Kavik

While I like several breeds (and love looking at what ifs), there are only a small number that I would realistically own with my preference for shorthaired, biddable, athletic dogs. And my bias towards dogs in the herding group.

No idea of cost. Recallers had tiered pricing, with different levels of membership. My guess is this will be the same.

I got the Agility Click email and one from Susan as well (on her mailing list). That's all she has said about it so far. The course will include step by step instructions for stopped contacts and foundations for running contacts.

That is great news!

OK so it sounds like the foundation for her running contacts is going to be included in the online contact course that she is starting soon

Steve Austin is one of the most well known dog trainers in Australia. I doubt you'll get many negative opinions.

Wishing all the best for Murphy. I really worry about snakes, one of my dogs in particular really likes to go for lizards and I worry about her going for a snake.

The Irish Terrier is gorgeous! Definitely on his toes though!

....crying baby in a Cinema! That where I lose it. Ah, but you see I would not go to the cinema with a baby. Don't have much choice those times I go overseas. I would certainly prefer not to go.

a long haul flight is the LAST place any parent wants to be with a child :laugh: Really, 14 hrs on a plane with not being able to get up and no space is absolute torture with kids the only reason I do it is to visit family, even then it is only when I have to go (organised Christmas, weddings). What I am amazed at is that people in playgroup are talking about camping with little kids - that comes pretty close on the torture scale to me :laugh: but NOTHING is worse than flying with kids.

That is awesome! Fly is so good with the cat and the cat is so cool!

Ouch! Hope you're up and about again soon.

I didn't really like kids until I had my own :laugh: Re taking kids on long haul flights - been there done that got the postcard (3 times with Mr 4) - it is not something I would choose to do VERY stressful, but unfortunately sometimes necessary when family is overseas. I am really not looking forward to having to do it again, I hate long haul flights at the best of times. All you can do is bring lots of stuff to do and lots of food and cross your fingers and hope people are sympathetic if it all goes pear shaped.

The last time I tried to play the two toy game I got a blank look from Kaos - "what are you doing, I already have a toy nom nom nom why would I bother with that one!" He has stopped the lying down to nom on the toy now lol.

I know of the Shirley Chong method. It's bringing back the tug that is the issue. Not sure whether shaping a retrieve with a different object would help? Maybe? I guess it couldn't hurt.

An update on our tugging. Kaos focuses on me as soon as I go out for a training session and will engage in tugging straight away. I am now having success at getting Kaos to tug outside the front gate! I haven't tried it 'cold' yet (straight from the house to outside the gate and get start the tugging there). What I have been doing is getting the tugging going in the front yard, and then move to the gate, do one of the Recallers games PB&J to outside the gate and present the tug outside the gate and tug there. I can now also do another PB&J totally outside the gate, and another to come back into the yard. Our biggest hurdle is still the retrieve

I agree with Telida - sleeping them inside is the easiest way to prevent barking at night time :) Everyone (including pup) is likely to get a better night's sleep that way.

Mine sheds like there is no tomorrow! But he has skin problems too, which doesn't help.

I think since the types have already diverged, you would have to be really committed and really keen in wanting to combine show and working ability. And from what I have seen, people are not really committed to doing this. The working people have no need, the dogs work well and do what they want them to do. Bringing in show lines would have no benefit to their breeding program. I haven't talked to any working people (and I am talking to a few since I am deciding where to source my next dog from) that wish that their dogs could be shown, so I don't see that there would be a push from there. I haven't talked to many show Kelpie people, but I don't get the impression that they are really keen or committed to trying to bring in working lines. Since they have diverged, and people are happy going their merry way about it, I don't think it will change.

There would be a very limited number of dogs that are dual registered - not many to choose from for a breeding program if you want to keep dual registerability, certainly compared to the choice of bloodlines for show only or working only. To then test all the dogs and only choose those that have decent working ability and also do well in the show ring - would not leave you with many options.

Breed registers have been opened before for the influx of new blood. For this to happen I would guess there would have to be a lot of people calling for it to happen, that the breed needs the influx of new blood for some important reason. I don't know if that is what/how the show Kelpie people view their breed.

I don't see the Kelpie division going anywhere soon. WKC Kelpies that are not ANKC registered (I only know of a few breeders that have dual registered Kelpies) cannot be ANKC registered, so show breeders can't really use working stock if they want to show their dogs. And working breeders are more interested in the working ability of the dog. While other breeds such as GSD have a big division as well (and multiple heated threads and debates :laugh: ) many working GSD are on main ANKC registration so it would be possible to use working dogs over show dogs and still show them, and are under the ANKC umbrella, but as their appearance and structure is often quite different, working line dogs would not do well in a show, and working breeders are more interested in the working ability of the dog.

Quite a few of my preferred breeds have separated into show and working lines. And a few others that I am interested in are not recognised by ANKC.

This. This is the most important for me as well. I would only want my own dogs exercised together, no strange dogs. And as one can be a resource guarder with food, would need them to be in separate runs so they could be fed separately.

I'm so sorry RIP Skoota