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many people, especially those new to breeding dogs make—that breeding decisions are made for that one litter and don’t take into account a long-range plan. That will work for only so long, and four generations down the road, you won’t have dogs any better than the ones you started with. Chances are, you will also have a whole bunch of traits you didn’t count on either. Breeding without a plan or vision is like sailing without a rudder—you’re going somewhere, but you’re not steering. So, to answer your question of how do I select the parents, my answer is that my long-range plan dictates which attributes I focus on in any given generation or cross. There are always compromises in breeding animals, because there are no perfect animals, and there are no perfect breedings. My approach to breeding sheep is much the same as breeding dogs—you focus on your top priorities/characteristics and when you have attained them, you try to hold onto them as you then move to improve on your next priorities. It is a real juggling act to keep all the balls in the air. As a breeder of working Border Collies, I place an emphasis on the mind and mental capabilities of the dog, as well as innate sheepdog talents. Speed without brains isn’t much use. Good jumpers with lack of focus isn’t much use either. The ability to think quickly, process, and react in a fast-paced and high-pressure agility environment is the same ability required in a working sheepdog environment. Not all Border Collies can do this. All the dogs I use in my breeding program are athletic and physically talented, that is a given. So, the ability to put a whole package together is the real challenge. do you do anything special in raising the litter in an attempt to help the pups have a successful agility career? Plail: We do early neurological stimulation from days 4-16. We allow the mothers the freedom to come and go from the pups as they please rather than being locked in and upset. The litters are raised in the middle of the house (a loud house!). Pups are taken outside to run and play full out at least four times per day. Pups are introduced to all types of stimulation and to different situations on a regular basis. At approximately six weeks pups are placed on ducks or chickens to test herding and prey drive instincts. Harding: Nothing special. My puppies always have lots of handling; they have ropes and toys and tunnels and ramps in their indoor and outdoor pens as they are raised. Before
March 11 | Clean Run

they go to their homes at eight weeks they have been crated individually at night. Moureaux: The pups are handled many times a day and played with. It’s pretty busy here at the ranch and they have a lot of visitors. When they are old enough they have a yard where there are different types of miniature obstacles and balance toys as well as tug toys and balls. The pups are exposed to the noises and goings on of our household, street traffic, and ranch work. MacVicar: With any litter, you want them [to be] well socialized with as many opportunities as possible. All of these things are done whether for an agility prospect or for a pet home. I can’t really say that I do anything more that would be related to having the pups have a successful agility career. Whitney: Early stimulation and socialization are a very important part of our program. It can’t put into the pup what is not already there, but it can and does optimize their genetic potential. It is important to help the pups develop physically and neurologically in such a way to maximize potential. We use the ENS (early neurological stimulation) program, Dremel their nails starting at a couple days old, and expose them to many people and lots of handling, both individually and in groups. We place “puzzles” in the puppy pen to stimulate them physically and mentally, and change those puzzles weekly. Wobble boards, planks, different surfaces, and tunnels are examples of what our pups start seeing at five weeks of age. To be an agility dog, dogs need to be at ease with unknown people and dogs, novel stimuli, and the unfamiliar in general. The sooner we expose pups to variety, the more open they are to changes. We use CDs of noises not commonly heard in our home area, such as traffic, trucks, screaming babies, and so on. The pups are taken to lots of new areas and places, exposed to livestock, farm machinery, other homes, and learn to follow through group walks in fields and woods given a couple of times a day when the pups are old enough. All these things give the pups a great start, but then it is up to the new owner to make them into successful agility dogs. hoW do you choose agility candidates from your litters and hoW successful have you been so far in doing so? Plail: We have been very successful in choosing the agility prospects. It seems to be a matter of investing the time into observing the pups for many, many hours to determine if specific behaviors exist. As they grow, we look for different characteristics,
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Clean Run - March 2011

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