Coloring: Dilute blue Dam: Wilson's Green Mountain Roxie
Weight: 50lbs
Height: 20''
Hip Score: .26/.31
MDR1: Normal
CEA: Carrier
DM & PRA/PRCD: Clear by Parentage
So there's his info at a glance, but when it comes to temperament, that's what really makes the dog!
As a breeder I need to answer one question, "Why should anyone buy my puppies?" In the following you will see a temperament description of one of the Studs that I have available to breed. And while reading the following, it is up to the reader to decide if they want a pup that is going to be this dog's offspring is what they want for the next 13 years or so.
Below is the story of how and why I got Conrad, his general temperament, and different stories about him to help the reader understand his very unique temperament more better.
I advertised on Facebook one night when I was about 17 years old ( in the month of July I believe it was) for a new male English Shepherd. Now understand I knew next to nothing about breeding at the time, and the reason I was asking for a new male was because I had just found out that my current male had horrible hips. I got one response from Savannah Curtis in North Carolina, who said she was having several litters coming up soon, and if you know anything about Savannah, you will know that she does indeed have many different litters throughout the year and a wide variety of temperaments available.
While I wasn't sure I wanted to ship a dog from North Carolina to Texas, I went ahead a filled out her questionnaire. She got right back to me, saying that she thought she would have a perfect match for what it was that I wanted and the pups would be born late fall of 2014. Well Roxie (Conrad's dam) took her own sweet time about coming into heat, and she finally got bred about the same time I got the news that our family was moving from Texas to Oregon. I will never forget the day that the pups were born. Momma and I were packing up boxes, when I stopped for a break and to check and see if there was puppies yet. For the next couple hours, Momma and I got nothing done, because we were watching as Savannah posted every time there was a pup. At six weeks, Savannah told me which puppy was coming to me, and what do you know, it was absolutely NOT the one I wanted. I had this picture in my head of the biggest pup with odd coloring, or a split face. But the one she said was this normal looking doll of a runt. Thank God for wiser council than my own!!
From his first litter, we kept a pup, and from watching him and hearing what the other owners of the litter tell me, I would say that the best trait they got from him is this same reliability. Of course this is a huge trait in the breed and each pup is different in their own ways. I will say though, I don't think I would want to breed him to a high strung female, breeding him with a low energy, "snuggly" sort of female produced a wide variety of pups. He's not the sort of dog that is very popular as a stud, because he does need a lot of time and energy to keep him healthy and hearty.
So why breed him at all? Why not neuter him and go with an easier dog to control? The answer is, for our life style I cannot imagine a better dog to have. As I'm writing this, I own 2 other females and my little brother owns his son Xavier who we hope someday to use as stud as well. And all of them are polar opposites in temperament, and while I do enjoy them and wouldn't trade them for the world, Conrad is the one I would say is the most valuable in my mind of all. Yes his energy level is extremely difficult to deal with on a daily basis. Yes he is a handful. But as a farm dog, and a dog to represent this ageless breed with such a history, he is a perfect fit.
So to answer the question, "Why should anyone buy his pups?" I would say, "ANYONE shouldn't, only those who are willing to deal with these trying, difficult, exciting, and absolutely unique traits. But if there is a person with the right living conditions and time enough, I cannot recomend a better, more stable dog. This is why I like to stay in touch with the people who have gotten pups from me, and I spend a large amount of time talking to people about what they want in a dog, but I also give each litter to God and pray for Him to show me the perfect owners for each dog. I must say I am not disappointed in His choices, and I am so thrilled with each and every owner of his pups."
Just through his first litter, I learned all the ins and outs of shipping a puppy across county, got to watch (and get to be apart of a teaching time) a dear friend of mine and she saved her money for two years to own her very own dog, met 6 new and wonderful people, and best of all got to learn to trust in Him just a little bit more.
To God be all the glory, for the creation of this amazing animal that instinctively is devoted to his task of protection and direction. The English Shepherd breed leaves me in awe every day, and this dog most of all.
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