On the Whelping Box Floor

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

What is it like to be an 11-day-old Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd puppy living in a 4′ x 4′ whelping box with mom and 8 siblings? Here are some photos from the ground level. Click an image to zoom.

Farm Puppy Owner’s Manual
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Tony Bierman, "On the Whelping Box Floor," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

The Black and Tan English Shepherd Continuum – An Argument from Hypothesis

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Purpose Within the English Shepherd Breed, there exists a continuum of “black and tan” dogs, which includes those with the coat color as well as those for which the black and tan markings indicate a certain type. However, to effectively manage the breed and preserve its genetic diversity, it is crucial to prioritize the latter … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "The Black and Tan English Shepherd Continuum – An Argument from Hypothesis," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd Breeder Survey

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

As World War II progressed, farmers were being asked to produce more food with fewer workers. More and more young men were being drafted or enlisted in the military. The farm labor shortage became severe, especially for fruit and vegetable producers.  In the course of the war, 15 million men and women were called up … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd Breeder Survey," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

Black and Tan: The Real Thing

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

The Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd Association strides to preserve a specific type of dog. We use three investigations as determining factors. Our first investigation is appearance and behavior (phenotype). We use the Blankenship Bloodline Standard as the barometer for this investigation. This same standard of the Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd has … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "Black and Tan: The Real Thing," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

Countdown to Whelping Day

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

The countdown to W-Day has begun here at Roanoke Creek Ranch. Vixen is about 2.5 weeks from a planned whelp. For her part, Vixen received her final pre-whelp worming using puppy-safe meds. She started sleeping in the climate-controlled whelping room with veteran Nurse-dog Josie, and half her diet is now Purina Pro Plan Puppy Formula. … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "Countdown to Whelping Day," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

Planting Little Trees

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

Tom D. Stodghill of Quinlan, Texas, and John and Pauline Blankenship of Murfreesboro, TN ran two of the most commercially successful breeding operations in the history of our English Shepherd breed. Stodghill famously bragged in one article about how he had shipped dogs to “All Fifty States.” And I’m confident that the Blankenship’s equaled his … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "Planting Little Trees," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.

I ♥ Puppy Hips

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Black and Tan English Shepherd

I know it sounds funny, but I’d like to take this opportunity to declare my love for puppy hips. Truthfully, there are few things I care about more than puppy hips. So much so that I wish I had a bumper sticker that read, “I ♥ Puppy Hips.”  From the moment a puppy emerges at … Read more

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Tony Bierman, "I ♥ Puppy Hips," OBTESA, Accessed October 30, 2025, http://esbt.us/ee.