Margaret Johnson

My Fleet piles toys up in the back yard and lay's down & stares at them. When they fail to move he barks then aggressievely reorganizes them, lays down & stares again. I have learned if I'm down at the barn and only hear Fleet barking it's because his toy's wont play - not that someone is at the house.

Hi Denise, your top paragraph is very clearly/well worded. I don't want inquries about my boy - Thank you, your web page gives me some good idea about what I can change on my website.

Thanks for your input - I'm already working to try and change that "impression" on the web site. I would have never thought to contact someone unless they used the words "Stud Dog" or "at stud", but different people interpret the same info in different ways. Anyways, what made me think to post this issue was the color discussion as the last person to contact me by email was wanting to breed to a "chocolate dog", but I was also apprached by the mail carrier (for a friend of a friend) last week - asking if any of the bc's where stud dog & I have no sign addvertising the dogs on the property, only the horses. 2 random requires in the same week makes me think I need to change something....

Hi everyone, I have had experience with the female side of breeding horses, dogs, & sheep, but for the first time ever I have an intact male dog "of breeding age" and am starting to get emails, phone calls, etc from people asking if they can use my "stud dog". These inquires are of course NOT from stock dog people, but rather first time bc owners, people who ask only "what color" my boys are, etc. People I would NEVER consider letting them use my boy/s. Anyways, I am intrested in how other people handle this problem. If you have a web site to you put on it - "not available to out side bitches" and how much educating do you try to do or do you JUST SAY NO.

[size="3"]I wanted to quickly thank everyone who gave me some early help with Mirk - I ran in in Novice for the first time a few weeks ago and the took 3rd & 2nd. Anyways, the problem I have been having with Mirk is that he will do a farly nice outrun & lift, but then trys to bring me the sheep at a dead run. He'll lessens to his down commands so I can control the situation, but he's not learning to pace himself. I have tried, A) downing him, asking him to walk up and if he comes on too fast downing him again. Approach A is getting him too far off contact and then he rushes to cetch up. This approach seems to help some of my other dogs, but Mirk is not "getting it". Doing more wearing in hopes that he will figure it out on his own. This results in Mirk's brain shutting down and an annoying windsheald wiper aproach to herding that make me sea sick. Is there a good plan "C" I should try?[/size]

Hi everyone, was reading over the age rules for Nursery and could not be more confused. I have a male born 2/13/07 who is not ready this year, but may very well be ready next year. My understanding is that he is eligible for Nursery this year & next but not after the 2009 finals - Is this correct? Thanks,

"rescue should not let unsterilised animals back into the general population because people often to not uphold spay/neuter contracts." This is one of the parts I agree with - Rescue & Shelters have to make the most of a bad situeation that "they" had no part in creating. What set me off the most on this topic was the mention of spay/neuter laws, which are a bad idea for so many reason & my frustration with so many vet I know who will (behind closed door) admit there are some benifits to waiting, but further this growing notion in the general community that this debate is over.

I aggree with 75% of your email and am sorry if it sounded like I thought hormones can make up for poor genetics obviously they can not. My argument was not that people should NOT spay/neuter young it was that it is wrong to clam there are NO benifits to waiting. There are important Pros & Cons on both side, but people need to be informed and be able to make their own choices. However, similar to your reaction to my statement about ACL, the studies I've looked at on mammary tumers in bitches pay very little attention to enviroment or genetics which maybe why I know so many breeders who have been breeding dogs for 20-40+yrs who have never had a single bitch end up with that type of cancer. All else said Pyo's are nasty and the last estamate I had to get up for a client (refurral to an E-Clinic) was over $3,000.

I've been trying to fugure out for the last few days (sad I know) is Tri recessive or dominate. If you breed two Tri's you only get Tri pups, Right? Has anyone bred 2 Tri's and got a bi pup? Which in my book would make it recessive, but the articles I've been reading make it sound more complicated then that. This all started at a herding clinic where I was talking about my Tri bitch and how I thought she had a dilute gene (as she does not have normal tan patches) only to find out I was standing next to an AKC conformation bc breeder who gave me a long talk about color genetics and which was a good reminder as to how much I don't care what color my dogs really are, but also made me realize I don't know a thing about bc color genetics. Hopefuly a attached a photo of Nova (I'm not having great luck with posts) She's has flecking insted of patches on her tri areas, and is a blk Tri smooth coat, but if you push her fur in the wrong direction she is light gray underneath. Anyways, I think now I'll call her a "Primitive" Tri even though she is most likley just a variation of a blk Tri. Nova is a granddaughter of S van der Zweep's Glen and he is this type of tri and I've seen many of his offspring down 4 generations.

OK my beautiful columns became mush - I don't have this posting thing figured out. Anyways, "Beneficial" for early spay/neuter is the "Less" and Harmful for early spay/neuter is the "More".\

The argument that there is NO health benifit to waiting until a dog/bitch is sexually mature is one of the biggest lies in Vet Med, Animal rescue, & Animal rights community. There are many health benifits related to sex hormone & grouth. M. Christine Zink, DVM, PhD. DACVP gives very good talks on the subject (go to http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHea...euterinDogs.pdf for some more info). First, it has been proven that dogs/bitchs neutered/spayed at before they are sexualy mature joint plate stay open longer. This does not simply result in a tall narrow chested dog, but changes the angles in the legs which most orthopedic vets, holistic vets, or vet that do physical tharopy, will tell you that in increases the risk of dysplasia's & the ever more common ruptured ACL. Male hormones help with muscle developent (which is why so many human sport athletes take them) which protect joints/tendons/ligaments. Ask an equine vet and they will tell you hormons effect bone density, and it is wildly known that bitchs with vaginitis issues have a marked increase in incontincence issues if spayed before there first heat cycle. In Short- Early Neutering of Males (per Christine Zink DVM) Early Spaying of Females Beneficial Harmful Beneficial Harmful Less Testicular Cancer More Orthopedic problems Less mammary cancer More Orthopedic problems Less prostate infections More hemangiosarcoma Less pyometra More hemangiosarcoma Less perianal Fistula More bone cancer Less perianal fistulas More bone cancer More prostate cancer Less reproductive organ cancer More urinary tract infections Moreurinary incontinence More urinary incontincence More hypothyriodism More vaginal dermatitis More infectious diseases More hypothyroidism More adverse vaccine reasctions More infectious diseases More geriactric cognitive impairment More adverse baccine reactions More urinary tract cancer More urinary tract cancer More obesity More obesity More complications form surgery More complicatins from surgery There are too many unwanted pets and yes early spay/neutering is a key part of that fight, but as a Vet Tech I get more then a little frustrated with the "white lie" of "NO heath benifits" to not/late spay/neutering. I was told in vet tech school & at my job (when ever I'm told to "sell something like vac, HWP, blood testing, etc) "it's not about making money - it's about educating so the cleint can make their own decision" - exept when it comes to spay/neutering pets. It is only a little lie until spay/neuter laws get passed, but I clearly have no strong opinion.

Tick infection can cause eye issues as well. Anaplasmosis is a big problem in my area and it is know to cause seizures, neck issue, eye issues, fever, lethargy, mlaise, anorexia, muscle pain, meningitis, respiratory issues, diarrhea & so on. If the list looks like it came out of a vet artical it's because it did (Veterinary Medicine April 2008).

Hills help one of my dogs if you have access to them.

I have a non-emergency whelping question if anyone who has had a litter or 2 in the last few years feels like talking about it off line today. Just email- Thanks,

I'm currently waiting for the vet to come out & fix a rectal prolapse on a ewe who has been nothing but trouble this year as well as being on whelping watch, which has given me some time to sit at the computer and consider my summer plans. I just entered my Mirk, in the Upper Midwest Stockdog Challenge (in Novice) which will be both of our first trial. Mirk is ready to start, but I just remembers there is an extremely strong exhaust pen draw at that trial and Mirk can get a bit stickly (wanting to stop & hold the sheep) when the woolies are truly trying to make a run for it. What should I be doing now to make sure Mirk & I are ready for that "Challenge"? Thanks & I hope your day is going better then mine,