(Noonbarra Dan IV X Noonbarra Megan)
Black and Tan Female
Born: 6th December 2002
Owned by Sue Smith
Noonbarra Matilda was sold as a dog for Agility competitions as well as being a family companion. She has made a couple of return visits to the Noonbarra Stud and was very good with the sheep in the stockyards and with some serious training in that area would be a trial prospect!
Dear Stephen and Mary,
Thought I might update you on Matilda's progress. I'm pleased to report that she
is quite a good little
puppy. So far she doesn't chew things (tho I accept that that could still happen
:)), dig or do any other
naughty things that puppies get up to.
She has been coming everywhere with Charlotte and I and has been to many agility trials, so far only as a spectator! She graduated easily from Puppy Preschool, even if she doesn't like to take tablets!!
She has been coming to Obedience training from the very beginning and can be very focused on me which is fabulous. Especially when I compare her with other pups there of a similar age. She can already sit, down, spin, touch my hand with her nose (very useful for agility) and I have just taught her to shake hands (still getting paws mixed up though!).
Noonbarra Matilda II with Charlotte (the Whippet)
We have started work on heeling, but as you can appreciate that is the
hardest thing to teach but she is progressing well. We do have to work on her
recall though, as when she is "rounding up" other dogs she gets very focused on
them!
She loves all other dogs (even if they don't love her so much) and I have no
problem taking her anywhere. So far she has also represented Springwood and
District Dog Training Club at our local (Springwood) Foundation Day
demonstration (and marched in the parade) and our Anzac Day March. She happily
accepts being crated and staked out when we are out and about and gets on really
well with Charlotte and Harvey (my other whippet who is just a pet). She comes
on a walk most nights with Charlotte, Harvey and my neighbours dogs.
She loves playing with toys that make a noise and she has the funniest habit of
running around the backyard with a particular toy in her mouth shaking her head
trying to get the "boing" noise to happen. It is really funny to see.
Thank you once again for letting me have a wonderful, clever puppy. She is a
total joy. I hope that in the
near future I will be able to find the time to make the trip to Manildra so I
can show her off to you!!
Sue Smith
Noonbarra Matilda II working the stockyards on a visit back to the Noonbarra Stud
Nov 2003
Dear Stephen and Mary,
Just thought I would update you on Matilda's progress and send you a couple of
pictures I had taken of her.
Well, Matilda is 11 months old now and maturing into a lovely dog. Still quite
lively, but not naughty at all. She loves playing soccer in the back yard, a
great way to wear her out!! We spent the October long weekend camping at Uralla,
attending an agility trial where these photos were taken.
We've just spent this last weekend at Pet Expo in Sydney with the Springwood Dog
Training Club and I think you will probably get a few enquiries for puppies
shortly!!! Angela and Bindi were there as well doing there bit for Noonbarra
Working Kelpies!!
Matilda was very cute sitting on her stool, waving to people passing by. She
coped wonderfully well with the different dogs there and all the masses of
people as well. She just took it all in her stride.
I'm really looking forward to serious agility training with Matilda once she
gets to 12 months. She is such a quick learner and just loves being taught to do
tricks. So far I have taught her to spin, shake hands, touch my hand with her
nose, high fives, sit on a stool, wave and we are working on marching with her
front feet.
Hope you enjoy the pictures and feel free to use them if you wish.
Cheers, Sue Smith
Noonbarra Matilda II
Dear Mary and Stephen,
I'm just writing to thank you and let you know how
Matilda is settling in. As you said she is a wonderful
pup and she has a fabulous temperament as you promised. Everything I could hope for!
The whippets have accepted her surprisingly well. Matilda is already "sitting" on command and we are working very well towards our down. We were at an agility trial at the weekend and everyone was very impressed with her.
She has been doing a lot of socialising and meeting other people and dogs. I have booked her into Puppy
pre-school so she can have a chance to play with other
puppies. Her and the whippets haven't really worked
out what sort of games to play yet, the whippets think
playing is running in circles really fast but Matilda
thinks that they should let her round them up... it's
very funny to watch! Hope you enjoy the photos of
them in our back yard!
Thanks again,
Sue Smith
Noonbarra Matilda II
Photo by owner, Sue Smith
___________________________
Dear Stephen and Mary,
Thank you for your wonderful newsletter. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading it, what a great idea. How on earth do
you find the time?? It was wonderful to read all about
Matilda's rellies and what they are up to. Thank you
for the business cards too. As you know, at demos and
pet expos I am always asked about Matilda and it is
good to be able to refer people on if they are
interested.
I'm hoping to be up your way later in the month,
around the 19th or 20th. Do you mind if we pop in?
Matilda has developed into a wonderful dog, very smart
and such a quick learner. At the moment with daylight
saving I've been taking her to the local park and
doing some obedience work with her after work. As I
said she is learning so fast she amazes me. I've been
taking her to Wallerawang on Sundays for agility
training and she just seems to love that. There are
quite a lot of other working kelpies training there,
including Bindi, and they all get to run together in
the off lead area there, it is great to see. She is
wonderful in the car, it must be funny from behind as
she sits in the middle of the back window (you'll
remember I have a 4 wheel drive) and looks out the
back. I'm sure all you can see is her big ears
sticking up! She is great at home, very calm inside
and is able to amuse herself with her toys. She goes
to her toy box and sorts through them until she finds
the one she wants!
It is only about 5 months until she can start
competing at agility and I can't wait. We still have
to work on the weave poles, you can't really start
teaching them until 12mths of age, but she has all the
other obstacles down pat. She is really fast when she
gets going and has a very economical jumping style,
unlike Charlotte who clears every thing by a foot but
wastes a lot of time doing so! Of course Matilda is
still learning and I am being careful not to push her
too hard so she doesn't get bored. We do still have
trouble with distractions but I'm sure she will grow
out of that as she matures.
Thank you again for the wonderful newsletter.
Noonbarra Matilda II working the stockyards on a visit back to the Noonbarra Stud
Noonbarra Matilda II in the back of the car.
Photo taken in the stockyards when Matilda
made a return visit to the Noonbarra Stud
Noonbarra Matilda II
Photo by owner, Sue Smith