Posts by Laura Reeves
452 – Drentsche Patrijshond: Hunting Dog, Property Dog, Family Dog
Drentsche Patrijshond: Hunting Dog, Property Dog, Family Dog
Rare breeds spotlight continues with the “Drent,” short for Drentsche Patrijshond, the all-purpose hunting dog of The Netherlands. Brian and Jenna O’Connor join host Laura Reeves to share their passion for this ancient breed.
“(The breed is) about 350, almost 400 years old,” Brian said. “They were brought up through the Spanish occupation that went all up through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, in that little bit of western Germany. They brought over camp followers and their dogs, and they deposited all these dogs along the way. The Drent is one of these dogs that was kind of brought up through this phenomenon.
“Part of what makes the history of the Drent really unique is the province of Drenthe. It is a province with rolling hills. That’s where Vincent van Gogh came from … all those dark brooding skies is very typical of that landscape out there. …
“The common man had the right to hunt there… This is 300 years ago. That wasn’t normal. So, if you were a priest or farmer, any professional class, you had the right to hunt. That was even unique within the country of the Netherlands, where hunting was reserved for nobility.
SUV of hunting dogs
“So, you were this relatively poor person, odds are you were a farmer, and you could afford one dog … that one dog had to be able to do everything. So, if you were hunting Fox …if you’re hunting Swan or pheasant or Hungarian Partridge, if you’re hunting ducks whatever… oh, and by the way, when you needed to cart your milk or cheese or your vegetables to market on Wednesday, you would rig up your dog and the Drent would haul your goods to market for you.
“They’re really close to their people, even if they don’t need to be sleeping on you. They’re going to be near you. There are the kind of dog that will not thrive in a kennel environment because they build that bond with their people and they’re not going to do well without their people. We don’t have a lot of reports of separation anxiety in the breed, but I would advocate for people to kennel train them. Otherwise, they’re going to find something to get into. They fall in the category of that smart continental versatile hunting dog that never should be left on its own.”
“(The Drent) really doesn’t have a lot of grooming,” Jenna said. “You wouldn’t treat a dog for a show much different than you would treat a dog going on a hunt or around the house. (A) good brushing once a week, maybe more when they shed once a year. Some Drents can get a little bit longer ear hair. You can either pluck it with your fingers or you can use a stripping knife and just pull that dead hair out. Other than that, they have feathering but you really don’t trim that. If you want to trim their hair on the feet that’s great but really they’re pretty au natural.”
“The numbers we just got last week was 3,600 (Drents worldwide). In the States, we have less than 150. Of that 150, less than 10% of those are approved for breeding. We only maybe have two … active breeders. So we are definitely in the realm of needing some breed fanciers to step in and really invest some time into these guys ’cause they’re amazing dogs,” Brian noted.
For more info:
Brian’s book: https://www.blurb.com/b/5491948-the-drentsche-patrijshond-for-the-north-american-f
Drentsche Patrijshond Club of North America: www.DPCNA.org
451 – Pandemic Puppy: Inside Scoop on Marty Greer’s New Book
Pandemic Puppy: Inside Scoop on Marty Greer’s Timely New Book
Pure Dog Talk’s Veterinary Voice, Dr. Marty Greer, just released her newest book and joins host Laura Reeves to share the inside scoop, including how Laura knew about it from the beginning.
“At a time when we’re rethinking almost everything in our lives, Your Pandemic Puppy will recalibrate your concept of puppy rearing and dog ownership. Up to date, contemporaneous and thoughtful, Your Pandemic Puppy was written by a veterinarian with four decades of medical experience. In these pages, you’ll find information on all aspects of your new puppy’s physical and mental well-being, from the challenges of finding a new companion during the current COVID-19 crisis, through training and medical care.
“But more than just how-to advice, this book also explores what owning a puppy means to a family, and what to anticipate in the future, when you return to your former work and school schedule. This book is intended to help you have a great experience all along the way, from selecting your new puppy through adolescence. Having a new puppy or dog should be lots of fun: Here’s to making that your new normal.”
“Back in March or April my travel got curtailed,” Greer said “… and we were in our veterinary clinic only allowed to see sick patients, we weren’t allowed to do any routine spay-neuters or routine vaccinations… that significantly changed our flow of patient care …
“So I thought, well, you know, I’ve got a little time on my hands … I need to rewrite the puppy materials that we use in our exam rooms. So I’m gonna write a little 20 page doc to add a little booklet that we can use for our clients. It needs to be updated. Flea and tick medications are new and vaccine protocols have changed and spay and neuter information is different, so there’s been enough changes, I thought yeah it’s time to do this so I sat down and started writing it.
“And then one day I was talking to Laura and I said I have this really neat idea for a book that would be targeted at generations of dog owners because millennials own dogs differently and select dogs differently than boomers and boomers are different than Gen X are so I would like to write a book. And she said well let me get you in touch with Denise Flaim who can help you as a publisher. Well, I talk to Denise and she’s like no, no we’re going to do this as the pandemic puppy (and) it is now published.
“I’m super excited about it because it’s not only a book on how to select a dog, but how to raise a dog based on behavioral and veterinary up-to-date information. Also dealing with the COVID changes, it incorporates those as well. So it’s pretty comprehensive.
“It’s different selecting a dog right now because the rescues are wiped out. Nobody has any dogs. If the shelters had dogs, they put him into foster care. So the foster homes are full but the pets are not available at the shelter because they were trying to cut down on traffic … the Breeders cannot possibly keep up with the demand.
“Everybody that has been putting up the with their kids or their spouses. Maybe they’re a single person living by themselves … everybody has time now because their work schedules have changed. Their school schedules have changed. They’re working from home. Things are completely different. So getting a dog right now, puppy or adult dog, is really difficult because the demand has skyrocketed at a time that people weren’t prepared for that. Just finding dogs is more challenging and sourcing responsible breeders is more challenging.
“Selection is different and then socialization absolutely has changed. It’s a lot more difficult to get into a dog training class. Many of our states are restricting the number of people in a gathering, so dog training classes are out or limited. There are some options and (I) talk about those, but it’s different.
“Another concern that a lot of people who are heavily involved in the dog community are concerned about (is that) some people go back to work or school and their lifestyle changes; or their job disappears and they don’t have the income; or they get transferred across the country because now the jobs they had before isn’t happening, so they’ve got to relocate.
“We do talk about that in the book. It is a real concern because we don’t want these dogs ending up in mass numbers going into rescue, going back to shelters, or going back to breeders. So, yes, we’ve talked about that in the book as well. How you can arrange your lifestyle with someone coming into the home to help take care of dogs, if you start to go back to work and you need a middle of the day dog walker. Those are discussed in the book for some options for people to come up with for solutions. The last thing anyone in the dog community wants is for this beautiful generation of dogs to end up as a glut back in the shelters.”
From NAIA President Patti Strand:
“Your Pandemic Puppy would make a great gift or Christmas stocking stuffer for anyone planning to acquire a new puppy or dog. And while its insights and recommendations have special value for people working from home during the pandemic, this handbook would help anyone seeking guidance about how to select, raise, care for and build a life-long bond with a canine companion.”
Buy Your Pandemic Puppy here.
450 — Lancashire Heelers: Scrappy, Smiling and Opinionated
Lancashire Heelers: Scrappy, Smiling and Opinionated
Sheryl Bradbury, President of the United States Lancashire Heeler Club, joins host Laura Reeves to share details about this little known, small-package dynamo aiming to join AKC’s herding group.
“They’re very exciting,” Bradbury said, “in (that) they’re scrappy, but so versatile and robust and rough and tumble and a lot of fun just to have as your best buddy.’
Recognized by The Kennel Club in 1981, breeders in the UK have been preserving the breed and working through any of the health issues it may have as well, Bradbury said.
“The Lancashire Heeler is native to the United Kingdom,” Bradbury noted. “It’s been used for hundreds of years as a working dog on farms of the Lancashire area. Although there is little known about the breed (historically) they are still working on some farms today.
“They’re a driver … they drive cattle and they do that through the biting and the nipping at the back of the hocks. Their bite’s a little too hard for sheep and certainly they would probably demolish any kind of fowl that they tried to move … because this is a very assertive little dog.
“Weighing at the most 20 pounds, they’re going to have to move how big of an animal into market, they’ve gotta have a heck of a snap of that jaw to get those animals moving. But they also need to be able to be small and compact so that they can move with and roll, duck, tuck… Cattle kind of kick differently. They kick out instead of up or down … even in play you can see some of these Lancashire’s that will drop and roll out of the way. It’s just amazing.
“They’re very opinionated and they know their job, but they do have to have a job as well.
“You’re looking for a high energy sort of family for these dogs. Families that have teenagers and those kids are busy and that dog is going to help keep them busy. At the end of the day, they also are happy to sit on your lap and snuggle.
There are approximately 250 Lancashire Heelers in the United States right now. In 2003, the breed was placed on the Endangered Breeds list of The Kennel Club due to the small number of dogs composing the gene pool.
449 – Dr. Jerold Bell: Popular Sire Syndrome Defined
Dr. Jerold Bell: Popular Sire Syndrome Defined
Dr. Jerold Bell, adjunct professor of veterinary genetics, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University joins host Laura Reeves for a “hot topic” discussion of Popular Sire Syndrome.
“How I define the popular sire syndrome would be the overuse of a single dog beyond their usefulness to contribute to the gene pool,” Bell said. “So it is an over use that is the issue. What happens with a popular sire is that their use occurs during a relatively short period of time, usually a one to two year period of time when they’re in a very active breeding stage. So what it does for us is that it does not provide the feedback in terms of their offspring and how their offspring develop before the overuse is already taken place.
“When I compare a popular sire to an influential ancestor in the background of a breed who has a very high contribution to every member of the breed From the past and people compare the two and say well why is it OK for an influential ancestor to be so influential but not a popular sire. It is the ability to evaluate over time.
“So that with an influential ancestor they remain influential because their descendants for each generation are evaluated against other individuals and they are decided to be used for breeding. That’s how that ancestor continues their influence through multiple generations of descendants whereas a popular sire, the only way to evaluate him is based on his phenotype, what he looks like, and not based on his genotype or what he will produce overtime. So that evaluation is not available and possible with the popular sire syndrome.
“We’ve seen a lot of popular sire syndrome in many breeds, where a popular sire gets replaced by his son, who becomes a popular sire, who gets replaced by his son who becomes a popular sire. And the entire breed truncates on that single sire line. The insidious issue with popular sire syndrome is that there are only so many quality bitches that are going to be bred with each generation. If a large portion of those quality females are all bred to a single male or a single male line, it’s sidelines the other quality males across the breadth of the gene pool that should be contributing to their gene pools in the next generation. The issue with popular sire, there are several issues, but one of the major issues is the loss of genetic diversity in the gene pool.
“We talked about the genetic diversity issue. The second issue is recessive deleterious genes that the popular sire may carry. Everybody has some deleterious genes in their background. With the popular sire, you don’t know what those deleterious genes are going to cause until a few more generations down the line when his offspring are adults and maybe they’re reproducing as well. Where a popular sire is obviously producing an issue and we need to go through a purging process to try to get rid of those deleterious genes and disorders, then you’re not just purging that popular sire but you’re also purging the quality females that he was bred to.”
Watch this space in the coming weeks for more from Dr. Bell on Population Genetics.
Watch Dr. Bell’s presentation on the topic at the 2019 AKCCHF Parent Club Health Conference here.
448 – Nutrition Recommendations in Breeding Dogs
Nutrition Recommendations in Breeding Dogs
Dr. Marty Greer and Sheryl Bradbury, owned brands manager at Revival Animal Health, join Host Laura Reeves for a discussion about micronutrients and supplements for breeding dogs.
“One of the concepts that we need to discuss is that there’s a likelihood that some of the commercial diets are not as nutritionally complete as they need to be for all stages of the dog’s life and that includes reproduction,” Greer said.
“Reproduction truly is a luxury in the body and it’s only going to happen if the body has already been able to take care of its vital organs. Then your body can start thinking about making sperm, making eggs, growing babies, all those parts. So it’s really important that we don’t overlook the micronutrients that sometimes are not mainstream enough for the general pet food company diets to be included in the food.
“Folic acid, of course, is important to reduce the risk of midline defects. These are primarily thought of as being cleft palates, but it can be cleft lips, it can be umbilical hernias, it can be open abdominal walls, spina bifida, any number of those types of midline defects where, during development, the right side and the left side of the body don’t find each other.
“A 5 milligram per dog per day dose (of Folic Acid) regardless of the size of the dog. That’s a pretty big dose. A lot of times, we only see something like 400 micrograms in a capsule or caplet when it’s purchased over the counter. So, you have to read the label. You have to make sure that you’re getting the product that you want. Revival’s been working on raising the amount of folic acid in their supplements to make sure that it’s sufficient.
“Studies show that the dogs that are clinically and genetically predisposed to developing cleft palates, such as the French bulldog, Chihuahua, the bulldog, they can significantly reduce by 50 to 60% the incidence of cleft palates. The most important thing to remember is you need to start it six weeks before the dog is bred, so you can’t wait until she comes into heat.
“DHA has been determined, through a really nice study from Canine Companions for Independence, to be essential in brain and eye development for puppies. Carbohydrates over the last few years have fallen into some interesting categories of the grain free diets. We lost some of the oatmeal, barley, rice, wheat, corn, those kinds of things and they’ve been replaced by peas, beans and lentils which are concerning.
“There’s a lot of other really little tiny nutrients that are difficult to really completely follow … that’s going to include tyrosine, arginine, taurine, vitamin E, biotin, vitamin A and vitamin C. Now vitamin A, we have to be really careful with because excessive amounts of vitamin A, found in things like too much liver or certain supplements, can actually cause midline defects. So it’s important that we’re paying attention to the details. There’s just a whole bunch of these little tiny nutrients that we assume are all in our foods but perhaps are not in the levels that we need for our bitches.
“The typical young male dog, up until the age of about four or five, is probably fine on most of the diets that we feed. But there are changes that happen in the kind of testosterone that is made in the testicles … so at that point, we really need to step up our nutrient profiles for the stud dogs.
“(An anecdotal survey of veterinarians regarding stud dog supplementation indicated that) typically there was a fatty acid supplement, there was some kind of an anti-inflammatory, whether it was ICSB-CF plus or one of the other glycoflex types of products. Sometimes selenium was included in that. And then L carnitine. L carnitine is important in the tail function and development in the stud dog’s sperm. So, it’s an assortment. It tends to be a little cocktail that most people put together in their practice for their stud dogs.”
447 — Giving Thanks in a Pandemic
Giving Thanks in a Pandemic
With a nod to all my Deadhead friends out there, “what a long, strange trip it’s been….”
As the year draws to a close, even the most unprecedented, whacko, nutball kitty year of all time, even *this* year has given us all *some* thing for which we are thankful. On this Thanksgiving Day, I’m counting my blessings. And sharing input from listeners on what makes them thankful as well.
I’m going to just put it right out front. It can feel really really HARD to be thankful in the midst of one of the most challenging years, globally, in a generation. I mean… It’s been a pretty emo kind of year, right?. Worry (and/or freaked AF) has topped the list of mental states. Worried about our health, our wealth (or lack thereof), our future, our kids, our parents, our family.
With dog events limited or completely off the table, depending on each person’s situation, even the outlet of our cherished sport has been largely unavailable.
So, let’s talk about giving thanks for what we do have.
I think it’s safe to say many of us have stories. Life situations that required us to overcome and improvise. I have found that by finding and focusing, fiercely, on any beauty or positive in my surroundings has helped me through some pretty brutal times. And I’m talking something as small as a pretty flower in a field. As the physical ability to simply get up out of bed, have food and shelter and clothing. It may be trite or Pollyanna-esque, but reminding ourselves of the simplest of blessings helps us stay in a good mindset. What we express, we receive. Positive OR negative.
Thankfulness
So here’s my list of thankfulness for 2020 here at Pure Dog Talk:
GREAT Patrons who support my mission of GREAT content. Folks who KNOW that *education is the answer, to everything*. People who encourage ME to keep improving and doing more.
GREAT Listeners who send me notes and thank yous and encouraging stories about how Pure Dog Talk helped them. Which make my heart sing and occasionally my eyes leak…
GREAT Sponsors! Companies that understand the importance of our purebred dog community and put their money on the line to prove it. Trupanion and Embark, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, for ensuring the viability of this valuable educational resource for our audience.
GREAT Opportunities! Thanks to the folks at Good Dog, I have more opportunities than ever before to reach an even wider audience with a message of education, protecting our vulnerable rare breeds and preservation breeders as curators of the purebred dog.
GREAT Events! Our groundbreaking Pure Dog Talk Cyber Sweepstakes presented by Trupanion led the way for other events that kept our community in touch, intact and in form during the height of the lockdowns. YOUR generosity, and that of Trupanion, enabled me to financially help members of our Tribe who encountered hardship due to the pandemic. Our FIRST annual Pure Dog Talk Retreat built community and friendships that will endure, enhanced skills and set folks up for success.
Now, let’s hear from a few of YOU!
Veronica Miller
I had an amazing year just being with my dogs. Most stuff was canceled, so we stressed less and partied more. I did more at home training, but the reality is I got lazy and we just hung out a lot. They got to run around the yard a lot, we snuggled so much, and our bond has never been better. I’d like to think all of the classes and work we did were good for us, but the reality seems to be just chilling was what we needed. I wouldn’t trade this time for anything. Now, I did jump into UKC a bit for fun. Such a fun format, and so laid back. I loved the less harried and crazy tone, and so did my dog. We had to think outside the box to find something to do, and I love that we did this. I’d have never shown this much, especially in UKC, if it wasn’t for the plague.
Amanda Fleischsmith
Thankful for more time with my senior dog, as I got him as a puppy when I started the job I still have now, 13 years ago.
Cindy Moore- Honebein
One of my thankfuls for many years has been walking Mountain trails with my pups. Practicing being in the moment. Noticing the smells, sounds & sights.
Mary Beth Constante
Thankful that lure coursing trials are back, for my job working at the dog track with the world’s best canine athletes and of course, the best hounds around: my girls Ruger and Benelli.
Jennifer Redfern
I am very thankful for good health, virtual shows, and four AKC shows we were able to attend in the Pacific Northwest. So proud of our AKC kennel clubs for keeping us safe, the exhibitors, handlers and staff/volunteers who were so respectful and cooperative in the face of COVID. Thank you all
Garnett Preston Persinger
Giving, we have made a donation to the local food bank, I have my Take the Lead donation to go out and plan a little something for my vet clinic! To be balanced I am thankful for the wonderful husband that I have been with for over 40 years, the dogs that share our home, my family even though we are flung across the country, and good friends
Mariah Underwood
As someone who is very new to the world of conformation — only got my guy in January — I am super thankful to all of the dog pros who are doing their best to make learning accessible to people like me during this time of not necessarily having access to in-person classes. While my progress be slower because of COVID, I still feel like I’m learning.
Patrons Speak Out!
Molly Spengler
Well, I currently should have been sleeping in a crappy bed in a run down Super 8 for the last time of this year, but my covid test results did not arrive in time for me to travel to the show! So my 2020 show career has officially come to an end.
Am I sad about it all, YES! But, am I happy about what I was able to achieve, YES!
*In 2020 I was able to finish my first Home Bred Champion!
*In 2020 I walked into a ring full of handlers and owner handlers that hadn’t shown in months and took an AMAZING BoB!
*In 2020 I grabbed 3 OH Group 1st & 1 OH Group 3rd.
*In 2020 I whelped a litter of 10 beautiful Dalmatian puppies with 20 hearing ears and 20 brown eyes!
*In 2020 I trained my first performance dog in agility and should be ready to compete early next year!
*Most importantly, in 2020, I learned that the dogs that sleep on my couch mean more to me than any ribbon or title they could ever earn – they make me smile when days are dark. 2020 has been darker than I could have ever imagained, but my dogs got me through it!
Charlotte Hince
It’s been a funky year for sure and while I feel like there’s a light at the end of the vaccinated tunnel, with everything shutting back down (at least here) it’s really good to look at the positives.
-I finished my 3rd Champion, this one only in my name and done entirely by me (The prior two had a few points when handled by their co- owner and a junior who wanted to try.
-Finished her health testing with exceptional results.
-Talked to a stud dog owner about using her dog for the first time.
-Really got to try herding and got to put my dog on cows -which she clearly felt was her birthright.
-Signed up for a stockwork day with serious herding folk.
-Drove 14 hours to breed a bitch- it didn’t take but I’ve never been let out solo to do this for my mentor.
For such a weird year it seems like we’ve all learned and accomplished so much.
Alexandria Schlosser Bullock Wolff
My dogs definitely made 2020 brighter! With only 4 weekends of competing in NOHS, Lola ended 2020 as the #8 OH Doberman and we were invited to compete at the NOHS Finals in Orlando. This included several OH Group placements and an OH BIS. We also spent several weekends competing in Scentwork. She needs 1 interiors Q to complete her SWE and she earned her first masters Q in exteriors! I was also able to get my first homebred puppy, Lola’s daughter Juniper, out in conformation and Scentwork.
Kayley Paylor
Wins the prize for competing in the most different activities with the most dogs! lol Trick dog titles up through Performer, flyball competition, titled and top ranked coursing and racing dogs in three different organizations, along with trying Open Field Coursing; UKC show championships, agility and rally competitions… all either virtual or live, in the midst of a pandemic, with, I’ll have you note, a Lurcher, a Saluki and three Azawakh! This is no mean feat for these breeds. I was honored to meet Kayley at the Pure Dog Talk Retreat and in awe of her gorgeous hounds.
Thank you listeners, for sharing your joy and gratitude.
Personally, I raised two healthy, happy, gorgeous, successful litters of puppies this year. I was deeply grateful for being pretty much of a hermit by personality. Lockdown and social distancing and WFH, when those are my happy places to start with, certainly were easier for me than so many of my friends.
I am thankful, daily, for old dogs who nuzzle my hand with cloudy eyes and fond memories. For puppies who bound with joy and abandon and no small measure of great expectations. For pouring rain on a metal roof and warm sun peeking through grey clouds. I am deeply grateful for my partner, Kim, my friends who are family, the house I designed just how I wanted it and the tiny chunk of earth I call ours.
Gratitude and thankfulness are an everyday thing here, not something to trot out with the turkey and giblets and then stuff unceremoniously in the back of a dusty shelf for another year. You won’t hear much about the meanness or unfairness of life here, about who’s zoomin’ who and whatever the day’s petty drama might be. Not because it doesn’t happen, but because, frankly my dears, I don’t give a damn. It just doesn’t matter.
While we’re counting our blessings, please take into consideration those who are not as fortunate. There are dozens of Organizations that need our support during these crushing times. I’ll include links to a few in the show notes if you need some extra ideas.
My greatest wish for you all is that you stay safe, stay healthy and stay strong.
Consider giving what you can to these worthy organizations. These are all people I know personally and trust implicitly:
Your National purebred rescue
446 – Mentoring How Tos: How to Give and How to Receive
Mentoring How Tos: How to Give and How to Receive
Amanda Kelly, Fwaggle Toy Manchester Terriers, is back for Part 2 of Stud Dog Shopping with host Laura Reeves, discussing how to give and receive mentoring.
“Part of a mentorship relationship is being a good student,” Kelly said. “So when you have the opportunity to pick someone’s brain, I think it’s important that you take advantage of that as much as you can. Be smart in trying to gather information from many different sources that you respect. There’s no point to asking someone who breeds dogs that you don’t like what they think.
“Choose carefully what information you’re gathering, but when you do receive it, treat that information with respect. The person has taken the time to share with you their thoughts. A candid evaluation of a dog, particularly one that belongs to someone else, is a very precious thing. It is something that breeders give out, sometimes, with a lot of hesitancy because, if abused, it can lead to difficulties.
“If I don’t trust that I can have a conversation with you where I say ‘you know, I’ve watched this dog in this line for many years. I find that they don’t seem to produce particularly strong rears so I’d be careful about that’ or ‘I’d be worried about XYZ health issue that I know has come up in that line. Make sure that you ask questions about that when you inquire about that stud dog.’ That is sensitive information.
“Each of these people is going to give you a different opinion. They all have different experiences and they all have different approaches. So, your job is to listen to everything that they say and ask intelligent questions and engage in the conversation. Then take from that conversation the pieces that make sense to you.
“We often look at photos and historical information on our breed and individual dogs in our breed anachronistically. We pull out a picture from 1972 of dog XYZ and we say ‘oh he’s too stodgy or he’s not whatever it is we’ve decided that the breed has become, should become or whatever. We don’t consider what else was out there and being shown at the time and why that dog may have been remarkable in the context of the time in which it was being shown.
“So the person you’re talking to, if they saw that dog in person, they also saw all the other dogs that were being shown at the same time. They have information about the wider family because they will have seen brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and all of those different things that are going to help you contextualize any information that you’re gathering on any dog that’s in your pedigree.”
Hear more insight by listening to the podcast episode today!
445 – Stud Dog Shopping with Amanda Kelly
Stud Dog Shopping with Amanda Kelly
Amanda Kelly, Fwaggle Toy Manchester Terriers, joins host Laura Reeves to talk about their favorite thing, shopping! Not for shoes but for stud dogs. Finding the right dog for your specific bitch, your breeding program as a whole and the breed in general, is a process that takes time and effort.
“When you’ve been breeding for a long time, you don’t really stop and think about what that process is,” Kelly said. “I think that there’s a couple of foundational pieces that go into choosing a stud dog. They may not seem like they’re directly related, but they really are so important.
“I think the first step is to look at your own bitch and your own breeding program and what you want to accomplish with a given breeding. One of the things that I keep coming back to is that you have to think about what your priorities are in a breeding. Before you start looking at any stud dogs or what anybody else has or what might be available or what might be possible, the very first thing to do is to really sit down and look at the bitch that you want to breed. What are her strengths? What are her weaknesses? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the family of dogs that she comes from.
“This whole process is really about research. You’re going to research a stud dog but you also are going to look really carefully at your family of dogs that you’re working with. You can learn so much about what will be or might be produced by looking at what has been produced. When we start out you kind of feel like you’re at a disadvantage because XYZ breeder has been breeding for 25 years and they know all of these dogs. That’s true. They have seen them over time, collected information, but some of that information really is available to everybody.
“Look at your bitch and think to yourself, ‘OK, were any of her littermates bred? What about dogs that are out of the same mother. Have they been bred? What about this bitch’s mother? Strong bitches are the cornerstone of any breeding program. What did the mother produce? What has the sire of my bitch produced?’
“All of that information is going to fit together like pieces of a puzzle and give you a really clear idea of not only the strengths and weaknesses of your individual bitch but of, perhaps, the bloodline and what it’s producing.
“You can ask 25 breeders and you will get 25 different opinions of the relative merits of any approach to breeding and none of them are wrong. So the experience of your breed mentors, particularly folks who are working in the same group of dogs that you are within your breed, are really invaluable.
“There’s a longer term plan rather than 100% just the breeding that’s in front of you. I also like to think about what the priorities are for my breed. Coming from a small breed, there’s some elements I think of gene pool management. As a breeder in a small breed this is something that’s top of mind for me quite often in that there’s some gene pool management pieces that I think are important for me to consider as far as what’s the best for my breed’s diversity.”
444 – Stud Dog Contract Do’s and Don’ts
Stud Dog Contract Do’s and Don’ts
D’Arcy Downs-Vollbracht joins host Laura Reeves for a detailed conversation on stud dog contracts. She shares her expertise as an attorney to give useful tips, as well as some outlandish stories of contractual overreach.
“Any type of agreement for breeding with your dog should be in writing,” Downs-Vollbracht said. “As long as you have something in writing. You want to make sure you get some key fundamental facts and understandings written down.
“If you’re doing something with a friend you probably want to be sure you have a contract even more so. You really want to have a clear written road map of what you’re agreeing to.”
Downs-Vollbracht notes that when breeders go into a business relationship with someone, just like everything else, “this is a contract that could be governed by the courts and it is a sale of goods.”
“You want to have some things in there. The name of the stud dog, and by that I mean his registered name, his registration number. You’ll want to have the identification of the dog, the CHIC number … You also want the bitch’s information equally on the contract. Both of those dogs, you want them described. If you have their microchip numbers, I would put those in there as well.
“The next step would be what did you and your friend agree on. What is the fee going to be — and there are a lot of variations of that fee. It can range from a a flat amount to deposit and then a price per pup afterwards. It can be a puppy back, it can be two puppies back. It can be whatever you have agreed upon is the price for that exchange of semen, but you’re going to want this very clearly laid out.
“You have a lot of variations in this. Some people will want a puppy back and they’ll say I want to come pick it. Who ranks the litter? Who gets to decide the pick order of the puppies? This is a discussion you will want to have if you’re going to be taking a puppy back.
“… failed breedings, we look at a couple of different things. Either you wind up having a bitch who doesn’t take or you have a bitch that takes but doesn’t whelp out a litter, or you have one that whelps out a litter and the puppy only lives two to three days. All of those things aren’t successful breedings. You’ll want to talk in advance about how it would work, but you need to make sure that the bitch owner is communicating with you.
“You can do a breed back. Some people require that to be done on the next heat cycle some people will let it go two heat cycles, especially if the bitch owner’s trying to work on reproductive health. You can kind of vary that as much as you would like but one thing to pay attention to is what is a live birth. And how many constitute a litter. In some of your breeds, where you often have very small litters, one to three puppies is a great litter.
“It’s going to be fairly breed specific but usually, and (it) goes back to some of the old common law British ways, usually it’s ‘the litter bears fruit of two puppies that go on to live beyond three weeks.’ The reasoning for that in history was that the owner of the bitch would be able to keep one back for themselves and would be able to sell the other puppy and cover the cost of stud fees.
“One of the things that’s important, and I see this often overlooked, is let’s say you get a bitch in for breeding, let’s say they’re not going to be able to have a natural tie. Then you need to have that alternative plan in place as a bitch owner. Do you want to have an artificial? A lot of breeders are very capable and can do it side by side. Or do you want to have it done at a veterinarian? All of those things should sort of be talked about and then the cost of those things if they’re taking it to a vet, usually the bitch owner will call and put a credit card on file.
From swapping a car transmission for a breeding to wanting to patent a stud dog’s DNA, Downs-Vollbracht has witnessed some significantly bad plans and overreach on stud dog contracts or agreements. Listen in to today’s show for some laugh out loud moments and cautionary tales.
443 – A Summertime Garden Party with Westminster KC
A Summertime Garden Party
Gail Miller Bisher, Westminster Kennel Club Director of Communications, joins host Laura Reeves to fill in some of the “behind the scenes” details on the unprecedented summertime events for the iconic club.
“First of all, we are so grateful that we actually got our 2020 show in under the wire,” Miller Bisher said. “If we look back, (it seems) pretty unbelievable that we had the entry and everyone there under one roof. We were really fortunate. We understand that. Then in March, of course, everything changed. At that point our (club) president rallied the troops and said basically we have to look at all scenarios.
“We got organized. We had different committees. Even though we’re a very small organization, we still broke it out into groups that would then investigate all the different scenarios. By that we mean is it something where there is no show? What do we do if there’s no dog show? What do we do if it’s a much reduced number of entries? What do we do if there’s no spectators? So, basically this summer has been an exercise in looking all those different options because no one knew what was going to happen.
“The mandate was, ‘let’s figure it out, so we’re ready to go once we do know.’ So it’s been a very busy summer for everyone at Westminster… one of the scenarios, of course, was postponing the show, which is something that many large sporting events were doing. The Kentucky Derby and several others went that route.
“Because we are partners with Madison Square Garden, we have such a history with them, we were also having to monitor what their plans are. So there are a lot of moving parts to figure out. Westminster’s board has put a huge emphasis on safety. They are making sure that the exhibitors and the judges and, if there are spectators, are safe. And, of course, the dogs. That was really the primary driver of postponing.
Miller Bisher said the club members are thrilled with the solution they landed on. The show is moving the 2021 events to the historic Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, NY.
Westchester County Kennel Club held its shows on these grounds for about 30 years, Miller Bisher noted. Which means “that the people that run the facility and the grounds are very familiar with dog shows. They are dog show friendly and they understand the basics of how it works so that makes it a little easier transition.”
The basics
“This is going to be a year like no other,” Miller Bisher said. “So a couple of the basics are that we are retaining our entry limit of 2500 dogs. It’s going to be an all champion show again. We’re not having spectators, or at least that’s what we think now. I mean hopefully by June things will be different and having spectators, we would welcome that. But for planning purposes, we kind of have to look at what’s the situation today and plan according to that.
“With that in mind, there will be no benching. People will be grooming at their vehicles and there will be a grooming tent available. I am very proud of the fact that we’re one of the last few bench shows in the country and the fact that it is such an educational aspect of the dog show for spectators to be able to find the breeds and learn about them.
“Obedience is happening. We have an entry limit of 25 dogs and it’s going to be the same as last year. The agility championship is the same as well, with 330 dogs (competing.) This is really exciting news. The finals will be airing on big Fox as we call it. Groups on the second night and best in show will also be airing live on big Fox primetime Sunday.”
Warm weather and Sleepy Hollow
Miller Bisher encourages attendees to come prepared for what could be warm weather at the outdoor venue. While the club will be tenting rings, the weather is expected to be drastically different than February in Manhattan.
She added that the historic region where the show is being held was the setting for Ichabod Crane and the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” providing a variety of new tourist opportunities. Additional note, lodging prices are much lower than in the City, although those in close proximity are not numerous.
For more information about oversize vehicle parking, qualifying requirements, location and more, go to the WKC website or follow these links.