Jumabaar

I tend to get a lot of these questions- and am heading toward a profession where they will be unavoidable. I generally will recommend OB if it is something simple, or a trainer/behaviouralists if it is a bad problem. That being said I also go with the reward what you want, ignore what you don't method. Although I usually also give an example so that they can humanize the situation a little more for their dog ie a dog having and accident and being yelled at/chased is equivalent to scoring the wining goal in football game with all the attention the dog receives, so need to make that score happen outside rather than inside. I defiantly try to use the most simple method possible, even if I think there is limited chance of it working- I am more interested in helping the dog out than solving the problem!! I generally also give management advice while they are waiting to see a professional ie- keeping dogs separated if necessary etc which so many Average pet owners don't think about!! Eta- when it comes to people training my dogs I am more than happy for them to try- I haven't managed to break them yet and If I can't I don't think anyone else could LMAO!!!

I believe veterans can be neuters- well at least at specialty shows.

I got my bag on Monday, they have raw for dinner and kibble in the morning. I will know by next week if they maintain weight on it!!! So far no upset stomachs etc (I didn't have food to swap them over but they get a varied diet so I wasn't too worried)

I so totaly wants one. Just not sure if it is really me though...........

I have entered. It is a bouns of living only 20minutes away, so if the weather is rotten I am outa there lol!

its not specific to kelpies i believe- but general colours to identify all breeds/ mutts

My old red n tan went in as red. It is more for identification purpose so since red is in his colouring i would stick with that. NB- I wouldnt do tri-colour because it is not a colour term associated with kelpies at all!!

bleah!!! silly double post!!

Tell me about it, I can't believe it myself. He has really started to mature of late (and about time!) and I feel like we are finally getting along - I'm not battling with him so much and he is becoming quite responsive to my pressure, which is nice. He is much more intense on sheep, no video to show because all our recent sheep work has been pretty ordinary :D so I'm keeping those videos a secret. He did do some beautiful sheep work the other day but of course, no video! Finally got him to yield properly, I think it is really sinking in that I want him to go around the flight zone, not cut in. Haven't seen many Lappies down here, I did see a couple when I started with my first dog, but that was years ago. Be great to see some video if you can manage it, I love watching other breeds working. I know TerraNik got some footage of her having fun!

My Finnish Lapphund, Demi, has just started and I have to say I am sooooo proud of her. I have done herding with the kelpies which is fun, but I am enjoying working with a more laid back breed!! She has only been in the round yard thus far but is moving nicely in both directions now (she was refusing to go anti-clockwise the first few sessions), did a little driving and stopped reasonably well. You know when she is working because they are a barking breed!!! And boy does she do a good job of that!!!! Just wondering if anyone had suggestions for either workshops to attend that might be on next yr, or private lessons in NSW. I would just love to get some one on one attention with her!!!

Was just learning about this You can freeze for 2 weeks at minus 20 degrees Feed cooked meat (kinda defeats raw though) And worm your dog with praziquantel every 6 weeks if you are worried and keep it up

I think differences in ages is just as important as the sex ratio. I would suggest trying to space only at least the first 2 well so that you can put the time into your first dog to get them well trained so that the next one does not pick up bad habits. This will give you a chance to develop as leaders of your pack so there will be less difficulties when you add to it. I have two boys and three girls but they are 18mths-2yrs apart. That way my eldest is well in control of the pack but there wont ever be a massive age difference so there will never be an uprising so to speak. I am also careful with what personalities I add. I already have a very dominant bitch, so will only be looking for girls she will get along with- she has never been in a fight because she doesnt need to :D. I currently have my eye on a future mating that will produce another male that will fit perfectly into my pack!! Thus far mine are all entire and with the exception of the two boys not being left around each other when I am not home just in case, they get along reasonable well. I just wish I had a bigger age difference between the boys as I feel that had they not been so close they would be best buddies! When looking at a second breed I made sure it was compatiable with the one I already had

Just thought I would add- I tend to go to specialist clubs ie obedience club for OB, agility club for agility, flyball club for flyball. I get to meet alot more people this way and it changes the environment. This meant that I started them all around the same time rather than having to do so much Ob before i got to do the fun stuff. This worked well for me because it challenged my dogs and I wasnt teaching things that were counterproductive.

I just thought I would add to this- I have four kelpies in suburbia. I have been sick for the last two weeks and they have not been off the property. And I have to say they haven't really left my room at all in that time either. They haven't really cared. I think they have enjoyed having me at home the entire time rather than being exercised then left while I go to uni. They will not be going out for another week at least and I expect the only thing I will have to worry about after all this inactivity will be that they take it easy when they get back to doing stuff because I don't want them to become injured after doing nothing for so long!!!! Farmers don't work stock every day so It wouldn't make sense to create a dog that went ballistic if they didn't do 60km eve day. Also I wouldn't expect every kelpie to relax at boarding kennels. Mine have little rituals that have developed to tell them it is time to relax- being put in a crate and covered, going home, being told that their toy has been confiscated. To them being in kennels with all that movement and activity would make them think they were meant to be doing something!! To me the difference between kelpie and lab is that a kelpie is working/in drive unless told otherwise and a lab (adult) is relaxing unless told otherwise.

Behaviour changes can also be a sign of health problems. Feeling sore from an injury or being unwell from a virus or other conditions can cause this. I would definatly recommend a visit to the vet!!

The east and northern suburbs are all tick areas but the west and south west are not. I am near Liverpool and there are definitely no ticks here or towards Campbelltown or Penrith. The DogsNSW grounds at Erskine Park are also safe from ticks. Sutherland shire, the Eastern suburbs, Northern Beaches and northern suburbs, west to about Castle Hill seem to be the worst affected. Our vets at Austral have never had a tick case on a dog that has not been out of the area and strangely you can get pockets where they don't occur in areas where you expect them. I have a friend in Dural which is between Arcadia and Castle Hill, that both have tick problems, but there have never been any ticks on her property. There are ticks around Liverpool/Penrith- they are just not very common in the area but it is still best to check during summer months and know the signs!!!!! Also had a friend who's suspects their dog picked up a tick from fresh wood chips the council had put down in a very safe area!

I have used vets all natural mix to put weight on my kelpies! I find using it keeps the rest of the food bill down a little too.

But if they were as cute as , the name Cupcake would be fine!! When were looking at breeder websites, OH found out the owner of Beloka Kelpie Stud auditioned for "Australia's Got Talent". Also, Cupcake the Kelpie would have been awesome for a girlie ... Not so much for a boy ... Just remember no matter what name you choose, if you plan on doing dog sports, you'll be yelling it in public a fair bit. True nothing worse than an emergency recall yelling out "princess saf saf" across a field and wanting to kill ones family for encouraging the dog only to answer to such a rediculas phrase for it's recall. LMAO!!

I would probably suggest a bitch if you were looking at age differences. I think male kelpies can co-exist but generally try do much better with a few years inbtween......... It's great that you have found a breeder you click with that's great. I. Think some great points have been raised here to ask the breeder. Don't rush in if it doesn't feel 100% right but if you sit back and take the emotions out and still feel like it's the right thing then I hope you enjoy your pup :rolleyes:

I wish ALL vets would charge a little less... not because I have a problem paying them, but because there are many people out there who are not rolling in money and often, the animals don't get desexed because of how expensive it is. $200 to someone making $400 a week is a LOT. I wish mechanics would charge a little less. I have to save up to get my car serviced each year. But since it is my choice to own a car and i dont know enough to do the upkeep myself I accept that they need to make enough survive and make a profit.

I think the proof is in the pudding with all the callicoma recommendations lol (I might be a little biased since my girl has a calicoma dam!!)

I take mine to the vet at the point where I am starting to question if it is necessary. So while my dog might get diarrhea I am nit generally worried about it, but if I start to question my judgement they go in.

Onyx is a calicoma.

Why is that considered expensive? I look at how much a human surgery of the same length of time and really think I am getting a bargain with my animals. I wish ALL vets would charge just a little more!!

Agree!!! I know I wont be available ;) I think Sydney people need to stage protest!!!!