Neophyte Needs Help To Raise Abbie (7 Months Medium Kelpie X Female)

[Tejas Goradia]

Hello Everybody,

Abbie (7 months medium kelpie X female) is now a part of our family (couple). We adopted her courtesy Scallywags Dog Rescue foundation. Please help by providing your suggestions.

· She's going to be alone at home 7 AM to 5 PM. What can I do to compensate for our absence?

· We have no experience with pets, it appears to me that she only understands the command Sit. Of-course we will be taking her to obedience classes and pet school on the weekends. There is heaps of free training material on youtube which is very good, however I would also appreciate a structured set of step by step dvd/online training.Please recommend a few and share personal experiences.

· I am sure that many working families have pets. I wonder if people leave their single pets with each other and alternate turns to have them during the week. That way the dogs get company and they don't have to get two pets just so that they can give each other company.I am living in watsonia in melbounre, victoria

Thanks,

Tejas

0401420467

[Kavik]

Hi Tejas and welcome to the world of the Kelpie

Rescue dogs don't generally have much obedience training, but Kelpies are intelligent dogs that love to learn so once you find your feet and a good trainer/training class you will have lots of fun teaching her new things. What you decide to teach her is up to you. Obedience is of course very useful - recall, sit drop, walking without pulling. Tricks are a lot of fun and can also be useful for obedience and agility, and you can do these in a small amount of time at home. Agility is an awesome sport which Kelpies love - an obstacle course which you direct your dog around.

If you let us know what you would like to train your dog in and your location in VIC we can suggest some trainers for you.

[persephone]

Hi and welcome.

Wow. For a first time dog - you picked a very active smart breed, and a teenager!! Interesting choice

Formal training on weekends is to help teach you how to train your dog - daily practice is essential!

may I recommend you have a read of these two things .... they are very useful tools to help you and your pup understand each other, and for your pup to pay you teh 'right' sort of attention.

LINK

LINK

because she will be alone all day - she needs to be safe - as in good high fences, shelter, and locked gates . She also needs things to help her pass the time - like a couple of interactive toys .. a soccer ball, a chewy toy , a sandpit, maybe - so she can dig for buried treats/toys - and maybe a paddling pool

Some folks scatter dry food around, so teh pup spends time 'hunting' for breakfast - or you can use a treat ball like THIS

I'm sure there will be lots of other help ... have fun!

[Weasels]

Hi Tejas - and another welcome to kelpies! Like Kavik said, they are a joy to train because they are so smart and want desperately to make you happy :D

I have been working from home since I got my 2 rescue kelpies, but I'm about to start working in an office They will be alone for about 7 hrs a day during the week, so I'll share what I have planned for them -

- Every morning, an hour of off-leash fetch and leash walking to tire them out (which is what they get now anyway; you'll need to work up to off-leash-time with recall training)

- Every morning breakfast will be either a frozen kong toy stuffed with kibble/yoghurt/tuna/banana/whatever or a meaty bone each to keep them occupied during the morning

- I know from experience that they sleep from about 10am-3pm

- With the extra money I'll be earning, I plan to get some extra toys like a home-alone tug

- Currently my OH gets home early, but if he goes away for work I will try to find a dog walker to take them out a few afternoons a week, since I know they get restless around 3:30-4pm

- Like Persephone said, even 10-15 mins of daily training will help tire them out through mental stimulation, either obedience or tricks work (or handy things like putting away their toys or closing the fridge door, which I'm working on now)

If they have a comfy place to sleep where they feel safe, they are more likely to snooze the day away. Mine are allowed inside on the couches but if you don't trust your dog inside alone yet a cosy kennel or crate in a quiet spot should help.

Best of luck, I hope you get lots of enjoyment from your new family member!