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Whiskers – To Trim or Not To Trim?

Copyright © 2014 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor. All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted with permission. [Editor’s note: Though this article was written about Australian Shepherds, the information also pertains to English Shepherds.] Whiskers are sensors that are necessary for the stockdog to gauge the precise distances from the face to the point of contact with livestock when performing […]

Judging Feet

Judging Feet

Copyright © 2013 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor. All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted with permission. [Editor’s note: Though this article was written about Australian Shepherds, the author submitted it because the information also pertains to English Shepherds.] “It has been said, “Most of the footprints in the sands of time were made by working shoes.” By the […]

Conformation Corner: Merles

Conformation Corner: Merles

by Vivian Flynt © 2016 Question: “I’ve been looking at getting an English Shepherd. I’m disappointed they don’t come in merle. Why is that?” Short Answer: Sables. Merling is incompatible with sables. A long time ago ES breeders decided they could have one or the other, but not both. Need more? Okay, here’s the back […]

Choosing a Sound Puppy

Choosing a Sound Puppy

article reprinted with permission, copyright by Vivian Flynt   The English Shepherd owner’s litany of her sheppy’s afflictions were heart wrenching – a severe overbite, torn cruciate ligaments and a failed surgery to fix them, bilateral hip dysplasia, and patellar dislocation. Like this lady, the vast majority of English Shepherd owners prefer to get a […]

No Foot, No Dog

No Foot, No Dog

©Copyright Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor, reprinted with permission   The old adage, “No foot, no horse” still holds true today. Foot pads on the bottom of the paw is where the “rubber meets the road.” The pads are important for traction, shock absorption and protection from rough, hard ground, thorns, and ice. They are normally thick and […]

Genetic Testing

Genetic Testing

by Kris Hazelbaker @2015     Introduction CEA?  PRA-prcd?  MDR1?  What? You may have seen these terms bandied about, but what do these acronyms mean for you and your dog? These are the initials for some specific genetic disorders in dogs: Multi-Drug Resistance type 1 (MDR1), Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, the […]

Snake Bite!

Snake Bite!

by Kay Delk Keziah The word “snake” for most of us conjures up imaginations of scary reptiles that are lying in wait to get us!  How many times have you been told as a child not to go down the woods because of snakes?  I am no lover of poisonous snakes and neither are my […]

A Lesson in Heartworms

A Lesson in Heartworms

by Marianne Dwight In February of 2013, my English Shepherd, Nell, and I traveled to North Carolina for a herding camp. There were a couple of rainy days but the rest of the time the weather was sunny and very typical for a southern spring. It was a nice break from the cold and snow […]

Genetics and Why It Matters

Genetics and Why It Matters

by Merijeanne Hollingsworth  @2015 Dogs have tremendous genetic variety:  from a wolf-like ancestor, they have developed into thousands of dissimilar breeds (genetic evidence shows this “split from wolves” happened around 27.000 years ago.)  The differences between “breeds” of dogs are both physical and behavioral.  It’s important to understand at least a little about genetics to […]