Huntaway vs Kelpie vs Collie

[neilo]

I often think that half the folk that have huntaways ..... don’t need them! It’s a romanticised idea.

You hear people talking of pen dogs etc etc in situations when a plastic bag would probably be more useful!

Also a lot of the hubtaways I see are barely half trained, they just bark at sheep. Surely you should be able to send them out, stop them and make them speak directionally and move forward, guiding the sheep where you want them to go?

A Tully would do the job from what I’ve seen on Faceache.

My 2 collies chase sheep up to the CombiClamp for me, on command. If needs be, the smaller one will jump in when I ask her, weave under their legs and push them up from within the pen, even right up the race if needed. That same collie will speak as much as I let her, whilst weaving back and forth behind me, when I need to drive groups of ewes and few day old lambs around.

I’ve yet to see anything that beats the versatility and intelligence of a decent collie.

 

[scholland]

Look at mainstay huntaways he has some good videos.
Plenty of good (and bad) on all the breeds but any noisy breed certainly needs training to bark and most importantly shut up! Still like my welshies...

 

[CopperBeech]

A Tully would do the job from what I’ve seen on Faceache.

My 2 collies chase sheep up to the CombiClamp for me, on command. If needs be, the smaller one will jump in when I ask her, weave under their legs and push them up from within the pen, even right up the race if needed. That same collie will speak as much as I let her, whilst weaving back and forth behind me, when I need to drive groups of ewes and few day old lambs around.

I’ve yet to see anything that beats the versatility and intelligence of a decent collie.

To be fair, he does everything that a Huntaway would as far as I can see, but he's a lot smarter, and generally chilled out. He will gather a field, drive and work pens etc. He will also hold sheep down for the mrs when she needs to lamb them and all manner of other handy stuff. Even chased an intruder through the woods the other day and explained to them the error of their ways . . . . . .

But yer, I love a good collie, and to be fair theres not much I can't get done with my best two bitches.

 

[Vicki_Ann]

Welsh Sheepdog - contact the society, they should be able to sort you out with a dog that excels at hill gathering.

We had welshies before this latest collie and sadly the line got fuddled and no good welshies here now.

Certainly a lot to think about on this thread and I wonder if I ought to try and see a few more of these various dogs working before we decide. My young collie who is just coming into work does bark when he gets excited with the sheep so thinking of putting a command on that and monopolising on the noise he can make when he wants to.

That said, gathering 400 ewes from a 100 acre patch with only one dog is not that fair and we will need another in the next few years.

 

[neilo]

We had welshies before this latest collie and sadly the line got fuddled and no good welshies here now.

Certainly a lot to think about on this thread and I wonder if I ought to try and see a few more of these various dogs working before we decide. My young collie who is just coming into work does bark when he gets excited with the sheep so thinking of putting a command on that and monopolising on the noise he can make when he wants to.

That said, gathering 400 ewes from a 100 acre patch with only one dog is not that fair and we will need another in the next few years.

I could show you a collie working on her own, or with another.

Did I mention that I have some pups for sale....

 

[Gulli]

Collies are much more versatile I think. Able to fetch and drive and work in pens, much more precise
Whereas huntaways are more of a sledgehammer, good drivers and have the stamina to go for much longer periods

Can't really see the need for one in this country, maybe on a big hill gather but I couldn't see any advantage to working one everyday over a collie
I'd have a collie everytime

 

[Hilly]

Collies are much more versatile I think. Able to fetch and drive and work in pens, much more precise
Whereas huntaways are more of a sledgehammer, good drivers and have the stamina to go for much longer periods

Can't really see the need for one in this country, maybe on a big hill gather but I couldn't see any advantage to working one everyday over a collie
I'd have a collie everytime

Ive a huntaway and many advantages are too be had from them , but i cant be bothered with the typing marathons an arguments anymore so i will leave it at that, have what i have and that is what you like/want.

 

[Highcountryshepherd]

It's like any thing on the forum pages you will get 10 folk who like something 10 folk who hate something , some like Huntaways and kelpies some don't , the versatility question buy gulli about Huntaways I can awnser my bitch is a head and hunt type along the lines of a collie both on cattle and sheep she is happy to work a ewe and lamb on own upto 800 stores or a mob of cows , my dog is a big hard pushy dog who takes no prisoners and just drives . It's like anything it's what you put in to your dogs and what you want from them

 

[Gulli]

Ive a huntaway and many advantages are too be had from them , but i cant be bothered with the typing marathons an arguments anymore so i will leave it at that, have what i have and that is what you like/want.

Oh yeah I don't disagree they are great dogs. Didn't mean it like that
I'm just biased

 

[Vicki_Ann]

I could show you a collie working on her own, or with another.

Did I mention that I have some pups for sale....

The OH did ask me what I wanted for my birthday. I did request a sheepdog pup .....

Probably not allowed one though

 

[Downton_shep]

The OH did ask me what I wanted for my birthday. I did request a sheepdog pup .....

Probably not allowed one though

Mine are very reasonably priced

 

[neilo]

Mine are very reasonably priced

Oi! In these days of trying to promote reduced food miles, surely we should also be looking at ‘dog miles’ too. A closer, extremely well bred, pup, would surely be far better, ethically. Just think of all the extra carbon dioxide that would be released to the atmosphere by travelling all the way to Leintwardine? It would even mean travelling to a foreign country..... (from the OP’s workplace at least).

 

[Downton_shep]

Oi! In these days of trying to promote reduced food miles, surely we should also be looking at ‘dog miles’ too. A closer, extremely well bred, pup, would surely be far better, ethically. Just think of all the extra carbon dioxide that would be released to the atmosphere by travelling all the way to Leintwardine? It would even mean travelling to a foreign country..... (from the OP’s workplace at least).

 

[MJT]

Have collies and a Huntaway here, collies are the most versatile and certainly for very tactful jobs they’re the go to dog. Huntaway however has her place and I’d disagree with the suggestion that theirs no need for them in this country , great at driving sheep , gathers well , will run all day, and comes into her own moving ewes and lambs through awkward gateways or up long lanes etc, her bark as well as the size and presence of her bounding around definately moves stubborn ewes and lambs a lot better than a collie crouched and eyeballing them .horses for courses.

 

[neilo]

Have collies and a Huntaway here, collies are the most versatile and certainly for very tactful jobs they’re the go to dog. Huntaway however has her place and I’d disagree with the suggestion that theirs no need for them in this country , great at driving sheep , gathers well , will run all day, and comes into her own moving ewes and lambs through awkward gateways or up long lanes etc, her bark as well as the size and presence of her bounding around definately moves stubborn ewes and lambs a lot better than a collie crouched and eyeballing them .horses for courses.

One of the guys that comes shearing brings his Huntaway. He's a big lummox of a thing, but a great character. It's quite comical watching strong, stubborn Charollais ewes' reactions when he 'speaks', and the pen is filled very quickly, almost too much so.

I'd probably have one if I had several thousand sheep and I had enough of his type of work for one, but I would think they do need a lot of work.

 

[MJT]

Although a Huntaway will eat you out of house and home

 

[exmoor dave]

Although a Huntaway will eat you out of house and home

My one never seems to stop eating! She's not even that big a dog really.

A little while ago she picked up a dead dove...... picture a dog with the birds body in its mouth but the wings stuck out both sides ...... bro went to remove the dove at which point the huntaway swallowed the whole thing

 

[Bury the Trash]

Mine are very reasonably priced

what the parents , grand parents etc etc. are like ... is more important than price imo....

 

[Downton_shep]

what the parents , grand parents etc etc. are like ... is more important than price imo....

Still not a guarantee by any means.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Still not a guarantee by any means.

True.and i'm not meaning yours ...
....but there are still far too many dogs bred that should nt be ..from an aggressive parent would be one example ...or with something else in it ... one example ... one we had was a dog that had worn hip joints at a young age ..which vet said could most likely have been because there was lab. in it some where ..