05/01/2023
Chill Bro, I got this.
When you ask a border collie to do something he happily complies and says ‘what next?’ When you ask a kelpie to do something he considers your request and says ‘what for?’ 😳 An explanation is often required!
Generalisations of course, but Kelpies are independent thinking dogs. We bred them that way.
We needed dogs here in Australia to work the wild merinos in huge unfenced paddocks on sheep that didn’t get handled much.
We needed dogs to cope with the heat, the burrs, and the big distances.
We needed dogs that could be left with stock and continue to work. Dogs that could be sent out to find stock and work without instruction. The kelpie is that dog.
The evolution has continued with the need for dogs to work cattle, work in the yards, to load and unload trucks, to back In the raceways. The kelpie did that.
Independent thinking dogs, tough enough for Australian conditions and versatile enough to work paddocks, yards, cattle, sheep and even blowfly’s if you needed it.
Consider that when your kelpie argues or thinks he can do it better, when he questions your request.
Consider that when he’s one step ahead of you or knows a job so well you are just in the way.
We ask a lot of our kelpie and they are different to many other breeds, but if you understand their thinking and he understands what you’re asking a kelpie is a compliant and very trainable dog.
Training a kelpie is just a little different and sometimes, without you knowing it, it’s the kelpie who’s training you!
Written by Simon Leaning of Marionvale Working Dogs.