Limited slip lead/martingale collar

[Rbarleatherworks]

Thank you very much for your reply.  That really helps. I have had two border collie crosses and they fit my life perfectly, they could turn it on when needed and shut it down when asked.  I don't think I would ever have a purebred, they seem to intense for me.

My last girl was crossed with a Retriever and she was just the best.  I saw a batch of pups for sale that were Border Collie x Kelpie but wasn't sure of their temperament.  I horseback ride and hike some and think about trying agility. But mostly they would be my best bud

[kgg]

  With breeds that can still have a job working you will fine variances but still within the standard for the breed. In my breed you can get everything from the couch potatoes or the hunters. Almost all will do their job but the hunters are hard too live with, they want to hunt 24/7. The higher the prey drive the more they will scream which sounds like if you tried to neutered a boy without the benefit of anesthetic. Since every bred has it faults the benefit of purchasing a purebred is they are easier to contend with and a reputable breeder will bred around them to minimize future problems. Whereas mixed breeds may windup doubling up on the faults of multiple breeds and which can result in devastating health problems.

kgg

[BarkyKelpie]

May as well be talking about two different breeds between the show and working Kelpies, there's no overlap in breeding - the show stud book has been closed for a fair while, and they have different standards. This link gets into it:  http://www.wkc.org.au/About-Kelpies/Charateristics-and-Confirmation.php

Lot of people breeding working Kelpies are breeding for what suits them and their situation. Australia's a big country, what suits someone in Far North Queensland working cattle that only see white man once a year probably isn't going to suit someone doing yard work with sheep in Tassie that get weighed every week. Some people don't want a dog with bite, some people need it. Some people hate a dog who barks, others find it useful. Not a one size fits all circumstance, so not just one uniform type of dog.

I'll not get started on the show/sport divide beyond saying I doubt many judges would put my dogs up in the conformation ring but they do plenty well for what I do with them. 

[kgg]

I feel your pain. It all comes down to the judge and their expedience / knowledge.

Where I come from we don't know the Lab as a Lab it was always called the St. John's dog and they were a very much different dog then what you typically see today. It would be quite a struggle to get most of todays Labs from the water and over the side into your boat. Now they are more commonly referred to as Pig-a-Dors. A close friend of mine, who has done very well with a couple of her yellow females, I tell her to never bring them to me as I would put them to the back of the line.

I could go on with breeds that have become a poor representation of what they once were but really it is safe to say I do feel your pain and frustration.

kgg