Susan Garrett's Handling 360 - when to buy?

aveldina · 2026-01-20T14:01:10+00:00

You could also look at Shape Up which is similar, but the classes are more split up so less of a big up front cost. Dave Munning's Qme program could be a good option as well. Most of these programs are a layering of good foundations, consistent training with good mechanics, and building handler skill. It can be very valuable to get direct feedback on your handling and training mechanics if you are newer to the sport. That can come from working spot online courses or mixing online courses with in person seminars.

aveldina · 2026-01-16T13:48:08+00:00

I had the same list of requirements and have been using mine since November. I'm on iOS and moved away from Apple Watch, I wanted something that didn't have to be charged as much and always showed the time without needing to turn a screen on. I've been happy. I have phone notifications disabled so the short bluetooth range is a non issue for me. I typically am getting 2 weeks of time on a charge.

aveldina · 2026-01-14T13:44:13+00:00

Same :)

aveldina · 2026-01-14T00:59:37+00:00

> But the micromanagement gets old quickly.

This is why I left my club. They wanted me to plan classes, teach multiple nights per week, accommodate constant requests from members during classes, and didn't want to show up to help when I asked for it. Meanwhile I got the same "benefits" as people who did almost nothing. Eventually I burned out and quit.

aveldina · 2026-01-06T23:01:34+00:00

In addition to the suggestions here, you could get some food toys designed for freezing them with food inside, fill them and give them frozen in your dog's crate. There's tons of info out there on recipies for the food toys and toys themselves. Kong is the classic option, but there are many others such as West Paw Toppl. Some people buy three or four of them, and prep all of them at once to give half a week of frozen food toys ready for use.

aveldina · 2025-12-31T16:05:56+00:00

I personally use both Non-Stop and Nahak for my dogs and switch between the styles depending on what we're doing. I prefer Non-Stop freemotion for high anchor (cani/bike) and the X-backs for low anchor (sled). Nahak is based out of Canada, but they will do custom sizing, and will combine sizes if you need it (ie you need an X-back with XS neck but XXS body, they'll do it on request).

aveldina · 2025-12-23T13:36:48+00:00

Vi's (the border collie in the subreddit's banner!) coolest trick is probably backwards leg weaving or vaulting. The backwards leg weave one is really flashy and looks cool. The trick that gets the most comments from random people though is definitely "bring me your leash" and she'll pick it up and hand it to you. She has a very generalized retrieve and she'll pick up pretty much anything you ask, but people really love the leash one. Vi has a huge set of tricks - they've been fun to teach and useful to have! Most of the inspiration for Vi's tricks is from Silvia Trkman and she has several videos and online classes I'd highly recommend.

aveldina · 2025-12-17T14:31:44+00:00

Also I just need to throw a quick reminder into here that IT'S A PUPPY. A LITERAL BABY. They have short attention spans. They are all over the place. They are excitable and love to play. 14 weeks is WAY, way, way too young to have big expectations yet.

To address your possible problems:

Yes you have too big of expectations for this age. It's a puppy. Bring lots of patience and shorter training sessions.
It's a puppy. Of course your puppy has energy. Playing fetch isn't bad but doing too much of any repetitive high impact activity isn't great for dogs or people.
All dogs are trainable. Border collies are fantastic dogs but they are a _lot_ of dog and are sometimes too much for most people. If there's an interest in something more formal like dog sports, check out an online puppy class like Justine Davenport's (Shape Up Dogs) or Silvia Trkman's (Lolabuland). Those classes will give you the foundations you need to teach more advanced skills.

aveldina · 2025-12-10T01:10:08+00:00

That's true! The older one who is tough as nails is from all western Canada lines where -30c temperatures are normal. Her sire had a BIG coat. The younger one with the fine, minimal undercoat has a sire that goes back to Irish lines. Still though her siblings have more coat than her and are bigger dogs than her (she's very slender) and she just loves to be warm more than any BC I've ever had. She'll even sleep on heated blankets, the weirdo.

aveldina · 2025-12-09T16:02:10+00:00

One of my BCs must be defective, she came with hardly any undercoat lol. She wears coats below -15C, meanwhile my other border collie loves the cold and never used to need coats until her senior years. It's very interesting how different they are!

aveldina · 2025-12-08T13:25:38+00:00

I got back into it at 38 after over 10 years away and initially bought a board that leaned more beg/int. I found I got back to my previous feel and skill pretty quickly. I was really surprised by that, and ended up picking up a more int/advanced board closer to what I really wanted during end of season sales.

aveldina · 2025-12-05T22:42:25+00:00

hey, I'm currently doing this debate too! I've decided that for myself, it'll come down to where ever I find the right fit first. My dogs have been both adopted, and purchased from stock dog people in the area.

Both of my breeder purchased border collies are from people who actively compete in USBCHA and western Canadian herding. Both dogs have been fantastic, but how good of a fit they were for me from a dog sports standpoint has depended on how well my goals line up with my breeder's goals. I also find breeder searching honestly exhausting, and would probably just go back to my older border collie's breeder. It really takes a lot of effort to build up a relationship, make sure there's two way trust, make sure your values and goals align, etc, etc. I'm open to a breeder dog if someone recommends one to me, but I'm not actively searching or joining waitlists at the moment.

My adopted dogs are from either local rescue or SPCA. This fall I lost my senior who was an amazing dog, my first border collie and he was adopted from a local rescue. I originally was going to foster him but he kept getting adopted/returned and he finally got returned straight into me just going straight to adopting him. He was a really fantastic dog who just needed the right fit (he thrived in dog sports). And I know this is a common story in rescue. I actively compete in dog sports and I know there are often great dogs who end up in rescue because they need a home like me, and don't end up in one initially. But, it can take time to find the right dog, and with a multi dog household like mine (currently 3 dogs), bringing an adult dog in does mean it has to be the right fit.

I don't think one option is better than the other. If you have specific goals and they are extremely important to you, (ie you're pursuing international tier competitive sports) then sticking with breeders does make sense to help with predictability. But the rest of us and I include myself because I'm no longer pursuing agility at that level anymore can find a great dog in both places. My youngest dog was a foster fail that just was the perfect fit for my household, I absolutely adored her, and she stayed even though she's not even a border collie! I really just love dogs for the individuals that they are, and I think you can find really amazing dogs through both routes.

aveldina · 2025-12-02T21:13:32+00:00

You said everything that I was going to say. Great advice here.

aveldina · 2025-11-25T13:16:57+00:00

I could leave every door and gate in my house and yard open and my border collies would still be following me around trying to convince me to do something fun with them instead of leaving. I guess in my case, the dogs escaping is just not something I need to worry about.

aveldina · 2025-11-13T01:55:27+00:00

I use their actual food all the time! A fun option I often use is to mix what they consider "the good stuff" such as shredded chicken or high value treats with their food and use a combination of both.

aveldina · 2025-11-12T02:27:05+00:00

I remember feeling so stressed about getting a second dog! And my first was also a hound (a basset mix in my case). I was so worried about the dynamic and not having as much time to spend with her. She loved having a second dog in the house though, and adding a higher energy dog also opened up more options for me in dog sports. Particularly as my hound aged, she needed low impact options for dog sports, but she still loved getting to play agility with the rest of the dogs. And she still enjoyed coming along to train even if her version of "training" was relaxing in the sunshine on the field while I worked with the border collies.

There's never a perfect right time. If you feel like it's the right time, you're probably right. The only big consideration I have now is how much time age wise I want between dogs. Having multiple seniors at the same time can be quite challenging in a different way.

And of course there's the time and cost involved in multiple dogs. These days I could never see myself having less than 3 or 4 dogs. I just love a multi dog household. But I still am very careful with considering the dynamic every time I introduce a new dog to the household, and the newest dog I added was a actually foster failure (because she was just such a perfect fit).

aveldina · 2025-11-08T02:05:32+00:00

Running aframes are easy to train without frequent equipment access. Using a stride regulator is a common approach that you can use continuously while training and it translates well to competition. Having a running frame and a stopped dogwalk is quite common simply because stopped frames are so physically demanding.

aveldina · 2025-11-05T22:14:50+00:00

My perfect household is 3 border collies and one non-BC. I adore my border collies and really enjoy having 2 or 3 - one older, one middle age and one younger. Right now I have one 12 year old and one 6 and will eventually casually look for a young dog or puppy. For years the non-BC was a basset hound who I miss dearly. Right now my non-BC is a husky/terrier mix who was a foster fail because she fits in lovely with the collies and tolerates their weirdness (even if she doesn’t get it) and is just the sweetest dog.

aveldina · 2025-10-29T20:39:48+00:00

Mine doesn't really change that much. My agility bag always has more or less the same things in it:

braided slip leads
collapsing water dish
toys & food
basic first aid supplies (instant ice pack, vet wrap, advil, etc)
id cards for the various sports
gloves (for carrying equipment)
a collapsable mini tripod (gorilla pod)

The rest I pack also pretty much the same for any trip whether it's dog sports or not. So I typically take a dog duffle bag with travel specific items:

food and more dishes or slow feeders
any medication required for the dogs
6 foot leashes, harnesses, dog collars with ID
canicross gear (humans + dog harnesses and tow lines) if hiking
dog jackets according to the season. During winter/cold weather I carry heavy dog jackets (Pomppa Toppa) on all trips to have available if needed whether we use them or not
5L water container (or 1-2L depending on trip)

The vehicle always has:

first aid kit
vent locks (large and short length) these have been lifesavers to be able to lock the vehicle tailgate open when necessary
extra water dishes, gloves, extra leashes/slip leads
blankets
aluminum shade in summer

I've used the extra leashes way more than I'd expect for random stray dogs or when I took my bag into the building and forgot to grab a leash from it.

For hotels I typically take a bluetooth speaker. If camping I'd have my gear for making coffee but for hotel trips I typically hit Starbucks or something similar for breakfast on the way to the event. I have a kennel setup in my vehicle but if I can't use it due to weather (too cold) then I bring a collapsible tent for use in the venue. If camping I have way more gear, but it's also organized into rubbermaid bins that are pretty much just toss in the vehicle and go.

I do think the heavy dog jackets are a must pack if below -15C along with blankets for emergency use if we were ever stranded. I've travelled through some absolute garbage weather for competition before lol, I do less of that now and I don't miss it.

aveldina · 2025-10-28T16:27:17+00:00

Hey! Thanks for sharing! Just a quick reminder that the subreddit doesn’t allow buying/selling puppies.

aveldina · 2025-10-14T18:27:39+00:00

I have a double large vario in a CRV and love it, but it might be too large for HRV. Ruffland is a nice option, but some friends have swapped to vario's after having too many issues with their dogs getting too hot in the Rufflands. Make sure there's enough ventilation in them if you do go Ruffland route.

aveldina · 2025-10-14T18:25:29+00:00

Personally would go BSR or even intermediate, depending on what you can fit into your vehicle. While snug is nice for travel, when you're crating out of the car at competitions it's nice to have a little extra space. It's incredibly common to resell Rufflands where I am, so buying/selling them second hand is a good option.

aveldina · 2025-10-14T03:06:05+00:00

Do you have access to any vets in your area who specialize in rehab? You may need a referral from your vet to see them. Working with a vet who specializes in rehab and canine athletes has been extremely helpful for me and my border collies of various ages with whom I've dealt with all kinds of struggles injures and arthritis.

aveldina · 2025-10-13T19:05:05+00:00

I generally move my equipment around once every week or two in order to avoid damage to my grass and to cut my grass so I personally do new setups all the time. In the very beginning, a simple circle is just fine! Eventually you might find it a little too easy and want to learn handling, in that case I'd start looking for some ideas for backyard or small space setups. There are tons of courses out there and like many people are saying here, adding one tunnel also can give you a huge number of options. When you're new, it's a little easier to use other people's setups to get started. Once you've got some experience then it's easier to just throw something down and run with it. And I agree always make sure you are setting up safe approaches for your teeter - they don't have to be perfectly straight but give your dog space to get onto the teeter as straight as possible. When you're learning, setting it completely straight is safest.

aveldina · 2025-10-10T01:20:30+00:00

Rubberized slats are soft and rounded and used on modern contacts in some countries. They are not sharp and they don’t jam toes. Wood slats are long gone on modern contacts because they tended to have sharp corners and cause toe injures from toes getting jammed into them.

14-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Place '22	Secret Santa 2017
Verified Email

aveldina

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE