Ben and Jenny
Even though I have not yet met Suri, I am very excited about her potential, both as my future trail running companion, and as a stockdog. Suri’s parents are both from working lines; her sire, Burndale Ben, is a tri-color dog imported from the UK, bred and trained by David Henderson.
Ben has some great herding dogs in his pedigree, including R. Dalziel’s Scottish National Champion Spot.
Below is a compilation video showing Ben working sheep in a number of different settings. I love his eye and stylish crouch; he’s a great looking dog!
Suri’s dam is Broken Circle Jenny, a pretty little red and white border collie. In the words of her breeder, Robin Brown (Broken Circle Border Collies) , “Jenny is full of spice and creates lots of momentum and movement.” I had to laugh as I read that, since it could mean almost anything in terms of herding.
Robin also says, “She has a get up and go attitude which I really appreciate in a good female.” Both of those comments are positive ones to me since I want a high-energy dog that is willing to try things.
I use clicker training with my young dogs and one of the most important characteristics for that training to work well is having a puppy that will offer a lot of different behaviors in short time. This allows me to reward approximations of whatever behavior I am trying to shape, and then refine the behavior by requiring closer approximations as the dog starts to understand what is desired. With a smart, active puppy that loves to *do* things, the whole process is faster and more fun for both trainer and dog.