. Mariska Herbert and Tarjah. Mariska Herbert’s young Border Collie is another victim of OCD. The little fellow underwent an operation recently and is now on the way to recovery. It appears OCD is something we should all be more aware of.

Osteochondritis OCD causes
At the present time the nutritionists believe that excessive protein is a minor factor in the development of OCD. The hereditability of OCD is not fully known but it is thought to be a disorder that is at least partially influenced by heredity and some veterinary researchers believe it is strongly influenced by heredity. Other than heredity the identified risk factors include living in a multi-dog household, drinking well water instead of city water (which the authors of the study that uncovered this link think relates to the increased opportunity for exercise among rural dogs), excessive caloric intake and excessive calcium in the diet. It is hard to separate excessive calcium intake from excessive caloric intake because they are usually related. The best way to avoid orthopaedic diseases that are influenced by heredity and environmental occurrences in puppies is to keep them thin while they are growing up. Being overweight by even a small amount seems to predispose active puppies to orthopaedic diseases such as hip dysplasia, OCD and elbow dysplasia. In big breed puppies keeping them thin enough to see three to five ribs easily is best. The problem is that most people think that is too thin, including the neighbours and other casual observers who feel free to comment on the puppy’s appearance. It makes it hard to stick to the plan and help reduce orthopaedic illnesses when the neighbours are threatening to call the humane society and turn You in for starving your puppy. But thin is good until they are grown. Since excessive exercise appears to be the reason behind the multi-dog household and well water problem it is likely that running and playing on concrete is bad for puppies predisposed to this condition, too. It isn’t uncommon for dogs with OCD in one shoulder to develop the disease in the other one later, or concurrently. It is also not uncommon for dogs to have more than one orthopaedic problem. In breeds that are also prone to hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia it is a good idea to consider the possibility of a second problem when lameness recurs in an affected limb. One last thing - controlling weight is also the single factor most likely to reduce chronic pain associated with degenerative joint diseases, too. It is reported to outperform administration of aspirin but I haven’t seen a comparison to the newer medications like carprofen (Rimadyl Rx) and etodolac (Etogesic Rx). 
Osteochondritis (OCD)- treatment 
I think that most orthopaedic surgeons and probably most veterinarians consider surgical correction of OCD to be preferable to non-surgical treatment. There has been at least one study supporting non-surgical treatment consisting of rest and analgesic administration but the dogs were only followed for four years or so and several orthopaedic surgeons I have spoken with, feel that there is eventually sufficient degeneration of the joints. Their feeling is that the study did not follow these dogs long enough to really be accurate. Some dogs do OK without surgery. If six weeks of confinement and analgesic therapy resolve the lameness there may be no need for surgery. If not, it can be done at that time or even later. Osteochondritis lesions can be hard to see, even for vets. The damaged area of cartilage may be relatively small or located in a position it is hard to highlight on X-rays. Any visible lesion should probably be considered to be significant when lameness is present. OCD and Hip Dysplasia connection. There is evidence that Hip Dysplasia may be part of a larger syndrome of problems affecting bone. The current theory, as I understand it, is that the changes leading to hip dysplasia may be occurring in multiple sites in the bones but that it shows up best in the hip joint, leading to the tendency to focus attention there. I do not know of a link between OCD and hip dysplasia that has been firmly established but there has been some speculation about a connection. I often recommend a short course of conservative treatment in conditions such as this, too. If your dog continues to limp please talk to your vet about elbow and shoulder X-rays. If you would contemplate surgical correction for something like elbow dysplasia it should be done early in the course of the disease, if possible Mike Richards, DMV. Taken from Internet Site http://www.vetinfo.com/dogarchive.html 

Dog joke
A dog owner was having no luck trying to train his pet, but an evangelist offered to take over the task. A week later, the evangelist returned the animal and demonstrated his success by throwing a stick and ordering ”fetch”. The dog returned to him with the stick and, on the command ”drop,” placed it at his feet. Next, the evangelist said, ”roll over” which the dog immediately did. Excited, the owner told the dog, ”heel”. It stood up, placed its paw on him and said solemnly, ”I command this sickness to leave you.” 

Trialing News 
Murrumba Dog Obedience Club, Morayfield, March 11th provided the venue for our novice trialers. 
Results:- Kirsty Morgan and India, 1st place novice bitches 191pts. And her C.D. title. 
Monica Krueger and Eddy, 1st place novice males 192pts. 
And first novice trial Peter Mario narrowly missed his qualifyng score in his first UD trail. His Lab’ Winston went over the pole jump twice costing them a score of 188pts. Not bad first time in the ring for handler and dog! 
In-house Competition 25 March 
Our 2nd in-house comp’ raised another outstanding number of entries from keen students. Those who failed on the day provided exhibitions of training of high standard and were caught out on minor faults. Results:- 3(a) Tony Collins & GSD ”Beau” - 175pts. 3(b)Monica Krueger & Standard Poodle ”Eddy” - 194pts Level 2. Christa Kauffmann & GSD ”Jana” The Metro sweep stake trials on the 1st April. Results:- Monica Krueger & ”Eddy” 1st novice dogs - 197pts Tony Collins & ”Beau” 2nd - 190pts. It really doesn’t get much better, particularly when one considers they are novice handlers with novice dogs. Kirsty Morgan with Staffv ”India” claimed the first title for the new year and did so with absolute class. They competed in three sweepstakes and three trials qualifying in all six with an average score of 186pts. Three of these trials in the 190’s. Again they are both raw novices and again - it doesn’t get much better. I wish to remind students that it most important to train their dogs in a variety of locations and distractions. The dogs should be trained inside the house, house yard, footpaths, various parks and beaches. We train dogs based on working dog ethics and that means they should be reliable under stressful circumstances. This philosophy paid off for Tony at Metro, when his dog totally ignored a competitor and friends played loudly with their dog beside his ring, and a subsequent brief dog fight only metres from where he was working. I was pleased to see the distractions had no effect on Tony's dog Beau, indeed I would have been disappointed in Tony’s training had Beau been adversely affected. No excuses please, train your dog and don’t join the whingeing set. I also express my appreciation to the proprietors of the Sunshine Coast Boarding Kennels, Crosby Hill Rd, Buderim, for the use of their grounds. As most of you know I am Naskam Protective Services official dog trainer and give lessons to security personnel and the general public at 3pm Fridays on their front area. David and Cassandra are always friendly and helpful making their beautiful grounds a pleasure to train on. 
Next in-house comp’s. 
The venue is Beerwah sports ground on the 15th k 29th April commencing 2pm. 

Quote from Ross Allan’s 2nd manuscript. 
Dogs are among God’s most beautiful creatures who are intelligent, emotional creatures of independent mind, and should never be acquired unless we can provide the emotional and physical care they require. When you feel your fellow mankind has turned their backs on you and life isn’t worth living, get on the floor with your dog, cuddle it and pour out you woes to him. The bibl tells us that we all unique in the eves of God as are the animals of his kingdom - that biblical quotation means you and your precious canine friend. Bonding - your dog is an emotional creature. To get the best out of your dog in training make it your closest and dearest friend.

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