“A” Litter

We are starting off a new round of the alphabet with a bombshell litter from Ocho and Seance. Much to our excitement (and surprise after her first litter of only three), we saw 12+ sacs on the ultrasound indicating we have a big litter ahead of us. With how strongly Seance stamped her first litter with substance and type, we are excited to see how she produces with a splash of spice and a bucket full of drive added to the equation. We expect sporty pups in every aspect – be prepared for a challenge and a partner that thinks through every problem with you. If you’re looking for your ride or die adventure partner, this is the litter for you.

Pedigree

Behind Seance and Ocho are a collection of amazing working dogs. Seance’s sire, Homme (Hirgon Yvain de la Bonhardiesse), worked as a Search and Rescue dog well into his senior years. Ocho’s sire, Choisi (Choisi z Husovy Tvrze), and dam, Heroine (Heroine des Gardiens aux Coeurs Tendres), are both achieved their IGP3 and have produced accomplished dogs in both the show and performance rings. This pedigree combination speaks to dogs that succeed in every venue they’re presented in through sheer force of will and confidence.

Much like her first litter, we looked at potential sires with an eye for diverse pedigrees, as well as dogs we recognize and love from beaucerons of the past. On the rear half of the pedigree you can find line breedings on notable dogs such as the pairing between Platoon Des Assiers and Orka-Gerlie Des Assiers. Platoon has stamped his presence and structure among many programs, as well as his son Uarrior who is behind Seance. Another notable dog for us is Oslo De La Horde du Bois Perdu. In addition to his offspring that contributed this paring, he is the sire of Badaboum, and Grandsire of Imposant are behind our boy Tamaki, as well as other dogs we know and love. While we understand that more distant line breedings such as those in this pedigree match don’t contribute as much to a pairing, we hope some of their beauty and versatility shine through in the match, as well as the stellar temperaments they passed along.

Phenotype

From a phenotype standpoint, the pairing is less cohesive. Seance is the epitome of a rustic, substantial bitch. Ocho is a sports car of a dog – sleek lines and power. We are looking forward to see the two styles blended, and seeing if Seance stamps her puppies just as hard as she did with Ohkar.

One of the first things you may notice upon meeting Ocho is that despite his size he is a fast moving, agile, and athletic dog. His age is deceptive, and at nearly seven years old he still moves and trains like he’s in his prime. His topline is strong standing and in motion with balanced angulation front to rear. Everything about him is refined – tight feet, clean face, chiseled profile.

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Séance brings her beautiful front assembly to the table, along with a full coat, bright markings, and kind expression. She does lack in rear angulation and turn of stifle, causing her topline to be a bit soft in a stack. That weakness disappears as soon as she’s in motion. Carrying herself naturally and comfortably, as she moves like a dream. She has lovely depth and width of chest, complimenting her overall balance of substance and strength, especially considering she is on the smaller size in height for the breed. We love her coat color and texture, it is correctly weatherproof. Drying quickly even after swimming or working in the rain and mud, it protects her appropriately in her daily life as a homestead dog. Above all, we love her kind and gentle expression, focused around her dark soulful brown eyes that suit her so well.

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As with every litter, we’re hoping for a strong blend between the parents. While they are different styles of dog, we believe the underlying structure is complimentary. Merging the two should create very functional dogs to support the level of drive we expect when pairing these two dogs.

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Temperament

In terms of temperament, after spending time with Ocho we’re so excited for the future and potential puppies they will produce. We expect dogs just as versatile as their parents, up for anything and ready to work at the first hint from you that it’s time to go.

Ocho is an eager and level headed dog, with a massive silly streak and humor that shines in everything he does. If he’s running at you from the front and ask for a heel he literally bounces into the air and into the position in joy, smiling up at you with his celebratory smile waiting for the next command. He loves doing tricks, making his handler laugh, and will happily work for anyone for a snack.

When it comes to new people he is social and sweet, though his focus definitely is locked in on his favorite person in the room. His signature move is the rub up against them like a snake, back and forth, while getting pets. With other dogs big and small he’s neutral and happy, even with other intact males he’s been polite and appropriate, though he largely chooses to ignore them. He’s come along with Erika for a couple of reactive dog socialization trips, and didn’t even blink at the dog, all his focus stayed on her as they worked at a distance and progressively worked their way closer to help the young intact male settle into his feelings.

Formerly trained in bitesports, Ocho has the tenacity and grit to be a strong presence of a dog. He still adores the game, and at the first sign of a tug or sleeve is amped and ready to engage. Friends who participate in these disciplines have had a lot of fun with him here at the house when we’ve brought sleeves and tugs out to play. He’s shown strong impulse control, a lovely full grip on anything offered to him to target, and an impressively clear head for a dog who has not trained in this for a long time.

With stock, he is a commanding presence, walking him into the arena he held the same power as Seance. He was kind, though enthusiastic, but still respected the commands given and didn’t send everyone flying across the field. The goats ended up working well for him once we got into a routine, and you could tell he had a blast on his day at the farm. We loved hearing about his HT test with his owner, as well as experiencing his instinct for herding first hand.

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Séance has a unique personality, often described as intelligent, confident, and bossy. A little aloof when first meeting people, but quickly warms up, throwing her butt into knees and muzzle punching people she loves. You know she likes you when you start getting tackled in greeting. She enjoys independence and thinking for herself in various chores at home and the barn, but also has the versatility to thrive in formal obedience and rally. She is a road trip do-it-all dog, unbothered by trips to major cities, beaches, uncountable rest stops and gas stations, and many hotels, houses, and camping situations. Always taking the environment in stride and without a care. Truly our jack of all trades dog, even if she loves to try to throw her own brand of humor into everything.

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We have been wanting to add carefully chosen working lines to our program, and Ocho was a boy who stood out to us for a long time. After long phone calls to his owner, as well as having him in Erika’s home for a couple of months, we couldn’t be more thrilled with the decision to bring him to Seance. We have had many requests for working dogs, sport dogs, and those that have the versatility and grit to try a little bit of anything. Seance passed bold as brass confidence to her first litter, and we expect with the match of Ocho to produce nothing short of the same.

Seance’s first litter with Ohkar produced dogs with lovely drives to work with in a variety of disciplines, and we expect no less of this match with Ocho. We’re told by their buyers they have excellent and appropriate prey drive, lovely instinct on stock, nose-forward drives for games such as scent work, a lovely balance of handler focus and independence where it counts, and absolutely no lack of food drive for training the foundations.

In Summary

As a whole, we expect athletic and sporty puppies from this litter, with a balanced build suitable for most chores, sports, and family activities. There should be no shortage of outgoing and confident personalities, who share the versatility of their parents.

With Ocho’s pedigree, and knowing what his half sibling and other relatives have produced, we do expect some potential for grittier puppies best suited for a more demanding sport home. These puppies will be placed very carefully, and the entire litter will be evaluated by trusted friends who participate in IGP and PSA before their crops and go-home day. We also hope to evaluate the litter on sheep just as we did with Seance’s first litter for those interested in herding.

We are accepting applications for this litter. If you have contacted us before please feel free to reach out again, we don’t want to miss anyone by accident!