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Hi all A workmate would like to know what clippers he should buy to clip his two border collies. What brand and model would do the job? any advice about clipping bc's also would be appreciated I am sure. Thanks for the help. I have three short coated dogs so on this topic I am at a loss.

I am sorry you have lost your loved dog.

I just had two originally which is perfect. but then agility became more my thing and my dogs were less interested so I stepped it up with a working breed (kelpie). What a change! Three seemed a big jump from two specially as the first two are small easy dogs. Two is more acceptable it seems as now I get kids yelling out as i walk all three and often people will comment I have my hands full even thou all the dogs are perfectly behaved on lead. Three seemed to turn me into a mad dog lady? My biggest issue is that I cannot pick up all of them if we get attacked on our walk. Because this is such an issue to me I made sure my third dog was a bigger dog and supposedly better at looking after herself. Didn't run out this way as she is the biggest sook of all! I wanted a third dog for agility as my original two were getting older. I would like to wait 5 or 6 years before I buy number 4. Not sure I'd get another kelpie as type /breed also plays a part in how life goes with a few extra dogs. I might try another breed as I seem to like a different breed each time. Too many nice dogs... too little time.....

I just had two originally which is perfect. but then agility became more my thing and my dogs were less interested so I stepped it up with a working breed (kelpie). What a change! Three seemed a big jump from two specially as the first two are small easy dogs. Two is more acceptable it seems as now I get kids yelling out as i walk all three and often people will comment I have my hands full even thou all the dogs are perfectly behaved on lead. Three seemed to turn me into a mad dog lady? My biggest issue is that I cannot pick up all of them if we get attacked on our walk. Because this is such an issue to me I made sure my third dog was a bigger dog and supposedly better at looking after herself. Didn't run out this way as she is the biggest sook of all! I wanted a third dog for agility as my original two were getting older. I would like to wait 5 or 6 years before I buy number 4. Not sure I'd get another kelpie as type /breed also plays a part in how life goes with a few extra dogs. I might try another breed as I seem to like a different breed each time. Too many nice dogs... too little time.....

That's a lovely offer. I know when I brought my first rescue dog I was told he had some issues. I was told how to deal with these but it was a bit much so I consulted with a trainer just once and felt so much more confident after. New owners have a lot of questions so a great idea. Good one Kelly and thanks for getting the info out as well.

What a cutie. I have a foxy x chi and she would love to just hang with me all day. Of my 3, she is the most devoted and easy dog. I know a few foxies that just happen to be really quiet and pretty chilled. I know some are wilder. I would think there are a lot of lap dogs that would suit but a mature dog is a great idea. You will see energy level and temperament of the dog. Puppies are a lot of work and an unknown character. Edited as just read dog not suitable. New tablet playing tricks! Good luck with the hunt.

I did the poll but so much depends on the context of what is happening. Interesting question and as others have said it is not helpful to always blame the growling dog. Ask why it is growling. If it is a warning I might need to supervise to help my dog, if it is just cranky pants stuff might take steps to stop or avoid that behaviour. Play growling is fine. Yesterday we had lots of growling. First my little one growled at the young kelpie cause she got in his face while herding him. Kelpie timeout on lead as herding the dog not allowed anyway. It was dark and she saw her opportunity. Visitors with dogs stayed for a meal later. Two young ones playing tug and both going off. Fine as all noise. One border collie a bit posessive of tug but as only growling allowed to continue. If it was more by would be sinbin in crate. This would'not happen BTW. Older dog growling at dogs playing as bumped. Moved older dog away. Chihuahua growled at bc dog while she was next to me on chair. Chi put onto ground. All over. Old dog on chair growled at playing dogs for no real reason asked to stop please. Sounds like a lot but in the course of hours pretty norm. My dogs are as noisy as me it seems. Love having lots of doggy friends.

I brought metal secondhand and the small two dogs got crates from one of those cheap shops like crazy prices for $39. I would go metal as safer. In you were 100% sure the bigger dog would be happy material crates would be OK. It does only take seconds for a anxious dog to get out of a material crate. I had a different problem with the lighter material crate as it could blow away with my chihuahua inside. Hence the tie down straps on the bottom of the crate.

I used Advantix on mine and the chi x was sick and swollen all over her body for days plus 2 vet visits. Don't like giving them all the medication. I do have short coated dogs but probably don't check enough. Never seen a tick althou a friends dog did get one and start reacting ( sheltie). God, now you've made me worry. Thanks for the warning.

First thing I did when I brought my house was get new fencing colourbond all the way round. The gate is double and cost heaps but I don't want my dogs to see outside. they would bark like maniacs if they could see out. Even before this I put black weed mat over the see thru gate to keep them happy. I wouldn't be happy if me dog is spooked by the fence. For whatever reason the dog is put off by it. I would condition the dog to like, no, love the fence. Pair it with good things and recondition the dog to look at that area as a great place where good things happen. My young dog was fearful. Fearful of caravans, trailers, basically anything out of the ordinary out and about. I would click and reward her for looking at it. Click and reward for any step towards a spooky thing. Click and reward for touches to the object. Eventually she would see straight away if she saw a spooky thing that if she went to the scary thing she got food. So I ended up with a dog that might put her paws on lots of weird things but she is happy. Does that make sense to you? It really doesn't matter why she got a fright, you can help her so she is more confident and secure. Remember its all her choice at her pace. You can't force the pace. You can get more info on this training if you want. Good luck and colourbond is great.

Yes cavNrott, she needs to train her dog. Simple. I only mention the behaviourist as she saw him last and he told her not to continue with classes until she had his issues addressed. Our club has a great program. All the instructors compete with their dogs but we have two ladies in particular who are very good. But my friend has to listen and do what they are saying. Thanks. will update soon I hope.

Hi all Interesting ideas and all worth thinking about. I don't think the dog is particularly difficult or has a lot of drive.Just untrained. I haven't been back to reply as the flu strikes again. 2 days off and I attend training tonite as I had to take a class even thou my poor kelpie has broken or sprained her toe and can't have a run. My friend didn't attend so I called her and she was out visiting. Shame as last night of her class tonite. I will recommend K9 as suggested. My friend is keen I've noticed on talking to trainers who have GSD's. My friend has no crate so I don't see a problem tying the dog up for a short time out. Thou I think 5 or 10 minutes is enough.My friend did it for 1 hr !!! so that is too long. The dog is pretty accepting without getting upset easily. I thought my dog was pretty good in the house until we had a trainer come with three dogs. One BC is my girls best mate. So while the BC was lying quietly my kelpie couldn't stop trying to entice her to play. Put my kelpie in crate but then she had a bark. When she barked I removed her to the bathroom. She went to the bathroom a few times that first time until eventually she stayed there. She improved and now she is allowed to stay out. Just too much having a small room full of her friends. Crate/bathroom ..... similar use this time but I didn't even think about it as a big thing. I really didn't worry about tying the dog to clothesline until she said she left it for that long. Just a short time until the dog settles which it does nearly straight away. Like the crate/bathroom, if the dog was quiet it was allowed out, barked, back in crate/bathroom. If the dog is tied up and settles quickly I would let it go again in a few minutes but probably go inside. Not start playing again. Will call her tomorrow but I'll lay odds she has made no contact with the behaviourist. The video idea is a great one! That would be an interesting exercise. Not sure I can load video that easy, I haven't managed to load any of mine yet. Should learn. Thanks again for advice.

Hi Mal1 Some of the stuff the dog does at home sounds good. My friend did train the dog some at home. Originally the dog was darting inside any chance it got but I showed her a simple way to stop this. All good , dog sitting and waiting to be invited. Dog is outside but allowed on enclosed patio at night. Sent her the link to the Triangle of temptation and she says she followed this. Not sure but dog seems OK in this behaviour. She taught him to give a toy on command. He sits etc for treats. I thought all was good and dog seemed to be keen as it showed some control. Recently she started playing with balls and somehow this caused a problem. Even thou she said he was giving them up and waiting for her to tell him to get the ball? The dog was always a bit mouthy and I thought this had stopped. But apparently the dog was pulling on her clothing. If she was leaving the dog to stop play it would leap and grab her clothes. Not good. Since the behaviourist has been if the dog plays up she has been tying him up to the clothesline for a timeout. The dog seems resigned to this, settles down and goes to tied up . Will talk to her soon and see how she is going. I know her problems are a bit more complicated hence the behaviourist but I thought if she could walk the dog, control the dog and get it out seeing the world, the dog would improve. Wouldn't it improve the relationship? Thanks.

Oops sorry. Led you all astray. Easy to see how what you post can be taken other than the way you meant. You are all right of course but by my comment I should have said " My friend should take responsibility for her dogs lack of training and follow the advice given to her by a good trainer or behaviourist. I will support her effort." She actually doesn't want to do it alone, its more she doesn't know how to fix the problem. There are plenty of things she could be doing to get going on this. I meant she needs to get motivated to fix this behaviour herself! I can't push her into it. THou I will probably nag her again before training Wed. We can always encourage. Thanks for your help everybody.

Hello everyone! Firstly let me say sorry that I didn't reply earlier. I did write a detailed post last night after a few champers! But my WiFi died and I lost it all! Probably not a good idea to write under the influence anyway! Good advice received thanks....particularly cavNrott and Simply Grand, you are spot on!. Just to clarify.... the dog was a handful at puppy school and my friend wasn't encouraged and left after one lesson. Recently she joined my club which is basically a agility club. All the instructors compete in agility but most of our students come for basic classes. We have some very experienced instructors and my friend attended a few times as part of a six week course.( week 6 this Wed ) Her dog was pretty wild as no socialisation or training had happened and the dog was 9, 10 months. She worked mainly on the outskirts of our normal class of 10 and she was lucky and basically had a trainer to herself ( we have 3 trainers with 10 people). By her third time she had the dog doing nose touches while distractions such as other dogs were nearby but at a distance. So she could get there with our methods I think. She had some problems at home again soon after this and found a behaviourist. I wasn't there for the consult and so my opinion can be based only on what she recounted. So I won't comment on this. One visit is never going to solve her problems so I suggested she call the behaviourist back or seek other professional help. When I called today she hadn't done this yet. I think I will ask her to read this post and all the advice. My friend needs to tackle the training herself and I believe she can. Happy to support her. About the headcollars.... learnt a bit and I agree with cavNrotts advice. The Halti is very similar to the Gentle Leader but the former is fitted a bit looser round the muzzle. Also wanted to say that I read last night (and I am in this group btw), some trainers can use the halti to teach the behaviour and then end up on a flat collar eventually. It was just pointed out that these trainers have some other skills using the halti so they can be successful. A dog should not be able to lunge at all while in a good halti, maybe that is one of the skills we are talking about. I can imagine if the dog gets a run up it would jerk the neck. The idea is you control the dog and its muzzle so how could it be able to lunge. And the Gentle Leader is fitted so that the strap round the muzzle can be stretched all the way to the area where the nose mucosa stops and the hair begins. This is fairly loose and the dogs can carry tugs and drink etc thru their mouths. So it is not too restrictive. Most dogs don't like it as they are not introduced properly or it just pisses them off as it stops them doing what they want. I just thought since the dog ate my GL there might be a better choice for a big dog. Thank you all for your help. As always it is very interesting. Let you know how it goes.

My friend is having problems walking a pretty wild untrained 9 month GSD. I brought her a gentle leader but she managed to let the dog mouth this and its wrecked. I used pa gentle leader but i did notice its rather fine for him. What do people reccommend? I only used one on my kelpie for a while and don‘t use mine now. Is there some type better suited for a big dog The main issue is the dog pulling and rather bad lunging at other dogs. I don’t see this behaviour if i walk with her as much as i take 3 dogs hence the GSD is happy as he is with a pack of 2 and half dogs then. The half being my chihuahua Any advice welcome. Also she is attending training and has seen a behaviourist recently. Dog is not aggressive just untrained.

I have the same problems others have mentioned. But its particularly bad if i yell at another dog. Sometimes u have to but my dogs hate this. Double whammy if a scarey dog is coming and i yell as well. And I actually yell sometimes while treating my kelpie so she can cope better.

Is there no association that would help. I did meet a couple years ago that did work with dingoes. I met two dingoes and they wouldn't be many peoples cup of tea.

I think a long line is a good idea but u already have that under control. If u want to socialise i prefer going to the local dog training club.particularly i get there early to let my dog socialise in more controlled way. And u get to socialise to.

Just like to say that I think it is great you are really checking out what type of dog you are thinking of getting. I have a 2yo working kelpie that I brought as a third dog to compete in agility with as my two little ones were getting older. I did think long and hard about buying a working kelpie and also about if it would be easier to buy a show or "bench" kelpie. I work full time different shifts but she gets exercise every day. Some walking with the little ones for 30 mins to 1 hr. A bike ride for 30 mins or some agility training. Just walking alone does nothing to wear her out btw. She goes to agility training twice a week and if I am mean, obedience on Sat. She either goes sheep herding or competes in agility each weekend. There are a lot of fantastic dogs that would be very successful at agility without the exercise or work needed for a kelpie. And be good family pets too. As it has been pointed out there are differences within the breed too. I have seen a lot of differences in the kelpies I meet, between the farm bred kelpies, the pure working ones and the show lines. I must admit I love the look of the show kelpies and that might be what I choose next time if I went with a kelpie again. Keep looking and I hope you find the perfect dog to fit in with you and your family. I found it hard to choose a dog myself as there are so many lovely breeds.

There you go. I'm not up to date as i last consulted one ten years ago. Thanks for your reply

My friend was considering contacting Nathan Williams from Dog Behaviour Specialist in the Hills District about her young dog. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this service? My friend was excited as they are on TV apparently. Any recommendations for a behaviourist in the Wollongong area?

I worked while i had my kelpie pup. Ihad a great set up for her while i was at work. I organised a neighbour (retired lady) to check, feed and toilet her at lunch. This was until she was old enough to be with the other dogs. Plus all dogs has free range of house and yard. But when i was home she had mu full attention. I also feel its mor important how committed the owner is to fulfilling the dogs needs. However as you have the right tochoose do what you feel comfortable with. If you can find good homes with full time at home owners for all your pups...thats good too.

In Orange while i lived there the council added agility equipment to a pretty sad ungrassed fenced area. Equipment so unsafe that i wouldn't use it. But many people would drag their dogs over the equipment and most dogs disliked it. Pity the council didn't ask for advice as a fair bit of effort and money was spent. For instance a dog walk and A frame of polished/varnished (slippery )slatted wood. Must ask competitors tomorrow here in shellharbour if shoalhaven council asked them for ideas. P

Early starts are harder if you are travelling a long way as well. 9 is good. 8.30 Ok. I will rise at 5am but no earlier. LOVE afternoon trials in summer as i am a night owl