4Kelpies

You can still use positive rewards - just different rewards. For my dogs getting to the sheep is a far greater reward than any treat or toy. If they don't walk beside me we don't go any closer to the sheep until they are back in heel position. They learn to walk beside me off lead and know the correct position. If I can control them in a trial when sheep are being let out in front of them and bolting to the other end of the yard, it's not hard to keep them under control when walking around the paddocks and calling them off rabbits etc. (I don't ever walk around roads.)

But no serious sheep dog handler is going to waste time on "specifically" training dogs that don't have heaps of natural ability. I can't speak for three sheep trialling as I'm not involved in that and it appears to have become more of an exhibition than real work, but I can assure that the majority of yard dogs earn their keep on farms during the week and then go trialling at weekends.

I'm so sorry to hear your news. You gave Rogan the best life and were brave enough to let him go when it wasn't possible for his life to be of that high quality any more. I've lit a candle for him and for all the dogs who have gone too soon because of this horrible disease.

Aussiedog are the only toys that have lasted with my dogs. I bought the puppy pack before I got Tia. She will be eleven this year and the toys have all survived another three Kelpie pups after her. I also bought a Turbo chook about a year later and although the ribbon like tails are long gone the rest is fine. I have a treat ball which I've never used with food as I don't want any play sessions turning into arguments over food. I have to keep this up high away from the dogs as they tend to bark and exhaust themselves with this - one dog tries to make it roll, while the other tries to stop it and they both bark at it. I bought all mine over the internet but I've seen the toys in Best Friends so I suppose other pet supply shops would sell them. I really don't know how Joe makes any money with toys that last as well as these and don't need replacing.

Poor little dog. I hope you can find some relief for him soon.

Try these from the Responsible Pet Ownership Program http://www.pets.dpi.vic.gov.au/01/main.htm

I bought the Aussiedog medium sized puppy pack before Tia was born. She will be 11 this year and most of the toys are still around and have survived three more Kelpie pups. I've had to trim some frayed ends from toys made of fire hose material and the tucker ball has definite grooves in the surface from dog teeth but they are still usable. Tia is totally unaware that she isn't a puppy any more and will still take them out of the toy box and take them to her bed. She tends to curl up with them these days rather than throw them at the other dogs trying to start a tugging match.

I'm so glad to hear this CBD. I'll bet Reggie is happy to be home.

Oh no not Reggie! I hope you find him soon.

I hope Nova is on her way to getting rid of whatever is causing the problem. My Holly is also a garbage guts. One day last year she didn't want to eat and I immediately rang the vet as I thought of nothing short of a life threatening condition would make her refuse food. The vet suspected pyometria, cancer or a blockage and sent her home with instructions to bring her back first thing in the morning for an exploratory operation if she still wasn't eating or drinking. She wasn't any better next morning so I took her back. It turned out to be a large peach stone (with a horribly sharp point at the end) blocking the intestine. Fortunately it hadn't been there long enough to cause any damage and none of her bowel had to be removed. She had to stay at the vets that night and the next day as she was still on a drip. I had her spayed at the same time. She greeted me with a wagging tail and happy smile as if nothing had happened and was obviously feeling so much better than when I left her. She recovered with no complications and has been fine since. My bank balance didn't recover quite so quickly but it was well worth it to have her back again. I'd like to think she learned her lesson and for a while she was so careful not to swallow anything strange and would roll the chicken mince containing the antibiotic tablet around in her mouth and spit out the tablet but this didn't last long.

Happy birthday Charlie and may there be many more of them.

How are things going? Have the vets come up with a diagnosis or are they still testing?

Vestibular disease is the most common cause of loss of balance in older dogs. Don't panic yet. Hopefully this is all it is and although unpleasant for the dog at the time (like being constantly seasick) it will resolve itself soon. Good luck.

I know that feeling. Now that I'm getting out clothes that I haven't worn since last summer I find the occasional hair - that German Shepherd undercoat gets into everything. I still have nose prints on the glass door (too high for Kelpies) and I know I will have to clean them off soon, but just not yet. There have been so many sad losses this year.

Thank you Puppy_Sniffer Ruff 22/11/95-15/7/2011 Christmas won't be the same without him.

You could also contact the South Australian Yard Dog Association who might be able to put you in touch with some good breeders.

I've been following your posts about Ollie for so long now, I feel I almost know him. What a fighter he was. He didn't let cancer get in the way of his enjoying life. I'll light a candle for him tonight.

I've had my Territory for over four years now and love it. Two Kelpies can travel happily in the back for long trips and three have slept through short trips. I find it very comfortable with excellent back support. It has good visibility and is easy to drive. Fuel is a problem if you live in the city. Traffic lights seem to make petrol evaporate. I live in the country and find that when driving on the open road, it doesn't take much more petrol than other six cylinder cars that I've owned.

Great news. What a huge relief.

From the MFCA website FAQ: "What are the differences between the Miniature Fox Terrier and the Tenterfield Terrier?" There are clear differences in the breed standards of the two breeds and an individual dog cannot match to both of these breed standards. The principal differences are in the shape of the feet (a difference which can affect the function of the dog) and in the colours that are allowed in each of these breeds, both in the coat markings and the nose. FEET The then Tenterfield Terrier Club of Australia (TTCA) authorised the shape of the feet of the Tenterfield Terrier as "round" in shape in January 1999, in consultation with the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) and round shaped feet became a permanent feature of the Tenterfield Terrier. Terriers with round shaped feet are strong legged terriers which traditionally were required to dig, to flush animals out of earth and the feet and legs must be of strong bone for this purpose. Round shaped feet on well bred Jack Russell Terriers and Tenterfield Terriers are distinctly different to the narrow, oval shaped feet of the Miniature Fox Terrier. The oval shaped foot (also known as a "semi-hare" foot) of the Miniature Fox Terrier is important and is directly related to the function of the dog. The foot and the pastern - the area immediately above the foot which is akin to a wrist in a human - is narrow, is highly articulate and flexible, and is linked to speed and function. The oval footed Miniature Fox Terriers are lightweight ratter that pounce on their prey with great speed and accuracy, can leap and turn delicately and accurately to seize their prey. Their narrow flexible pasterns allow them to groom their face and ears delicately, in a cat-like manner, and also to scratch vermin out of nooks and crevices, but not to deeply into the earth. Only three other breeds of terrier in the world appear to have the oval (semi-hare) shaped foot - the English Toy Terrier, the Manchester Terrier and the Toy Fox Terrier, and this feature needs to be preserved in the Miniature Fox Terrier. COLOUR. The colours in the skin and hair of a dog can relate to the genetic inheritance of the dog. If non-standard colours are present this can be an indication that other breeds of dogs may have been used in the bloodlines of this dog. Miniature Fox Terriers can be registered only in three (3) colour combinations: a) black/white, b) tan/white, c) black/tan/white. The body of the dog should be predominantly white. Tenterfield Terriers also have these colour combinations but in addition, liver coloured markings and brindle markings are allowed. Brindle and liver coloured markings are not acceptable for registration with the Mini Foxie Club of Australia as they are known to be colours of other breeds. Other colours such as blue or fawn are also not allowed. The dog must be predominantly white on the body - a full coloured coat can also be an indication of other breeds in the background. If the colours of other breeds were to be allowed to creep into the gene pool of purebred Miniature Fox Terriers, there is a risk that other traits of those other breeds would also be introduced and hence only the three original colour combinations of black, white and tan, are allowed. NOSE. Miniature Fox Terriers have black coloured noses. Tenterfield Terriers are allowed to have liver coloured noses on dogs with liver coloured markings. Liver coloured noses are not permitted in registered Miniature Fox Terriers for the following reasons: a) a black nose has full pigment and therefore has good protection from the UV rays of the sun; b) it is thought that black noses have specific use relative to a dog's sense of smell and that strong pigment is important, although what exactly the pigment does is not clear. There are no benefits to the gene pool of Miniature Fox Terriers for liver coloured noses to be allowed in this breed and there is a risk of weakening some of the features in little dogs that are, by instinct, small hunting terriers of hardy disposition. __________________________________________________

Here's hoping this works. I added the photo to my photobucket album, then opened a new reply to your message, clicked on the "insert image" icon (2 to the right of the smiley face)clicked on the IMG code in Photobucket, copied and pasted it into my reply, removed the extra "http"s and IMGs and hopefully here it is. There is probably a far more streamlined way of doing things but this is what I did. This is Meg. I bought her a little under two months ago. She is 12 months old and has lived on a farm all her life. As you can see she has adjusted very quickly to life indoors and playing with toys.

Welcome bellacody. I'm sure you'll find quite a few people here that you know. ;) To put up a photo you'll need to go to Photobucket or similar and publish your photos there and then click on the link to "share." It's been a while since I posted any photos so I've forgotten the exact steps. I'll try to put up a picture of Meg my newest addition and then hopefully it will all come back to me.

I haven't seen the film but I have read the book. From what I remember of it, Red Dog was a scavenger and had a horrible flatulence problem. Maybe that will be enough to stop parents from being willing to buy a "red dog" for their kids.

My dogs are mainly yard dogs as are most of their ancestors. There is a difference in temperaments between them all but I don't think it has anything to do with their type of work. They are all calm in the house and more active outside, work with enthusiasm and are usually obedient. Good yard dogs need to be able to come in close and push difficult sheep through the yards, top knot and nose bite when needed. My best all round dog is super calm and a bit lazy. She works with lots of distance in the paddock (sometimes too much and can lose touch with her sheep) but will come in close and make an aggressive sheep back off when she needs to. She doesn't have a lot of presence on sheep and sometimes they tend to take her too lightly and they get a horrible shock when she stands up to them and bites their noses. My worst dog (who has three agility titles)tends to be arrogant in her work and will do things the way she wants - whether it be take a couple of extra jumps before taking the one I want or going the wrong way on sheep. She has lots of presence and can scare sheep with not much effort but isn't at all strong and will wilt away if a sheep stands up to her. She is a lovely pet and could live in a city apartment happily as long as she was walked twice a day. My two most athletic dogs have never done agility but I think they would be excellent if I was ever tempted to take it up again. They have lots of block and cover on sheep, and are very quick but are also obedient. Generally paddock dogs are softer in nature (but not always) and don't like to be bossed around. I'm talking Kelpies here, Border Collies seem to accept any number of commands without shutting down and put up with some horrible treatment that would have a Kelpie deciding the handler was an idiot and it was time to take over and do things the way it wants. I've heard people say that in order to have a successful yard dog you need to start with one that is good in the paddock. You will find a range of types in paddock and yard dogs and some bloodlines have a certain look, but you couldn't look at a Kelpie and tell by its build if it was a yard or paddock dog. Hope this hasn't confused you too much.

Happy birthday Ollie and congratulations staffyluv - he wouldn't have reached this great age without you.