koalathebear

So is Elbie. He honks at them and glares at them. Then he gets up onto the bed very reluctantly, all the while eyeballing the ceiling fan. By contrast, Hoover doesn't even seem to notice the fan!! Elbie also doesn't like the robopanda we have with flashing red eyes but who can blame him for that? Also, I was sure he'd be afraid of balloons but he's fine: My two went through a phase when they didn't like those noisy blade scooters that the kids like tearing around on but they seem to have outgrown that dislike.

My two hated going in the rain, too. Never had accidents but they really did not like going - as Danois has mentioned, we just persisted. We'd stand out for ages in the rain (umbrella for us :laugh: ) until the dogs went. These days, Elbie will do #1s and #2 very obediently in the morning and before bed. Hoover will reliably do #1 but will usually refuse to poop in the rain - sometimes he will though. We just persisted until they realised that they weren't going to go inside until they did SOMETHING! :laugh: Good luck with it - you'll probably get quite cold and wet but in the end hopefully persistence will pay off.

I suppose threads like this can be pointless because people tend to just list the breed the own as their favourite :laugh: It is interesting to see what makes people like or not like a breed though. As with most people, I guess the breed I own is my favourite - Kelpies are my favourite because they're smart, affectionate, funny and naughty/cheeky in a good way. Other breeds I like a lot but might not necessarily see myself owning: - huskie and shiba inu: I love the look and the temperament but their aloof, independence would probably drive me bonkers because I'm used to the: "OMG, PLEASE let me please you, PLEASE!" 'tude of the Kelpie - standard poodle, bullmastiff, Dobe, pit bull (I love the tan ones with the amazing amber-coloured eyes), rottweiler. All of these dogs - I love the intelligence, size and temperament but they're all a bit too big for me to handle and I think it's important to be able to physically control your dog if you need to e.g. to stop it bolting :laugh: The bigger dogs could easily pull me off my feet. - GSD - I was bitten by a GSD as a child but still love them - working line only though, not a fan of the show line - but then I tend to prefer the working lines of most breeds anyway. I like them because they're smart and beautiful-looking. I couldn't see myself owning one because again they're a bit big for me and I'd worry about health issues - beagle: I think they're gorgeous-looking, smart and very lovable. I'm just not sure I'm a good enough trainer to be able to properly train a beagle given that they're not as biddable as a Kelpie :laugh: - cavalier king charles: only little dog I'd ever consider having. I think they're cute, smart, very trainable and have a lot of attitude and sass for a little dog - brittany, working line border collie: Unlike the other ones I've listed above, I could probably see myself owning these breeds because they're smart trainable - but I suspect I'll always favour having a Kelpie. - mutts/crossbreeds: had one as a family pet, have one now in the form of Elbie and he's just as smart and lovable as any purebred. Most people I know have had a crossbreed in their life and in their heart at some point. As to the dogs I don't care for, I don't have any active dislikes having met good and bad examples of many but as a general rule - I tend not to care for little dogs - the cav and perhaps the westie being the only exceptions. For reasons based purely on appearance, I'm not big on bulldogs, bull terriers, boxers, any terrier, poodles other than the standard poodle, frenchies or pugs.

Elbie was a little bit destructive as a pup - we caught him chewing on the corner of a wall (brick!), the deck (wood!) and various other things. Spraying the bitter spray on it didn't work and in the end we just kind of supervised him and reprimanded him when he chewed on anything he shouldn't. He has grown out of it and fortunately our second dog isn't very destructive either so can be left unattended in the house when we duck out. I think some dogs might just be a bit more chewy than others, alas .... I hope that he grows out of it!

Sorry to hear your doggy is having tummy troubles. It's quite common when they're young and mine still occasionally have a bout of runny poo - during which time I switch them to plain boiled rice and chicken for a day or two until it goes away. Mine are both on Royal Canin which seems to suit them fine, then again, they've never really had sensitive tummies but I believe (from what I've read on DOL) that RC is quite popular for puppies and one of the better kibbles.

Same with mine. When we're at work, they are outside in summer. In winter or if it's raining, we close off the kitchen so they have access to the kitchen by way of a dog door but I know they love being outside in the yard.

Some recent-ish photos of my two Elbie's second birthday First visit to the beach On the sofa On the bed And just this week - waiting for their after dinner treats :)

Hoover has clearly forgotten that dogs are not allowed on pillows ...

Gorgeous photos, betsy. The serious puppy is soooo cute

Sometimes if I'm giving my own dogs treats and another dog comes up, I feel bad leaving them out so I'll ask if they're allowed to have anything. I don't feed other people's dogs without asking permission first - allergies, special diet, courtesy etc. For my own part, I'm not overly fussed if other people want to give our dogs treats. Our dogs aren't in the habit of asking for treats from strangers and they are generally pretty good about adhering to a "leave it" command so I'm not particularly worried that they'll take food from strangers. Even at the vet, the dogs tend to stare at us for permission before taking food from the vet. I have to say, I don't think I've ever met anyone who fed my dog without asking first. If I was particularly concerned about it, then I'd probably train them not to eat food from strangers and if there were medical reasons why they shouldn't eat treats from strangers, then I probably wouldn't put them in situations where they could be fed by strangers i.e. no off lead play unless I could call them off the food. As a dog owner, I think that the onus/responsibility for looking out for the well-being of my dog rests with me.

I think Mars and Pepper will be there tomorrow. Such a shame you won't be there! See you next week though :)

We'll be there again tomorrow :)

We have two dogs. A lot of people say you should have dogs of different genders but it doesn't seem to make much difference with Kelpies. My two get along great and are very well behaved together - I love having two dogs and don't regret having two dogs for a second :) Some things to consider: - although my two are very well behaved together, I can't walk them together so normally OH walks one dog, I walk the other and then we meet in the middle somewhere so the dogs can run around together - when I first got Hoover, Elbie seemed a bit upset/put out and I had intense guilt about deposing him from his prime position as Only Dog :laugh: He looked so reproachful. I also worried about pack hierarchy because Hoover seemed more pushy in some ways. In the end it all sorted itself out and they seem happy with their pack dynamic - training can be a bit tricky. For instance, OH was fine about taking one dog for obedience but although OH is happy to come to agility class, set up and put away equipment and babysit one dog - I have to run both dogs for agility because OH doesn't want to actually do agility - it makes things a bit challenging sometimes. As I said, overall, it's great having two dogs and they keep each other company and cuddle together. It was also much easier to train Hoover because he copied Elbie in relation to housetraining and tricks as well. Good luck with it all :)

Doggies at Casey Dog Park today :laugh: Line up was always the same. Elbie, Lando and then Hoover.

We'll be at Casey Dog Park (off Yeend Avenue, near Springbank Rise) at 10 am on Sunday in case anyone wants to play. Much as Yarralumla is a nice dog park, we're not crazy about some of the humans there :laugh: Will give a pass on the lead walking together. My two are walked separately because they pull like freight trains if there is more than one dog and the one time we thought we'd go for a soothing walk around the lake in Gungahlin with a group of others, we ended up being exhausted, frustrated and embarrassed but our huffing dogs :laugh:

Yay! So glad he's home and safe :)

Oh poor Reggie and poor you. Just after the lump scare, too. I really hope you find your beautiful boy soon and that he's all right.

We'd been away too long and Griff's owners didn't recognise us so didn't come in. Didn't see anyone else from DOL and then while we were waiting, we had a very unpleasant encounter this morning just after we got there - no aggressive dogs, just one very aggressive owner. Soooo we're not going back to Yarralumla again. We went to Casey dog park instead and the dogs had a great time with a staffy, kelpie x, beagle, fox terrier cav cross and a Weimerarner. All dogs and owners were very friendly. It's very nice out there now with all the grass.

Don't forget that we put our clocks back one hour! :) We'll be there with our two doggies soon.

There's a woman at work who has tow choc lab named Janis and Jeffrey but she named her son Max ... Hoover our red and tan Kelpie would have been 'Cupcake' if he'd been a girl ...

My two normally don't love water, but they loved their first time at the beach. Elbie proves he's not just the Land Porpoise: Longer video where both dogs are paddling :)

Yay! I'm glad to hear that things went well. Heike is extremely generous with her time. I remember when she came out to visit Elbie, she was only supposed to be here for an hour or so and ended up staying much, much longer and wouldn't even agree to take the extra money we offered - telling us to donate it to a rescue instead. We also went to her training group for a term with Elbie and she used to spend ages talking with us after each class. She really does care about the dogs. I also found her classes much more practical than obedience classes at a dog club tend to be. You have to develop a thick skin though - I bore the brunt of her criticism OH thought it was hilarious

Sorry we couldn't make it yesterday. Hunger Games was great by the way :laugh: Afer lunch we took them to Forde for a play. There were two GSDs and a staffy puppy. Here's a video :) See you all on Sunday - it will be good to see Lando and Griff again :laugh:

People can sometimes grow into their dogs. When I was younger, my ideal dog was a lab, a Kelpie would never have crossed my mind but OH wanted a Kelpie and they've been the perfect dog for us even though we live in the suburbs and we aren't active people. Maybe some people have picked the perfect breed for them the first time around, but I suspect there must be plenty who learn how to deal as they go along. Also, even within the breed there is such a variance. Some Kelpies are laid back, chilled out couch potatoes and some are revved up loonies. I think the woman should be applauded for coming to class and seeking training for her dog. By the time someone's rocked up to class with a dog, I think the attitude should be about trying to help that person manage the dog they've got. Obedience classes can be tough enough already without other people looking at you and thinking: "you've got the wrong dog"/"you've made a mistake with your choice of dog". We have met quite a few people at dog parks who have dropped out of obedience class for a variety of reasons and I think it's a shame. Sometimes it's for relevance reasons - a lot of what people learn in obedience isn't seen to be particularly useful/relevant for what they want out of dog ownership, but many times, if you're the owner of a 'problem' dog and you're exactly the sort of person who SHOULD be going to training, your teacher and classmates can make you feel bad about attending with a less than perfect dog. This makes it easier/less stressful for people to just stop going to class than to persist.

Thanks! Glad you like them. The dogs were gorgeous - and so motivated and focused. As to weight, that is pretty big for a Kelpie!! Hoover's breeder told us that he could potentially grow that large and we didn't believe her. He's been 18kg for a while now so we're hoping he stays that way. 27 kg is too big for us