- Location
- Montgomeryshire
As some on here already know, I had a litter of pups out of one of my collies in December.
The old girl done well, having a litter of 8, all tri-coloured and has done a smashing job of rearing them. They are now 6 weeks old, eating like a plague of locusts and approaching weaning rapidly. Four of them were accounted for as soon as they were born, including the dog's owner (and breeder of the bitch) having one back and me keeping another. The other four I will have to advertise soon.
I bought the mother fully trained last January, and by April she had the makings of a good lambing dog. I'm really looking forward to working with her in the paddocks this April, as she's come on leaps and bounds as a 'farm dog' now, and nearly got the trial training out of her system.
They are very well bred, with mother and father both being good trial dogs with Paul Tompkins, so I'd be daft not to have one to run on, even if it goes off for training later on. I'd obviously like to keep them all at this stage, as they are sooooo cute.
However, one it will be..... and I've been told.
Anyway, the time is coming when I will have to make a decision. It was easy last time I attempted to breed a pup, as the old lady only had one bitch. I definitely want to keep a bitch, but there are 5 of them in this litter!
Initial thinking was 'Red', who has always headed to me for a fuss and a real strong one, taking no nonsense from the lads of the litter. She's also got an appetite to match them and certainly a good do'er.
More recently, I'm starting to have my eye on 'Pink', a bit smaller but looks the sharpest of the litter. She often sits off on her own watching the mayhem thoughtfully, but not timid when in the middle of the scrum.
What should I be looking for? How does anyone else go about picking a pup for a working sheepdog? Or is it all a load of b*llo**s, you might as well just pick one at random and hope for the best?
Any advice gratefully received.
The old girl done well, having a litter of 8, all tri-coloured and has done a smashing job of rearing them. They are now 6 weeks old, eating like a plague of locusts and approaching weaning rapidly. Four of them were accounted for as soon as they were born, including the dog's owner (and breeder of the bitch) having one back and me keeping another. The other four I will have to advertise soon.
I bought the mother fully trained last January, and by April she had the makings of a good lambing dog. I'm really looking forward to working with her in the paddocks this April, as she's come on leaps and bounds as a 'farm dog' now, and nearly got the trial training out of her system.
They are very well bred, with mother and father both being good trial dogs with Paul Tompkins, so I'd be daft not to have one to run on, even if it goes off for training later on. I'd obviously like to keep them all at this stage, as they are sooooo cute.
However, one it will be..... and I've been told.Anyway, the time is coming when I will have to make a decision. It was easy last time I attempted to breed a pup, as the old lady only had one bitch. I definitely want to keep a bitch, but there are 5 of them in this litter!
Initial thinking was 'Red', who has always headed to me for a fuss and a real strong one, taking no nonsense from the lads of the litter. She's also got an appetite to match them and certainly a good do'er.
More recently, I'm starting to have my eye on 'Pink', a bit smaller but looks the sharpest of the litter. She often sits off on her own watching the mayhem thoughtfully, but not timid when in the middle of the scrum.
What should I be looking for? How does anyone else go about picking a pup for a working sheepdog? Or is it all a load of b*llo**s, you might as well just pick one at random and hope for the best?
Any advice gratefully received.
