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#100 The Professional Mentor - The Road to Success
When people seek the services of a doctor or a lawyer, they usually look for one with a good professional reputation and avoid the "quacks" and "shysters." When shopping for major purchases, "brand names" and "quality" are sought in preference to the unknown and untried. Then why, oh why, does the novice breeder often select an unproved or less than adequate, breeder as their "mentor"? It is so often a case of the blind leading the blind!
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#101 Beginning a Breeding Program
The world of Pure Bred dogs is truly fascinating. It can be all inclusive, which for many becomes an entirely new way of life, or one can invest only a part of oneself and still enjoy and participate in many of the activities offered. Like anything else in this world, one gets out of it what one puts in. Breeding and showing dogs can be extremely satisfying, fascinating, and full of joy. It can also be extremely cruel, frustrating, and heartbreaking. All breeders experience both the joys and the heartbreak.
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#102 Some Basic Principles of Breeding
The evolution of a breeder is marked by several stages of development. There is the first stage where interest and desire are born. The second stage is where this interest and desire are implemented by the acquisition of quality breeding stock. The third phase begins when breeding plans are formulated to improve upon the original stock, and the fourth stage is launched when the breeder first exercises his own selection in evaluating the results of his program. It is this last stage that will be dealt with along with the highlights of the more important, though often overlooked, general principles of breeding.
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#103 Whelping a Litter
Mother Nature says that a bitch will commence whelping sixty-three days after she is bred. This is not a hard and fast rule. Some bitches will whelp on the fifty-ninth day, some on the sixtieth day, etc. If the bitch has been bred twice, this complicates matters even more for there is no way to determine whether one should count from the first or the second breeding. Therefore, it is well to be watchful from the fifty-ninth day of the first breeding onward.
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#104 Raising the Litter
Whew! The litter has been all whelped and it's now time to seriously think about properly raising them. The dam has snuggled in comfortably and all the puppies have been nursing properly and sleeping soundly. Their bellies appear full and none of them are crying or feel cold. So far so good. One of the major things to watch out for is any puppy that wanders away and gets chilled. This can be dangerous.
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#105 Problem Puppies
Breeding and raising puppies is a complex process. There are many factors that decide how a puppy will turn out; will they survive the embryonic stage only to fall victim to the myriad diseases of puppyhood? Often a puppy has no control over its own destiny. The health of the dam, parasites, the cleanliness of the environment, and the quality of care his dam and breeders give to him, are all controlling factors in whether he survives. Whether or not a puppy develops along normal lines either before or after birth depends entirely on its environment and the hereditary.
characteristics and tendencies, which have been handed down by its parents.
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#106 So You're Going to Keep a Stud Dog?
The dog you select to stand at stud should have certain things going for him. First, he should be masculine in appearance and, to at least your appraisal, conform closely to the breed standard. A major mistake made by breeders is to keep a dog that is overdone in the hope he can overcome a bitch with deficiencies in these areas. It doesn't work that way! Breeding an oversized dog to a small bitch in the hope of getting average-size puppies is a futile effort.
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#107 Insights into Breed Standards through Understanding Soundness and Breed Type
We have all heard a variety of references to soundness. It may be, "I don't care for so and so's dog, but he is 'sound'," or "Isn't so and so lovely, and so 'sound' too". Various words have been used to define "sound." Some of them are:
(1) free from flaw, defect or decay; undamaged or unimpaired;
(2) healthy; not weak or diseased; robust of body and mind;
(3) firm; strong safe; also, figuratively, secure; trustworthy
(4) Solid in structure; also, firm in texture; stable.
Continuing, there are flawless, perfect, sturdy, dependable, reliable, etc. Are you beginning to get the picture?
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#108 Faults & Double Faults
Like automobiles, dogs are shaped and reshaped by popular tastes and fashions. Forefaces are compressed, ears are reshaped, and shoulders are rotated or slimmed down, even staples like sense of smell, eyesight and hearing are dabbled with all in the name of bettering the breed. The problem is one man's so-called improvement is another man's disaster. Often a popularity explosion can be a breed's greatest curse. The main reason for this is the influx of new breeders that come with a popularity surge. The net effect is that we have "genetic engineering" being done by people, who by and large, do not truly understand the breed and the rationale behind the standard.
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#109 Sportsmanship
Having been around the dog show game a long time I have had a wide variety of experiences, some good and some not so good. My wife and I went into showing dogs because we were competitive and artistic and wanted to have pride in showing a fine dog. We have met many fine people as a result of our experiences. On the other hand we have also encountered some difficult people, too.
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#110 The Professional Handler in the Scheme of Things
Many people in this wacky sport of purebred dogs have a prejudiced view of the professional handler, especially the neophyte exhibiters. They see the handlers garner the majority of top wins and hear the ringside chatter that the handlers have an "in" with the judges and that the fix is on and only the handlers will that day. Bull!
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#111 Campaigning a Specials Dog
Our pride and joy, has finished with a rush, capturing four majors, two Best of Breeds and a group second. We are overwhelmed. The dog is sixteen months of age and in peak condition - the question is - now what? Ladislaus and Marion, his handlers, think they have a hot one on their hands and want to discuss long range plans. We have been putting aside money which we saved by using ringside pickup and are now contemplating next steps. We decided to sit down and talk about the future, poorhouse or not.
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#112 Understanding the Importance of Movement
No two individuals see the same animal in the same way whether they are Breeders, judges or merely ringside spectators. One can view a head, which appears pleasant to one individual, while another sees it as faulty and so it goes down the line of other bodily traits. Does this hold true for gait as well or does lack of knowledge of what is correct gait for the breed condone deviations from the Standard? After all one understands Minpins have a hackney gait but just how much elevation of the front legs is too much? Experienced breeders have been known to exclaim with delight at ringside as a dog throws his front legs up hackney pony style and shows up a storm. Great display but incorrect for all but a few breeds.
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#113 Form Follows Function
If you ever designed anything with functional parts in know that structural design implies more than bare bones of anatomy. You know that a good design takes into account all factors that will help the structure serve its purpose. Similarly the structural design of a dog must provide for all the needs of its owner.
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#114 Unlocking the Secrets of a Pedigree
Anyone who has ever purchased a purebred dog has received a pedigree which, when used correctly, can be a real skill tool in breeding succeeding generations. It contains a list of names that usually go back to the 5th generation. Most newcomers pour over their 1st pedigrees with great intensity, trying to sort out the infrequent "Ch." preceding a dog's name. In addition, most pedigrees list the breeder's name, the date of birth, and the American Kennel Club registration number.
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#115 How to Advertise What You've Got
Once you have gotten your feet wet in this game you begin to crave some recognition for your efforts. You read the Breed magazine and see all the ads and think, hey, why not me? You've heard the old adage "If you've got it, flaunt it." Before you decide to shell out big bucks you need to know what advertising media best suits your needs. Let me suggest off hand that you forget TV. Some people actually consider it. Don't laugh, it's the truth. When you don't know nothin, you don't know nothin!
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#116 Every Dog Has His Day/Stress and the Show Dog
Being involved with dogs and the dog show game, you need to appreciate that your dog can be under a great deal of stress. It is an intense experience for them and they burn a lot of calories during a show. Being confined to a crate most of the day, riding from one strange place to another, and being separated from their owners is very hard on dogs. Because they can't speak out and tell you their problems, you need to observe their behavior and performance.
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#117 Learning to Judge Pure Bred Dogs
You have now arrived at the exalted state of having bred a number of champions and have been asked to judge sweepstakes for a number of clubs. Members of your local club and have been urging you to apply for a license and you're beginning to waver. It might be a good time to talk to an all-around judge to get a more intimate picture of what judges do in their rings and any other insights that might be helpful in making your decision.
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#118 Breeding the Best to the Best
The consistent breeding of show-quality specimens depends on other important factors besides the natural or acquired talents of the breeder. Many breeders still operate under the illusion that second best will produce as well as the choice specimen, pedigrees being equal. This may hold true in isolated instances, of course, but it will not hold true consistently. Another most important element contributing to the success or failure of any given breeding program is that of chance or luck, Everything else being equal, sex distribution, puppy mortality, timing, transmission of the best factors, or the poorest, etc., all depend to a great extent on chance or luck.
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#119 Understanding How Dog Shows Work
The Inner Workings Revealed
An old saying has it that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, how true. And the proof of your dog's ability to win will be proved in the show ring. That said, don't believe that the best dog will always win. Too many factors go into the brief appearance your dog makes before the judge to make it a certainty that the "best" dog will win. Picture a large class of 20 dogs at a typical large show. The judge has about two and one-half minutes per dog to arrive at his decision for that day. Unless your dog goes into the ring like gang busters and catches the judge's eye early, his chances of winning are diminished.
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#120 Tried & True Methods
Training Your Dog for the Show Ring
Over the years many training methods have come to prominence, some good, some not so good. They range from brute force training to Clicker training—which is now in vogue. The important thing is what works for you and your dog. Kindness and patience are most important no matter what you do. The following has been a tried and true method with an extremely high degree of success. We have added a few new wrinkles that seem to make it work even better.
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