Raising K9 & This Is Us

`tal-iz-men' 

`an object that is imbued with magical properties to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune;


`an object or amulet marked with magic signs, believed to confer upon it's bearer magical. protective powers.

Raising K9 AKA This is how we do it...

Since I first wrote this...

I consider myself a lifetime learner and student, open to new ideas, but also following my own intuition and observations of what I think works, and doesn't work. 

There are LOTS of Buzzwords flying around with dogs, whether in training, rearing or just living with them. People who make their living selling puppy raising or training programs, have become a "brand" name for some breeders. But, any program is really only as good as the skill of the person who implements it.

I think enrichment is great! I also think that if the average person or new to breeding does more with a litter, because they can follow a program-it's a win for the pups and their future people. I also think that there is no one size fits all program, whether in breed type/mix or an individual pup. Having the experience and knowledge to trust yourself, raising pups is an ongoing process of assessing and reassessing pups as they mature.  Knowing that you do a good job observing what your pups need, is important. 

What I am finding in myself, is I still believe that Less is More. 

Overhandling, overstimulating, overdoing, without a good balance of "off" and quiet is a lot of stress on little growing baby pups. They are born with their Central Nervous Systems still developing-which is why eyes and ears don't open until they are physically at a stage to handle all that stimuli. I think just normal loving on a pup, picking them up (without ENS) and kissing them, getting them used to being weighed, held and used to the smell of people, etc is powerful in those early weeks. I also started introducing varied smells from day 2 onwards, for the last 25+ years, before it became a thing. I do think it helps grow their brains, but again everything in moderation. 

So, if someone asks me if I do XYZ protocol with pups. The answer is Nope. I know that I have done a good job raising environmentally inquisitive pups over the years, who will hopefully be resilient as they continue to mature. Once a pup leaves, it's really up to their person to selectively and carefully give a pup many opportunities to observe and choose to engage* with new people, things, etc  to continue to build a pup's resilience and Life Catalog.

*why bold? because dropping a pup into a strangers arms or forcing them to greet/approach is NOT giving them a choice and usually backfires if a pup is showing they are uncomfortable with the experience, at that point. That is Not "socializing".

Genetics, Philosophy, Methodology & Love....
Lots of stuff is important in selecting a cross and in raising pups, they are our responsibility. Considering a cross is far more than a passing OFA or DNA panel or a Title. Hours and hours of researching pedigrees both vertically and horizontally, assessing and re-assessing genetics and ability and what we have produced, or hope to produce, go into selecting a breeding. 

Health, Temperament and Structure are all equally important to me. Ability and working instinct in Border Collies is an expected given. Not all will excel, but breeding away from natural working instincts for a specific sport, has never been in my plans. We have produced versatile pups that have gone on to train and work and/or compete in a variety of venues.

An OFA excellent dog that has or produces awful temperaments, or health issues, or pups with no working ability- is not always a "good" breeding choice IMHO. Color or coat type is never a consideration in our choices-while we all have a visual picture we may prefer, temperament and ability come first. 

Choosing an outside stud is a process-if that stud dog is bred to many other pedigrees, that other female's possibly health-risky pedigree becomes part of our family too. Using outside dogs keeps genetics more open, but there is both good and bad in any pedigree and dog. 

I tend to shy away from the New "It" popular stud dog, that everyone flocks too. It reduces the gene pool for one. If there is a newer stud dog (that I find interesting) who has already sired a couple litters, hopefully those pups are allowed to grow up, to see what health and behavior they mature into, before being bred a lot more. A 3-5 year old stud dog with multiple litters already on the ground and being bred to all kinds of pedigrees, is not one I want to go to. An older dog, or one who has been bred carefully and selectively, is in my opinion a safer option. Epilepsy is the worst! I cringe when I see multiple known producers in a pedigree. Things to also take into consideration are autoimmune issues, gut issues, spine issues, longevity and things are not quantifiable with DNA testing or Xrays. 

I also believe in letting a female grow up a bit, to see who they are and what they are good at, before breeding them. Some of my girls have had their 1st litter at 5 years of age. A risk with some for lower fertility, etc. but a 5 Year old active and lean BC is not the same as a couch potato Lab of the same age. 

Weighing the good and possible "bad" that may come through in a cross, is part of being a responsible breeder. For this reason we are happy to help mentor new breeders and share what we know of pedigrees, but for our own pups they are generally on a limited/spay/neuter agreement to protect our years of work and our line. This can be discussed on a case by case basis, but there are so many just breeding...so many litters. 

We generally have one or two litters a year, always looking for our next training prospect. We do not breed for others, but for what we want for the future. We choose to be selective in our program for what we produce.  At any point in a dog's life, we will also take back our pups. 

How we raise pups is based on work we have done for 25+ years to stimulate all of their senses, as they become aware. Pups get handled to imprint that human touch/smell is "good", but no longer do formal ENS. That program was developed for commercial breeders, for pups who are raised in more sterile environments, like concrete kennels. A home environment naturally adds lots to a pup's early experiences. Overhandling neonates is not good in my experience, they need uninterrupted sleep to keep growing their CNS, those first few weeks. At 18-21 days approx, they become more aware and mobile and then it is Game On! But, still balanced with quiet and calm. Too much is not good for pups, as is too little. 

I believe that overhandling and overdoing exposure creates more sensitivity in the future-at least for sensitive breeds like Border Collies. I believe that Too much Up Time, or triggering too many stress responses while they are growing, is paving those Neuro Pathways early on. A baby pup doesn't know how to self-regulate, that's up to us. 

Our Pups are exposed to a variety as they grow-to build resiliency and a curious nature. They are exposed to new things, at a rate they can absorb the information, balanced with time off in between to process-sounds, textures, smells, people, car rides, other critters, etc etc  What a pup experiences in the first 8 weeks, will hopefully help them to be more able to take things in stride, as they mature. Most Herding breed pups go through fear periods, some can be extreme! But, most will come out on the other side of it, just fine. 

Pups are born with a set of temperament traits, that we shape and affect through experience and training, both good and bad. The first socialization window of opportunity generally begins to close by 12 weeks. It takes intentional work to raise a Border Collie, Sportmix, Papillon or really any pup-but it pays off tenfold in living with these brilliant creatures. 

There is a lot to do the first year with a pup, that helps them to bond with us, be brave out and about, become confident workers and a good partner. Having their backs and making their introductions to the world safe and easy for them to assimilate the experience, is the key for me. I might tend to be overly protective of my pups when we hit the road, but I also know how much harder it is to "fix" things after a bad experience. 

So, that's a little about Us. Just quietly doing our thing ★☆

For Future Plans....

Email is best. TalismanFarm7@gmail.com