The Paradox of Too Many GREAT Choices

Originally we had pinned our hopes on Axel becoming the sire of our litters. Unfortunately, his hips turned out to be mediocre at best. So, he’s enjoying his rather busy pet life and being a surrogate Dad for our litters.

Speaking of which, our first litter was an absolute success. Six of the most beautiful and even temperament Border Collies! Three males and three females. All very fluffy rough coats. Two of the males were classic pattern Black and Whites and the rest of the litter were blue merles. Did I mention their fantastic temperaments? Raised on Puppy Culture and ENS these dogs were medium drive (one was high drive), affectionate and confident pups! We also did noise sensitivity training with great success. Reports from their families are very positive.

Which brings us to the subject matter of this blog. We are looking for a stud dog for the next litter. I have four options. They are spread across the country. All do the appropriate orthopedic and health testing. All have fantastic temperaments. One has achieved some fantastic titles in the hands of a talented dog trainer. The other three most certainly could have achieved such greatness, but, when you’re a fulltime dog breeder and fulltime other business, there’s often little time for titling. But, I know these breeders well enough and know their dogs well enough that I am comfortable using their stud dogs.

Our last stud dog was Bolt form Top Notch Kennels. That dog checks all the boxes. Unfortunately, Bolt is only available by artificial insemination and I’d prefer to have a live breeding if at all possible.

So, here we are. I wish Reagan could tell me when such services would be needed and who she thinks would be the best mate. It’s all about the personalities and temperament here. We find color genetics interesting, but never a reason to breed a dog or a basis to choose a stud dog. So, stand by. We may have a big announcement to post in the next couple of weeks.

Now, go play with your dog!