Last, but not least, we have a significant problem with bad toplines. The topline should not be a serpentine.
Do you consider yourself a mentor to others just coming into the breed? Yes, I do consider myself a mentor. The AKC does implement a mentor's program whereby judges who wish to apply for ACDs can contact me, being a breeder judge, and I will spend time with these provisional judges going over strengths and weaknesses of the breed. I am also quite pleased to mentor anyone else starting out in ACDs.
What advice would you give them in starting out on the right road? I would emphasize to those starting out to really study the standard before starting their search. Read some good books on structure, such as Rachel Elliott's "Dogsteps" and also "Solving The mystery Of Breed Type" by Beau- champ.
I think we need to carefully and objectively evaluate our breeding programs. Look outside the box for nice dogs to breed your bitches to. Evaluate your breeding stock with an open mind. If you need a particular strength, go find a dog that has that strength. If you don't like the owner, swallow your pride. You don't have to marry the owner, you just want to breed to the dog! And Please, please do not discount reds cause you like blues, or vice versa. That is just being rather silly.
Describe an average day living with your dogs: Oh gosh....there is no such thing as an "average day" with our dogs. Every day is a new adventure! In my other life, I am a real estate investor, so I usually take Polo with me to search out in- teresting properties. He is a joy, as he is friendly to all he meets, but he always keeps an eye on me, to intercede should I run into trouble. We live on six acres, and our other three dogs who reside together are always discovering knew activities to keep them busy. And every day they also look forward to long walks, chasing Jolly Balls, etc.
What should people who are interested in this breed know before they bring one of these dogs into their homes?
U-CD, AKC CH. Far Fetched Hill St. Blues, CDX,PT,VQW,TDI
"Bosco" - Age 3
People should be aware that ACDs are not just active, but they are extremely smart, and can be manipulative. They need some- thing to do, and if you don't give them a job, they will invent one. Some of course are more inventive than others in their re-
constructive phases. Polo, for one, decided the back yard was no longer in need of a sprinkler system, and de- stroyed the entire system. Bosco, on the other hand, would have never wasted his time on such a time wasting endeavor. He would invent complicated games to keep himself busy. People should also know ACDs can be exces- sive barkers. My two bitches are good examples. If you have close neighbors this can become a huge problem.
Do you feel the current AKC/UKC standard is adequate? Whether to change the Standard or leave it in its current state is not without controversy. I must state here that I have had several conversations with other judges who appear to be confused about whether to penalize missing teeth and also they would like to see a better "color" description (particularly reds and mottles). Well, our current standard says nothing about penalizing missing teeth. It just says the teeth should be evenly spaced, and that can be interpreted in differing ways. Personally I would prefer that the standard state something like "four or more missing teeth to be considered a serious fault." I would agree also that the color de- scriptions need to be rewritten to explain reds and mottles with more clarity.
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