Few words on ACD

What are ACD like?
 



Active

Fast and lively

Agile and strong

Cheerful

Fawning

Witty

Inteligent and able

Having strong hunting insinct

Devoted

Brave and independent

Hard-working

On photos from the top: Deen, Hela, Hela

Versatile

They have unusual looks

Their smile melts hearts :)

          

      

Or maybe they are :

 

Stubborn

Mistrustful

Disobidient

Temperamental

Intrusive and canny

Calculating

Barking a lot

Pugnacious and cheeky

Aggresive

Full of themselves

Jealous

On photos from the top: Deen, Pirat, Hela

Looking like mutts

Destroyers of things :)

ACD's are like medals, there are two sides to them.


 

Ruda

Is it a dog that you dreamt of? Or rather a problem for the next 15 years?

The choice you're about to make should be carefully considered. Take your time, think things over, read, talk to owners, breeders, observe ACD's in action.

It is useful to think about: what kind of life do I live? How much spear time do I have? What can I offer a dog of a working breed and what this kind of dog can offer me?

 

If you decide to own an ACD, you must remember that:


 

Raising a pup begins in the very same moment that he is brought to his new home. 

The correct socialization with his new surroundings - people, other animals, acquisitions of our civilisation - last for many months and requires a huge commitment from the new owner, but it has a significant effect on the whole life!!! Many of the neglects of this first period just can't be made up for in the later time !!!

Your reactions to the dogs undesirable behaviour must be proper and quick. When ACD discovers that he can easily outsmart his "boss", his self-confidence will grow abruptly, while your authority will suffer a strong decline.

ACD's efficiently make use of every "legal gap" they can find.

ACD is a dog that has a tendency to walk all over people, if he is not tought otherwise.

The boss of the ACD must be a real authority for him. He must be a person that ACD can trust and with whom he can eventfully and actively spent time with - a person that is the boss and a partner in one, but on his strict rules.

You should have at least a little knowledge of how to communicate with dogs and how to treat animals calmly and with patience. You should also have a strong character. 

You must be consistent in the process of raising up an ACD. 

And now something optimistic :) ACD's love to be and to act with their bosses. They are really easy to motivate (ball / food). It all causes them to learn new things willingly and fast and makes working with them pure pleasure. 

The ACD breed is a great proposition for active people, who likes to spent a lot of time outdoors,  loves dogs and are willing to work with them. 

 

 

 

 

It is really important to remember that the little pup is not born already schooled, with wisdom running in his blood. Little guy (or a little girl) can only have inborn predispositions, intelligence and willingness to learn.

How the animal will behave as an adult is only up to us, and it is not a piece of cake to teach him how to behave.

 

 

 

 

 

ACD as a  active and versatile dog works perfectly in many roles:
 

Hela & Mareno

* as a working dog on a farm with cattle or other animals

* as a companion dog

* as a rescue dog

* as a therapy dog

* as a sporting dog

Areas of sport in which we find race ACD: agility, obedience, flyball, frisbee, dancing with a dog, herding, tracking, defense sports.

Ruda

Deen

Harry

Felka

Ruda

 

 For permission to use photos big thanks to : Zuzanna Zajbt (photos Ruda - Sawina Astra Canina) Domikar kennel (photos Deen - Aberdeen Camden Red Dog), Anna Pol (picture Pirat - Quinkin Astra Canina), Agnieszka Biały (photo Felka - Bullroarer Baby-Doll)
On the other pictures is Hela (Aurynn Doc Bar Domikar) or her children.

ACD breed diseases

ACDs are perceived as dogs sound as a bell. It is not entirely true. As any other dogs, ACDs also can get sick. In case of some diseases the risk can be minimised or totally eliminated, by controlling the health of the dogs ment to become breeding animals.  These examinations are not obligatory, but every responsible breeder does them, caring for the good health of his animals and their offspring.

Depending on the disease different diagnostic methods are used.

 

Genetical tests are performed in cases of:
 

PRA – Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Heredity - autosomatic recesive, which means that the disease reveals itself in the homozygotic dogs, having two alleles of the gene responsible for the disease.

 

      A – healthy dog, no gene responsible dor PRA (homozygotic)

      B – healthy dog, but he carries a gene responsible for PRA (heterozygotic)

 

      C  - unhealthy carrier (homozygotic) - has two alleles of the gene responsible for PRA

 

  PLL – Primary Lens Luxation. Heredity similar to this in PRA.



 

BAER test


 Hearing examination in dogs. There is a risk of one- or twosided deafness in ACDs. The examination can be performed with puppies after the sixth week of life. 

 

RTG examination

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia ( HD & ED ). Dysplasia is conditioned genetically, but we have to remember that there are two things that have a very big impact on its occurence. Firstly - overfeeding the dog, leading to obesity (especially in very young animals) and secondly - to much of physical activity (making the dog work harder than he should in the given age). The maturation of the skeletal system in the medium sized dogs as ACDs ends at about 9 month of their lives. Until this time we should very carefully choose the amount and type of physical exercises. 

 

Hip dysplasia HD

A – normal joints
 

B – almost normal joints
 

C – light dysplasia
 

D – evident dysplasia

E – heavy dysplasia

 

Elbow dysplasia  ED
 

0/0 - normal joints

1/1 - light dysplasia

2/2 – mild dysplasia

3/3 – heavy dysplasia