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Evaluating A Sports Prospect Puppy


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Really? Then what is it that makes you want a kelpie for agility?

We all have our preferences! :D I am learning a LOT from competing with Kaos - the successes, failures and the seminars and courses I have done throughout, the most important lesson being the importance of engagement/relationship building. I am hoping to be able to put what I have learned into practice with a puppy!

And I honestly cannot think of another breed that would suit at this point in time :laugh:

Edited by Kavik
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For what it's worth i agree with Vickie re: right lines, almost any pup in that litter would suit. That combined with a knowledgeable breeder to help you make the final decision is ideal i think. It's how we chose our JRT and he is perfect.

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If you like what you have with Kaos, why not go back to them for a second pup from similar lines?

I was tossing up whether to go back to Kaos's breeders, but at the moment I think I would like to try somewhere else :)

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When we got our first dog, Bindi, I hadn't even heard of agility, so when we got our second dog, we went with a breeder who's dogs we liked & was breeding performance lines & couldn't be happier with our decision to take the pup we chose out of the litter, purely because we liked the look of him. Not all the pups in a litter are going to be identical in personality etc, but you work with the dog you get...that's what makes training so much fun, even with our first dog, Bindi, who has been a real challenge :laugh: So if it were me trying to decide, I would go with a breeder who breeds dogs I like & then work with the pup I get :thumbsup:

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I thought you were interested in a Mal at one stage?

I love Mals but I don't think I am ready for one yet! :laugh:

They're really not that hard. If you can handle the active mind of a working Kelpie I can't see why you wouldn't be able to handle a Mali? Sure they are not a 'pet' but (given a suitable outlet) they aren't devils either.

There are some good litters coming up next year. PM me if you want details. smile.gif

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I thought you were interested in a Mal at one stage?

I love Mals but I don't think I am ready for one yet! :laugh:

They're really not that hard. If you can handle the active mind of a working Kelpie I can't see why you wouldn't be able to handle a Mali? Sure they are not a 'pet' but (given a suitable outlet) they aren't devils either.

There are some good litters coming up next year. PM me if you want details. smile.gif

I have met a few Mals - love them and especially Prix :love: but that is way above a Kelpie - there is no way I am ready for that yet :laugh:

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Where did Tina get Taffy from (prefix is Danoox)? He is a gorgeous boy and a few of them went into agility homes. Not sure if her new pup is from the same lines or not.

Or Vickie Evans from Canberra has Bloke (Spinifex working kelpies from Manildra NSW), he is a high drive working kelpie with good structure and temperament for performance sports.

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Where did Tina get Taffy from (prefix is Danoox)? He is a gorgeous boy and a few of them went into agility homes. Not sure if her new pup is from the same lines or not.

Or Vickie Evans from Canberra has Bloke (Spinifex working kelpies from Manildra NSW), he is a high drive working kelpie with good structure and temperament for performance sports.

Taffy is rather bigger than I would like - I would like no bigger than Kaos and Taffy is even bigger! I think Tina's pup is from different lines. I am going to keep an eye on the pup :D

I'm not sure I have met Bloke - know a friend with a Spinifex Kelpie and he is nice.

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This is the only photo I can find of Bloke, he is a 500. Vickie has a young pup (7months or so) but not sure where from. She also has a Puli called Noddy.

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What about the Jerralong kelpies? If I was ever going to cross to the darkside that's where I would be looking without a doubt. The Walker sisters have had a number of them now and keep going back for more... that has to say something LOL

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This is the only photo I can find of Bloke, he is a 500. Vickie has a young pup (7months or so) but not sure where from. She also has a Puli called Noddy.

I believe pup is from Ameroo lines. They breed some lovely looking kelpies but don't know too much about them. (Vikki's pup seems lovely though when I met it recently)

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Really? Then what is it that makes you want a kelpie for agility?

We all have our preferences! :D

Of course. Sorry I think I just misunderstood. I thought you were saying that you coukdnt find many you liked, but after rereading, I think you were saying that none of the ones you like are related.

Dont get me wrong, i love kelpies & see plenty that i would love to own and train. I just love BCs morebiggrin.gif.

Edited by Vickie
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Really? Then what is it that makes you want a kelpie for agility?

We all have our preferences! :D

Of course. Sorry I think I just misunderstood. I thought you were saying that you coukdnt find many you liked, but after rereading, I think you were saying that none of the ones you like are related.

Dont get me wrong, i love kelpies & see plenty that i would love to own and train. I just love BCs morebiggrin.gif.

:) Yes I meant that none of the ones I like are related, and only really seeing one from this kennel and one from that, makes it hard to get a good feel of what dogs from a certain kennel are generally like.

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You could always contact the Working Kelpie Council to look for litters or breeders details.

Jerralong used to advertise in the LAND newspaper regularly. If not, try asking the Walkers for the details.

A lot of working dog people don't have websites and stuff. Their dogs advertise themselves so they can be hard to look up if you don't know who or where to ask.

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Even in a litter of super working dogs there can be some variation in temperament - all the pups could still have great working potential but there will always be pups that are more rank driven than others etc which can help or hinder you depending on what you want to live and work with.

I'd test the pups to see what kind of food and prey drive they display, especially outside their usual environment to test their nerves. I'd look to see how they react to a new person entering their environment. If you've done your research right and the lines are what you want and produce good consistent working dogs you'd be giving yourself the biggest advantage.

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Huski its not just working dogs that have a variation within the litter. We are only referring to them at present as that is what Kavik is after - a working bred dog for agility

The research should be done before she goes to the property to pick it up. The only kind of test in my mind that may be done at the time of picking the individual puppy is just a basic attitude test. Although its not even a test. You look and handle them, if you like what you see, take one.

Do I worry about prey drive at 7 weeks - NOPE, it will be developed by a good trainer/handler

Do I worry about food drive- NOPE see above

I DO worry about a pup that has no interest in coming to the people or would rather run off and actively look for other activities. That one would stay there.

Nerve can be enhanced or ruined by owners so as long as I see a litter of healthy, happy pups that come and greet people, I am happy. If I see a litter and they scatter like cats when a shadow approaches, I would seriously reconsider. The only kind of things I may do it "accidently" bump something loud around them and check their response and recovery times without making a deal or something like that. I may have a biscuit or something and hold it so it is really hard for pup to get out. I like to see persistance but rather than keep trying too much, I would rather see one dog and scratch at hand then resign and sit an look at me asking to fix it. But this doesn't need to be done before buying as it can be so well moulded from day 1.

So much of a dog is a DIRECT representation of its upbringing so picking at 7 weeks really shouldn't cause too much issues.

If I have decided I am going to get a pup, I research the parents and their temperaments. If they appear compatible, I say I will get one. My criteria then becomes, female, dark head, so no dog with a all white face, outgoing friendly. I believe when selecting a dog and bitch to breed, it should be like to like therefore you can have more confidence in what you will produce. There would only be mild variation within the litter. Its when breeders try to pick a dog with a major flaw and try to correct that flaw by using a bitch that is opposite and hope to get something in the middle. This only creates a litter that can vary from one end of the scale to the other in that trait, and thats without even considering the other traits of the parents.

I picked my last dog out of the back of the ute. The breeder drove halfway and there was 2 boys, 2 girls. I wanted girl and she had to look more border collie than not. 1 female was white, 1 blk and white. I picked the black and white. I couldn't have been happier. I could have spent an hour procrastinating, wasting the breeders time, and realistically if there is nothing DRAMATICALLY wrong with any of them, go ahead.

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Surely if you pick a good breeder with proven lines many of the puppies will be suitable for the intended purpose and the breeder would be happy enough to tell you which ones they thought weren't suitable?

Then it comes down to which pup you like the look of or which one seems to have the best connection with you at the time of viewing.

Personally for me it would be about which dog I could live with the most easily, after all they are not a true working dog but first and foremost a companion.

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