All About Kirsty McCallum

G'day, I have been helping countless families cultivate a harmonious relationship with their canine mates since 2017.

I specialize in obedience training, problem-solving, and behaviour modification.

As the proud owner of Kelpies since 2011, I have had the opportunity to work on these same techniques with my own dogs.

I also spent 2 years working at an animal shelter which gave me plenty of experience with various other breeds, with various behavioural issues such as anxiety and reactivity.

I am certified in Dog Behaviour & Training and am constantly educating myself on all things dog-related.

A little more about my qualifications

A Cert III in Children’s Services. And an always up-to-date Working With Children’s Check.
Diploma of Agriculture.
Cert II in Animal Studies.
A Cert III in Dog Behaviour & Training.

My Dogs

Meet the dogs that have had the biggest influence on my life.

April 2009 to November 2011

Jock - The dog that started it all.

Jock was a Jack Russell x Maltese but he proved to be a very timid pup and chose me as his saviour.
The only time Jock wouldn`t do what was asked of him was when his half-sister, Jessie, was taking him on an adventure to find rabbits, then there was no way he would come when I called him (Jack Russels are hard to keep in the yard! Do you know how many hours I spent fixing our fence??)
In 2011 I moved 2-year-old Jock to King Island for a nannying job where Jock was really able to come out of his shell more.
I was able to spend a lot more time with him and basically took him everywhere.
And the only time he wouldn`t come when he was called was when he was chasing wallabies.
He became less timid of kids and other dogs, learnt to love the car ride (watching for wallabies as they jumped across the road in front of us) and absolutely loved his beach adventures.
After 3 months of living on KI Jock survived a tiger snake bite.
Unfortunately, 3 weeks after the first snake bite, Jock was bitten again and didn`t live to tell the tale.

November 2011 - May 2023

Pepsi - The dog who needed a second chance.

One week after Jock`s death, still grieving and sinking into a deep depression, I came across 18-month-old Pepsi, a skinny, timid Black and Tan Kelpie cross collie with an abusive past, from a dairy farm.
Having had an absolute obsession with Kelpies since the very first episode of McLeod`s Daughters aired, and seeing the condition, then “Pepper”, was in, I couldn`t say no to this “free to good home”.
Already suffering from arthritis at just 18 months old and having already had a litter of pups, Pepsi would cower at just being asked to sit and didn`t know that food could be used as a treat. This is how I discovered the importance of teaching your dog that your praise alone should become the most important thing.
Within 12 months of retraining, Pepsi was a completely different dog. And became the perfect dog trainers assistant.
Pep enjoyed approximately 3 years of retirement, living out her days snoring her head off, getting any kind of massage she could and seeing what she could get away with, with plenty of selective deafness.
She loved life as an inside dog after Noisy passed away, until her last breath on the 10th of May 2023.
It was just 9 days after her 13th birthday and one week before the 8-month anniversary of Noisy`s death.

August 2013 - September 2022

Noisy - The dog who taught me about breeding dogs and reactivity.

2 years after owning Pepsi I decided to put her into pup with my then bosses pure Kelpie, who, while he could work cattle, he was a little soft in nature.
Pepsi ended up having 10 pups in total, 5 of them came out as fluff balls.
The one red and tan fluffy female pup proved to make a lot of noise at the age of 2 weeks. And over the coming weeks attached herself to Pepsi and me. By the time the pups were 5 weeks old, the name “Noisy” was stuck, and so was the pup.
As Noisy began to grow she proved to be a very easy pup to train, and exceptionally willing. But as she got a little older I began to see her react towards people and other dogs more and more, despite my best efforts in making sure she was well socialised.
It took most of Noisy`s life for me to be able to really understand her fear and reactivity and how to help her manage it.
I was able to use her for any sessions with clients' dogs, since retiring Pepsi, and trusted her completely to remember her training.
Unfortunately though, in September 2022, just two weeks after her 9th birthday and a month after she helped me complete my Cert III in Dog Behaviour & Training (she loved riding that skateboard), Noisy was diagnosed with a large tumour in her chest cavity that was crushing her windpipe and oesophagus.
On September 19th, I had the vets come to us and she went peacefully (when she finally stopped growling at the vets) with both Pepsi and I to say goodbye to her.

April 2023 - Present

Karmala Bimber - The dog who is teaching me more about working dogs!

In April 2023 I realised that I needed an older dog, who was well-rounded and going to be able to be used with my client's dogs within a few months.
And, ideally, a working dog. Who could teach me some more about working livestock, and help me teach clients' young dogs about working too.
And low and behold, after only a couple of weeks of looking, Karmala Bimber became available for a new home.
Bim is a registered working Kelpie, who spent her 6 and a half years either rearing puppies or rounding up Brahman cattle in Queensland.
It was mentioned that if Bim didn't work livestock she could be suitable for tracking, which is another interest of mine.
While she is super sensitive, she was also used to being able to do what she wanted to do and when. Especially when working. We've now learnt to work with each other in a much calmer manner.
Bim is learning her side commands and to not cross between me and the ‘‘livestock‘‘ (more often than not, a herding ball).
And I'm learning that giving a simple "no" for a correction is often enough to get the message across without stressing her out. Which I am transferring to my client's dogs as well.
Bim has also learned to play with toys. Now we just need to transfer this to dogs… she still prefers to work other dogs, rather than play.
I'm looking forward to seeing where we end up together.
I'm not fussed if we don't end up competing in working dog trials (herding) but I am sure that we will both continue to learn, whatever we end up doing together.