DeathStar ET WPDX FD

The Non-Floof

Dexter is a rescue Kelpie X who was waiting in foster care for 12 months to find the right forever home. He is a high drive, ball-obsessed working dog who had no off-switch. He needed a home where he could use that drive for more productive activities than pestering people to throw his tennis balls. After less than 24 hours with us, Dexter started learning some self-control and years later, he is unrecognisable from the dog we first welcomed home!
Dexter has many quirks, but most amusingly he is able to carry two tennis balls in his mouth, while collecting others with his paws and nudging them over to other dogs or humans! If he had his way, his entire life would revolve around tennis balls so he of course, adores playing fetch (for 12 hours straight if you let him, trust me, we've done it!). We have done a lot of work channelling his ball drive and increasing his tug and food drive to add some more versatility to his reward system. He will now even drop his ball for a tug! 
He has overcome so much and being a typical Kelpie he puts his heart and soul into everything he does. He is really showing off his potential now competing in Flyball and he will soon make his debut in Agility, Rally and Obedience. When he's not training or playing with us, he is asleep on our bed or chilling on the couch. He is super easy to live with and just loves to please. But as you'd imagine, he is the first to put up his paw for any type of action, even if he's just come back from a 10km run!

Vital Stats

ANKC Registered Number: 301908AR
Microchip: 982000363450759
Colour: Black & Tan
DOB: 13th April 2015
​Height: 54cm at the withers
Rescued By: FarmDogz Rescue
Owned By: N Boyd - Pawformance
Lives with: Nik (Adelaide)

I am a rescue dog

Not all dogs end up in the perfect forever home for them as puppies. Pawformance has been home to incredible dogs who have come to us from rescue situations and they are no less loved or less awesome than their pedigree "siblings".
Giving a dog a second chance in life is an amazing feeling and we highly recommend that people consider adopting a rescue dog before looking at a pedigree puppy.
​So many Australian Kelpies find themselves in need of a new home - if you are interested in adopting a Kelpie, we love Dogs4Jobs!

I Train and Compete In:

Flyball Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Flyball Dog (FD)
It's not hard to see why Flyball is Dexter's favourite sport. He loves to run fast and anything involving a tennis ball is Dexter's idea of a good time! While the mechanics of Flyball were easy for Dex to learn, he has really worked hard at being able to race with another dog in the other lane. He is fast and is becoming increasingly reliable as he gets more experience under his belt. Racing with Dex is such a thrill. It's an absolute privilege to run him.
  • 8th September 2019 | Royal Adelaide Show | 2nd Place | FD Title Gained

Sledding Highlights

Titles Gained: 
We always knew that Dexter loves to run and while training for Dexter's Endurance Test, we discovered he really liked to pull! So we finally had the opportunity to try sledding in 2021 and Dex has taken to it like a duck to water! He's not your typical sled dog, but he runs his heart out!
  • 21-22 August 2021 | SASDC Race 5 | Novice - 1-Dog | 2nd Place
  • 14-15 August 2021 | SASDC Race 4 | Novice 1-Dog | 2nd Place
  • 19-20 June 2021 | SASDC Race 2 | Novice 1-Dog | 1st Place 
  • 29-30 May 2021 | SASDC Race 1 | Novice 1-Dog | 1st Place

Agility Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Dexter has had a late introduction into the sport of Agility. He started training in early 2020, as Flyball had been our primary focus until then. He is taking to the sport of Agility with a huge amount of enthusiasm and speed and he is really putting my own handling skills to the test! For this reason we are taking our time to make sure he has a strong foundation.
  • Debut pending

Backpacking Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Working Pack Dog (WPD)
​Working Pack Dog Excellence (WPDX)
This was a sport that Dexter was born for. We joke that he should be hired out to the sherpas in Nepal, as he just loves to pack hike and seems to have no limit! Dex has a bit of a reputation in the WPD community in NSW as he would come back from a pack hike as if he had just been for a walk around the block. It would not be uncommon for Dex to pack 32km, return to camp and play long-range fetch for an hour or more. Now that Dex has completed all the Pack Dog levels, he continues to pack with us when we go on family hikes.
  • 27-28th July 2019 | Husky Club NSW | N. Church (NSW) | 64km | WPDX Title Gained
  • 4-5th August 2018 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 64km
  • 23-24th July 2018 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 64km
  • 13th August 2017 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 16km | WPD Title Gained
  • 12th August 2017 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 16km
  • 30th July 2017 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 16km
  • 29th July 2017 | AMCNSW | N. Church (NSW) | 16km

Herding Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Dexter has a lovely herding instinct, with good distance and balance. Unfortunately we haven't been able to consistently give Dexter time on sheep, but we hope he will get more exposure in the future.
  • Pending

Endurance Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Endurance Test (ET)
Dexter completed his endurance test with Solo and Slinky in 2018. He easily completed the distance and I'm sure he thought it was just a warm up for something that involved more speed and effort.
  • 12th August 2018 | Dogs NSW Obedience and Tracking Committee | C. Bryant (NSW) |  ET Qualified | ET Title Gained​

Trick Dog Highlights

Titles Gained: 
Novice Trick Dog (NTD)
Prior to the launch of the ANKC trick dog titles, Dexter participated in online trick dog trials.
  • May 2018 | Novice Trick Dog Title Gained