Wednesday, May 14, 2025

AKC Temperament Test

Rosie - Creekwood’s Sunshine and Roses, FDC, BCAT, FITB, ATT

We were at a recent dog show, waiting to bring our smooth, ZuZu, into the Herding group, and noticed they were holding the AKC Temperament Test at the show.  Since we had a few hours to wait, we decided to sign our Rosie up to take the test.  As collies are known for their sweet, gentle temperaments, I was pretty certain she would do well.  But we had never done the temperament test before, so I was curious to see what the test involved.

The AKC provides the following description of the test:

The AKC Temperament Test (ATT) was developed to bring focus and provide a meaningful evaluation to assess the temperament of our canine companions.

The ATT tests how a dog reacts to a variety of stimuli. Desirable traits are that the dog will be emotionally stable, inquisitive, cooperative, appropriately social for its breed, biddable and demonstrates the ability to recover from a startling situation in a reasonable amount of time.

Undesirable traits are fear, shyness, lack of cooperation and an inability to recover from unfamiliar or unexpected situations. Examples of undesirable behaviors include being afraid of friendly strangers or unfamiliar stimuli, obsessive barking, and aggression.

In the ATT, dogs are tested in 6 categories of stimuli that include:

  1. Social
  2. Auditory
  3. Visual
  4. Tactile
  5. Proprioceptive (motion)
  6. Unexpected stimulus
To obtain the ATT title, Rosie had to do the test twice, under two different evaluators.   They tested her reactions to the following:

Social - the evaluator greets the handler, and then pets Rosie, then does a brief exam of Rosie.  Then another individual approaches Rosie carrying a large bag and also pets Rosie.
Auditory - the evaluator observes Rosie’s reaction to someone shaking a container full of coins, a vacuum cleaner being turned on, and a bike horn.
Visual - the evaluator observes Rosie’s reaction to someone opening an umbrella, walking around her with a roller bag, while waving a streamer.
Tactile - the evaluator observes Rosie walking over a wire grate, plastic and a pegboard
Proprioceptive - the evaluator observes Rosie walking over low bars, intersecting hoops and a low platform.
Unexpected stimulus - the evaluator observes Rosie as an individual approaches her using crutches, observes her reaction to someone dropping a chair behind her, and approaching Rosie with a large object. (stuffed animal)

To pass Rosie had to remain calm and confident.  She could startle at some of the stimuli, but had to recover quickly.  (Less than 5 seconds) Rosie passed all the elements of the test, under both evaluators, earning her the ATT title.  I thought it was interesting that some of the elements, like walking over different surfaces and her reaction to noise, were similar to the Farm dog test and other elements were similar to the Canine Good Citizen test.  It was also interesting to watch as other dog breeds tried the test, and which elements they refused to complete.  Before attempting the test the evaluators did have everyone look up the standard for their individual breeds, and write it on the test application.  By having us write the description on the form, the evaluators knew what was expected for each dog breed.  For the collie the AKC standard had the perfect description.  “The collie is intelligent, friendly, devoted, loving, sensitive and easily trained.”  Rosie definitely fits that description perfectly!
You can find your dog breed’s temperament description here.  And if you are interested in trying out the AKC temperament test, you can find where it’s being offered by searching here.    Below is a short video of Rosie taking the test.




Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Exciting news!

It’s been a while since we last updated the blog, but things have been very busy.  We have some exciting news to share, and will hopefully have even more exciting news to share in two weeks!

This past weekend we attended a 3 day dog show.  Rosie, Creekwood’s Sunshine and Roses, FDC, BCAT, FITB, ATT won Winner’s Bitch and Best of Opposite all three days.   She also earned the AKC Temperament Test title, ATT, on Saturday with my daughter.  We had never done the temperament test before, but many of the elements, like walking on different surfaces, were similar to the Farm Dog test.  She passed the test twice, under two different evaluators, so she added a new title after name.


ZuZu, CH Creekwood’s Fireheart, FDC, BCAT, FITB took a group 3 in the Owner Handler Herding Group on Saturday, and then on Sunday she won Winner’s and Best of Breed to finish her championship!  She is now CH Creekwood’s Fireheart, FDC, BCAT, FITB, and we couldn’t be more proud of her!


And puppy Nolan, Creekwood Winterberry Rich and Famous, won a Group 1 on Friday, a Group 3 on Saturday and a Group 2 on Sunday in the Puppy Herding Group.







We are so proud of all three collies, they were showing their hearts out for us, and deserved all ribbons they brought home!


Saturday, April 19, 2025

Scarlett’s Painting came!

We started a series of collies being featured in art, as they are a favorite subject for artists.  My own collies have been immortalized on both canvas and in digital art.  Scarlett, who will be turning 13 years old on May 1st, had her painting done by artist Barbara Guitas.  


I had the artist add the Shack on Grass Island, as it’s a local historical landmark, and I’ve always loved it.  And I also asked her to include the iconic image of a Christmas tree in a rowboat, which is the New England version of the little red truck hauling a Christmas tree.  I think the painting came out beautifully, and it’s already hanging on my wall.  I think I found the perfect frame for it too.


I didn’t intend to commission any more art, at least not for a while.  But during the National they held a raffle, to raise money for the show expenses.  I bought some tickets to support the National, and I won a free painting of one of my collies!  Now I have to pick a collie to have a painting done, and I’m struggling to decide on which one.  Do I pick one of the collies I have lost?  Do I pick one of my collies’ puppy pictures, as I don’t have a painting of a collie pup.  Or do I pick one of my favorite pictures?  I’m just not sure!

Friday, April 18, 2025

Spring has arrived!

The Collie National is over, all the collies are back home and Spring has finally arrived here in New England. Our Rosie (Creekwood’s Sunshine and Roses, FDC, BCAT, FITB) and our ZuZu (Creekwood’s Fireheart, FDC, BCAT, FITB) made us very proud at the National. 




And while they didn’t come home with ribbons, Peyton (CH Winterberry’s Lightning Strikes Twice, BCAT, FITB) and Nolan (Creekwood Winterberry Rich and Famous) both looked beautiful and did a great job representing Winterberry collies!

Peyton



Nolan


There is a collie specialty show this weekend in Connecticut, but after that we will only be competing at all breed shows for the Summer.  The collie specialty season won’t start up again until the Fall.  Fingers crossed for ZuZu, as she is entered on Sunday and just needs one single point to finish her championship!

With the dog shows slowing down, I thought it was a good time to try something new.  I took Addison for her very first herding lesson!  It was one of my goals that I set for 2025, and I’m excited to give it a try!  Addi really enjoyed it, but we both have a lot to learn.  The instructor told me that learning how to compete in herding was going to be the most challenging thing we have ever done, and the most rewarding.  (Ignore the barking, they had a Great Pyrenees in the next pasture, and he was protecting his flock.)


Towards the end of the lesson, when Addi was tired and the sheep were tired, they all stood there looking at each other.  Maybe as a thank you for the fun game, or maybe to make sure there were no hard feelings, Addison leaned close, and gave one of the sheep a kiss on the nose.  She is such a sweet collie.  Our next lesson is in two weeks, I can’t wait to see how it goes!

Thursday, April 10, 2025

News from the Collie National…

 Wanted to share news from the National…


Our Rosie won 4th place yesterday!  Winning a class placement (1st - 4th) at the National is a huge honor, and we were so excited for our beautiful girl!  When you are surrounded by beautiful collies, and the judge picks your collie out of the line up to award a ribbon, it’s an amazing feeling.



Today was ZuZu’s turn to step into the ring.  


And our beautiful girl won 1st place!  We are so proud of Rosie and ZuZu, they showed their hearts out, and our coming home with two beautiful ribbons!  ZuZu didn’t win Winner’s Bitch, so she stills need 1 more point to earn her championship.  But we are confident she will earn that last point soon.  What an exciting National this has been for us!  



Tomorrow is Peyton’s turn to shine, and Saturday is puppy Nolan’s turn.  This afternoon my daughter is showing a rough boy for a friend of ours.  She is doing such an incredible job handling our collies at this huge show, I’m so proud of her.  Hopefully we will have more news to share!

ZuZu would just like more treats!


Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Collie Club of America National

This week collie breeders and owners are all gathering in Syracuse, NY.  Traveling from all across the country, as well as visiting from other countries, people are joining together for the Collie National.  The CCA National is the largest collie event of the year.  It’s the time to celebrate our beautiful collie breed and spend the week surrounded by all things collie!


Yesterday was “move in” day.  All the exhibitors began arriving to set up their grooming areas, and to bring in their beautiful collies.  For some, it’s just a space to groom and crate their collies, for others they decorate their space with care.  But no matter how they organize and decorate their areas, it’s the collies that are the main attraction.  Visitors can wander up and down the aisles and meet the breeders and get to see the collies up close.



My family has our grooming area all set up, and our collies are so excited to be there!


With over 700 collies entered, the building echoes with the happy barks of all the collies!  The conformation, and obedience judging started today.  The herding and agility competitions started earlier in the week.  Tonight is the Top 10 ceremony, where the top 10 winners in conformation, performance and junior handling are all honored for their accomplishments in 2024.  And then tomorrow, Friday and Saturday the breed judging continues until the final Best in Show winner is chosen.  It’s a very exciting week, everyone is hoping to come home with a bit of ribbon and bragging rights that their collie won at the National.  But win or lose, the entire week is full of friendship, fun and new memories made with our beloved collies.  This afternoon Rosie will be stepping into the ring, tomorrow ZuZu will be shown, Friday will be Peyton’s turn, and then Saturday morning little Nolan will be in the puppy class.  Keep your fingers crossed for us, as we attempt to win a ribbon at the National!


Rosie is busy getting ready!


Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Ryder, the best boy…

I’ve written many posts about the collie breed, about Sunnybank and about Lassie.  I’ve written about books I enjoy and the history of the collie.  I’ve written product reviews and shared our news about the wins and new titles my collies have earned.  But looking back, I realized I don’t write nearly enough stories about my collies, to share their personalities and antics, to share their lives.  That’s something I’m going to work on in the upcoming months.

To that end, let me dedicate this post to Ryder.  We have/had quite a few smooths, but until Rosie joined our family, there has only been one rough collie, our Ryder.  Ryder was the 1st puppy born in our 1st litter, and the story of his birth is here.  At 72 lbs, he is a big guy, and is taller than our girls.  Lad was our 1st collie ever, and our 1st boy, and we lost him when Ryder was just a young puppy.  Since then, Ryder has been our only boy. (until Nolan joined the family this weekend.)

Ryder has always been incredibly sweet and gentle.  He inherited his temperament from his Mother, Abby.  Like Abby, there has never been an instance when he has lost his patience, except once.  I think Ryder was around 4 years old at the time.  He was out in the backyard with the other collies, and I heard barking.  I went to the back door to see what was causing the commotion.  Just outside the doorway I spotted Ryder, and I could tell he was upset.  And that’s when I noticed two small birds swooping down and pulling his fur!  Apparently they had built their nest in the tall shrub next to the back door, and were protecting their babies, when Ryder had ventured too close.

Before I could intervene and save Ryder, he reached up and quickly caught one of the birds mid flight.  He gently dropped the stunned bird onto the ground, where it stared at him for a moment before flying away.  To catch a bird in the air, and to release her unharmed, showed just how gentle my boy is in all things.  And honestly, he was only defending himself, he wasn’t really angry.  His calm gentle nature is what made him an ideal therapy dog.  For 8 years Ryder did therapy visits, bringing comfort and smiles to countless individuals.  He was so popular, in part because of his beautiful coat and sweet face, and because he instinctively knows when people are stressed or sad.  

When I would get annoyed or upset, Ryder would immediately appear at my side, leaning against me to sooth me or make me smile.  He’s now 13 1/2 years old, a very old man.  He limps when he walks, and is on daily pain medicine and a monthly Librela injection.  He sleeps a lot, but he is still ready to cuddle whenever I ask.  He can no longer jump on the bed, so I lift him up, and he curls up next to me.  We snuggle together for hours, and I treasure every moment.  I know he will be leaving me soon, and I can’t bear to think about it.  He’s irreplaceable, and I hope we get to celebrate his 14th birthday this August.



Monday, March 17, 2025

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!


Peyton posed for this illustration

And I’d like to introduce….



 A new family member!  


This cutie is Nolan, Creekwood Winterberry Rich and Famous, and he joined our family this weekend.  He is living with my daughter, and we co-own him with his breeders.  Nolan is a 12 week old smooth, tri color collie.  His sire, Noah, is a rough blue Merle, and his dam is a smooth tri color named Liz.  There was a lot of serious discussion about what to call him, and after much debate, we settled on Nolan.  Nolan means champion in Irish, and seemed to fit since everyone was celebrating All Things Irish this weekend.  (My maternal great-grandparents immigrated from Ireland, so I love Irish names.)  Also, as his sire’s registered name includes the word “fame,” all the puppies in the litter will have Fame in their registered names.  And there was a famous baseball player, Nolan Ryan, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, so it fits the theme…We are very excited about this little boy, and can’t wait to see what his future holds!  Welcome to Winterberry collies Nolan!