Kylie's photoKelpies, Collies, Heelers. Escape artists.
Your Kelpie Isn't Trying To Escape. She's Going Looking For Work.
Kylie picks up escaped dogs for a living. Her own Kelpie got out six times. Then a sheep farmer at the pound asked her one question: "What in your yard is moving?"
You've probably just read a story about a council ranger and her Kelpie, Jet.
Kylie is an animal management officer. If your dog gets out around Ipswich, there's a decent chance she's the one who picks it up. Her own dog got out six times. Twice she scanned a microchip at work and her own name came up.
RecreationShe walked Jet eighty minutes a day. She did the training course. She raised the fence, then raised it again. Jet went under it, over it, through it, and once up a wheelie bin she'd dragged across the yard herself.
Then a sheep farmer at the pound asked her the question nobody else had. Nine weeks later, Jet still hadn't been out.
This page is the long version of that conversation. Why a working dog keeps finding new ways out, why the usual advice doesn't touch it, and what changed in an ordinary backyard.
Three things first.
- Jet wasn't a bad dog. A Kelpie, Collie or Heeler that keeps getting out isn't being naughty. A lot of the time, she's a working dog going looking for work.
- A higher fence treats the exit, not the reason. Every fix Kylie made was a better fence. Every time, Jet found the next way out within weeks. The fence was never the whole problem.
- A toy that waits for you isn't a job. Most dog toys sit still until a person throws them. For a working breed, that's not work. That's waiting.
What it usually looks like
If your dog has a list like this, you're in the right place.
RecreationJet's escape log, 2025
One Kelpie, one backyard
- February. The side gate. "Under it. A neighbour found her at the servo on the corner."
- March. The back fence. "Over 1.8 metres of Colorbond. I put a lattice topper on it."
- April. The lattice. "Straight through it."
- May. The bins. "She dragged the red one over to the fence herself. I came home early and caught her standing on the lid about half a second before she went over. I should have grabbed her. I grabbed my phone. Work habit."
- June. On shift. "Out while I was at work. A colleague picked her up. He was very nice about it. Everyone at work knew by lunch."
- August. The highway. "Gone for three hours. Found on the edge of the Warrego Highway."
Twice, her own name came up on the scanner at work. Once, the side of a highway.
This is the part that stung. Kylie hands escaped dogs back for a living. She knows the speech by heart. She'd just never had to give it to herself.
If that's you, this isn't a fence problem. And it isn't a you problem.
What she tells owners when she hands their dog back
Kylie had already done all of it. It's the same list she gives at front doors.
RecreationMore walking. Forty minutes before work, forty after. Runs along the river on weekends.
Why it didn't touch it: Jet came home fit, not finished. A walk tires the legs. It doesn't give her anything to work.
A better fence. Rollers on top. Rocks along the bottom.
Why it didn't touch it: each fix closed one exit, and Jet found the next. A fence answers "how". It never answers "why".
Move the bins. Moved. "And moved back, by her."
Why it didn't touch it: you can't out-plan a dog that plans.
Training. A six-week course. Top of the class. The trainer said she was the smartest dog she'd had all year.
Why it didn't touch it: "Smart dogs get out. That's sort of the problem." Training gave Jet manners. It didn't give her a job.
Toys. Rope, a Kong, a flirt pole, and a ball launcher she figured out in a day and then ignored.
Why it didn't touch it: every one of them waits for a person. Once she'd solved it, it was furniture.
A vet check. "Very healthy, very bored."
Why it didn't touch it: it did its job. It ruled out the body, and that left the boredom.
"I'd pretty much accepted the comment section was right. I was going to find her someone with acreage."
None of that advice is wrong. It's just aimed at the exit, not the reason.
The 90 seconds
August was the one that did it.
RecreationThree hours gone. Found on the side of the Warrego Highway. "I sat in the car after that one and had a cry."
That September, the team picked up a Border Collie that had got out of a motel at Gatton. The owner came in the next morning. An old sheep bloke from out past Roma, down for a trial.
Kylie told him about Jet. "I think I wanted a farmer to tell me to rehome her so I'd feel better about it."
He didn't. He asked her one question: "How many hours a day is she working?"
She said they walk an hour and twenty.
That's the whole problem. And it's why the fix didn't need acreage.
The job, in five steps
Eye, stalk, chase, grab, shake.
Every dog has this sequence built in. Working breeds run it harder than anyone.
- Eye
Lock on to something that moves.
- Stalk
Low, slow, creeping. The Kelpie freeze.
- Chase
The part they were bred for.
- Grab
Teeth on it.
- Shake
Job done. Now they sleep.
The farmer's version is shorter: eyes on, work it, lose it, work it again. "Lose it" is the bit most people miss. Stock stops. Stock breaks away. The dog has to find it and start again. That's what keeps a working dog's head in the game.
Why walking doesn't count. An hour and twenty a day is a lot of walking. It's still step one, at best. Jet sees things. Birds, bikes, the neighbour's cat on the fence. She never gets to stalk, chase or grab any of them. To a Kelpie that's not work. That's a commute. She still gets walked every day. Just don't expect the walk to do the job.
Why fetch doesn't count either. A thrown ball, or a ball launcher, goes in a straight line and then waits for you. She knows where it's going before it goes. No stalk, no surprise, nothing to lose and find again. Jet worked the launcher out in a day and never looked at it again.
Why they go over the fence
Kylie has a line about her own paperwork.
"I've written up hundreds of escape reports. 'Escaped via fence.' 'Escaped via gate.' Not one says 'went looking for work.' Most of them probably should."
Kylie D., animal management officer
Read Jet's log again with the farmer's words in your head. Over the fence is where things move.
Look at where she ended up, not how she got out. February, the servo on the corner, with cars pulling in and out all day. August, the edge of a highway. If you're a Kelpie looking for something to work, that's where the movement is.
And inside the fence? Nothing moved. Except the bins, and she moved those herself.
That's why every fence fix bought a few weeks and no more. The reason was still in the yard with her. Nothing to do.
To be fair, not every escape is this. Kylie picks up plenty of dogs that get out in storms, or on cracker night, or because someone left the gate open. "That's different." A frightened dog or a dodgy latch is a different problem with different fixes. Check your gates. Talk to your vet if storms or fireworks send your dog over the fence. A toy won't fix fear.
But a working dog in a normal backyard, where every few weeks it's a new way out, on a fine day, with nothing going on? Ask what the farmer asked. What in your yard is moving?
Yes, we read the comments
When this story runs, the comments go one of two ways.
"A Kelpie shouldn't be in town." Kylie has said it herself. She's stood at strangers' front doors holding their working dog on a slip lead, thinking exactly that. Half the comments on any lost-dog post round her way say the same thing. And if you're choosing a puppy and you've got a small yard, it's worth thinking hard about.
"Rehome her to someone with acreage." She nearly did. She'd pretty much decided. For some dogs that is the right call, and there's no shame in it.
But acreage wasn't what Jet was missing. The farmer said it himself. His dogs work for an hour, hour and a half, and sleep the rest. It's not the paddock. It's the sheep.
Jet's still in town. She still gets walked every day. She just finally has some work in the yard.
Why the toy basket doesn't help
Kylie looked at the pile by the back door with the farmer's question in her head. What in here moves?
Pile one
4Wait for you
Rope, Kong, flirt pole, ball launcher. Every one of them needs a person to make it move. The launcher fires once in a straight line, then waits.
Pile two
3Move, sort of
Toys that move on their own, from a couple of nights of reading. They failed three ways. They went in circles, they died on grass, or they were obviously built for cats.
A toy that sits still only works while you're throwing, tugging or swinging it. A toy that goes round in circles gets worked out in two goes. A toy that stalls on grass is no use in a backyard. After that, it's just a noise.
Ropes and Kongs are fine as extras. They just aren't the chase, and the chase is the bit that's missing.
The five-point checklist
Turn the farmer's 90 seconds into a list, and this is what you get. Check it before you buy anything else.
- Does it move on its own, without you throwing it?
- Can she predict it? Or does it keep changing direction and speed?
- Does it stop and start, like stock? Still when she stops, off again when she noses it.
- Does it work in your yard? Grass, pavers, concrete, and the lounge room.
- Will it survive a Kelpie, a Collie or a Heeler?
Try it on a toy you already own.
My dog couldn't stop playing with it. Every time it would move or tweet he would go on another round of chasing it all over the house. He was completely pooped afterwards. But it was just the thing I needed to give him exercise and stimulation during the winter months when walks aren't as frequent. Having two toys means one is always ready while the other is charging.
I have an American Staffy. This is a game changer. She LOVES IT. Plus has given her an afternoon workout. She chews this, but has not broken the outer shell.
The ball launcher scores zero. Most of the "moving" toys score one, maybe two. One toy scores five.
The one that scored five
It's called The Chase Buddy. Yes, we make it, so take this bit with whatever grain of salt you like. Here's how it lines up against the farmer's list, point by point.
Three ways to get the game going.
Gentle rolling and pauses. Where every dog starts, even a Kelpie.
Quicker movement, turns and changes of direction.
It powers down when your dog stops. A nudge starts it again.
"Something that moves." You don't throw it, drag it or swing it. Switch it on, put it on the pavers, sit on the back step. It does the running. You watch.
"Something she can't predict." The movement is randomised. It cuts sideways, spins, stops dead, bolts. On day one Jet went right to head it off. It went somewhere else.
"Work it, lose it, work it again." That's Interactive Mode. When your dog stops, it powers down. When she nudges it, it takes off again. We call that touch reactivation. The farmer would call it a sheep breaking away.
"Works in your yard." Carpet, tile and hardwood inside. Grass, dirt and concrete outside. Kylie has one in the lounge and one out the back. Jet's outdoor one gets used on the back pavers and the lawn.
"Survives a Kelpie." A chew-resistant ABS and TPU shell. The rope arms take the beating. Safe for small, medium and large breeds.
USB-C, about 90 minutes to charge, up to 24 hours of play. Twenty to thirty minutes a day is enough. Play with it together, then pop it back on the charger.
Free shipping · Ships within 24 hours · 30-Day Happy Dog Guarantee
Jet since
Jet's first nine weeks. Your dog's will look different, but probably not that different.
Day 1
The Kelpie freeze. She stared at it for a full minute. It rolled left. She went right to head it off.
Twenty minutes later she was flat out on the pavers. 10am on a Saturday. "She does not sleep at 10am on a Saturday."
Week 1
Kylie left the bins against the fence. On purpose.
No escapes. She didn't touch them.
Week 2
She worked out that nudging it wakes it up.
"Now she doesn't even bring it to me. She just starts it herself."
Week 9
Still no escapes.
"The rollers are still on the fence, but I think they're decoration now."
Play happens with Kylie home, in the evenings and on weekends.
Results vary from dog to dog. Some take to it on day one, some take a week. Jet's story is one dog's experience, not a promise. The Chase Buddy is a toy, not a fence. Keep your yard secure.
RecreationThe maths
The Chase Buddy is $54.99 AUD incl. GST. Put that next to a lattice topper that lasted a month. Fence rollers. A border of rocks. A six-week training course. A vet check. Pound release fees, if the ranger who picks her up isn't a colleague. And three hours of not knowing where she was.
Right now it's Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Two for $54.99 AUD. Over a year, that's about 15 cents a day. One for the lounge, one for out the back, the way Jet's are set up. Two dogs? One each. Don't make them share. Buy 2 Get 2 Free is $109.98 AUD.
Free shipping on every order. Ships within 24 hours to Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK and Canada.
Not just Jet
"This toy has been a lifesaver for tiring our boy out."
"Our Staffy loves his new toy."
"Our boy loves it, quick delivery too!"
"A friend told us about this and it hasn't disappointed."
If you think your dog is the extreme case, she probably isn't. She's not being naughty. She's under-stimulated.
4.7/5 from 1,422 reviews · Not sold on Amazon
The guarantee, in plain words
It's called the 30-Day Happy Dog Guarantee. If your dog isn't happier, email us within 30 days of delivery and send the toy back in its original packaging. Once it arrives, we refund the product price. Return postage is the only cost to you. Full terms here.
Fewer than 1 in 50 people ever use it. If it doesn't work for your dog, you've lost a bit of postage. If it does, you get your weekends back, and you stop checking the fence line every time you pull into the driveway.
Not happier in 30 days? Send it back for a refund.
Two ways this goes
The first way, you keep doing what Kylie tells people at the front door. A higher fence. More rollers. More rocks. Move the bins. And every few weeks there's a new way out, a phone call and a drive.
The second way, you give her the job. Keep the walks. Keep the fence fixed. Add Slow Mode, five minutes, day one. Watch for the freeze. Then see what your fence line looks like in 30 days.
The farmer put it in one line. What in your yard is moving?
$54.99 AUD incl. GST · Buy 1 Get 1 Free · Free shipping
Common questions
Will it stop my dog escaping?
Honestly? It's not a containment product, and it won't fix a broken fence. What it does is give a bored working dog a job inside the yard, and that's the reason a lot of them go looking over it. That's what changed for Jet. Keep your fences and gates secure, keep up the walks, and be there while it runs. Dogs that get out in storms, on cracker night or through an open gate are a different problem. Check your latches, and talk to your vet about noise fear.
Will it survive a heavy chewer?
The shell is chew-resistant ABS and TPU. The rope arms are the part that wears, and they're meant to. Working breeds are hard on everything, so watch the first few sessions. If your dog starts working on the shell instead of chasing it, take it away and try again tomorrow. And if it doesn't hold up to your dog, the guarantee covers you.
Does it work outside, on grass or pavers?
Yes. It runs on carpet, tile and hardwood inside, and on grass, dirt and concrete outside. Jet's gets used on the back pavers and the lawn. Stay out there with your dog while it runs, then bring it in to charge.
Can it replace her walks, or keep her busy while I'm at work?
No, and no. Your dog still needs her daily walks. The Chase Buddy adds the part a walk can't give her: the stalk and the chase. It's a battery-powered toy, so use it while you're home and with your dog, then put it away on the charger. Twenty to thirty minutes a day is enough.
We've got two dogs. Do they share?
Don't make them share. The Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer is one each. Two working dogs with nothing to chase aren't twice as tired. They're twice as bored. Run them at opposite ends of the yard.
How do I introduce it?
Slow Mode for five minutes on day one. Kylie's advice: "Start in Slow Mode, even for a Kelpie." The first session is about letting your dog work out that it reacts to her. Watch for the freeze. Most dogs engage within minutes. Move up to Fast and Interactive Mode over the first week.
What if my dog doesn't like it?
You're covered by the 30-Day Happy Dog Guarantee. If your dog isn't happier, email us within 30 days of delivery, send the toy back in its original packaging, and we refund the product price. Fewer than 1 in 50 people ever use it.
P.S. Three things. It's Buy 1 Get 1 Free right now, so two Chase Buddies for $54.99 AUD incl. GST with free shipping. One for the lounge and one for out the back. It comes with the 30-Day Happy Dog Guarantee: if your dog isn't happier, send it back within 30 days for a refund. And it isn't sold on Amazon. The real one only comes from floofypups.com.
Get 2 Chase Buddies for the Price of 1 →Buy 1 Get 1 Free + free shipping
2 for 1
The Chase Buddy
$109.98 AUD
$54.99 AUD
for two incl. GST
- Moves on its own, at random. No throwing, no tugging
- Stops when your dog stops. A nudge starts it again
- Runs on grass, pavers, concrete, carpet and floorboards
- Chew-resistant shell. USB-C, up to 24 hours of play
- Free shipping on every order
- 30-Day Happy Dog Guarantee. Not happier? Send it back for a refund
- Not sold on Amazon. The real one only comes from floofypups.com