Gemma (GCH High Country Catch Your Breath SDO SN) went to Okotoks on Saturday for a herding instinct test, and she rocked it!  This was her first exposure to livestock, and she instinctively knew what to do with those goats. She did split them, but she got them back together and moved them forward, wearing from side to side to keep them together.  We don't have plans to herd with her, as we don't have access to sheep or goats, but it was a fun thing to do, and watch her work. I love this girl! she is so good at everything she does!

Wow, its been awhile since I updated this site. We have a Facebook group for High Country Collies that is regularly updated, and its not linked to this site, so I often forget to post here. Our Tri boy Levi is now a Canadian Grand Champion, and so is his daughter, Gemma! Both are working on their Bronze, with Levi halfway there and Gemma about a quarter of the way. She's out of coat right now, so we are doing performance sports with her instead of conformation.

Gemma (GCH High Country Catch Your Breath) is our first home bred champion from our first and so far only litter. She just titled in Sprinters, which is Fast Cat if you're in the US. Her top speed was 41 KPH! That's 25 1/2 MPH! This girl is FAST, and she loves to run! 

Gemma also received her Open title in Scent Detection, and she is already in Masters Exterior while completing her Excellent Interior and Containers. She's fast, efficient and very confident in this sport; a real easy dog to work with and read. Next week she goes for her herding instinct test, and then its off to her first barn hunt trial! There's so much you can do with your collies to keep them active and fulfilled!

On the health testing front, Gemma's OFA hips came back as Excellent and her elbows as Good. We plan to breed her on her next heat to a beautiful GCH Tri with excellent hips who also competes and excels in performance sports. Gemma is genetically clear for all testable diseases, so we are expecting a healthy and sound litter, with conformation prospects, performance prospects and pet home placements. 

​Levi is off to his next conformation show in July, with Gemma still growing coat for her August return to the ring. Here are very recent photos of Levi and Gemma doing what they love best.

 

A lot has happened in our collie world since I last posted! Our tri boy, Levi, got his Canadian Grand Championship in November at our last show of the year, Evelyn Kenney, in Calgary. He went Select in all four shows, and there was some outstanding competition!  Levi also received an Award of Merit from the Collie Club of Canada under Judge Susan Bertrand at the Camrose Regional specialty in October. We are really proud of this boy! Both Levi and Gemma were shown by junior handlers in the collie specialty, and performed very well in the ring with children at the end of the leash.

Levi also earned three new performance titles since our last post. He received his Scent Detection Open, Rally Novice and Sprinters Novice titles this fall! So he's now GCH Buffalo Creek Levi's Promise at High Country SDO, RN, SN, NTD.

And not to be outdone, Gemma, CH High Country Catch Your Breath SDN finished Best of Opposite in all four shows, our last of 2024, and she is now two points short of her own GCH title! We were hoping to finish both their Grands at this show, but one of the collie girls was absent, so there were only two collie girls at the show, so that means a single point win. 

Gemma also received her Scent Detection novice title in her first trial, and shows great promise in that sport, moving up to Excellent Containers search in just one weekend! The judge even gave her a WOW!! on her score card.

We are always grateful for the expertise of our Pro Handler, Madison Bernardin and her team, who always do such an excellent job showing our collies in Conformation.

I took Levi to his first CKC Scent Detection trial in Lethbridge on the weekend. There are three components for searches - Containers, where the dog searches empty closed boxes that have a hole in the lid just big enough for them to stick their nose in. There is one box with a Wintergreen scent at the Novice level. The second search is Interiors, where the dog searches the interior of a building (about a ten foot square section), and has to locate the Wintergreen scent. This trial used a closet in a thrift store that was full of clothing and other articles, with the scent hidden among the articles. The third search is Exteriors, where the scent is buried or hidden among outdoor articles or even shoved into the door frame of the building. 

Its fun to watch that nose get to work and search for the scent! Levi was fast in Containers; he found the scent in less than five seconds. In Interiors, he almost ran the clock, as he was distracted by another dog walking around but he found the hidden scent with 13 seconds left out of a three minute allowed time frame. In Exteriors he nailed it again, giving him his Novice title. He found the scent in less than 28 seconds buried beneath a bike helmet. He stopped, looked up at me, and just to make sure I was awake and paying attention, he put his paw on the helmet and stood there like a proud achiever! What a good boy! 

Levi's Hips & Elbows results are here and they are looking EXCELLENT! (Elbows have only two ratings; either good or poor, and Hips are rated poor to Excellent). When considering a dog that interests you, always check their OFA results on the official OFA website and look up the breeder there, or search by their registered name as some people do forge these certificates. (I have blocked out my address on these certificates).

It's been a whole year since these little babies joined the world! To honour their beautiful lives, we are doing a photo display for each puppy. Stella now lives in the Lower Mainland, as does Mochi. Micah lives in the East Kootenays, as does Gemma, our keeper pup. Leon, our Levi lookalike, lives in Alberta, and Zozo and Solomon travelled the furthest; to Quebec and Florida respectively. All these puppies are in amazing homes, living their best collie lives! We couldn't be happier with their placements. If you click on each photo collage, the entire photos can be viewed easily. 

Time flies, and I haven't kept this website updated, so here goes! We kept Gemma, our pick of the litter, and she has been doing very well in Conformation. She's been to five shows and is one point away from her Championship title. Not bad for ten months of age! Here's a few pics of her, from show ring to leisure life. She's a super sweet girl, probably the most sweet collie I have ever known. 

It's amazing how much the puppies have grown this past week. They're taller and boy, can they run! They're getting lots of outdoor time and plenty of exercise which really helps them to sleep well. They are going through all the puppy stages charted on Puppy Culture. Here are the three cuties still looking for their own backyard. Click on their photos to view full screen. See parents genetic health test results by clicking on their photos on the "Our Collies" tab on this website. Canadian Kennel Club registered; Scottish Collie Preservation Society registered.
Micah is super sweet and very loving. He's treat motivated and will be a joy to train.
Samson is adorable, loves coming for affection, but isn't in your face about it. He's a quiet boy who loves his people and gets along well with other dogs. He won't be an alpha dog. 
Solomon is going to be an amazing companion! He loves to play, and nothing rattles him. Solomon takes everything in stride; he has an easygoing personality that applies to both other dogs and people. 
Application forms are on this website, or contact us at [email protected]

Our collie puppies are five weeks old! These little sweethearts will be ready to go home on June 25. They are dual registered with Canadian Kennel Club and Scottish Collie Preservation Society. We have three Tricolour males available. All the girls have found their homes. The boys are MDR1 +/-, clear for everything else on the collie panel, and low risk DMS. Samson is a sweet boy with a stunning white collar. He will be a flashy looking Tri! He's eager to try new things and has a calm nature. Solomon is a very well grounded boy. He's calm, stoic and even tempered. Solomon takes it all in stride. Micah is very sweet, and loves to snuggle. I often find him at my side, like a silent shadow! He's very treat motivated, which will make him easy to train. He has a lovely curved white stripe on his right hip which is sure to make him stand out. Collies, by nature love to please, and that makes them easy to train. Click on our website tabs to see parents photos and health test results. Most of our updates are posted to our High Country Collies FB page. ​https://www.facebook.com/groups/660172281208664/

The puppies have been busy growing up at High Country, and what a wonderful life they have ahead of them! These little babies are being raised with Puppy Culture. That means they are exposed to a wide variety of stimulus, challenges, and brain games to help them achieve their very best potential so when they go to their new homes, they should fit right in and take it all in stride. We are located in southeastern BC, Canada in the East Kootenays. Puppies will be ready to go home June 25. At three and a half weeks old,  here they are:

​