Tracking Thoughts

All dog sports require skills in both communication and collaboration, but I actually think tracking might be the ultimate team sport in Life with Dogs.

Although the human guides the training, it is a dog that directs the activity.

Claire on a TEN turn track earlier this week.

Force and compulsion, too often part of the experience in other dog sports, doesn’t really work in tracking.

This means the human has to be more smart than bully in their temperament and their training. Sadly, that actually does not work for some in their personal Life with Dogs.

Team Sundance — they are READY for the Specialty Tracking Test.

Those types are missing out. I feel sad for them — and their dogs. They will never know the thrill of finding the end of a track.

Claire was well-rewarded for her long and complicated track with lunch.

And thrill it is — there is nothing like it.

Happy Sunday, Friends.

An Old Berner is Golden Indeed

Puppies are exciting and fun but an Old Dog is something so very special, and this is especially true in Berners.

Can you spot Cooper from the Glitterati?

Jennifer reports that Cooper is well and keeps her laughing, even as he approaches 10.5 years on this earth.

Miss Maddie (F Litter) is enjoying Spring in Washington.

She is now 10.5+ years and keeping Barb busy.

Our Super Senior is Levi from the E Litter.

Levi is 11 years and 9 months old! Erin reports that he has some creaky bones but is otherwise doing just fine. #blessing

We love our older Kaibab dogs.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Does TCI Carry an Infection Risk?

I previously mentioned this article…

The authors’ study is an impressive one with large numbers and sophisticated statistical analysis.

And because I have written quite a few things myself, I know that authors of professional articles are just human beings like the rest of us — and so I wrote to the Corresponding Author with some questions; she was gracious and thorough in her responses.

In a Facebook discussion the issue of infection/pyometra was raised as a possible adverse event following Transcervical Insemination (TCI). As you might imagine, this chilled me to the bone.

I found one study that reported no post-TCI infections in dogs but the sample size was eight. While I am glad their study did not show any infections post-TCI, n=8 is not enough to inspire confidence.

The Hollinshead & Halon study was far more robust. Further, as a working practitioner as well as a researcher, Dr. Hollinshead reports having done approximately 2500 TCIs over many years.

Her response about post-TCI infections was not just small-n no but a very hard NO. Infections, including pyometra, are just not an issue with well-done TCIs.

She offered expected caveats — the equipment needs to be clean and the skill level of the practitioner needs to be solid, but she said, “The post insemination incidence of pyometra was so low in our study that it was not analysable.”

She went on to explain that the cervix is open when a bitch is in season, and that “…the uterus expels the bacteria and foreign material (dead sperm, extender etc) before the cervix closes and it becomes under the influence of progesterone.”

In other words, there is a clean-out system when mammals are bred because breeding is not a sanitary or sterile kind of thing. Mother Nature apparently knows what she is doing.

This does not mean Sparkle is safe from an adverse event but what it does mean is that if such a thing happens, it is so very much, much more likely that it is a coincidence rather than a consequence of the TCIs.

Remember — correlation is not causation. When two things happen together, it does not mean one caused the other.

Unless Lucky Socks are involved, of course.

And so there you go — evidence from a solid source with a robust data set. TCI does not/should not create an elevated risk of infection.