|
|
 Expert
Posts: 1410
 
Location: Peach State | Thinking about getting a kelpie puppy. Anyone out there have experience with them? I have a heeled already which I feel is pretty close to a kelpie?
Do the seem to be good with kids? I plan on taking it to a lot of rodeos as well so I want somethings that's not too aggressive. | |
| | |
 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I have one, she's ten this year. Until she was about 4 or 5 she was a total nut job I actually tried to give her away and nobody wanted her lol. She would nip at strangers chase cats herd the horses beat on the other dogs jump our 6 ft fence and take off did not listen well despite obedience training and an insane intelligence level etc. She could learn anything in just a few minutes so consequently knows a lot of tricks. I took her everywhere with me and had to work really hard to keep her bad behavior under control.
Now she's a certified service dog and I take her everywhere (still). I worked at a western store and she was our shop dog I caught a kid laying on top of her one time and she was just soaking it up. One thing even in her worst years she was always great with kids. I didn't get her until she was about 6 months old so that probably had a lot to do with her behavior. I love her and wouldn't trade her for anything and would totally get another one.
They are extremely high energy so beware of that, I've had border collies and mcnabs forever but nothing quite as high energy as Sonney. | |
| | |
She's a Tough One
Posts: 3199
| Only experience is with kelpie McNabb crosses. Very high energy first few years similar to heelers need jobs/cattle/ball etc. But all the ones I have dealt with were amazing dogs. | |
| | |
 Peecans
| We have Kelpies, and I know lots of them.
In our experince they are great with kids, the oldest one was never raised around kids and he is very good with them all.
I find them a bit thicker headed than the boarder collies traning wise, but not that bad really. They bond very strongly and truly want to please. We have one pretty mellow one and a firecracker 6ft tall and bullet proof one right now.
Some say the solid blacks go back to a specific stud dog, and thoes are the most hard headed aggressive working dogs you will find. Difficult to train but once you get them, the best dog you will ever have. My next pup will be a Barb, I really would like to personaly see if there's a diffrence anymore being the Barb is so deluted and far far back. But they sure are sharp looking. Many I have talked to with solid blacks do say they are tougher dogs and they do seem to have a bit diffrent style working.
Our dogs work, the old dog has always been fanacitaed by cats not chasing them, he just stares and stares at them if he dosent have a task.
With anydog they are as good as they are trained and socialized they are a kind hate breed on the whole, but I've meet some that are on the more nasty side, but I feel thats an exception to the breed, and bad traning. | |
| | |
Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | We have had all the working dogs. They are my last choice for a dog around the place. Very hard headed and tons of energy. My son has had his for two years now and she still will not work stock correctly and gets so difficult she must have a shock collar. She's tried killing stock and axis. I've seen her be good to kids however, seeing her behaviour on animals I would not trust her with kids.
An Aussie is more my choice for a family dog that can work stock. Our border collies first love is stock our Aussies love us then the stock. | |
| | |
 Expert
Posts: 1611
Location: bring on the heat, NV | They are HIGH energy HIGH "mental need" working dogs and they take their jobs seriously.... kinda like a border collie on crack (almost anyway im pretty familar with them). If you dont have a job they re going to make one. Really really nice dogs but I know they would drive me nuts after a while. Ill stick with my border collies and we have a young idaho shag border collie cross that may be one of the best dogs when we is finished. kinda a joker, low to medium energy (dont really need a "job") and doesnt take things to serious... really really happy dog and he looks cool too. Id try one of those ;) Kids wise im not going to say they are all nippy but the ones ive been around are of one bloodline but kinda nippy not super tolerant. Lil protective of their people too more likely to bite than a border collie but not as aggressive as a lot of heelers ive been around.
Edited by moapajetrider 2015-11-22 5:49 PM
| |
| | |
Veteran
Posts: 268
| I have a two year old half Kelpie half Border Collie and wouldn't trade him for the world. Crazy intelligent so he was super easy to train even though he tends to have a very short attention span (been told it will get better with age). Very lovable, really good with kids which was something I was a bit worried about at first because he is a huge dog (80 pounds of muscle and legs) and likes to play rough. But as soon as kids come around he is a big love and will let them pet him all day long. He's great with the horses, cows, and other dogs. Prefers to ignore them if anything and doesn't try to chase or herd unless told to. Great dogs, highly recommend :) | |
| | |
Peecans
| I thought I would share some pictures of your two keplies, because I LOVE them :-)
This is Hoss, He is 10 years old now, hes been in some pretty iffy spots, but always comes out on top, hes pretty cool, we hope to get one litter from him and Gem before he gets too old, hes starting to get a bit grey around the eyes :-(
And this is Gem She is a bit over a year old, she always had a desire to work and work agressivle, shes a bit big for her britches some days, but a lot of work has been done on her recoil, most dogs, I hate calling them off, but with her, you need to just kinda calm down and regroup, shes coming along beautifuly thought, she a darn tough dog, diffently not for a novide working dog handler though.
She dose not back down, and she does not quit though. She is acatualy an increadible dog, I wish she was mine to train and mould, I like her grit.
We never took more puctures, but she put that pair back on her own, we were not expecting the heffer to be so cranky, she was out lots that summer, and it was open the gate, she came in, he was expecting a nice little easy job to start her off on, but she handled it very well.
Her parents
I will say, I find them to be very very diffrent to work with than a border collie, they seem to have a diffrent way of thinking and they really like to think a head, and just have a bit diffrent style.
And because I cant leave him out, my boarder collie, Tuff!
Both the Kelpies are my husbands, but I use hoss as a pair with my boarder collie they work really well together. I need to start puppy shoping my dog has had some health problems, and has gotten onesided after his stroke, but man he still works really well in the feedlot, but Im in the market for a kelpie, I pefer male dogs, and like I said I want to try a "barb" really badly! If you need some names of breeders, I could help. I know that the kelpies got really pouplar, and people started crossing and breeding them and making pour working dogs by accident, also the trial type working likes tend to mature very slowly and come on to working slower, some take up to two years to really get a strong intrest in cattle.
Best of luck to you finding the pefrect dog!
| |
| |
|
Kelpie dogs