Neal
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Everything posted by Neal
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I'd agree with what 3175darren's said about learning from mistakes although in my case it applies to kelpies. I've heard it said that it's only a mistake if you don't learn from it and, if that is the case, then dogs like these don't make mistakes. I remember training my first kelpie about fifteen years ago and the difference between him and a previous collie x whippet was astronomical. They both lived to please but Rusty was so much more earnest. Every time he got something wrong you could see him thinking, "well that wasn't right: what do you mean then?" It's down to him that I came to
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I've only had one collie-saturated dog (as opposed to my current purebreds) though he was a Hancock bred 3/4 collie 1/4 greyhound sired by Richard Jones out of Linnet and born in the late 80s. He had great stamina and constitution, enough speed for Cumbrian rabbits and a lovely, easy-going temperament. I know I'm obviously fairly biased (now working pure sheep/cattle dogs) but a 3/4 collie type is the only thing that would tempt me away from my prick eared mongrels. As mentioned above...great thread and some stunning "mongrels!"
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Australian Shepherds aren't an Australian breed, they're American (though I think they're descended fom Iberian dogs). I think the A.C.D club of Great Britain occasionally has some heelers for rescue but not often. Also, not certain but I think the majority of heelers in the U.K. are show bred. If he's wanting them for guard work then I WOULDN'T recommend a kelpie as kelpies and heelers have different temperaments.
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There's a photo of my oldest in my avatar, though he's a pure kelpie as opposed to a lurcher. He looks even older now though... I think that photo is about seven years old...he's just hanging on at fifteen but can still manage the occasional bimble around the wood. I have a tiny seven year old bitch too and a ten month old pup. I have high hopes for him but it's early days yet.
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They may both have the word "Australian" in their names but they're quite different dogs.
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My biggest bag is usually one...does the question still apply to me?
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...Alpaca hunting?
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Well said Socks! However, we do have a knack of realising the potential (and then realizing the potential) of different foreign breeds. We have a particularly British way of blending them together too.
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Not at the time...I was gutted...but I'm happy now.
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I think mine was born in '91 Darbo. She was a very dark brindle bitch and made about 22". Unfortunately, the house I was living in at the time was owned by an ex's family and when we split up I couldn't find anywhere to live that would allow a dog or anyone to take her on temporarily...so she went to a gamekeeper in Swaledale...lucky bitch...I ended up in Gosport!
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Re REWs post and Skycat's reply: my first lurcher (mentioned in a post above) was a beardie x greyhound and she certainly wasn't nervous. She once jumped in the beck after a heron and charged into Tarn Hows to try her luck with a Canada goose. She was also very outgoing and friendly with people...despite what the books may try to tell you.
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Chid21, that reminds me of when I lived in Coniston with my first lurcher in the early 90s. She was a first cross beardie/greyhound (sired by Remus out of a bitch called Emma). I saw a lovely looking working beardie in the village (or so I thought) when I asked about it and was pointed in the direction of the breeder on a nearby farm the dam was a regular looking border (if there is such a thing) and the sire was a weird looking short backed very long legged mongrelly collie with a thick ruff...it looked like an early rough collie or a maned wolf...looks can be deceptive. On a slightly dif
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Keep going. I was similar to you; I was either missing everything by miles or hitting the forks. When I started doing what Longers7 has suggested I finally started getting some consistency. Try watching some video clips too as it sometimes makes more sense when you see somebody else doing it.
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Dogs-n-natives, I started out with collie crosses and, while I liked them, I felt there was something missing. I'd heard of kelpies but nobody was breeding kelpie crosses at the time and I wanted (or thought I wanted) a lurcher so forgot about them. Several years later I got a kelpie/collie x greyhound from Dave Sleight's first litter of that cross and was so amazed at the difference in temperament that I eventually bought a pure one. He was initially intended as a starting point but I completely fell in love with him and have only had pure kelpies since. I know I've said this lots of times on
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When I was at art college, one of my lecturers told me about a friend of his who brought in a lizard strapped to his leg...I hope it was head end down...ouch!
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I have three pure kelpies that I use for bushing/mooching. Rusty (20") is fifteen next weekend but, in his day, was a great bushing dog. I've even known him to "bush" rabbits from huge piles of builders waste...not to be recommended but he always came out unscathed. Scout (18") has been known to go to ground (not far though) and gets into really thick undergrowth...her ears are more scar tissue than leather now. Noggin's only nine months old but is already about 21" and 40lbs so not sure how his bushing career will go yet. I try to take him out on his tod as much as possible so that he doesn't
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I ordered one last week from the bushcraft store and I'm really impressed with it. After weeks with my old milbro and repeated fork hits and missing a barn door I'm now on target most of the time...and that's after just two short sessions with cans in the wood.
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I agree with Phil...a GOOD kelpie and a GOOD collie...not much between them. In the end it comes down to your personality and theirs.
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I really feel for you Ray...I'm having a similar situation with my current lump of a kelpie pup...the run looks like I've rehomed a coypu! He also tips over every water container I put in (I gave up on the big bucket when he chewed it up). But there's always light at the end of the tunnel. I've had the same from previous dogs (kelpies and otherwise) and they all stopped in the end. A friend of mine with a rotty recommended deer antler chews. I was a bit sceptical at first but he loves them...and it's helping with his retrieving too as he loves bringing them to me so I can hold them while h
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Have a look at the glamaig by cioch. They use the same material but each garment is made to measure. They do it in a smock or full zip version. I've got the latter and would definitely recommend it. Made on the Isle of Skye.
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I've learnt to pay attention to mine as I've lost count of the number of times they've been right. There have been so many times that Scout has pointed up a tree and I've walked all the way around it and looked at it carefully only to think that she's finally lost her touch and started mismarking. After a bit of cajoling I've managed to call her away only to notice, seconds after we move off, a secret squirrel appear from nowhere and beat a hasty retreat to a taller tree. Or another time when I was chatting to a friend in the local wood and Scout stood twenty yards away staring down a
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I prefer to start them solo so that they're more likely to find their own way of doing it. It also negates any jealousy problems or picking up bad habits.
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As mentioned above, kelpies, collies etc work in a variety of ways. Mine have the annoying habit of always doing what they think will work best in any given situation...though this doesn't always tally with what I'd necessarily ask them to do. Fortunately, they're invariably right which makes life a lot easier for me. Getting back to the main point though, some will prefer to drive away from you whereas others will gather. It'll partly depend on the lines they come from and this will also effect their ability (or tendency) to balance. In general I'd say that the average well bred kelpie or c
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I always thought it was best to wait until they were older...but...after some advice from somebody on this forum I introduced my last ferreting dog when she was only a few months old (she's now seven) and she turned out to be the best ferreting dog I've ever had. As for whether or not to tie them up; I found she learnt quicker if allowed to do whatever she wanted but I'm lucky that she cottoned on quickly and I didn't loose too many as a result...or I may have changed my mind.
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Effective Hunting Setups , Beginners Guide ( Discussion)
Neal replied to a topic in Catapult & Slingshot Hunting
Thanks Outdoor Fanatic, that's pretty much what I was expecting. Thanks also for the p.m. with details of a site in the U.K. which stocks them too.
