I’ve been asked several times to talk about the differences between drive and arousal so I wanted to do a quick post! I’ll likely expand on this topic later too.

Arousal is an emotional response to something a dog finds stimulating but doesn’t know why or what it should do with those emotions. Drive is an innate predisposed will to interact directed towards something specific which varies by breed, individual and even what’s been taught.

High drive looks like a dog who is willing to work under any conditions or circumstances. A dog that puts the “job” before other things. That can focus on it’s task despite outside stimuli. Even work through discomfort, high pressure, or pain - think police dogs who are being attacked by a human, even stabbed or shot but they still do their job, cattle dogs who get their jaw kicked out of socket and still finish loading that truck, hog dogs who get caught by a tusk and they still don’t let go. Those are a few examples of extremely high drive. Drive also falls into different categories. Prey drive, food drive, toy drive, social drive. Those drives can all vary within an individual as well. A dog with high drive is a dog who keeps coming back to the task at hand with just as much gusto each time even if it didn’t “go well” previously, especially if a reward history is strong.

Arousal looks like a dog who is very stimulated by outside influences, easily aroused by things, a hairpin trigger so to speak. Often they are loud/vocal especially in Border Collies, they often have their hackles raised at a moments notice, they have a frantic vibe about them when stimulated rather than a collected intensity. Prone to reactivity of either a friendly or aggressive nature, sensitivity, things like shadow/light chasing, they are often over threshold before much of anything even really happens, which can lead to volatility in some circumstances especially when poorly handled. Arousal can be fun too, it’s a dog who is really interested in what you’re doing and presenting, often a dog who is quite engaged when in drive, it can be funny and cute and playful.
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A dog can be both high arousal and high drive but that’s not always the case; you can have dogs who are high arousal and easily stimulated by the environment but aren’t particularly driven for any certain thing, and you can have very stable dogs who aren’t easily aroused but are high drive and carry a strong will to do or interact with particular things. Most dogs are a combination of both these things with differing levels and intensities.

I’ve gained this knowledge through experience over many years with intimately learning the behavior of hundreds of dogs, and it can be difficult for those with less experience to identify subtle differences, particularly if you don’t have other references to compare to. You could ask 50 different people and get 50 different answers but this is my opinion and experience. But if you’re wondering where your dog falls into this spectrum and would like help evaluating, I am more than happy to assist!

Happy to expand more if you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

Breeding and training dogs is no side thing for me.

I’ve spent over a decade researching, learning, gaining experience. I’ve committed my life to dogs, particularly behavior and reproduction. I have no side job! My process has been developed over litters and years, seeing dogs I’ve produced grow to adulthood, knowing my lines and their behavioral predispositions, consuming different puppy raising protocols like Puppy Culture and AviDog, attending seminars, reading books, listening to experts in the field lecture, as well as my own professional background in dog behavior and thousands of hours spent training and working with a huge variety of dogs.

Long before a litter is even considered, I am preparing my dogs for breeding. I control their diet and supplement intake very specifically based on where they are in their estrous cycle, their physical fitness, their mental state and levels of stress. I monitor their circadian rhythm and photoperiod. I get my prospects from dams that are good broods, because reproduction IS hereditary. This isn’t solely up to chance for me! I put in a lot of effort to make sure things goes as smoothly as possible. Mother Nature is a wicked mistress and bad things do happen but I do my best to stay on her good side.

For me, as a breeder and dog professional, it can be insulting when someone asks me for in depth advice/instruction over the internet, particularly on breeding. I’m always here for “easy” questions, questions geared towards the health/survival of a litter, behavior of an individual’s dog - I will even hop on a phone call to discuss what’s going on. I’m always here for things like that! Think product recommendations, training, breed related questions, etc. But when it comes to how I breed dogs, which is a very broad topic and what all goes into everything that I do, it’s not so easy. So much behind the scene goes into how and why I do things the way I do.

One of my dreams is to write a book one day, so I can share my methods and process. I would also love to be in a position to take on apprenticeships and mentor someday, while always continuing to learn myself. I’m nowhere near the completion of my dream!

I want to speak a little on gatekeeping in dogs and why it's problematic.

I'm going to focus on Border Collies but this is relevant to many breeds so feel free to fill in the blanks, so to speak.

Border Collies are extremely trendy right now. They have been increasing in popularity over the last decade and it's only going up. People see them in the media, they're so beautiful, so photogenic, they look so great in the hands of a trainer, they do all the things! It's valid why they're popular. They're awesome in so many ways!

I get new applications for pups every single day and (while it may take a while for me to respond) it doesn't matter if they are good fits for my program or not, I always give people kindness and support. Even if they won't be getting a dog from me.

I have friends who have reached out to many different breeders who have been in the breed a long time and have great lines, really nice dogs. But these breeders are straight up condescending. If you haven't been in the breed and been open field trialing for x amount of years, then you had better not even ask, because there's a good chance you'll be belittled.

I can understand why these breeders are hesitant, because Border Collies are experiencing the "Dalmatian affect", everyone wants one & at least half of them want to breed. It's problematic. There's no denying that.

However.

That gives no excuse to be rude, hostile & disrespectful. How about instead, take the time to kindly educate rather than ostracize?

Callousness towards newcomers WILL NOT stop what is happening to the breed. Although it will ensure that all of these newcomers will instead get dogs from unscrupulous breeders & shifty lines, further perpetuating the problem. It results in people having to start from ground zero trying to create good dogs, with little to no guidance. I'm a newer breeder myself, I'm not perfect and neither are my dogs. So I'm not making this post from a position of a gatekeeper but more from the side of the gatekept, because I do wonder sometimes where I'd be today if I had been welcomed instead of disregarded.

When you gatekeep the good genetics, you don't stop people from breeding. You stop them from breeding well.

​It seems as if we are reaching a milestone in her recovery process, as she’s been using her leg more! She’s becoming more stable on it and it feels like it’s finally gaining some noticeable muscle. The atrophy from the crate rest phase was intense and it’s been so slow to gain muscle mass but we’re finally seeing some changes for the better.

Unfortunately, her mental state still isn’t right where she had left off before the incident and I’m wondering if we will get back to it. As she’s grown up, she’s shown some temperament aspects that I don’t prefer to produce/pass on, which is why I was leaning towards washing her from the breeding program before the health things showed up. I am big on letting dogs mature before making final calls on them, unless it’s something that’s been very apparent from an early age and has remained consistent, and Daci does have so many traits I do like. Oh well! Some things aren’t meant to be. A couple of her siblings have what I view as unfavorable temperaments as well, mostly lack of drive and high arousal. While these are fairly “minor” issues and many don’t mind them, it’s not what I am striving to produce. Arousal does not equal drive! Many people can’t tell the difference between those two things but as a behaviorist, I’ve seen both and gotten to know both well. It doesn’t make Audacity or her siblings bad dogs whatsoever! They’re lovely dogs and only a couple of them have these “problems.” Mostly their owners are all super happy with them and I am so glad for that! But it’s certainly made me rethink the types of pairings I want to do and the type of Border Collies I want to be working with in my breeding program. After experiencing many full and half show lines through my own and also those I’ve done behavioral modification on, they aren’t my preferred representation of the breed. I prefer the genetics and temperament of working and some sporting lines and moving forward I will not be using show lines in my program. It’s cool to be in a breed with so much variety, as you can really choose what fits you best!

​Happy 4th birthday to Lapis!

The first Whippet of the family, she really turned us on to this breed. She’s such a wonderful dog. She is the picture of stability in all ways and is the easiest dog to be around! She gladly works for anyone, never has met a stranger dog or human, has so much enthusiasm and energy for things like training, play and of course hunting but she’s also the biggest couch potato and is more than happy to sleep in all day. She loves puppies and is a great nanny dog. She is so sweet and light hearted. She gets excited to meet people and say hi then settles right down into her usual lovely home body ways. She’s great in public, unshakable by the environment, and only ever reactive to small and furry - as any Whippet should be! And boy when she’s on a hunt, she is a sight to behold. It’s like she turns into a different dog, she becomes like a machine with only one goal in mind. And even in the heat of those hunts, she’s never not came back to us when called or after the chase is done! Lapis is a fabulous dog and everyone could use one of her. I could use 10 more myself!

Happy birthday little Whippet.

09/13/22
​Lapis is always such a consistent energy in the house. You can always bank on her to be resting on the couch, running roughshod on the other dogs or hopping around them as they wrestle, rummaging in the pantry for dropped kibbles, or if you have food she's never far away. She always gets excited when people come over & she zooms around briefly, jumps up once or twice, then is pretty much over it. She likes to sniff your nose & mouth but rarely gives kisses. She loves to sleep under the covers at night with her head out on the pillow like a human. She loves to play & race around the house with a toy in her mouth, jumping to the couch from halfway across the living room.

Lapis is my first Whippet & without her I probably never would have fallen for the breed so hard. Aside from Border Collies, I had a few breeds on my list to potentially own but there's a good chance I never would have branched out & actually got a non-BC. My partner Daniel is the one who took the leap! She was a very challenging puppy, she was hard to crate train, she would jump onto counters, she screamed whenever I would get another dog out to play or train with & she was always running Calypso down & making her cry. They were the closest in age for a long time! Calypso was about 10 months old when we got Lapis. They both spent a big portion of their adolescence growing up during vanlife which may sound hard but it was actually a great time & such a cool way to socialize our young dogs.

It's very interesting to see the differences in drive within different breeds. Lapis is very high drive for things like hunting, food, & sometimes play but not for everything like my Border Collies are. She has great focus & she knows a lot but some things do have to be on her terms! Lucid is already proving to be quite different in a lot of ways but so very similar in others. I can't wait to have more Whippets & to see puppies out of Lapis! I couldn't even tell you how many inquiries for Border Collies I get & think to myself... you actually want a Whippet. 😂😅

J​on is my first personal male dog in a long time. We have Pancetta, the APBT, but he is my partners dog and we got him at 7 months so it was a bit of a different experience. Not to mention a very different breed!

One of my first personal dogs was a male and he was my first service dog as well. We had a deep bond and he never gave me any of the typical “boy dog” troubles! After training many an adolescent male dog and with how much I like girls, I have been hesitant to have a boy. It’s very early to say yet how it will go with Jon and if he will be a teenage delinquent like most boys are, but so far he’s really been a pleasure! The main differences I’ve been seeing are that he’s more affectionate, more into me, calmer and more easily redirected to me off exciting things (think calling off playing with the other dogs), and overall he’s just a really great, perfect puppy. He loves playing, loves training and is picking things up FAST, and is such a lover! He hasn’t had any real hormones hit yet so we’ll see how things go as he becomes a teen, but I’m hesitantly very optimistic. He’s been nothing but a dream so far. So confident, outgoing, sure of himself, biddable, friendly, sweet, and the cutest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on!

I am so eager to get into sports with Jon. It’s going to be awesome having a dog who won’t have to take time off for reproductive things like heat cycles! He’s showing great signs towards service work so far and he’s taking to his agility foundations so well. I can’t wait to get him herding! I want to pursue a lot of different sports with him whenever I have the chance to do them and hopefully make him into a great representation of what type of Border Collie I want to produce. A versatile working dog who can still be an amazing companion.

​My pretty girl Vintage for the first post of 2023.

Rightly so, as this dog holds my heart in a special way! She’s everything I hoped for out of Abigail and the amazing @marley_workingsheepdog. She has drive coming out of her ears, she’s friendly with every person she’s met, she’s very dog savvy and social. She loves herding, disc, tug, toys and play of all kinds, loves training for food, tricks, heel work, her agility foundations class was super. I don’t know if I’ll pursue agility with her as I want to focus more on herding and there’s only so much time. She’s a wonderful demo dog for our training business. She would happily work for any handler! She’s a truly high drive dog and bless her heart she’s also low arousal. She’s literally perfect and I could go on and on!

She’s been going through the typical 1.5 year old fear period, suddenly spooked by very random things (like the toaster 😂) which is odd for her since she’s never really shown any fear or concern about anything. She’s rock solid and I live for it! I’m sure she will come out of the fear period with grace, as I am quite good at navigating them appropriately and setting the dogs up for success.

This year my goals with Vintage are get more into herding, ideally going at least once a month. And to get her some other titles, as I don’t quite expect us to be trial ready for herding soon, but you never know!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

This year was quite the ride but I have a lot to be thankful for and many good things happened. We started off the year strong and busy as ever, seeing off the 9 Apple pups and meeting all of their owners, as well as having Denali’s owners Devin and Ida in town for furthering their dog education for a couple weeks.

In February, we met the wonderful Mushu and his amazing owner Kayli who has become a great friend! Hex got picked up from his board and train in Feb and we spent a fun week doing to transfer process and getting to know his owner Darby more, who has also become a great friend.

At the end of Feb/beginning of March, Holly got picked up from her B&T and little did I know in her owner Ashley, I would find my best friend. Also in March, Macy visited and spent about 2 weeks with us learning and rekindling her love for dog training after a really bad experience with her previous employer. Still so happy we were able to help!

The first weekend of April we spent at our first Conformation dog show! With Katelyn which was a lot of fun and while not my favorite sport, certainly one I’m glad I tried out at least once. In April a dog from Abigail’s first litter came for some time and it was nice getting to know him again! We also enjoyed an agility trial and my birthday.

In May I traveled to Idaho for the very first disc seminar by Kestral Disc Dogs and met some great dog people who are too many to name all of here, but you’re all special and I am happy to have met you! Hope to see you again. I also attended a USBCHA herding seminar while in Idaho. We enjoyed many beautiful spring hikes and at the end of May, I visited family in Florida that I hadn’t seen in over a decade, which was just amazing. While it was a week without any dogs and a week without my husband, it was a joyous one and I can’t wait to visit again!

In June, Flare finally met her mom Kristen and went home to the Carolina’s after 11 months of training with us to be a service dog! Such a rewarding experience and a placement I am so happy with. At the end of June, Ash visited again which was wonderful as always and we hiked in a thunderstorm in Tahoe. Subaru went home with her for a vacation, during which she mostly stopped chewing out her own fur and began tasking for Ashley’s health issues without being trained to do so, and it became apparent that was who she was meant to be with, which was a hard choice but one I am still happy we made.

In July I flew by myself to Chicago to pick up Lucid, the lovely Whippet from Sonic Workaholic in Poland, who is one of my biggest things that happened this year! She’s a very hopeful prospect for the future of my breeding program and I am so thankful that her breeder trusted me with her. While in Chicago, I met with Kaylin for the first time and was welcomed into another internet dog friend Rachael's home during my stay. Another two new friends and awesome people! At the end of July, I met with my new herding trainer the first time whom I am still so in love with and who also owns the sire of the Fabrics litter, Glen, who was a dream to meet.

In August I spent a few days in the bay with Ashley, getting Calypso bred and learning more from my herding trainer! Also in August, shortly after returning from that trip, Audacity had her injury which really marked the beginning of change in the trajectory of the year. Not all bad in August though, as Darby and Kaylin visited and we had a lot of fun despite some stressful circumstances.

In September we confirmed Cal’s pregnancy and Daci had her surgery. Her sibling was also diagnosed with his spine problem in Sept which was an extremely stressful time for many reasons. One of the Apples, Roku came for training and it was great getting to know him and his owner more! The USBCHA nationals came to Nevada and we enjoyed going to spectate. And on the last day of Sept, the Fabrics were born!

In October, most of my time was dedicated to the pups as they got sick and it took all we had to save them all. It felt like such a long time but I am so happy we overcame it without any causalities. Drift got picked up from his B&T and his person, Katella stayed a week for learning. She is a fantastic dog person! My mom and sister came to visit and help with puppies at the end of Oct, while Daniel attended a friend’s wedding and was the designated dog handler so their dog could be included!

In November, another Apple pup got picked up from his B&T and it was great to see his people again! We had more visits and started interviewing homes for the Fabrics. The pups took an all day road trip to their “dad’s house” for BAER testing and socialization. Nova from the Space litter and her family visited and played with puppies. Nova has become such a wonderful dog! She’s one of Audacity’s siblings, a Space pup.

In December, the pups all left to their new homes and we met all of their people, which is quite an adventure when you have 9 puppies who are going all over the place! One even went to Canada, the second Old Hemp pup there now. Macy visited again, picked up her new puppy and helped me evaluate the litter. Ash visited to help with puppies and meet them all too! Then most recently, Chloe was surrendered. And we welcomed Jon into our pack!

It’s been quite the year and it seems like with each passing year we get busier and more well known, which is both a blessing and a curse. I LOVE being able to touch the lives of so many people and dogs but sometimes I do think back and miss the simple easier days, when it was just my personal dogs and we could do things like live in a van! And didn’t have to worry about the pressures of social media. But everything requires sacrifice and as we continue adjusting to our “new” normal, the growing pains gradually decrease and we create new rhythms and patterns. I’ve been through several emotional rollercoasters this year and I’ve gained and lost inspiration and drive. But it’s coming back together, and this year as every year, my resolution is onwards and upwards.