Old Hemp Border Collies / Open Horizon Sport Dogs

Alta is a female Border Collie over 2 years old. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Madeline decided to make her part of their program. Madeline has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.

Lucid is our second Whippet. She was born and raised in Poland and we imported her at 8 weeks old. She comes from racing lines on her dam's side and flyball on her sire's side. Her sire is Of Legend's Sepp - Belgian champion flyball 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, European champion flyball 2018, 2019, 2022, Crufts champion 2022, 2023, World champion 2022, European and Cruft's flyball record, FCI world record holder. His personal best in flyball is 3.41. Her dam is a petite 17 inch solid black race dog with a natural retrieve and a great temperament. Lucid is an extremely high drive dog and in many ways she's very different from our other Whippet, Lapis. Lucid's drive is more on par with that of a Border Collie or even a Malinois! She is very intense, opinionated, and knows no quit. At just one year old now, she has been a challenging puppy but is finally beginning to show some maturity. I've heard people say if you can survive the first year of a Whippet's life, then you're in the clear! Both of mine have certainly affirmed this, being difficult pup's with too much speed and not enough brain cells but both have matured beautifully very shortly after that first birthday. While I initially got Lucid for myself, she has really become my partner's dog in most ways and he has been loving the journey of training her. She is learning bitesport-style heelwork and disc as her primary focuses right now. She is a very fun, intense dog with so much potential and tons of enthusiasm for life and we are so pleased to have her!

Jon is my bred by keeper from the Glen x Calypso Fabrics litter. He has been DNA tested through Optimal Selection and is a carrier of EAOD and CEA, clear for all else. His OFA results are preliminary Good hips, preliminary Normal elbows, normal shoulders, spine, patella, and basic cardiac. ​​Jon is 40lbs and approximately 21" tall. Every time I look at this boy, I feel so fortunate to have him and to call myself his breeder. If I could produce entire litters of dogs just like Jon, I would be on board 100%. He is the perfect example of a modern Border Collie; he’s high drive and has an aptitude for all of the sports I’ve exposed him to, he’s extremely biddable and into his person, he’s so friendly to everyone and everything. He has this happy light hearted energy that really makes him magnetic and I love seeing how he handles himself in every aspect. He’s truly the do it all dog that I hope to create time and time again! He has shown a lot of promise in herding, despite our relatively poor access to trainers here and few and far between lessons. He earned his AKC HT title at 9 months old. He's been to agility lessons a few times but it isn't a sport I've deeply committed to with him since he's a larger dog and he is still pretty puppy bodied and too fast for his own good. In the few classes he's attended, he was picking things up quickly and was very happy, willing and biddable, as he is in all things. Obedience is where I have put the most focus with Jon and he really shines there. He attended his first competition obedience trial when he was 9 months old and he Q'd all three days, earning his BN title in a single weekend, which was very impressive for a baby boy with total puppy brain. After his run on the first day, the judge pulled me aside to tell me what a pleasure he was to watch work and how happy he looked to be doing it with me, which is something I just love to hear. He really puts his big boy pants on in the ring and tries hard for me, putting his all into it and looking quite flashy while doing it. Jon was also kept as a service dog prospect for me and has been training for public access, where he blows me away every time. You would not believe he is such a young dog with such limited exposure to the public - I do not push public access whatsoever on young dogs and his first time into a store he was a year old. He defaults to his training and to me with perfect reliability, unfazed by the world and all that's going on around us. He is neutral and at ease, and he stays very in tune with me without my emotional state affecting him personally, making for a wonderful SDIT. Jon has never met a stranger in his life and he adores every person he has ever come across, happy to snuggle up and get hugs and kisses anytime, any place. Like his mother Calypso, he would thrive in therapy work. He is the sweetest, most affectionate and loving dog I have met, even surpassing his mom in his loving soul and gentle demeanor. This boy always has time for being loved on! He is proving to be a valuable asset to our dog training business as well, in demo and stimulus work. He is perfectly comfortable with anyone handling him and is very forgiving to people's mistakes. He's great with other dogs of all sizes and varieties. He meets new dogs with confidence and calmness, until they feel comfortable and ready to play, then it's game on if they're down! If they don't want to play, he is happy to just hang out nearby and remain cool and collected. Another beautiful aspect of Jon is his confidence and security in himself. He is about as far from a soft dog as you can get but he remains very biddable and willing to please. He isn't sensitive to anything; noises, the environment, etc. He doesn't have any "weird Border Collie quirks" or reactivity. He is truly insanity free! No misplaced arousal or leaking drive. He has amazing food and toy drive, equal enthusiasm for both which makes him a dream to train. And have I mentioned he’s gorgeous? He’s truly just the best. I could go on raving about him forever. I am quite obsessed with him and everyone who meets him feels the same! I am so happy to call Jon mine and I can’t wait to see all we can accomplish together.

Whimsy is a Papillon who was born and raised with care by his breeder in Ukraine, before I imported him at 11 weeks old. His breeder produces lots of show quality dogs who are gorgeous with functional structure and great heads on their shoulders who have gone on to do all sorts of different sports. I had been planning to get a puppy from her within the next few years, but with the new CDC regulations coming into affect August 2024 which make things much more challenging or even impossible to import pups, I decided to go ahead and do it now. I couldn't be more glad that I did! Whimsy has been with me for just one month as I write this and he has been a total dream come true. He is very high drive, feisty, so smart and focused already, super stable and taking everything in stride after so much change and travel in a short period. He’s gorgeous and so sweet and everything I was hoping for. This is the first new to me breed I have gotten in a very long time and I’m so excited for it! He will be doing agility, obedience, disc, tricks, and whatever else we end up trying and enjoying together! And hopefully one day will grow into an awesome stud dog. This little puppy has been everything I had hoped for and so much more. He constantly blows me away with his intelligence, drive, bravery, confidence and just everything about him. I had high expectations and hopes when getting my first Papillon because I’ve done ample research on the breed and spoken to many people who have them and I knew they were awesome; but Whimsy has seriously surpassed my expectations! He is every bit as driven and focused as any Border Collie pup at this age. He takes everything in stride and nothing phases him. His confidence is incredible and his attentiveness is amazing! He LOVES training and his focus is to die for. He picks things up so quickly! And he just wants to keep at it, I’ve not yet seen him displace and I’m taking care to make sure to quit sessions before they grow too long but he would happily keep going seemingly forever! Whimsy loves training for food, isn’t picky, great appetite. He loves tugging probably the most of all play but he also has a really good natural retrieve and I showed him some puppy discs recently which he immediately took to and started catching rollers! He loves his dog family and my dogs are treating him very nicely. With preparation for our tiny dog addition, I’ve been ensuring some extra safety behaviors just due to the size difference and it’s paid off famously, the Border Collies are handling him perfectly. I have some dogs who are better with little puppies and just more careful and safe and some I’ll continue growing the relationship with as he grows. It’s so cool to get a puppy and have it exceed your every wish! I think I may have found my second favorite breed and I could easily have 10 of these if they’re all like Whimsy. Seriously could not be happier with him.

Sprite is my second male Papillon and came to me at 15 months old from his breeder in Ukraine, the same one Mana is from, but all three of my Paps are from unrelated lines. Sprite has OFA Preliminary Good hips and Normal elbows, Normal shoulders, spine, patella, and heart. He has been DNA tested and is clear for NAD, PRA, vWD1. When I reached out to his breeder, I was actually inquiring about a different male I had seen posted available but upon further discussion and talking about my goals and what I’m looking for, she recommended Sprite, saying he was built for sports both mentally and physically. I could definitely see what she meant once he arrived! He is a super outgoing, forward, pushy dog with endless confidence. He took no time at all to settle in and hasn’t been phased by anything. He gives off “big dog energy” especially in his interactions with other dogs. He’s not submissive or appeasing but also isn’t an aggressor. He’s forward and sure of himself but still thoughtful. As he’s been here and gotten to know me better, I’ve been very impressed with his handler focus and drive. I’d say he’s the highest drive of my three Papillons, and Whimsy certainly isn’t low drive! Sprite just takes it that little bit further. He’s very fast, playful, and willing to try anything. He is really fun to train. Picks things up quickly, remembers the last session and makes progress fast, has lots of stamina. I think he would do well in most sports but especially flashy performance types. He could be a great little "circus dog." He has a ton of food and toy drive, lots of good possession for his toys, is turning on for discs, and has really flashy quick movement and some good hops. Sprite also has a very charming personality and is super sweet, loves to meet people, has never met a stranger, and loves kids too. Since he was over a year old upon arrival, I went ahead and did his OFA testing right away which all came back perfectly. He should be an excellent addition to my breeding program, and he may be open to a guardianship with someone wanting a little dog for sports! He’s 7.2lbs of firecracker.

Lapis is our first Whippet. She is AKC registered and came from North Carolina, from a very small scale "hobby" breeder. Lapis is DNA tested through Embark and has OFA Good hips, Normal elbows, eyes, thyroid, spine, and heart (auscultation and echo). Lapis is 25-26lbs and 19" tall. Her breeder didn't do any sort of puppy raising protocols and she definitely had some related issues to work through at first, like difficulty being in the crate and some mild separation anxiety. She was a challenging puppy basically her whole first year, full of energy and opinions. She couldn't play with Calypso without constant supervision because she would chase her down, pin her, and bite her until she cried out! She has always been very tough and resilient. We embarked on van life for a year when she was only about 6 months of age so she is a very well traveled and socialized dog. Despite all the misconceptions about Whippets, she is fully off leash reliable and is very trainable. She doesn't do it just for the sake of doing it like the Border Collies and does require some incentive at times but she is definitely intelligent and learns well. She has a lot of prey drive and hunts jack rabbits here in northern Nevada with all her heart. When hiking, she goes at the Borders pace until she sees prey and then she passes them so fast that it is as if they are at a standstill. Lapis is a great demo dog for our training business and knows a lot of advanced heelwork and tricks. She is currently in training for agility, has competed in a little barn hunt, rally, and conformation, and has done some training for flyball as well. We hope to compete in coursing and dock diving with her, whenever we are fortunate enough for events to come anywhere accessible to us. She is an excellent house dog, a very mellow and sweet companion, and top tier easy going girl. Oftentimes when people reach out to me for Border Collies and I read their applications, I think to myself "This person really sounds like a better fit for a Whippet..." because they are seriously such a nice and easy keep. They are not maniacally intelligent like Borders and they very rarely have any health issues or serious behavioral issues. They are great with dogs, kids, and even other house pets like cats with proper rearing. Lapis understands easily the concept of no hunting in the house and has never shown anything but mild interest and tolerance to our cat. She does sometimes get "snappy teeth" when our parrots are flying around so we make sure to have her put away when they are out, just to be safe. She is very much a model citizen and everyone who meets her falls in love! She draws a ton of attention when we bring her into public, even more than Calypso, who is usually the star because she is merle, little and very cute. But the Whippet takes the cake for conversation starter. Lapis has a wonderful temperament and has never suffered any behavioral issues. I thought all Whippets were as lovely as her, and while they are as a breed easier than Border Collies and many other more challenging breeds, our second Whippet has really shown us that not all of them are as naturally perfect as Lapis is. Lapis has never shown an ounce of reactivity to anything but rabbits, never been nervy or shy of any person, place, or thing. She is an extremely resilient dog with a superbly stable mind. She takes everything in stride, is completely friendly with all dogs she's met, including puppies and all humans she's met, including crazy children. She is the epitome of a neutral comfortable dog during public access, has no sound or environmental sensitivities. She travels very well. She is exceptionally easy to live with. Something I would change in her is to add a little more drive for things that aren't prey and a little more work ethic. I would classify her a medium drive dog (outside hunting, which is a very high drive area for her) with low arousal.

Vintage is my bred by keeper pup from the Marley x Abigail RPG litter. She has been DNA tested through Optimal Selection and is a carrier of EAOD and TNS, clear for all else. Her OFA's will be done at two years old. ​​Vintage is 38lbs and about 20" tall. Oh where do I even begin about my perfect puppy, Vintage? She is a delight in every way and I could rave about her forever. I simply could not be happier with my keeper from Marley and Abigail. She comes from some very special dogs and lineage and I know she will do them all right as she continues growing into an awesome dog. Vintage is, to me, the epitome of what a Border Collie should be. She is so authentic to the breed and is a very old school, trustworthy, reliable, and stable dog. The picture of stability in an adolescent Border Collie is something special to behold! While so many young dogs struggle with fear periods that can feel quite severe, reactivity and sensitivities to things like sound, motion, other dogs, people, and can be prone to phases behaviorally, Vintage has been so consistent and so ideal. She's high drive without being high arousal. To me, drive is when a dog is able to focus on their task at hand no matter what is going on around them, it is their ability to push through to get the job done, it's their tenacity and engagement and dedication. Arousal is how stimulated a dog becomes by outside influences other than the task at hand, it also shows up in how they handle "hot" situations like when things are getting amped up among people or dogs. For example, if you were to take off running or dramatically stomp around, how would your dog react? A high arousal dog would be very stimulated, likely jump around or on you, maybe vocalize, maybe even bite depending on the dog and other factors. A low arousal dog may show interest or follow you but would not become very heightened. I speak more on arousal vs drive in one of my blog posts. Vintage is also quite serious, like her mother Abigail, which is something I am happy she inherited. She is a no nonsense kind of gal when she is in drive and/or working. She has laser focus and her body awareness is really impressive. She has major hops for disc catches and great accuracy, most of the time making the catch and always sticking a perfect landing. She never went through any puppy clumsiness! I was able to start low throws for her quite young. She also will tug and snarl and shake with the best of them, never releasing her bite and growling all along. She wasn't a cooperative puppy by nature and it did take effort on my part to get her retrieving toys and not just running around to celebrate with them by herself. She's really independent and doesn't need anywhere near constant reassurance. She is very sure of herself. I have seen more self assuredness and a little less handler focus than her dam so far. She and her mother both share a deeply sweet nature and special love for their people. Vintage loves to be held and even picked up and carried, which is hilarious because she is quite big! She's weighing 36-38 pounds and is looking a little taller than her mom, who is 19 inches. Vintage loves to gaze lovingly into my eyes and nudge my hand to pet her. She is great with body handling and super comfortable with being in your space. A good trait that most of my dogs share! She's super friendly and great with every dog and person she's ever met. She loves meeting new people and with humans her default is sweet and appeasing. With dogs, she is confident and forward but not overwhelming. She handles new situations perfectly, travels like a champ, and shows so much promise for the future of my program. I want to produce many dogs just like Vintage! She is not reactive, she is not sensitive, she is respectful to her people but she isn't soft, she has very high toy drive, herding drive, and food drive but still maintains a perfect off switch and has not destroyed a single thing in all of her puppyhood. In her somewhat limited experience herding, she has shown amazing drive, natural ability, feel, and promise. We went to an excellent herding trainer at 8 months old and the trainer kept saying she couldn't believe Vintage was so young! She is fast and keeps her tail low and body crouched in a that trademark Border Collie stance, very flashy, and she is incredibly brave with even my nasty goats who hate dogs. She went for a month long board and train with another herding trainer in April/May 2023 and the trainer raved about how good she is. I hope to debut her in herding trials this summer. She will be my first dog to compete in herding with. She has shown good signs at agility class as well but my priority is herding. We will also dabble in rally and whatever else we can get our hands on that she enjoys!

Penny is Abigail's daughter from the National Parks litter. She is co-owned by myself and a dear friend of mine who gives her a great life. She has her CGC and a couple trick titles. While actively competing in sports just isn't in the cards for her (Penny's human) at this point in her life, Penny has been herding a handful of times and showed a lot of very nice instinct. She's also attended several agility classes, which she shows a ton of promise for. But while she may not be my most highly titled dog, what Penny has really been tried and tested in is being a very stable and sound dog! She has done a ton of traveling, lots of patio dining and sitting at coffee shops, and she's attended countless parties and social gatherings, all of which she handles beautifully. She is very social, loves all people, is great with dogs, kids, and all of the hustle and bustle of city life. She doesn't show any environmental sensitivities and takes on new settings with grace. As she's continuing to mature, she has set some boundaries for unruly dogs and will appropriately warn and correct if necessary if a dog is getting out of hand (i.e. humping, playing super rough, being really disrespectful). All in all, she is a phenomenal companion with a lot of potential for more. Penny has very high toy drive - for tugs, discs, balls, you name it. Her favorite is probably tug and she has a very full and firm bite and loves a good "fight", where you push her around and make the game more challenging for her. For frisbees, she is a great catch and I would say she has moderate jumps. Her first litter, the Apples: 11/2021, have grown into superbly even keeled pets and great entry level sport dogs. She's been tested through Optimal Selection and came back as a carrier for EAOD and clear for all else. Her OFA results are Good hips, Normal shoulders and elbows.

Calypso is AKC and ABCA registered. She has OFA Good hips, Normal elbows, and Normal eyes. She has been DNA tested through Optimal Selection and is clear aside from carrying CEA. Calypso is 28lbs and 17" tall. Calypso is a fun loving, social sweetheart! She has always had the most phenomenal temperament and loving nature, ever since I brought her home as a wee puppy. She is the first dog I trust with other puppies, kittens, shy dogs, or animals of any type because she is incredibly gentle and kind with other animals, taking a lot of care to never scare or push boundaries with new critters she meets. Aside from livestock! During herding she can be more willful and headstrong, and not always the most kind to her stock. Our herding instructor put it as she may not be the most trustworthy or honest dog when herding and would be likely to do things like scatter the livestock so she can have the fun of gathering them up again. *UPDATE on herding!* We went and met with a new trainer and got some very different feedback on Calypso than what I had been told before. This trainer is very accomplished and has many students competing in high levels in all venues of herding, and she really liked Calypso and her instincts. As I become a more competent handler in herding we may pursue it more with Calypso but for now, she participates in agility, therapy work, rally, disc/freestyle, barn hunt, tons and tons of tricks as well as a few tasks. She is also a huge contributor to any litters that happen within our program because she is an excellent nanny. She is great at slowing her pace to match puppies or little dogs and make sure they feel comfortable and enjoy the game. Calypso is honestly one of the most dog savvy dogs I've met. Along with this, she is a wonderful little people pleaser and always draws attention wherever we take her. At trials, she steals hearts with her enthusiasm and engagement and impresses with her speed and accuracy. Not just saying so because I love her, I promise! She is a very high drive dog and is more than happy to be on the go all day long if you are. She is a super star with tricks, freestyle, and disc and is very precise and calculated during training. She works under pressure with no problem and isn't very handler sensitive or "soft", as many Border Collies can be. Her toy drive is very high and toys are certainly her favorite thing to work for. She also has great drive for food and praise. She is an excellent snuggler and loves praise and petting during her down time and she is the master of deep pressure therapy. Calypso came from a rather controversial breeder who has produced many dogs and some of which with health issues, like neurological problems, allergies/sensitivities, and one dog with a degenerative spine disease. Towards the end of that breeding program, the breeder began making some questionable choices with pairings and doing some close line breeding which exacerbated the issues. I would be more than happy to go into more details on the issues and where they are in relation to Calypso. She is a very important asset to my program and embodies many of the traits I would like to see more of in future generations, and in her current litter we are seeing amazing temperaments and really beautiful structure. No lines are free and clear of issues and what is important is to be aware of the possibilities, make the best choices we can to lower risks, and stand behind the puppies produced. Calypso has a phenomenal temperament, really nice structure and great drives which are all things I place a lot of value in for my program and she herself as well as her close relatives are healthy which is what has led me to add her to my breeding program. I will always be very careful with who I pair her with to try my best to correct her faults and make the best puppies.

Abigail is ABCA & AKC registered and came from a small cattle ranch in California. She has OFA Excellent hips, Normal elbows and eyes, DNA clear through Optimal Selection other than carrier for IGS and EOAD. Abigail is 32-34lbs and 19" tall. Abbie is a really great natural herder and has lovely instinct, very responsive to her handler, great sense of group, and keeps a very cool head. Our herding trainers have all said she's brilliant, and we have been to several over her life. We are working towards getting trial ready. She is nearly ready but I need to catch up because the sheep still trip me over, I feel very anxious out there, and our commands are not solid. Outside of herding, we do a lot of trick training, obedience, and disc and freestyle for fun. We have recently began competing in barn hunt, which she is awesome at and really loves doing. We had started training for fly ball and while I have a feeling she would really enjoy it, but we haven’t been consistent in training for it and are unlikely to pursue it. She has tried dock diving and loves water, has also been to lure coursing practice events several times and LOVES it and is really fast. She is a very versatile dog who is more than willing to try anything you want her to. Our location is pretty lacking in dog sport opportunities so with Abigail, we have primarily focused on herding. With being a dog trainer, we have always had a lot of dogs around and Abigail has always handled client dogs in and out of the home with grace. She is very dog savvy and she helps us a lot in our work because she is not afraid to tell a dog off who is being pushy/rude/dominating. She also is a pro at defusing situations, never goes overboard and is extremely passive with most dogs, making her very easy to work with dogs. She is wonderful with environmental changes and she has certainly led an ever changing life so far. We lived in a van and traveled full time for a whole year with 3 dogs and 2 parrots. Abigail remained ready to work and good tempered during all of it. She is truly my “ride or die” dog and she is so reliable and sound. She is a trustworthy girl who never wants to do the wrong thing. She learns new behaviors faster than any other dog I’ve worked with (and I have trained many.) She can be prone to barking during freestyle routines and has extreme enthusiasm for tricks. Her favorites are rebound, roll over and leg weaves. She is a fully trained public access dog who is 100% neutral in public settings. She was a slow to mature dog and reached her full mature adult brain and body around 3-4 years old. She is very handler driven, only has eyes for me and happily ignores anything and everything when she is working, whether that be heeling around with me in public, doing tricks, practicing disc, what have you. She is extremely affectionate with dogs and people that she knows and is happy to say hi to strangers, once I release her to go say hi. She has three litters of puppies on the ground which are doing really well in various venues including competitive agility, full time herding, obedience, and active loving companions.