So, here are the 10, in no particular order:

1. Teach an old dog new tricks
Your dog can learn new tricks almost no matter how old he or she is. Sure, older dogs may require more time and patience – and you may need to be a little less ambitious about what you try; but if you know what drives your dog, whether that be food, a favourite toy, or cuddles and attention, you can work on a new trick.
If you’re stuck for ideas, try searching YouTube.

2. Flyball
If you and your dog are more the social types, you’ll love flyball. It’s relay racing for dogs! Teams of four dogs (and their handlers) compete against each other. Kind of like playing “fetch” on steriods
Watch our flyball story to see for yourself:

3. Obedience
Training your dog to “sit” or “drop” at home is one thing… doing it in front of a bunch of other people, dogs, and distractions – and being judged on it – is another challenge altogether! Developing your working relationship with your dog to this level will benefit both of you, and give you confidence that you can keep your dog safe under a wide range of conditions. Contact your local obedience club for details.

4. Doggy Dancing (Canine Freestyle)
If you’ve never seen Doggy Dancing, it might sound pretty loopy. In reality it’s just advanced obedience work, performed to music. Loads of fun and impressive to your non-doggy friends, too. See our story on Doggy Dancing for more info:

5. Herding
Now this one definitely isn’t for everyone. But if your dog has “herding” ancestry, whether it be Border Collie or German Shepherd; or something a little more unusual like Hungarian Puli or Norwegian Elkhound, you might want to try your hand at herding ducks, geese, or sheep. Herding is a fabulous way for your dog to exercise its instincts and breeding; not to mention a great way to hone your communication with your dog.

For more info, you could do worse than starting at the Dogs Victoria Herding info page.

Herding Dogs, by NatalieMaynor on Flickr

6. Earthdog
If your dog is of the small, terrier-type or otherwise tunneling persuasion – for example a Jack Russell, Dachshund, or Border Terrier, here is a great way to test its instincts. Your dog must navigate its way through a series of man-made tunnels and find its quarry. Could also be handy if you have a rodent problem at home! More info at the Dogs Victoria Earthdog page.

7. Sledding/Mushing
Whether you have a Husky, a Malamute, or any healthy medium-sized dog, you can give sledding a go – even if you don’t live in or near an area which receives snowfalls. In snowless areas or the off-season, you can use a scooter! Your local Malamute, Husky, or Mushing/Sledding club would be a great place to start. See also our Malamute story from back in December 2007:

8. Frisbee
Sure, you might throw a frisbee for your dog occasionally at the park; but did you know that Canine Frisbee is actually a proper sport? That is to say, it has rules and a championship structure, and you can play it with other people and dogs? For more info check out Canine Disc Australia.

Instrument Landing by Emery Way on Flickr

9. Therapy dog
You already know how much joy your own dog can bring you. When you’re not feeling the best, a few minutes with your dog often helps to take your mind off your problems. Well why not share the health benefits of your dog with others? Dogs have plenty of love to go around. After going through a training and accreditation process, you’ll be able to take your dog to places like nursing homes and watch the smiles he or she brings to the faces of the residents. Contact a therapy dog organization like Delta Society for more info.

10. Agility
One of my favourites, for sure! Agility is essentially showjumping for dogs. It’s high-energy for both handler and dog, and exciting and spectacular to watch. Dogs are timed performing a series of maneuvres including jumping through a tyre, going through tunnels, weaving between poles, and walking over a see-saw. The courses become more difficult as dog and handler advance through the levels. For more contact your local agility club – but first check out the agility story we did back in 2007:

…Well hopefully at least one of those activities appeals to you, and you’ll give it a try this year. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Share this

Hide Sites

Papillon

• Wikipedia Papillon page
• Papillon Club of Victoria

Herald Sun: How smart is that doggie in the mirror?

telegraph.co.uk: Dogs as intelligent as two-year-old children

Sidney Aarons: Punishment and correction chains

• See Sidney’s Dog Training Page for some key points to keep in mind when training your dog

Need supplies for your hound? Please support our wonderful sponsor, Mega Pet Warehouse.
They like Hound TV, and we like them, too. Tell ‘em we sent you!

And don’t forget all our other sponsors – they’re wonderful, too!

Share this

Hide Sites

Pyrenean Mountain Dog

• Wikipedia Great Pyrenees (Pyrenean Mountain Dog) page
• Pyrenean Mountain Dog Club of Victoria
• Great Pyrenees Club of America

Sidney Aarons: Leash training

• See Sidney’s Dog Training Page for some key points to keep in mind when training your dog

DogChannel.com: Dogs better than coffee and TV, survey says

Steve adopts a dog (Kosmo Part I)

• GoodForDogs.org (Interactive dog shelter map for Melbourne)
• Petrescue.com – Australia-wide combined listings from shelters
• Save-A-Dog scheme, Glen Iris

Need food, bedding, leads, collars, toys, or anything else for your dog? Please support our lovely sponsor, Mega Pet Warehouse.
They like Hound TV, and we like them, too. Tell ‘em we sent you!

And don’t forget all our other sponsors – they’re extra nice, too!

Share this

Hide Sites

Bull Terriers

• Wikipedia Bull Terrier page
• Bull Terrier Club of Victoria

Arthritis

• Information on Arthritis in Dogs from the Arthritis Foundation (USA)
• Canine Arthritis page at ASPCA (USA)

Dog Grooming with Natalie West

• Doggie Dooz grooming salon
• Dog Diversity grooming courses
• Dog Grooming page on Wikipedia
• Dog Grooming on YouTube

Guide Dogs Victoria

Need stuff for your dog? Please support our sponsor, Mega Pet Warehouse.
They’re very nice indeed. Oh, and tell ‘em we sent you!

Share this

Hide Sites

In our travels shooting Hound TV, people often ask us how to receive Channel 31 through their digital TV or set top box, or what will happen to Channel 31 when analogue TV is switched off.

This has always been a bit of a confusing one (for me, at least), but with the release of the federal budget, the answer has become a bit more clear – and it’s not pretty. Here’s what Channel 31 had to say about it:

Get ready for digital? Get ready for nothing.

Today’s budget announcement leaves Community Television out in the cold and facing an uncertain future as Australia moves rapidly towards digital television.

‘It’s a real kick in the teeth’ says Greg Dee, C31 General Manager, ‘Senator Conroy has constantly assured the sector that we would not be left behind. Then when the time has come to put their money where their mouth is, this government has given us nothing.’

The budget announces $140 million to assist viewers in converting to digital, but fails to ensure that all television broadcasters are converted to digital by omitting community television yet again. The ABC is set to receive $136 million to fund its third digital channel, whilst not a cent can be found to give C31 a single digital channel.

As an independent small business C31 provides an incomparable service to large and diverse sections of the community.

• C31 provides a communication platform to marginalised and under-represented sections of the community largely ignored by the mainstream media – often new and emerging communities.
• C31 airs over 95 locally produced shows each week making it by far the largest broadcaster of local content in Australia.
• C31 serves as a training ground for the entire television sector, and has produced some of the most well known faces on Australian TV including Rove and Hamish and Andy, in addition to hundreds of people working behind the scenes.
• C31 provides a marketing platform which enables local business to use the power of television to target a local audience.

ALL OF THIS AT NO COST TO THE TAXPAYER.

With the increased uptake of digital set top boxes, the 11th hour approaches for community television.

‘There is currently unused spectrum that could easily be allocated to C31’ continues Greg Dee ‘and the cost associated with upgrading our facilities to broadcast in digital are, relatively speaking, miniscule.’

Will there be a chair for community TV when the music stops on analogue TV?

Digital. Don’t go there until we do.

So, what are you – the humble viewer – supposed to do about it?

Simple: Contact your local MP and ask them to explain why support for the transition to Digital for Community TV has been left out of the Budget, and what they plan to do now. Feel free to play the ‘You will lose my vote if this doesn’t happen’, and the ‘How is Steven from Hound TV supposed to feed his family now?’ cards

If each one of our fans makes one call or writes one letter, it will make a difference! Thanks.

Share this

Hide Sites

]]>