Too big to fill?

Jim. Jim was whelped on Nov 23, 2007, so he's just a bit over 4 months presently. I love this pup. So much of what he does reminds me of his sire, which is so cool. Not only because it's exciting that he may be able to follow in Cruz's stockdog shoes, but also because I love Cruz on a "just the dog" level, so when Jim acts like Cruz, he's being the kind of dog I love being around. I'll be posting a video of him playing with a toy just like Cruz does- making up his own game and just ignoring all the other dogs.

Jim's the largest pup from the litter. Now at 4 months he's more in proportion and I can see that he is going to be a gorgeously put together, big strided, easy moving kind of dog. He didn't get this from Cruz, as Cruz is a more 'square' dog that has to take a lot strides to be as fast as he is. Cruz is only 18.25" tall. It looks like Jim will be closer to 20". I'm not sure if any of the HatsOff dogs were a bit larger, but I know Del'Mar Turk is a larger built dog (in comparison to Cruz) and many of his offspring tend to be of the same build. Gwen's sire is an Imp Jim (Turk's sire) X Imp Nell son and is a very large framed Border Collie. I'm incredibly drawn to this pup and can't wait for him to mature. To date there is nothing I see in Jim that I don't like and his Cruz-like behaviors keep me hopeful I have a shot at having another exceptional dog at a time in my life where I can do more things right than I did with poor Cruz in the beginning. But at the same time I worry that because his is similar in many ways that I am going to hold him to an unfair standard. I'm concerned that because he's "his daddy's son" and I'm only human I'm going to always compare him. I'd like to think that I won't, as I have many dogs and have no trouble at all letting them all be their own personalities and treat them as individuals. I feel so very blessed that I have Jim and Ivy. After Cruz, Gwenie is my favorite dog to just simply be around. She's a trip. She's quite funny and clever and loves attention and does everything with the after-burners on. How can you not love that? She gets by with a few things because of her cleverness. For example I hate begging for food. But she's just so funny about it that I can't help but give in. It's a sort of ritual that when I go to NC to train, I stop at the McDonalds in Suffolk on the way to get a breakfast burrito. She isn't a typical begger. Instead, from the backseat, she politely taps me on the shoulder with her foot. If I ignore her she starts to poke her nose in my ear. Like "um, hello, I want some too." She never gets rude, but she continues to problem solve and find something I find amusing enough that it deserves a piece of burrito. Brain power. All of Cruz's tricks (if they're not there right now, they'll be up soon) where simply shaped off behaviors he'd offer to get something he wanted, so they are very similar in how their brains work. I waited a long time for a bitch I thought worthy to cross Cruz with. I wanted a bitch similar to Cruz in working abilities and personality. All 4 puppies from this cross are being raised as stockdogs in very able hands. The 2 puppies I didn't keep for myself are close-by and with friends, so I'll know exactly how this cross turns out. I am sure it will be a very fun summer, getting these pups started on sheep. By the fall they may be in real training- but only if they are ready.