Am I the only one or...

[mrose_s]

I think the hard thing aswell that a good kelpie won't show you its personality because its not in their nature to act "normal" with someone it doesn't know. If I hadn't grown up hanging off my uncles working kelpies and adoring him I probably wouldn't have nearly the amount of interest in them.

This is Smokey my first Kelpie love and my uncles new dog Toby (now about 2) with my uncle.

I'm definetly taking Quinn down with me next time I go down and I have a decent camera now so I'll get some awesome pics.

 

[Shai]

Fair point -- I think a lot of breeds/dogs are like that to some extent though. And I wouldn't expect acting normal with me, but most fairly stable dogs can act "mostly normal" with their person if a stranger is in the general vicinity but not bothering them...I just haven't even seen that lol.


On the other hand, if any wants to see a FCR behaving as herself, just see Mira at any given moment of any day lol.

I'm definetly taking Quinn down with me next time I go down and I have a decent camera now so I'll get some awesome pics.

*like*

 

[BostonBanker]

Just out of interest, howcome you decided to cross them off your list? You could always do a Linds and import. lol

I don't think that would be for me. Taking a chance on "maybe this will work" isn't really my style! I had Meg as a foster for nearly a month before I admitted she was staying!

I'm not sure how to put what I didn't like about them into words. There was something very "physical" about them. It is the reason I would never enjoy the average retriever, as nice as they can be. What I like about Meg, and some of the BC I know, is sort of a physical "softness". They respect physical space well, they are gentle with how they use their body around people. The kelpies had no such qualms about it; they would lean hard on you, it hurt if they jumped on you or slammed into you while running. My assumption was that as dogs who work on cattle more than BC (at least here in the states), they need that extra oomph. I'd be curious to meet some cattle bred BC and see if they are similar.

There is a lovely, lovely kelpie around here who comes from the one breeder I know of and does agility. Super agility dog, sweet as can be, and I adore watching her run. I'm just not so sure they are for me.

 

[Laurelin]

I'm not sure how to put what I didn't like about them into words. There was something very "physical" about them. It is the reason I would never enjoy the average retriever, as nice as they can be. What I like about Meg, and some of the BC I know, is sort of a physical "softness". They respect physical space well, they are gentle with how they use their body around people. The kelpies had no such qualms about it; they would lean hard on you, it hurt if they jumped on you or slammed into you while running. My assumption was that as dogs who work on cattle more than BC (at least here in the states), they need that extra oomph. I'd be curious to meet some cattle bred BC and see if they are similar.

That's actually my problem with Aussies too. I like a gentler dog that doesn't body slam me down.

 

[Paige]

I agree! It's a huge reason why I love BCs so much. Bandit is the most meathead, clutzy BC I've met, yet he'd still never barrel into anyone. He'd hang himself in shame if he did.

 

[Beanie]

Uhhhh... whoops. LOL. Auggie has barreled into me several times. And all 15 pounds of him slamming into me at top speed hurts... a lot. He nearly took me down one day. In fact I think I did end up on the floor, just because him crashing into my legs hurt soooo bad I slowly made my way to the ground. (Also I was laughing because it was funny even though it REALLY HURT so that contributed to me going to the ground.) In fact I think he bruised me.

He just doesn't always have self-control at top speed. To be fair he also sometimes runs into the wall, into bushes, into the cabinets... I think he just tries to hit the brakes too late...

 

[Shai]

Suddenly Kelpies seem more appealing lol

 

[RD]

I like the dogs that'll play rough, and sometimes I long for a big rowdy dog like a retriever or rottweiler, but at the end of the day my knees are very thankful for Eve's good spatial awareness. :lol-sign:

I think the kind of stock the dog works determines the dog's mannerisms, too. Some of the coolest herding dogs I've met were McNab types, about twice the size of your average BC but with the same exceptional spatial awareness. They had the size and strength to move stubborn cattle but their working style was very similar to the border collie - they exhausted all options before using force to move their stock.

 

[Linds]

This is very interesting. I never thought about that with BC's before but thinking back even my fake Border Collie I had growing up never jumped or was pushy to people.

Hey mroses, have you been around Koolies at all? How to they compare with how Kelpies are with their family?

 

[lyria]

I am pretty hooked on papillons right now, but I'm a long way from getting a puppy and research on gender and breeders particularly is paramount!

 

[mrose_s]

This is very interesting. I never thought about that with BC's before but thinking back even my fake Border Collie I had growing up never jumped or was pushy to people.

Hey mroses, have you been around Koolies at all? How to they compare with how Kelpies are with their family?

Not enough to know that, the only ones I've met seem pretty mixed and its hard to judge because there are a lot of koolies that end up in rescue so obvisouly not all good breeders.
Quinn's got a playdate with one on Saturday morning though so I'll ask her more about living with one. (There will be pics)

Out of my two, Buzzy who is very kelpie like in his attitude is much more polite than Quinn who will litereally crawl up onto your chest to say hello or up around your shoulders if your on a chair. But When either of them are moving around me they are generally very aware of me and avoiding me. Buzzy is an incredibly soft dog with me though.

 

[Upendi&Mina]

I'm not having that problem. While it's years away I'm 99% sure my next dog will be an aussie.

 

[Laurelin]

I am pretty hooked on papillons right now, but I'm a long way from getting a puppy and research on gender and breeders particularly is paramount!

Oooh Papillon!

 

[PlottMom]

I will certainly not be ready for another dog until one passes... when that time comes, I'm lost as to whether I want to go the Basset rescue route and get another little long dog, a plott pup (I've never gotten to raise a plott baby, actually...), a beagle from a friend of mine who breeds rabbit dogs, or a Patterdale. I'd love to add a nice dog-friendly rescue APBT, but we shall see.

 

[nikkiluvsu15]

Nope. Vizsla will be coming next, after that another Lab

After that though - I have quite a few breeds I'd love to own, so that'll be hard to choose!

 

[Shai]

Regarding the physicality/spatial awareness thing...

Just for the sake of clarity, when I say I like a physical dog, that's not the same as liking a bull-in-a-chinashop brute who has no idea where his body is and doesn't care...

For example, Kim has excellent spatial awareness. She may choose to get in your space but she is extremely sensitive to pressure and personal space. This has it's advantages but at the same time if we were to accidentally collide, she would freak at least momentarily.

Mira on the other hand also has excellent spatial awareness. Even going full tilt, she also virtually never runs into things and always seems to know where her feet and body are. She can and does run straight up to a person and leap vertical so closely you can feel the breath on your face (a few times she's actually licked my cheek) with ever touching me with her body. But if we were collide or something like that she's take it in stride and be fine with it. That is the sort of physicality I'm talking about...being fine with hard, even unexpected contact...with isn't the same as not noticing/caring that it occurred...if that makes sense.

 

[BostonBanker]

It completely makes sense. And it is something I've discussed with a lot of dog people lately in regards to my next dog.

Meg is soft to a degree most people don't ever have to deal with. I got in her way when she was weaving one day, she weaved into my leg, got "kicked" (not intentionally, and not nearly hard enough to hurt her) and she bolted out of the field, and refused to come back in. It took time, her best dog friend, and McDonalds to get her back to working in that space.

Hence my threat that my next agility dog was going to be a cattle dog/kelpie/JRT/wolf cross. I said my rule of thumb was that if my dog got stepped on on-course, it wanted it to bite me, not run.

But I don't really . I can work with soft. I can make it better. I can use it to my advantage at times, and I firmly think soft is connected to self-awareness and self-preservation in a certain way. Her natural proprioception is better than any dog I know. I like that. Meg knows exactly where her body is at all times because she is worried about it being the wrong spot. She won't put herself in a dangerous position on an agility course (or else where) because she doesn't want hurt. I don't worry about gambles like a dog walk at a distance (which a lot of people pulled their dogs from a few weeks ago siting it as dangerous) because I know she won't put herself at risk. And the dog Does Not Pull Bars.

While there will always be dogs who defy the rules, I know that I am more comfortable, both living and "working" with a dog who falls on the soft cautious side of things.

This thread detour was brought to you by the Vermont Department of Tourism and BostonBanker. I hope you enjoyed the journey. opcorn:

 

[Great Dane]

I'm not having that problem. While it's years away I'm 99% sure my next dog will be an aussie.

Yep. I'm like you, at this point in time I couldn't imagine myself owning anything other than a free-spirited, fun loving, goofball of a Dane. I think 20 years with one particular breed will kind of do that.

Kind of bounced the idea around of a Mastino for a while since they're my other true love but the breed has been so destroyed and it's incredibly tough to find a reputable breeder who has what we're looking for in N. America. Would have to import from Europe or Australia and at this point in time it's not worth it to go through the hassle. They also don't fit my lifestyle like a Great Dane does, I love Danes because they can keep up with my very active, go-go-go style and they posses that wonderful temperament and personality. I can do anything and everything with them without worrying about them tiring or not being able to keep up. Mastinos on the other hand are not as versatile - so perhaps later on down the road.

Been close to owning Italian Mastiffs and Pakistani Mastiffs before so perhaps maybe those breeds are options down the road. Certainly slanted towards dogs that have wonderful dispositions and are big people dogs though due to therapy work.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I met a GSD today that just made me want one again! Every time I see them, I'm just like ahhh gorgeous! And this one was real sweet. I forget her name already but she was 6yrs old and got along fabulously with Jackson. Pretty mellow but loved chasing her balls.

Plus, lately I've been wanting a big dog (even though I think small dogs are much easier in terms of travel and my lifestyle right now) because I DO feel safer with one. Like, when I'm walking the Rottweiler that I watch every day, I definitely have a sense of security. I don't EXPECT my dogs to protect me nor would I train a personal protection dog or anything, but I do think it makes people think twice about coming near you if you're walking by yourself. I think that'd be nice whenever I am living on my own.

 

[JennSLK]

Well once Im more settled, asside from the Beagles and Dobes, I want a "odd breed out". Just to have/show not breed. It will be....



Black and Tan Coonhound
Standard Poodle
Rottie
Cane Corso
Afghan Hound

One of the above. LOL. Most likely the Coonhound, if I find one I like.