mixeduppup

I have to say I'm not a fan of that term. I'm not big on the bench kelpies but I wouldn't trash the showers just because I don't like the line of dogs...

I plan on one day going to Scotland and watching shepherds work their dogs over there.

What is a barbie collie? I've never heard that expression.

Sounds like fun. We currently have 7 dogs here of various sizes and I love nothing better than sitting on the ground and being pummeled, it's my idea of heaven. :laugh:

He's working line so does he have any achievements in Shutzhund or tracking etc? Pedigree doesn't mean you should breed, it's all about what he's accomplished, if he's the best of his line and breed, not only on paper but also on the field. Get his hips x-rayed, even if you don't plan on breeding get them done, it's a good thing to know.

I said they are bred with short coats here, for this environment. Never disputed that they can't work in their native land or even areas of Aus.

I'd love to actually spend time and meet a 'proper' maltese, to see their actual nature. I've had a few older people ask about companion dogs and I have tentatively suggested a pedigreed malt by reading the breed description online, but I hope to one day have a proper meeting with some to learn more about them. The "maltese" here, vary so much in shape, temp and type.

My brother in South Africa tells me SWF are called Poodles there. It may well be a location and cultural thing. Any SWF is just a maltese or MaltX here.

Almost all maltese I've ever met are not actually maltese, just a small, fluffy (sometimes all white) little dog. Maltese is just a word to describe any swf in my area. I don't think anyone knows what a real malt is. I've only ever seen one.

I wouldn't say that. Plenty of dogs are just fine and it's their idiot owners who had the issues.

If you are not sure about getting directly from the pound (it's a huge gamble) you can go to a rescue. They take great pound dogs and put them into homes suitable for both the dog and the person and it takes out the risk of getting a dud. Also dogs appear very different in a pound environment to a home environment. Rescues go through a lot to get a dog to an adoptable level both mentally and physically.

I don't work them but I know enough about BCs to know that the lc show coat borders aren't used out here, short coated are bred for working mainly. Out here anyway

You see it in working line kelpies as well, Bench are pretty much one type but working cover a wide range of body types to suit a wide range of stock and conditions.

I'd happily send any oldie dogs to Yellowgirl. She's one of the best dog rescues I've ever come across.

I don't know, extra hair can become a problem with herding a hunting breeds, overheating, hindering movement, collecting seeds and burrs etc and not being able to see. I think that's why the more extreme versions of some breeds should be kept in the show ring. By all means breed them if you want but they aren't built for their original purpose anymore. Everything is exaggerated beyond use. Which herding and hunting breeds are you speaking of, MUP? Collie roughs, bc, shetland, OESD. Not so much the hunting. Perhaps some of the gun dogs

Do you have an eye antibiotics or anti-inflammatories? If you do I would be giving those to her. Just keep her eye clean and saline solution is the best thing. It's scary!

I don't know, extra hair can become a problem with herding a hunting breeds, overheating, hindering movement, collecting seeds and burrs etc and not being able to see. I think that's why the more extreme versions of some breeds should be kept in the show ring. By all means breed them if you want but they aren't built for their original purpose anymore. Everything is exaggerated beyond use. if they were being used for work most of that extra hair would be pulled out as they ran through the brush etc. It certainly wouldn't be looked after like they were going to a show next weekend, so most dogs wouldn't have the huge coat. I don't know. We hardly have any long coated working BCs out this way as there's just too many grass seeds and they get caught int he coat, the working lines are mostly very short coated. There's one farm BC (not working) that comes in pretty regularly to get grass seeds removed.

A good rotti is the BEST dog. There was an old mangy rotti that used to hang out with me and follow me around town when I was young. He was so protective and loving. His owners should have treated him better.

I don't know, extra hair can become a problem with herding a hunting breeds, overheating, hindering movement, collecting seeds and burrs etc and not being able to see. I think that's why the more extreme versions of some breeds should be kept in the show ring. By all means breed them if you want but they aren't built for their original purpose anymore. Everything is exaggerated beyond use.

No, of course not. I think every dog should be crated if it is an option. I've seen some super valuable dogs come into the vet with extensive injuries because they jumped off or fell off the back of the ute and some are ruined for life. A guy I used to know a few years back had a brilliant yard dog, it had great lines and cost him about $5000 and he adored this dog and he used to let it sit in the back of the ute on the farm untethered and one day he was driving along, it saw stock and jumped off and broke its leg, it healed but it was always weak and it could have all been avoided by tethering or caging him. As far as I'm concerned, monetary worth has nothing to do with the true "value" of a good working dog but you're going to lose out much more on a good working dog than an Ok working dog if it comes off the back. It's just smart to secure all dogs properly. I think it may be an ego thing, you see dogs walking around untethered in tray backs and you see the arrogant guy driving usually.

I thought dogmad, yellowgirl and keetamouse would be fighting over these two :laugh:

I don't see what you're worried about. Show dogs and functional working dogs are both being bred. Show people can have the dogs and working people can have their working dogs.

You need to give him proper herding lessons. A dog with that much natural instinct needs a proper outlet so that he doesn't have to herd everything else. One of my dogs, if left to her own devices and not used for work will herd everything that moves. If I take her down and give her some good "sheep time" in the yards she couldn't care less because she's had her fix.

Can someone pm e the fb page link?

See this is where having huge galoompers comes in handy, I couldn't possibly take them no matter how much I wanted to :laugh: