Vickie

What about show breeders focusing on solids then? There doesn't seem to have been any compromise/detriment on the basis of colour. agree with jesomil, plenty of solid wk's around. Ktb, if show breeders focussed ONLY on colour, there would be compromise in (their ideal) structure, health & temperament. Overall working ability will be compromised as they are not testing & selecting for it. (yes I know some do, but most don't & certainly not to the same level that farm work would provide). Anything you do not consciously select for will weaken over time.

WOOHOO!!! I bet you & Daisy will be just as awesome at agility as you are at obedience. Keep us updated!!!

in part, he should adapt to all these things and have a off switch because he is working line. A dog that is unable to hang out for days on end doing nothing is not useful to a farmer. A dog that cannot cope at all with new things is also not useful. These dogs tend to get eliminated from the breeding lines. (good) Breeding for work produces dogs who are able to suit the requirements of the person breeding them.

this is not really true ktb. Lots of kelpies don't need to back as part of their job. We always had working kelpies when I was growing up & they never needed to back. And lots of the bigger kelpies do actually back anyway, they are not too heavy to run over a tightly packed mob of sheep. Just like the BC's, working kelpies can often be split into different types depending on their primary funtion. As a general rule the heavier kelpies tend to be yard dogs & the lighter ones tend to be paddock dogs. Of course many do both.

Mine are neither :rolleyes:

ummmmm NO! who would be my bestest friend? Who would Cuddle up & keep me warm at night? Who would make me smile & laugh a hundred times a day? Who would teach all the new puppies how gentle big dogs can be? Who would wash all my friends faces when they come to visit? Who would...do a billion other things that makes her so special? The answer is a definite & final NO! From shines mum!

Here is a good article about Merle genetics. It is about shelties so sable not ee red, but explains lots of things very clearly http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/genetics/merle.html

She is Guirmere, same as Maria & Gordon's dogs (and a few other QLD'ers)

Very nice AD :rolleyes:

Agreed. We have run some quite small & twisty courses that had great flow & no bad angles Not much distance between some of these jumps & lots of turns, but it had a real flow to it & was lovely to run

Sue E, Neil L & Rob O. All great courses!

Hi SG, not a lot to tell really. I saw her come into the pound & thought she was a great little dog. She was found running in a National Park & never claimed by her owners. I think it's just chicken wire? or maybe rabbit proof mesh. The mesh is 3 foot high with 3 strands through it & 3 stands above it. Gates are normal farm gates. Honestly, I don't think it would keep any dog in who wanted to get out.

It was great to see you again & another THANK YOU!!!!! SO MUCH!!!! for my pressies :D Peppi was such a good girl. It was her first camping trial & she handled it so well. The only bit she didn't like was when Chloe ran Shine in Snooker :rolleyes: . She was really pulling on the lead & quite upset about it all!

Tell your friend herding instinct is a truncated prey drive. The bit that's truncated is the kill! JRT next door killed a chook last week, not an ounce of herding breed in him

Huski White Shep Mini Schnauzer Smooth Collie ACD CRAZY!

Some more pics Dobe Corgi MinPin Staffy OES

I think dogs choose the method that suits their body best & I never try to interfere with it unless they are doing weird things like crossing their feet. I have one double foot dog & one single foot dog.

That's what I have been noticing too AD. Their grand prix & steeplechase finals seem mostly about our excellent level. Trim has a brother in japan. I cannot believe how ugly & technical their courses are & their top dogs seem a bit slower in comparison. I wonder if it's b/c they are always running in collection. We had some qld judges on the weekend. I loved!!!! the courses. Still very challenging, but also very flowing & none of the tight crap we regularly see here in nsw.

Can you elaborate a bit more on her temperament kirty? I know someone looking for a dog in Vic, but the " very submissive" you mentioned in the other thread may be a deal breaker. Submissive to people or dogs?

ditto! Lunging in fright is almost exusable. Taking a chunk out of someone IS NOT!

My answer the op question, I would say a handling system is nothing more than your own consistent set of rules. Ie, when you do x, your dog is trained to do y. They may belong entirely to someone else, or you may have bits & pieces from all over the place. An example of some of my rules, when I turn towards my dogs, they are trained to move towards me. When parallel & I raise my arm up, they are trained to move laterally away, when I bring it it down, they move laterally towards me. Etc

if that ain't the story of my life! Hilarious, but oh so true! Only thing I'd add...your family & friends think you are clinically insane & refer to your dogs as "those bloody dogs" (with the mandatory eye roll)

Picking a good breeder is an individual thing. What I consider a good breeder may be different to what others are looking for & vice versa. Whether we like it or not, there are many breeders (registered & bybers) somewhere between good & terrible who may not fit our criteria but who serve the needs of the general public very well. If you want something very specific in a dog, you need to ask some very specific questions. If you want an average dog, not asking those questions will probably work out for the majority most of the time.

:D He looks great Luke! You too! What a happy boy he is, I love the barking at the beginning & the wagging on the table. Looking forward to seeing him run next weekend

Dear everyone, I don't want her anymore. She is so VERY annoying and is always taking MY toys. It's time for her to go. love Shine