Q&A Australian Cattle Dogs
“...ALWAYS START AT THE FEET AND LEGS AND MOVE UPWARDS. foundAtion must be good or the rest of the dog’s struCture And Ability will suffer.”
breed was intended for: a rancher’s tool that made the work on the cattle farm easier and safer. Jim Buzzard passed his love for the Cattle dog on to his family with 3 generations now involved in the breed. Along with himself, his daughter Theresa Buzzard-Couch was one of first AKC Breeder of Merit recipients and her son Colston Couch also had the passion passed onto him from his Papa Jim for the purebred Cattle dog as he became one of the youngest ever to become an AKC Breeder of Merit. Not feeling the Australian Cattle dog was a one-dimen- sional breed, as soon as they were accepted into the AKC; Jim took his Cattle dogs straight from the cattle ranch through the week to the AKC show ring on the weekends. To date around 400 AKC championship dogs have come from the Buzzard kennels, with many Grand Championship titleholders as well. Jim of course wanted to show the purebred ACD’s herd- ing ability as well, with a Buzzard Cattle dog named “Tubs” becoming the first ever AKC HX titled herding dog of any breed. Buzzard Australian Cattle dogs also have had 4 AKC dual champions 5 if you count “Tubs,” who had done that prior to there being a dual title. He became an AKC approved conformation judge for the Australian Cattle dog in 2008. His obvious knowledge and work done in the herding ring allowed the AKC to grandfather him in as an approved Herding judge in 1990. His dedication and knowledge of the breed began to spread around the globe, even gaining notoriety in the home country of the breed, Australia, where he was invited by the Victorian Kennel club to come to Australia and start their herding program—quite an honor indeed. 2. In order, name the five most important traits you look for in the ring. First, which one has the correct structure to work cattle all day, everyday? Secondly, does this dog have enough size to control large herds/groups of cattle, sometimes 100+ head? Third, does this dog have the correct cattle dog tempera- ment—not fearful or shy; does it cower as I approach it? These are detrimental to the ACD being able to handle tough working conditions that the cattle and weather can place on a dog working the ranch. A dog that is bold and confident for exam not only shows to me ring savvy, but also that he has the confidence to work even the stron-
gest willed cattle who need to be brought under control of the dog. Fourth, always start at the feet and legs and move upwards. Foundation must be good or the rest of the dog’s structure and ability will suffer. Feet should be tight, round and catlike with short, strong nails. Feet with a hare-like length or that splay including flatfooted dogs, crooked toes must be heavily penalized. Strong, large bone that is not crooked or misshaped is a must for the long-term health of the working ACD.
Ch buzzards red tubs hx
jim in Australia teaching judging and herding to the club members
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