Hi there,
New to the forum. I'm from western Washington, US, where kelpies are not uncommon. I adopted what appears to be a kelpie x GSD cross almost one year ago. I wanted an agility dog and she has proven wonderful, in competition after ten months of training and Qing frequently enough that I know she was born for this and will go far.
She's my first dog as an adult, and I adore the sport. I'm already thinking about my next dog. Agility is totally dominated by border collies. I love how focused, determined and hardworking they are. My girl is good but she doesn't have the intense, crazy focus that BCs do--which is fine, that's hard to manage with your first dog, but I do want that for the next one.
BCs are the obvious choice here, but I adore my dog. In addition to being the perfect companion and worker, she's also gorgeous. I'd love a kelpie or kelpie x BC (there's a ranch not far that breeds both for cattle work) for my next agility dog. From what I've read, the focus, drive, speed and intelligence are pretty much the same, but I get the impression that kelpies are perhaps a bit less biddable/more stubborn. This is fine by me--I had terriers as a kid and appreciate critical thinking. I've met a few other kelpie crosses but they're extremely different from my dog, who is outgoing, fearless and constantly looking for some sort of job to do.
I've spoken to the ranch that breeds kelpie crosses and plan to meet their dogs. But before I make any kind of commitment, I want to hear from people running kelpies in the sport. Do you run your kelpie in agility? How quickly did they learn? Are they as fast as BCs? Easy to train? Interested in the game?
Here's a pic of my lovely girl: https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1467490_10201469608675234_1125062183_n.jpg
New to the forum. I'm from western Washington, US, where kelpies are not uncommon. I adopted what appears to be a kelpie x GSD cross almost one year ago. I wanted an agility dog and she has proven wonderful, in competition after ten months of training and Qing frequently enough that I know she was born for this and will go far.
She's my first dog as an adult, and I adore the sport. I'm already thinking about my next dog. Agility is totally dominated by border collies. I love how focused, determined and hardworking they are. My girl is good but she doesn't have the intense, crazy focus that BCs do--which is fine, that's hard to manage with your first dog, but I do want that for the next one.
BCs are the obvious choice here, but I adore my dog. In addition to being the perfect companion and worker, she's also gorgeous. I'd love a kelpie or kelpie x BC (there's a ranch not far that breeds both for cattle work) for my next agility dog. From what I've read, the focus, drive, speed and intelligence are pretty much the same, but I get the impression that kelpies are perhaps a bit less biddable/more stubborn. This is fine by me--I had terriers as a kid and appreciate critical thinking. I've met a few other kelpie crosses but they're extremely different from my dog, who is outgoing, fearless and constantly looking for some sort of job to do.
I've spoken to the ranch that breeds kelpie crosses and plan to meet their dogs. But before I make any kind of commitment, I want to hear from people running kelpies in the sport. Do you run your kelpie in agility? How quickly did they learn? Are they as fast as BCs? Easy to train? Interested in the game?
Here's a pic of my lovely girl: https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1467490_10201469608675234_1125062183_n.jpg