NATRLSKIL represents my endeavours as an ANKC registered exhibitor and breeder of purebred Border Collies.
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Border Collies with Natural Skill, suitable for being your faithful companion and trialing in your choice of competition
Time to have a go!
I'm happy to answer questions on starting out - my dogs and I have done trials in Conformation, Rally, Herding, Weighted Pack and Pulling, as well as the 20km Endurance Test
NEW Memberships are NOT available via online services, please print and complete the forms below and email them to [email protected] note: Membership is from January to December each year, renewals open up from November for the up-coming year.
Time is still available to make a booking for eye testing at the National https://www.facebook.com/100040334006702/posts/1186070616080727/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
The Border Collie Club of Qld is pleased to provide an opportunity during the National to have your dog's eye tested including gonioscopy with Dr Michael Bernays, and we have extended bookings until the 11th August as we still have some spaces available.
The eye clinic starts at 9am on Friday 30 August in the judges training room at Durack. Limited spaces available - 28 spots.
1 hour booking time slots are available with your exact booking time to be emailed to you once bookings are full or close on the 11th August.
Please bring a copy of your dog's registration papers with you to the clinic.
👉 https://www.showmanager.com.au/activity/2607
Lovely boy currently in Gladstone QLD who doesn’t have his own family
The boy on the right side of this photo is still looking for a family of his own. He is available to leave now. He is a lovely boy with a wonderful nature
Continuing our education with a new challenge for 2024 - wish us luck as this will be our first training with a specific inclusion of wildlife avoidance.
Day 1 has officially started 👩💻👩🏫📕
National Border Collie Day!
Lets celebrate this intelligent, athletic and faithful working breed on National Border Collie Day posting your favourite picture of the comment section below.
On the 30th of July, Pippa and I competed in Queensland’s inaugural Working Pack Dog trial hosted by Redlands Dog Obedience Club and sponsored by Antinol Australia 🐕
That meant we hiked 16km of terrain, whilst Pippa carried 30% of her body weight. I also successfully tested some new toe socks from Injinji.
Storm has made a successful return to the Show ring.
He was brought out to give his daughter Ruby a helping hand, and he’s been having a blast!
Best of Breed at Nanango AG Show with Best State Bred in Group, followed by the next weekend taking Reserve Dog at Junior Kennel Club with Best Australian Bred in Group.
Just look how happy he is showing his wonderful gait around the ring 🥰
Aust Champion Glenlion Drovers Mate ET
🙌
Teenager stage lol
Our online dog training experts Steve Austin and Ryan Tate take you through the the skills needed to regain control of your dogs bad behaviours.
Proudly introducing the last of our Storm & Lightning litter
Natrlskil Big Storm Coming
Natrlskil Struck by Lightning
Natrlskil Heart of the Storm
If you are looking for a puppy, please reach out as Ruby girl is looking for a home
Proudly introducing NATRLSKIL Light Up My Sky and her new family 😊
Mumma Lightning had to join in too 😀
Proudly introducing NATRLSKIL Storm Lights a Blaze and his family 😊
The gorgeous Rex had a day out at the Vet to complete his Health Testing recently.
With good results he will be officially joining our future breeding program
I'm sharing this as often puppy buyers are more interested in when the next litter is available, but not interested in how much time has gone into deciding on the best parents to produce the puppy that the buyer wants right now. It normally takes me 12-24 months to decide on a pairing as there is a lot of research to do on relatives within the pedigree
💓
Do you ever find yourself just sitting with your pet and telling them how much you love them?
Then, you start thinking about how you don’t want them to get any older because you love them so much, they are your best friend, and you can’t handle the thought of them not being here forever. ❤️
You are not alone! X
Sad to see this💔
We were lucky to be the very last Border Collie litter to complete socialisation with the Puppy Cuddle experience
Best wishes to the team who must start afresh
All good things must come to an end.
It brings us great sadness to announce that Collies and Co. Cafe is now permanently CLOSED.
From all of us at Collies ~ thank you for supporting us over the last 3 and a 1/2 years and for the memories we will all treasure forever.
There will be a post to follow in regards to the process for refunds of bookings and gift cards, please be patient and understanding. We are all hurting. Try to remember this has been very sudden. We’re talking days notice, not weeks or months.
And finally, we ask that if you have a favourite Collies memory and any photos, please comment them here. This isn’t the place for anything else, and anything other than that will be deleted. There’s no need to speculate or gossip. It will be explained in following posts. Let’s choose to be good humans today 🫶🏻
Lots of love,
The Collies & Co. Team ❤️🐶🐾
For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Edit:
All bookings and gift cards have now been refunded to the card used at time of purchase.
So Adorable 🥰
Gorgeous Storm/Lightning puppies just chilling in the shade
Oh plus Max the big puppy who just had to join in the fun😊
Day 3 of our Puppy Socialisation &co is in full swing
Great Coffee 👌
Great Food 👍
Great Puppies 😍
It's going to be a big weekend for all of us, lots of socialising for the pups. Oh and some beauty sleep too 😪💜
How to choose?
6 weeks old and gorgeous 🥰
Socialisation activities are increasing now as the puppies are ready to learn as much as possible.
This also means sleep time is needed and essential to balance the mind and body
Expressions of interest still being accepted for this litter, so don’t be shy in reaching out if you are wanting a new puppy addition to your family
Look out world they are ready to explore ☺️
Archie aka NATRLSKIL ICEE YOU N TH JUNGLE ventured out for his very 1st Conformation Show over the weekend with fantastic results: Runner up Best of Breed ☺
This handsome boy learnt the technique quickly with his best mate Vernon at the reins.
Storm x Lightning puppies are here and growing so fast
Expressions of interest welcome
WHY WON'T YOUR DOG COME BACK WHEN YOU CALL? Today our breed expert looks at:
RECALL TRAINING & PROBLEMS IN BORDER COLLIES
Recall is one of those responses in dogs that so many owners take for granted. Or imagine should just naturally exist. I.e. they see it as just a simple matter of, when I call a dog it should come to me. When my answer to that would be, why? Or, what have you done to make returning to you the most rewarding thing any dog can do, in any situation?
For as soon as you imagine that a dog should return promptly to you, on command, out of some kind of deeper 'respect' for you as a person - as opposed to more consistent past training - that's where it usually all starts to go wrong. Everything becomes a more personal battle between you and your dog, instead of a reflection of what you might be doing better to make him or her more responsive to you.
When recall fails, it's also always going to be easier to blame faults in our dog's intrinsic character (e.g. they're naturally more stubborn/wilful etc.) than the quality of our own training.
EARLY MISTAKES
In my experience, the two commonest mistakes owners will make with recall training is not laying down the foundations for good future recalls in their dogs early enough - of which more in a moment - and letting a dog off a lead BEFORE their recall training is complete. You always train excellent recall responses into dogs first, THEN let them off the lead. Because anything else has a greater capacity for disaster, and dogs having ample opportunity to learn, instead, the rewards of persistently evading your control once off the lead. Which can then become the main lesson they learn and take into future walks with you.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Recall training should begin with puppies from the moment you get them. And before beginning it, you must also have the clearest idea in your head about what you wish to achieve. First, you want a dog who more constantly keeps their focus on you - which will always make them easier to recall to you in any situation - and second you want a dog who finds returning to you, on command, a consistently rewarding experience. If you get both these elements right, and keep working on them daily, you have the perfect foundations for a dog with excellent recalls later.
My earliest recall training just involves walking around with pockets full of treats and waiting for a puppy to focus on me and follow me, of their own accord, to get one. Every time they do this I put distinct words to what they are doing - like their name and the word 'come!' in a specific voice tone - then praise and reward them for it. These words/specific voice tone then becomes their set recall cue or command later.
It is very important to understand that the only thing you want to perpetually reinforce in your dog, in early recall training, is more constant focus on you, and the act of coming to you of their own accord. And the more consistently you name, praise and heavily reward such responses in your young dog, the more ingrained or automatic they should become. You will also use your same special recall sound or cue just before you give your dog their meal, or a toy or treat, or anything they find intensely pleasant, ever further motivating your dog to come quickly to you when they hear it.
NEXT STEP
Next go out in the garden with your dog on a long training line, and try recalling them to you in the same way several times for toys or treats; praising and heavily rewarding them for any speedier responses to you on command. If they won't come quickly try running away from them more excitedly, and getting them on the line to follow you, like it is all one big game. Stick at around 5 to 6 good recall responses then leave it until the next training session.
You never want your dog to discover there is any alternative, or better, course of action than returning to you when called. Nor do you want them to feel more persecuted by too many recalls one after another. Always finish a good recall session with much praise for your dog for returning quickly to you, and a lovely treat, toy and game.
Only from this point can you then try testing your recall training when you go out. If your dog still shows consistently good recalls when out, and off their training line, not only is this a credit to your training but your dog can have ever more freedom out on walks. If your dog's recalls rapidly deteriorate once off the line, he or she must go back on the line again to stop them further worsening, and to more gradually also improve them again with further training.
It is also vital to teach dogs how to maintain good recalls, even in the face of ever increasing surrounding distractions, like other dogs or people, or things they might otherwise want to fixate on and chase.
WHY RECALL FAILS
Commonest reasons why recall responses fail in Border collies is first, because all the detailed early groundwork of recall training - as I previously outlined - has not been adequately completed, to the point where more constantly watching you and coming to you when called become more automatic, or conditioned, behaviours in your dog, even before you leave the home environment.
The next reason is because you have greater trouble, in general, holding your dog's focus and concentration, as soon as you go out, which again usually stems back to earlier training and better knowing how to keep any collie's focus more constantly on you from day one.
Another classic reason recall fails, as earlier mentioned, is down to owners letting dogs off leads before they have got good recalls, then yelling at them to come back while they ignore you, because they are distracted by something else. As dogs quickly associate what they are doing with what they are hearing, all this does is teach your dog to ignore you to the sound of their name being called.
Do not try to recall a dog while they are intently sniffing something on a walk, or locked in some kind of more intense encounter with another dog, as their ‘hearing switch’ will be off. Wait instead for that moment when the dog’s attention lifts off the scent, or other dog, and returns your way, if only for a fleeting second – and then try recalling then. If a dog will not respond to a recall command the first or second time it is used, that command now no longer has any effectiveness or value, and you may need to begin your recall training again with a different sound or command.
BEING GOOD TO BE AROUND
Getting cross or annoyed with dogs who take their time to come back to you also greatly deters them, in future, from coming back any quicker to you another time. Dogs also quickly get wise to owners grabbing them more suddenly by the collar, to put a lead on and go home, and get very good at dodging these attempts to catch them another time. But ultimately you have created this problem via allowing your dog to associate recalls - or returning responses to you - with more negative, rather than positive, experiences.
I hope this feature has made people aware of how much of a 'science' good recall training in dogs can be, how early on you must start the basics of it with dogs and, as well as consistently rewarding good recall responses in dogs throughout their lives, how easy it is to corrupt the same responses by our own less insightful actions or behaviours.
Meanwhile far more on all aspects of collie focus, recall and control training appears in the SECOND book (red cover) in my BORDER COLLIES: A BREED APART trilogy: ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILLS AND LEARNING:
https://performancedog.co.uk/.../border-collies-a-breed.../
And in the USA via: https://www.dogwise.com/ #
All text © Carol Price 2022
Qld
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