Krazy Kelpie asking for trouble!

I have two dogs, and one is a full male kelpie. He is a bit of a dummy, and lately he has been going a bit feral at the other dog, and even at me. He is at least four years old (I suspect he could be six or seven).

At the moment he is one kennel, barking, heckel up, lips curled, at the other dog who is minding her own business. I say he is a bit of a dummy, because the other dog, if she decided to go him, he'd be dead.

A favoured 'trick' of late, he sits or lays at the edge of one of the squares of grass, and will not let the other dog near. Barks and carries on like a real feral, even if she is just looking his way from the other end of the yard. It's like he's not wanting her to get to that piece of grass or something in it (but there is nothing there).

I don't want them to get into any more fights (they are fighting more and more over food bowls, even though I feed them away from eachother), and if he is like this with the other dog and me, then I am sure he will go the kids too. He snapped at Steph a bit before Ryan was born I think, and then he went me as I scolded him. But, having said that, last week, Steph was in the dog yard with me, and the Kelpie rolled over for her as she rubbed his belly.

I have had a few interruptions trying to type this, and he has been barking the whole time. He never used to bark unless there was something around, now he's becoming a bit of a pest with all his barking.

Does anyone have any ideas, aside from finding him a new home? And does anyone think I should just get him a new home? Because, unfortunately, I don't trust him at all.

is he gettin gmuch exercise? mental stimulation?

Hmm, no, he's not. I can't walk the two dogs together (too risky with the pram), and if I just take him, then the other dog destroys the yard while we're gone, so I do try to get out there and play with them when I can (when the kids are asleep!). I was just wondering why things seemed to have changed with him. Nothing else in the yard or home has changed. Except for Mummy going nuts and working on getting the place cleaned up!

I am even a bit worried about giving them bones now, in case they really start fighting.

Kelpies are working dogs, not pets. They are really quite smart and need to be stimulated - they are bred for working so you may need to start providing him with a more stimulating environment because it sounds like he is bored and if you can't provide it then you may need to rehome him - preferably with someone who has a few sheep :) Our kelpie used to be the same when she was younger (she is nearly 12 now so nearing retirement age LOL) and if she went more than a few days without being near sheep - either out in the paddock or in the yards then she would go a bit stir crazy.

a kelpie will always be bored and go mental in a backyard. I'm not even sure you could provide enough stimulation in the long run if you were out there all day.

I had a border collie that I realised was X with a kelpie, cruel combination for a suburban backyard - but found her a new home on a little farm. The people that took her were delighted they didn't have to toilet train her like a new puppy and I had done alot of obedience work with her. I heard later she was stolen off the property!
She was so much happier running about on the farm. I never taught her to round up sheep but she took to it like a pro. (we would often come home and find she had corralled our 3 cats into the back corner....)

is he desexed? If he is still entire that may help with the aggression. He probably is a bit bored though, do you have kongs you can put peanut butter in and give to him? Lots of bones, our dog loves the clam shells filled with either water or sand.

I was shocked at my dog last week when i was at my parents..he and their little female Jack Russell got into a fight. She kept growling and snapping at him when he was nowhere near her and I don't know if he got sick of her or what but she snapped at him then he snapped back and grabbed her by the neck and she grabbed him by his leg..was a bit comical watching a Golden retriever and a JRT going at it, but still scared me a bit as that's the first time he's shown aggression like that. I'm thinking he needs to get the chop SOON, just need to find the money for it and convince DF it's the right thing to do.

so..sorry to get sidetracked! If you think he would do better in a home that has a bit more spare time to throw his way, and a bigger space to roam then maybe look at rehoming him. there would be plenty of kelpie rescue organisations that can help you out, or even just put some feelers out. Good luck!

You can do some training with him like agility and obedience which will really help - I used to take my cattle-cross to agility and they really do love it, he'd get so excited. I set up a mini-agility in the back yard, from broom sticks and bricks. Is there any reason why you're keeping him whole? If it's cause your DH would feel emasculated cause his balls are the dogs balls, then seriously, it's his duty to exercise the dog.

it really sounds like he needs to be rehomed with someone who has the space and time to spend with him. my DH had working dogs that he ended up having to have at home when he finished working away. i found it to be cruel to them to not have enough room to let of steam, and not enough stimulation. they were getting snappy so we talked about rehoming them. DH would take them to friends farms regularly, but it wasn't enough. one passed away naturally, and after investigating, we found the other had some issues with his health that were going to make him much more ill and in pain over a short period of time, so we had him put to sleep. he was getting VERY nasty (bark wise) and i wasn't at all comfy having him near DD, so we talked about it for a few weeks and decided that was in his best interests and the most humane option. i would never have forgiven myself if he had hurt DD in any way...

There is no reason why we kept him whole. It was just something that never got 'done'. We did make sure to get our other dog fixed (a 'she', and even more 'stealable' if she was all there). Unfortunately I can't take him to agility or training or anything like that, as I would have to have him in the car with the two kids, and I couldn't look after him and the two kids while out somewhere with lots of dogs (and Ryan is afraid of dogs, so I would end up holding him ALL the time). I can't even get him to chase a stick or a ball (he never has).

I am sad and annoyed at myself for not being able to give him the time that I know he needs. I got him at a time when I was very sad (trying to replace my last Kelpie girl who died very quickly and tragically, dammit, crying now over that!), but had an enormous backyard (big enough for a sheep too!). Then we moved house, and Steph was born, and he didn't like her at all (the other dog was happy) even though I did a lot to socialise them all together and get them used to the idea of children. I also got him from a farm, and both the Man and I felt we couldn't leave him there, as he was mistreated. We agreed that if we couldn't have him at home (because we would have preferred a female dog), that we would rehome him. Grr, I am soo annoyed at myself!