"Taika"

Ruff'n' Tuff Awesome Lil Shotgun

PAIM2 STDd OTDs GS-N JS-N

Taika is owned by me it is currently living close by with my sister. I still do herding & training with her. Not for breeding as she was born sterile and never came into heat.

Basic Info

• Australian shepherd, female
• Born 28.03.2016 in Austria 
• Black tricolor, long tail 
• Not for breeding (sterile, never came into heat)
• Breeder: Kennel Ruff'n' Tuff, Alexandra Lehnert 
• Owner: Shanti Karinen, Helsinki, Finland
• ASCA & FCI registered
  
  
• Height: 48cm 
• Weight: 16kg
  
  
• Hips: A/A
• Elbows: 0/0 
• Back: officially healthy LTV0 VA0 
• Missing one P3-tooth, normal bite 
• Eyes checked clear as puppy 
• DNA-tested: HSF4-normal, MDR1-normal 
• Tested through parents: CEA-free, PRA-PRCD-free
  
  
• Competes in agility class 1
• Competes in rally-obedience class 1 
• ASCA herding title OTDds (open sheep and duck title), STDc (started cattle title)
• FCI Traditional herding: PAIM2-titel, competes in class 3
• Character tested with +156 points and unfamiliar with shots (approved test)
  
  
• Sire: SPCH PCH WTCH Jolly Good Fellow des Compagnons du Berger "Filou" 
• Dam: ATCH Let's talk about Dark Witch "Nox"
  
  
• >>> Taika in Finnish database

Taika came to us quite unexpectedly in the summer of 2016. Dracu had just been diagnosed with malignant cancer and Wicca's puppy plans had failed. I needed to quickly find a new dog to keep Wicca company when Dracu's time came to an end, so I started asking all of my friends in Europe about litters they would know of. In Austria there were a few puppies still available from a very promising working line litter, and after a couple of days of discussion I flew to Vienna to "see" the puppies with a puppy carrier. Because the puppies were already 10 weeks old, Taika flew with me to Finland the very next day. She was a small, fluffy puppy with uneven ears, who screamed the whole flight and happily greeted all the people in the airport. Taika's mother Nox is a sizable female, whose skills in obedience would make any working dog person jealous. Reserved in a nice way and very focused on her owner. Taika's dad lives in Germany, and I met him in fall 2016. Filou is a small, compact and super social and friendly male. He reminded me a lot of Wicca's dad Spiro. Explosively fast in agility, little clown who gets along everyone :) Taika's siblings live across Europe, one of the sisters also in Helsinki.

Taika is a balanced mix of her parents. Her ears pricked up a couple of weeks after she came to us, and because she's a black tri (with minimal tan), I get constantly asked if she's a border collie. Sometimes she really does feel like a border collie, since she has a lot more eye than any of my previous dogs and is softer and more sensitive, which I associate with border collies. When she was younger, Taika was a bit too much of a softie, but that has reduced with age. She doesn't react to loud noises. Taika has a lot of play-drive and loves to run with other dogs. Instead of chasing sticks or balls Taika watches Wicca, and when Wicca goes after the ball, she will chase after Wicca. Tugging is not Taika's favorite, and she prefers chasing toys. When she's more excited, for example in agility training, she does tug too. She has also gotten more into it as she's grown older. Taika is social, but she doesn't go wag her tail at everyone we come across. But if someone offers attention, she goes nicely to see and does enjoy it. At least for now she hasn't shown guarding instinct, reservedness or dominance. In the pack she knows her place as lowest on the hierarchy, and get's along with everyone. All dogs are potential playmates to her and she'd love to go greet all of them.

Taika's hobbies include mostly agility and herding. She has also done a bit of obedience and rally, though these are not something either of us are super interested in, at least in the same way of agility and herding! Taika is a bit of a contradiction sometimes, she is a soft and sensitive dog, but also she can be super hot headed and stubborn. She is very smart in learning new things, but also she easily goes on a loop and will do the wrong thing again and again if I don't stop her. When she was younger she was pretty sensitive to making mistakes and was not super fast and excited, but she has grown crazy motivation to everything. She loves playing with toys, chasing the ball and tugging, but she does not like to be petted or touched when she is working. In agility Taika has learned great skills and listens very well to me, also she is fast and has amazing turns. She is easy to handle, unless she gets frustrated with me being too slow and comes to tell me to be faster! She has great jump technique, she is super agile and just great to train with. Herding is our second main hobby, and in that Taika has always been a natural talent. She takes pressure super well, has natural, wide flanks and is very confident with the sheep. She is not shy to nip if that is needed, and she can control all kind of sheep easily. She is very independent in working, and I have tried to keep her that way. Fetch is her favourite thing, but she also has good control in driving. Taika competes in ASCA and FCI herding trials and has also worked cattle and ducks. With cattle she loves to heel, and is not lacking in confidence for sure. I  have high hopes for Taika as my competition dog, and she is a great help in everyday herding situations too and with helping train my students dogs! 

Taika's Pedigree