....

[Loungefly]

So sorry Loungefly you got "the treatment".

The forum is a fantastic resource with heaps of info and opportunities to help dogs in need.

Do what I do .... post very rarely, read and learn, and help when you can.

The advance search function is fab.

Thanks ;). I reckon I'll probably do that mostly from now on *nods*

Personally I find it useful for posters to tell me what breed/crossbreed of dog they have. A factual description of the dog is hardly "promotion".

Mentioning the breeds that make up a crossbred dog and asking if anyone else has the same cross is hardly threatening to purebred dogs.

Exactly! And in the interest of not wanting to go off on a rant again, I'll leave it at that

I have a kelpie x lab ... I think

photos please

here is Mr Guinness

That's a nice looking dog you have there. Sweet face ;)

Ok then, here's Mia:

Hanging out with our friends Staffy pup (it's purebred!), coincidentally also named Mia :p

Edited December 2, 2010 by Loungefly

[Rusky]

very cute she looks a sweetie.

I promote pure breeds to all and sundry. I have always had pure breed dogs but Mr G came to me as a foster and I couldn't let him go. Cross breeds are very interesting. I do sometimes find myself saying...now that is the retriever in him...now that is the kelpie ... as like people dogs get traits from their parents. Actually shhh pssst everyone put their fingers in their ears ... ok just for you loungefly ...all purebreeds started life as a cross except maybe the greyhound I think my malamute was pretty close to her original DNA too but my goldens ...well just go read about them and they are comparitively speaking a recently accepted cross breed as a pure breed. ;)

I agree the kelpie labs are fabulous ...

[koalathebear]

I have a Kelpie/Border Collie cross.

He is much more sooky and clingy than our purebred Kelpie Hoover. I've mentioned in another thread that when we leave, Elbie whinges and complains for a bit but usually settles down after a few minutes. When we put him outside, depending on his mood he might complain for a bit (a bit of whimpering, sometimes a bit of barking) but then will go and do his own thing. He only gets let back inside when he's quiet. When we get home, we ignore him and usually don't let him inside until after we've put everything away and settled in.

When inside, he doesn't necessarily have to be in the same room as us but he does like the door open so that he can inspect. He's quite nosy so will follow us around to see what we're doing. If he's interested, he'll stick around, if not he'll go back to his dog bed or go back to playing with his toys. He will whimper and fuss a bit if the door is closed and someone is on the other side - but even then he'll usually settle after less than a minute. I don't see any barking/clawing at doors ... he also doesn't seem to be unsettled for more than a minute or so. We've adopted a "too bad" approach.

I posted about it before because I wasn't sure if: (1) it was normal; (2) it was separation anxiety; or (3) it was just him being a manipulative so and so because we had been warned that Kelpies (including kelpie crosses) can be manipulative creatures that push situations to see what they can get away with.

dancinbcs said that he sounded like the male border collies that she had owned except that he is content to be in a different room to us. She also said this, which I found quite illuminating:

Also remember he is a working dog, bred to work closely with his handler as opposed to something like a hound that is bred to live and work with a pack of hounds. As a herding breed he also needs to keep his human "herd" together when you are out, so going in different directions is bound to worry him a bit.

Hoover is much more self-possessed and independent. He loves cuddles but he doesn't pine so much if left alone. He has his unpredictable quirks as well but he is everything the breeder said he would be when she picked him out for us and he gets along very well with Elbie.

Edited December 2, 2010 by koalathebear

[Fleuri]

Loungefly- I love the photos, the first photo looks like shes putting on her sooky eyes. Her little friend is so cute too.

[poochmad]

Loungefly - Mia is stunning! Love the photo with the pup!

[AmandaJ]

Just a suggestion.....why not try taking her out for a few herding runs? She gets to use her instincts and learns to take her queues from you and wait until you give them.

[raineth]

Hi Loungefly

Mia is a cutie!

I fostered a puppy whose mum was a kelpie x Huntaway and dad was a black labrador.

He was such a trainable puppy! He had amazing ability to be so focussed and loved learning.

here's a photo:

[Rusky]

Hi Loungefly

Mia is a cutie!

I fostered a puppy whose mum was a kelpie x Huntaway and dad was a black labrador.

He was such a trainable puppy! He had amazing ability to be so focussed and loved learning.

here's a photo:

beautiful, just beautiful ...

[Rusky]

koalabear

your dog is stunning ! my daughter has a kelpie lBC cross, she is very sooky and also very full on. She has had her share of issues but having said that is very easy to train and loves to do anything asked of her. She loves my Mr G and also her shar pei cross brother. She loves everyone actually.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Rusky

[J...]

I've posted these before for Loungefly but I'll post them again for comparison

This is Darcy, just turned 5 yo yesterday. From a mismate with a Lab bitch and a WKC kelpie dog who scaled a chicken wire fence while visiting with contractors.

She has her CDX ADM JDM JDO GDX obedience and agility titles and I think she got her JDM3 this past weekend.

Hard at "work"

In the backyard

She's been such an easy dog to train, loves to work but has a great off switch as well.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Jess.

[Loungefly]

Loungefly- I love the photos, the first photo looks like shes putting on her sooky eyes. Her little friend is so cute too.

She tends to get that look a lot. She knows how to get what she wants *nods*

Loungefly - Mia is stunning! Love the photo with the pup!

Thanks The pup, also named Mia (kinda wish we'd told our friend about our dog before she named hers!) is a handful. Very tiny and cute, but a hellraiser to put it mildy

Just a suggestion.....why not try taking her out for a few herding runs? She gets to use her instincts and learns to take her queues from you and wait until you give them.

That might be an idea. I can see her possibly taking to that. How would I go about doing something like that? As in, who would I talk to about it etc? I wouldn't have a clue where to start.

Hi Loungefly

Mia is a cutie!

I fostered a puppy whose mum was a kelpie x Huntaway and dad was a black labrador.

He was such a trainable puppy! He had amazing ability to be so focussed and loved learning.

Beautful dog Looks like a gentle pup. Mia is the same re training. It's pretty scary how quickly she will learn new things with minimal training. And it's never a chore for her. She really loves it.

I've posted these before for Loungefly but I'll post them again for comparison ;)

This is Darcy, just turned 5 yo yesterday. From a mismate with a Lab bitch and a WKC kelpie dog who scaled a chicken wire fence while visiting with contractors.

She has her CDX ADM JDM JDO GDX obedience and agility titles and I think she got her JDM3 this past weekend.

Hard at "work"

In the backyard

She's been such an easy dog to train, loves to work but has a great off switch as well.

Ah, I remember those pics Jess Very pretty dog. Love the agility pic. Well done I reckon Mia would love that sort of thing. Somewhere down the line if the Mrs. and I are able to manage the time needed for agility training, we might just give that a go. Right now we're working on getting her all the way through obedience (she's past all the basics and is currently in Level 3 of a 4 level program).

Edited December 2, 2010 by Loungefly

[AmandaJ]

Not knowing where in the Country you are makes it difficult but you could call your states CCC and ask for the contact details of the herding people. They should be able to give you the details of any herding trainers out your way. You don't need to be a member to go to a trainer but if you want to trial her you will need to join.

[Loungefly]

Not knowing where in the Country you are makes it difficult but you could call your states CCC and ask for the contact details of the herding people. They should be able to give you the details of any herding trainers out your way. You don't need to be a member to go to a trainer but if you want to trial her you will need to join.

Ah ok I'm in Batemans Bay (south coast NSW, about 4 hours south of Sydney). I'm not too optimistic about my chances of finding any sort of events in my area. I did find the 'Dogs NSW' site though which seems to be the CCC for NSW. Lots of info there. I'll look into it. Thanks for the info

Edited December 3, 2010 by Loungefly

[Janba]

Not knowing where in the Country you are makes it difficult but you could call your states CCC and ask for the contact details of the herding people. They should be able to give you the details of any herding trainers out your way. You don't need to be a member to go to a trainer but if you want to trial her you will need to join.

Ah ok I'm in Batemans Bay (south coast NSW, about 4 hours south of Sydney). I'm not too optimistic about my chances of finding any sort of events in my area. I did find the 'Dogs NSW' site though which seems to be the CCC for NSW. Lots of info there. I'll look into it. Thanks for the info

You could always try obendience or agility instead. It is the mental stimulation that is important whether it is herding agility etc. Give Mia a job to do.