Vegas

 First off let me say that no true conformation person in their right mind would have ever bought Vegas as a top prospect due to his "worky-looking" appearance and the following appearance/structural faults.  I was told outright when I called his breeder, "if you're looking for coat and bone you've come to the wrong place."  Despite all this stuff he's got 8 points CKC, with his required major, having been minimally shown mostly in Ontario.

• Balanced angulation front and rear but a little straighter than I would like

• Not as much neck as I would like

• Flatter croup than I prefer

• A couple big dilute patches

• Bitchy head

• Premolars are half-size and he has produced one puppy (of 10) with one missing premolar.

• Temperament:  hard-headed and an independent thinker.  I wish he was just a BIT less independent.  Although there are things I value about his personality, and to be honest I'd rather have a dog like him than a wimpy, "I'll do whatever you say" dog, I think he would be difficult for the average person to work with on stock.  He's got his own ideas and you can't change them.

• Working:  A straight-on approach.  Work would be needed to make him stay off the stock far enough to be a really top trialing dog.  Because of this, he doesn't have the best sense of group on cows.  Hits heels, but high up (and has been kicked hard in the chest several times as a result).  Hates goats with a passion, specifically those that tend to look at him a lot, and will abandon the group to fight with the "butthead" goat.  Barks a little, especially when starting to work, but becomes silent after the first little while.

• Jumping style:  long, flat jumper who jumps BIG.  Took a lot of work to get him doing the twisty turny courses with accuracy.  Not a bar-knocker, just over-jumps and lands in the "wrong" spot on the courses.  Fixed it with training but it wasn't easy.  Some of his offspring have inherited this jumping style.

• Obedience:  hates the follow-the-leader Novice exercises (partly my fault, but also due to his "I gotta have a choice" personality).  Loves Open and Utility work.

• Extremely foody and good at figuring out how to defeat preventative mechanisms.

• Extremely capable of opening crates and getting out of pens (a trait that several of his offspring have inherited).  Opens crates for OTHER DOGS to let them out.

• Has sired 2 litters previously and thus shall have to be DNA profiled for his next ASCA litter.  If there is someone interested I shall do this right away.

Cypher

• Flat hard moderate outer coat, less than a true conformation person would prefer.  I personally love it.  Not a curl in it anywhere and it's wash-and-wear.

• Hockier than I normally prefer, looks like a wolf.  I don't consider this a fault but some conformation judges might.

• Slight arch in the loin (I like this for functional structure, but it's slightly faulty according to the Breed Standard).

• Eyes:  Full sister (Katie) with a retained hyaloid artery and one missing premolar.  Full brother with very mild Distachiasis (Q).  Advice has been given from several vets on both dogs, and they say that these factors should not preclude using the dogs as for breeding, but that it would be wise to choose mates that do not have these traits in themselves or their immediate relatives.  More information on both of these items can be seen at the Australian Health and Genetics Institute website.  At this point in time Cy has not had an eye check due to where we live--9 hours by car to the nearest clinic, and 7 hours by boat and then a 6 hour drive in the other direction.  We plan to get him checked as soon as possible.

• Full siblings with running copper (none himself)

• Grew to his adult size by 7 months old, had panosteitis for a few months.  None of his siblings had this.  He was the largest puppy by far from this cross.  His siblings are all between 18-20 inches tall and 38-48 pounds.  He is 21+ inches tall and 55 pounds.

• Slightly toes out in front.

• Very limber, loose and flexible joints...I can bend his forepaws completely back against his legs without resistance and spread his front legs apart to nearly 180 degrees.  Not a fault, but certainly different than most Aussies I have seen.  EXTREMELY tight feet, but at the same time very, very flexible...

• Barks too much on cows.  Time will tell if this continues.  I will be working him constantly starting summer 2007, when we get the calves.

• Slightly sensitive temperament, but hides it well...too well.  On first examination he appears to be a bit of a bonehead, but corrections he takes to heart and I have to be careful not to over-do it.  He bounces back well but you can tell it hurts his feelings.  I think that someone who is extremely hard on their dogs or pushes them just a little too much would not get good results with this particular dog.

• Can get out of anything without a cover on it, and out of every crate I own.   Climbs like a cat.  Jumped a baby gate at 10 weeks of age.  Won't try it if I am around and happily relaxes anywhere, but if I leave he's gone.

• Extremely foody.  Once climbed on top of the fridge to steal treats.

• Went through a pretty spooky period as an adolescent.  Goes toward things that scare him rather than backing off.

• Cy has ears that break to the side and are set moderately on his head.  However, Cy has are several immediate relatives that have high or pricked ears.  Funnily enough, each prick-eared relative was also smaller than the preferred height.  None of his siblings are prick-eared or under the preferred height for Aussies.  His brother Q has high ears (see info below on Q)

  • Canberraman's Caprilla Dance, "Cappie," is Q's great-grandmother (see pedigree below) and was prick-eared and 16 inches tall.  She was also the first Aussie to perform with Superdogs.  She died at the age of 16.

  • Powerpak's Microburst, "Micro," owned by Sally Mann, is 17 inches tall with prick ears.  She is a half-sister to Vegas through his mother, Sirena (Powerpak's Black Sorceress, a Cappie daughter).  She is a flyball and agility competitor.

  • "Mattie," registered name unknown, is Vegas' littermate.  She is 16.5-17 inches tall and prick-eared.  She is a flyball, agility, and obedience competitor and lives in Ontario.

• Cy's mother Presto, has running copper and has produced a few black tri puppies that have running copper.  Her mother Sneak, JfCoventry's Hidden Agenda, also has running copper and has produced running copper in every litter, with different sires.  Interestingly, none of the merled puppies from either Sneak or Presto have had running copper.   His brother Q has sired a litter in 2006 and there may be running copper in that litter...time will tell.

Q--Owned by Robyn and Lawrence, please email them to correspond about stud service.

• Q has OVC approved hips and elbows.  OVC is a registry at the University of Guelph that certifies hips and elbows similarly to OFA (same position used for xrays).  OVC uses a pass/fail system.  OFA Fair will not pass OVC.  See Q's OVC paperwork here.  Three vets at the hospital where he was xrayed stated they felt his hip xrays would be OFA Excellent.

• Q's eyes are cleared each year by a canine ophthalmologist.  Scanned paperwork may be seen on request from parties interested in stud service.  More on eyes:  one of Q's littermates, AuxArcs Fair Winds (click here to view Katie) has a retained hyaloid artery.  Q himself has extremely mild Distachiasis.  Advice has been given from several vets on both dogs, and they say that these factors should not preclude using the dogs as for breeding, but that it would be wise to choose mates that do not have these traits in themselves or their immediate relatives.  More information on both of these items can be seen at the Australian Health and Genetics Institute website.

• Q has ears that are very high.  During his adolescence they sometimes went prick.  His ears were never taped or glued...what you see is what you get...but you should be aware that there are several immediate relatives that have high or pricked ears.  Q is also smaller than the preffered height for Australian Shepherds.  Funnily enough, each prick-eared relative was also smaller than the preferred height.  None of his siblings are prick-eared or under the preferred height for Aussies. 

  • Canberraman's Caprilla Dance, "Cappie," is Q's great-grandmother (see pedigree below) and was prick-eared and 16 inches tall.  She was also the first Aussie to perform with Superdogs.  She died at the age of 16.

  • Powerpak's Microburst, "Micro," owned by Sally Mann, is 17 inches tall with prick ears.  She is a half-sister to Vegas through his mother, Sirena (Powerpak's Black Sorceress, a Cappie daughter).  She is a flyball and agility competitor.

  • "Mattie," registered name unknown, is Vegas' littermate.  She is 16.5-17 inches tall and prick-eared.  She is a flyball, agility, and obedience competitor and lives in Ontario.

• Q's mother Presto, has running copper and has produced a few black tri puppies that have running copper.  Her mother Sneak, JfCoventry's Hidden Agenda, also has running copper and has produced running copper in every litter, with different sires.  Interestingly, none of the merled puppies from either Sneak or Presto have had running copper.

• Q sired his first litter of pups which were born in September 2006.  He was bred to a small bitch.  As these pups grow and develop we hope to discover whether or not he produces small, or whether his offspring will be of normal size.   One of the puppies from this cross is apparently a "different color" and the breeder believes he may be a dilute.  A few of my friends have seen this puppy and don't feel he is a dilute though they do agree he is "something different."  I am inclined to believe that he is either a true dilute, or an extreme "running copper" puppy.  Time will tell, and as he grows and develops we hope to resolve this issue. Click here to see his pups.

• Foody.  Steals unsuspecting people's hot dogs (especially if the people have had a few beers.  He seems to know when the time is right).

• Went through a pretty spooky period as an adolescent.  Goes toward things that scare him rather than backing off.

VEGAS Powerpaks High Roller STDc CD ADC TT RT FBCH CGC 5 points CKC OFA Excellent, elbows normal, eyes clear	Ch Majestic Winds Of Dezire OTDd STDs DNA-CP OFA Excellent	Ch Brightwoods Ashes In The Wind OFA Good	Ch Briarbrooks Center Ring OFA Good	Ch Fieldmasters Three Ring Circus OFA Normal
				Ch Patch-work Quilt OFA Normal
			Ch Brightwoods Cover Girl CD OFA Good	Ch Super Star Of Windermere CD OFA Normal
				Ch Briarbrooks Jessie Colter
		Ch Kovachs Copper Penny	Ch Guardian Black Gold CD OFA Good	Ch Brightwoods Ashes In The Wind OFA Good
				Guardian Leather and Lace CD
			C-R California Cooler	Hunts Outlaw Ned Kelly
				C-R Premiere Performance
	Powerpaks Black Sorceress OFA Good	Ch Hallmarks Total Performance STDc OFA Excellent	Ch Aristocrat Command Performance CD OFA Normal	Ch Fieldmasters Cast The Die OFA normal
				Ch Silvertone Easy Money OFA Normal
			Briarbrooks Fantasy in Flight	Ch Fieldmasters Three Ring Circus OFA Normal
				Ch Briarbrooks Painted Desert OFA Normal
		Canberramans Caprilla Dance OFA Good	Evans Dale Dusty	Muirfields Smokey Joe
				Coglin Baby Cody
			Muirfields Molly Wriggles	Weatherston Bold Butch
				Weatherston Muirfield Penny