General Appearance The general appearance is that of a strong compact, symmetrically built working dog, with the ability and willingness to carry out his allotted task however arduous. Its combination of substance, power, balance and hard muscular condition must convey the impression of great agility, strength and endurance. Any tendency to grossness or weediness is a serious fault.
Characteristics As the name implies the dog’s prime function, and one in which he has no peer, is the control and movement of cattle in both wide open and confined areas. Always alert, extremely intelligent, watchful, courageous and trustworthy, with an implicit devotion to duty making it an ideal dog.
Temperament
Attention Juniors!!!
The Cattle Dog’s loyalty and protective instincts make it a self-appointed guardian to the Stockman, his herd and his property. Whilst naturally suspicious of strangers, must be amenable to handling, particularly in the Show ring. Any feature of temperament or structure foreign to a working dog must be regarded as a serious fault.
HOW DOES YOUR DOG MEASURE UP?
Head and Skull
handling and showing your
The head is strong and must be in balance with other proportions of the dog and in keeping with its general conformation. The broad skull is slightly curved between the ears, flattening to a slight but definite stop. The cheeks muscular, neither coarse nor prominent with the underjaw strong, deep and well developed. The foreface is broad and well filled in under the eyes, tapering gradually to form a medium length, deep, powerful muzzle with the skull and muzzle on parallel planes. The lips are tight and clean. Nose black. Eyes — The eyes should be of oval shape and medium size, neither prominent nor sunken and must express alertness and intelligence. A warning or suspicious glint is characteristic when approached by strangers. Eye color, dark brown. Ears — The ears should be of moderate size, preferably small rather than large, broad at the base, muscular, pricked and moderately pointed neither spoon nor bat eared. The ears are set wide apart on the skull, inclining outwards, sensitive in their use and pricked when alert, the leather should be thick in texture and the inside of the ear fairly well furnished with hair. Mouth — The teeth, sound, strong and evenly spaced, gripping with a scissor-bite, the lower incisors close behind and just touching the upper. As the dog is required to move difficult cattle by heeling or biting, teeth which are sound and strong are very important.
ACD is to read & understand
Neck The neck is extremely strong, muscular, and of medium length broadening to blend into the body and free from throatiness.
A good way to learn about
the Breed Standard. Please take a moment to read this and learn about your dog.
Forequarters
Coat
The shoulders are strong, sloping, muscular and well angulated to the upper arm and should not be too closely set at the point of the withers. The forelegs have strong, round bone, extending to the feet and should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front, but the pasterns should show flexibility with a slight angle to the forearm when viewed from the side. Although the shoulders are muscular and the bone is strong, loaded shoulders and heavy fronts will hamper correct movement and limit working ability.
The coat is smooth, a double coat with a short dense undercoat. The outer-coat is close, each hair straight, hard, and lying flat, so that it is rain-resisting. Under the body, to behind the legs, the coat is longer and forms near the thigh a mild form of breeching. On the head (including the inside of the ears), to the front of the legs and feet, the hair is short. Along the neck it is longer and thicker. A coat either too long or too short is a fault. As an average, the hairs on the body should be from 2.5 to 4 cms (approx. 1-1.5 ins) in length.
Body
Color (Blue)
The length of the body from the point of the breast bone, in a straight line to the buttocks, is greater than the height at the withers, as 10 is to 9. The topline is level, back strong with ribs well sprung and carried well back not barrel ribbed. The chest is deep, muscular and moderately broad with the loins broad, strong and muscular and the flanks deep. The dog is strongly coupled.
The color should be blue, blue-mottled or blue speckled with or without other markings. The permissible markings are black, blue or tan markings on the head, evenly distributed for preference. The forelegs tan midway up the legs and extending up the front to breast and throat, with tan on jaws; the hindquarters tan on inside of hindlegs, and inside of thighs, showing down the front of the stifles and broadening out to the outside of the hindlegs from hock to toes. Tan undercoat is permissible on the body providing it does not show through the blue outer coat. Black markings on the body are not desirable.
Hindquarters The hindquarters are broad, strong and muscular. The croup is rather long and sloping, thighs long, broad and well developed, the stifles well turned and the hocks strong and well let down. When viewed from behind, the hind legs, from the hocks to the feet, are straight and placed parallel, neither close nor too wide apart.
Feet The feet should be round and the toes short, strong, well arched and held close together. The pads are hard and deep, and the nails must be short and strong.
Tail The set on of tail is moderately low, following the contours of the sloping croup and of length to reach approximately to the hock. At rest it should hang in a very slight curve. During movement or excitement the tail may be raised, but under no circumstances should any part of the tail be carried past a vertical line drawn through the root. The tail should carry a good brush.
Gait/Movement The action is true, free, supple and tireless and the movement of the shoulders and forelegs is in unison with the powerful thrust of the hindquarters. The capability of quick and sudden movement is essential. Soundness is of paramount importance and stiltiness, loaded or slack shoulders, straight shoulder placement, weakness at elbows, pasterns or feet, straight stifles, cow or bow hocks, must be regarded as serious faults. When trotting the feet tend to come closer together at ground level as speed increases, but when the dog comes to rest he should stand four square.
Color (Red Speckle) The color should be of good even red speckle all over, including the undercoat, (neither white nor cream), with or without darker red markings on the head. Even head markings are desirable. Red markings on the body are permissible but not desirable.
Size Height: Dogs 46-51 cms (approx. 18-20 ins) at withers Bitches 43-48 cms (approx. 17-19 ins) at withers
Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. Approved: January 11, 1999 Effective: February 24, 1999
Photo by: Nuena Photography
Owned by: Robyn Kesnow Out of: AOM, AM/CAN Ch. SilverDust Real Butter, HTAD Is, HSAs, CD, CGC, TDI ROM and Ch. Duwest Say No More I OFA excellent hips/elbows; PRCD B Bred by: Deb Casey I Fort Worth, TX I 817-382-7031 www.TXK9.com I australiancattledog.com
Snagging a Group 4!
CH Buzzards
CAUGHT YA REDHANDED Aust/Am CH Queblue Epsilon Boots CH Buzzards Katarina
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AKC Breeder of Merit • Always Owner Handler Jim Buzzard, Theresa Buzzard-Couch, & Colston Couch
BUZZARDS AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOGS Raising Working ACDs that Show for 49 years!!!
Thank you judge Alice Inman!
Back by popular demand‌ the 2012 ACD Xtreme Juniors Calendar! $20.00 For more information, or to place an order, Contact: theresa@junct.com 918-256-2555
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It Was Rainin’ Ribbons… at the 2011 ACDCA National Specialty! Reserve Winners Bitch Buzzards Sling a Little Mudd 6-9 Puppy Class Conformation I 1st 6-9 Puppy Dog Buzzards Nardalli Blue Angus I 2nd 15-18 Puppy Dog Buzzards Red Camander Tucker I 1st Open Senior Juniors GCH Buzzards Miss Worthy I 1st 6-9 Puppy Bitch Buzzards Sling a Little Mudd I 2nd 15-18 Bitch Buzzards Ain’t No Halo Here I 4th American Bred Bitch Buzzards Queblue Bella Bonnie I 2nd Bred-By Bitch Buzzards Caught Ya Red Handed
I 4th Veterans Bitch 7-10 years old Ch Buzzards BluePrint I 3rd Stud Dog Ch Buzzards B’Moody Blues I 1st Extended Generations GCh DC WTCH Buzzards Barbed Wire n’ Roses RE I 2nd Extended Generations Ch Buzzards B’Moody Blues
Sweepstakes I 2nd Place Versatility Ch Buzzards BluePrint I 3rd Veterans 7-10 years old Ch Buzzards BluePrint
Obedience I 3rd Novice Obedience Ch Buzzards BluePrint
Rally I 3rd Advanced Rally Ch Buzzards Blue Print
Herding I Reserve High in Trial Cattle!!! Reckon — Co-breeding to Australian Import, Ch Queblue Epslion Boots
AKC Breeder of Merit • Always Owner Handler
BUZZARDS AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOGS Jim Buzzard, Theresa Buzzard-Couch & Colston Couch • 346 S Gunter • Vinita, OK 74301 • www.vinita.net/buzzards • 918-782-9866 or 918-256-2555
For more information, contact info@ingen.bs www.ingen.bs International Genetics, Inc is a registered corporation in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas * Upon sample receipt. See Terms & Conditions for more information
Lisa Bowman • Owner/Breeder/Trainer/Handler Sandersville, GA • (478) 552-2795 • Cell (404) 617-1218 lisa@timberkennels.com • www.TimberKennels.com
A.K.A.
Clooney
2011 ACDCA National Specialty:
RESERVE HIGH IN TRIAL ON CATTLE under judge Peggy Richter!
STOCK OPTIONS ACDS Competitive by nature, capable by design. AKC BREEDER of MERIT Owned, Trained & Handled by: Kim Broster I (270) 978-5599 I www.stockoptionsacds.com Breeders: Kim Broster & Jim Buzzard
STOCK OPTIONS SHOW ME THE CASH Best Junior In Sweeps!
STOCK OPTIONS WAKE UP CALL 2nd in 12-15m Dogs & 1st Extended Generations with Roanie and Razin!
GCH Hillhaven Journey the Rapids PT, HSAsd “Gauley” 2011 AKC/Eukanuba 2nd Award of Excellence & Best Bred By Exhibitor ACD #4 Australian Cattle Dog, #1 Owner Handled Australian Cattle Dog Thank you judge Pat Hastings
CH Hillhaven Defying Gravity “Elphie” AKC/Eukanuba 5th Award of Excellence Finished from the BBE class at 10 months of age Thank you judge Pat Hastings
Est. 1990 • Breeders/Owners/Handlers: Jim, Louanne & Amelia Brooks 31835 Oak Ridge Ave Way • Lake City, MN 55041 • 651-345-3749 • hillhaven1@earthlink.net
NEW AKC CHAMPION!
2011 ACDCA National Specialty Grand Sweepstakes Winner from the 6-9 month puppy dog class Thank you Judge Michael Stetler
A.K.A. Toro
Thanks to all who worked on the 2011 ACDCA National Specialty from HILLHAVEN. We and our 6 dogs had a fabulous time! GCH Hillhaven Journey the Rapids PT HSAs HSAd (Gauley) st
• 1 , 4th Rally Novice • 2nd Versatility Conformation • 1st Stud Dog • 2nd, 4th,Started Sheep; Reserve High in Trial • 4th Versatility Competition CH Hillhaven’s Li’l Shenanigan (Lily) • 4th Brood Bitch • 4th 7-10 Veteran Bitch, Sweepstakes
CH Hillhaven Defying Gravity (Elphie) nd
• 2 15-18 Month Bitch, Puppy Match • 3rd 15-18 month Junior Bitch, Sweepstakes
Hillhaven’s Get A Grip (Cinch) • 1st 15-18 Month Bitch, Puppy Match • Best Puppy In Match • 1st Bred By Exhibitor Bitch, Specialty Conformation
Hillhaven’s Good for Good (Glinda) • 3rd 15-18 month bitch, Puppy Match • 3rd 15-18 month Jr Bitch, Specialty Conformation
Hillhaven Bull By the Horns (Toro) • Sweepstakes: 1st 6-9 month puppy dog; Best Puppy, Grand Sweepstakes Winner
We are delighted for first place Versatility winner, “Mandy” (GCH Crossfire’s Making Headlines HT PT HSAc), whose father & maternal grandfather are Hillhaven dogs, and her owners, John & Julie Bishop
Breeders/Owners/Handlers:
Jim, Louanne & Amelia Brooks • Lake City, MN • hillhaven1@earthlink.net • www.home.earthlink.net/~hillhaven1
Be sure to let everyone know about your dog or kennel’s latest achievements by placing an eye-catching ad in your favorite publication. I’ll be sure to make your ad STAND OUT from the rest!
heatherbdesign@aol.com
Get on board with the “Special� ACD Spotlight Design Rate: I $75 per 2-page spread I $50 per single page Design work and ad alterations for other publications will be billed at the regular $50-per-hour rate. Email for details.*
* Excessive alteration time for Spotlight ads will be billed at $25-per-hour. Special Spotlight rate applies only to Spotlight ad placement. Ads to be placed in outside publications will be billed at the regular $50-per-hour rate.
Stock Options
Bred Kim Br AKC Br
d by: roster reeder of Merit
Sire:
CH Stock Options Strike Zone PT QW Dam:
AOM CH Stock Options Razin A Ruckus HIAd HSAcds HSBd RN OTDcs STDd QW
Owned by: Toni Crites Dreamcatcher ACDs www.dreamcatcherkennel.com and Kim Broster
STOCK OPTIONS ACDS
Competitive by nature, capable by design. www.stockoptionsacds.com
Becaus eIwantt ohel pyougett hr ought heyear . . . www. zi ngpi x. com $16. 00pl uss hi ppi ng s hi ppi ngwor l dwi de ques t i ons ?-j ef f @zi ngpi x. com
CH Bleu Moon’s Southern Wrangler (5 pts to his GCH)
Bleu Moon’s Sou www.bleumooncattledogs.com 601-749-4531
CH Bleu Moon’s Southern Belle
uthern Stetson (3 pt major)
Here at Bleu Moon Cattle Dogs our goal is to provide Australian Cattle Dogs that have working ability, temperament, conformation and personality that is reflected in the breed standard and to achieve and promote these qualities. Our puppies are from Fully health tested parents. All puppies are UTD on vaccines, microchipped and BAER tested. AKC registered puppies only. Please call or visit our website for puppy availability.
www.bleumooncattledogs.com 601-749-4531
These puppies are from previous litters and represent what we produce.
Sherri Swanton • Sanger, TX www.straightarrowacds.com meeuwswan@hotmail.com
Gunnar
Phoebe
Thistle
Ben
KOMBINALONG — Narelle Hammond-Robertson How long have you been in dogs? My life has never been without dogs. I was born into a dog show family where my grandfather bred and showed German Shepherds and my mum bred and showed Pembroke Welsh Corgis. How long have you had the ACD? My first ACD was purchased shortly after marrying my first husband back in 1979. He did not particularly care for Corgis or GSD’s and wanting to continue showing dogs which I loved to do I gave him the choice of breed. He first chose the Basenji but after visiting a well-known breeder and leaving their house having seen how destructive and difficult to live with some Basenjis could be I recall walking out of the house saying to him “second choice”! He then said “ I have always wanted either a Basenji or a Bluee”! Bluee being short for Blue Heeler my first thought was “Oh my god, they don’t win!” As I had always been fairly successful in the show ring with both my other breeds and at that time the ACD was really a breed that just made up the numbers in the show ring. How did you first get involved in the ACD? I thought if I was going to do this right from the start I needed to go to a reputable breeder. I contacted the ACD Society of NSW and at that time Joan Foley was the Secretary and puppy person.
Narelle and Ampol
Aust Grand Ch Kombinalong Super Octane
Joan put me onto a breeder by the name of Carl Riley who at the time had a litter sired by Ch. Carldon Blue Jackson who had won BOB at Sydney Royal either that year or the previous year (my memory has faded a little over time with those details). So off I went armed with a copy of the standard to pick my new pup. All I recall of that day was seeing this most gorgeous double eye patched bitch pup (who was the cutest thing I had ever seen) running toward me. All my study and reading of the standard went straight out the window as I immediately picked her up and said “I’ll take her”! So Carldon Blue Jody became a member of the Robertson household and a very large part of my life. I fell in love her loyalty and devotion. I started to show her and sadly the only time Jody won was when she was the only dog in her class and had no competition. I thought all the judges had no idea as Jody to me was the best thing ever. It wasn’t until one day I was showing at a dog show at Castle Hill in Sydney that a “well known” breeder/exhibitor at that time came up to me at told me in no uncertain terms everything that was wrong with Jody. I was shattered that someone could be so nasty about my beautiful Jody and went home to Cessnock (which is approx. 200klms from Sydney) saying that I would never come back to Sydney if the other exhibitors were like that. It was then that I picked up the standard again and started to read. Unfortunately for Jody that person was right about her confirmation but nothing could take away from her wonderful and typical ACD temperament. It was at that moment that I decided I would breed an All Breeds Best in Show winning ACD. What do you do with your dogs? Conformation shows but do have a couple in my kennels and several others with owners and co-owners that have herding and obedience titles.
What titles have your puppy buyers put on the dogs you have bred? Have several owners and co-owners with dogs that have conformation titles in Australia, over 35 American Ch. titles, several New Zealand, Singapore, World, Canadian, International, South African, several European countries and South American countries plus Herding and Obedience titles.
Aust Grand Ch Kombinalong Super Crow (aka Bungee) owned by Toni Gardiner of Lonerun ACDs
What made you decide to start breeding? The defining moment came after that show with Jody mentioned previously when I realized that upon studying the breed standard in great detail, going back through the old standards from the first stock dog standard to the breed extension published by the ACD Society of NSW, and reading Robert Kaleski’s book cover to cover, comparing the various changes made over the years that what I was seeing being shown and bred at both All Breeds and Specialty level in general IMHO was not what the original designers of the breed had intended the breed to be. What was the reason you chose a particular dog/bloodlines to start your breeding program? I dabbled with a couple of dogs of the Rokeglen prefix. The Rokeglen kennels had some really lovely dogs and Jody had a litter to a very well-known sire that produced in general pet quality dogs so it was not until one day when I was searching for a new bitch as my foundation for my kennels that an old friend and very successful breeder of poultry and dogs came to me and told me about a litter he had seen at a dog show down at Batemans Bay with this most gorgeous bitch pup in it. I contacted the breeder Mr Bill Cakebread and before I knew it Meroolestate Kristy was on her way up the coast to me. She was driven from Batemans Bay by various friends who met at the local pubs on route to Cessnock. I was excited to see my new pup as I had purchased her sight unseen purely on the recommendation of this friend so you can imagine my horror when I finally got to see her and my first thought was “She is the ugliest cattle dog I have ever seen” I was shattered at the thought that I had bought another dud. Luckily I chose to persist with this ugly pup called “PK” who absolutely stole my heart because when I was handed the first of her three All Breeds Best in Show sashes that she won in her show career some 10 months later at a country show about 500klms north west of Sydney I figured that just maybe I was heading in the right direction. When I chose to breed my beautiful “PK” I almost made the same fatal mistake again, searching for a top winning dog rather than looking at the dog itself and seeing what it could contribute to my bitches and ultimately to my long term breeding program. PK was ready to come on heat and I had booked her to be mated to the top winning dog at that time and as luck would have it the dog broke its leg and could not be used at stud.
I was on my way to take one of my grandfather’s horse rugs to be repaired. I arrived at the place and there was this blue dog tied up on a chain in the back yard. I looked at this dog whose coat was unkempt but who had a lovely head and expression without being overdone, strong body without any exaggerations and a number of other qualities that I was looking for so I asked the owner about his dog if he had papers. He proudly told me he was pure bred and had a pedigree with lots and lots of champions. He showed me the registration papers and the dog was “Stillan Blue Buddy” bred by Steve Douglas and sired by Aust Ch. Tirlta Rexie aka Dougal. Dougal was a dog I owned in partnership with Keith and Robyn Cook and he did a reasonable amount of winning but had only ever sired one litter before his untimely and tragic death. I had never seen any of the pups and here was one of them standing wagging his tail in front of me. I asked the owner if I could use the dog at stud and he most gladly obliged. The resulting litter produced 7 dogs and 1 bitch with body patch in the middle of her back. The stud fee was a bitch pup and I chose a very pretty double eye patched male. Just before the pups were ready to go to their new homes the poultry and dog breeder who had found me PK came to cast his eye over the litter. I showed him what I was keeping and he pointed to this ugly, big eared, single eye patched male and said “that’s your best pup in the litter”. I strongly disagreed but he managed to talk me around. I sold the vey pretty double eye patched male and ran on this ugly, big eared, long legged pup. I named him Kombinalong Super “K” (aka Sao) after the recent opening of a large supermarket in Maitland near Cessnock call Super K Mart. And I suppose from that the rest is as they say “history”. How did you come up with your kennel name? Kombinalong was not my first choice. I submitted the mandatory number to the Kennel Control as it was known then and all of them were rejected so had to go back with another lot. Kombinalong means Dingo in one of the many Aborigine dialects’. What dog or bitch to date is your best dog/bitch produced and why? This is hard question as the greatest winning dog carrying the Kombinalong prefix is Aust Ch. Kombinalong Super “K” who I believe still holds the breed record for the most BIS/BISS wins but my best dog in my opinion and also one of the top sires of all time was Multi BIS/BISS Aust Grand Ch. Kombinalong Super Octane aka Ampol. As much as Sao was the dog that had the great show record and was the “show dog”, Ampol to me exemplifies the breed standard and still does to this day. Strength without coarseness, moderate and with no exaggerations.
Multi BIS/BISS Aust Ch Kombinalong Super “K” (Sao)
Which dog in your breeding program was or is the most successful or that you feel contributed the most to the breed? Multi BIS/BISS Aust Grand Ch Kombinalong Super Octane without doubt contributed more to my breeding program and to many many others both in Australia and overseas. You will find Ampol is many many pedigrees all over the world. Which bitch in your breeding program was or is the most successful or that you feel contributed the most to the breed? Apart from PK my foundation bitch probably the bitch that has contributed more to my breeding program would be Kombinalong Super Diva. Diva was born at the wrong time in my life and was rarely shown so never gained her Championship title. I was dealing with several life changing issues when Diva was young and was at one stage ready to sell all my breeding stock including my beautiful Diva and never breed another litter but thankfully with the help and support of my wonderful second husband Ken Hammond, close friends and family and taking a little break from breeding, judging and showing, Diva is hopefully pregnant with her fourth litter and has to date produced several champions both in Australia and overseas. Who influenced your breeding choices the most and why? I would have to say that exhibitor all those years ago that made me study the standard to the point where I can recite it almost word for word and that poultry and dog breeder and exhibitor who after finding my first BIS winner and foundation bitch, then choosing my greatest winning dog. I still recall when Sao was about 18 months old and he at that stage where he had started to do a fair amount of winning at group level. I was at a large All Breeds show in Sydney and at that time it was not unusual to have numbers of 1800 dogs at a show. I won the breed under one judge, won Best in Group (Group 1) under another judge and walked in the ring to the BIS judge. There were many seasoned multi BIS winning dogs in the line-up so I considered I was just there to make up numbers so when after some deliberation the judge said “My BIS will be the Australian Cattle Dog� I not only was totally shocked and delighted but the first person to congratulate me as I walked out of the ring was that same poultry and dog breeder.
BISS Aust Ch Kombinalong Super Tramp
Aust Grand Ch Kombinalong Super Octane (Ampol) bred, owned and handled by Narelle Hammond-Robertson
BISS Aust Ch Kombinalong Truly Super
If you were going to rate type, temperament and soundness in what order of importance would that be and why? One must look for the complete picture, therefore type, temperament and soundness are equal. Maintaining the working ability of the breed is vital, however it is also important that the breed looks as close as possible to a replica of the written standard. The overall silhouette must be of a strong, symmetrically built working dog with a clean wedge shaped head in balance with other proportions of the dog and a body that displays strength and power without coarseness, agility and endurance without weediness. Soundness of both mind and body is essential. The breed is loyal and protective of their master but must be amenable to handle, particularly in the show ring. I recall a judge commenting that he likes the see a “a bit of mongrel” in the breed. The breed does display suspicion toward strangers, therefore correct eye shape and colour is vital in order to give the characteristic ‘glint’ but the breed should never show aggression, nervousness, shyness or a ‘mongrel’ attitude. The movement must be tireless and free. A long, powerful, ground covering stride that can endure many hours of work in often rough and rugged terrain can only be achieved with correct angulation, level back, lowered head whilst on the move and a tail set and carriage that is moderately low. Do you have a distinguishable line? My distinguishable line is how I interpret the breed standard. All my dogs fit within the parameters of acceptability to the standard but I will not have a dog in my kennels that I consider unsound in mind or body. What do you think are the more serious faults in our breed today? Unsound temperament is something that is becoming a real concern. The busier our lives get the less time we have to spend with our dogs and therefore do not get enough socialization as a youngster. There are still far too many dogs that have incorrect head shapes. Dome skulls and round eyes. Ears sitting far too high on the skull. All of these problems do not make for a good herding dog.
Multi in Show winner Aust Ch Kombinalong Super Highway HIC
Aust Ch Kombinalong Supercalifragilist HIC Coowned by Sandra Sanders and Kombinalong Kennels and handled by Sandra Sanders
Kombinalong Super Trooper winning Best in Show in Brazil Owned by Thaís Rodrigues of Heeler Valley ACD’s Brazil
3 x AOM Am/Can Ch Kombinalong Super Shaman AOE HIC (Imp Aust)
With owner/handler Robbie Hughes
Kombinalong The Age of Super aka Reason Bred, owned and campaigned by Narelle Hammond-Robertson
Aust Ch Yaringah Lover Boy aka Jacko (Son of Aust Ch Kombinalong Super Tramp)
On his way to winning BISS at the Australian Cattle Dog Society of NSW Show 2010
Bred by Anne Hickey and owned by Anne Hickey, Ian Storm and Kombinalong Kennels handled by Narelle Hammond-Robertson
What would you say are the biggest genetic faults in our breed today? We still overall as a breed are plagued with genetic defects. PRCD, hearing, hip and elbow dysplasia and lately another bone disease that is getting more common which is OCD of the shoulder. Common problem in other medium to large breeds and has not been seen much in our breed because we have not been looking for it. Do you feel the AKC/UKC/FCI/ANKC breed standard is adequate? The current country of origin standard is far from adequate as it is way too vague and can be interpreted many different ways. Some of the original standards were far more specific and give not only the interpretation of the breed standard but also the measurements of the head skull, body etc. The colour wording is grossly lacking is clear understanding. Very few of the fancy and judges alike that you speak with understand the difference between the varieties in both colours and there is two varieties of red that should be included as we do breed all three varieties in both colours. When deciding on a breeding do you outcross, line breed, inbreed of a combination of all? I endeavor to breed like to like and look at the breeding of each dog and the relationship that both dogs are to each other. I have in the past worked a little too close and have experienced problems such as a higher rate of deaf pups. The PRCD status and the results of the hip, elbow and shoulder X rays also strongly influence my breeding Do you allow your stud dog to breed to outside females and if so what is your criteria? My stud dogs are available at public stud with the following conditions. Must have PRCD test results as I will not do a mating that could potentially produce an affected dog. Must have hearing test certificate and must have hip and elbow x rays and scores. How do you raise and what do you feed your puppies? Because of our very busy lifestyles, I believe in “Keep it simple�. The pups are weaned straight onto a super-premium adult dog food (always soaked) and once the pups have gone to their new homes the one or two that I may keep get chicken necks and brisket bone. I have done full circle and have gone back to simple feeding of the same food for both pup and adults.
Am and Aust Ch Kombinalong OO Super owned by Frieda Young Redfoot ACDs Tulsa Arizona
Because of our pet shipping business www.animaltravel.com.au we have full time staff so the pups and adults get lots of interaction with people and other dogs. The pups also have lots of children plastic play equipment in their yard, ladders, slides, tunnels so they get accustomed to different situations. I also try and start lead and bait training at 7-8 weeks of age. Do you consider yourself a mentor to others coming into the breed? I can honestly say that I have never thought of myself like that with people coming into the breed and wanting to breed and show. New people tend to have their own set ideas of what is correct from whomever or wherever they buy their first ACD. I personally believe I have had more influence on the ACD pet owner with my two books which were directed at that specific market explaining what the breed is all about in a simple form for the pet owner. I have had many many emails, phone calls, letters and the like over the years from pet owners who have purchased my book before going out to buy their new family member to tell me how helpful it was in assisting them to make an informed decision on which pup to buy. What advice would you give them in starting out on the right road? Understand dog construction, conformation and then apply that to our breed. Study and understand the breed standard. Don’t be like a long time breeder who still breeds and shows today who said to me many years ago. “I have never read the breed standard, I just breed what I like�. Every breeder would have a different interpretation of our breed standard because it is so vague. That is not an issue as long as they do not lose sight of what our breed was bred for. Describe an average day living with your dogs? Up normally at 6.30am. I have 3 adult dogs that sleep in Giant Vari kennels in the garage, so I let them out into the exercise areas. If I have a litter I go and spend some time with the pups, soak their food and move them from their night run to their outside yard where they can play on the play equipment.
Aust Ch Kombinalong Super Roo BOB Royal Hobart show 2009,2010 and again in 2011 Owned, handled and very much loved by Kristy Pearcey
By this time weekdays our kennel manager Scott would have arrived and be mixing up the adult food for my dogs and the boarding dogs. I normally feed all my dogs unless I am away or heading to a dog show. Once that is finished if I have a young dog in training I will take him or her for a short walk then put them on the show stacker for a couple of minutes bait and stack training. Then I will spend a couple more minutes lead training before putting them outside in the exercise areas where they spend the day usually with another dog of similar age or size. We mix the young dogs with the boarders as often as we can so they get to interact with other breeds, sizes and ages of dogs. What should people interested in the breed know before bringing one into their homes? Make sure you are fully aware of the temperament and the needs of the breed. They are a high energy, active dog that can be both so loving and so pig headed at the same time. They are an Alpha breed and need their human too be strong to guide them. They need a leader and I am their leader (most of the time!). Whatever they do make sure the dog and the parents are fully health screened and you have the documents to say that. They also need to be vaccinated and microchipped Is there anything interesting that the breeding community (for your breed) is working on? Not being heavy involved with any breed club because of our very busy lifestyle I can’t comment much. All I can say is that the ACD Society New South Wales is looking into getting a national breed council up and running and hopefully other state breed clubs will be interested as we need three state breed clubs to form a national breed council. This will assist us with specific breed issues and we may one day be able to hold a national breed show.
Kombinalong Australian Cattle Dogs Narelle Hammond-Robertson Phone 61 2 45727736 www.kombinalong.com
RESERVE YOUR PUP
Pups are blue males obligate A to qualified show homes only. Dam: Gravan Silverpark’s Lil Sista OFA Good Pra A
Sire: Aust & U.S. CH Kombinalong OO Super Multiple BISS Winner Hips: Excellent
Elbows: Excellent Pra: A
These pups are out of big boned typey parents with excellent movement & wonderful temperaments. www.RedfootACD.com • 918 260 8343
Bred by:
Brian & Deb Mintzer Taylryder ACDs Owned by:
Kerry Hamilton LostMule ACDs 281.460.3034 lostmule@sbcglobal.net
Sire:
BISS AOM/AOE CH BD Taylryder Tufferenhell RN, HSAscd, HIAs, HXAs, HRD1, VQW Dam:
Taylryder Ewez It Or Looz It HSAs, STDc ACDCA 2010 Dam of the Most New Champions
Huge thanks to Deb for sending Rusty to me! Thank you Chris Ann Moore for handling him!
Tuffy
Sire: CH Taylryder J Dam: Buzzards Hit Obligate Clear for PRA & PLL OFA Good Hips & Normal Elbows CERF Normal • BAER Normal
Just Blame It On Me N Run Cailleach
Bred by Kerry Hamilton • LostMule ACDs 281.460.3034 • lostmule@sbcglobal.net Loved & Owned by the Vlasak Family Expertly handled by Barbara Weiner
PRODUCED TH E FIRST RED ACD TO WIN B REED AT WEST MINSTER
PUPPIES AVAI LABLE…
SHOW & PERF ORMANCE PR OSPECTS, OR JUST GREA T COMPANION S!
Introducing Pepper, ‘the Naughty Cattle Dog’ Not one week has gone by when Pepper hasn‛t dug a big hole in the garden, ripped out some plants, chewed up some toys, chased the lawnmower, raided the kitchen cupboards, escaped the back yard, emptied the rubbish onto the floor, or chewed the furniture. I tell you, Pepper can be really naughty and it is his naughty antics that lead to his adventures… Pepper the Naughty Cattle Dog is a fun character created by Australian, Baz Parker and is aimed at children and families. Pepper makes his debut in the wonderfully illustrated paperback, ‘Pepper Gets Lost‛ - a must have addition to any kid‛s library. Why not join Pepper on his adventures by visiting his website:
www.PepperTheNaughtyCattleDog.com
www.PeppertheNaughtyCattleDog.com & www.facebook.com/peppercattledog
© Creative iD 2010
Š Creative iD 2010
Order your copy now:
Daisy is an ACD thru and thru. She likes to be in control; but responds well to strong, consistent, and fair leadership. She was found on the roadside and has been in foster or office foster for 2 months. Daisy has learned many hand cues; sit, down, Go to bed, wait, come, touch, positive signal marker, negative signal marker, and a release. A trainers dream! She is very intelligent and a quick study. Daisy is very wellbehaved ...for an adolescent. She does push boundaries. What adolescent doesn't? She has a great sense of humor and is quite the prankster. She will need a consistent, strong, leader to guide her down the right path. Once she knows what you are asking of her she is eager to do her best. Daisy will need to be monitored with other dogs until pack order is agreed upon. She is not happy to take a backseat and may very well want to be not only in control but in charge. She is true to her breed; as she is very loyal to her people and once you have established your leadership she is respectful of such. However; if you are not actively being a leader she will take on this role in regards to the other dogs. Daisy is very busy exploring anything of interest. She loves food stuffed toys and puzzles and figures them out in rapid speed. She is very quick to develop games to play with her using whatever she can find; she will empty out the toy box looking for just the right object for her next game. Daisy does not aggressively guard resources from other dogs; but she will control their movement to keep them from accessing resources; including 'her' people. Daisy is very much the Australian Cattle Dog in so many ways, as well as being an adolescent, and deaf; all of this making her a very special adoption. Her new family should be experienced with cattle dogs or herding dogs at the very least. A strong background or interest in positive reinforcement training is a must. Experience with deaf dogs a plus. Suzanne Kernek Manager of Behavior and Training Sonoma Humane Society (707)542-0882 ext: 249 or email: SKernek@sonomahumane.org
“Okay…but they have to be short-haired, prick eared, don’t require grooming, and, they need to be able to live outside”. Those were the instructions that my husband, Stephen, gave to me when it was time to find new canine fur-children after our two cocker spaniels crossed The Bridge in late 1992. This was Carazo just trying to be macho after 18 years of friendship with our cockers, and being the dutiful wife I was willing to accommodate everything…except for the “living outside” part. Thus, began our transition from pet-people to dog-people. The Cattle Dog adventure began in 1993 when we found Tucker and Tazru on a small ranch in Murietta, California. They were littermates, standard size, with docked tails, and incredibly sweet personalities that would lead our future Cattle Dog friends to say that we didn’t know what it was like to have real Cattle Dogs because these two were so laid back and easy. Soon after, with Tucker and Tazru in tow, I was stocking up on supplies at the local feed store where I met an elderly lady, Sue Rucker, who matter-of-factly said, “you need to give those cow dogs some work to do”. Following Sue’s advice, started us on an incredible jour- Tucker ney of friendship, loyalty, exciting competition, and sorrowful mourning. Nineteen years later the journey continues. Tazru
As a suburban housewife, herding did not come naturally to me. Despite my lack of handling skills, Tucker and Tazru both quickly earned herding Started titles in sheep, cattle, and ducks. The time consuming nature of herding training and Stephen’s work schedule only let him participate as unpaid kennel help during our herding years. However, in late 1994 one of my herding friends introduced us to the sport of Agility. Now Stephen got excited and our love affair with agility began. Tucker was the first ADCH ACD in USDAA agility, the first MACH Cattle Dog in AKC agility, and after earning his NACH, he became the first triple title Cattle Dog, ADCH, MACH, NACH. His sister, Tazru, soon followed with the triple title as well. She also finished 9th at the 2001 AKC Agility Nationals in Denver/Houston? As our first ACDs and our first Agility Champions, Tucker and Tazru were special.
Lilu
ACDs, Axle and Lilu were just under 16 inches at the withers. They were smaller dogs with significant drive who quickly earned their PT herding title but by then we had already begun to focus exclusively on agility. Axle and Lilu also earned their ADCH, MACH, NACH titles. Now, nearly 12 yrs old, MACH 13 Lilu retired last October with age related
As Tucker and Tazru were approaching veteran status, we found a couple of ACDs with the more typical Cattle Dog personalities our friends had always told us about. Against the advice of most of the trainers we knew, we again decided on a litter-mate brother and sister pair of puppies off a ranch in Paterson, California. Axle(Carazo’s Four Wheeler) and Lilu(Carazo’s Fifth Element) were born in 2000. Coming from a small line of
Axle
PRA. In 2005, she finished 5th in the final round of the AKC Agility Nationals in Tampa, Florida. Axle is just a few double Q's shy of MACH 15, and although he has slowed a bit, he's still running agility. In 2007, Axle finished third in the AKC Agility Invitational at Long Beach, California. With a self-imposed penchant for “Blue Dogs”…we even painted that on the side of our traveling van…we found ourselves to be quite surprised when Lilu our next pair of litter-mate puppies were “Red Dogs”. My husband, Stephen, is a Vice President with the California PennySaver and we published ads throughout the central California ranching communities in search of small, high-drive dogs. This time we found them in Coulterville, California about thirty miles west of Yosemite in the cattle ranch foothills. If one would consider that Axle and Lilu were high-drive, then certainly the pack we encountered in Coulterville could be considered insane…and, here we had three generations on one ranch. We would never purport to be knowledgeable in the ways of animal husbandry, and our puppy testing skills were cerAxel tainly limited. We would simply show videos of our dogs performing agility to the rancher and explain to them that this is what we would be doing with their puppies. Impressed with Gary Bereta and his Coulterville pack, we simply asked Gary to study the pups after they were born, and help us select the two he thought would do the best for us. In November, 2005 we went back to Coulterville to retrieve another
brother and sister litter-mate pair…Rogue (Carazo’s Rogue in Red) and Siren(Carazo’s Red Alert). In 2009, MACH 4 Rogue won the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in small dog agility. In 2010, he nearly repeated that effort but, in what I believe to be the only time “instant replay” video determined the outRogue and Siren come of an agility competition, he ended up in second place despite the fact that the judge on course qualified the run. As Stephen says, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”. Later that year, another “agony of defeat” moment. After the four qualifying rounds in the 2010 AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, California, Stephen and Rogue were in first place. In their finals run, Stephen, at age 62, says he had a senior moment as his spikes caught on the turf and Stephen went down in a heap as Rogue exited a tunnel. Rogue responded well and qualified on the run but the brief slow down put him in third place. Finally, December 2011, the AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando, Florida and this time Rogue and Stephen experienced the “ thrill of victory”. Old guy Carazo and Rogue, 16 inch Champions. Rogue’s sister Siren was not as fortunate. We discovered early on that she suffered from auto-immune problems. She required lots of meds and lots of care. She did compete in
agility during her nearly four years of life earning her MX and MXJ before God took her home. She passed just one month before her brother Rogue won at Purina Farms in Missouri. Early in Siren’s life, we did not know how long she would live let alone if she would ever compete in agility. For that reason, we made the deSiren cision to add two more puppies to our pack. Crazy huh? Same dad as Rouge and Siren…different mom. The result was one Blue, Recon(Carazo’s Airborne Recondo) and one Red, Bender(Carazo’s Drinks on me). Using the same puppy selection process, Recon and Bender appear to be ready to follow in their halfbrother Rogue’s agility success. However, we do not recommend having four ACD pups under the age of two years in the house at the same time. Recon has earned his first Recon and Bender MACH and recently qualified for and competed in the AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando. Bender is close to getting his first MACH
hopefully at the next trial. We are planning to compete with four of our dogs, Axle, Rogue, Recon, and Bender at the AKC Nationals in Reno, Nevada in 2012.
Bender
After Tucker and Tazru, all of our dogs have been smaller in stature than the standard… by our choice. We sought out smaller dogs for agility. With “The Boys” heights at nearly 17 inches and age creeping up on Stephen and me, we decided to focus on AKC since the three would have to run in a higher jump height in venues like USDAA. Given our success in the early half of the past decade, and our concentration on AKC with “The Boys” , we have been fortunate to have earned the top Australian Cattle Dog of the Year Award in AKC agility for ten years in a row, with four different dogs---Tucker, Axle, Lilu and Rogue: Tucker----2001 (he was 8 yrs old) Axle (Carazo's Four Wheeler)----2002,2003 Lilu (Carazo's Fifth Element)---- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Axle again----2008 Rogue (Carazo's Rogue in Red)---- 2009, 2010 and Rogue is 1,000 points in the lead for 2011 as this is written.
People have asked me what kind of puppy testing we did to determine our choice of puppies. Perhaps, in the traditional sense the answer is ---not much. As I said earlier, on the ranches we frequented, we were able to see the parents, grandparents, and the rest of the other pack members and how they interacted with each other. We have been really lucky and blessed with the pups that have come to live, train, and trial with us. They have all come home at 6-8 weeks and have always been what we hoped they would be. We do have a moderately sized yard in which to train. And many years ago, we invested in equipment that would allow us to train at home. We are certainly not the best trainers or handlers. Through the years, we have trusted our trainers, Barbara Mah, Shannon Miller, and now, Stephanie Spyr to keep us current with the latest handling techniques. Both of us are now in our sixties, and a bit slower while our dogs are younger and faster. Hopefully, we can continue to give them the effort they deserve. We have had eight Cattle Dogs living in our home at one time‌retired, trialing, or in training. We would have it no other way. No, we do not go on vacation or out to dinner much. If you want to see us, you'll have to come to our house. Expect dog hair on the furniture and, possibly, in your coffee. Close friends and family that care have come to understand that
is just the way it is. Our pretty Tazru passed at 14 yrs and my sweet Tucker almost made it to 17 before he was called home. My precious Siren was called home much too soon, breaking my heart beyond belief. We are down to 5 crazy Cattle Dogs. This past year, to help fill the void left by Siren, we've added two Chihuahua rescues. Their tenacious personalities were easily accepted into the Cattle Dog pack and, all is well with the world.
Top Agility Austra AKC Agility Invitational held De
alian Cattle Dogs ecember 2011 in Orlando, FL.
MACH Australian Cattle Dogs 12/20/2010
Update!! --MACH Carazo's Drinks on MeBender earned his MACH title today---since my (knee replacement) surgery, Stephen has been running my little red boy, Bender, at trials. Out of 11 days of agility, Bender and Stephen have double Q'd nine times (I got the first 11 QQ's w/ him) taking him to the 20 QQ's he needed for his Master Agility Champion title. Good boy, Bender!
Bender
Training Success With Impossible Dogs
My Cattle Dog puppy,
Ellie Rose, inspired this blog yesterday. I was training her in agility and using both food and toys as a reinforcer. I was clicking and treating for her mastering a difficult and new approximation of a behavior, and using the toy as a reinforcer to get speed and drive out of behaviors she had already learned. She is crazy for the toy, and we were having a grand time playing together after each sequence. Then, by mistake, I clicked her and offered her the toy. She sat down and flat out refused to take it until I gave her a treat, first. Smart girl, she called me out on being sloppy. When I click, I give my dog a food reward. Every time, without fail, one to one, always. I don’t offer my dog a toy, play, or other reinforcer after I click – I only offer food rewards after the click. Why is that so important? You have to remember that the click is a classically conditioned reinforcer, and to maintain the classically conditioned response you can’t “leave out” or mix up stimuli. OK that’s pretty meaningless to most people, so lets break it down. The way we “power up” a clicker, is to click, wait half a second, and treat. We do this for many, many repetitions. We are not trying to train our dogs to do anything, we are
trying to create a classically conditioned
response. What that means is that, eventually, when the dog hears the clicker he will have an involuntary physiological response to the click. He will begin to relax and drool, (his parasympathetic nervous system will kick in) just as if food were actually present, even if there is no food around. This has huge advantages for a dog trainer. Among other things, it’s a way of reaching in and controlling the way your dog feels – properly conditioned, a clicker makes your dog feel good, whether he wants to or not. Furthermore, it can push your dog back into the “thinking” part of the brain, rather than the
limbic or flight or flight part of the brain. This is where you want your dog to be when he’s learning new and complex tasks that require concentration and focus. So, when we say a clicker is “powered up” what we really mean is we have successfully classically conditioned an involuntary physiological response to the clicker.
only after the dog is fluent in any given behavior do I add “stimulating” reinforcers. You can’t classically condition the clicker to invoke two opposing physiological responses so I recommend, if you want to use toys or other reinforcers, use a different marker. I use the word “yessss” for toys and the clicker is reserved for food.
Now, to maintain that classically conditioned response, you have to pair the food with the click every time. It’s not like training, where you can thin the ratio (gradually give less and less reinforcers) and get a higher response (longer duration and better performance). Training is an intellectual function where the dog makes a choice about how to pursue or avoid consequences. Conditioning is a different animal completely. There are no choices, here, only conditioned involuntary responses – any time you fail to give the food in conjunction with the click, you weaken the conditioning.
Just a side note – you don’t actually have to give your dog the food each time you click. You can vary the reinforcer and create more drive by sometimes just letting him sniff the food, put his mouth on the food but not have it, give him ten pieces of food, a huge chunk of food, thowing the food, etc. The bottom line it, food has to be involved, somehow.
So, what about clicking and giving a toy or offering play, or other reinforcers? Sure, you can do it, but you will be weakening your nice conditioned response. Lets think about what we are doing when we play with our dogs – we get his adrenaline pumping, kick him into play/prey drive, and try to rev up his performance. It does not take much to realize that is at odds with the calming, thinking, state that the parasympathetic nervous system invokes when food is present. For me, keeping the dog in the thinking brain is crucial for teaching him things, As a general rule,
http://whenpigsflydogtraining.com/
This is a complicated topic and I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions on this! Tp find this and additional training tips visit the web site at:
Reach out to us - we're very friendly! When Pigs Fly Dog Training 95 Union Brick Rd Blairstown, NJ 07825 908-310-9498 Click Here to email us jane@pigsflydogs.com Blog reprint from: http://whenpigsflydogtraining.com/blog/?p=97
CH One Two’s Taylryders Eviction Note “CC” believes in higher education and is in the process of obtaining her “Masters.” Watch for her in a ring near you.
Photo by 2011©SHELLSHOTS www.SHELLSHOTS.com
Owned, Loved and Trained by
Co-owned by
Tina Priz
Debra Mintzer
Photo by Terry Tuttle.
CH. Reddenblu's It's My Time Now, OA, OAJ, PT, RA, TDX Owned by Nicole Norris.
Hollow Log’s And The Beat Goes On BN RA NF CA HIT FDCh-G CGC Owners: Angie Jennings & Leigh Ann Yandle-Perry Photographer: Phyllis Ensley Photography
ANGIE JENNINGS Play Dog Excellent, llc email: angie@pdxdogs.com ehome: www.playdogexcellent.com
ATChC & OTCH & CH Austlyn's Claybank Keeper CKC RE, AAC MSCDC, ExSt Bronze, Bronze Award of Merit, ExSnBronze, CARO REMCL, CKC AGN, AGNS, AGNJ, AGNJS, TT, WD, AKC CDX, RE Owner Anne Gunderson
Ukiah-Wallaby Trouble AT SGC OA OAJ OF C-BGA C-BSLA C-BJA C-BAA C-ISA C-ISLA C-ITA C-STA PS1 PD1 Daniel owned by Kim Wabel Panda Productions Photography
UCD Corral West Troubleindisgise VCD1 RN OA OAJ OAP OJP asca CD NAC NJC NGC QW CGC (was the 2nd ACD to earn the VCD title) Loved and trained by Kim Wabel. Panda Productions Photography
CH Austlyn's Always A Lady CDX RN OA NAJ CGC TT Owned by Lynda Rocksvold
CH One Two Taylryders
Photos by F
Owned b
s Eviction Note AX AXJ NF
Furry Photography
by Tina Prinz
Happy Shadow
Augg
Pearly Mae Sim
w’s Augusta Mae
gie
mpson (aka Pearl)
Shadybrook Blues Bar Hopper RN AX AXJ NF HSAs "Tallulah". Owned by Dan & Brooke Hicks. Photos taken by Brooke Hicks.
"Tailor" On The Lamb Take'n the Bull by the Tail NA. By Brooke Hicks
Tailor and Harper Hicks
I’m Tubs I was born in poverty on a poor cattle ranch in Northeast Oklahoma to a single mother named Hart. There was not a room in the house for me to be born, so I was whelped in an old abandoned outhouse without a privacy door. Mom cleaned the area a few hours before she went into labor. Since mom couldn’t have a room in the house, this was the closest thing to a stable; but, there was not a manger for me to lie in. It was a cold blustery night in February with a cold north wind blowing through the cracks in the old building. For the next few weeks mom was on maternity leave and didn’t have to work cows. At the end of three weeks, I got out and started looking around. In another week I got to the cattle lot where I saw a huge white animal that I soon figured out that it was one of the animals that I was named after (cattle). As I started harassing the cattle, I found they were scared of me and I had that urge to run them around the cattle lot. At only 6 weeks old, I bit my first calf. As best as I could tell he was about 100 times bigger than me and he jumped like a kangaroo. Oh my gosh, I felt like I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Then, daily I got up early to sharpen my skills as I heard talk about me staying and the other male and 3 females were going to new homes; and soon I was an only child. As I grew I got to work more and more and as I progressed I found the harder I bit the higher they jumped and more excited I got. By the time I was 6 months old I could work both ends of a calf, big cow, or a huge bull (some exceeding a ton). At the first my mom and grandmother helped me. Then, mom disappeared one day
and grandmother was too slow to work with me. I found out what solo meant. Once in a while I overdid things and a calf ran through the fence or I chased a cow too far away from the herd; but the farther they ran, the more fun I had running them back . Oh yes! They paid for misbehaving. I soon had the cattle trained. We all know where they were going and I was the boss. As I started settling in, I got a calmer aspect and became a hired hand. I found out as I did a better job there were food privileges as to what I got to eat. If I was good I got hamburgers, steak, biscuits and gravy, and even Dairy Queen ice cream. I enjoyed going to cattle sales, truck stops, and best of all state fairs and livestock shows. I’ll never forget the time we went to the state fair of Texas and saw a sign that said “NO DOGS ON FAIRGROUNDS.” One of the rent-a-cops said “NO DOGS!” Jim the rancher who went all these places with me said, “I’ll leave him in the trailer after we
unload the cattle.” Then the official of the fair said, “Is that’ Tubs?” Jim said, “Yes!” And, the official said, “Tubs can stay!” Oh I tell you I was bursting with pride being the only dog allowed on the largest state fair in the US and Jim laughed out loud. While I was there I laid in the middle of the aisle behind the show cattle when a little boy came along with a foot-long hot dog. As he walked close to me I reached up and pulled the hot dog out of the bun.
Boy, was that a tasty snack! Well, I thought,
“What’s for desert?” when here came a little girl with a double dip ice cream cone. As she walked by me I just took the top dip off. Vanilla is my favorite! As I rode on the back of the flatbed pickup, I could keep up with what was going on. I loved to bark at the attendants in the tall booths and construction workers. I liked to see them jump when I scared them. When my puppies started coming they were of my image some said and they looked like clones of me. As time went by, my sons and daughters made me proud with 85 conformation champions. I heard people say “He’s a stud. Tubs has a lot of cow in him. Top Producer. He works great. Terrific mover .” And many more flattering things.
The things that made me happiest was to go help gather wild cattle no one else could pen. When I got on the back of the flatbed pickup, I could see what we got done. And, as they paid us I knew I had earned my keep as I did every day and my reward was a medium rare ribeye. Oh yes, Jim and I ate a lot of them. I just didn’t get to go into the restaurant. I loved my life doing what I was bred for.
Reprinted by permission from the ACD Hotline, 9/1992