Get your 2010 Lacy Dog calendars plus cards and stickers!

Just in time for the holidays, the National Lacy Dog Association online store is up and ready for your orders! Now you can show your true blue Lacy pride with calendars, cards and stickers from the NLDA.

Our shop features a 12-month 2010 Lacy Dog calendar of beautiful pictures from NLDA members. We also have a one-page Lacys in action calendar. If you’re looking for a unique season’s greeting, we have blue Lacy holiday cards and Lacy puppy Christmas cards. And there are three different Lacy Dog stickers in three different sizes. Choose from a Lacy Dog bumper sticker, a Texas Lacy sticker and an oval Lacy sticker.

For more details and pictures of all these products, please visit the Lacy Dog Cafe Press store.

Interview with Helen Lacy Gibbs

Helen Lacy Gibbs is the granddaughter of George Washington Lacy, the brother prominently noted for his role in the breed, and started working behind Lacy Hog Dogs as a little girl. Helen is now in her eighties and has incredibly clear memories of the original Lacy Dogs. She has also been frustrated with the way her stories about the real Lacy Hog Dogs have been edited and misinterpreted. She decided it was time to get the accurate story out about the dogs once and for all, no stretching the truth or romanticizing of the facts, and asked the National Lacy Dog Association to make a video of her recollections.

We now have four videos on the history of the Lacy Hog Dog in the NLDA Archive. Interviewing Mrs. Gibbs and her son John was a truly amazing experience. We hope you enjoy these clips on the true history of the Lacy breed featuring someone who lived and worked with the original Lacy Dogs.

See all four video interviews with Helen Lacy Gibbs on our site.

Visit the NLDA at the Texas Trappers Rendezvous Oct. 16 and 17

The Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Association is holding their Fall Rendezvous in Junction on Oct. 16 and 17. The NLDA will have a table at the event and our very own Jimmy Brooks will be conducting trap line seminars both Friday and Saturday. So stop by, say hi to fellow Lacy lovers and learn about trapping!

Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Fall Rendezvous
All day Oct. 16 and 17
Coke Stevenson Memorial Center
440 N. US Hwy 83, Junction, TX

Training Lacy Dogs with Operant Conditioning

By shaping behaviors with Operant Conditioning, you can train your Lacy Dog to perform complex tasks in a matter of minutes.

Ever since B.F. Skinner laid out the foundations of Operant Conditioning, OC based methods have been increasingly used to teach dogs and other animals a wide variety of behaviors. Much of the original development of the training techniques occurred at marine parks, where scientists and trainers were assisted by graduate students and Skinner’s children. Then, with the aid and impetus of the Internet, groups of dog owners and trainers alike discovered the benefits of OC and the Positive Training movement began to explode. Today, there remain two fundamentally different approaches to dog training: Positive Reinforcement (Here Fifi sweetie, come to Mommy and you get this treat) and Traditional (Hey Atlas, you crazy cur, stay away from that rabbit trail or my boot is going where the sun don’t shine). The trend, however, is clearly towards OC based Positive Reinforcement training methods. Dogs trained with the new techniques have shown, in obedience, agility and other competitions, that these techniques produce results that equal or surpass Traditional correction based training methods. The most popular OC based training method, by far, is Clicker Training. Originally conceptualized by Karen Pryor at Sealife Marine Park in Hawaii, Clicker Training has even being used for performance training of human athletes.

Why you should understand Operant Conditioning

“But I have a hog hunting/blood tracking/herding Lacy Dog bred to do those things. And he does them. What do I need with some fancy technique?” Well, the funny thing is you already use Operant Conditioning with your dog, all the time, every single day. This is so important I’m going to repeat it. You are use Operant Conditioning, every day, every time you interact with your dog! Now, given you are going to do something, don’t you want to get it right? Hey, you have a Lacy Dog. You know he is smarter than 99.9% of the dogs out there, and I bet your dog watches every little thing you say and do. You picked your dog because of what he is capable of doing. So make the most of it!

And there is a specific reason why this is the right technique for a Lacy Dog, even more so than for other breeds. Reading the NLDA Breed Standard, a Lacy is to have “incredible drive and determination to work.” These are reflections of a Lacy’s high prey drive, or predatory instinct. Lacy Dogs are bred to retain as much of their wild wolf ancestor’s predatory instinct as possible and still be safe around humans. One of the things that separates wild predators from domestic animals is that wild predators cannot be successfully disciplined. You can’t discipline a killer whale or a tiger, and, most importantly, you can’t use discipline to successfully train a wolf. Yank on a wolf’s collar and all he does is yank back even harder.

Apply to be an Approved Breeder

The National Lacy Dog Association Approved Breeders Program was established to promote quality over quantity. With each litter, our approved breeders strive to preserve the past while planning for the future. Though their individual goals may vary, all approved breeders emphasize working ability, functional conformation and sound temperament in their Lacy Dogs.

To ensure that we only support ethical breeders who share our commitment to purebred working Lacy Dogs, we require NLDA members apply to be listed as approved breeders. The Breeders Committee will review every application, focusing on the desired results and feasibility of each breeding program.

To be an approved breeder, you must:
1.) Be a member of the NLDA in good standing
2.) Have at least one working Lacy Dog who has passed inspection and is registered with the Animal Research Foundation or National Lacy Dog Registry
3.) Submit a completed application, supporting documents, signed Code of Ethics and $25 fee
4.) Following the first year, breeders will pay an annual fee of $10

Support working Lacys by joining the National Lacy Dog Association

In August 2008, we held the first official meeting of the NLDA. After a full year of establishing the organization and building an active community, we are excited to officially open up membership. We encourage everyone who believes in preserving and promoting the Lacy Dog as a true working breed to join the NLDA.

Download the NLDA membership form.

NLDA Mission Statement
Our mission is to maintain the integrity of the Lacy as a true working breed. Our goal is to create and support a community of happy, healthy, functional Lacy Dogs that embody historically accurate breed standards. We work to preserve and promote the working Lacy Dog through public education, open communication, ethical breeding and active ownership.

Animal Research Foundation Reopens the Original Lacy Registry

The National Lacy Dog Association is excited to announce we have partnered with the Animal Research Foundation to reopen the original Lacy Dog stud book. Owners and breeders will once again be able to register purebred Lacy Dogs with the ARF, the first registry to recognize the Lacy Dog.

“This is a historic moment, for us to reopen the ARF Lacy Dog Stud Book and for you to recognize the ARF as an approved registry,” said genealogist and registrar Al Walker. “As you become acquainted with the Foundation, you will find that we are more than just a registry. Public trust and dependability are our most important products.”

The ARF was founded in 1947 by Tom D. Stodghill. He approved the first registered Lacy Dog, Preston’s Big Blue by Preston’s Old Blue and Preston’s Ellie, on Jan. 18, 1976. In addition to being the first registry to recognize the Lacy, the ARF played an instrumental role in the acknowledgment and standardization of numerous working breeds. They were the first to recognize and register Catahoulas and Australian Cattle Dogs, organized the English Shepherd Club of America, assisted in the formation of the Australian Shepherd Club of America and much more.

Though Mr. Stodghill passed away in 1989, the ARF is alive and well. Our new partnership represents a deep respect for Lacy history as well as a strong commitment to the breed’s future. In addition to providing owners and breeders with top-notch genealogical and registration services, the ARF will help us keep the breed true to type and purpose by only recognizing dogs who pass inspection.

To encourage registration by all owners and breeders of quality Lacy Dogs, the ARF is offering introductory rates and additional incentives from August 1 through October 31. A list of fees and details on how to have your purebred Lacy registered will be available on http://www.nationallacydog.org. You can also email us at nlda@nationallacydog.org for additional information. To learn more about the ARF, visit http://www.arfusa.com.

Register Your Purebred Lacy Dogs with the National Lacy Dog Registry

Betty Leek of the NLDR with her Lacy Dogs

The National Lacy Dog Association is proud to recognize the National Lacy Dog Registry as an approved registry for purebred Lacy Dogs.

Betty Leek, a member of the NLDA Board of Directors, created the NLDR “to fill the growing need for standardization, preservation and sound breeding practices in the Lacy community.” An independent and privately owned entity, the NLDR is “working to support the NLDA’s mission to protect and preserve this wonderful breed through professional registration for Lacy Dogs.”

Visit the NLDR for details on how to register a Lacy Dog or a litter. To be granted full registration, adult dogs must have a complete pedigree, be 18 months of age and meet the NLDR Lacy Dog standard. Please contact Betty at lacydog@wildblue.net or 325-396-231 for more information.

Choosing the Best Way to Vaccinate Your Lacy

A vaccine can be a great thing. But vaccination can also do a lot of damage. So how do you decide how and when to vaccinate your Lacy Dog? By reading and educating yourself. There is a ton of info on the internet which supports vaccinations as well as going vaccine free. Hopefully my info will help readers make their own decision.

“After more than twenty years of practicing veterinary medicine, I am observing chronic diseases that begin much earlier than before,” writes Charles Loops, DVM. “A normal dog or cat living to twelve years of age will receive at least twenty and possibly thirty vaccinations during their lifetime. Fifteen or so of these shots will have four to seven disease fractions present in each vaccination. In all of this, balance in nature has been lost to the pharmaceutical-medical complex’s philosophy, propelled in great part by monetary factors, leading us to believe that all vaccinations are beneficial.”

Vaccines have become much more than they were ever intended to be. They were originally developed to help people or animals have a better chance at living through a disease that is usually fatal. Now vaccines are being given for things that are rarely lethal.

The Cur Dog Approach to Herding

Red Lacy and Leopard Catahoula team up on a hog.

When it comes to working style, Lacy Dogs most closely resemble Catahoulas and Blackmouth Curs. They work in a completely different manner than the European herding dogs developed to move sheep across hill and dale or the Continental livestock guardians created to protect their flock. Curs have the ability to work much rougher animals in much tougher conditions. And the Lacy is no exception. Developed to gather and move range hogs, Lacy Dogs herd with a gritty, loose eyed, upright, heading style.

Hog Dog Origins
When discussing Lacy stock dogs, it is important to acknowledge that they developed their style and instincts primarily on feral hogs. They had a specific purpose that was dangerous and difficult. It required great intelligence, independence and an aggressive approach. Lacys without these traits would not have survived the rank animals they faced.

“I was fortunate enough to help my father, John Henry Lacy, round up hogs on our ranch when I was growing up in the Depression days. We didn’t drive the hogs, we just followed as the dogs led them to the pen. One rider could round up a large number of hogs with just he, his horse and his two dogs. There was a pen in the pasture which the dogs knew to take the hogs. We would go into the pasture, this one being about 1,000 acres, with the dogs and they would locate the hogs and round them up into an area. The dogs would nip the hogs and begin their run toward the pen. The hogs would chase the dogs and when the hogs no longer ran after the dogs, the dogs would return and nip a hog again to begin more chasing by the hogs. This continued until the dogs reached the pen and ran through the open gate with the hogs in wild pursuit. There was a hole in the pen on the opposite side of the gate which was too high for hogs to go through but which the dogs could jump through and escape the hogs. The riders just followed the hogs to the pen and shut the gate, thereby penning the herd with no trouble or danger to the horsed or riders. This is still very vivid in my mind’s eye even 65 years later. This is the same way the hogs were taken to Austin to the packing house — led by the dogs, followed by the riders.” – Helen Lacy Gibbs