The WILD litter is planned for October 2019 – Reece x Brave
I am VERY excited about this one. The initial feature
that most will notice is the introduction of colour into Mackland’s Shelties.
This will be my first litter that may produce black puppies (bi and tri are
possible, in addition to the obvious shaded sable), and although this in itself
is exciting, it was not the reason for this mating. There are a few other
reasons that led me to the decision to go ahead with this breeding.
Another point to note, this is in fact the closest line
breeding that I have attempted in Shelties, but I can assure everyone that it
is safe and ethical, and will produce a definite “type”, as I am breeding type
to type.
Firstly HEALTH
Health has been a primary goal within Mackland, due to the fact that there are
so many conditions that can affect the Shetland Sheepdog breed. Both Reece and
Brave have undergone extensive DNA testing as well as other testing. Both are
clear across the board, and both have A-hips and perfect elbows. I am confident
that this litter will be the healthiest that I can possibly predict.
TEMPERAMENT
Reece has been the top producer at Mackland for strong
temperaments. He has been put to many different bitches, and his stable and
predictable temperament has carried through to his puppies all over South Africa.
There has been no hint of skittish or insecure puppies, even when put to a
skittish bitch, there has always been a solid thread of stability in his
offspring. Shelties are known to have a “shy” nature, in fact Shelties are
allowed to be wary of strangers – but this must not be confused with fear!
Reece is friendly, outgoing, fun, energetic, and generally an awesomely cool
little chap!
Brave has taken her natural outgoing genes and basically
doubled the energy! She is extremely friendly, a little bit bonkers, and a lot
of fun! She is always up for a game, always running and bouncing, and seems to
welcome people greeting her warmly!
I have wanted to produce real all-rounders for a long
time – dogs that not only conform to the breed standard and excel in the
conformation ring, but that can also put in all sorts of work in the wide range
of disciplines on offer in South Africa. I am of the opinion that the
temperaments in this litter just simply cannot go wrong!
TYPE
This is another important point for me, and I would like
to make it clear to all that are following the WILD litter, that the type will
be somewhat “strong”. By this, I mean that the “mix” will be more American than
UK type. This, in itself, is not where I am headed with my Sheltie goals, but
it happens to be a part of my overall plan towards my final goal.
I have studied Shelties in depth over the past few years,
and I have a clear picture of where I am headed. Unfortunately, this doesn’t
happen overnight, but I am happy with Mackland’s progress so far.
This litter will mark the “split” in Mackland, the parting of my line into 2
separate (temporary) routes, but while still maintaining the standard.
My aim is to continue with the Reece/ Brave “type”, lock in their strengths
(colour, coat, temperament, bone, ears, muzzles), and also continue with the
more UK strain of my line, G, Zz, Story, GraVity, and lock in their virtues
(sweetness of expression, workability, croups, tailsets, tails, shapeliness, topskulls,
refined heads, eyes). I am confident that I can merge these 2 strains again in
only 1 or 2 generations time, and therefore take a giant leap forward towards
my main Sheltie goals. By choosing only the preferred traits in the progeny
that will join my breeding program, I will hopefully be able to create Shelties
with the mix of all my desired traits!
What I am wanting to avoid
With all Sheltie breeding, size is a concern – both over
and undersize dogs occur in Shelties. I sincerely doubt that there can be any
undersized pups from this combination, but oversize is a definite possibility.
While Performance handlers will welcome the extra size, it needs to be noted
that these dogs, depending on the amount of height, will not be put forward for
further breeding. Both Reece and Brave are 37.5cm (perfect for the male, on the
upper end of the scale for the female). I will be keen to see what they
produce.
Notes on Line-breeding and In-Breeding
Line breeding (where the same dog/s appear multiple times
within a pedigree) and In-breeding (close relatives bred together) are pretty
standard when it comes to breeding animals such as dogs, horses, livestock and
birds etc. But it is definitely not something to be taken lightly, nor without a
lot of research and thought. The pro's and con's are pretty self explanatory
and easy to understand. The main concerns obviously are the health problems
associated with the specific breeds, and the amount of inbreeding that will be
done. But once those bases have been covered, the benefits are exciting!
Breeders selectively breed desirable traits (physical features,
behavioural characteristics, working traits) in order to have them crop up more,
and thus creating uniformity in the line!
So, in essence, my plans are coming together quite
quickly now. Owners of these WILD litter pups need to take note of the above,
and realize that they will be a part of Mackland’s future, although the “look”
of these pups will be a tad more flashy than the final goal. 😊
