The HIC/HIT (which is it?!) is only supposed to mean that the dog is trainable in the endeavor and has an interest in sheep. That interest may not always be pure (Strauss would love to eat mutton rather than herd), but the tester is supposed to pass dogs that they believe could be trained to do the work. That said, you're right, at the end of the day it doesn't mean the dog actually has the mettle to stand up to a tough ram. -- Jackie & Jonathan Nguyen Marcato German Shepherds<http://www.marcatogermanshepherds.com> S Konzert vom Drachenberg, CD, RN, CGC, SD "Strauss" Devine's Gunpowder N Lead RN "Mirada" ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2011. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================