A little about breeding in Sweden & my planned litters

I only breed one, or  rarely two litters per year. Sometimes none. It takes a lot of time, as I have my pups indoors and try to spend as much time as possibly with them. I take them in & out several times per day. They are free to “run around” in the kitchen from 21 days of age and also visit other rooms in the house, for new experiences. They have a lot of things to “play” with, tugs, balls & noicy metal-things. They have big yards outside, neighbours to sheep. Well fenced!

I visit friends with them from appr. 7 weeks of age, so they can experience to go by car and also see other places, both indoors and outdoors.
I think it is important to let them be socialised and used to cooperation with people, so we love when our friends come and visit us and play with mum & pups after three weeks of age.

I want to sell them to people that are active with them, preferably for working competitons, but of course a loving home is the most important. Kelpies need to work with brain and body.

In Sweden we can only breed from hipscored and HD-free dogs, grade A or B. That might be maximum 4:4 - 6:6 in Australia., depending on where the points are placed.
20000101-20051231 in Sweden there are 483 scored.  424 with good hips, 297 grade A & 127 B. Dogs with HD are 39.  50 with HD grade C, 8 with D's and 1 with E hips.
500 are max what the data can show per search, there for split up in different periods.
During 20060101-20091231 383 are scored, 345 HD free: 190 A's and 155 B's. 38 with HD, 36 with C and 2 with D hips.
During 20100101-20141231 454 dogs are scored. 401 healthy, 266 A's, 135 B's.  HD grade C 49, 3 with D and 1 with E.
During 20140101-20161231 272 are scored. 240 HD free: 149 A's, 91 B's. Dogs with HD are 27 grade C and 5 with grade D.
During 20170101-20191231 291 are scored. 243 are HD free: A's 111 and B's 132. Dogs with HD are 44 grade C and 4 with grade D.

All HD & ED-results are official, at the Swedish kennelclub's database. There are also all results from competitions & shows for all registred dogs.
The Swedish kennelclub

We also have to do a mentaldescription before breeding; MH. That's not approved or not, just known mental status, but very good to look at for the sake of breeding mentally stabile, socially open dogs with curiosity and playdrive. Looking at the result for a whole litter tells a lot.
I think that it is important to know as much as possible about the siblings to the parents, as they also affect on the litters, both about HD, health, mentality & conformation.
The best breeding is breeding with good dogs from good litters!

My goal with breeding are healthy dogs with a lot of “power” for work, as tracking, searching & obedience. I have sheep and have been doing a little herding with most of my dogs, but to less... It is important to also keep what they first were bred for, herding. I try to now and then arrange for NHAT for my bred dogs, as I think it is important to keep an eye for the instinct.

Doing also the big mentaltest for KORAD is a good way to see the mentality in the dog.

Also these tests and other official competitions are available at SKK

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As some affected hearts - Mucomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration (MMVD) - in younger dogs have shown up now and then. I want to keep it under some control for my own breeding as far as possibly, so I can feel comfy with myself. Therefor doing U/S heart before breeding, the earliest close to 2,5-3 years of age.
Also middle age dogs with murmur - in the twilightzone of to early for a so called "old dogs heart" - occur. Not new, they have occoured earlier too and sometimes it is so called "sports heart", but that can only be confirmed with U/S. If a murmur the dog should be checked with that
MMVD is often a slow progressive disease. Dogs often live many years with this from the time the murmur is discovered.
On the other hand, there are also many healthy old dogs.

The first small changes might be seen with U/S 2-3 years before murmur start.
Auscultation, listening, of as many dogs as possible in my breeding and do U/S before breeding is what I want to do.

LINK TO HEART CHECKS HERE

LINK TO INFO ABOUT HEARTDISEASE HERE

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ILM

ILM (Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption) occur in kelpies. In Australia they have had several cases and in Sweden at least in my E2-litter. There might be more pups that were born with it, but this disease was quite recently tracked to what it is. Could have been mistaken for anything else that could be wrong? Fading pup? Put down because something was wrong? I dont know, this is only my thoughts!

Puppies are born in normal size and weight, but not growing well. The poo is greyish and more or less loose to diarhea. It seems to be different grades of it. Most pups survive.
Lipas 1 does not work normally when they are born and it is needed to digest the mothers milk properly. When they are older, approximately 12 weeks, Lipas 2 kicks in and they start to grow better. However, they need food with less fat in it.
Now there is a reliable DNA-test for it to use, created and validated from AK's in Australia and Europe. I am testings my breeding dogs from now on.

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Unfortunately my Zeta has a vaginal stricture and will not be bred from. Might brake with a natural mating, but what happens if not and she will become pregnant anyway? Probably whelping can end with a ceaserian. Not sound. Will not try.
Very sad indeed, as she is a brilliant working dog, show dog, family dog, healthy and from a good and healthy litter. I'm pleased to have been able to use her sister Zyrah.
Thank you, Charlotte & James!

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2025

Hopefully a litter from KORAD SE UCH LD Axxa SPHII (NHAT)

6 months in the picture
HD A, ED 0, patella 0, eyes clear 2022
U/S heart ok oktober 2023
DNA ILM negativ

KORAD SE UCH DK UCH Nordic Winner-24 Skovfarmen's Brown Waldemar King SPHII (NHAT) "Alde"

HD A, ED 0, DNA ILM negativ, U/S heart ok 2024

More info at Skovfarmen's hemsida
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Have a look at the littersplans in Swedish also. More often updated HERE