kelpiecuddles

We are already dig proof due to having foxes in the area. :) My neighbours at the back have four border collies and they actually used to be our side neighbours until they sold their place and moved onto the other part of their land, so the fences are already very secure, they installed electric fences all the way up the side and they recently put a new timber fence at the back, the fences on the other side are 8 foot cyclone mesh with barbed wire at the top.

OK well just to allay some concerns. Training is not an issue for me. I had my kelpie in the advanced class at training by the time she was 14 weeks old and they were using her as a demo dog at that age, both my dogs have a very clear understanding of boundaries. I am very strict with both my dogs and my children and they know the rules, even if the basset does sometimes try to flout them LOL, luckily for me she's a bad lier and I can always tell by the look on her face when she is thinking about whether she can get away with something :p The basset isn't as highly trained as the kelpie because quite frankly she ain't that bright :D but she knows all the important stuff and understands the house rules and that's the main expectation I have for her as i never planned to do trialling or anything with her. By the time we were to get a pup we would be well established in our new house which is on half an acre divided into sections, shed at the front, fully fenced orchard(30 metres X30metres which is where the chooks are), then the house in the middle and the fully fenced house yard at the back. So as well as having plenty of space we will have the ability to separate different species as needed.

I quite like fauve but I really do need non-shedding(which would strike the beagle out too), because we are thinking ahead to when our children are grown up and we are able to travel more we really don't want another shedding breed.

Nic I might need you to ask about her tomorrow. I've tried to call them at least 25 times today and no one has answered the phone, not sure what's going on...

15-21kg is fine, I'd probably prefer a girl anyway so would likely be on the smaller end of the breed size

Wrong thread riverstar, it was the guy who does the model airplanes who said 6-10kg. I'm more looking at around the 10-20kg mark (although I'd prefer to top out around 15kg). I'm not so worried about a strong willed dog or a cheeky personality, all the descriptions you've mentioned sound a lot like my basset. She is very much the "Sure I'll do that...when I feel like it" personality and knows the boundaries but if no one's watching she will skirt around them :p

Just as a thought, when I take my kelpie places I take a soft crate with me. I set it up near where I will be working and depending on the circumstances I use a peg to put her on a long lead, it means she has a spot that is hers where she can go to rest if she wants to get away and if I get distracted for a moment the lead is attached to the ground rather than to me so she's always secure even if I'm not actually watching her closely at that moment. She spends most of her time pottering anyway but it feels safer and more secure.

Actually the Tollers aren't a large dog, they might fit you wants quite nicely.

What about a hungarian puli, an ex neighbour of mine had one and he was a very cruisy little fella. Plus who could go past that hairdo!

Not with them but I have with others due to malicious people in a strata situation I have been in(someone reported that I had large numbers of large dogs in my courtyard barking all day when in fact I studied at home all day and had two medium dogs who spent most of their days indoors with me and definately weren't barking, in fact another neighbour hadn't even realised I had dogs they were so quiet!). I get that they have issues though, I do agree with the more bees with honey comment though.

Not with them but I have with others due to malicious people in a strata situation I have been in(someone reported that I had large numbers of large dogs in my courtyard barking all day when in fact I studied at home all day and had two medium dogs who spent most of their days indoors with me and definately weren't barking, in fact another neighbour hadn't even realised I had dogs they were so quiet!). I get that they have issues though, I do agree with the more bees with honey comment though.

I'm not looking for a puppy any time soon. At this stage I am just considering options with regard to the pup, it took abou 5 years from when we decided to get a basset to actually coming home with one, I don't rush in to something that is potentially a 15 year commitment. ;)

It's mainly just how relaxed she is around people, other dogs and cats. My cat will mostly ignore the dogs and the dogs will leave her alone once they've had their first little excited hello and the kids the same but any insight would be good. Also it would be nice to know whether she is house trained but might be hard to work out. I can't imagine that she would be easy to housetrain at her age if she isn't already. Other than that her general health is the main thing.

Wow, what a mess! I'm still of the opinion that if you've got nothing to hide it shouldn't matter even if they storm the place. They could storm in to my place and they'd find all sort of weird and wonderful critters but they wouldn't find anything to give me any real grief over.

Surely if they are able to call on people to come then they must know the RSPCA is coming? Apart from that if you've got nothing to hide then it shouldn't matter when they come.

I like the standards but the standards I have seen have been a lot taller than the wheatens I have met?

I am taking heart from the knowledge that working breeds are often pretty robust just by the nature of the animal and the purpose for which they were originally bred. Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with paying for her upkeep to ensure she is happy and as healthy as possible but if she has big, major health issues then I would start to struggle that's all. I do have the advantage of having worked as a vet nurse and also as a zoo keeper and having had to do a lot of very interesting and challenging veterinary related stuff over the years so at least I feel confident in my ability to read the signs of whether she is having problems or undertake a bit of home nursing if needed and make a realistic decision on whether she needs more help than I can give at home.

I'll do that, although I'd have to seriously fall in love with something else, i've loved wheatens since I was little so it seemed almost perfect when I met one and realised it was actually what I was looking for! LOL So convince me people, what other breeds might I fall in love with a why? :)

Maybe it's just their one but I have a family friend who has a standard dachshund and he does all this sort of stuff, they take him on cross country runs, etc but he spends most of his time at home sleeping along the back of their lounge chair like a huge cat LOL. The standards seem to me to be a bit gutsier than the little ones.

I've tried and tried calling them but they are either busy or otherwise unable to answer, if anyone does head over there today could you pick their brains. I'll keep trying over the course of the day.

My kids are extremely dog savvy. My neighbour has an elderly cattle dog who is terrified of children but he's not scared of even my youngest. I train my children more than I train my dogs ;) I'll give them a call.

Our cat is indoors but still managed to sneak out last year and nearly died from a tick, you are lucky they don't bother yours!

I have to take my kids to school and then I am meeting someone at our property and I don't have any phone reception there. Would someone be willing to give them a call for me and ask the important questions? Other than health stuff I'd love to know if they have tested him with kids or cats and also other dogs(all mine are very friendly and the kids are old dog savvy but if just them being in proximity freaks him out it might be difficult).

It's so hard to know, at that age he could just potter along until the end and quietly go in his sleep or he could need a lot of vet support. I'm quite willing to consider fostering him at the very least and assessing his quality of life in a more homey environment but my ability to deal with vet costs is limited, it would mean hitting up the credit card which I'm not that keen to do... That said as my neighbour would say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Where he is he has no chance unless someone comes for him, at least in a foster home decisions could be made that aren't simply based on whether there is space in the cages that day. Then there is the other challenge of breaking him out and getting him a few hours down south, I'm not currently registered with a rescue despite caring for quite a few rescue critters of various types, quite happy to do it but would need to come under someones umbrella in order to facilitate things I would imagine.

Off topic but how sad that someone would give up on a pup at just 14 weeks, they would barely have even had it home long enough to teach it the basics, especially with two smart breeds in that pup it 'should' have been a quick learner with someone willing to make the effort. Some people shouldn't be allowed to get animals in the first place We have a herding dog and a hound. The kelpie was 4 years old when we got the basset. We just did a slow, relaxed introduction and they've been pretty good ever since. Right from the start though the kelpie was quick to put her in her place if she was being bossy. Incidentally that expression on Kiras face in that photo is the same one my kelpie gives me, "come on mum I've sat here for the photo, are we done yet?"