e-chickens Max & Kimba- Our Dogs
Max is a Border Collie cross - we think it is likely to be Lurcher because of his speed and brindle highlights. We call him a Border Lollie as he likes to loll across my knee all evening while I'm watching telly. Alternatively he will be spread-eagled on his back, at my feet, hoping for a tickle. He is the softest dog I've met (and I've had a few of my own over the years). When my previous dog died my husband wouldn't let me have another one until I retired. I didn't quite make that but I had got my leaving date agreed when we got Max from a local rescue centre.
We had the odd teething problem with him at first (such as turning the gas on in the kitchen - twice) but with the help of a local trainer, with more experience of problem dogs, we know how to cope with this. He is so friendly with everyone and eager to please. In fact I think he is perfect - not that I'm biased of course.
He is very well behaved around the rest of the animals. He does like to round the ducks up, but doesn't chase them, and always comes when called. This is a big step forward from the dog that liked nothing better than chasing pigeons.
These two videos were taken at Stonebridge Dog Agility School.The jumps sequence demonstrates the need for tight cornering and how the handler directs the turns. We practised both left hand and right hand routes over the jumps. The second clip shows Max going over a full height dog walk for the first time. Over the weeks the height has been gradually raised from ground level up to this level to keep the dog's confidence up. Max found the ground level the most difficult as he couldn't seem to understand why he had to walk on the boards. As soon as they went up on crates he was fine. The next stage is full height without a lead!
These are some of the jumps we have made for Max to practice his agility at home. He's also got some tunnels but they are only allowed outside when the weather is fine and dry. I don't use his weaving poles at the moment as they are fixed and may slow him down. We are still using the special ones at Stonebridge which are in effect two sets with the uprights spaced out and the dogs run down the middle. The gap between the two sets of poles is narrowed each week until they form a single line while the dogs run through as fast as ever.
Kimba has only just joined us but he's
settled in very well and gets on really well with Max.
He's got quite a way to go with his training to reach Max's
standard but he knows the basics like sit and waits for a very short time. He
had his first agility lesson today too when we took him over a low jump. He
chased Max round the field but went round the jumps rather than over them. I'm
looking forward to teaching him. When he's good enough he might be able to join
Max's lessons. I'll have to get Chris involved - he did hint he might be
interested!
Just a few more piccies for Doreen and Jane
Kimba is a Utanagan, which was bred from German Shepherds, Huskies and Malamutes to produce a dog that looks like a Wolf but has an excellent temperament. Kimba is an excellent example, being extremely friendly with everyone - both humans and dogs. They make wonderful companions and are easy to train, but will be unhappy if left alone for any length of time and they don't make very good guard dogs though as they are so friendly. If you are interested in this breed please visit the Utonagan Association website.