One Korean's Complaint

[Bodol]

Hello, I'm a Korean Border Collie lover. I Started Border collie life since 2003.

I really love working Border Collies and I want to preserve them.

 

In Korea, There are few show border collie breeders and show border collies. (But working Border collies are also rare.) But There are a lot of BC puppy mills.

 

 

And worse problem is that people who love working border collies are rare and Many people were not interested in Herding and dogsports.

 

About one thousand people is in the korean border collie club named "Border Collie Addict Villege" in Naver (Naver.com is the biggest portal site in Korea), but actually there are few border collie lovers. They just like a intelligent, and cute BC not an active, intelligent, and sound BC. many Border Collies, or almost Border Collies are just pets like any other breeds. (If they say that why it is problem, what can I say)

 

 

Korean Border Collies are more and more increasing and many BCs are destined to live unhappy life because of intemperate breeding and lack of BC Lovers. Like...Excessive Supply and Short Demand?

 

 

intemperate breeding is worst problem, I think. In Korean BC history (although I don't know exactly about that), Inbreeding was very frequent because person who first brought Border Collies (these BCs are only three) in korea, about ten years ago is a puppy mill operator and a unreputable show dog breeder. They are not show bloodline, just pet+showline(?). so only three Border Collies are father and mother of most korean BCs. My first border collie, Bodol is also their bloodline.

 

 

About one year ago, these people disappeared luckily because of a few korean Border Collie lovers. But now, people who are not puppy sellers are trouble. they thought dogs must whelp at least once and they couldn't overcome a desire to see small and cute pups from their bitch. They don't prepare and seach a new good family. And Most of companion Border Collies don't have a studbook, so they face a crisis of inbreeding. I'm very worried about Korean border collies' future.

 

 

At this point in time, I think this is very important to establish Korean Border Collie Registration who issue a free studbook, and Coefficiency of Inbreeding to individual Border Collie.

 

 

But I don't know what to do and I have a little information of the BC and Restration. And only a few people interested in this movement.

 

 

But I will make Korea better for Border Collies (and other dogs also). After I have many knowledge About the BC And Restration, I'll make a Border Collie Restration in Korea. That's why I'm joing here in spite of my poor english:)

[Bodol]

I'm new here. so I'm confused. Is It right category to write this kind of writing? If Not, I'll remove it to another category.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

This is a fascinating point. How to encourage working lines in a place where there's very little outlet for the work?

 

Don't worry, you are quite understandable. I think there's a lot of discussion over on the "So sad" thread. That will ease up soon. this is the right place. Though there's no Category Police so you are ok either way.

 

Meanwhile, my concern about setting up a studbook which has a mission of preserving the working Border collie - what kind of work are you talking about? When we say work, as people who are close to the origins of the breed, we mean working livestock - sheep, goats, cattle, ducks, etc.

 

I believe you need some kind of working trial standard, and preferably some demand for real working dogs to encourage breeders to breed to the standard. Otherwise any studbook will quickly turn into simply a brag book with little ability to shape the breed in your region, one way or another. It wouldn't take long for someone to demand that your club associate with the FCI and start showing in the breed ring - if you don't have a really good reason to say NO!

 

Welcome again and thanks for bringing a very welcome perspective on the future of the Border collie breed.

[Zoe]

Hi, I was interested in your post because I think there is a similar situation in Japan. But you seem to know a lot more about the history of BCs in Korea than I do about BCs in Japan. Do you have any BCs that are working as sheep or cattle dogs in Korea ? In Japan there are several sheepfarms that have working BCs which also breed and we even have trials. There is a guy who trains BCs and their handlers to work sheep just outside of Tokyo. He works out of a farm and borrows their sheep to teach. I was interested and when Dylan was 10 months old we went to see him. But I wasn't impressed. He only teaches weekends and has 120 or more handler/dog teams that are registered with him. It is almost impossible to guarantee a session. So I gave up. At least people want to do herding with their BCs. I was encouraged by that. I also know of another 2 trainers but they are way too far. I suppose I am kind of rambling and I don't have any "ideas" for you. Sorry. Of course what Rebecca writes is "right on" ( correct ). I worry about the breed in Japan too.

But I think maybe things are changing for the better and the breed is not fashionable at the moment. BTW, your English is good - ( from an English teacher ! )

[Bodol]

In Korea, There is no professional who trains dogs to herd. and I think only 5 border collies can herd sheeps, and goats.

 

Only One Border Collie breeder teachs his dog herding goats, but he is not a professional herding trainer, but an agility trainer. My Father (who loves border collies, too) is sponser of him.

 

Even some working border collie people said herding is not fit in Korea because Korea is too small to herd sheep in a huge pasture. (Most famous activity with Border Collies in korea is FlyingDisc.)

Some people said border collie is not fit with Korea.

 

But I want to learn herding so that border collies in Korea can herd chickens, geese, or goat (small animals?), Or Make a club sheep farm so that Border collies in club can learn herding, And develop their intelligence and health,

 

But... I don't know It can be real. It's just one of my dreams.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I once suggested somewhere, I forget where, that someone in Asia could look into using Border collies to work ducks on rice farms. If trials developed based on that work, it would look totally different, but that would be ok - it would be a similiar situation to the dogs that exclusively work cattle here.

 

Oh, yes, there's also cattle, I forgot.

 

Border collies do very well on goats, as you say.

 

Trials don't have to be huge, just honest. The point of a trial is to show what a well-rounded Border collie is capable of - we have to rethink this every time we set up a trial in a new field. If it's too small maybe we'll add an obstacle, or set the course a little differently - dog-legged instead of straight.

 

I would encourage you to think about the stock that is there, and how you could possibly even appeal to the people who raise that stock, to start using dogs to help them. Think of it as an advertisement for the Border collie as a stockdog. That's how the original ISDS trials started, according to the first committee members.

 

So the best thing to do, I believe, is to keep things simple and appealing to those who could benefit most from using dogs. The first trials were simply gathers followed by a pen, though because they were hill farmers the gathers were huge. But it demonstrated to potential puppy buyers that these dogs had the natural ability to get the sheep home safely without harrassing them, and had the ability to be controlled far off and near at hand.

 

Dream big! It would be really cool to see the breed expand in that way.