Thoughts on breeding
The planning of a litter, especially first of all finding the right breeding partner, has to be well thought out. Certainly, first of all, you "simply" need a male for your own bitch. But it's not that simple after all. In sheep breeding I already pay attention to certain characteristics of the breeding animals, such as health, robustness, a good nature, appearance according to the breed standard and good maternal characteristics, among others
This is no different with the Border Collies (except for the appearance according to the breed standard, which has no meaning for the breed in terms of breeding for herding performance), only there are multiple aspects that need to be taken into account.
Above all, it needs a good complement to the weaknesses. Dogs are never completely perfect and like all living things have their strengths and weaknesses. Many cattle farmers therefore even have several dogs, all of which play out their different strengths. Some are strong drivers, others very good flankers, some have a calming effect on fleeting cattle, others in turn have a lot of power and are predestined for stubborn and stiff cattle, etc. Of course, as an optimal dog you want someone who can do everything. But the herding instinct is a mosaic of a wide variety of characteristics that are inherited to different degrees, so that it sometimes takes several inheritance lines and thus several generations to acquire a desired characteristic in the dog. In addition, the good properties must of course not be lost again.
This and much more is the work of a breeder who wants to produce a good working dog to the best of his knowledge and belief.
I see it as my challenge to breed a healthy dog with a solid character that will become a valuable and reliable helper in a cattle farm. For one half Lotte already has very good qualifications.
She is a very natural bitch with a great deal of feeling for the sheep. My sheep are pretty relaxed with Lotte's calm way of working and everything goes on at a nice pace. Lotte learns very quickly, thinks along well and is always interested in doing everything right for me. But she can sometimes make her own decisions if, for example, I can't keep an eye on her. She usually knows instinctively what her task is and adapts to it.
In everyday life she is steadfast, obedient and well tolerated with everything and everyone. She is my absolute reliable dog, with whom I was able to do simpler work on my sheep right at the beginning of herding training (seven months). When I was one year old, I mainly used them. She is a team player through and through.
For Lotte, I have found a healthy male with a solid character and tested for all major hereditary diseases, who also has his strengths in driving stiff cattle and keeps his nerves well in this regard.
Since the Border Collie is unfortunately one of those dog breeds that are affected by epilepsy, I try as best I can to keep the risk for the puppies as low as possible. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee of an epilepsy-free puppy, as epilepsy cases have already occurred in almost all lines and the onset of the disease also depends on several factors.
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