STUD DOGS

What qualities distinguish your stud dog, including conformation attributes, temperament, show career, etc.?
Clarion World Class, or Shane as he is familiarly known, has been very influential in our breeding program. His most important virtue is his classic headpiece. His head is very long, especially considering that he is not a large dog. The profile is excellent with a well-filled skull, a beautifully placed and chiseled stop, rounded foreface and well-finished underjaw and with absolutely no depth of head. His lipline is very "dry" and the throatlatch is clean, without needing any trimming to enhance it. He has a beautiful, dark almond eye and small, well-set ears for which he seems to be very dominant. The profiles he produces are apparent even on his grandchildren.

Shane has a round, compact body with beautiful bend of stifle and a correct croup and tailset. His neck is long and well-arched. He has great presence and always carries himself like an aristocrat. He is a picture of curves rather than angles. He could be longer in back which would make him a better mover.

His coat is profuse, well-fitting and of good texture and though he was a light sable as a youngster -- with many convinced he had to be a sable merle -- at 9 years old, he is now a rich mahogany with lots of shading. He is white-factored and tri-factored and has produced champions in all colors, including white.

Shane has never been fond of the show ring and although he is major pointed, I decided that it was wiser and much more fun to show his get who don't share his view of dog shows. He is a happy, outgoing, and aggressive stud, always anxious to please me.

Please summarize in a paragraph or two your breeding philosophy and how your stud dog fits into that philosophy.
It is my goal to produce collies that " fill the eye." World Class is just one individual in a chain of producers and no one stud has or produces all the virtues that are necessary to create a family. Overall picture, long, arched neck, correct profiles with length and cleanness of head, gorgeous expressions and a profuse, beautifully colored coat are the qualities I want people to envision when they think of Clarion."Unmistakably Clarion" is the phrase we use to define our picture. I think Shane has proven to be an important link in carrying on our concept of the collie, and I feel that his get will help to perpetuate that ideal.

We have recently made several important crosses to families of collies that we admire, and hope to incorporate their virtues into the type of collie we picture as the ideal in an attempt to create "perfection." Obviously, that is an unattainable goal. But, it is the quest for perfection that is the challenge of this hobby that consumes so much of our life.

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