Beardies and Kelpies

[Neal 1,857]

I've been getting a bit nostalgic recently. I think it's been a combination of three different things. First, I discovered shortly before Christmas that my eight year old kelpie's "blob" under his eye wasn't "nothing to worry about" but was in fact an aggressive cancer. It's been removed, but I've been informed he's probably got "a year or so." Second, I cleared out the loft earlier this year in preparation for a loft extension and rediscovered several old folders full of Shooting News and Countryman's Weekly articles from the late 80s and early 90s. I've particularly enjoyed rereading the ones on beardies and 3/4 collies. In the same box was an old photo album with photos of my first two lurchers when I was living in Coniston: a half beardie half greyhound and a three quarter beardie/border quarter greyhound. Finally, the old photos from about fifteen years ago which OldPhil kindly sent me of my first kelpie Rusty.

The combination of these three events has left me wondering about where life will take me next and what the benefits and drawbacks were of the various dogs I've had in the past and present. Now I know there have been regular threads on here comparing beardies to borders and borders to kelpies and heelers but I've often thought that the difference between my kelpies and collies is similar to the difference between my old beardie crosses and border crosses. i.e. my kelpies are more similar to beardies than borders.

I think what I'm basically asking is what are other people's views on this? I've spent quite a while on here, searching through old threads but unfortunately the likes of Magpie and his wise words on beardies and Dave Cooper and his equally wise words on kelpie crosses don't seem to come on here any more. Any thoughts? For example, those of you with offspring from Jigsaw's litter, have any of you had experience of beardie crosses and/or 3/4 collies and, if so, how did you feel they compared.

One last thing; I'm open to all thoughts but please don't tell me to get a bull cross. No offence. 

[Black neck 15,875]

Would u consider a saluki 

[mackem 26,262]

1 hour ago, Neal said:

I've been getting a bit nostalgic recently. I think it's been a combination of three different things. First, I discovered shortly before Christmas that my eight year old kelpie's "blob" under his eye wasn't "nothing to worry about" but was in fact an aggressive cancer. It's been removed, but I've been informed he's probably got "a year or so." Second, I cleared out the loft earlier this year in preparation for a loft extension and rediscovered several old folders full of Shooting News and Countryman's Weekly articles from the late 80s and early 90s. I've particularly enjoyed rereading the ones on beardies and 3/4 collies. In the same box was an old photo album with photos of my first two lurchers when I was living in Coniston: a half beardie half greyhound and a three quarter beardie/border quarter greyhound. Finally, the old photos from about fifteen years ago which OldPhil kindly sent me of my first kelpie Rusty.

The combination of these three events has left me wondering about where life will take me next and what the benefits and drawbacks were of the various dogs I've had in the past and present. Now I know there have been regular threads on here comparing beardies to borders and borders to kelpies and heelers but I've often thought that the difference between my kelpies and collies is similar to the difference between my old beardie crosses and border crosses. i.e. my kelpies are more similar to beardies than borders.

I think what I'm basically asking is what are other people's views on this? I've spent quite a while on here, searching through old threads but unfortunately the likes of Magpie and his wise words on beardies and Dave Cooper and his equally wise words on kelpie crosses don't seem to come on here any more. Any thoughts? For example, those of you with offspring from Jigsaw's litter, have any of you had experience of beardie crosses and/or 3/4 collies and, if so, how did you feel they compared.

One last thing; I'm open to all thoughts but please don't tell me to get a bull cross. No offence. 

My sister had a beardie collie cross from a lad on here, beautiful bitch, sadly PTS at the age of 14,obsessional retriever. 

[mush 204]

Had a 3/4 border 1/4 greyhound That was like a robot for learning.

And ive had a dog bred off taffy, the 1/8 beardie goes a long way and was completely different to a border, found them more like a saluki being natural learners and you cant make them learn .

[mush 204]

16 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

Iv had couple border collie crosses but have only ever had one with beardie in, and it was only an eighth beardie, same border an 3/4 grey, was a complete diff animal from any of the border crosses iv had,  but as it’s only one with beardie iv nowt else to compare to. This halfx off jigsaw is diff again, but it would be nice to see a 3/4 bred out of them at some point. For me tho if I was breeding mine I’d want to use a dog again with kelpie added rather than a pure grey. 
 

funny tho as it was a beardie cross I was toying with the idea of holding out for if jigsaws litter didn’t materialise

Snap 

[Neal 1,857]

Thanks for the replies so far.

As I said, the three events combined to make me think about the future. Obviously early days for Maudy yet and I've never bred a litter in my life, but it's making me wonder about (if she was good enough) would I want to breed a pure kelpie from her or go down the lurcher route by mating her to a whippet (I never met Rob Moore's Roo or Phil Lloyd's Moon but I liked Dave Sleight's Gem) or greyhound. Or possibly the pastoral heavy route by mating her to a half bred lurcher (as Dave Cooper did). More to the point, if she's not good enough, then that opens up other alternatives. As I said, early days yet...Noggin could surprise me and go on for a good few years yet...I was simply daydreaming about my past and present dogs and decided to offer it up for discussion. 

[OldPhil 5,677]

 

6 hours ago, Neal said:

I've been getting a bit nostalgic recently. I think it's been a combination of three different things. First, I discovered shortly before Christmas that my eight year old kelpie's "blob" under his eye wasn't "nothing to worry about" but was in fact an aggressive cancer. It's been removed, but I've been informed he's probably got "a year or so." Second, I cleared out the loft earlier this year in preparation for a loft extension and rediscovered several old folders full of Shooting News and Countryman's Weekly articles from the late 80s and early 90s. I've particularly enjoyed rereading the ones on beardies and 3/4 collies. In the same box was an old photo album with photos of my first two lurchers when I was living in Coniston: a half beardie half greyhound and a three quarter beardie/border quarter greyhound. Finally, the old photos from about fifteen years ago which OldPhil kindly sent me of my first kelpie Rusty.

The combination of these three events has left me wondering about where life will take me next and what the benefits and drawbacks were of the various dogs I've had in the past and present. Now I know there have been regular threads on here comparing beardies to borders and borders to kelpies and heelers but I've often thought that the difference between my kelpies and collies is similar to the difference between my old beardie crosses and border crosses. i.e. my kelpies are more similar to beardies than borders.

I think what I'm basically asking is what are other people's views on this? I've spent quite a while on here, searching through old threads but unfortunately the likes of Magpie and his wise words on beardies and Dave Cooper and his equally wise words on kelpie crosses don't seem to come on here any more. Any thoughts? For example, those of you with offspring from Jigsaw's litter, have any of you had experience of beardie crosses and/or 3/4 collies and, if so, how did you feel they compared.

One last thing; I'm open to all thoughts but please don't tell me to get a bull cross. No offence. 

Considering the low numbers of rabbits in our area at the moment,.. I feel you would be wise,.. to stick to your pure Kelpies,...

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by OldPhil

[shaaark 10,710]

Owned a few with border collie blood in, and only one with beardie/border, sired by taffy.  None of which I got from hancock.  Seen several others with beardie and border/beardie in, from hancocks, his original, and later stock.

My old dog, sired by taffy, was my best catch dog, superbly fast and poweful, but I just couldn't get on with the 'twat'!  And almost without exception, all the rest with beardie in were of a very similar 'quirky' nature, no, that's not really an adequate word to describe the mental anguish the c**t caused me!! 

Suffice to say, I will NEVER own another dog with bearded collie blood in it.

 

[Neal 1,857]

1 hour ago, OldPhil said:

Considering the low numbers of rabbits in our area at the moment,.. I feel you would be wise,.. to stick to your pure Kelpies,...

 

To be honest, I'm pretty sure I'll end up making that decision too. Just wondered what other people's thoughts were on the two (or three...or four) types. 

Are you still in touch with Dave? Do you know how his 3/4 kelpies turned out? Tracy (Noggin and Maud's breeder) told me she met Dave's and it was an impressive looking animal. I think he bought a pup from her but, unfortunately, it died young.

[mC HULL 12,276]

1 hour ago, shaaark said:

Owned a few with border collie blood in, and only one with beardie/border, sired by taffy.  None of which I got from hancock.  Seen several others with beardie and border/beardie in, from hancocks, his original, and later stock.

My old dog, sired by taffy, was my best catch dog, superbly fast and poweful, but I just couldn't get on with the 'twat'!  And almost without exception, all the rest with beardie in were of a very similar 'quirky' nature, no, that's not really an adequate word to describe the mental anguish the c**t caused me!! 

Suffice to say, I will NEVER own another dog with bearded collie blood in it.

 

i think the collie blooded lurchers are the only types that get more frustrating the more they mature have more quirks than any saluki blooded mutt i think

[Neal 1,857]

52 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

One I had seemed to try an piss you off with doing it his way, but funny thing is this kelpie cross does a similar thing but don’t piss me off in process she don’t do things different as such, just better than I wanted her to I had pretty low expectations  with her being a firstx, but she keeps proving me wrong, I don’t mind tho an have figured out just to let her crack on, but both this kelpie an the beardie/border I had are both polar opposite’s of a border/grey if you ask me

I know exactly what you mean. My first cross beardie greyhound and my kelpies always thought/think they knew/know best and, as you say, sometimes I'm thinking, 'No, just do as you're bloody told,' but with the kelpies I find myself thinking, 'fair play, you were right.'

The dog most similar to my first kelpie was actually (apart from Noggin, my current male) Jem, the 3/4 collie. They were all chilled out and Bob Marleyesque as adults.

[Neal 1,857]

1 hour ago, shaaark said:

Owned a few with border collie blood in, and only one with beardie/border, sired by taffy.  None of which I got from hancock.  Seen several others with beardie and border/beardie in, from hancocks, his original, and later stock.

My old dog, sired by taffy, was my best catch dog, superbly fast and poweful, but I just couldn't get on with the 'twat'!  And almost without exception, all the rest with beardie in were of a very similar 'quirky' nature, no, that's not really an adequate word to describe the mental anguish the c**t caused me!! 

Suffice to say, I will NEVER own another dog with bearded collie blood in it.

 

 

1 minute ago, mC HULL said:

i think the collie blooded lurchers are the only types that get more frustrating the more they mature have more quirks than any saluki blooded mutt i think

Funny thing is, the very thing(s) which you (perfectly understandably) get frustrated by, in those types you've mentioned, is probably what people like me like about them. Weird isn't it.

[shaaark 10,710]

11 minutes ago, mC HULL said:

i think the collie blooded lurchers are the only types that get more frustrating the more they mature have more quirks than any saluki blooded mutt i think

My dogs with border collie blood were far easier to work and live with.

[shaaark 10,710]

5 hours ago, Neal said:

One last thing; I'm open to all thoughts but please don't tell me to get a bull cross. No offence. 

What about a beddie cross?  

[shaaark 10,710]

4 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

I found a lot of the quirks could be explained, choosing runs either a sign if unfitness or being mugged off on lamp or summat, an the excessive behaviours where usually down tk boredom, don’t get me wrong iv saw some border collies an there crosses that where pure fruit bats, but I found with ones iv had keep them busy and winning an they where nice dogs tk have around, but robotic sometimes but I can live with that

Honestly, katch, the only dog I've owned that 'sort' of picked his runs, was the one sired by taffy, and that was ONLY on rabbits.  Was as if he just couldn't be bothered.  Hares and deer he was a different dog altogether, and would literally bust a gut to catch them.

But yeah, I get what you say.