Lisa Graser shares 40+ years of Sheltie breeding, judging, and preserving breed standards in the world of purebred dogs.
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Lisa Graser
1. My name is Lisa Graser. I was born and raised on a Registered Holstein dairy farm in Wisconsin. My husband, Lloyd Graser, and I now live in Eastern Tennessee, and have for 12 years. I have been in purebred dogs for 40 years. I started showing in AKC (American Kennel Club) Obedience with my Shetland Sheepdog before I started breeding; I have been breeding Shetland Sheepdogs for 32 years. Lloyd and I have finished 160 American Champions, 145 of those being homebred under the kennel name Blue Heaven. My husband and I are also both AKC Judges.
2. The hallmarks of our breed, that I feel are imperative for keeping Shetland Sheepdogs true to our Breed Standard and distinguishing it from other Herding breeds (or a generic dog), are the following (words in quotes are direct from our Breed Standard):
“Sound, agile and sturdy.” (Listed in the first paragraph of our Standard).
It is imperative to make sure these dogs are sound in body and mind to maintain the breed for the job it was bred to do. It is also important to have good bone and substance in order to be “sturdy.”
“Body should appear moderately long,” and “much of this length is actually due to the proper angulation.” Forty-five degree angulation in both front and rear is a critical component to keep our breed sound in movement and structure. It is also important to get the proper balance and proportions when evaluating the overall silhouette of our breed.
“The head should be refined and its shape, when viewed from top or side, should be a long, blunt wedge tapering slightly from ears to nose.” There will be “the presence of a slight but definite stop.”
We are very fortunate that we still have a Scale of Points in our Breed Standard. The correct head makes up 20 of the 100 points in our Standard. The correct head on a Sheltie IS BREED TYPE. Even though it does not weigh as heavily in our Standard as the Collie Standard, if we do not maintain the correct head in our breed as described in our Standard, we lose type and distinction of our Shetland Sheepdog from other breeds.
3. Absolutely. I have bred several litters this year already. I have had no problems finding great homes for all of my puppies. I will say I have a lot harder time finding good show homes that will properly care for, train, and develop a show dog for what is needed to finish an AKC Champion in our breed. So, the majority of my puppies go to wonderful pet/Performance homes.
4. I have been running my own progesterone timing tests for over 20 years and also have owned my own ultrasound for 15 years. I have been very happy to see the constant development of genetic testing that we can perform on our dogs to be able to raise healthier puppies with fewer genetic diseases. The improvement in available genetic health testing for purebred dogs has been amazing.
5. I have seen a rise and fall. There was a big surge for mixed-breed “designer breeds” for years. I am now seeing that taper off as the public becomes more aware that many of these “mixed breeds” come with a lot of problems healthwise. I have seen an increase in the past five years of people going back to “preservation-bred” and “health-tested” purebred breeds.
6. Social media has been the downfall of our sport. It is a huge concern and ruining the sport of dog shows and the quality of the dogs we are seeing in our breeds. From “instant experts” in the breed who have learned the majority of their knowledge through Facebook, to videotaping judges and exhibitors at dog shows and using “partial truths” and “partial videos” to ruin reputations. The days of new breeders in a breed visiting kennels and actually seeing and getting their hands on dogs in person, while pursing the pedigrees of their future puppies, are gone.
7. I have found that breeders in general have been more welcoming to new people in the breed if they have put in some time and effort to meet others at shows and at Specialties/Nationals. More long-time established breeders are willing to place a nice dog with someone than when I started in our breed in the 1990s. With the advent of social media, it has been easier in our sport to obtain information on educational opportunities. I see a lot more learning opportunities in our sport, both at shows and through online education, in recent years.
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