Intro: Maggie is the pick female from our 2022 litter out of an outside stud dog, Blaze, and our bred-by girl Lillie. Lillie had a phenomenal show career that we didn’t expect in a million years, since her breeding was a show-working outcross. When it came time to breed her, it was hard to find a suitor worthy of her! We had our eye on Blaze for quite some time, as he was a very nice dog with a strong pedigree that went back to some of the same lines in Maggie’s pedigree. But it was by no means a close breeding, and we hoped to continue the valuable genetic diversity that we had obtained from our foundation girl, Lillie’s mother Cece. Maggie was a very nice puppy but really took her time growing up. She was slow-maturing mentally as well as physically, but we were patient with her and let her take her time. When she was finally ready to show, she had a whirlwind of a show career, going from her first point to AKC championship in less than a month! She finished her championship at the biggest dog show in North America, with a 5-point major in top-tier competition. Then, as a new champion, she repeatedly made the final cut against the top-ranked dogs in the country. Her first weekend out as a special, she won a group first and group fourth. We are incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Health & Conformation: Maggie is OFA eyes normal (other than a Persistent Pupillary Membrane) and hips good. Our veterinary opthalmologist has indicated that her Persistent Pupillary Membrane is harmless and not genetic in nature. Maggie is clear of SPS1 and SHPN1. Maggie was not a standout puppy at 8 weeks of age, but she got nicer and nicer with age. Then one day, even though she was still a lanky teenager, I looked at her and realized she was the nicest dog we’ve ever bred. She is very, very close to our ideal dog, although she is still maturing so we will see how she ends up. Maggie was everything we envisioned when doing this breeding, and she has gotten the best traits of the ancestors in her pedigree, including beautiful head and coat type, ideal proportions, and lovely movement. She is slower maturing than her mom — she is more like her grandma Cece in her development. Her substance is ideal for her age, and she is very moderate at about 21 inches and 45 pounds.
Temperament: Maggie has an ideal family companion temperament. She is incredibly sweet and affectionate, gentle, and well-behaved. She has strong maternal instincts like her grandma Cece, but she also knows to be gentle around our toddler Josie. Maggie is the only one of our dogs who we can let Josie walk on leash (only at home!) since she will just follow Josie around and won’t pull or knock her over. Like her siblings, Maggie also loves being the center of attention and gets very loud when she is left out of the fun! She is an amazing traveler and is calm and quiet in the crate whether at dog shows or in the car. When we sent her out with our handler, our handler loved having her and reported back that she was an angel! She likes meeting new people and is friendly with everyone, but she prefers her family members to strangers. Maggie is very good with all dogs, but she does like to terrorize her brothers i.e. grabbing their ankles and tails!
Drive/handler focus: Maggie was a complete spaz as a puppy, but now at 2 years old, she is gaining a lot more focus. She is not the most food motivated, especially in stimulating environments, but she does fairly well if you use super high-value treats. Her handler focus is getting better and better with more practice. I was out jogging with her once and tripped and fell. Even though I dropped the lead, she immediately stopped and came back to me. She is starting to become very in tune with her people. When I took her out on a trail recently, I was very surprised by her focus. She didn’t stop to sniff much and just kept constant pressure on the leash, pulling me along steadily the entire way and following the trail perfectly. I asked her to stop pulling when we were going downhill, and she listened well! I think she has a lot of potential in harness, and I’m excited to do more with her.
