Bitches in Season

This is the first time I have had so many intact bitches at once. It is got me thinking about bitches in season competing in agility.

I can understand not letting bitches in season compete at every show; but it is really necessary to stop them from competing at major finals and championship classes? They do allow bitches in seaons at the World Agility Championships. I wonder if it is worth putting forward a proposal for the same in England for major competitions. (Olympia and Crufts)? How can someone who wants to breed from bitches who compete work this out? My options are:

1. risk missing out on Crufts, Olympia, Championship classes ect.


2. spay the bitches and not continue a line of working dogs


3. Only breed from non-working bitches


4. inject the bitches with hormones to delay the seasons.

Obviously I pick number 1 especially for bitches that I want to breed that year. I am unsure what to do about Hex. She will not be bred this year or even next but I am really concerned about the side effects of the hormone injections. I must talk more with people who have used them and then had succesful breedings. I will have to make a decision soon especially if she qualifies for Olympia this year.

I am always planning litters and puppies in my head. I saw a gorgeous tri sheltie boy 2 years ago at Clean Run Camp. and luckily he belonged to a good friend of mine. Jif comes from show breed lines but has some good working dogs in his pedigree. But the reason I liked him was that Jif himself is a super worker with intense drive and speed and had good structure and type. I also met his brother, Spooner, who was the same way. That really excited me as it shows that the drive is genetic not trained! Now Diane just sent me this link to a video of the third brother in that litter. Wow! Now I am even more determined to breed Hex to Jif. It will, of course, produce another ALL BLACK litter! hahaha I am doomed! Check out the video of Jif's brother Seeker in Round 5 of the USA World Team Tryouts .

http://www.abctc.com/WorldTeamVideos.htm

Here are some photos of Jif. The funny thing is that I first met Diane back in 1994 or 1995 at the Boston ASSA sheltie national when I saw and liked another one of her male shelties called Teller (Ch. Aylmere Premonition). I ended up breeding Joy to him and that produced my soul-mate Pax. So maybe it is fate that I have fell in love with Jif. Or maybe we just have similar tastes in shelties! haha

Dennis is off golfing in France for two days, the lucky boy. He deserves a little break as he has been stressed about work lately. I have been doing too much gardening (Who needs trees they take up room and I always need more room for agility equipment) and have been very achy yesterday and today. Yoga this morning helped a little. We did:

• Open and closed sitting spinal twists
• Rocking horse.
• Warrior and Archer
• swordsman
• Fig tree

Now my instructor is about 70 years old and can do everything! What's my excuse?