The first time I saw Todd was when we picked him (and
his brother who was going to another home) up from Melbourne
airport. They were two podgy little fluff balls huddled
up together at the back of their crate and I thought
they were the most beautiful little guys I’d ever
seen.
When we arrived home to Ballarat we took the crate
into the yard and tried to coax them out (they wouldn’t
come out at the airport!) and after a few moments Todd
came out, had a pee, then began chewing on any body
part he could lay his needle sharp teeth into (his brother
was completely different). After that we offered him
a chicken neck which I’d pounded with a mallet.
The breeder warned us that he might be off his food
at first because of the flight etc but that chicken
was inhaled in seconds by both of them and when it comes
to food, Todd’s appetite has never disappointed
us.
We
took him to puppy school so we could learn a few basics
and my son and I usually came away with cuts all over
our hands due to his enthusiasm for treats. The instructor
began to wonder if food was the best thing to use for
us. That early training set us on the right track in
developing a great relationship with Todd.
The first 18 months were very interesting at home with
him. I had a 2-3 year old at that time and trying to
keep everything under control was interesting at times.
More than once Todd was tied to my waist during the
“arsenic hour” (around 5pm) when kids and
pups are best kept separated.
When things settled down at home a little and mum needed
time out from the house I joined BDOC. Todd was 2 years
old by then and, compared to dogs I’d previously
owned, had matured considerably. We started doing obedience
and Todd did really well but his handler took a while
to catch on. We eventually made it to class 4 and then
I was talked into entering a trial with him. What a
disaster that was. I learned a few things from that
and after a while was convinced to try another trial.
The heeling went brilliantly, stand/stay perfect and
figure 8 fantastic. I think I only dropped 2 or 3 points.
Then came sit/drop stays. Well, I’d only made
it a few paces from him and he stood and followed me.
Mind you, he did do the stays, just right at my feet
instead of at his marker.
I
decided to have a go at flyball with him because of
his love of retrieving and obsession with balls. He
really enjoyed his training and learned pretty easily
because of his traits. After we’d both met certain
criteria we were able to join a team and attend our
first competition, me with my heart pounding and incredibly
nervous and Todd, not phased at all by doing the real
thing, just wanting to run and get that ball.
We’ve been competing for around 4 years now, have
travelled to lots of different places with our family
and have met so many great dog loving people. Todd has
achieved his Flyball Master Excellent title. He’s
only a few points away from Flyball Master Champion
(1,000 points) which I’m hoping he’ll achieve
before he semi-retires in October this year at the nationals
in Sydney.
At nearly 8 years of age I hope to start Todd at tunnelers
(agility for oldies, look out here we come!!!!) with
NADAC. He’s become a fantastic family dog and
a very much loved part of our family, so much so that
we got another Toller. I’ll have to put her story
up another time.
Sharon
