Working Trait Evaluation

Dog's name: Orchard Hill Ember

Owned by: Kris Hazelbaker

Background:
Ember is an intact female, born in 2008 and evaluated at 1 year of age. She lives on a ranch along with an older male English Shepherd, and has daily exposure to horses, poultry and sheep, as well as occasional work with beef cattle (range).

Ember is a very biddable dog, to the point that commentary or praise from her owner can distract her from working. Her confidence and boldness increase with age, however, and at 12 months she is showing intelligence, working instincts, and a desire to please.

Ember's structure and temperament are outstanding; she is loving, affectionate and "never met a stranger", so she greets visitors with welcoming enthusiam. Her structure is lean, square, and says "athlete!" She is fast, agile, quick, and an exceptional jumper.

Summary of Ember's Working Traits:

Keenness/ Drive -- works readily when needed (and occasionally when not asked!)
Style -- balanced; naturally gathers on her own, but very willing to drive when working with her owner
Power -- increasing with maturity (horses that would ignore her as a pup now respect her)

Stock Ethic -- maintains control appropriately, without causing undue stress
Work Ethic -- somewhat distractible (though this is decreasing with maturity)

Biddability -- easily inhibited or discouraged by control
Approach -- moderately wide
"Eye" -- loose, with an upright posture and free-moving style
Bark --force barks
Bite -- difficult to evaluate (due to nature of work); appears somewhat reluctant to bite at this stage

Orientation -- livestock generally come second to focus on owner
Territoriality -- generally respects boundaries and stays at home
Patrol -- diligent in patroling territory
Warning -- barks to warn of unusual situations
Defense of property -- does not attach importance to owner's property
Defense of people -- mild
Tracking ability -- will track by scent
Predators -- alerts, will raise alarm
Attitude towards newborns -- no opportunity to assess yet!
Pest control -- routinely hunts rodents

Structure and Movement: Ember has a lean leggy build with a natural bobtail tail and correct scissors bite. She has excellent speed and agility, and outstanding jumping ability. Her coat is of good quality, requiring little maintenance.

Temperament: Ember is confident, friendly and sociable towards visitors, maintaining a mild demeanor. Toward family members she is devoted and affectionate. Her activity level is moderate. Her disposition is moderately calm, moderately steady and soft