To all the prospective puppy owners, I thought that you would like to see the photographs, videos, and updates of the Mackland puppies while they are still with me. These Border Collie & Shetland Sheepdog puppies are lovingly bred and raised in my home. This blog lets me show you step by step how your baby is raised. It highlights each step from mating to 8 weeks old. I hope that you all enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoy having them in my house!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
ee-Red... and genes
The red Border Collie, like the chestnut horse, is the result of a recessive gene pair. In the case of the dogs, the dominant (black) is called E, and the recessive (red) is called e. A black dog may be either EE or Ee; the red dog is always ee. Two black dogs may have red puppies if both of them are Ee; the e can come from each parent to produce ee in the pups. Statistically, one out of four pups with such a cross will be red. If either parent is EE, though, the combination can't produce red pups. If both parents are red, ee, then all their puppies will be red; there is no E available from either parent to make a black pup.
The end product of most genes is some sort of biochemical substance. In the red color, the chemical is a pigment called eumelanin. This is one of a group of pigments, the melanins, which cause color in animal skin, hair, and feathers. It is responsible for very dark brown or black color. All Border Collies have in their hair a red version of melanin, called phaeomelanin. In the black dogs, the black eumelanin covers the appearance of the red. If you've ever looked closely at your black dog in bright light after he has spent a lot of time in the sun, you will see a faint red glow to his hair. The eumelanin has been bleached by the sun, and the red color is showing through, however slightly.
Only the dominant version of the color gene results in eumelanin production; if the dog has two copies of the recessive version, he will have no eumelanin. His hair will contain only the red pigment, and anywhere that he would otherwise have been black, he will instead be red. This means he may have the same variety of white markings as any black Border Collie; he may be tri-color, with lighter brown markings in all the usual places; he may even be a red merle instead of a blue merle. His nose and toe pads, which would be black on a black dog, are red-brown.
The red gene is present in some of our favorite breeding lines. The first recorded red Border Collie was a bitch named Wylie, grandmother of the famous Dickson's Hemp (153). The recessive gene passed through the generations to J. M. Wilson's Cap (3036) who appears in the pedigree of Wiston Cap at least 16 times! Wiston Cap carried the red gene and passed it to many of his sons and daughters. Our current Border Collies tend to have many crosses of Wiston Cap in their background; each one increases the chances of receiving that e gene. Crosses on both sides of the family, likewise, increase the chances of a double dose and the appearance of more and more red dogs.
Unlike most simple genetic traits, however, good (or bad) hips don't result from a single pair of genes. With a single pair, like the "red" genes, the probability of each genetic combination in the next generation is easy to measure. We know exactly how many red pups, statistically, to expect from any combination. With hip dysplasia, on the other hand, we have no idea what to expect in a litter of pups, even if we have x-rayed both parents.
Instinct and behavior, like hips, are affected by a large number of genes; some may be recessive like the e; some may be dominant like the E. The problem is that we don't know how to identify any of them, and we have no idea how many there are. If we had some kind of behavioral measurements on all the members of hundreds of litters and their parents and offspring, we could make a start. We aren't even close. We have no real measurements at all; our assessment of herding ability is subjective, and deals with the whole dog and his ability to get the job done.
Studies by Scott and Fuller on spaniels revealed the genes involved in the behavior known as "crouch"; the crouch itself is controlled by two major genes, with the crouch (or sit) dominant over the stand. The quiet attitude was also controlled by two genes, with the quiet behavior recessive to the more active. The whole pattern of quietly crouching, then, results from four genes altogether. The number of different genetic combinations that can be formed from 4 (2-allele) genes is 81! If the parents are heterozygous for all four of these genes, any of these genetic combinations is possible in the same litter.
What does all this mean to the Border Collie? Imagine, if that simple quiet crouch behind the sheep depends on 4 separate genes, what must be involved in the entire collection of herding behavior: eye, balance, power, biddability, etc. And what must the chances be of accidentally combining the right factors to remake a herding dog, if those combinations are ever lost?
The complexity of the genetics of behavior is probably not a surprise, but it is the basis of the entire argument that the performance dog must be bred for performance at every generation. The more genes are involved, the more different combinations are possible, the more easily they become separated and lost.
If the dogs selected for breeding for conformation are not the ones with the best herding genes, the population will inevitably drift away from the wonderful performance combinations that have been selected in the breed for so many generations.
Because the extremely complex instinct that makes up the working dog is not fixed in the population, constant selection is needed, at every generation, to maintain the best combinations. Any relaxation of this pressure will result in the increase in numbers of those dogs which have less than ideal genetic combinations. Breeding for any other purpose without also selecting for truly high quality working genes will inevitably result in the dilution of the working instinct within the breed.
Genes may have more than two different alleles (there are 160 different alleles of the blood group gene, B, in cattle). The number of possible genetic combinations as we increase both the number of possible alleles and the number of genes rises abruptly. If we are dealing with, say 6 traits (see above), each with an average of only two gene loci involved, that is 12 genes; if they have only 2 or 3 possible alleles:
"With even moderately small numbers of polymorphic genes, the number of genotypes that can be produced by recombination is likely to be greater than the existing number of individuals in the species." (V. Grant, in The Origin of Adaptations).
If we are already trying to maintain some genetic equilibrium with all these possibilities, consider the additional burden of selecting at the same time for color, ear type, body size, coat quality, eye color, head shape, etc., to fit some arbitrary standard of appearance. The number of different genetic types becomes astronomical. The number of dogs that can fit all these separate standards for all these separate genes is, as Verne Grant stated it, probably less than one in the whole breed! The number that will come close is still very small. This is particularly true within a breed like the Border Collie where there is no genetic uniformity in appearance to begin with.
copied from: http://www.bordercollie.org
The end product of most genes is some sort of biochemical substance. In the red color, the chemical is a pigment called eumelanin. This is one of a group of pigments, the melanins, which cause color in animal skin, hair, and feathers. It is responsible for very dark brown or black color. All Border Collies have in their hair a red version of melanin, called phaeomelanin. In the black dogs, the black eumelanin covers the appearance of the red. If you've ever looked closely at your black dog in bright light after he has spent a lot of time in the sun, you will see a faint red glow to his hair. The eumelanin has been bleached by the sun, and the red color is showing through, however slightly.
Only the dominant version of the color gene results in eumelanin production; if the dog has two copies of the recessive version, he will have no eumelanin. His hair will contain only the red pigment, and anywhere that he would otherwise have been black, he will instead be red. This means he may have the same variety of white markings as any black Border Collie; he may be tri-color, with lighter brown markings in all the usual places; he may even be a red merle instead of a blue merle. His nose and toe pads, which would be black on a black dog, are red-brown.
The red gene is present in some of our favorite breeding lines. The first recorded red Border Collie was a bitch named Wylie, grandmother of the famous Dickson's Hemp (153). The recessive gene passed through the generations to J. M. Wilson's Cap (3036) who appears in the pedigree of Wiston Cap at least 16 times! Wiston Cap carried the red gene and passed it to many of his sons and daughters. Our current Border Collies tend to have many crosses of Wiston Cap in their background; each one increases the chances of receiving that e gene. Crosses on both sides of the family, likewise, increase the chances of a double dose and the appearance of more and more red dogs.
Unlike most simple genetic traits, however, good (or bad) hips don't result from a single pair of genes. With a single pair, like the "red" genes, the probability of each genetic combination in the next generation is easy to measure. We know exactly how many red pups, statistically, to expect from any combination. With hip dysplasia, on the other hand, we have no idea what to expect in a litter of pups, even if we have x-rayed both parents.
Instinct and behavior, like hips, are affected by a large number of genes; some may be recessive like the e; some may be dominant like the E. The problem is that we don't know how to identify any of them, and we have no idea how many there are. If we had some kind of behavioral measurements on all the members of hundreds of litters and their parents and offspring, we could make a start. We aren't even close. We have no real measurements at all; our assessment of herding ability is subjective, and deals with the whole dog and his ability to get the job done.
Studies by Scott and Fuller on spaniels revealed the genes involved in the behavior known as "crouch"; the crouch itself is controlled by two major genes, with the crouch (or sit) dominant over the stand. The quiet attitude was also controlled by two genes, with the quiet behavior recessive to the more active. The whole pattern of quietly crouching, then, results from four genes altogether. The number of different genetic combinations that can be formed from 4 (2-allele) genes is 81! If the parents are heterozygous for all four of these genes, any of these genetic combinations is possible in the same litter.
What does all this mean to the Border Collie? Imagine, if that simple quiet crouch behind the sheep depends on 4 separate genes, what must be involved in the entire collection of herding behavior: eye, balance, power, biddability, etc. And what must the chances be of accidentally combining the right factors to remake a herding dog, if those combinations are ever lost?
The complexity of the genetics of behavior is probably not a surprise, but it is the basis of the entire argument that the performance dog must be bred for performance at every generation. The more genes are involved, the more different combinations are possible, the more easily they become separated and lost.
If the dogs selected for breeding for conformation are not the ones with the best herding genes, the population will inevitably drift away from the wonderful performance combinations that have been selected in the breed for so many generations.
Because the extremely complex instinct that makes up the working dog is not fixed in the population, constant selection is needed, at every generation, to maintain the best combinations. Any relaxation of this pressure will result in the increase in numbers of those dogs which have less than ideal genetic combinations. Breeding for any other purpose without also selecting for truly high quality working genes will inevitably result in the dilution of the working instinct within the breed.
Genes may have more than two different alleles (there are 160 different alleles of the blood group gene, B, in cattle). The number of possible genetic combinations as we increase both the number of possible alleles and the number of genes rises abruptly. If we are dealing with, say 6 traits (see above), each with an average of only two gene loci involved, that is 12 genes; if they have only 2 or 3 possible alleles:
"With even moderately small numbers of polymorphic genes, the number of genotypes that can be produced by recombination is likely to be greater than the existing number of individuals in the species." (V. Grant, in The Origin of Adaptations).
If we are already trying to maintain some genetic equilibrium with all these possibilities, consider the additional burden of selecting at the same time for color, ear type, body size, coat quality, eye color, head shape, etc., to fit some arbitrary standard of appearance. The number of different genetic types becomes astronomical. The number of dogs that can fit all these separate standards for all these separate genes is, as Verne Grant stated it, probably less than one in the whole breed! The number that will come close is still very small. This is particularly true within a breed like the Border Collie where there is no genetic uniformity in appearance to begin with.
copied from: http://www.bordercollie.org
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
HT42d FYI
If anyone can't read what they want to read on these jpegs, please mail me for the PDF document :)
nadineshortland@gmail.com
Monday, November 25, 2013
Playing around with Sunny
I was able to get a clip of Sunny yesterday after the Agility competitions had finished. What a super, drivey boy he is! Please excuse the missed obstacles.. of course I have no idea how to steer him :)
I am sure that Johlene will get some stunning Agility and Obedience work out of him!
EPA & HDA
A number of you are enquiring as to what I feed my dogs and puppies, hence this post...
Chakotay is on Royal Canin HT42d. She has been on it since the first day of her season, so she is on day 20. She needs to be on this 42 days after first mating.
Why did I choose this food for her pregnancy?? Because of the EPA/DHA content.. Specifically for the development of eyes and brains!
Here is a little off the net on that FYI
Chakotay is on Royal Canin HT42d. She has been on it since the first day of her season, so she is on day 20. She needs to be on this 42 days after first mating.
Why did I choose this food for her pregnancy?? Because of the EPA/DHA content.. Specifically for the development of eyes and brains!
Here is a little off the net on that FYI
EPA/DHA?
EPA DHA is an essential fatty acid which stands for docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. This essential fatty acid is an Omega 3 fat, which is found in cold water fish. EPA DHA are highly unsaturated fat because of they contain 6 and 5 double bonds on their long structural chain. These polyunsaturated fats play a very important role.
EPA and DHA are vital nutrients and may be taken to maintain healthy function of the brain and retina- DHA is a building block of tissue in the brain and retina of the eye. It helps with forming neural transmitters, such as phosphatidylserine, which is important for brain function. DHA is found in the retina of the eye and taking DHA may be necessary for maintaining healthy levels of DHA for normal eye function.
Also...EPA and DHA are converted into hormone like substances called prostaglandins, and they regulate cell activity and healthy cardiovascular function.
DHA plays a very important role during fetal development, early infancy, and old age. Adding DHA to a pregnant mothers diet is beneficial for the fetus's brain development.
EPA and DHA are vital nutrients and may be taken to maintain healthy function of the brain and retina- DHA is a building block of tissue in the brain and retina of the eye. It helps with forming neural transmitters, such as phosphatidylserine, which is important for brain function. DHA is found in the retina of the eye and taking DHA may be necessary for maintaining healthy levels of DHA for normal eye function.
Also...EPA and DHA are converted into hormone like substances called prostaglandins, and they regulate cell activity and healthy cardiovascular function.
DHA plays a very important role during fetal development, early infancy, and old age. Adding DHA to a pregnant mothers diet is beneficial for the fetus's brain development.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
...and on...
I know you are probably getting tired of 'humping photo's but I couldn't resist this one....
There's nothing like morning coffee dregs in the peace & quiet! hehehehe shame poor Chak
There's nothing like morning coffee dregs in the peace & quiet! hehehehe shame poor Chak
But I can safely say that Chak and Sunny have come to an understanding that its all over. Sunny is now courting Chak's daughter, Finn.... while little sheltie boy, Tide, makes love to Chak's forehead........
ek se niks
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Packed and ready to go home!
So, the tally is 2x AI's and 1x natural mating :)
Sunny's holiday is over. He is all packed and ready to go home. I am sure his other mother misses him terribly! So, by the weekend everything will be back to normal all round!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
It's an experience having this red boy here...
...he is busy busy busy!
I'm having a hard time keeping him contained hehehe
My dogs wouldn't DREAM of destroying property like this!! I have replaced the plastic mesh twice, and the shadecloth once... Needless to say, it will now only be replaced again once he has gone home! My shelties think it's Christmas.. they are getting to waltz right through the gate whenever they feel like it!
I'm having a hard time keeping him contained hehehe
My dogs wouldn't DREAM of destroying property like this!! I have replaced the plastic mesh twice, and the shadecloth once... Needless to say, it will now only be replaced again once he has gone home! My shelties think it's Christmas.. they are getting to waltz right through the gate whenever they feel like it!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Prog
Chakotay has always been an early ovulater, so I am watching every day. She is separated from Sunny each day, but I let him socialise with her in the evenings so that they can get to know each other.
Seeing that Chak is on DAY 7, with the boys in my house only mildly interested in giving her a second look, I decided to do a progesterone test... so off to the specialist we went today! He is very happy with Chak and says that she is taking her time. It looks like in 5 days she will be ready to rock 'n roll... so... we are aiming for SUNDAY! That will be day 12...
Seeing that Chak is on DAY 7, with the boys in my house only mildly interested in giving her a second look, I decided to do a progesterone test... so off to the specialist we went today! He is very happy with Chak and says that she is taking her time. It looks like in 5 days she will be ready to rock 'n roll... so... we are aiming for SUNDAY! That will be day 12...
Friday, November 8, 2013
Waiting in anticipation
OK.. so I got a little bored and did an online estimate of my planned litter....
I got come interesting statistics :):)
Chances that the pups are:
CEA Affected 0%
CL Affected 0%
TNS Affected 0%
Double merle 0%
The inbreeding amount (over 12 generations) is 9%
Possible coats at a glance:
Black & white 50%
Golden Red & White 50%
Coat type of pups expected: Rough
Pups that will be carriers of ee-red: 50% (all of the non-red pups)
Chance of pups carrying the B gene (chocolate): 1%
Chance of pups carrying the D gene (dilute): 20%
Chance of the pups carrying the K gene (tri-colour): 14%
Chance of the pups carrying the A gene (sable): 13%
Now, having said that 50% of the pups are ee red, and 50% of the pups are black and white... I also got:
Chance of the pups HAVING a tri-colour coat: 86%!
Interesting.......
I got come interesting statistics :):)
Chances that the pups are:
CEA Affected 0%
CL Affected 0%
TNS Affected 0%
Double merle 0%
The inbreeding amount (over 12 generations) is 9%
Possible coats at a glance:
Black & white 50%
Golden Red & White 50%
Coat type of pups expected: Rough
Pups that will be carriers of ee-red: 50% (all of the non-red pups)
Chance of pups carrying the B gene (chocolate): 1%
Chance of pups carrying the D gene (dilute): 20%
Chance of the pups carrying the K gene (tri-colour): 14%
Chance of the pups carrying the A gene (sable): 13%
Now, having said that 50% of the pups are ee red, and 50% of the pups are black and white... I also got:
Chance of the pups HAVING a tri-colour coat: 86%!
Interesting.......
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Italian Stallion is set to go!
Good news for all.. Sunny has had his prelim x-rays today. The specialist says he is PERFECT for breeding:):)
Both hips and elbows look stunning... So.... we are all good to go!
Here are his hips:
We are very happy :)
Chakotay is in season and the planned matings are from next week!
Both hips and elbows look stunning... So.... we are all good to go!
Here are his hips:
And here are his elbows:
Chakotay is in season and the planned matings are from next week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)