Deb Mickey

Hi all you ... here's a question. What do you do for a dog whose eye hangs them up at the lift? Do you smack your leg with your hat with a gruff "get out of that" or work to free them up with balance work or what ? Thanks in advance for your input!

Great news! A big sigh of relief blown out here!

Happy birthday Lark! It's been great seeing her growing up right before our eyes. (But I still don't think she's grown into those ears yet! )

Great shots, Mark! Who did what?

Hey everybody - Sue was a perfect camping buddy, don't let her fool ya! I don't have an answer either on volunteers camping on site. I'm sure the Finals Committee will answer that one soon.

Tina & Sue, Here's the schedule

What's the question?

I think the family would be grateful to meet someone who tried to help their loved one. If you go, take a box of kleenix - it's going to be a really sad funeral.

Yep, the more time on the sheep, the better for both the dog and you. Half of this is training the dog the other half is the handler learning about sheep and the stuble interplay between the dog & sheep. I'm still trying to get a handle on that!

post from tumblehome I agree that's pretty much true of the original meaning of the term. In my day (showing my age here) a dual championship consisted of a combination of a breed and working championship, not a performance championship. Found mainly in the sporting breeds or hounds, the dog had to have a Field Trial Championship with a breed championship to be considered dual titled. An attempt to honor both the reason why the breed was developed (working) and the soundness of the dog's structure. Flat coated retrievers and brittanys are the few that I've heard of that are still "whole" enough to earn this distinction. AK Dog Doc - Interesting you brought up beagles and their ability to scent. I know of a couple who use bloodhounds in search and rescue. I asked them if show-bred bloodhounds have the same ability to scent as bloodhounds bred from working lines and they said they found no difference. I find that hard to believe and I'm sure the same results would have been found if the study you mentioned was on bloodhounds. Lately I've been watching a number of border collies start their herding careers and it's been real interesting to see the level of innate herding talent & stock sense the dogs bring to the round ring. These dogs come from all sources - working bred, show bred, sports bred, rescue, and from mom & pop breedings. Of course, all dogs have differing levels of skill & talent, but as I watch I wonder if what I'm seeing is true working intent, or the just the thrill of the chase, or serious prey drive (let me eat them) kept just under control. I wonder how their breeding (for sport, working, pet, etc.) is impacting the dog's instinct to herd. It will be interesting to me to see how these dogs progress. (as you can see I love this kind of stuff!).

Out of lurk mode again... Nothing! Years back when border collies took the stage in obedience in my area they blew everyone else away. These dogs were purchased from breeders who bred, used, and competed with stockdogs - ISDS style. These dogs brought all the traits that working stock gives the border collie to the obedience ring. I think what some on this board are worried about and have said before is if breeding for a specific (great obedience, flyball or agility "lines"), the border collie as a breed moves away from what orginially made the breed. I've seen border collies bred from obedience lines that didn't have the drive or desire to compete in obedience. If that dog had been in another "costume" it could have been any breed and made someone a wonderful couch-potato pet. Now that I mentioned it, he was a great pet! Over and out for the weekend...

Hey Julie, It gets even more confusing when the dog competes in events sanctioned by another organization than AKC or outside of the U.S. More titles! CH = breed champion in AKC. If a dog finishes his breed championship with AKC, the CH is put in front of his AKC registered name. All other titles are still displayed. As Eileen states, the titles following the dog's name are performance titles (agility, obedience, rally), not "championships". All championship titles, such as Breed Champion (CH), Field Champion (FC) or Amateur Field Champion (AFC) go in front of the dog's name. Some exceptions are OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) and MACH (Master Agility Champion). These performance titles are also displayed in front of the dog's name. It's that "championship" thing again. You're right that MH = Master Hunter, the top title awarded in AKC's Hunt Tests. Then, to add to the confusion, parent clubs of breeds also offer titles. In springers you can earn a WD (working dog) or WDX (working dog excellent) title. Goldens can earn a WC (working certificate) or WCX (working certificate excellent). The OS in his name is a Golden Retriever Club of America (AKC parent club for goldens) title which stands for "Outstanding Sire". The FDHF stands for "Field Dog Hall of Fame". The AFC, FTCH, AFTCH are all field championships of some kind. In my limited experience and humble opinion, I'd put field trials in par with ISDS trials in that the dogs are bred for working ability and the work required in field trials is top notch. There are people, of course, who would argue that field trials are too stylized and have gotten away from what makes a good hunting dog. I can't answer that one. When breeding becomes too narrow or focused something else is lost. Here's an extreme example. Talking to a friend who breeds English Cockers for the show ring, she said that the conformation cocker breeders have now produced a dog that is lovely to look at stacked (standing still) but cannot move correctly. They bred exclusively for how the dog looks stacked and nothing else. How sad. There are fads in conformation showing and I guess this is just one of them. I wonder how long it will take the cocker people to get the breed back to a dog that looks good and still can move... Back to lurking...

Just gonna jump in here on the hunting/field trial end of this thread. In spaniel, retriever, & pointing breeds AKC offers 2 venues related to hunting. One is their hunt test program and the other is their field trial program. They are very different programs. From what I?ve seen in the spaniel world there is no comparison between the two as far as the level of skill & work the dogs perform. Both separate the breeds by the style of hunting these breeds do, therefore there are separate events, rules & requirements for spaniels, retrievers and pointers. Each is geared to the breeds' style of hunting (spaniels ?flush? game, retrievers retrieve, and pointers point). The hunt tests have 3 levels of tests and are not as exacting or as demanding as field trials. The hunt tests *** may *** equate to AKC's herding program. Field trials, on the other hand, are more demanding than hunt tests and *** may **** equate more to the ISDS style of herding trials. If a dog is dual titled with a breed championship and a hunt test title, then the dog has ?titles on both ends? of his registered name, such as CH (breed champion) Merlin JH (Junior Hunter). If the dog is dual titled with a breed championship and a field trial title, he has both titles at the front of his name, such as CH (breed champion), FC (Field Champion) Merlin. From anything I?ve heard, read and seen, all these breeds are severely split between show or conformation bred and bred for work. In English Springers the two look very different, have different temperaments, drive, and health issues. Here's a springer bred for the show ring: Here's a springer bred to hunt: The last time a springer was dual titled (breed champion and field trial champion) was back in the 1940s, I understand. Lesson done for today!

Melanie, that's great! Go to their web page & click on Volunteers. The voluteer coordinator is listed there. Looking forward to seeing you then!

I know some mention of this has been made, but now the Finals web page is up and more info is available. Every year the United States Border Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA) and the American Border Collie Association (ABCA) sponsor the National Sheepdog Finals, the pinnacle of sheepdog trialing in the U.S. For six days the top dogs and handlers from the U.S. and Canada compete for the title, which only one can win, of ?National Sheepdog Champion?. The National Sheepdog Finals move throughout the U.S. It has most recently been held in Lebanon, TN, Sturgis, SD, and, in 2006, in Klamath Falls, OR. The last time the Finals were in the East was in late 1990's, when they were held in Virginia. Needless to say, those of us in the East are thrilled the Finals will be in Gettysburg in 2007! The Finals invite the public to see the ?best of the best? in sheepdogdom and visit the commercial Vendors, see the arts and crafts, watch various demonstrations and enjoy plenty of terrific food. The Finals can also use your help! If you'd like to help out, click the *Volunteers* link on the web page. For more information, go to the Finals web page Thanks!