Mojo

Wow. Now, *that's* a "look back." Now I feel silly being so proud of Mojo's "look back" to a ewe that was about 3 feet behind him, but I guess 3 feet is better than no feet!!! In any case, your video was very inspiring...maybe someday I'll get to experience the thrill of sending a dog back a few hundred yards on a single command!! What a great dog Queen is...thank you for sharing!

Hi Ripley, glad that we've helped you a bit with your decision! I just also wanted to say that Cody & Duchess made a lot of great points, too, about car travel. Mojo's bathroom command is "hurry up," which definitely helps speed things along in new places or when I'm in a rush (but frankly, with a male dog, it's not like he has much of a problem deciding on a place to go, LOL--I think this command was much more useful when I had a female, particularly when there wasn't any grass around, as she didn't like to do her business on concrete). Anyway, Mojo's vet has an elevator, so he's been on it repeatedly, and after a time or two getting used to the motion, Mojo doesn't mind elevators now, either; however, he sure is alarmed when the doors open and other people and dogs get IN the elevator, and/or when the elevator stopped at our floor and people/dogs got OUT of the elevator right at him. At the hotel in NYC, though, which was pretty busy at all hours of the day and night, AND our room was pretty close to the hall elevator, which unfortunately made a loud "ding" every time it came to our floor that could be heard inside our room, we worked pretty hard to get him used to the idea by clicking and giving lots of treats whenever the elevator doors opened...and honestly, after 10-15 repetitions at various times of the day, he relaxed and got over it by the end of the first night. So, if your dog is a bit nervous, too, the ground floor request is an excellent idea, and if you can't get that, taking the stairs just gives you room to maneuver if someone should come up or down the stairs, but since most people do take the elevator, you rarely encounter people in the stairwell. But again, a lot of the places off the highway (I think we went south as soon as possible, and mostly stayed on the 10 W) between the northeast and California were, in my experience, pretty small little motels, with plenty of grassy areas around them, so they were extremely quiet and deserted--nothing compared to the super busy high-rise hotel Mojo had to put up with in NYC. In any case, super good luck with your move, whatever you decide!!

Thank you for the additional input, Julie! What you said definitely makes sense. Okay, I'll push really hard to get him further off the sheep the next time we go. Hopefully I'll be able to get new video of this attempt, as well. I would really love to see your videos, if you can find them!! Thank you again.

Hi Julie and Megan! It's very nice to hear from you both, too, and thank you so much for watching our videos, and for your kind constructive comments. I definitely appreciate your input!!! (And LOL, Megan, you sure nailed it with the "Lie-down-dammit-so-I-can-think" command! ) Anyway, I'm glad that you both think that Mojo is ready to develop some more self control and make some more progress...now I've just got to figure out how to help get him there. I tried watching over my videos while envisioning the body positioning and timing (on my part) that you both suggested, and I think I see how I am missing a lot of opportunities to push him out wider around the sheep by giving up too much ground and walking backwards all the time (I think I am just hoping to get the fetch and not worrying about pushing him out), and thus, I am not walking into Mojo's space enough. That definitely makes sense. As Julie said, I also agree that my use of the flag does not seem to be accomplishing much. My trainer has gotten on me before about the fact that I kind of "point" it in the direction I want Mojo to go, rather than using it to block his trajectory, so I am definitely trying to work on changing that...my best guess at an explanation is that 20+ years of lunging horses in a circle with a whip has confused the issue for me when I get into the round pen and a whip-like implement is placed in my hand, LOL: I know I am supposed to put the flag in the dog's eye, as opposed to trailing the whip quietly behind a horse and driving him forward, but I think my equine muscle memory ends up clashing with what I know I am supposed to do in this herding situation, and so I think I end up "quietly trailing the flag at the dog's head," LOL, which is apparently completely ineffectual. I think it is both a good and a bad thing that Bean nevertheless responds to every little twitch of the flag that I make (like if he is trying to head when he should be staying on his fetch, I just *start* to move the flag over to block him, and poof, he's already corrected himself!!), since that allows me to get away with just very slight gestures with the flag, but since Mojo obviously needs much more firm physical gestures to evoke a response, I think I need to go into our sessions concentrating more on that (and, as we discussed above, a more firm body positioning, also) to push him out much wider. I am still a bit confused, though, regarding the fetch part of it: so, to get him slower on the actual fetch, when he is bringing the sheep at a run, do I still walk into him and push him out wider, essentially pushing him off balance, and then only allow him come to balance when he is slower? Or do I give him a "down" command when he reaches balance and then let him up to fetch when he is calmer? Or are we hoping that once he goes out and around wider in the first place, the SHEEP will slow down in response because they feel less pressure from him, and as a result, HE will slow down because he will eventually realize he doesn't need to run?? I can't think of what else I could be doing there. Any further thoughts would be most welcome!! Thank you again for watching and commenting on our work!!

FWIW, I concur with SoloRiver--as the sole driver, and leisurely driving only 8 hours a day, taking plenty of pit stops for meals, and staying in a hotel every night, and even going exactly the posted speed limit, it was still an easy 4 days from Buffalo, NY to Los Angeles, CA when I did it--nothing remotely close to 7 or 8 days. If you actually try to hurry, and take turns driving with a friend, it is definitely possible in 2.5 days or less, particularly if you drive round the clock. I have one crazy friend who can somehow make it in about 30 hours, but I wouldn't recommend his methods. If you have to move out a lot of your stuff anyway, and your dog likes car rides, I would also definitely suggest that you drive the whole way. The route is really scenic/peaceful, and the hotels off the highway are pretty quiet, particularly if you are only stopping late at night and leave early in the morning, and you don't try to leave your dog unattended in the strange hotel room for very long, and, of course, you confirm beforehand at the hotels all along your route that pets are allowed, and bring a familiar blanket or dog bed or soft folding crate (or whatever your dog likes to sleep in/with), I am willing to bet your dog would be much happier getting to be with you the whole time, since the move will be stressful enough in itself, and it will be worse for him/her to have to deal with it alone. As for flying with Pet Airways, I was consistently advised by friends who fly their dogs cross-country a lot for trials, etc., NOT to use Pet Airways, since it is impossible to check on the quality control at their central layover facility. Even besides the staff treatment of animals behind closed doors, I was also very concerned about disease transmission, and the potential for dog fights, with so many nervous pets being handled in close proximity. I also imagine it would have been pretty traumatizing for Mojo to have to be loaded onto the plane and go through the long flight, only to find himself at a strange boarding facility where I wasn't there for him, where he would probably spend the night freaking out (he does not, btw, do well in doggie daycare or boarding situations), and THEN be re-loaded onto another plane the very next morning? And what if, in his panic, he somehow got loose, and lost, hundreds of miles away from me?? By the time I could fly to the facility, he would be long gone. I also didn't like that they only had small planes (Beech) to fly such a long distance, and frankly, the whole concept of flying ONLY pets--i.e., with so many other dogs/cats on board who are probably also extremely nervous--not to mention that you can't use your own familiar crate (they have special crates they use), I think the whole atmosphere would have made flying much, much worse for Mojo, compared to a flight in cargo, where he could be in his own crate that he's used to, and would most likely be the only pet. So, Pet Airways was out of the question for us, but I will say that to their credit, when I called them, they were booked up 3 months in advance (and this was just after they had started service in July, 2009), so it looks like plenty of people do use and recommend their services....but maybe just for shorter, one-leg flights. Just to keep your options open, however, you should know that as scary as it initially sounds, flying a dog in cargo really isn't that bad, as we learned last summer when we DID end up flying Mojo across the country with a regular commercial airline for a vacation. If you choose an airline with a temperature-controlled cargo hold (i.e., heated with cabin air), you really shouldn't have much problem flying in the winter, as long as you fly during the hottest part of the day, though of course it also depends on *just* how cold the ground temperatures are at your origin in PA, as different airlines have different weather embargos (for good reason, since the main concern with flying cargo is that the air temperatures at 20,000 feet are pretty darned cold, even during the summer)....however, it's currently 80 during the day here in LA, so there's nothing to worry about at your destination, if you do end up flying into SoCal in order to get a direct, non-stop flight. Anyway, I was repeatedly told that it is much worse to fly in the summer, which is when we had to go, since waiting on the tarmac in the heat is what is most likely to kill a dog. So, we booked a normal commercial NON-STOP flight during the early-morning off-peak hours (to avoid summer heat, as well as long stressful lines at the airport in order to minimize crate time and flying time) from LA to NYC, and then hung around the gate until the last possible moment to check in (and if you go immediately to the counter and tell the attendant you are flying a dog in cargo, they will help you check in right away, meaning you can skip the whole long regular passenger line and stay with your dog OUT of the crate at the curb just outside the airport until you absolutely have to go inside to check in), which made it just over 5 hours on the actual plane for him, and about 7 total hours in the crate from check-in until we were actually at our rental car. And, btw, just as a tip, we even thought to sign up for the "blue chip club" rental car service, which is FREE with all the major agencies, so that all you have to do is make the online reservation, show your membership card when you arrive (there is a separate, special instant-serve line for blue chip members that bypasses everyone else), and POOF, you can go right to any car you want without having to fill out ANY paperwork, and just drive off--just so that we wouldn't have to prolong Mojo's crate time by waiting in the regular line at the rental agency. (Oh, and btw, you also have to make sure that the rental agency will ACCEPT dogs in their cars; National, Thrifty, and Avis will, without a cleaning fee, at least as of July/Aug 2009.) THEN we drove the 400 miles from NYC to Buffalo (our final destination), which sounds like it is similar to what you would have to do with the additional 350-mile drive. So, even though my boyfriend and I were absolute wrecks worrying about Mojo in cargo the whole time, Mojo was honestly great about it all, which says a lot, since he is a pretty anxious dog, as dogs go. We also made sure to get seats on the right side of the plane near the wing, so that we could actually see him boarded and deplaned, decorated his crate with crazy foil stars so that I could see the crate from the plane easily in the dark, along with cute taped signs (stuff along the lines of, "Hi, my name is Mojo, this is my first time flying, and I might be a little scared! Please do not open my crate, but you may offer me water through the door!") so that the ground crew would smile and be nice to him, and I do feel that helped a lot, because indeed, we SAW several of the crew members bend over to wave to him and talk to him through his crate door, which we had twist-tied shut (I was worried that cable ties might make it too hard to open in an emergency)...but regardless, Mojo looked reasonably happy being handled by the crew, as far as we could see. I was actually so paranoid about strangers handling/lifting his crate beforehand that I had male friends come over to practice picking up Mojo's crate while he was still in it, and even took Mojo on a couple of dry runs to the airport several days prior, and ASKED the security guards to practice inspecting his crate (i.e., the dog has to be in the crate once you enter the airport--at least at LAX and JFK--but then, after you check in, you go in a special separate area, where you have to take the dog OUT of the crate so that they can put the crate through x-ray or do a visual inspection, but the guard will not actually touch the dog), just to get Mojo used to the whole experience, and the guards were actually nice enough to help me out. Admittedly, however, Mojo was thoroughly crate-trained and comfortable being in a crate long before the flight (I'm not saying your dog isn't, but just asserting that this is, of course, an important concern before even considering something like flying in a crate in what amounts to a dark, noisy, moving metal box for 5+ hours), and further, Mojo is not noise-sensitive, and he also ***loves*** riding in cars and doesn't get motion-sick, so we had no reason to think that he would react badly to flying. The last thing I will note is that the familiarity of being able to be in a car with us (even a strange rental car) immediately after his flight definitely helped him to decompress after the stress of flying, as we had suspected it would, so again, if your dog likes cars, getting to drive the remaining 350 miles might actually help him/her relax, rather than stress him/her out more, but you know your dog best!!!! I hope that helped. If you have any more specific flying-with-dogs questions, please feel free to PM me--I'm sure there are many more tips/tricks I ended up doing to help Mojo's flight go more smoothly that I have missed relating here....but even still, as well as Mojo handled flying, it was still pretty stressful.....so, if I were actually MOVING (i.e., not just taking a vacation), again, my vote would be definitely to drive with him, hands down. He and I are much happier being together the whole time where we can keep an eye on each other...I guess we are both control freaks!!! Sincerely, Koi

Hi everyone, is this a new topic forum for posting herding videos? If I am in the wrong section, please forgive me. I just wanted to show you Mojo's latest video progress on sheep, as well as some videos of me learning to work the very talented started young imported Border Collie, Bean (not mine) with whom I have also been taking lessons, so that I can improve my handling and help Mojo more efficiently. I'll say right off the bat that Mojo's videos are probably not that great by most people's standards, and Bean's videos are, LOL, but I'm still very proud of both dogs!! MOJO videos: (Mojo has been on sheep anywhere from 2-8 times a month over the past year) --December: learning "look back" and "there": The "look back" was definitely not planned, LOL: I seized the opportunity to introduce it when there was a particularly recalcitrant ewe in our group that did not want to stay with the others, but the amazing thing was that Mojo somehow not only managed to figure out what the heck I meant by that command, but ALSO executed it....hooray! (As an interesting side note, however, I worked Bean on the same group of sheep only moments later, and HE did not have ANY trouble whatsoever keeping this one cranky ewe in line, LOL.) Mojo also seemed to figure out where "there" is on balance, and it is pretty comical to see him trying to puzzle it out on video, but the fact remains is that somehow, he DID figure it out! --January: on LIGHT sheep for the first time, round pen....UNEDITED footage (ack): As disorganized and humiliating as this session felt at the time, I am glad it is on video, because I can now see that I missed many opportunities to force Mojo out wider and slow him down because I did not insist strongly enough, but I was just so confused with sheep and dog whirling about it was all I could do to stay upright. I will definitely try harder the next lesson, if we can get light sheep again! ------------------------------- BEAN videos: (Bean has been on sheep less than 6 times in his life prior to my working him, so he's up to about 7-8 total times now) --December: my very first opportunity to work with this talented young dog, who, as I noted above, does not experience any of the trouble keeping one ewe in line that Mojo did with the same sheep: --January, first run of the day: on LIGHT sheep for the first time, round pen....and pretty much perfect, right out of the gate (yay): --January, second run of the day: already in a larger square pen with a larger flock of light sheep, learning his flank commands, and still in complete control: ----------------------------- And now for my commentary! I know Mojo isn't the most talented dog, but I'm still very proud of how far he's come, since no one really thought (that, as some kind of mix) he would even get as far as he has, and he even continues to do a little bit better each time we have a lesson, and has not really taken any steps back since we began our training journey, which is pretty incredible! About a month or two ago, we think something inexplicably "clicked" for Mojo, and ever since, he has really been pretty consistent at being able to sustain his interest in working for the entire duration of his 45-minute lesson without losing focus, getting tired, or doodling at all--I am actually having to call him off to give him breaks now, since he is not quitting of his own accord--and for him, that is HUGE. Previously, as some of you may recall, around last summer, we had gotten to the point where we were working in the larger square pen on a big group of heavier sheep, and Mojo was doing fairly well at keeping those in reasonable control, which is back when I had posted that I thought he was going to be ready to start trialing in ASCA or AHBA soon....but now that he's provided us with more raw material with which we can train, and thus seems much happier and more able to take the training pressure, we have essentially gone back to the beginning (round pen) and have started trying to improve his technique, like insisting on getting him to widen out and slow down, and so we are working hard on that. This past week, we even started trying to teach Mojo his directional flank commands (not that I think he truly understands those yet, particularly since he still has a tremendous amount of trouble going in the "away" direction). It's actually pretty strange, because in the very, very beginning of our sheep work, Mojo had no trouble going in either direction, but at some point, he just "decided" that the "away" flank felt wrong to him, and ever since, he goes "bye" (clockwise) whenever he can. I am now trying to set up situations where I can force him "away" (e.g., close to the fence), and that has been working a bit better, although he is apparently still so uncomfortable in that direction that he ends up stopping short on that flank in order to go back clockwise, and/or diving at the sheep and blowing them apart in the "away" direction rather than coming around smoothly...but we're working on it. The biggest challenge of all was this past Saturday's lesson, since lambing time is apparently now in full swing at the ranch where we train, and the big, woolly, "knee-knocker" sheep that we usually get are largely unavailable, so it was Mojo's first opportunity in a long time to work very light sheep.....and personally, I felt it was a complete and utter disaster at the time, LOL, but after watching our unedited video over and over, I actually think that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, since Mojo mostly managed to keep the light sheep together (no small feat for him!) and kept bringing them to me (albeit running), and he even gave me some relatively instant "downs" when I had the momentary clarity of thought to ask for them (more because *I* needed a mental break from the sheep and dog whirling about, not because it had occurred to me to try and stop him on balance, or anything). Of course, in contrast, Bean handled the group of three light sheep pretty much perfectly from the get-go (right out of his kennel and into the pen, he had them walking and in control), and pretty soon, he was able to keep them balanced between him and me without pushing them past me (and I think that any pushing past was more due to my not giving him the proper signals, rather than his inability to keep them balanced)!! In fact, he did so well that on his second run, our trainer moved us into the larger square pen and gave us an even larger group of light sheep, which Bean handled with equally incredible finesse. I am just so impressed by the unbelievable self-control this young dog has....for example, I've never ever seen him lose focus and try to split the sheep, but even more amazingly, he even knows when to stop himself (without any commands from me!!) when he senses that the sheep don't need any more pressure from him!! I think Bean in particular was a great choice of dog to help me learn: because he is so attuned to his handler, Bean responds to every little twitch of my flag and every little turn of my body, which has made me so much more aware of what I am doing at any given time, which is fabulous. I honestly feel that working Bean is like driving a finely tuned Ferrari, which is such a thrill for me!!!! It was this last lesson in the big pen on the light sheep that for the first time, I was able to feel JUST what a delicate balance it is between dog, stock, and handler...I felt if I just breathed the wrong way, it would all blow apart!!!!!! The cutest thing is that OFF sheep, Bean is also the most delightful, happy puppy, and wiggles all around and loves to snuggle and be petted, but the instant he catches sight of the sheep, it is so breathtaking to watch him, literally, HIT the deck into a classic crouch with a full-on stare, and from that moment on, he is all about business, until I call him off the sheep, and then he instantly transforms back into a happy, wiggly puppy!!! I am really grateful to his owner for the privilege of letting me work such a lovely dog--he is helping me, and in turn, Mojo, so much!!!!!! Sigh...I think Bean is a living testament to what excellent Border Collie working breeding can produce, because he works so well, even in SPITE of my being a complete novice at the helm!!!!!! The only thing I feel bad about is that Mojo gets soooooooooooooo jealous when I work with Bean (and yes, that is, unfortunately, Mojo loudly complaining throughout Bean's videos), but our trainer thinks that is a GOOD thing to keep Mojo's interest level as high as possible!! Anyway, besides completely cementing my fascination with stockdog handling, the best news of all for Mojo and me is that a year's worth of sheep time finally seems to have accomplished what it was that I wanted when we first set out on this journey together: we may actually have succeeded in *mostly* eliminating his leash reactivity! Mojo can now pretty much ignore other dogs and people when we are at the ranch!!! I used to time/arrange our lessons very carefully to make sure that we went at non-peak hours so as to avoid running into other dogs, but for example, we had FIVE dogs and handlers watching our lesson this past week, and a couple of the dogs would bark at Mojo while he was working, as well as when we walked by to take a break, and Mojo was not only able to keep working without hesitation when he was in the pen, but he was ALSO able to walk blithely by on-leash out of the pen without a glance in their direction, as if they weren't there!!!!! There was even one week that we had a lesson while there was an AGILITY TRIAL happening simultaneously at the ranch, and Mojo walked by the agility field, with all its barking dogs and nervous handlers, as if none of it was happening!!! Similarly, when we were watching some other dogs' lessons, Mojo was able to lie down and watch quietly (this is, of course, with me by his side--he definitely still can't watch the sheep quietly by himself, such as when I am working Bean) without getting upset at seeing the dogs and sheep moving around, which was unbelievable! Better still, this all appears to have translated off of sheep to our normal lives, as well: Mojo has been so much more relaxed just walking around and passing other dogs on-leash on the street without paying any attention to them at all, and is really able to ignore the vast majority of them, which is something I had scarcely hoped to dream would ever happen one day!!!!!! So, super YAY for that!! Well, I hope that you all will enjoy this latest update from us!! Hopefully, there will be further good news to come!! Our new GSD, Colonel Mustard (the name "Mustard" just ended up sticking, LOL) is doing pretty well, too--I've even toyed with the idea of bringing him to try his paws at sheep, too, but he really is very old, and it might be too much excitement for him. Since I don't have any real intentions of pursuing stock work with him, perhaps it's better not to start. In any case, he definitely would need to gain a lot more weight and strength first before we seriously consider it, but you never know! In any case, I will leave you with a funny photo of the big goof's first Christmas with our family, sharing his new humongous bed with Mojo: Sincerely, Koi

Anna, I am so, so sorry to hear about what happened to Lucky. It sounds like she had a long, happy life with you, and I'm sure she will be greatly missed....the posted picture of her is lovely. As you have said, though no replacement for the original, at least you will still get the chance to see Lucky live on in all of her working sons and daughters...I hope you do take comfort in that wonderful gift. My thoughts definitely are with you today. Sincerely, Koi

Wow, thank you so much to Amy, Diane, Eileen, Becca, Julie, Lenajo, and Soda-pop for your very helpful and detailed responses and links! Well, I am delighted to learn that a dog like Mojo would be welcomed at ASCA and AHBA trials, and it sounds like both of these venues could be completely realistic short-term training goals for us. I definitely will keep USBCHA Novice-Novice as a long-term goal/ideal, depending on if I am ever successful in lengthening Mojo's outrun to 100-150 yards, and teaching him to drive and pen, and getting him used to working on less-broke sheep...I guess we'll just have to see what will and won't be possible as I continue to train him! I would be more than happy to keep everyone updated. We just had another lesson yesterday, with two more to come this weekend, and even though we are only progressing very slowly, Mojo nevertheless continues to make visible progress each and every single time he is on sheep, and has not really taken any steps back, so, you never know--maybe we *will* eventually be able to handle a USBCHA Novice-Novice course someday! If that day should ever actually come, I will absolutely go to watch a trial first to make sure that we are fully ready for that level of competition! This is all so exciting! Thank you so very much again for all of your kind advice and well wishes!! Sincerely, Koi and Mojo

Hello all, Long time since I've posted. Mojo and I have been *very* busy! So, Mojo still has hip dysplasia in both hips, and lumbar disc disease, AND paroxysmal dyskinesia (now confirmed by a neurologist, but thankfully remaining stable). We are still out of agility because it seems it wasn't the jumping that was bothering him so much, but the weaving (his disc disease appears to trouble him more than his hips do). Shortly after his diagnosis, I sadly put away all of our yard agility equipment for good, and started taking him to a chiropractor twice a month (now down to maintenance therapy once a month). We were initially doing hydrotherapy (underwater treadmill) once a week, but then I switched to actual swim therapy (in a lap pool, easier on his joints) 1-2x per week, and give him daily salmon oil, SAM-e, and glucosamine/chondroitin/perna/MSM. I replaced all the decorative dog beds in the house with orthopedic ones, bought him stairs to help him get on/off the human bed, don't allow him to jump into or out of the SUV (I carry him), and I basically try my best to keep his jumping onto/off of things to a strict minimum. Thus, all this extra care adds up to make Mojo completely sound to walk, run, hike....and HERD. Yup, I said HERD. We were focusing on competitive obedience and rally for a while, and still are training in these activities, but through an unexpected chain of events, we ended up trying out herding lessons again this past January. Since that time, we have had lessons 2-3x per week, approximately 2 weeks out of the month, and the amazing news is that Mojo has lost none of his initial interest in sheep, and has actually managed to surprise all of us--including his trainer, me, and basically everyone else who's seen him since--because, despite appearances, he really seems to be a working dog, after all! To be sure, he may not be the world's most *talented* herding dog, but he definitely has the desire to work, and even some small amount of ability!! In short, Mojo not only has some gathering and fetching instincts, but he is also perfectly okay taking training pressure (as long as I am the one giving it. He refuses to work for anyone else except me, which is a difficulty unto itself since I have no previous herding experience, but we are doing the best we can). In fact, we are actually just now starting to get him to rate, widen out, and even put flanking commands on him! Who would ever have thought??? As much as he used to love agility, and as much as he still enjoys obedience training and trick training, it is all absolutely nothing compared to how much he loves to work sheep--he will try to work those sheep until he literally collapses from either physical or mental exhaustion (I try and stop him before we get to that point, of course)! One time we even worked in the pouring rain and mud, and it never even slowed him down....and this is the same dog that is reluctant to leave the house to use the bathroom if he sees it is raining outside. Trust me, we are all VERY surprised. The most super, fantastic news out of all of this is that my whole reason for starting agility with him to begin with was to help boost his confidence and get him over his extreme leash reactivity by involving him in an activity where he would be so focused on the activity itself that it would help desensitize him to being leashed around other dogs (in addition, of course, to a formal socialization/desensitization program--I actually hosted an entire series of weekly Control Unleashed classes at our house on Mojo's behalf earlier this year)....and as horribly disappointed as I was once agility became a dead end for us due to his newfound orthopedic issues, and despairing that I would ever get Mojo to act normally in public when leashed (he is a *model* citizen when UNleashed), I really am now ecstatic that herding is actually accomplishing this desensitization for us in a way that I had never even dared to imagine with agility! As I've read so many others describe on this Board, when my dog is around sheep, the one and only thing he cares about is the sheep--all other things, including leashed dogs, gardeners, and everything else that normally makes him go barking mad--completely ceases to exist!! Heck, even I hardly matter!!! If sheep are around, I never even need to get out the clicker and treats, compared to when we were waiting for our turn in agility, where Mojo would still react to the presence of other dogs coming and going.....hip, hip, hooray!!!!!! So, in conclusion, things are going great, and our trainer has actually suggested that we THINK ABOUT TRIALING IN HERDING....but since Mojo is more than likely not purebred, I am not sure what organization we should set as a training goal, and this is why I'm posting now, to ask for your kind recommendations. The main problem is that he is unregistered, and frankly, we have no idea what breed or breed mix he is, so I'm not sure where to start with trying to enter him in a trial, especially if we attempt to pursue non-USBCHA venues. **Just as an FYI for anyone who may not already be familiar with us, I picked up Mojo on the streets of Los Angeles as a neutered middle-aged (best guess) stray about 2.5 years ago, so I have no idea what he "is," and have no history on him whatsoever. More than likely, he is some kind of herding-breed mix. For all I know, however, Mojo is a purebred BC who sort of looks like a spaniel, or a spaniel that somehow is a throwback to some long-lost wolf ancestor that bequeathed him the ability to gather and fetch without his necessarily having any specific herding breed in him at all. Mojo works completely upright, and is basically a loose-eyed dog (though sometimes I think he has a tiny bit of eye). I do think he *looks* mostly Australian Shepherd, and has the guardian instincts to match, but is colored like a white-factored BC, and is rough-coated....however, our trainer thinks he herds just like an Australian Cattle Dog (and his guarding instincts, love of barking, and especially his one-person nature, would fit there, too). The DNA mixed-breed tests were completely unhelpful: one came back as totally inconclusive (no breeds found), and a second test with a different company showed nothing in the first generation, Shih Tzu in the second, and Doberman in the third, which is far from being anywhere close to believable, based on Mojo's appearance.** Given all of the above, I am sorry to ask my questions on a purebred BC forum, but I thought the members here would be most knowledgeable about the different sheepdog trialing organizations. Thanks in advance, as always, for any advice! 1) USBCHA: naturally, my first choice, since I know for a fact that unregistered dogs can compete....but how hard IS this? I suspect Mojo isn't talented enough for USBCHA, but I just wanted to make sure that I at least explored this possibility for him. Thus: --Novice-Novice IS the lowest level, right? --I am also confused at the difference between Novice and Nursery--which is harder? --Is Nursery only for dogs below a certain age? If I don't know how old Mojo actually is, could we still compete in Nursery? There is not much information that I can find about these trials online, especially Novice-Novice. As far as I understand it, USBCHA does not officially sanction trials at this introductory level, so it is up to local clubs to determine the course and level of difficulty; if that is correct, it sure makes it difficult for someone like me to figure out if my dog is, or could ever be, ready for this level of trialing...I certainly wouldn't want to have a terrible experience because I inadvertently pushed him beyond what he can do--even I am not deluded as to my dog's abilities. Mojo sure can herd at this point, and is getting better at it every day, but is he ever going to be an International Supreme Champion? I think not, and for the record, I am totally fine with whatever he CAN do--I have no farm and no real need of a working dog, so this is all just FUN for us, and I am just so happy that he can herd at all, and that he derives such incredible joy and fulfillment from this activity, just as I do! I have a whole shelf full of herding books and DVDs at this point! I thought we had a good relationship before, but now, getting out there and tapping into whatever deep instinct is inside of him and cultivating this ability--it is such an incredible THRILL for both of us to work together in this way, let me tell you!! Sorry for the effusive digression: --So, despite the lack of standardization, is there nevertheless a general level of competence that could be expected at USBCHA Novice-Novice? --To word it another way, what would I need to have solidly trained with Mojo such that we could conceivably go to any Novice-Novice trial in the SoCal area and not embarrass ourselves? --Should I have a certain length of outrun on him (and what would a safe length be for this level of competition?), a lift, and a fetch? --Would he already have to know how to drive (he doesn't yet)? --Also, ARE there ever any non-BCs, let alone mixes, at these trials? USBCHA certainly sounds very intimidating, especially from what I've read on these Boards. Any advice would be very much appreciated. 2) AKC: I am quite aware of the sentiments regarding AKC on this Board, but with the chances of Mojo being a purebred Border Collie being highly unlikely: --Is it then still morally wrong to support the AKC by trying to get an ILP for Mojo, even as a breed other than a Border Collie (like an Aussie)? It has, however, been suggested to me that my best chance of getting any ILP for him at all (and that we still would have a high likelihood of being rejected) would be as a Border Collie, but I am very torn about this for many ethical reasons...although I know I would not be falsifying information because I don't know for sure that he is NOT a Border Collie, I also understand that even if Mojo looked 100% like a Border Collie, that ILPing him as a BC would only be supporting the AKC recognition of Border Collies, which I am against in principle, despite my having no current tangible or emotional investment in the Border Collie breed as a breeder or owner of a purebred BC. Of course, if we go to an AKC herding trial as an ILP BC, and subsequently crash and burn, maybe we would actually be doing some GOOD for the breed, LOL. Seriously, though, any thoughts on this? 3) ASCA, AHBA: I honestly am having trouble finding out online if either of these organizations will allow mixes or unregistered dogs to compete in HERDING, although I know, of course, that ASCA will let non-Aussie purebreds and mixes compete in regular performance events (agility, obedience, etc), since I already have the limited registration number for Mojo with ASCA since I thought we would be trialing in agility back in the fall of last year, but I cannot seem to find out if limited-registration dogs can compete in *herding* with ASCA. I am particularly interested in AHBA (compared to ASCA) since it sounds like the trial scoring in AHBA is less based on evaluating the working style of the dog, and more on whether or not the work simply gets done (especially since Mojo is not very stylish, LOL) but I really cannot seem to find out if mixes/unregistered dogs can compete in AHBA. Again, any advice on this would be deeply appreciated. I guess my bottom-line question is the following: where would YOU start trialing with a herding dog that isn't necessarily a TALENTED Border Collie, IF one wanted to trial at all? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Sincerely, Koi and Mojo

Anna, I honestly think that I would dearly like to be adopted into that kind of home, too!! Seriously, what you describe sounds like a life I would definitely love having...someday, hopefully. Thank you for posting your kind opinion regarding the types of homes you envision for your pups. I completely understand everything you stated in terms of needing to "test" the quality of the breeding by finding homes where the pups will have the opportunity to be trained up to a high level in order to see if they can become successful--all of that information makes total sense; however, it is also helpful to know that in any given litter, there may be an available pup or two because there aren't enough of these ideal homes to go around, and in that case, a non-working home such as mine might not be excluded on principle depending if I could demonstrate the appropriate commitment. Thank you again for clarifying all this for me. Bob and Anna, I definitely would understand and expect that in my case, if I were to have a working pup, that any reputable breeder would insist that it could not be registered with AKC, which is fine with me, since I happen to prefer USDAA (for agility) anyway, AND I do support NOT supporting the AKC in terms of Border Collie breeding/showing/trials/registrations. As I stated previously, I also have no interest in maintaining an intact dog, so I would PREFER to have an NB contract. Katelynn, thanks so much for providing your perspective, as well. The sentiment that you described (i.e., getting the very best available representative of the breed) is really how I feel, as well--i.e., that ***if*** I was going to purchase a BC pup from a breeder (which, again, for anyone new to this thread, is still a big question), that I should ONLY support reputable working breeders who are breeding the BC to the betterment of the breed--but again, I was just worried that if my home is not a real working home, that such a pup would be wasted on me, and that if wanted a BC with which to do agility, I should only consider rescues, and/or consider another companion breed entirely that does not have the working vs. non-working breeding divide that the BC faces today. Really, Anna, Bob, and Katelynn, thank you all of this valuable information. It is good to know that I would not be considered a "second-class" buyer for the most part. Julie, thank you for trying to respond to my questions. In regards to your point #1, yes, I completely understand and agree. Again, my reason for posting at all was to illustrate the simple point that in my opinion, no matter what dog and no matter his origin, there is always a risk that something will go wrong in terms of health or temperament, no matter how careful one is before making a commitment to that dog. As I stated in my original post, when one opens one's heart to loving someone or something else, one only sets oneself up to be hurt. Obviously, all of us here, by choosing to own dogs, have demonstrated that we would rather "love and lose" than "never love at all," so, yes, again, I think everyone in this thread agrees on this point. In regards to your point #2, thank you for confirming the sentiments that Anna posted. It is nice to know that this open-mindedness to pet homes exists in the working world. In regards to your point #4, I guess I would not consider the fact of an "oops" litter to be an absolute red flag if I were trying to choose a breeder, but it certainly would give me pause, and I would want to know more about the situation. This is just my personal opinion, but I would never feel comfortable taking a pup sight unseen, period--if the breeder were not local, I would want to travel to where they are in order to spend some time with the breeder, see their operation, get to know the sire/dam (both, if possible). see them work, observe their temperaments in different situations, get to know some of the offspring, view the health clearances, etc., etc., so I think by that point it would become pretty obvious what type of breeding operation it was, and whether or not I would feel comfortable obtaining a pup from this breeder, and in return, by talking with me, whether the breeder would feel comfortable selling a pup to me. In regards to your point #3, thank you for posting your own personal anecdote. I am honestly very sorry that your niece had to endure the loss of two loved pets, one right after the other, at such a young age--that certainly is very bad luck. I am impressed that despite that tough experience, your sister's family went on to adopt two more rescues, and I do hope that those dogs will remain in great health for them for many more happy years to come. As I have repeatedly stated, the future health of my next dog is a very large concern for me based on the heartbreak that I have personally gone through with the only two dogs I have ever had. Despite that, I fully realize (once again) that no matter HOW much I try to plan, there simply are no health guarantees with ANY dog or puppy--whether from a rescue or a breeder--only probabilities, and that is just the risk one has to assume if one wants to have a dog, period. But that certainly hasn't stopped me from pondering how best to go about this issue in my mind, ad nauseam, because I cannot help but subscribe to the concept of free will, and am loath to resign myself to leaving *everything* up to fate. Again, at this point, I honestly do not know where I plan on getting my next dog, including what breed or mix of dog I want, or even if I am going to get another dog at all, so all I am really doing now is just that--trying to plan, and gather information. I really do appreciate everyone's kind efforts in responding to my posts here and trying to answer my questions. I have also previously stated that if I *had* to come to a conclusion right now, I think that in MY ideal scenario, I would get a rescue dog from a known background--not only so I could pick a dog with the right adult temperament and athletic ability for dog sports if I wanted to do competitive agility with him/her, but also in order to assure the best possible probability of our being able to have long, happy, healthy lives together by knowing the health of his/her relatives, while also still being able to feel good about saving the life of that individual dog...but as I have stated again, it seems that the problem with this breed in particular is that I think it seems fairly difficult to find a BC from a REPUTABLE WORKING breeder in rescue, especially an individual dog with working ability, at least from my own limited experience with BC rescues.....WHICH IS NOT TO SAY that if that is what I decide I want--i.e., a working BC--that I would not look in rescue first; as I have also previously stated, I actively foster for rescue, so of course, I support rescuing in general. That does NOT, however, mean that I do not support obtaining puppies or dogs from reputable breeders. A number of the rescue people I work with have absolutely no objections with buying nice puppies from reputable breeders (and are even breeders themselves--though not of BCs, for the record)--in fact, I have already been encouraged to do so, if I feel that any given puppy/young dog and breeding would be right for my family. I certainly am in no rush to decide anything, and when I do decide, I sincerely doubt I will be in a rush to select a particular dog--precisely because I am FULLY aware of the 15+-year commitment that any dog comes with, and that such a decision should not be taken lightly. As I think is evident by my journey with Mojo, once I decided to make the commitment to him, I made it permanently, for better or for worse, and thus I have done everything within my power to do the best I can for him, and I will continue to do so for the rest of his life. Just as I did for Godiva. In regards to your point #5, I did not feel that my reasons for deciding to keep Mojo needed to be explained in great detail because they were not relevant to this thread, but based on the (erroneous) assumption you have made, I will elaborate my past and current motivations now: For the record, yes, I can certainly relate to your sister's hope that a mutt stood a much better chance of being healthy. I am sorry that for both of us, the concept of "hybrid vigor" did not happen to hold true in the case of her Blade and for Mojo. At the time that I found Mojo, Godiva had already been diagnosed with kidney failure for almost a full year, AND we had recently struggled through and survived her severe pancreatitis and superimposed colitis, so with so much already on my plate, frankly, not only did I feel that the very last thing I needed was another dog, but I really did not feel that I could *emotionally* handle another chronically ill dog......I am strong, but I am definitely not a saint. Mojo, however, certainly seemed healthy and happy at first, and I could not help but like his personality, and it was all the more endearing that he immediately latched on to me as his rescuer, AND he and Godiva appeared to take to each other immediately. So (after I took him to the vet and had him checked out and they felt there was no reason to quarantine him for more than the 2 days I already had), I figured there would be no harm in allowing him to stay with us until his owner could be found. It wasn't for another week or two, when he happened to see another dog for the first time when I happened to be holding him out in our driveway on a leash, that I first discovered how leash-reactive he was when he hit the end of that leash with all his weight, snarling and growling and barking like a wild tiger, which obviously completely shocked me, since he had been so good with Godiva to date in the house, and had met her for the first time ON-LEASH....and so, that marked the beginning of my seeking professional help for him, as well as my sinking feeling that he was going to have to stay with us simply because there was nowhere else for him to go. To answer your direct question again, as I have already stated, NO, I most certainly did not adopt Mojo for agility. I wrote this in my first post: It had honestly never once occurred to me to do agility with Godiva in the 13 years prior to Mojo's arrival, as she was never very active, and as an exemplary member of a breed that has been bred solely as a companion dog for centuries, she was always very happy and content just to snuggle against me wherever I went. Sure, she knew a few tricks and all her obedience commands (I am not the type to have a badly behaved, spoiled dog, despite her fluffy cuteness), but she never NEEDED anything remotely resembling competitive dog sports to feel fulfilled. Mojo, however, IS very active, and it became very clear early on that he REALLY needed a job to do, and that he not only enjoys, but THRIVES, on learning new tricks and commands--as many as possible!--and working with me as closely as possible, and, most importantly, he LOVES FEELING USEFUL. I have never known a dog before who needed so much to be NEEDED, which is why I always thought that despite his mixed-breedness, somewhere in there, there must have been some kind of working dog. Agility (and, later, working stock, once I learned more about it) seemed like the perfect mental and physical outlet for his energy, and once I started doing agility with him in earnest, not only did HE seem to love agility, but I found that I really enjoyed agility (and working stock), too, probably because it reminds me so much of showjumping horses, which is how I mainly and enjoyably spent my youth before I switched to dressage as an adult--and I could clearly see how much more confident and happy Mojo was being able to learn, accomplish, and succeed at clear tasks. For the human, having Mojo around in general was certainly a pleasure in that he had such an eager mind that, like a sponge, seemed to soak up and absorb as much as I could throw at him--limited only by the bounds of my imagination--training him was, and is, a great thrill and challenge, and so of course I really enjoy working with Mojo, at least as much as he enjoys working with me. As for agility, despite the fact that I had never once thought about doing agility prior to Mojo, I think many here can attest to how addicting agility (and working stock) is, especially if one is even the slightest bit competitive--and I freely admit that I am darned competitive; I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today by taking things easy! But now I had a dog whose ability to learn and perform seemingly matched my desire to teach him everything I could, so it really seemed like we were going places! That doesn't mean that I thought we were destined for World Team competition...but hey, I was keeping my mind open! If he wanted to take us there, I certainly wouldn't say no! Realistically, however, based on his other issues, I honestly would have just been ecstatic if we could have made it through ONE fun run (Show 'n Go) without him lunging at another dog when he was not on course, whether we "Q'd" or not. Again, I really did not think that I needed to get into this level of detail about Mojo and his problems in this thread, but since the unfortunate(ly incorrect) main sentiment that you (Julie) have apparently derived from my posts is that I am "completely disappointed and disillusioned" with Mojo, I will take the liberty of continuing to explain: Over time, I realized that Mojo's leash reactivity mainly stemmed from his being so anxious and insecure about just about everything when he is not at home with the family, probably because of natural reserve with strangers combined with extremely poor early socialization, and at some point in his past, he had obviously learned that the tightening of a collar around his neck in combination with the frustration of being trapped/constrained by a leash served as a trigger for that anxiety. Since this could easily turn into a multi-page discussion, I will try to be as brief as possible: Mojo is basically hypervigilant and hypersensitive to his surroundings, so any sudden changes in the environment (i.e., a new person or dog walking across his field of vision) make him completely freak out barking (i.e., if I do not do anything to reassure/redirect him, of course). At heart, however, as we see daily when he is at home, he is a sweet, gentle, devoted, and even quite friendly and curious dog, who IS able to relax, and he even thoroughly enjoys the company of other dogs and people when he is OFF-LEASH in public in designated dog parks, at the beach, etc.--but his partially learned, partially inherited neuroses really cloud his ability to think when he gets too worked up at being on-leash. So, when it really comes down to it, our "REAL" single goal has been to help him live a more calm, normal life with much less anxiety (e.g., he is on amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant for anxiety), so that he does not have to live with so much stress all the time, because, frankly, it must be terribly unpleasant to be on the constant lookout for danger, and that goal DOES include his being able to be walked on-leash in public like a normal dog, and everyone who has seen me work with him believes that this is a perfectly reasonable goal for him (remember, he is not fearful). Thus, combined with the main bulk of our leash work (counterconditioning, desensitization--all the positive reinforcement techniques I use would require many more pages to explicate), I believed that competitive agility could have been another bridge to that goal: i.e., it was something he could easily do, was good at, enjoyed, and thus was something at which I felt he could easily succeed, which would help to boost his confidence and reduce his insecurity, and thus, by combining those positive feelings with the presence of leashed dogs, it seemingly provided a way for us to be around other dogs in a focused manner such that he could realize that other dogs (when he is leashed) are No Big Deal. Because, again, as long as Mojo is OFF-leash, he is as friendly with other dogs as could be. Notably, he is not fear-aggressive at all--he completely loves other dogs in "his space." He has never gone after another dog as long as he is not leashed. In fact, if you saw him off-leash, you would never know that he has any issues at all. Even if he is ON-leash, even when he is in the middle of flinging himself at the end of the leash like a fish caught on a line, if the other dog should actually approach and get right in his face, Mojo IMMEDIATELY stops lunging, suddenly starts wagging his tail, and goes right around to the back of the other dog to sniff its butt. It is definitely a bit of a weird problem--the first time that another dog (accidentally) ran into us as we turned a blind corner when Mojo was on leash, I was sure that there would be an awful fight, but exactly what I described above happens....happy tail-wagging and a completely normal greeting!! So, Mojo really has no bad intentions whatsoever, but he just gets so worked up with anxiety (and desire?) at the impending "meeting" whenever he sees another dog at a distance that it manifests visibly as frustration, which then morphs into seeming aggression, that suddenly drops right back down to friendly curiosity once the other dog is in range. Obviously, it is not appropriate for him to be be allowed to meet every single dog, and so, again, our leash goal is for him to be able to see other dogs on-leash and walk right by them when asked. We HAVE succeeded in this goal to a large extent, to be honest, which is why I was even thinking about competing last fall. But again, we have had no shortage of qualified professional help--e.g., we are avid devotees of the Control Unleashed philosophy, and are currently working with a CU trainer; among other things, we are also members of a chartered obedience/agility club, where twice a week I dutifully take him to obedience and agility practices where I walk him on-leash around the other dogs and work on his focus and his being calm, etc., etc., and of course we work in our neighborhood on his leash issues daily, and I take him for multiple weekly off-leash hiking opportunities with other dogs in the many dog parks in our area for remedial socialization. I am saying all this just to make clear that I am NOT seeking training help here; I am perfectly happy with how his leash reactivity is progressing (or, receding, if you will). To get back on topic, I just felt that being able to COMPETE in agility--to go to a trial, and walk around the field LEASHED around other dogs while waiting for his turn, and then getting off the field without any incidents, would have been a TANGIBLE marker of our progress in reducing his leash reactivity, and would represent a really enormous step in terms of how calm/relaxed he could be in a public environment, and if you want to extend it to this, that I was doing a good job for my dog's general mental well-being. Yes, surely, I completely admit that I came to love agility, and the more I did it with Mojo, the more I loved it.....BUT I ALSO love my dog for who he is, despite all his anxiety and hypervigilance, which are, by anyone's standards, negative characteristics that make it hard for him to live a calm life in normal society. He also has plenty of good characteristics that make him easy to love that I do not feel are necessary to enumerate here. I do certainly realize that not being able to do agility with Mojo is not the end of the world, AND that there are other things I can do with him to fulfill his need to have a "job"; you must not have seen what I wrote earlier: I will, however, stand by the fact that I think it is perfectly reasonable and right for me to be freaking disappointed that we can't do agility anymore due to the unexpected diagnosis of hip dysplasia, ESPECIALLY after ALL the hard work we have put towards that end. I don't think it's really quite fair for you to assume that anything I have written indicates that I am "completely disappointed and disillusioned" WITH MOJO. It certainly is not HIS fault that he has bad hips....it is the fault of whoever bred him irresponsibly, and whoever irresponsibly bred his parents. It is not HIS fault that he is rampantly unsocialized and has leash reactivity issues and severe social anxiety.....it is the fault of whoever irresponsibly bought him from his irresponsible breeder, irresponsibly raised him, and then irresponsibly dumped him in the street like a sack of garbage. I love him, I am committed to him, and I think it is completely fair, reasonable, and right that I am completely disappointed with how THIS SITUATION is unfolding, period, and I am indeed disillusioned with the process of getting a new dog, because I DO have valid, founded fears that if I ever get another dog, that a similar heartbreaking thing will happen, no matter how carefully I make my choice or how hard I work, because LIFE, in GENERAL, seems to be disappointing me of late.....but I am not disillusioned WITH MOJO. And I think I have a perfectly justifable reason to be feeling so disillusioned IN GENERAL. Mojo's bad health news has indeed come rather hot on the heels of Godiva's death, about which I am still VERY depressed, and still cry on a nearly daily basis, and now with Mojo to worry about just when I was trying to get my life back on track, YES, I do feel as I've gotten more than my fair share of the short end of the stick in recent months. Please see this statement I wrote previously, as well: I hope that I have made it abundantly clear that just because I am wallowing in grief and disappointment at the moment, as I feel that I have every right to do--that none of that means that I hate Mojo and am disappointed in HIM PERSONALLY, or even with rescues in general. I hope I have clarified this matter adequately. Thank you again to all for all your responses.

Dear Flyer and Anna, Thank you both very much for the kind thoughts. Honestly, I did not mean to derail this thread, and no one need offer any additional sympathies or thoughts on the subject of Godiva and/or Mojo. The subject of rescue vs. breeder dog is really just touching a bit too close to home for me right now because I am obsessively trying to figure this issue out for myself for the future, just so I am clear what I want in my own mind, even though I already know I am not yet ready to have another dog at the moment. By posting, I had just tried to illustrate the only two cases of breeder pup vs. rescue dog that I've ever personally experienced from an owner's perspective, and how both, in the end (although, of course, we certainly do hope that Mojo has much further to go before he reaches his end) turned out to be pretty much the same, in my opinion--i.e., heartbreaking, despite all the effort and thought I had put into my choices--which I guess was my rather long, roundabout way of coming to the conclusion (as Anna noted) of the simple fact that we will (most likely) outlive our dogs, and as both Flyer and Anna noted, all dogs get old and sick, and as I've learned so dearly in recent months, that losing them hurts. Very much. **No matter where they came from.** Watching them have to suffer through illness also hurts, very much, but as I have also learned, that is apparently the price that one must pay if one wants to live with--indeed--the gift of a wonderful dog in one's life. I'm sorry for going on about this, but I obviously have not accepted Godiva's death yet, and yes, I am in very bitter denial, anger, guilt, sadness--the whole nine yards. I have been told and told that those feelings will eventually--WITH TIME--change over to the warm, happy thoughts of the wonderful memories we had together that Anna mentions, but it is all still too fresh in my mind, which is why I have stated that I already know that I am not ready for another dog, but I just can't stop myself from thinking about it at this point. I already know and realize that what I lost cannot ever be found again, but I really can't help but look, anyway. What really pains me now is that I HAVE tried somewhat to get on with my life and not neglect the dog I still currently have, and even treasure him, which is how and why I started actively prepping for agility again with Mojo, and renewing our training and competitive plans....only to be struck down by the new, devastating fact of career-ending hip dysplasia just two months after losing Godiva. Honestly, I can't imagine a worse fate for an active dog NOT to be able to be active, and never having had a dog with hip dysplasia I really don't know what's in store....so, really, it is all just a little too much for me to handle right now. Believe me, I am trying to look on the brighter side and be grateful for the lovely dog I still do have, hips or no hips, leash or no leash, herding instinct or no herding instinct, and adjust my life accordingly--once again--to suit his needs, but it is darned hard not to question the lot that we were assigned when I rescued him from the street! I thought I was doing a good thing, and thought I was giving a nice dog a good home, but I really had no clue at the time as to how difficult a task it was that I had taken on. As Flyer said, what would life be without challenges--and we HAVE worked SO hard together to conquer his leash reactivity--with, really, the sole goal of being able to compete in agility, which we BOTH love (or, at least, Mojo USED to love before he started to hurt)--only to have all that vanish in the instant that x-ray was taken on Tuesday. It's pretty darned disappointing, to say the least. So, for my next dog, if there should ever be one, I certainly am trying to decide what would be the best possible way to circumvent as much heartache as possible. I already know and realize that goal is NOT at all feasible, but I still can't help trying to think and think about it. In any case, thank you both again for your kind thoughts and encouragement. I really do appreciate them. Flyer, I am also truly sorry for your own recent loss. To get this somewhat back on topic, I have a question I did want to ask: from what I have learned on this Board, I know that if I want a BC, and ***if*** I decide that I want a pup from a breeder, I should only go to a reputable working breeder who registers only with ABCA, competes in USBCHA, etc. But if I mainly want to do agility, and am interested in working stock secondarily (i.e., as a weekend herding warrior, although I really do have a fairly keen interest in stockwork), I also have always kind of felt that a well-bred pup would be "wasted" on me, since I would not have the expertise or abilty to get that pup to the level he/she might be able to achieve with someone more experienced (as I would only be taking lessons weekly/monthly, etc., and do not own my own farm), and thus that pup would not get to do the level of work that he/she was originally bred for (not to mention that I have absolutely zero desire for an intact dog, so the pup would definitely have to be spayed or neutered, which could potentially be a waste there, too, if the pup actually did turn out to be an outstanding worker, despite me). Given that situation, is it then only right that if I want to do agility with a BC, even with stockwork as a secondary goal, that I should ONLY consider adult rescues (and wait for one to turn up with established working ability)? Is it ever appropriate (and I am really asking the working people here) for a person who does not have a working farm whose *primary* intent is not to work the dog on stock to have a well-bred, working-bred pup? I know that this is a judgment/opinion call, but I am definitely interested in knowing the general stance on this topic in this community, as it will definitely guide my future thoughts on a future dog. Thanks in advance for any replies. [Eileen, please let me know if I need to start my own thread, or if this is on-topic enough to stay here.] P.S. To Flyer: Bichons are awesome. Frankly, I think they are the most delightful breed there is. The only reason I don't think I can get another is because he/she would remind me too much of Godiva, but I certainly am considering other small, fluffy breeds (Shih Tzu, Havanese, Lhasas, even Westies, etc). I really do wish your DD's friend much luck with that Bichon pup!!

LOL--just wanted to add that we have officially given up on DNA tests for Mojo. Should have listened to Laurae 2 years back, but I was stubborn. The Metamorphix Canine Heritage (cheek swab) test I did last year said that Mojo was so mixed that were no distinct breeds in him. Recently, we got back the results from the Mars Wisdom Panel (blood) test that I added to Mojo's latest bloodwork, and apparently, this test also found that there is no predominant breed....but of the purebreds in the mix, SHIH TZU comprises the majority, with DOBERMAN in the third generation. :D Mars advertises its accuracy as being >90% in a first-generation cross...guess their accuracy drops right down to zero in a more mixed mix!! This is a recent shot of Mojo, my little Shih Tzu x Doberman:

Flyer, I am going through a very similar decision-making process as you, so I am finding this thread both helpful and interesting since it covers many of the same questions I am raising in my own mind. My Bichon of 15.5 years died in November. I currently have another BC mix, Mojo, that I rescued from the street as a stray 2 years ago. I don't actually believe I am ready for another dog at this point or even any time soon, and possibly even never, but I certainly have been thinking, looking, and researching the possibility out of my own grief and desperation over losing Godiva, which is partially why I've been reading this Board of late and happened to see your thread. In my case, much like you, I'm not sure if I am ready for (or want) a purebred BC, and if I did, I'm not sure where I would get one...like you, I have considered dogs straight from kill shelters, dogs from breed rescues, and dogs from breeders. I am considering both pups and adult dogs. At this point I have no idea what I want to do, and frankly, I am still not really even sure what breed or breed mix I want (i.e., another small fluffy lap dog, or another active herding-breed dog, or something else entirely, like a terrier)--but I certainly have given the subject of a new dog a lot of thought. In any case, I wanted to add to this thread by telling my story, since I think it fairly presents this "crapshoot" to which everyone is referring....and, thus, what can happen despite the best-laid plans, when one simply has bad luck with BOTH a breeder puppy and a rescue. I think I must just have bad dog luck, which is also why I am hesitatingly strongly about adding another dog in the future at all. Basically, these last few years have taught me that anytime you take in a living thing, and open your heart to loving it and caring for it, you just set yourself up for heartbreak. 1) I bought my Bichon as a puppy from a very reputable breeder, from champion lines, after seeing many litters over years of researching the breed and waiting for the right breeder, the right parents, and the right pup. Everyone who ever met Godiva loved her--we must have given dozens of referrals back to her breeder. I eventually showed Godiva myself in conformation, and we won the two classes we ever entered, and she also got her CGC. She had the most bombproof temperament anyone could ever ask for--good with dogs, cats, children, adults, baby birds, you name it. She never growled once in her life at anyone or anything--she was supremely fearless, confident, and naturally good-natured. She was even smart, trainable, obedient, and loyal--really, she was the perfect first dog for a child, as I was thirteen years old when I bought her. She had no major health problems during her lifetime, until she turned 12.5 years and was diagnosed with kidney failure. From that point on, I spent close to $20,000 on her health care, and completely redesigned my career and personal life around monitoring her 24/7. This past November I had to put her to sleep for end-stage renal failure AND a new brain tumor that gave her intractable grand mal seizures, so it basically was the most awful and heartbreaking end you could ever imagine. Even now, I feel that losing her is the single most difficult thing I have ever gone through, and yet, I still would give anything to have her back--despite the heartbreak, despite the sacrifices, despite everything. 2) I found Mojo wandering down the street in late 2006. We thought he was about 4 years old at the time, and so he is about 6 years old now. As a mixed-breed, he could not possibly have come from a reputable breeder. He certainly SEEMED and LOOKED healthy when I found him, and although smart, loyal, very biddable and very devoted to me, he definitely arrived with major behavioral issues: i.e., he is EXTREMELY leash-reactive with other dogs, and extremely suspicious of human strangers. I have pretty much been in constant self- and professional training with him once I discovered the problem, and multiple professional trainers have told me that they were impressed by my perserverance, since most leash-reactive dogs are not reactive to the "extreme" that Mojo is (i.e., he is completely and totally fine with everyone once he is off-leash, but when that leash goes on, it's like a light switch flips). Anyway, once I discovered this, I knew that no rescue would take him because of his aggression, and if I put him in the shelter, he would have been swiftly euthanized. So, I really had no choice but to keep him (although I did advertise for his owner for 3+ months to no avail, but it was pretty obvious why he had been dumped--no one could deal with him). Nevertheless, as Godiva already had kidney failure at the time, in order to TRY and avoid further heartbreak by adopting another chronically ill dog, before I officially decided to keep him, I went ahead and tried to protect myself by getting a COMPLETE blood panel, urinalysis, and spine/hip x-rays, as once I found out how easy he was to train and how agile he was, I intended to do agility with him (and compete, if we could ever get over his leash reactivity), and thus have him be my first agility dog. All medical tests came back normal, including his hip x-rays. Four months later, he started having strange seizures--that, after a multi-thousand-dollar workup, turned out to be very rare non-epileptic seizures called "paroxysmal dyskinesia" that are apparently only found in purebred Chinook dogs, which Mojo is most assuredly not, and as there is no approved treatment, there is nothing we can do about the seizures--but admittedly, he has them infrequently (one seizure every 2-3 months). Two months after that he came up lame in the left front leg, and a new orthopedic workup of his front assembly revealed minor arthritis in the left front carpal joint. I rested him 6 weeks and he did not go lame in that leg again, and so we continued agility (in PRIVATE lessons at $60/lesson because of his leash issues with other dogs) and that seemed to be doing well. We made it through the winter of 2007 into the spring of 2008, at which point our trainer thought we were ready to compete. So, I added group agility classes to try and get him used to the environment of being around other excited dogs, and because of all the other counterconditioning we were doing outside of agility, we were actually doing okay with that and things were looking promising for fall/winter trials! Then, in mid-2008, he suddenly became apprehensive of going to agility class, and we assumed it was because of his emotional issues, since he could run/jump as fast as ever if he was at home, in the dog park, or anywhere but agility class. Shortly thereafter Godiva started to go seriously downhill in terms of her health, so agility with Mojo was forced to take a backseat to Godiva's care, and I also figured that resting Mojo from agility might help with whatever issues he might be having. After Godiva's death in November 2008, I started re-focusing my attention on Mojo, so I took him to a chiropractor and also started doing hydrotherapy with him *just in case* there were some new physical issues that were causing him to be hesitant about agility that were adding to his emotional stress. After several sessions, the chiropractor CLEARED Mojo for agility...that was two weeks ago. This past Monday, I took Mojo to his first full agility practice in public since the end of last August (i.e., we have some equipment at home, too, and he was fine with doing those obstacles), but after doing the weaves 3 times and going over 3 jumps at the practice for about 2 minutes, Mojo suddenly ran off course, INTO HIS CRATE, and WOULD NOT come out. Obviously I was alarmed, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and rushed him straight back to the chiropractor on the next day, Tuesday. She was surprised to find that his pelvis was completely out of alignment despite his seemingly being fine the previous week, and so we decided it was time for new hip films. Guess what? Tuesday I found out that Mojo has HIP DYSPLASIA IN BOTH HIPS, with the right worse than the left, DESPITE his previously fine films in 2007, and although the dysplasia appears to be mild on x-ray, he obviously exhibits pain during the physical exam when both hips are extended, and so in one fell swoop, after all of our hard work, it looks like agility is now permanently out of the question for him. Bascially, the dear boy tried to weave, run, and jump for me as long as he possibly could until he just couldn't do it anymore--he was just so tough and eager to please that he really didn't show it until now. Imagine the guilt I feel. So, in total, I have probably spent another $10,000 on Mojo these last two years for his various orthopedic issues and seizure workups. This number, of course, does not include what I have spent on training/lessons/equipment, and doesn't even include other strange health occurrences (like the UTI--in a neutered male dog!!--that he developed in November, 2008) that still remain unanswered questions, and who knows what the future will reveal in terms of those answers? If you had to ask me, knowing what I do now, if I would have still picked up Mojo from the street, of course I would say that the answer would still have to be YES--I just don't think that I could have lived with myself knowing that one dog's demise was the direct--or even the indirect--result of my not doing what I could to help him. But by anyone's standards, I unwittingly signed up for a LOT when I decided to keep him, despite my best efforts to avoid problems in terms of long-term behavioral and chronic health issues. Considering that I have only known about his hip dysplasia for the last four days, I still don't even know how I really feel about all this except that I am still in shock, and devastated that all of our hopes for agility have been dashed, and that his promising agility career ended before it ever really begun, and I am fearful as to how his dysplasia will worsen over time and how that will impact his quality of life. Essentially, now I still have a VERY active dog, both physically and mentally, except that I no longer have an agility outlet to expend that energy....so I really have no choice now but to focus on obedience and rally and tricks, except of course that we will never get beyond Novice since we won't be able to do the jumps in Open. And that is if we ever get over his leash-reactivity in any sort of reliable fashion. Don't get me wrong--I love Mojo to death, literally, and he will always have the best possible home with me for the rest of his natural life--but trust me, it has NOT been easy keeping him or training him, nor has it been cheap. In short and in conclusion, it is all very heartbreaking. Both my two dogs, a breeder pup and rescued stray, have both been heartbreaking to date. But admittedly, Godiva was problem-free, both in terms of behavior and health, for 12.5 years before all of her medical issues began, while Mojo was a problem from the beginning with his leash reactivity and his rapidly developing health issues. Nevertheless, I have to say that, for the record, I DO feel that if I do go the rescue route with a future dog, I am confident that I have the skills and instinct--given the choice, rather than having a dog suddenly thrust upon me, as Mojo was--to be able to select an adult dog with a temperament that would suit me and my family--I really have no doubts about that at all. As I have enjoyed trying to go herding (work stock, whatever you want to call it) with Mojo, if I were to get a BC, even from a rescue, ideally, I would want one with working instinct/ability, and I do think that if I wait long enough, that dog can be found. I am, however, genuinely and seriously worried about the potential health issues that may crop up with a dog whose background is unknown. As I stated, I found Mojo as an adult--in seemingly great health--and I paid for a complete workup for Mojo in 2007 that seemed to prove that thought--but in 2008, only 1 year later, everything has already gone to heck....so, as has been repeatedly stated, there ARE no guarantees--only probabilities, and at this point, I have no idea what to bet on in the future. RESCUES ASIDE, as has been previously stated, it is ludicrous to think that a BYB-bred puppy would have the same chances of being healthy (and having a good temperament) as a puppy from a reputable breeder--or else, why not buy from a BYB? Obviously, BYBs are not supporting the goals of the BC as a breed (in terms of selecting for working ability), and in terms of responsible dog breeding in general, it is also doubtful that the majority of BYBs do hip/eye clearances on their breeding stock, and also may not be selecting for off-switches, stable temperaments, etc., etc., etc. Obviously again, this is why no reasonable person supports buying a pup from a BYB......but if that BYB-bred pup should end up in a rescue--because one could possibly also assume that an uneducated puppy buyer who bought from a BYB may not have the commitment to see that pup through the rest of its natural life, and might be quick to turn over the pup/young adult to rescue when the going gets too tough--suddenly, adopting that pup or young adult is encouraged, IF IT IS THROUGH RESCUE....but the pup has already been bought and paid for and the BYB has made his money, and that pup is still, at the end of the day, the same BYB pup that it was when it was bought. Of course, THROUGH RESCUE, one is saving a life, and that is the most important thing, but that still does not change the fact of that pup's BYB heritage, nor does it make it any easier for the family that will adopt that pup, love that pup, and then *possibly* become heartbroken if that pup should have the bad luck to grow up to have the very problems for the reasons that people are warned about with BYBs. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT SAYING ALL RESCUE DOGS HAVE PROBLEMS--far from it!! I also do fosters for rescue, and it is extremely rewarding, and I can swear up and down that the recent foster I had was one of the most delightfully temperamentally stable dogs I have ever personally known--DESPITE coming from an irresponsible situation. But since it cannot be stated that irresponsible situations make good dogs, the only way of looking at it is that through sheer LUCK of having great genetics, this dog happened to be a wonderful dog--not because he was raised properly or bred properly. But who knows where this dog will be in terms of health, 5, 6, or 10 years down the road? How could anyone honestly say that a well-bred pup from a reputable breeder that comes from long, long lines of dogs who all lived to 17+ years and were still actively working sheep to the day they died has the same chances of developing health issues as a dog who was born in hoarder's yard, as my foster was??? It's not to say it doesn't happen--I'm more than quite certain that it does--but as with everything, once again it really seems to come down to luck, and to date, by anyone's standards I have been horribly unlucky with my dogs, so I am doing my best to try and make the right decision now, to SPITE my bad luck. In an ideal world, I would like to find a puppy or dog with a KNOWN background from a rescue. But again, how many reputable breeders let their puppies end up in shelters or rescues? In the 2 years I have casually/intermittently browsed Glen Highland's BC rescue site, I have only seen one reputable working-breeder dog listed by name, and I think it was only because the breeder had died and thus could not take the dog back. I just don't know. I think what is GOING to happen is that no matter how much I plan or agonize over the decision, I am going to get suckered in by the first sorrowful face that desperately needs me when the time is right--i.e., when I am emotionally ready to have a new dog again--and I can only hope that fate will see fit to give me at least a FEW blessed behavior-and-health-problem-free, agility-filled years before that dog becomes old and gets sick. At least I hope. I don't know if that helps you any, Flyer, but that is where I'm coming from. I certainly wish you a LOT of luck with your decision--at least more than I've had myself. --Koi

Sue, kind thanks for taking the time to clarify--I think I understand the issue, now. Anna, I truly appreciate your condolences. You are right...Godiva was my world. This has been, and continues to be, extremely difficult to bear.

Okay, I am confused by the responses being posted here. According to her website, the trainer in question is a USBCHA judge who runs her dogs in USBCHA Open (albeit, as well as in ASCA and AHBA) and has qualified for the USBCHA Nationals ten years running--from 1995-2005--placing in the top 20 twice, and in the top 50, five times. She also states that she was first overall for the week at the Soldier Hollow Reserve Champion Finals in 2003, among numerous other impressive-sounding accomplishments. So, am I missing something here?? She appears to be plenty qualified to me, even according to the standards (i.e., placing in USBCHA Open) typically set by this Board. Then, from what I can tell in the videos, she just happens to be working patiently with green dogs in a round pen, and with apparently equal patience, has "dumbed" down a discussion of herding and herding dogs to a level appropriate for the featured TV show, which is a local-access, Saturday-morning program intended for the education of young children about various dog breeds and responsible pet ownership...what is so nauseating or demeaning about that? This sure beats entertaining kids with violent cartoons.

Thanks for the support, mjk05!! :D You know what the darndest thing is, though? Laura, you're never going to believe this either...but I just got another e-mail from Canine Heritage tonight saying that Mojo's testing is complete.....BUT THAT HIS CERTIFICATE IS BEING PRINTED AND SENT IN THE MAIL!!! Are they 1) printing and sending his inconclusive results on a certificate (who would do that??), or did someone at customer service trip up and his results are not actually inconclusive (doubtful), OR.....3) are his results *really* inconclusive and someone ELSE in customer service decided that they would rather NOT give me a refund and they are sending whatever "breed mix" they fancy for the day (what I think is happening!)??? I sent them an e-mail to ask what is going on, but I guess I'll just look forward to what the mail brings in the next few days.....maybe a good laugh.

Hi, Alaska--so sorry to have made you copy/paste all those event listings; I really appreciate your effort, and especially your support of NADAC----and indeed those events you listed are in SoCal, but the only two of those locations I would even consider attending are Ventura and Pearblossom, and even still, those are 60+ miles away, which is too far for a first event, I would think! The others are 100+ miles away. I really am not trying to be difficult, but with gas at almost $5/gallon, and since I have no idea what to expect either from Mojo or from the trial (I haven't been to a single trial yet), I am rather loath to drive all that way (e.g., if Mojo were to flip out completely and I end up deciding to put him away and drive back home, which is not outside the realm of possibility). Maybe if once we get going and Mojo starts to show a lot of promise in trialing and he enjoys it, we'll start going further and further afield, but at this point, I really don't want to make a big production out of going to a trial that is so far away....so, I doubt I will be doing NADAC, as I said, at least at any point in the near future....but maybe we will someday, if the addiction really takes ahold of us--like Pat W. said!!

Hi, Pat!! Thanks for the kind welcome. Wow, your accomplishments are really impressive!!! I'm glad to know that the Performance program competition is going to be tougher than I thought--I can't wait to try it out and see how we do!! Agility is *unbelievably* addictive, isn't it!!! There's always so much more to learn and do, and you have to think so fast--very challenging! I love it!

I just watched that Boulder video, and I agree: Mojo could pass that test easily, and he's a paranoid, hypervigilant, super-reactive freak, so if I could train him NOT to bark constantly at everyone, it most definitely can be done. MaggieDog, I posted several tips in my original lengthy post--please refer to those. To answer your newest questions: I had neither Mojo nor Wolfee from puppyhood--Mojo arrived as an approximately 5-yo stray in Dec 2006, is naturally suspicious of everyone/everything but he is also naturally very cooperative--I'd say he has an omega-type personality (low self-esteem, low confidence levels, but isn't fearful). Wolfee is supremely friendly to everyone/everything and is full of confidence, but he came to me as a 3-yo who had been the victim of an outdoor hoarding situation for the first year of his life, and then spent the next two years alone in a shelter, so he didn't know how to learn, he couldn't care less about me, and was interested only in indulging his own wants/needs, which often did not coincide with mine. Two entirely different sets of challenges. Thus: About Mojo's reliable recall: I never used a shock collar (eek). Mojo really likes being with me pretty much all of the time, which is an important first step. I spend a LOT of time with Mojo and we work on all kinds of things (tricks, commands) every single day for cumulatively large portions of the day, and I think that cannot be discounted as being a significant part of why he enjoys working with me and being with me in general, as opposed to going off to do his own thing, as I always am interacting him and keeping him guessing. He naturally follows me all around the house (bathroom, shower, office) and in the yard, and always wants to see what I am doing and where we are going, and thus it stands to reason he would do that when we are not on our property, either. Since he's almost always underfoot, I don't actually have to call him to me very much to begin with. What I DID have to teach him was to come all the time on the *first* call no matter what, not a few seconds later or whenever it struck him. Thus, from the first day he set foot in my house, I started teaching him to "come" using one word only. I never taught him the habit of being allowed to come on a second/third/x number of repeated calls, which I think is important. If he even hesitated slightly on the first call, I looked grim, and physically went and collected him without saying anything, meaning that sometimes I would pick him up and carry him to where he was supposed to go, sometimes by the collar, and of course he would know he had done something wrong. Then I would set him maybe three feet away from me, and then ask him to "come." If he DID come when called, either the first time or after being "moved," as stated, for at least 2-3 months, I had 100% reinforcement and would surprise him with bits of bacon he didn't know I had, sushi, hamburger, his tug toy, chasing me all around the house, etc., and we would have an OMG-you-did-so-well-let's-have-a-party, where I would act like a complete and totally gleeful idiot, and I think he learned it was much more fun to comply than to not. I should also add that even in our very early days, I still insisted on a "come front" (i.e., come and sit straight in front of me) just because it is useful, even before I had any inkling of wanting to try formal obedience, so I had always held Mojo to strict criteria. If he came, of course I would have the aforementioned party, but then while he was looking up at me with great focus, I would place him in the proper position and tell him to sit, and then have another party. I NEVER corrected him for an incorrect "front" IF he came to me at top speed...that would only ruin the recall. Eventually, after enough repetitions, he put 2+2 together and would come AND sit in front, and then we could have one big party! Here's another tip: in the beginning, I never called him if I didn't think he was going to come! I.e., if he was busy barking at a passing dog through our front fence (i.e., doing something highly rewarding to him), and I DID NOT THINK he was going to come on the first call because he was otherwise engaged, I would go down to him and simply collect him (carry him or take him by the collar again) WITHOUT CALLING HIM, as that would only set him up for failure to blow off the recall, as he was obviously in no state of mind to "hear" me. As hard as it sometimes was, I held very strongly to NOT calling him more than once, as it really ruins the value of the word "come." I know some people have to teach a new "emergency" recall word because "come" has faded in importance to the dog, and I didn't want to have to do that. Thus, over time and with additional training, I would gradually test him in more and more challenging situations (like at the dog park with NO ONE there, then with another dog in sight, then when the park was busier on weeknights, then on extremely busy weekend days with clueless owners and often outright aggressive dogs, then while he was playing with another dog, then when he was CHASING another dog, and even when A STRANGER was giving him treats (with my permission, of course)...yup, I can call him away from a treat-giving stranger with one word. Each time I did not advance until I was certain that he was going to come when called, so I would judiciously choose when to call him and when I should just go get him--and by setting him up as much as possible so that he COULD NOT MAKE A MISTAKE, and thus having a very high history of positive reinforcement for recalls, through force of habit, he would comply. That's how eventually I got so that I could call him away from wildlife, fence-barking, you name it.....baby steps. And in the end, hence, a 100% reliable recall. I'm sure you know this, but I also NEVER call Mojo when I am going to do something unpleasant to him (toenail clipping, baths, etc.) That would be setting yourself up for failure...I just go and get him. "Come" should be reserved solely for positive associations without exception, so that when you need that recall to save your dog's life, it will be there, and there will be no question in her mind that a party will be waiting for her, not toenail clippers. Thus, even as obedient/cooperative as Mojo is, and even with his naturally strong desire to stay with me, make no mistake: I still spent a LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT teaching/enforcing Mojo to have a reliable recall. For example, even now, each and every single time of the 3-4 times we go to the dog park weekly, I must call him a dozen or more times, and similarly on a trail, for no actual reason, just to keep his tools sharp, per se. We practice figure-8 heeling in the park off-leash with a dozen other dogs playing fetch around him, I jump him over tree logs and work on front crosses and tell him to "go tunnel!" under park benches...and I really think that's a significant part of it, too--we work on everything so much. Even with commands he knows in his sleep, I still intermittently reward him with really high-value treats depending on the situation. A lot of times I hide treats in a sealed Ziploc bag so he has no clue that I have them, and then when we're out in the open, I suddenly call him--he runs to me, and then he is completely surprised by a treat when he didn't think I had any. This is a really personal thing, but when I don't have treats, what I do is throw my hands up in the air and squeal, "Yay!!!!!" and that makes Mojo jump up in the air off his two hind legs, as well, and he's grinning, I'm grinning, and for him, that's just about as good as getting a treat, so we do that a lot, too. You're going to have to find similar highly desirable rewards for Maggie and keep changing them up to keep her guessing so that YOU do not get BORING to her. Because Mojo is leash-reactive, his DEFAULT behavior is to scan the environment compulsively for something to bark at....THUS, we NEVER (well, we simply can't) just have an ordinary walk down the sidewalk when he is leashed--I am actively heeling him, doing about turns, suddenly stopping and testing his auto-sits, suddenly turning into him (left) and changing direction, starting to run and then suddenly telling him "down," suddenly walking super slowly, etc., in order to keep his focus on me. Thus, he has learned to pay attention to me constantly because, again, I keep surprising him, and now he thinks learning and walking with me is the most fun thing ever, and that paying attention to me is much more exciting and much less stressful than freaking out and growling/lunging/barking at a passing dog. About the instant "down" and moving stand ("wait") command: as I started to say in the previous paragraph, you start in baby steps and then work it up, like with everything else. Mojo learned to "down" in the house right in front of me. Then from further away in the house with combined voice and hand signal. Then with just a hand signal. Then with just a voice signal. Then I put him at a distance, had him down, called him, and had him down again halfway before reaching me (drop on recall). Then I downed him in order for the front door to open. Then downed him on the front porch. Then down again before coming back in the house. Then in public: down him at a walk on leash when he doesn't expect it. Then downed him at a run on leash when he expects it even less--the forward impulsion actually PROPELS them into a beautiful down super quickly. I down him in the off-leash park when he is next to me, then at a distance, going through all the steps again--first voice+hand, then just hand, then just voice. I have him get up on a picnic table, down him, put him in a stay, walk 10 yards, then 20, then 50, then 100 yards away, called him, and THEN downed him halfway before he reaches me. I think you get the idea. "Wait" was the same. On leash, I stop at a curb (clear visual marker to the dog) and squeal, "WAIT!" He stops, I praise, put him in a sit. He just learned to auto-sit at a curb. Then on leash, I'm walking, and with no curb, I squeal "wait," plant both feet with a big show, and stop moving--he stops moving but is still standing, I praise, give him a treat, tell him to sit. He has now learned auto-sit without a curb when I stop moving. Off-leash when he is NOT next to me in heel position--I squeal "wait"--through force of habit, he stops momentarily and looks at me, I praise and GO to him--he has just learned moving stand. Keep repeating, amp up distractions....Mojo can "wait" from a dead run. As has been said earlier, you don't need stock to teach a dog obedience--you actually have to spend the time and patience and effort to teach a dog obedience...what would all the mutts/retrievers/pointers/froufrou dogs do otherwise? I should say this, also: how well-exercised is Maggie? It's hard for a dog to concentrate if she's got a lot of pent-up anxiety, as when you release her it's much more of a "yahoo!" moment. I'm going to be completely honest, though--I think you're going to have a hard time working on her recall with no yard and no safe fenced area, since you have nothing in between being inside your house and the great wide open!! While a lot of things can be accomplished and reinforced and perfected indoors, there still aren't very many distractions. You said that Maggie couldn't handle dog parks because they are too small: are you saying Maggie is aggressive with other dogs in close quarters, which is why you can't take her to the dog park where you live? Perhaps this needs to be addressed before you proceed with your off-leash plans, frankly...I wasn't clear from your post as to why she has trouble in a dog park but then will ignore dogs she encounters on a trail. About Wolfee's reliable recall when prey are not around: I have already spent way too much time replying to this thread, but for everyone out there who is now in despair that their dogs "can never do this" because of whatever "x" personality reasons, I will briefly mention foster dog Wolfee again because he presented a unique challenge to me. As I stated earlier, training Wolfee was a lot harder because my relationship with him is not the same as mine and Mojo's from the start, plus I didn't expend nearly the effort and time to train Wolfee as I had with Mojo, plus Wolfee has a whole lot more natural prey drive and a much more terrier-like independent streak...plus he had the unformed mind of a young puppy but the 65-lb body of a dog who could do a LOT of damage and move VERY quickly...plus he didn't actually know HOW to learn when he first came--he had no concept that doing things I asked got him a reward, and I had to teach him ALL of that. Wolfee pretty much ignored me completely for nearly an entire week when he was first here, and paced the house looking for his rescue representative (awww). Because he wasn't housebroken, however, I insisted on his coming with me to every single room as I walked around, or else he had to be in a crate, which he didn't like very much, so I capitalized on his dislike of being alone and at first leashed him and toted him around with me, and eventually let him drag the leash as I kept patting my leg, cooing encouragingly as I went from room to room, and he would come rather than be left alone. ALL my dogs (Godiva included, and she is nearly blind and deaf now) follow me from room to room and Wolfee fell in the pattern. Once he realized that meals came from me, Wolfee eventually also realized he was motivated by food, and so I would dole out kibble for following me, etc. Once Wolfee learned of the existence of hamburger meat, our relationship got a lot better. Teaching him to "sit" was the big breakthrough when the light bulb went on--he made the connection of doing something _I_ want = getting something _he_ wants. After that it wasn't too hard to teach him to lie down, shake hands, sit up (beg), etc., and even to ride a skateboard! Notably, we DID have a big 35-minute showdown when my agility trainer (I had been taking Wolfee to Mojo's lessons) asked me to teach him to put his front paws up on a pot (for balance reasons). We were alone at home and when I gave him the cue, and instead, Wolfee lay down and literally barked at me for 35 full minutes at the top of his lungs....but I held firm (with fingers in my ears). Finally, grudgingly, Wolfee put his two front paws up on that pot, and from then on, life with Wolfee became a WHOLE lot easier. We discovered he actually LIKES working for food, he is very tenacious (doesn't give up), actually had quite a long attention span (i.e., willing to work for as long as I cared to keep giving him food), and he is not nearly as sensitive with corrections as Mojo is--i.e., you can yell at Wolfee and he just grins at you (much like Godiva, my Bichon), whereas Mojo runs for cover if I just frown in his general direction. When we first started going to the dog park, you'd better believe that Wolfee turned out to be one of those dogs who would much rather keep running around the dog park than go home with me, much to my chagrin. So, IMHO, teaching him a recall was a combination of OUR WORKING RELATIONSHIP getting better over time (i.e., he actually liked being around me and interacting with me and had increased respect for me), AND making recalls fun, as Wolfee is very playful. Also don't forget that he doesn't like to be left alone!! So, I would often walk behind a tree out of sight, and wait. Sometimes ten, fifteen minutes would pass before he would start to look around as to where I had gone and perhaps even start trotting around, actually looking. When I would burst out of my hiding place, he would eagerly bounce up to me. Walking to the gate to go home and waving his leash in the air AT THE APPROPRIATE MOMENT (i.e., when he was looking bored and had no one to play with) also would produce the same effect....I never tried that when he looked as if he wanted to keep playing, of course. Then, once Wolfee really knew his name, I did the click/treat name game I mentioned in my original post. Then, I noticed that Wolfee really enjoyed racing from one end of the park to the other (zoomies). So, I would start taking him to the park near dusk when there wasn't anyone there (because the last thing I wanted to do was start running around in a park full of dogs and get myself bitten), and then I would start to run excitedly (like a fool) and call his name. Wolfee immediately and gleefully complied, and so we would be running back and forth together for the full length of the park...I would suddenly stop and change direction, and he would tear after me, and we would repeat and repeat (what a workout!!). After enough reps he learned that "Are you ready?" meant that we were about to run, and he would get very excited. Then I chained it: he would be far away from me doing something else, I was slightly out sight (hunkered down in a squat), and then I would call out, "Wolfee....are you ready??" He would visually scan the field looking for me, find me, and when I had his full attention, and he had already started to run, I would then also yell out, "COME!!!" As he was running towards me at SUPER top speed, then I would leap up from my squat and run AWAY from him....when he eventually caught up, I would happily tell him, "Yay...Wolfee, sit!" and thus, I had a come front, and then excitedly repeat the "come" game in the other direction. Eventually I stopped running away from him and simply called out "Wolfee...are you ready....COME!" I felt that the attention-getting "Wolfee" and "Are you ready?" gave him enough opportunity to start paying attention before I actually uttered the recall command, again, to protect the value of the word, and then eventually I faded the other words. Again, I worked up the distractions to include other dogs in the park, while he was playing with other dogs, while he was chasing other dogs, etc. I mention all of this solely to illustrate that I think I was creative in my methods for each individual dog, in that I had to come up with what THEY thought was fun in order to accomplish my training goals. If you get boring and the dog gets bored of you, and/or has no respect for you, OR you challenge the dog before he/she is ready, you are going to set yourself up for failure. I really hope that all of what I have written will be helpful to you as you train Maggie to reach your goals and goals that both you and she can accomplish. As I stated previously, because of Wolfee's significant prey drive, and my apparent current inability to trump the enticements of squirrels, Wolfee never got to be off leash on a wilderness trail, and while I never STOPPED trying to train him to leave squirrels alone, in the meantime, IT DOES NOT BOTHER ME, NOR WOLFEE, ONE LITTLE BIT to keep him on-leash while hiking, as I know that is the responsible thing to do. I am not coming down on you, but I think you already know that you may have to redefine your goals to suit your dog, or you may have to better train your dog to reach your goals--and there's really no magic or easy way about it. Eighteen months I've spent trying to get Mojo to a point where he doesn't go ballistic in public, and I've worked on it every single day from the first day I learned he was leash-reactive, and borne all the nasty comments of people who see him flipping out in the street....I had little choice about it, and so I just sucked it up and did it, because it was important to me. I was certainly open to the possibility that Mojo may NEVER be reliable on-leash in public, but I also never planned on giving up on trying, so we kept at it. Mojo still can't handle himself on-leash in very specific situations, AND if I stop paying attention to him, but we certainly have also come a long way to be welcomed at an obedience club practice with other leashed dogs and group agility lesosns with other leashed dogs. Maggie is not reactive, but she has prey drive, so that will be your own unique challenge. Just remember: no matter what you do, above all, you have to keep your dog safe, and others safe from your dog--that's your responsibility as a dog owner. **ETA: just thought of one more tip I didn't actually write out: when you call your dog repeatedly to you in a park, or whatever, in the beginning, immediately release him/her as soon as she comes--that way, he/she learns that not only does she get a reward for performing a great recall, but you will immediately release her to go back and play with other dogs, sniff, whatever it is she wanted to do to begin with--in her mind, she gets the best of both worlds. That also helps build the positive recall history and creates positive associations in her mind. Just as with a dog who won't come when it's time to go home: you call him, put on his leash, and then immediately take the leash off and release him--do that enough times to keep him guessing.

Thanks so much, Kristine! Your info really does help--I appreciate your taking the time to respond! I have not heard of St. Hubert's, so that's something I will definitely look up--thanks! If there's no central agility registry, I guess I will just look at the SoCal agility calendar again and register Mojo for the organizations with upcoming events I want to attend within the next six months. AMBOR really IS confusing...they were offline for so long, and now that they're back on, somebody really needs to help clean up their website or put up a rulebook or something! It really doesn't make much sense at all, does it! I may e-mail our obedience club secretary to see if she knows anything about it and I'll post it here if I find out anything. Thanks again!

Hi, Alaska! Thanks so much for trying to help--I do know about that calendar. I also do know that CPE and NADAC have lower jumping heights than USDAA for the same height of dog, but unfortunately, PRECISELY because dog agility and dog obedience training are not my main interests in life, even if Mojo lived and died for agility (which he doesn't), I am NOT willing to drive to Carson City, Nevada (more than an 8-hour drive) to attend NADAC agility trials, which seems to be the only NADAC location I saw on the SoCal event calendar...so what I said about there not being enough NADAC trials in our area (Los Angeles) is true. Just for everyone else's benefit, I will also answer the question, "Why do I want to trial?" Okay, I will admit it up front: I am a very competitive person, and I'm not ashamed of it at all! I didn't get to where I am in my life right now by taking it easy, let me tell you. When it comes to Mojo, though, I really don't think I am projecting "my" goals onto him, since in the thirteen blissful years I had only my little Bichon Godiva before Mojo's arrival, it occurred to me exactly ZERO times to compete my dog in agility! I found Mojo on the street when the last thing I needed in my life was another dog--I certainly didn't go looking for a high-energy performance dog!! Once that high-energy performance dog happened to find ME, however, and I saw how much he loved to run fast, jump on/over/off things and high places, and the incredible amount of energy he had stored up in his little body, a few Internet searches quickly told me that agility was something that could help keep his brain occupied and get his confidence levels up, so that's how we started....and once I discovered the leash-reactivity that *also* came with Mojo, that's how the obedience training started....because it was better for HIM, not for me! Anna can even attest that I drove Mojo all the way down to Escondido (two hours, each way) and I was totally willing to pursue regular herding lessons (I mean, seriously, the last thing I ever thought I would do) because I thought it might be good for Mojo. I can think of a whole lot of ways I could better spend *my* time and money than paying for weekly private agility lessons (since Mojo couldn't handle being on-leash around other dogs, initially) or buying him a yardful of agility equipment (so our lessons wouldn't go to waste), learning how to saw and paint my *own* agility equipment (once I realized how expensive store-bought was!) or getting up early on a Sunday to attend group obedience practices, but Mojo has a busy brain, and keeping it busy makes Mojo happy, so we do it. Now that things are pretty solid with both Mojo's leash behavior and his agility/obedience training, the next logical step would be to trial. Basically, I could just keep Mojo at home and just *tell* myself that I've really trained him well, and that he could be an obedience and agility champion if only I took him to trials.....but that kind of sounds like the unproven working dog breeding argument that keeps coming up on this Board...but don't worry! Mojo is neutered!!! Thus, I think that if you want to prove to yourself that you've really "got it," with "it" in this case being a well-trained dog and a great dog-handler relationship, there's no substitute for actually going out and doing it....proving it to other people just happens to be a fringe benefit, IMHO!!! So, trialing is one big step more challenging than just attending lessons, or practicing agility or obedience at home or alone in a park....it proves in highly distracting situations (the ultimate proof in training) that Mojo can do what it is we've been training to do, which is to be leashed in public and to have fun running and jumping accurately at top speed (although, to be quite honest, I think he slightly prefers the regularity/predictability of formal obedience to agility!!! Gasp!!)...and of course, except for that first criterion (being leashed in public, which of course is not an option), I wouldn't do it if Mojo didn't also love it...and he DOES love it; he's just not incredibly super driven like many of the high-level dogs I've seen. Frankly, Mojo loves doing whatever it is that I'm doing and wherever it is that I'm going (okay, most of the time--vet's offices and the self-wash grooming place don't count). If he were the kind of dog who got super stressed out from going places, believe me, even if he had it in him to be a world champion (which he doesn't), I would never "push" him to go places....but he is the kind of dog that the more I do with him, the prouder and calmer and more well-socialized and more well-adjusted he is, which makes him an overall happier dog, so thus, I make time in my very busy life for Mojo and his many, many, MANY needs that he just happened to thrust upon me when I decided to take him in for the rest of our natural lives together. Now that Mojo IS here, however, I only plan on trialing two or three times a year, if that, so it's hardly as if I plan to make a career out of it for either Mojo or me, and I would hardly call my competition goals "serious" in the way that professional obedience and agility trainers consider trialing to be "serious," but in order to fulfill even my very modest wish of not having to drive very far to trial, and with AKC out of the picture, even trialing 3 times a year may mean that I will have to register with at least 3 different organizations!!! Sigh. In any case, I definitely appreciate your concern for my dog, though, since I can see how my post seems very title- and registry-focused, but of course, that was the point of the post--I need info as to how to register Mojo with whatever organization(s) that will make trialing as easy and inexpensive and fun for us as possible. Of course, while having fun, I also want to do well--I can't really think of people who enjoy spending money and time trying to do badly--even Mojo gets disappointed if he thinks he's made a mistake! Since we're never going to get to worlds by trialing 3x a year, though, I AM perfectly fine with that, which is another reason why I was saying that I completely dropped the AKC ILP idea once I found out about the existence of the USDAA Performance program. I don't think they even let ILP dogs in FCI competition, anyway (snooty purebred elitists)!!!

Hi Laura!! Seriously...you DID tell me so way back when, but I couldn't help trying! I was *so excited* for the results after having waited a whole year for Metamorphix to expand its breed offering from 38 to 100+ (so that Aussie would be included) and then sent the cheek sample in early June as soon as the new test was available!! Imagine my disappointment with the e-mailed results I received last week...but at least the company had the decency to offer to refund my money without my having to ask. This was the test you did with your girl who came back as part Chihuahua, right? I guess the DNA libraries at Metamorphix leave more to the imagination than to science!!! I am still potentially thinking of doing the Wisdom Panel (blood test, created by cancer geneticists, supposedly more accurate) with Mojo's next regular bloodwork, but I have to say, a lot of my excitement at finding out his breed mix has dwindled after the big Canine Heritage letdown...my confidence levels in any DNA breed test definitely have plummeted!!! Ah, well. Maybe it's better to stick with the Mojo-being-an-alien theory and never really knowing where he came from......

Well, in Maggie and Maggie's owner's defense, I don't think she was really referring to encountering people or other dogs on a trail, although of course those issues are relevant to this discussion...I just think prey-drive issues with wild animals are totally different than human or other-dog issues, and have to be treated differently when training appropriate off-leash behavior, as one category of behavior is much more instinctual than the other. I guess I did not emphasize clearly enough that yes, Mojo sticks with me on the trail and never leaves the trail (what I meant by moving forward with me) under ordinary circumstances--he is calmly and happily trotting forward with me, never more than 25-30' ahead of me, and usually much closer. Once he gets about 30' ahead of me, he will stop and wait or stop and come back to me, as he pleases, automatically. Those are *ordinary* circumstances. Ordinary circumstances also include encountering people and other dogs on a trail. *EXTRAordinary* circumstances would include IF a coyote or a deer were to suddenly hop down from the hill to our right, land in front of us not more than six feet away, and continue crossing our path down the hill on the left--both of which scenarios have actually happened to us. OF COURSE anyone could expect Mojo, or any other dog, to spook, look, and react, but because I have great verbal control over Mojo in particular, and because he always sticks close to me and is not so far ahead of me that he can't hear me, I have complete confidence that he is NOT even going to start to chase or attack the animal despite his innate desire to do so--I can stop him in his tracks with a word. As another example, if we hear a rattle(snake) in the bushes as we walk past and he steps closer to investigate out of curiosity, I can call him off and he will immediately leave it and come back to me. Again, what I am trying to say is that if one does not have that level of control over a medium-to-high prey-drive dog, or heck, even a curious dog, at that close range and those levels of distractions in emergent situations, that dog should not be off-leash....but I guess the obvious extension of what I am saying is that just because a dog has prey drive doesn't *automatically* mean that he CAN'T be off-leash--it all depends on your level of control over the dog. Thus, I tried my best to address the prey-drive issues in my lengthy post while briefly touching on the human/other-dog issues, but I will write a few additional words regarding human/other dogs here in response to the other excellent comments, as well. I totally agree that other humans and dogs should not be harrassed on a public trail by your dog. I think the majority of lawmakers would happily ban dogs from every public place if they could, and it only would take one dog-related accident to ruin it for everyone else. I think that Anna's description of her dogs' behavior exemplifies the ideal off-leash behavior when encountering people/other dogs on a trail. In any case, I just wanted to put it out there that I think there are also other acceptable levels of polite off-leash behavior and trail etiquette below the ideal that Anna has posted. Mojo was initially extremely reactive to the sight of pretty much everyone and everything; Black Watch Debatable here on this Board was the one who actually suggested to me, when I had told her of Mojo's fondness of barking at oncoming people when I first found him, "What if one of those joggers was an off-duty COP?" Thus, I worked and worked on these issues ON-leash until I succeeded....and let me tell you, it was pretty painful. Again, with Mojo's being ON-leash-reactive: I figured that if he could ever calmly pass joggers/bikers/younameit on a leash, he would then be able to pass them off-leash even more calmly...and I'm sure you all can imagine how hard it is on a reactive dog to be walking on-leash with a horde of OFF-leash dogs barreling up to him and crowding all around him (if only EVERYONE felt that their dogs should not harrass other dogs)....but Mojo eventually could do it, and do it calmly, which is when I felt he was ready to have the leash off. Thus, Mojo now calmly trots past oncoming dogs and human men, women, children, joggers, and bikers as if they aren't there, not even looking at them, *without* my having to say anything to him to redirect him or distract him...and I did not take his leash off for more than eight or nine months until I was 100% certain that he was going to do exactly that. I DO consider that a huge success for us, since people who see him would never even guess that he is reactive. This desensitization work was done IN ADDITION to training and proofing all the other obedience commands (recall, wait, down, stay, etc.) that I mentioned earlier. In my opinion, BECAUSE I have a reactive dog, and one with medium prey drive, to boot, the bar is set THAT much higher for us in terms of making sure that Mojo is well-trained, than it is for someone with a more normal dog. In any case, I do think that Mojo's current policy of ignoring/avoiding oncoming humans/dogs is acceptable (since it had never actually occurred to me to try to train what Anna has), since he does NOT sniff or get in the face of or otherwise interact with human or canine strangers on a trail, and essentially concentrates on moving forward with me as if we are the only ones there. He does not, however, automatically stop and come back to me *just* because he has seen someone--which, btw, is really amazing, Anna; as I stated above, Mojo will instead automatically stop and wait or stop and come back to me because I believe that *he* is uncomfortable being more than 25'-30' away from me and/or out of sight around a bend, whether there are oncoming people/dogs or not--plus because I have reinforced this behavior by clicking and treating, as I mentioned in my original post. I.e., we can be completely alone on the trail, and he will stop and wait for me regardless. Because he constantly turns back to check in with me visually, even if I stop momentarily to catch my breath or tie my shoe, he will automatically wait and/or come back because he is always looking to see what I am doing, even if I haven't said anything to him. Nevertheless, you'd better believe that I am going to try to train him to do what Anna's dogs do from now on! He will obviously heel to my side and let others pass when I ask, but he certainly won't do it automatically....I can't wait to start training this! Thanks for the great idea!

Mojo is just about ready to compete in both agility and obedience (hurray)!!!! All my hard work with his leash reactivity has finally paid off and he is now able to be around other strange dogs LEASHED!! Yay!! So now I'm trying to figure out how and where to get him registered. We are pretty sure Mojo is a mutt, so no AKC ILP for him, although I fully admit that I WAS sorely tempted to go for it at the start of all this since AKC is BY FAR the most common agility AND obedience venue in SoCal, PLUS the fact that at Mojo's 18" height at the shoulder, he could have jumped 16" in AKC, when he will otherwise be forced to jump a full six inches higher at 22" in USDAA (which accepts mixed breeds). As he is on the lower end of his height class and, to boot, a middle-aged dog who is just now starting out a demanding agility career, I wanted what was best for my dog's joints, so I thought long and hard about the ethics of trying to pass him off as a BC, Aussie, or even a super-rare "Stabyhoun"--a Dutch breed descended from spaniels with strong guarding instincts, especially since I don't actually know for a fact whether or not he is a purebred anything (I found Mojo as a stray), and even more especially since his Canine Breed Heritage DNA test came back COMPLETELY inconclusive (they couldn't find ANY breeds in Mojo)!! Alas. At this point I'm just about ready to believe that Mojo is an outer-space alien dog (he *did* just suddenly appear in my peripheral vision as I was driving around a corner).....but alien or not, if we want to compete, he still needs to be registered!!! Before everyone gets up in arms about the AKC, however, please know that I've decided that I am NOT actually going to go for the ILP, especially since I recently found out that USDAA offers a "Performance" program, where Mojo CAN jump 16", as long as I am okay with his never being able to get an ADCH and only getting an "Accomplished Performance Dog" instead.....since we aren't exactly world-team material, though, I think that's fine by me. Plus, I had actually written to the AKC to ask if they ever decided on letting mixed breeds play or not since they put out a survey on the subject in early 2007, and as I haven't received a reply, I guess that's my final answer. Nevertheless, I am pretty confused as to the worth or registering with a "central" registry (like AMBOR), or if I should just register under a number of different organizations separately and then keep track of his scores/Qs myself. I don't know if I am going about this all wrong or not. Here's what I know on this topic; I'd really appreciate it if someone could offer us some advice, please!! OBEDIENCE: as far as I understand it, AMBOR (American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry) tracks trial scores from UKC, ASCA, and APDT and awards its own titles, but does not put on trials themselves. When I went to the AMBOR website, though, it sounded as if I still needed to register separately under each of the actual trial organizations, meaning UKC, ASCA, and APDT. Is that correct? With all these annual registry fees adding up, thus, it worth doing AMBOR as well? Is the only advantage of registering with AMBOR that it will accept qualifying scores from any organization's *practice matches* towards titles awarded by AMBOR, as opposed to just actual trials, meaning we could potentially title faster and more conveniently (i.e., more available matches, plus cheaper entry fees for matches than trials), but wouldn't these titles only be through the AMBOR system? Wouldn't the AMBOR titles then be superfluous to the titles we would already have earned through each individual trial organization, or are they the same titles, or is it that the individual trial organizations do NOT accept Qs from practice matches towards titles? IS there any other central registry besides AMBOR that would allow us to compete across multiple venues without having to register with each venue individually? What does everyone else do (owners of purebreds, you are welcome to respond)? AGILITY: this seems more straightforward to me--we just have to register with each individual venue, right? I think AMBOR only tracks ASCA and NADAC scores (neither of which are common in our area, but I guess if we did ASCA obedience, Mojo would already be registered with ASCA), so if we want to do USDAA or CPE we would have to be registered with each of those organizations individually. Please let me know if there IS some central agility body that could replace registering in multiple venues!!!!! Also, is it possible to move a dog between the USDAA regular Championship and Performance divisions from trial to trial, or do you have to stick with that division, once you are in it? Thanks so much in advance for any replies! I am VERY confused, as you can see!!!!!

Interesting thread! I have Boomerang tags, too!! Great company, quality products, super-fast service. Godiva has a small red plastic heart-shaped hang tag, and Mojo has a medium round brass hang tag. Both dogs' tags have text on both sides, as follows: --------------------------------- ON SIDE 1: --------------------------------- "Dog's name" (in quotes) I AM LOVED BY (MY NAME) MY ADDRESS CITY, STATE ---------------------------------- ON SIDE 2: ---------------------------------- Phone number (H) Phone number (V) ----------------------------------- [H = home, V = vet emergency number.] I also thought of putting the "I am loved by" mainly because I thought it was cute, but also to differentiate between the dogs' names and my name, in case whoever finds my dogs gets confused (I have an unusual name), especially since I would WANT my dogs to be friendly to whoever finds them, so I thought knowing their names might help...although I did wrestle with putting or not putting the dogs' names on their tags for quite some time, in case it would aid someone in stealing my dogs....but frankly, at Godiva's advanced age and with Mojo's aggression towards unfriendly strangers, I find it much less likely that my dogs would be stolen than lost. I forward my home number to my cell whenever I leave the house, so I didn't have to give out my cell number. I also chose to put the vet's 24-hour emergency number, since I want whoever finds my dogs to call OUR vet and not some random vet, as they both have major medical issues and I don't want them to receive the wrong treatment if (heavens forfend) I am somehow not available by phone. I also have both dogs' city license tags hanging on their collars (which has a 1-800 number on it). Mojo also wears his Avid microchip blue plastic tag (also with a 1-800 number), but Godiva's is on her harness (she is too small for so many tags). I decided to skip the rabies tag, since in order for a dog to be licensed, you have to have a valid rabies vaccination, anyway, and since both dogs are indeed licensed and registered with the city, all their history (and my name/address/phone, rabies vacc and spay/neuter status) can be looked up through the city system via their license numbers and microchip numbers....plus, if they get picked up by city animal control, I feel as if they might get treated better, since they will know there is an owner.