Wall 2 Wall Border Collies

Links

	Morden Vetrinary Hospital News Letter - Link to interesting articles on health and care of our pets.
	Canadian Border Collie Association - Registry for Border Collies in Canda
	Saskatchewan Stock dog Association - "The Saskatchewan Stock dog Association promotes the proper training of stock dogs, their humane handling and is dedicated to the welfare of both dogs and livestock."
	Paw Print Genetics & Pedigrees - The Definitive Resource for Canine Genetic Health™ Providing the highest standards in testing and customer service. Great Dogs Start with Great Genetics. We test each gene mutation twice, with two independent methods, ensuring 99.9% accurate results all within two weeks.
	Free Dog Listings - Free Dog Listings: The Best Doggy Web Site


	Border Collie Collapse (BCC) I do not believe that any of my dogs are affected with this malady, but put in a strenuous situation, any dog can be overcome with stress, especially when they are confined in a small kennel with excitement going on around them and the build-up of excitement or fearful anticipation (as would be the case for a dog with a negative history connected to being confined in their kennel) I believe, could cause the hormonal buildup of chemicals causing an imbalance in the system, no different than the stress we develop, and the result, where the dog is unable to express or escape the problem as we might be able to, could suffer terribly. The link and article below is one of the ways that the Border Collie is being studied for this. Personally I believe that much of this has been caused by venturing into the areas of breeding that go outside the initial "guidelines" that the old shepherds used in selecting and matching breeding stock for their border collies. Many of the traits that they purposely removed from the Border Collie lines, including certain colour patterns, eye colour issues, and related "preferences" they seemed to work within, have caused the development of these issues with the border collie becoming more common. That is why personally I will not breed in certain traits with my stock. YOU may notice that in the beginning, we utilized several males and a whole kennel of females. We worked with the bloodlines and learned what we liked and disliked and learned about the colour, genetics, and traits of mannerism and did with the Border Collies as we did with the Sheep we bred and having developed a very desirable breed line in the sheep, we also did so with the Border Collies. Finally settling on one breed match. That is why all our subsequent breedings begin with DelMar Skeet bred to Nell. This match we have found produces a consistent temperament and ability to adjust to the situation that the dog is raised in, be that as an outdoor herding dog, or an indoor companion or the gambit of agility, search & rescue, service dog or whatever other activity that the owner may find to enjoy with the pup they choose from us. That being said, I do not claim to have the perfect Border Collie, but we have tried to have them as near to that as possible, with testing to back up their health, and family histories to show the likelihood of the longevity of your pups existence. If you choose to participate in the agility sport in the larger (more stressful by the sheer number of dogs present and noise, activity, and wait times) please think of joining in where you can on the study to help understand this issue so that we can identify which genetic markers are those to use to eliminate this malady in the Border Collie. Border Collie Collapse (BCC) From the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine website article: Border Collie Collapse (BCC) is an episodic nervous system disorder that is triggered by strenuous exercise. BCC is recognized throughout North America, Europe, and Australia and is observed in dogs used for working stock, as well as dogs participating in agility or fly-ball competitions or repeatedly retrieving a ball. This disorder has also been called exercise-induced collapse (EIC), exercise-induced hyperthermia, stress seizures and "the wobbles". Affected dogs are normal at rest and seem healthy. Typical collapse episodes begin 5 – 15 min after onset of exercise and include disorientation, dull mentation or loss of focus; swaying, staggering and falling to the side; exaggerated lifting of each limb while walking and a choppy gait; scuffing of the rear and/or forelegs, and crossing of the legs when turning. All of the factors contributing to the tendency for an affected dog to collapse on a given day (excitement, heat, the intensity of exercise) have not been determined. Some dogs seem relatively normal while they are exercising but only show symptoms about 5 minutes after exercise is halted. Dogs are abnormal for 5 to 30 minutes but then recover completely with no residual lameness or muscle stiffness or discomfort. Affected dogs are often unable to exercise and must be retired from competition and work. Though first described in border collies, a similar collapse condition has been observed in other breeds, including: Australian Cattle Dog Australian Kelpie Australian Shepherd Bearded Collie Collie Shetland Sheepdog