I caught...

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#21
You know, I don't think there is a more perfect dog for me. I like to talk and so do they. Perfection.

What I've enjoyed is seeing all the people at the dog park go from "oh my god they are so cute I want one!" to "you wanted that? I mean, like on purpose? Really?" :rofl1: Why yes, yes I did.

I always thought that the barking thing was a training issue. I mean, Zuma barked a ton when I first got her and I solved it by providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. I never allowed my dogs to bark... there seriously is no stopping Zinga. She barks at everything... as I'm typing she's barking because a toy rolled under the baby gate and she wants it NOW. Before that she was barking because Zuma had a bone she wanted. Before that she was barking because the cat jumped from the table to the counter. Before that she barked because I asked for a sit and she downed instead. The list goes on. :rofl1:
You guys really did all think I was just super lazy didn't you :rofl1: Life is happening and it's worth narrating. Happy, sad, tired, bored, excited, eating, sleeping, whatever it is sounds need to be made and will be made

You can really tell in Video lol I do love all the Koolies and you can tell the training is really coming along and they are VERY smart (and of course, you both are great trainers)
but..I always remember to put the volume down when I'm watching one of your koolies on youtube :rofl1: they do really just seem to enjoy "talking"

I met someone that had an aussie AND a koolie actually and people told her things like "Oh but aussies can be pretty barky too.." and she was like "No. NO. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. The aussies control bark and doorbell bark and untrained bark.. the koolies just bark like they are a person carrying on conversation, it's a natural setting."
:rofl1:
You know, I don't even hear it anymore, it's background noise. I get worried when there isn't noise happening.

Before I went to the disc dog thing I told one of the guys I apologize in advance for the noise that was going to come out of Didgie. He told me not to worry about it because there was no way she would be worse than his dogs or any of the others.

Well, we ended up in the room over in a corner trying to talk while Didgie shrieked.

I don't know why, but her barking doesn't annoy me nearly as much as Classic's did. Maybe because I know it's high pitched enough that it won't bother the neighbors so much or because its not "guardy" barking but rather just barking to bark.
I KNOW! Kaylee gives one alert bark and I'm like "I KILL YOU NOW" and Traveler and Didgie have a running conversation with themselves and I just sit there and talk back and laugh.


Yeah... Chalk me up to another "I like one in theory." lol
I first started talking to Linds because I wanted to get a Koolie for SAR. I am soooo glad I took the time to live with one for a week first. I absolutely ADORE Trav with all my heart. He is truly wonderful. But if I were going to spend more than a week there, I'd probably need to bring some seriously heavy duty earplugs. I just cannot handle the barking. It has a special, special shrieking quality to it. lol Awesome dogs, but certainly not for the faint of heart.
Even Boone does a little too much barking for my taste. But his is a deeper bark that I can at least tolerate.
Just wait, Didgie is so much worse than Traveler and hits this ear piercing level I didn't think was possible

.....I love it.
 
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PWCorgi

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#22
Yeah... Chalk me up to another "I like one in theory." lol
I first started talking to Linds because I wanted to get a Koolie for SAR. I am soooo glad I took the time to live with one for a week first. I absolutely ADORE Trav with all my heart. He is truly wonderful. But if I were going to spend more than a week there, I'd probably need to bring some seriously heavy duty earplugs. I just cannot handle the barking. It has a special, special shrieking quality to it. lol Awesome dogs, but certainly not for the faint of heart.
Even Boone does a little too much barking for my taste. But his is a deeper bark that I can at least tolerate.
This!

I honestly expected Zinga to be a Zuma clone. I LOVE Zuma, she is one of my most favorite dogs in the world. Like, honestly she might be my favorite dog, ever. For realz, love her. So I was like, yay another Zuma to love!!

Along comes Zinga, she ISN'T Zuma! :rofl1:
I still adore Zinga, love seeing her and playing with her, etc. I absolutely love watching her work, she's smart as a whip!
But I would not want to live with her 24/7.


The only way I will ever live with a Koolie is if it's mixed with a Whippet :popcorn:
 

SaraB

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#23
You guys really did all think I was just super lazy didn't you :rofl1: Life is happening and it's worth narrating. Happy, sad, tired, bored, excited, eating, sleeping, whatever it is sounds need to be made and will be made
Not lazy! I just didn't think it bothered you so you didn't make it a priority to train quiet. So of course I started right away trying to train the quiet into my koolie and failed miserably.

The only way I will ever live with a Koolie is if it's mixed with a Whippet :popcorn:
Who wouldn't!?
 
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#24
Not lazy! I just didn't think it bothered you so you didn't make it a priority to train quiet. So of course I started right away trying to train the quiet into my koolie and failed miserably.
And then you learned that if you can't fight it you may as well join it. At least, I hope you have and also bark back at them or I'm going to seem really crazy.
 

SaraB

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#25
And then you learned that if you can't fight it you may as well join it. At least, I hope you have and also bark back at them or I'm going to seem really crazy.
I haven't reached the bark back point... I just sit back and laugh. It may be a slightly crazed laugh though...
 
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#27
Koolies are awesome. I don't know how many people I've talked to that own then and the only real down side for me was the barking. Although according to my family Bentley is a big barker, I guess after working in a lot of kennels I'm just really good at tuning it out, lol.

Now if I could just get past the lack of any great breeders one will be mine.
 

Katem

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#28
That is Pig whenever Bear has anything she wants. Exactly. Only with added paw slaps. If he doesn't give in she also likes to sit on his head/back up onto him. Pig looks over to me as if to say "hey, why isn't he giving me that thing? It's my thing. Stop looking at me and make him give me my thing." Bear sometimes looks at me with his pitiful "did you really have to keep her? she's so loud and obnoxious. oh bother" face.

I feel like a koolie would be a perfect match for Pig and me. Bear would probably kill himself. They're definitely on my list of dogs I need to own at some point in my lifetime though.
 

Sit Stay

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#29
I ruled out Koolies long ago because of the barking. Can. Not. Tolerate. I love that Quinn is silent except polite barks when someone is at the door. Doesn't mean I may not end up living with one - thanks Mom and your habit of reading over my shoulder (and thus discovering cool new breeds).
 

Lyzelle

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#31
See, the barking doesn't bother me so much because Zander yells at me constantly anyway. Might as well add another. Quiet is ruined anyway. :rofl1:
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#33
Bark collars for all!

Seriously, their intelligence and fun and travelers extreme friendliness (that's a breed trait right?) is what draws me to them. Then again I don't do barking.

Do kelpie bark? Aren't they closely related? Is it all of Koolies or just that breeders stock?
 

SaraB

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#34
All koolies bark, regardless of breeder. Not all koolies are super friendly and outgoing like the ones from Travelers breeder though. Shyness, timidness and reactivity are not unheard of. This was the main reason I went with a breeder who I know produces the temperament I wanted.
 

FG167

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#35
Limit very much enjoys barking but it is a normal type of herding bark I think. He only barks slightly more than the Corgis. He does enjoy yelling at me, the other dogs, his toys, etc. BUT, I have had a shrieker and he is not that. He barks but it is totally manageable if one is familiar with herding breeds.
 

FG167

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#36
I also want to add that otherwise, he seems VERY like Didgie. He is very sweet, very outgoing, very smart, loves to work and learn and play....and has been INTENSELY focused on following, staring, stalking, and herding Finny until very recently. He is sort of bratty in a really fun, endearing way lol
 

Fran101

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#38
Are Koolies really that difficult to handle?
As with most breeds..it depends entirely on the person.

It's not overall difficulty as much as personal preference.

I know people who find Romeo really difficult to handle... but then again, it's hard to get used to a velcro tiny "oh god put the clicker and leash away I don't want to do anything right now except sleep and cuddle" chihuahua when you are used to a high drive dog :rofl1:

It depends on what you can/can't handle and what you are used to. Breeds, for the most part, don't come in easy/hard.. it all depends on traits you want and traits you find annoying (like say..barking and need for a lot of exercise)

I wouldn't call them "easy" dog by any means.. but it's not like they are walking terrors lol
 
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#39
Are Koolies really that difficult to handle?
Depends on what you mean. They're a true working breed, which means they certainly need experienced handlers.

But other than that, I think it more comes down to what you're looking for in a dog and what you want or don't want. Take me, for example... Could I "handle" a Koolie? Yes. Do I want a Koolie? No. Could I cut down on some of the barking? Probably. Could I eliminate it all together? Probably not. And for me personally, that's a big issue.

For other people, there are other traits to take into consideration. A Koolie's desire to be on top of you non-stop. Or their need to climb everything, inside and outside of your house. Their need for huge amounts of exercise, mentally and physically. So on and so forth.

Some of these are traits people want. Some are traits people don't want. You just have to decide what it is you're looking for and then decide if Koolies really fit the bill or if you're basing your decision on the fact that you're in love with certain dogs and not the breed itself. I know I certainly got interested in the breed because of Traveler. But, like I said before, I changed my mind after taking the time to live with them for a while. Not because he was any less amazing. Just because I decided that the breed wasn't well suited to me, and there were plenty of other breeds that were.

ETA: Whoops, Fran pretty much said the same thing. Didn't realize it took me so long to type mine...
 
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#40
Are Koolies really that difficult to handle?
Just what Fran and Jes said, it depends on the person.

For me personally? Kaylee is WAY more high maintence than them even though she doesn't like exercise, wants to sleep all day, and doesn't think her voice is awesome. I mesh much better with the Koolies and find most of their obnoxious, high energy, loudness to be incredibly amusing and endearing. I train all the time and run them all the time. They are a very large part of my life. I love it so it doesn't grate on me. Most times.

But for someone else (sane people) it could be incredibly hard to live with.

Bark collars for all!

Seriously, their intelligence and fun and travelers extreme friendliness (that's a breed trait right?) is what draws me to them. Then again I don't do barking.

Do kelpie bark? Aren't they closely related? Is it all of Koolies or just that breeders stock?
Pretty much all Koolies bark and talk and make noise. You'll find an odd one once in awhile but yep, they are talkers.

And they are supposed to be a people loving, friendly breed but there are some lines that are known for being more reserved (shy) and nervy. It's the main reason I went with my breeder because after talking to people with lots of different Koolies from different lines they all said his dogs are all crazy outgoing.

I also want to add that otherwise, he seems VERY like Didgie. He is very sweet, very outgoing, very smart, loves to work and learn and play....and has been INTENSELY focused on following, staring, stalking, and herding Finny until very recently. He is sort of bratty in a really fun, endearing way lol
I think they're very similar too! Need to get them together
 

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