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Selecting Your Kelpie Puppy
When coming to the property to pick out your puppy from the litter it is important you know what you want and how to look for it. Each owner is different and requires a dog with certain skill sets. As a 6wk old puppy there is a large amount of guessing as to what your puppy will show a natural inclination for however genetic inheritance of certain traits is quite high and we can predict what your puppy may have talent for depending on their parent’s ability’s.
The most common traits that Kelpies have been bred for are;
‘Eye’ – 50% inheritability typically paddock type dog who prefer to work some distance off the mob
‘Bark’ – 50% inheritability bred mostly for working in the yard to move stubborn stock and good for packing drenching races and trucks
‘Cast’ a paddock dog ability to cast, most dogs will be either left or right handed but should cast both ways
‘Drive’ ability is the most common way dogs are used to move stock today with the dog working from the back of the mob, they must cross behind the handler however for true obedience to be obtained
‘Pulling’ is when the handler works from the front of the mob and the dog drives stock towards hence the ‘pulling’ term. The majority of dogs will show a natural inclination to work stock this way as it is much more natural for them. Many owner believe they have a dud dog when their dog does this however it is quite the opposite because when your dog moves to the front of the mob to ‘block’ he shows a desire to work the mob for you
‘Utility’ dogs show a bit of a knack for everything and nothing in particular and are great for owners who wish to own only one dog at a time
Brockham Stud aims to breed utility type dogs wherever possible because this type of dog suits the majority of our clients,however special barking dogs and eye dogs are usually available.
Tips for Raising your new Kelpie Puppy
Once you have selected what sort of dog you require for your operations you will find there is more to raising apuppy than on just thin air. You want your puppy to bond with you and accept you as the pack leader.
“Putting an old pair of boots out or jumper for him to cuddle up to atnight time will help him adapt to his new environment”
Keeping your puppy confined to a yard or even tied up safely when not being supervised or taking him to work prevents a number of things including accidents, chasing cars/motorbikes, chasing sheep and running away. Do however, take your puppy for walks to explore his surroundings and get acquainted with his farm.
We replace a very high number of dogs each year from either being run over or being bitten by snakes. We also hear quite often of dogs falling off the back of the Ute and getting run over/hung or seriously injured and needing surgery so it is highly advised to tie your puppy on the back of the Ute short enough so they cannot jump over the side and hung themselves. Or invest in a well-made dog box from Dog Box Australiawww.dogboxaustralia.com.au.
Training your puppy on sheep
When developing your puppies natural working instinct use a small yard and slow non aggressive sheep like lambs so puppies get their confidence. Lambs are also quite responsive and puppies will soon work out that the lambs are reacting to them!
Jumping on the Back of the Ute/getting over fences in yards
All owners will require their dogs to jump up on the back of the Ute on their own and jump over fences in the yards – it is just too time consuming to constantly be picking your dog up! Although you may want to teach you dog to go under barbed wire and electric fences…
“When teaching your (6 month old unless he is trying to jump up himself sooner) youngdog to jump on the back of the Ute it is advisable to place a bale of hay orequivalent as a ‘stepping block’ for the first few attempts.”
Have you puppy on a long lead and get up on the back of the Ute yourself and call him up to you. He will most likely try his hardest to get to you but if he needs some encouragement or a little assistance just tug him gently on the lead.
After the first few tentative attempts he will get confidence and perhaps not even need encouraging! This is when you can remove the stepping block. You may need to assist your puppy’s first few attempts without the step as their still developing muscles. Puppies may be a little reluctant to jump off the Ute and until they have finished developing it is probably a good idea to assist them until fully grown or your dog’s longevity may be compromised.
You want your best work mate ever to live to their maximum life span (16 years) but their work life starts to diminish around 10 years of age.