Comanche Bluff English Shepherds

Comanche Bluff Mona My Pal

Mona

Mona
Here is a note from Sandra Neidrauer about her pup out of Mona by Niedrauer's Jacob:


Kozar's Molly

Puppies available now
Jacob, Molly's sire

A note on Molly: too early to tell for sure, but she sure seems like an exceptional little dog. She herds the goats already (mostly heeling), moving the babies to and from feeding when we let them out of their pen. She knows right where they belong and gets them there! Very smart little one. She cleans them up just like her daddy and seems to really like them, too--that guardian stuff showing up already! Haven't seen a lot of hunting or treeing, yet, but she's a good little guard dog. Overall, she seems like a real treasure.
Sandra

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In response to me asking about Molly's hunting behavior: October 18, 2000 She trees very aggressively. She shows guardian behavior toward the stock as well. She is a wonderful dog, and for the most part has a very sweet disposition now. She is very responsive to training and loves companionship. If Ben gives her the emotional input she needs, she has the potential to be a one-in-a-million kind of companion dog. Josiah has put a lot of emotional energy into her, as he does with all the dogs, and she responds to that very well. She isn't a leech, needing constant attention either, just very responsive. I think if he gives her a good chance he will like her very much! I don't think we've yet seen the half of her intelligence, either.

It is my belief that OTFS are ES. In the Southeast of the country I have talked to people who I would have to show proof of my dogs working ability (pictures etc) because they were black and tan and for some reason due to some perhaps poor breeding or prejudices in the area, people felt that B/T's were useless dogs (EXACT opposite here in TX!) that laid around all day long and other collie type dogs were terrible varmint dogs and wouldn't tree a racoon or kill a coyote worth a flip to protect your livestock. All ES should be able to tree, herd, be all purpose, but that is hard to maintain unless you breed for it and for obvious urban reasons people were/are doiing so less and less. So...in the style of Stodghill, McDuffie comes up with the OTFS thing to proudly distinguish his dogs from those who just lay around, won't herd and certainly wouldn't tree a darned thing.

My father in law Bob Hughes grew up in the thirties calling ES Farm Shepherds....they really didn't start using the term ES, till Stoghill and others started promoting it. Anyway, this really makes Jacob with only twenty something percent of his registry "unknown" although the dog was apparently of the type and most ES pedigrees somewhere have an unknown or unregisterable ancestor since the stud books are open and since this breed thankfully was maintained by many farm breeders who didn't give a damn if the dog was registered, just if it could do the work.

A word about ARF, a registry with a proud and long history with ES, Al Walker and I talked extensively about Jacob, I was required to send in a photo to see if he met the standard which absolutely he does and we talked about it a lot, because frankly, if it isn't black and tan and traces to their record books somewhere, Al has his doubts !!! (In Texas, if it ain't black and tan, it ain't an English Shepherd! :))

I have met and watched Jacob multiple times and is probably one of the best dogs i have seen. In appearance and temperament and natural instinct. One of my main goals is to breed dogs that although they can be used for other purposes can still perform farm duties admirably. I try as best i can to maintain good temperaments, check out hips and health etc. but i want to maintain all of these elements in balance....Doesn't always work (i.e Katy--she is out of an Anne Beebe tri female Babe and Bud a Stodghill black and tan, neither of which exhibit her weird personality, and having done that breeding twice and followed up pups for two years, there are no other problems except some that are somewhat hyper.

So, anyway, breeding to Jacob was all carefully done and that is probably one of my best breedings especially for ranches etc. Breeding to tricolors allows me to maintain the black and tan color while bringing in new blood. Black and tan is just that, a color...However, Stodghill bred so many and had such a far reaching influence (he shipped dogs folks when that wasn't so common and easy as today) that most black and tans are related somewhere down the line and are very similar in temperament and style because of his "cloclwise breeding program" which was basically linebreeding and inbreeding which "set" characteristics in the black and tans that are still prevalent today. But black and tan is just a color pattern, one that i can achieve in many different ways, but definitely Stodghill black and tans are a tougher dog...i'm talking a dog that can get kicked in the head by a cow and come back for more...or one that routinely shakes rattlesnakes to death, or can defend a flock from a pack of coyotes and kill multiple ones, or one that decides to bravely defend the home from an approaching bulldozer! :) you talk about brave...that one happened to me! The same dog amazingly is a loving farm family dog extremely loyal and smart.

It is harder and harder to maintain this personality today with out terrible inbreeding( to other black and tans), so you have to try to choose from other sire possibilities available to you . I agree about all the stuff with Anderson and Sophie II etc. Some bad hips, some bad temperaments, but then frankly, I don't know of a breeder or a line that hasn't thrown out some bad hips and some bad temperaments. As I tell people constantly, these dogs are all individuals some good, some bad , some ugly! So, I think care is needed, I think it is important to follow up on pups to see if they are turning out allright as adults, if they are then go forward. If not, stop and try something different. Also be aware that different people want different things out of their dogs. Like when I get a call that one pup isn't friendly enough to strangers and the same day a lady tells me a littermate is TOO friendly and how can she get her to bark at strangers and not be so friendly...;0)!! That kind of thing can make you nuts as a breeder. So you do the best you can to breed a dog that is pleasing to yourself. The kind of dog that you like.

Well, I am rambling, suffice it to say Jacob is a great English Shepherd, OTFS are ES in my opinion, Black and tan is just another color, but Stodghill's genetic goals were far-reaching, registration is important, but so are open registries. All breedings should be evaluated (i've seen many a Purple Ribbon dog, with bad temperaments, physical problems, overall uselessness as a farm dog, etc. etc. etc. ) for their success. And first hand knowledge and references are important, not just generalizations. Plus good breeders may not always "agree" with what is best for the breed or what methods are best to improve the breed.