Shadowhills Border Terriers

02/02/2025

Miles’ first full day in his new home. He got to help Chris work rebuilding his 1971 VW Super Beetle!

01/02/2025

More news from the Cav x Lark litter…..
Pups are now 8 months old and all are doing grand, even if a bit teenager!
“Maverick”, formerly Mr Blue, recently passed both his AKC Star Puppy test but also his Canine Good Citizen test! Pix coming! Thank you Dee and Craig for being a great home for him!

01/02/2025

Miles is home!
After a heartbreaking loss of his first “mom”, and a very successful fostering, “Miles”, Shadowhills Storm King, VX ( I don’t know all the titles he has after his name but he is a VX) has found what I believe is his forever home!
Chris and Emily in Eastern Oregon are the proud owners of Miles who will get to live on acreage in their gorgeous valley near Haines. Miles got to see snow on his first morning at his new home.
A huge thank you to Cheryl and Mike for fostering Miles since Jabbara’s passing. It definitely takes a village.
Best of luck to Miles and his family! ❤️🐾

01/02/2025

It’s official!
“Duffy” is now an AKC Champion!
CH Shadowhills Solitary Man is a “Tommy”, MySulan Going Solo JW, VW son out of “Piper” GCH Shadowhills Fool Hearted Memory. 3 puppies in that litter and at 14 months of age, the two boys are AKC Champions with sister, Taylor, about halfway there.
As always, a huge THANK YOU to Sue Baxter for the use of Tommy! Watch for the three pups at the BTCOA National in June.

30/01/2025

Someone inquiring about puppies asked me about how we select dogs for breeding. Eventually we got around to the subject of line breeding and in-breeding coefficient.
In my discourses 😂 about this I usually refer to these questions:
“What do you think of breeding two half siblings?” And
“What do you think about the “classic” line breeding technique of breeding a dog to its granddaughter”?
Usually people frown upon the first as “too tight” and agree that the second may be “acceptable” as it is classically done with success. Then I tell them that the COI for both is identical at 12.5% if you look at the first five to eight generations or so. They usually are surprised. Then I tell them the following:
The biggest difference between the two, and a potential danger area, is that in breeding two half siblings, the two “outside” or “unknown” dogs are situated one each on each side of the pup’s pedigree. In the case of the father to granddaughter breeding, both “outside” dogs are on the same side of the pedigree. Thus in the latter breeding, even if both “outside” dogs carry the same unwanted gene, the pups will only be carriers at most. In the case of the two half-siblings, because the “outside” dogs are on both sides of the pedigree, if they carry the same unwanted gene, there is a 25% chance that a pup could be affected.
Neither technique guarantees success. But the breeding of two half siblings requires a breeder to have a very strong understanding of not only their dogs’ strengths and weaknesses, but also those behind the “outside” animals. I have done both breedings with success.

29/01/2025

There’s good news on the next litter front!
Penny, CH Shadowhills Don’t Mind If I Do, is preggers! Doesn’t look to be a huge first litter and we will recheck next week. If so, she would be due around the 8th of March.
Don’t normally breed two litters so close but with the BTCOA National Specialty in late June and local here (in WA), I don’t want to breed anyone who comes in season in April or so.
As always, our list stays in flux u til we commit a pup to a home.

28/01/2025

Puppies had visitors again today! Peggy and Phil Boyle who are owned by “Corky”, a Charly daughter, and the aunt of these puppies.

26/01/2025

Puppies got out in the grass again today. Also received their second worming. Here are Messers Red and Brown cavorting!

22/01/2025

The “food bag”! Lots going on now for these puppies!

22/01/2025

Day two on the hardwood floor!

22/01/2025

Last evening. Puppies met RIO, one of our older “puppy trainers”! RIO and Charly are our Nano and Nana for most of our litters. Good, calm, patient older dogs for puppies to meet for first time. Soon it will be truly face-to-face!

22/01/2025

Puppies had more fun yesterday! They got to go outside for the first time! First times on asphalt and grass! If it warms up again today will get them out again! Lots of visitors lined up for the next week. They turn six weeks old on Thursday.

22/01/2025

22/01/2025

Yes!

21/01/2025

Mr.Silver was second fastest! 7 seconds!

21/01/2025

Puppies are 5.5 weeks old. Today we did the Barrier Challenge for the first time. We had some fast learners and some normal ones!
Here’s Mr. Red trying hit for the first time. When the plate gets too close to them they just try to barrel thru the x-pen. Not the fastest or closest route but he figured it out!

19/01/2025

Not to be too outdone today, “Taylor”, Shadowhills Blues Solo, was awarded Winners B**ch with Kyle at the helm. Here they are in the BOB ring.