koalathebear

I agree. The thing is, Kelpies are like all breeds and it's very much on a dog by dog basis. Labradors are frequently seen as the perfect family dog, but some labs are very boisterous and drivey. Hoover's littermates have different temperaments. He was the most chilled and laid back of the lot. He has litter mates who are much more drivey and weren't suitable for our home. I've seen show Kelpies who are way more laid back than Hoover who is a working line Kelpie, I've also seen laid back show Kelpies. I'd agree that as a breed, Kelpies tend to be capable of high levels of energy and stamina but it doesn't mean that every or even most Kelpies need to be on the go all the time. Every foster Kelpie/Kelpie mix we've had has been so different in terms of energy levels and temperament. We actually see quite a lot of Kelpies and Kelpie mixes here in Canberra. Just in our suburb, we frequently see people walking one or two Kelpies around. We occasionally encounter them at the dog park. There are quite a few at obedience and a few at agility as well. I see more black and tans around. The NSW yard dog trials I've been to tend to mostly be black and tan dogs because most of the local breeders of good dogs tend to have black and tan lines. It's so true ... I find it very endearing that Kelpies are so quintessentially doggy - that natural selection unchecked seems to make a mutt end up looking like a Kelpie.

Thanks. I see so many people who would actually make great Kelpie owners who have been deterred by the scary stories. I don't even try to tire my dogs out anymore - it's just not possible. At the end of an hour of agility, when all the other dogs are tired and losing focus, Elbie and Hoover are still raring to go and energetic - not tired out at all but very enriched so not destructive. We placed one of our foster Kelpies with a guy who runs triathlon and he has tried so hard to tire his Kelpie out but it never happens :D That being said, all his Kelpie really wants is to hang out with 'mum' and 'dad' and be part of the family.

I'm still dubious about Red Dog really leading to that many more dumped Kelpies. As someone above has mentioned, Kelpies and Kelpie mixes have always been represented in pounds in fairly high numbers. Red Dog certainly led to increased interest in Kelpies but most of the dogs being dumped are still black and tans and red and tans. I actually see very few solid red Kelpies like Coco in rescue - one would have thought that if people wanted the 'movie dog' they'd want a dog that looks like Coco. Also, I cringe at the myth that Kelpies need to run 25 km a day and need two walks a day - it mistakenly makes people think that all you need to do is throw exercise at a Kelpie. It also makes people feel like 'failures' if they exercise their dog a lot and it still plays up. It also makes a lot of people reject the idea of adopting a Kelpie for the wrong reasons. We have a Kelpie and two Kelpie mixes, all from working lines and all living very happily in our suburban backyard. They definitely do not get a walk every day and it would be absolutely impossible to tire them out - but with sufficient training, human time and intellectual stimulation, they're extremely laid back and non-destructive. They're left alone in the house without destroying it - sure they could run 80k a day if you let them and when you see them at the dog park you'd find it hard to reconcile them with the couch potatoes you see when they're at home. ETA: I don't think any dog does well if just dumped in a backyard, but a neglected Kelpie tends to be worse because they're such smart dogs that they get frustrated and make up their own entertainment if you don't keep them enriched.

Dodge has played with Kuma :) He was a bit of a fraidy cat when they first met and went bonkers when Kuma chased behind him (OMGBIG!DOG!!OMGBIG!DOG!!OMGBIG!DOG!!OMGBIG!DOG!!) but Kuma's soooo placid with him that he settled down pretty quick. Here are some photos from a recent playdate at Kuma's house.

I am pro crate/mat as helping a a dog to relax but I also know what you mean corvus :D Elbie is one of those dogs that I was constantly getting unhelpful advice for: 1. Just run him around a bit more 2. Get him a tread mill 3. Have you tried using a clicker? 4. Just get him to focus on you Blah blah blah BLAH. Drove me bonkers. Not all solutions fit all dogs - I am just lucky that I am able to settle my dogs with mat/crate in the house. They still get excited with strangers though :p

I'm so glad the research wasn't abandoned after the first researcher died - although they need anyone who contributed samples the first time to re-consent for their samples to be used

This is a beautiful breed and the disease is so heart-breaking. If people have affected Kelpies - please contribute to the study. It would be so great if they could make the same progress that was possible with CA in border collies The facebook page for the research is here: http://www.facebook.com/CA.Kelpies

Hmm, I've just checked again and it's weird - they seem to have deactivated the international option. I've sent them an email asking about it. If they have, that's fine - I have an account with shipito that I use to buy things when they only ship to US (Kindle, amazon.com stuff) so I can use that if needed for my next order. TheLBD: their stuff is very nice. I love a lot of their collars and the leashes are nice, too

Hi TBD - they are partnered with bongo so if you select that you are in Australia, it flicks you through to bongo to finalise your purchase and pay. Just make a note of exactly what you've ordered because sometimes the personalised details of the order don't get through to bongo. I've got these for our resident dogs: http://www.dogids.com/product/solid-ribbon-embroidered-collar/ and one of these for our foster dogs: http://www.dogids.com/product/nylon-webbing-scruff-tag-collars/ so that we don't have to use an ugly tag anymore ie it just says 'foster dog' and contact details etc.

That sounds a little odd ... To be honest, I'd probably move on and try to identify another suitable dog.

Haha! You couldn't tell from my facebook?? :laugh: Yes, he was surrendered to rescue and we were fostering him with a view to adopting him out so providing training. Problem was, he gets along so well with our dogs and we were putting so much time and effort into him that we thought we might as well just keep him :p So yes he is a first failed foster. He was a VERY very restless dog when we first got him. Neurotic, bonkers little thing that kept pacing everywhere. Fortunately, like all th eothers, he has learned to chill now and loves his crate and mat. The first night in a crate though ... Good lord.

Much as I love some of the beautifully hand-crafted dog tags that are around, sometimes they get too dangly, they're easily lost and sometimes we get foster dogs in who like chewing on dangly tags. Accordingly, we've been tending towards embroidered personaliesd collars for our dogs like these ones. I keep eyeing these personalised Paracord Dog Collars which I think are really nice-looking. Has anyone else used a paracord collar? Any thoughts? In terms of attaching a leash, the blurb says that they come with a D ring.

It all depends! I was quite shocked that Frida's whole family (mum, dad, 13 and 7 year old kids) drove all the way from Inverloch in Victoria to Canberra (9+ hours to see her!) - although she really is a cutie :) On a more serious note, it really varies. We've seen many families travel across the country just to meet up with their rescue dog (bringing the whole family and their resident dog) and there are other families that try to demand that the carer go to them. Sometimes the carers will attempt to meet at a suitable midway point. We've been lucky that apart from Frida, our prospective families also lived in/near Canberra so we would take the dog to the applicant's house.

All of our fosters pace a lot like crazy when we get them and our three resident dogs used to also be naturally very restless and 'wandery'. I'm sure there's something more 'formal' to do to address this but what we do is put the dog bed near my computer desk and lure the dog to the bed and treat (whether with a small bit of food or a toy). Every time the dog gets up, I just keep guiding it back to the bed. Eventually it stays and learns to just lay there quietly - in our house, resident dogs and fosters know that when the humans are sitting at their computers, it's time for dogs to chill. For the dogs that still keep getting up and wandering, I clip a leash on their collar and tether them to my leg so that they have to stay in their dog bed when I'm at the computer. One dog was too big for tethering to my leg so he was tethered in his dog bed in the kitchen - but a short distance away from us. When he remained quiet, we moved the dog bed into the study and removed the leash. Some dogs catch on very fast, some dogs take much longer but eventually they learn to chill out. My husband and I love our internet time so it's important that the dogs don't wander. For new fosters (because we are still assessing their level of house-training), as well as encouraging them to go to their beds, we also section them off i.e. even if they do wander, they can't wander much further than the study and perhaps one other room. Eventually they tend to return to their beds. The first few times, they will get up when we get up - but eventually they learn to chill. You can also reward them if they stay put Good luck with it all.

It's a great dog park :) Here they were last Sunday with their friends Belle and Fleur the white shepherds They always have such a wonderful time at the dog park every week

At the dog park with their friends Belle and Fleur

My three are all on Royal Canin and very healthy and happy with a very shiny coat and firm poos. We supplement from time to time with egg, sardines, tuna, chicken wings etc but the base food is the Royal Canin.

Thanks guys :) While I find fostering very rewarding, I find it very emotional/sad to say goodbye to the dogs. I've read your posts before where you've mentioned how it's worth it when you see the dogs in their new homes. At the time I was letting the dogs go, I didn't 'see' that so much, but with the effluxion of time and hearing from the families and seeing the photos, I can see what you meant :) I don't think I'm going to find it gets easier with more dogs - but I do find it a lot easier to let go of the puppies than the older ones ...

Alas we have never been very creative in naming our toys. Here is Hoover surrounded by his favourite toys: From the left, they are: Octopus, Monkey, Orca and Rabbit. Monkey and Orca have been his toys since he was a little puppy and Rabbit was his 2nd birthday present. Having three dogs is certainly an interesting challenge. I found that two dogs wasn't much of a change but there are more logistical wrangling issues with three dogs - cars, walking, dog park, training, food etc. :D

So sorry to read about the doggies, Andrea Ollie was rehomed to a family in Bungendore, their resident ACD has been bitten by a snake before so now they're very cautious about walks etc. I still get very anxious about him though although at least the family are experienced and know the signs and know where to get immediate medical treatment etc. We have a clam shell but put it away because the doggies kept munching on it rather than playing in it Are places like Uriarra Crossing also a bit dangerous? I was thinking of taking the dogs there given the heat

I love getting updates about previous fosters :) Ollie has passed beginner obedience and is moving up to the next level. Frida is getting so big - but is such a beautiful and lucky girl. And we visited Baxter (formerly Nova) on the weekend to test him out with Dodge. Baxter's mum and dad are going interstate for their wedding and honeymoon so he'll be staying with us for a week while they're away. He gets along fine with Elbie and Hoover but we wanted to make sure he got along well with Dodge, too. They had such a good time.

I totally agree with you, Jumabaar and often wonder this, too ... I've seen quite a few problem Kelpies settle down when moved from their original home into foster care or into a different foster home simply because the handling regime is different. Elbie, one of my dogs was/is a potentially problem dog, too and at one point the treadmill was recommended for him. We didn't get one and worked with him in other ways but from what I know now especially after having worked with rescue and other Kelpies, I wouldn't recommend a tread mill or amping up exercise for an already hyper dog. As other people have pointed out, it just causes the dog to become superfit and want even more. With all the foster dogs we get through our house, we give them a lot of training before they get adopted out but the first thing they all learn is how to chill out in the house. In the evenings, the humans are on the computer and the dogs are in the study in their beds/crates/on the floor chilling. Most of the fosters are very unsettled/restless when they arrive so will be crated in the study with us. For ones who are not yet crate trained, they get tethered with a leash in the study until they learn to stay in their bed. For the food motivated ones, they get a piece of kibble each time they return to their bed and drop/lay still. Each new rescue dog that arrives here also goes through the annoying pesky, barking at other dog until it plays/engages with it routine. We do the same thing and reward the dog when it returns to its own bed and lies there quietly - otherwise it is crated or tethered. We've had nuisance barkers and hyperactive dogs - we don't take on aggressive dogs though. There have been times because of illness in the family (my own or someone else's), the dogs don't get walked for ages and they're fine. Last time I was sick in bed for a week and they all kept me company. They can run around all day but it's very much been reinforced to them that they must learn to chill out. If Serenity has trouble focusing, maybe you're still asking for a little bit too much - which was what I was doing with my dogs. Obedience classes seem to require you do get a long, melting stare from your dog when you give a 'look at me' or 'watch' command which can be too much for twitchy dogs. With mine, they get a 'yes' and a reward every time they voluntarily make eye contact. Move around and then reward for any kind of eye contact or head turn towards me. These days they will do the long, melting stare but it took time to build that up. Agility won't be a good option for Serenity until she has a bit more focus and wants the food reward more than chasing the other dogs. Both my dogs can be bolters during agility class, too but as with the other people in the class who have bolters, we learn to try to manage it by working at sufficient distance from other dogs, doing a lot of focus work before we start an exercise and having very yummy treats :p Good luck with Serenity - it must be a very upsetting time for you ETA: Sorry if you have already tried any of the above. It's just what we use with our own dogs and the crazy rescue working dogs we get given to foster

He was a foster but he's a failed foster and now he's our dog :)

Yoicks, a long time between posts :) Elbie My pack of three Hope everyone's doggies are coping all right with the heat. Mine are getting lots of water, ice and have discovered a love of their previously scorned cooling mats