HTCH WICKED Mistral
ATDsd, HRD III, RLF III, HTADscd III, HXAsd
9/28/08
My dogs come to Mother Earth to teach me to Never say never.
I said that I would never own a German Shepherd. ......and here I am now not only owning them, but breeding raising and competing with them.
But I REALLY meant it when I said that I would NEVER own a Border Collie. I was told too many times that when I got serious about herding, I'd get a Real Dog. A BC. That raised my hackles needless to say. I gleefully washed my hands every time one of my GSD kids beat one of the "black and whites".
I was told you could never (there's that word again) keep a BC in the house; they are too driven. They never stop. Why would I want something like that?
Then in October 2004, I went to a Cappy Pruett clinic hosted by my friend Jean Barrett. She worked a new BC puppy(4-7 months?? I can't remember now) she had recently acquired. This was Huca, a black tri. She was something Special even at this young age. Each time I came up to New York for a clinic, Huca shined brighter. She was soon winning HITs' working cattle, sheep and ducks.....then she'd come home and play with Jean's nephews. I told Jean I wanted a puppy from her. Jean said it would be awhile before she even thought of breeding her. I said I'd wait. I waited four years for that puppy. She was worth the wait.
When the litter was 7 weeks old, I went up to pick my puppy. I had planned on getting one of the black tri girls like Huca. The one black tri was too offish, the one too sweet and yielding. Then, one of the red tri's was just right. Spunky, but willing to yield. The next day we took them to sheep. Again, the offish one was better on stock, but the red tri had PLENTY to work with....and was WILLING to work with. I said this one's mine. She road home wrapped around my neck like a little possum up a tree.....Possum she was.
She’s taught me a lot. BC’s are indeed not GSDs. She’s truly given me a look at what it means to be “herding bred”. When she was only a year old I took her out to an unfenced field and sent her to gather sheep that were 300 + feet away. She had never been out of an arena. She did it without flaw. She showed me what it means to come from a 200 year old pedigree bred STRICTLY for sheep work. It means the talent and drive are “hard wired” into the dog. My GSD’s pedigree started out to be sheep, but then was adulterated by police work, Schutzhund, conformation showing and such. Possum’s example is giving me a guide on where to go with breeding my GSDs.
Possum has also clarified my ideas about herding itself. Working a GSD is all about Relationship. Working a BC is about….work…plain and simple. Working with Possum is simple and clear cut…it has allowed me to see the big picture better.
Possum now lives with my friend, Deb Barrett who lives 10 minutes down the road. Jealous creature that she is, she would not quit attacking the Shepherd bitches, especially Rissa. She was going to end up dead, so she now lives in a house that adores her and I suspect she has them all wrapped around her paw.
She still works sheep. Deb takes care of my sheep when I’m gone and Possum comes with her.
Possum has given me a last gift. I bred her and on September 16. She had a litter of four BOYS! No girls were allowed to nestle in my jealous little red head. We all joked that Possum is inimical to female life. I have a son of hers named Tai. Check out his web page.
Ettrick Bob ABC 63357 Kathy Knox Buzz ABC 81572 Joe Roe Imp. Gwen ABC 40814 Tom Schwartz Duke ABC 288951 John Ferratt IPSWITCH CAP ABC 119314 Steve McCall Meg ABC 154475 Seth Cook Sarah ABC 113137 Seth Cook
WICKED MISTRAL ABC248328, AKCDN232265/03 Jean Barrett Don ABC 46843 Jeanne Weaver Flynn ABC 193855 Jeanne Weaver Liz ABC 102134 Jeanne Weaver Hurricane ABC 248328 Tom Hoeber Buzz ABC135749 Sarah Aldrich Nikki Hoeber ABC 215574 Sarah Aldrich Mic ABC 125269 Sarah Aldrich
ATDsd, HRD III, RLF III, HTADscd III, HXAsd
9/28/08
My dogs come to Mother Earth to teach me to Never say never.
I said that I would never own a German Shepherd. ......and here I am now not only owning them, but breeding raising and competing with them.
But I REALLY meant it when I said that I would NEVER own a Border Collie. I was told too many times that when I got serious about herding, I'd get a Real Dog. A BC. That raised my hackles needless to say. I gleefully washed my hands every time one of my GSD kids beat one of the "black and whites".
I was told you could never (there's that word again) keep a BC in the house; they are too driven. They never stop. Why would I want something like that?
Then in October 2004, I went to a Cappy Pruett clinic hosted by my friend Jean Barrett. She worked a new BC puppy(4-7 months?? I can't remember now) she had recently acquired. This was Huca, a black tri. She was something Special even at this young age. Each time I came up to New York for a clinic, Huca shined brighter. She was soon winning HITs' working cattle, sheep and ducks.....then she'd come home and play with Jean's nephews. I told Jean I wanted a puppy from her. Jean said it would be awhile before she even thought of breeding her. I said I'd wait. I waited four years for that puppy. She was worth the wait.
When the litter was 7 weeks old, I went up to pick my puppy. I had planned on getting one of the black tri girls like Huca. The one black tri was too offish, the one too sweet and yielding. Then, one of the red tri's was just right. Spunky, but willing to yield. The next day we took them to sheep. Again, the offish one was better on stock, but the red tri had PLENTY to work with....and was WILLING to work with. I said this one's mine. She road home wrapped around my neck like a little possum up a tree.....Possum she was.
She’s taught me a lot. BC’s are indeed not GSDs. She’s truly given me a look at what it means to be “herding bred”. When she was only a year old I took her out to an unfenced field and sent her to gather sheep that were 300 + feet away. She had never been out of an arena. She did it without flaw. She showed me what it means to come from a 200 year old pedigree bred STRICTLY for sheep work. It means the talent and drive are “hard wired” into the dog. My GSD’s pedigree started out to be sheep, but then was adulterated by police work, Schutzhund, conformation showing and such. Possum’s example is giving me a guide on where to go with breeding my GSDs.
Possum has also clarified my ideas about herding itself. Working a GSD is all about Relationship. Working a BC is about….work…plain and simple. Working with Possum is simple and clear cut…it has allowed me to see the big picture better.
Possum now lives with my friend, Deb Barrett who lives 10 minutes down the road. Jealous creature that she is, she would not quit attacking the Shepherd bitches, especially Rissa. She was going to end up dead, so she now lives in a house that adores her and I suspect she has them all wrapped around her paw.
She still works sheep. Deb takes care of my sheep when I’m gone and Possum comes with her.
Possum has given me a last gift. I bred her and on September 16. She had a litter of four BOYS! No girls were allowed to nestle in my jealous little red head. We all joked that Possum is inimical to female life. I have a son of hers named Tai. Check out his web page.
Ettrick Bob ABC 63357 Kathy Knox Buzz ABC 81572 Joe Roe Imp. Gwen ABC 40814 Tom Schwartz Duke ABC 288951 John Ferratt IPSWITCH CAP ABC 119314 Steve McCall Meg ABC 154475 Seth Cook Sarah ABC 113137 Seth Cook
WICKED MISTRAL ABC248328, AKCDN232265/03 Jean Barrett Don ABC 46843 Jeanne Weaver Flynn ABC 193855 Jeanne Weaver Liz ABC 102134 Jeanne Weaver Hurricane ABC 248328 Tom Hoeber Buzz ABC135749 Sarah Aldrich Nikki Hoeber ABC 215574 Sarah Aldrich Mic ABC 125269 Sarah Aldrich
"On the way to winning the Advanced sheep class at
HABOC AKC sheep and duck trial July 22,2012."
HABOC AKC sheep and duck trial July 22,2012."