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Jill Kaldor and Spinifex Amarilla CD AD.

Gwynne Brooks and Spinifex Flying High CDX

My name is Jill, I live in Sydney, Australia, and I'm the proud owner of an Australian Kelpie named Tala, officially known as Spinifex Amarilla CD AD. She is red and tan, and is now four years old.

Tala comes from a stud which breeds Kelpies principally for work, and actually came with a written guarantee of working ability. However, I live in a suburb of Sydney, and there are no sheep in my back garden! There is a club where I can take Tala to work sheep and I've been there a couple of times. She is very keen and has plenty of natural ability but unfortunately I don't have enough time to get seriously involved. Our main activities together are agility and obedience.

Obedience is my first love in the world of dogs. I've been involved in dog obedience since I was a child and I'm now an obedience instructor and judge. So when I purchased Tala as a puppy, I always intended to trial in the obedience ring. I have been very pleased with our success. Tala has her Companion Dog title (the Novice level of obedience in Australia). She is ready to trial in Open obedience for her Companion Dog Excellent title. Then I hope we'll be going on to Utility trialling. She has already learnt some of the Utility exercises.

Tala is just naturally suited to agility. She loves to run and jump, and she has plenty of speed. My main problem was harnessing all that energy! Agility in Australia has three levels of competition with obstacles very similar to those in the USA. Tala has her Agility Dog title, including a first place, and her first pass towards Agility Dog Excellent.

Flyball is still in the establishment stage in Australia. I've only been involved in one Flyball trial, but Tala learnt the basic skills quickly. With her agility training and love of jumping, it was very easy to teach her to go over the jumps, not around them. In the early stages, she was too interested in the dogs on the other team, but now that she's grown up, she copes well with all the noise and excitement.

Time does not permit us to be involved in tracking. However, we've tried our hand at an introductory track and Tala followed the track very readily.

Of course, I think Tala is special, but her achievements are not far out of the ordinary for an Australian Kelpie. In fact, she has three sisters from her litter also involved in Agility and Obedience. One has her Agility Dog Excellent title, Companion Dog, passed the Endurance Test, and is now trialling in agility at Masters level. The other two have their Agility Dog titles, and like us, are trialling in Open agility.

It's not surprising that Australian Kelpies from working stock are naturally suited to agility. They have been bred for speed, for endurance and for quick turns and stops. When working close to sheep, they have to possess patience, concentration and steady footwork. When the sheep are packed into yards, Kelpies are expected to be able to jump up and run along the backs of the sheep. Doesn't all that sound just right for agility ?

Working Kelpies are bred to work at a distance from their handler, and to think for themselves. So they are less naturally suited to obedience than to agility. However, the results obtained by Tala and other australian Kelpies show that they are very capable of doing well. I believe that in obedience it is particually important for Kelpies to teach them to watch their handler, and to use positive reinforcement methods. When working, Kelpies are expected to focus on the sheep not the handler, and to see sheep in the far distance. So unless their attention is completely focussed on you, they may be easily distracted. I find that Kelpies learn their exercises quickly, but may not perform consistently in the trial ring until they learn to watch their handler.

Since sheep can be rough, particually in the yards, Kelpies are physically tough, but most of them are mentally soft. They generally do not respond to harsh training methods. Positive reinforcement is essential to obtain a motivated, happy worker. I find clicker training very good, especially for polishing work and rewarding attention.

I've found it very interesting and helpful to be acquainted with Tala's sisters. It's most informative to see their similarities, and helps me train Tala. The most important thing was that all four of them were slow to grow up. Then, almost overnight, when they got to two years old, they started to mature, to increase their powers of concentration and to obtain qualifications in the trial ring.

Kelpies in Australia have two almost distinct strains. Some are bred for work, and others for the show ring. Working Kelpies are often red and tan or black and tan, have a lighter build and are more active. Kelpies from conformation lines tend to be quieter, and less active, and in Australia are usually a solid colour. Both make good pets, even in a city. However, they are working dogs and need mental and physical activity. Both types are suited to agility and obedience, which are ideal to provide the mental work they want. The activity levels of Kelpies bred for work are higher, and that must be remembered when choosing a pet. Tala would not be suited to being at home on her own all day, but the companionship of my other dog, an Australian Cattle Dog, helps keep her mentally and physically healthy.

So if you have a Kelpie, or are thinking of acquiring one, don't feel that your dog is only suited to sheep work. Most just want to work and to please you. So whatever dog activity interests you, your Kelpie should be there with you. - Jill Kaldor.

In the 1980's another obedience judge who had a Spinifex Kelpie was Mrs. Gwynne Brooks. Mrs. Brooks was one of early members of the Working Kelpie Council of Australia and as she lived in Sydney trained her Kelpies for obedience work.

Spinifex Flying High (Spinifex Loch X Spinifex Louise Too) was called Bess by Mrs. Brooks. Over the years Bess did very well in the obedience rings often winning major prizes. She obtained the high obedience title of Companion Dog Excellent. At the time she would have been one of the very few Working Kelpies ever seen in the obedience rings. She also did tracking and Endurance with Bess as well as work sheep when she got the opportunity.

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