Category: Health

November’s World Dog Show stirs up international excitement.

he Federation Cynologique Internationale’s 2006 World Dog Show was held Nov. 9 through Nov. 12 in Poznan, Poland — and what a show it was! A record 20,839 canine competitors journeyed from 55 countries, to vie for titles in obedience and conformation, while an estimated 70,000 spectators cheered them on. The vast pavilions and halls of the Poznan International Fair Center held dozens of booths and vendors; scheduled performances and displays of heeling to music, K-9 law enforcement demonstrations and other visual treats, keeping bleacher seats full. Children ranging in age from early grade school to college entry opened each afternoon’s judging finals by presenting flags in an Olympic-style March of Nations, which quickly became an audience favorite.
The Federation Cynologique Internationale, a worldwide registry for purebred dogs, uses a system quite different from that used by the American Kennel Club, and can take some getting used to. Ten breed Groups are employed instead of seven, with breed distribution covering nearly 400 varieties: Group 1/Sheep and Cattle Dogs; Group 2/Mollosers; Group 3/Terriers; Group 4/Dachshunds; Group 5/Spitz and Primitives; Group 6/Scenthounds; Group 7/Pointing Dogs; Group 8/Flushing, Retrieving and Water Dogs; Group 9/Toys and Companions; and Group 10/Sighthounds. It makes for a bewildering but fascinating parade of breeds at the show. The most popular representatives in Poland were Labrador Retrievers (432), American Staffordshire Terriers (414), Golden Retrievers (386), Yorkshire Terriers (301) and Bernese Mountain Dogs (286), while breeds like the Australian Stumpy-Tailed Cattle Dog, Picardy Spaniel, Swedish Jamthund and Austrian Pinscher brought up the rear with one entry apiece.

This year’s World Dog Show was particularly momentous for owners and breeders of the Polish Hunting Dog — otherwise known as the Gonczy Polski — who saw their smooth-coated, medium-sized working hound officially acknowledged for FCI recognition. Poland is rightfully proud of her native canines, which also include the Polish Greyhound (Chart Polski), Tatra Sheepdog (Owczarek Podhalanski), Polish Lowland Sheepdog (Polski Owczarek Nizinny) and Polish Hound (Ogar Polski). Although several of these are relatively unknown in North America, all five are well established and popular in their homeland.

An added attraction was the Best of Polish Breeds competition, held on November 11, the nation’s Independence Day. Many handlers and dogs were costumed in regional attire, and were presented to an appreciative audience serenaded by traditional musical scores. A Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Ganga Dlugich Mazur, won the Best of Polish Breeds title, and the whole competition generated considerable crowd excitement.

The enthusiasm and energy carried over to the show’s final evening, bringing an extra surge of anticipation to all those who had waited four long days to see who the three finalists would be. Best In Show was granted to a breed rarely seen on these shores, but highly regarded on the Continent — the Italian-owned Bracco Italiano, or Italian Pointer, Ch. Axel del Monte Alago. Reserve BIS was awarded to a black Newfoundland from Hungary by the name of Skipper’s Emperior King of Helluland, while the third position was given to the little Maltese from Thailand — Funny Ladies Beach Girl. It was a World Show to remember, and one sure to be talked about until the 2007 event, to be held next summer in Mexico City.

Watching an agility trial on television, you might assume that the only breeds successful in agility are herding dogs and terriers. But if you wait a while, you’ll also see the occasional “non-traditional” agility dog, such as a Shiba Inu, Great Dane or Beagle.

A scenthound’s genetics compel it to follow its nose before it even knows its name. How do you get a Beagle’s nose off the ground long enough to notice there’s an agility jump in front of it?

To find out why someone would choose such a daunting training challenge, I talked with Lisa Jones. Lisa and her husband, Gary, own two Beagles that hold many titles, and are well respected in the Southern California agility scene.

Q: As cat people, how did you and your husband end up competing in canine agility?
A: We both had cats and family dogs growing up, but apartment and condo living seemed to lend itself to cats. After seeing our friends run their Australian Shepherds in agility, we said, “We gotta get a dog!”

Q: Why did you and your husband choose Beagles?
A: Living in a second-level condo, we knew we needed a smaller breed that would get along with our cats. We considered the Corgi, but we had concerns about its long back. Little did we know that a Beagle’s nose would be such an issue!

Q: How did you find your dogs, Abby and Major?
A: We met a breeder named Janet Doesschate. After a long and informative conversation, Janet said she had a puppy available. We entered into a co-ownership agreement.
Our other Beagle, Abby, was Major’s first birthday present. Major would howl out of loneliness while we were at work. We went back to Janet and bought 11/2-year-old Abby.

Q: When did you start agility training with Abby and Major?
A: We started agility puppy classes with Major when he was 9 months old. After we got Abby, she joined him about two months later.

Q: How did you decide which dog each of you would train and compete with?
A: Training and running assignments have fluctuated over the years. Initially, the agility bug bit me harder. I started training with Major and he quickly earned his Novice [beginning level] titles. Once we entered the Open [intermediate] level, Major began demonstrating an adolescent attitude. Around the same time, Abby developed severe confidence issues. Gary and I were both frustrated, so we decided to trade dogs. After a lot of time and cheerleading, Abby eventually caught up to Major at the Excellent [advanced] level. We traded dogs again in 2003, and I’ve been running Major ever since.

Q: What challenges did you encounter while training your Beagles?
A: Unlike a herding breed, pleasing one’s owner is not a high priority for a Beagle. Sniffing and eating, however, are. Sniffing is probably the most difficult obstacle to overcome because Beagles were bred to track rabbits. If we had a dollar for every refusal [when the handler directs the dog to an obstacle and the dog pauses or looks away] earned because Major or Abby wandered off to sniff, we’d be rich!

Q: What did you do to rise to the training challenges?
A: After a lot of trial and error, we used their desire to eat to our advantage. We offered a lot of high-value treats as rewards. They learned that if they played the game, they earned a big pay off. If they wandered off to sniff, they’d be picked up and returned to their pen without a word or treat. By adding some “sniff time” on a retractable leash before and after runs, their desire to sniff in the ring has been greatly reduced.

Q: Do you recall any particularly high points in their agility careers?
A: For Major, the entire year of 2007 has been his high point. He earned his MACH [Master Agility Champion] title just weeks shy of his ninth birthday, placed second in the United States Dog Agility Association Veteran’s Showcase, competed at the American Kennel Club Invitational, and earned his MACH2 in December. For Abby, it was when she earned her MX [Master Agility Excellent] and MXJ [Master Excellent Jumpers With Weaves] titles.

Q: Can you share a memorable time that only a Beagle owner might truly appreciate?
A: There was a trial at a park where Abby and another Beagle wandered off to sniff during a run. Luckily, they did not incur a refusal; they just lost some time. When it was Major’s turn, he went to the same area, sniffed a little harder and found a rib bone! Needless to say, he started chewing it. Not wanting to get disqualified for touching my dog, I yelled to the judge, “He’s got a bone!” She said, “Well, take it away from him and we’ll let you run again.” After a few dogs, we ran again, and sure enough, he went back to check out that area. I called out, “All gone, no more!” and he looked at me as if to say, “Oh, OK,” and we finished the run and got the Q [qualifying score or run].

Q: What’s on the horizon for the four of you?
A: For Major, we’re working on earning his MACH3 before the end of the year, and qualifying for the AKC Invitational again. For Abby, we’re just making sure she’s having fun and seeing how many MJP [Master Excellent Jumpers With Weaves] titles she can get.

Q: With Abby and Major achieving senior status, do you have plans for your next agility dogs?
A: We hope to get two puppies this summer. A half-sister to Abby had a litter in April, but there were only two male puppies. The breeder hasn’t decided yet what her plans are for the boys.

Q: Will you train new puppies any differently than before?
A: We’ll teach target training, but not on the ground! We will also put more emphasis on groundwork training (front and rear crosses, directionals, and so on), and we will give them more time in training before taking them into competition.

Q: What characteristics of Beagles make you want to continue training them?
A: We like the Beagle’s big-dog personality in a small package and its eternal puppy look. We also like the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment for succeeding with a breed thought to be difficult. We really appreciate the compliments we get from the people in our agility community – they know how much extra time and effort it has taken to get to this point. We hope to prove with our new recruits that Abby and Major are not just flukes. Like our license-plate frame says, “Agility beagles – not an oxymoron!”

How should judges evaluate winners of the past?

The best judges are, without a doubt, those who enjoy what they do. Nearly every judge I know savors the assignment to judge a Specialty show, for it is at the Specialties that we tend to see the greatest number of dogs of that breed congregating in one place. This normally provides the potential for a depth of quality seldom seen at All-Breed shows. One of the many highlights of a judging career often comes from judging a National Specialty.

For many judges, the Veterans classes, where dogs or bitches return to the ring after staying home for some time, are the most difficult. These dogs were the winners of yesteryear, and seeing them again can bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded fancier. Often, some of the best-quality dogs in the entire show are those competing in the Veterans classes.

Beauty before age
The question often arises as to how Veterans classes should be judged. For me, there is little question. I’m not there to let my sentiment push me into rewarding the oldest dog in the ring with a ribbon. I’m still judging, so I’m looking for the best example of the breed in the class.

At a Specialty, the winner of a Veterans class is eligible to compete for Best of Breed – and sometimes wins. Seeking quality means I cannot forgive the sagging topline caused by having a litter or by age. Seeking quality means I cannot forgive faulty movement. But seeking quality does allow me to ignore those inevitable gray hairs.

One judging difficulty occurs when viewing a dog that retains classic breed type when stacked but, upon closer examination, has not been treated kindly by age and time. This is often the dog that falls apart when gaited. Here the judge faces a tough decision: either recognize the type and place the dog highly in the class, or fault the weaknesses that appear to be the result of the natural aging process. There’s no easy answer to such a dilemma. It’s difficult to reward a dog that’s no longer able to perform its intended function.

In the end, judges are charged with deciding on placements that are based on how the dog looks on the day, not how it might have looked before or even on how it might look tomorrow. Prior records should not figure into the decision-making process.

It’s also interesting to see how a breed holds up over time. Has there been a change in the style of dogs since the members of the Veterans class were youngsters? Has the breed improved over time, or has the quality slipped since then? From this point of view, to find that the best dogs in the entire show are found in the Veterans classes generally does not speak well for the breed. The youngsters should, ideally, be of better quality than the older generation, for the job of breeders is to protect and improve the breed.

Big winners of the past
Sometimes a judge finds that one of the dogs in a class was, in its younger years, a big winner. What should a judge do if the dog with the big record has not held up well over the years? Perhaps the dog has lost some of the muscle fill in the skull, creating a head that is not as good as it once was. Maybe the superb movement of years past can no longer be seen. Should a judge recognize the record of the dog by giving it the class or a placement despite the signs of age? A difficult decision.

The owners or handlers of this former winner must also make tough choices. Should the dog be brought out to the show despite its current shortcomings, or should it remain in the comfort of its home where it can rest on its laurels, and its fans can remember it as it once was? For me, despite the temptation to exhibit a dog one more time, it’s sometimes best to resist the pull.

Golden years
Sometimes, despite best intentions, personal experience can intrude on the judging process. For example, I’ve now been judging for more than 23 years. Perhaps the most difficult class I ever judged was a Veteran-Bitch 12-Years-and-Older class at the Golden Retriever National Specialty in September 2001. The show, held in Albuquerque, N.M., about two weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, was a difficult show for many people. However, it was especially tough for me. I had lost my mother on Sept. 7, and my last Golden Retriever passed away at the age of 13 about 10 days later. ‘Lucy’ represented many generations of my own breeding, and was the last of a line of Goldens I had worked with since 1969. As you might imagine, losing Lucy was not easy.

At that show, the 12-Years-and-Older Veterans class consisted of five bitches. As the oldest Veterans filed into my ring, I began the evaluation process. The last bitch in line seemed to be the one that was not going to get a ribbon. Each of these Goldens was clearly enjoying their day in the sun as I went over them individually and gaited each dog.

When I came to the last bitch in line, my initial impression proved to be correct. She was going to be the one to leave the ring without a ribbon. As I had with the others, after doing the individual examination, I asked that she be moved in a triangle, and the handler complied. When she stopped in front of me, I asked the handler to take the bitch down and back. The handler swung the bitch around and said, “Come on, Lucy.” Well, I lost it. Of all the potential names for a Golden bitch, what were the odds this one would be called Lucy?

In the end, she still didn’t get a ribbon.

They reproduce with amazing fecundity, thrive in all climates, and gather proponents wherever they go. Are they an amazing new dog breed? No, they’re the myths of the dog breeding world – and they’re alive and well.

Myth: Breeding a flighty bitch will steady her temperament. If a bitch has a poor temperament, breeding is not going to improve it. It’s only going to increase the risk of producing more dogs with flighty temperaments.

Myth: Breeding a slab-sided bitch will expand her ribcage. Again, if a bitch needs to be bred in order to develop some trait (which seems doubtful at best), then perhaps you should rethink your breeding program.

Myth: Any dog carrying an undesirable gene should be neutered. Every dog carries genes for undesirable traits, including some for health problems (it’s been calculated each dog carries three to five such genes, on average). If they were all neutered there would be no more dogs. The secret is to avoid doubling up on such genes when breeding. As more DNA tests are developed for different genes in different breeds, this will become increasingly possible. If dogs identified as carriers are bred only to dogs tested clear of the gene, then the progeny should only be carriers and clears, not affecteds.

Myth: Repeat litters are never as good as the first ones. Proponents of this myth even offer a pseudo-scientific explanation of why this is so: “To avoid inbreeding in the population, nature makes sure the second litter isn’t as good.” How would nature accomplish this? According to the theory, the eggs will only allow inferior sperm to fertilize them if they (the eggs) recognize the sperm as coming from the same sire the bitch was bred to last time. So unless the bitch is bred to a different stud in between, the offspring will only be sired by the inferior sperm. By this logic, the second-born children of humans would all be inferior unless the mother had been fooling around with another man!

To set the record straight, no mechanism has ever been identified by which an animal or its eggs could recognize sperm as derived from the same male as the last time she was impregnated. Nor has any way for eggs to determine sperm carrying good dog-show traits versus bad dog-show traits ever been identified. True, repeat breedings often aren’t as nice as first breedings. But that’s more likely due to statistical chance.

Breeders are most likely to repeat breedings that have extraordinary puppies. The extraordinary qualities of these puppies depended in part on the random shuffle of genes in the eggs and sperm. The chance of getting such a fortuitous chance shuffle twice in a row is lower than the chance of getting an “average” shuffle. Thus, the litter quality will tend to regress toward the mean.

Myth: The best breeding is between an uncle and niece (or aunt and nephew). No explanation has been offered as to why this formula is promoted. Sure, some people have gotten nice puppies from such breedings – just as many have gotten poor puppies. Is it just any uncle and niece? No. As in any breeding, the quality of the individuals is a primary consideration. There are no ready-made formulas for dog breeding.

Myth: Tail lines, particularly bitch tail lines, are the secret to good breeding. Here’s an example of a little knowledge being worse than none at all. A tail line refers to the line on the very bottom (dam to granddam to great-granddam) or very top (sire to grandsire to great-grandsire); the only lines in which the sex is always the same. The logic presented for tail line breeding is that the bitch has two X chromosomes, while the male has an X and a Y (True). Further, the tiny Y chromosome carries very little genetic information on it, whereas the larger X chromosome carries true genetic information (True). A male must get his X chromosome from his dam (True). A bitch must get one of her X chromosomes from her sire (True). After that, the logic falls apart. The myth asserts that the way to get a well-producing bitch is to make sure her sire had a nice dam. True, the best way to get good dogs or good producers is to have good ancestors. But the X chromosome has little to do with it. For one thing, it is but one of 39 chromosomes. While it may carry some traits of importance to conformation, it’s no more likely to than any of the other 38 chromosomes that somehow get forgotten in this theory. For another, even if you knew which traits were carried on the X chromosome, the expression of those traits differs depending on whether it’s in a male a or bitch. In males, what you see is what you get; the traits carried on that single X chromosome are expressed. In bitches, it’s not. At some point during development in each cell line, one or the other of the two X chromosomes is randomly inactivated, so that bitches are actually mosaics of cells derived from one or the other X chromosome.

The same reasoning applies to the myth that great sires carry great sire tail lines. The argument goes that because the Y chromosome is passed from father to son, genetic material from the Y chromosome will be concentrated in the fortunate male descendant. The problem is that virtually no traits except a few concerning male reproduction have been traced to the Y chromosome in any species, let alone dogs.

Myth: Inheritance is either/or, never a compromise. Again, this is where that little bit of knowledge thing gets people in trouble. True, many traits are inherited in a yes-no, dominant-recessive way. But many more are inherited in an additive way, such that progeny is often intermediate between the parental types.

When you hear about a breeding theory that seems too easy or too far-fetched, it probably is. Find a reputable source with scientific data before embracing such theories as your own.