avenglenn

RE WKC Nationals Hi Kelpie-i, The 2005 trials are on very soon in WA this year. If you join the WKC this will keep you updated with all that is happening - theys end out monthly new bulletins etc. Re if you visit Mary's page - I raised the dog on the entry page - Nulla Nulla - he lived with me from 6 weeks of age until he was about 18 months old and then went to become a station dog with Mary. I started him and did most of his basice sheepwork training. Now he is one of Mary's mainstays and he works every day on both sheep and cattle. I still have a soft spot for him, he still plays loves to play Frisbee and retrieves sticks from the River (Mary always gives him a few minutes of play each day after work) - and give him big kisses and cuddles when I vist Avenel. See working dogs can still play and have another life. Best regards, Neece the Kelpies, Billie the Border and Travis the Poodle

Hi Vickie - still figuring out how to use this so not sure how to put a quote in - >>Another question for you, since you mentioned crossing. Do you ever teach inside flanks to your dogs? No-one up here does it as they are terrified it will encourage the dog to cross. Good question. I don't because like everyone else I am terrified it will teach my dogs to cross - yes I am a chicken also (LOL). And we don't really have any trials in Australia where we need to drive - except the Trans Tasman and we don't get many of those courses. Glenn has taught Gena to Drive and Cross Drive, however, it took her a while to get the hang of it as she does a fair amount of work out of a ute and you can't have a dog crossing between the sheep and the ute (they tend to get run over) So he can only drive with her on foot. Now the New Zealanders and I will use Alistair Dickinson as an example (because he lives near me and I have been doing some training with him). He teaches his NZ Heading Dogs (all the NZder trainers do) to drive because he still competes in both NZ Long Head trials and Australian Three Sheep Trials. He is a believer it should not matter - the dog knows the difference - when it is permitted to cross and when not. He believes that the dog is close to you on a three sheep course and therefore its training teaches it not to cross when this close to the handler. When driving the dog is a good distance away and is working under a different set of commands and whistles - thus the cross is acceptable to the dog. Now we must remember Alistair is an amazing trainer - has won just about everything there is to win both in NZ and Australia. Also those NZ handlers can move their dogs on whistle about a centimetre at a time - they have commands to tell their dogs to walk, trot, canter - move left 1cm then move right 2cm etc - if you ever get a chance to see the NZders trial in a Long Head it is a real treat. So my thoughts - if you want to compete in three sheep, I would not teach the inside flank - however you may not want to join the rest of us Chickens? Maybe you would prefer to be a Rooster and go for it girl Regards, Neece the Kelpies, Billie the Border and Travis the Poodle

Absolutely agree, there are some fantastic Yard and Utility dogs out there both Kelpies and Borders. Jenny Cox has some excellent Borders who do Yard / Utility and Three Sheep work - however I guess if your Greg Prince and have won at the top level in both you can make such statements ;) And in fairness to Greg I do know he injured a very good dog in a Yard Trial - to the point it could never compete again. I would never make such a statement as I have not won at the top level in either sport Yard Dog / Utility Trials are not an easy option - I have watched many and my girls will be competing in the Kelpie Nationals when they come to Victoria in 2006 - so they will be doing some serious backing and yard work prior to this event. All my dogs are taught to back - in fact Yoshi's last litter we did not get one paddock dog, they are all the most natural backers I have ever seen and will be competing in Yard Dog Trials - genetics strike again Its just a personal thing with me - I don't like to enter Yard Trials because of the hustle and bustle involved and if my dogs are ever going to get hurt it is in the Yards. In three sheep its much more sedate and calm and the chances of injury are greatly reduced. Utility trials are also good - and now that they are changing the Utility Obstacles to make it more like real work (closing end of bridge etc) and the handler can assist the dog I think this is a great step forward and should make for great competition. Regards, Neece the Kelpies, Billie the Border and Travis the poodle

Avenpart Kelpies, Hi Kelpie-i - I don't own Avenpart, Mary is my mentor and dearest friend. I also often take pups for Mary and raise them and return them for station work. Kelpies are my love and I am very much attached to Avenpart - another stud that I do like is James Dudley Boanong and my girls carry a lot of his blood also- so I hope I don't rave on to much The girls I keep are all part of Mary's breeding program - this allows her to have certain lines alway available. At the moment we have 3 girls - Avenpart Georgena, Yoshi and Firefox and another puppy on the way from Georgena x Boanong Leggo. I also like a lot of Karawarra in my lines and Georgena is the only bitch we have that does not carry a lot of Karawarra blood (she is Glenn's dog not mine) - Georgena is Xia's grandmother. I have just returned to Mary - Avenpart Fidelia (Xia's mother) and Avenpart Fuente. Fidelia is now working with one of Mary's Jillaroos and Fuente is working cattle and sheep for the next few months at Avenel under Marys guidance - she will be joined shortly to Avenpart Wump. Most importantly my girls are kept for trial work (apart from Georgena who is Glenn's all round station dog) so their training differs very much from that of a General Station Dog - the girls I keep are hand selected by Mary for me, specifically for trial work. I would not say Avenparts are skittish - they are very much Station Bred dogs and as such very stable personalities, very loving dogs and very willing to learn and take direction. However, they have very strong personalities (as do all Kelpies). The only line of Mary's that can be arrogant is those with Cottonwood Matt in their breeding (sorry Xia) Avenpart dogs are much finer than anything you will find in Victoria as they are bred to cover large distances in hard salt bush country (Mary runs 36,000 acres plus her two son's properties) - thus they are very long legged, fine boned / bodied dog - bred to take the heat and knocks of semi-outback Australia. Remember it is nothing for these dogs to travel 5km or more in a day to bring the sheep or cattle in - even just moving paddocks can take hours when you consider that an average paddock on Avenel is around 3000 acres. I have been very happy with all my Avenparts - and Mary is one of the few studs still breeding true paddock type dogs - and to date Firefox is shaping up as the best three sheep kelpie I have (and maybe ever will own). I suppose it all comes down to what people want in a Kelpie - I don't want yard type dogs as I don't like competing in Yard Dog Trials (Mary also breeds yard type dogs) - Greg Prince once told me that you can train a Labrador to be a Yard Dog. I like Kelpies bred first and foremost for paddock work - that is just my personal view and what I like in my Kelpies. Many people enjoy Yard Dog Trialling and there are many good Kelpies bred for this type of work - in fact Kelpies are not very good at three sheep trialling - which makes it even more challenging - and also why I purchased a trial bred border collie for three sheep work Neece, the Kelpies, Bilie the Border and Travis the Poodle

Re the Bridge, Hi Vickie - its not bad or not allowed. The only problem - allowing the dog to jump off the end of the bridge is that you risk the chance of your dog crossing you as it comes off the bridge - so golden rule is if you have to force, let the dog walk up - push the sheep over the bridge and then make the dog come off the bridge (back towards you the handler) and around to cover and re-collect their sheep - and back on course to the next obstacle. Then of course having to force on the bridge opens a whole new can of worms ) - however, sometimes it has to be done and teaching your dog to walk up the bridge is correct - just don't let the dog jump off the other end You can obtain a copy of the three sheep rules from your local WSDA - if you not a member, just join up and register your dog and they will send you a welcome kit which includes the rules. Unfortunately the rules do vary from state to state, hopefully one day we will all work under the same rules ) Victoria has just introduced the hook pen (as used in New Zealand) for the cast, lift and draw - its a great idea and allows all dogs to have a good cast and even pick up. Regards, Neece the Kelpie, Billie the Border and Travis the Poodle

Re Bendigo Herding Classes - if you call the Working Kelpie Council or the Victorian Working Sheepdog Association - they will be able to put you in touch with local people who can help with your trianing. Neece, the kelpies, billie the border and Travis the poodle

Xia and Fiona, You have made grandma (human and dog) very proud - go the little yellow kelpie -you will be hooked now that you have started. Can't wait to see her competing - in everything, Agility, Herding, Flyball etc Vickie, question for you - lovely shot on the bridge, just one question you don't ever let your dog walk off the end of the bridge - do you!!! Neece, the Kelpies, Billie the Border and Travis the poodle