THE HOMESTEAD HOUND

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Part I: Raising a healthy
young dog.

As Rod Carpenter's 1976 Ford F-250 pickup rolled to a stop, I glanced up at his flatbed load of bay silhouetted against the agate-blue Colorado sky. Perched on top, guarding the cargo against ground or aerial attack, was Rex, a merle blue Australian shepherd.

Rod, a third generation backcountry rancher, was on his way to, feed his cows - a job he wouldn't even think of doing without Rex. Rod tugged the sweat-stained brim of his Stetson lower against the rising sun as we jawed about his herd. Rex kept his post on the bales, scanning the surrounding hills for potential ambusbers.

Choosing a Breed

Choose a dog that fits your home and needs. Should it be a purebred dog or a mixed breed? The debate continues. While purebred dogs may provide more predictability in behavior, mixed dogs often combine the best characteristics of several breeds. Then again, mixed-breed dogs may acquire the worst characteristics of their heritage.

Consider the case of Max, a five-year-old Rottweiler mix. His owner, a farmer from across the creek, called me in to euthanize the dog after it killed all the chickens, terrorized the cats, chewed up the porch furniture and chased the cows through the fence, all within the first week of being adopted from a local shelter.

If you want help working cattle or sheep, get a herding dog such as a Border collie, Australian shepherd or Australian cattle dog. If you need a dog to watch over the sheep, consider a Newfoundland or Great Pyrenees. Other working breeds such as Bernese mountain dogs, Rottweilers or malamutes may also be good choices.

Great all-around breeds for farm families include German shepherds, collies, Labrador retrievers, English sheepdogs, and other spaniels and terriers. All of these breeds are, however, prone to certain diseases such as hip dysplasia, heart disease or skin allergies, so do your homework.

The best way to evaluate a prospective dog is to look at the animal's lineage. If Mom or Pop Hound lives in a yard pitted with huge craters or. barks hysterically all day, just remember the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

You'll want to avoid pups from psycho dogs like the high-strung Blue Heeler I vaccinated for rabies last week. "Grizzly" came tearing out the front door of the house, pulling the owner in a heel skid across the yard. After lunging at my groin several times and attacking his own leash, he allowed us to wrestle him down for the shot. Turns out the dog jumps on the family's treadmill in the basement every day, barks until it's turned on, then runs off steam for 30 minutes or more.

Wired purebreds like Grizzly make the best argument for mixed-breed pups. A good pup should be neither excessively friendly and rambunctious,. nor overly shy and withdrawn. Make an educated guess about the breeding history and go from there.