Kavik

Ideally if people stopped buying BYB puppies, people would no longer breed them :)

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 more. :) 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.

I can't find any information on Jerralong Kelpies. Currently the two I am considering are Hawkesbury and Ameroo.

While I agree that exercise and stimulation is important every day, I don't think dogs need to interact offlead with strange dogs. Some dogs simply don't like that, there are many different play styles among dogs and not all suit being rushed at and bowled over as often happens at offlead dog parks. Also, as someone who competes in dogsports I would rather they pay attention to me than try to get to every dog for a play.

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.

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

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 :)

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

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:

Thanks guys that is really helpful, I was hoping you might comment :) My thoughts were that a yard type dog would be more comfortable coming closer and interacting more closely with the handler, and be able to put up with more pressure, and this is what I am veering towards. I understand that working breeders would not really understand what I am looking for in a sports dog, which is why I am trying to understand more about what they would be looking for in a working dog so I could approach them looking for traits that they already understand and recognise. Doing sheepwork with Kaos is a good idea to get a better understanding, it will let me know more about what I have in Kaos as well, will have a think about how I could possibly fit that in and where etc - that is a whole other ballpark :laugh:

Mantis - the stay command is not necessary :) When you tell the dog to sit, you want the dog to sit until released.

Do you really think that a litter of pups would be so uniform that any puppy from the litter would be just as good as another for sports? I would have thought that there would be variation within the litter, especially considering the range of jobs that Kelpies are often asked to do, and some would suit some jobs better than others. I'm having a hard time trying to pick based on what Kelpies I see at agility, as they seem to be varied and from all different breeders, and some of my favourites are rescues :laugh: - I approach everyone with a Kelpie that I like to ask where it is from, including at the Nationals! What I am doing so far is to take what I know of Kelpies and different types within Kelpies, the jobs they do, temperaments and build, and look at those traits and look at the traits I am looking for for sports and looking for the type that would best suit what I am looking for. I am also trying to be able to describe what I am looking for in terms that a working Kelpie breeder would understand so they can also assist me and let me know if that is the type they have and with individual puppies.

I have not had the same good experience with Noonbarra dogs. I have narrowed it down to a couple of breeders, haven't contacted them yet though to see whether they sell to sports homes.

I am looking at working line dogs but thanks for the recommendation :)

There is a lot of foundation work you can do away from the club at home as well :) When I have a second I'll write down some of them for you - just about to go out

Thanks guys :) dasha Have picked breed (Kelpie :D ), still narrowing down breeders and lines but have an idea now what I think I am looking for there and a couple in mind. I am also looking for a breeder I can discuss my requirements with, who can help suggest which of their litters and pups within the litter would be most suitable. I plan on having someone else come with me to help provide another viewpoint.

What do others do when evaluating a puppy or a litter for sports potential? What traits do you look for in a pup and would you do any sort of puppy evaluation test to pick the most suitable pup in a litter?

I think from memory the vets want to put them on senior food at 7! Zoe turns 13 in October and Diesel turns 9 in December so an aging crew here too though when out and about Zoe acts like a much youunger dog and people are often surprised when I tell them her age.

Were you at the open day? If so I was there too! I had the big black and tan Kelpie at the agility stall and did a little bit of an impromptu demo :laugh: I didn't walk through to see the dogs in the shelter - didn't realise there were Kelpies in!

I've seen similar things at training when we are simulating a sequence that would come in the middle of a run instead of a start and where you would already have or need momentum such as distance handling challenges, though I haven't had much luck trying it myself and I haven't seen it at a trial.

A Labrador can pull the leash out of your hands, they are very strong - I have had one pull me over and I tore mt medial ligament because of it (didn't want to let go of lead because it was not my dog and I was told it had a poor recall - but I should have let go!).

AWDRI has plenty of Kelpies and other working type breeds :) http://www.workingdogrescue.com.au/

I will be there on a stall for my agility club!

Do you have a particular breed or type you are interested in?

Need to add the dog was primarily a pet for her son, was NOT a protection dog