Brandi

I have a small female aussihoula that is VERY dog aggressive only on leash.. Don't know why. But when I let her go, she sniffs and goes on with her business. The more I try to control her with the leash the worse she gets.

I too visualize severe. When I was comparing a dog with cowhocks, I was picturing a dog standing with it's hocks together, toes pointed out etc... And was completely baffled by how people could think a cow hocked dog (a real cow hocked dog) could last as long as a "normal" dog.... Thanks for chiming in Debbie you are a breath of fresh air!

Im not saying there is a "Standard" Im just saying a dog w/ out crooked legs is going to have better joints when it is 18yrs old vs a dog that is crooked. THATS ALL im saying. Im not saying every dog that is herding HAS to be perfect, because no dog is perfect. Im just saying from a medical standpoint that a dog with "better confo" is going to not have as many issues down the line. Period...

I work for a veterinarian (equine) and prior to working here I worked for a small animal vet. I was in charge of taking the x-rays. EVERY older dog that was "conformationally unsound" as a younger dog HAD more arthritis and issues in it's body than an older dog that was "conformationally sound" it's just the way it works. There is no 2 ways about it.

Time out. No one said that a dog with bad conformation can't work, or work for a long time. Just simply said that a dog with cow hocks will have hips and stifles go "bad" (arthritis etc) faster than a dog with good hock conformation. If doing the same exact work for the exact amount of time. Not saying the dog will be lame, crippled but that cowhocked dog WILL develop arthritis faster than a dog w/ good hocks. Thats all.

Im sorry but your kidding yourself if you don't think conformation plays a role in longevity of an athlete. Regardless of species.

I would imagine that dog conformation is alot like horse conformation. Horses can do alot more than look pretty in an arena. I barrel race and my horses have to be able to get in the ground, turn quick and accelerate. Just like the BC's do. For this kind of work you MUST have a structurally sound animal. Meaning if they are cow hocked, have too long of a back, are not balancedfrom nose to tail they will break down sooner than an animal that is balanced. A leggy horse/dog can do anything a smaller animal can do if they are athletic and ballanced, meaning the rest of their body matches their long legs, They can cover more ground but may not be as "quick" as a smaller dog. I have a small mare that I use for small patterns because my larger horse just cant get in and out of the barrels like she can, I use my larger mare for larger patterns because that stride really covers the ground and makes up time. To set them up for sucess you have to know what they are best suited for.

Thats OK you know more than I do so your an expert to me

I agree that he there is a chance that he could be a mix breed, but you can assume that of any dog that isn't registered. Anyone at any point can say "oh this is his sire and bring out a random BC" ya know. If he is part aussie (which im positive he is not) he is the most intelligent, BC like mix I have ever met I don't think the fact that she has 2 different breeds of dog makes her an irresponsible breeder. In her house she had walls lined with herding and agility pictures of her in the winners circle (if thats what you call it in the dog world) with both BC's and Aussies. Also the fact that she wanted more money to register them is not uncommon atleast around the breeders I have known. She was in a bad spot in her life and didn't have the time or energy to do all the paper work. She was selling all of her dogs and getting out of the business. Thanks for you insight into this and I appriciate your effort to get to the bottom of it. But as far as the trainer goes. She made an assesment based on his apperance before she even saw him walk forward.

Thanks! I will look it up

I can see where both of you are coming from. Wiley does not have papers, however I have seen his parents and the lady I got him from is a reputable breeder of both aussies and border collies (the trainer knows all of this). He was sold to me as a pure bred BC, looks like a BC, stalks like a BC, Smart like a BC and his parents are papered she sold him to me w/ out papers because I didn't want to spend 100.00 extra just for a piece of paper for a soon to be neutered dog. There is absolutely NO reason for me or anyone else to think he is not a pure bred BC. The only thing I can think is that he doesn't lay down and watch things he "squats" and watches things. Additionally as a trainer and professional dog handler, she SHOULD know everything (or close to everything) there is to know about the breed she specializes in dontcha think?? like basic COAT COLORS! She is an ol' school gal but she should venture on the internet and educate herself if she is going to be a professional border collie trainer.

Everything about him is BC, the way he stalks, acts. The only thing he doesn't do that a typical BC does is lay on the ground and watch things. He lowers to the ground but he never actually lays down. So I guess she could base it on that but that would still be pretty silly. Don't ya think?

I have Wiley to where he will down if I am in front of him. He won't do it at a distance or if im behind him. I have to get his attention then ask for it. Am I asking for too much too soon ?

Nope Southern California