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Essence Is The Most Important Trait

The essence of a dog is the most important trait. It's who they are. It is the inner feeling that arrives on a deep level when you come in contact with a dog. The essence of a CMD should be soft, calming, it should set you at ease, and inspire you. When you hug a CMD, you should feel surrounded by a cloud.

It's good to avoid breeding a shy, skittish, complex dog. It's good not to breed a dog who is aggressive with people or with other animals. Even a dog that is busy all the time or over-affectionate -- these traits make a dog hard to work with (some of this is training).

Did you have an oops breeding with a dog you decided didn't measure up? Sell the pups as working traditional LGDs, and not CMDs. That is what people do when developing a program or a breed -- bestow the breed name on the dogs that carry the traits. And ESSENCE is the number one trait.

A CMD should measurably increase your calm when you are around it. Those traits are in LGD lines and can be isolated and propagated. The calm trait is for transferring calm to the flocks and herds. A busy LGD isn't a good LGD. That is even more true for a dog who will be on a small acreage farm.

I still stumble as I learn. So it is aggravating to see the breed name become cool, and people use it to make money. It's really work to develop and maintain a breed. It's not a good money-making venture. Caspian’s essence is what amazed people even during the first few seconds that they met him. To stamp that essence into a program takes some years of selection.

The essence is who a dog is. Does the dog add to your peace? Then multiply that peace. Does the dog require extra work to manage? Then don't breed yourself and others extra work. Does the dog lean on people and calm people and love people.... then bring more leans and calmness and love into the world.

THIS above every aspect of function, is by far and away the most important thing. Essence. I am so careful with how I pair, in regard to this trait.

To have lines with stable temperaments, intelligence, and calmness, you need both parents to have those qualities...and it is worth the wait, and the expense, to do this part right. 📷