Conformation breeders and performance puppies

Of course, with all this said, I am sitting on a puppy who is teetering on 14 inches tall at 7 months old. No agility person will touch her until they know she is done growing. Given the family, she will probably creep a little bit. :(

I read so frequently about conformation breeder who think all agility people want "small" dogs. No. Agility people want under 14, or over 15. Being 14-15 inches is a huge disadvantage in agility. Having a 17 inch Sheltie in the 16 inch class is better!
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
Of course, with all this said, I am sitting on a puppy who is teetering on 14 inches tall at 7 months old. No agility person will touch her until they know she is done growing. Given the family, she will probably creep a little bit. :(

I read so frequently about conformation breeder who think all agility people want "small" dogs. No. Agility people want under 14, or over 15. Being 14-15 inches is a huge disadvantage in agility. Having a 17 inch Sheltie in the 16 inch class is better!
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I know what you mean now. I was afraid that Lexi would go oversize...she was 13" tall at 15 weeks. If she went oversize, in USDAA she would have to jump 22", unless we put her in Performance. We are incredibly lucky that she and Bentley both are 15.75", perfect height.
 
You are right about what the agility crowd wants in height. A 14-15" dog isn't very desirable for AKC agility. It puts you at quite a disadvantage.
The even more competitive ones don't even want anything over 13.75" for the 14" division, or 16.75" for the 18" division in ISC.
I'm screwed on my one dog, who would be awesome in ISC. She's right at 14", and she will NOT be asked to jump 18". 13.75" is the cutoff for ISC.
I'm fortunate with the rest of my 12"ers.. They all run between 13.25-13.75", and my 16"er is right at 16". It's funny how that worked out. I didn't do that intentionally or anything. It's just how they've grown.
 
HopeShelties said:
You are right about what the agility crowd wants in height. A 14-15" dog isn't very desirable for AKC agility. It puts you at quite a disadvantage.
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As someone with a 14.5 (Edan) and 14.25 (CJ) inch dogs, what is the disadvantage other than having to jump 16 inches in AKC and USDAA? I'm curious because it helps me learn for the next agility dog I look for. (That won't be for many years given that my two are only 4 years old.)

Watching Edan and CJ run, they certainly have no issue, and I think Edan prefers, jumping 16 inches.
 
Leg length. If you take a 14" dog, and a 16" dog, both with identical reach and drive, and ran them, the 16" dog is going to be faster because it is able to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time.
Of course, drive and bone (a lighter dog is generally going to be faster than a heavy boned dog) will both also play into that... and of course not all dogs are created equal when it comes to structure, reach, and drive. Training can play into that too. A dog taught to turn tight, and not waste yardage will make better use of a course than one that jumps wide, and is allowed to take extra yardage.
People try to hedge their odds in their favor though by getting as close to the height limit as possible to have more leg length to make use of.
 
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HopeShelties said:
Y
The even more competitive ones don't even want anything over 13.75" for the 14" division, or 16.75" for the 18" division in ISC.
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That was Barbara's concern when she got Savvy from my first litter. I was pretty sure about her though, she was teeny. She ended up about 13 1/4. Perfect!
 
I think structurally sound dog just has a healthier life because all that wear and tear is easier when it properly applied and there are so many thins out there to do with dogs, not only agility, our facility started nose work classes a year ago and now added treilball...
Leo is 13" at 6 months and yeah, I am holding my breath for next few months because I really do not want him to jump 16" division if he goes to be 14" we are doomed:smile2: my hope since he is still 11.4 lbs and fine boned we have a chance.. he has a fantastic reach and drive and just glides when he runs...
 
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Breeding

We breed Collies and Shelties very rarely, usually when I want to keep someone. Before I purchase or keep a dog temperments is foremost, then structure. After that we look for conformation benefits. I don't think anyone should be "stuck" with a dog with poor structure or temperment. Structure is supremely important for the show dog, agility dog, obedience, flyball, and pet hiking and biking with the family. Breeding structurally/tempermentally sound dogs I feel should be paramount. Most of a litter tends to end up in pet homes and should be an excellent family member. I don't usually let people choose from a whole litter unless they are dog people as the general public often goes on how cute the pup is rather than the best temperment fit. Just my opinion but I have never had a pup returned and have had very happy fmailies with their new family member.
 
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