Posts by Laura Reeves
228 – Alaskan Malamute Breeder Pursued a Dream to Run the Iditarod
Legendary Storm Kloud Alaskan Malamute Breeder Nancy Russell Shares Her Story
Nancy Russell, breeder of Storm Kloud Alaskan Malamutes
In 1994 Nancy Russell bred and fielded the only AKC registered Alaskan Malamute team to ever enter and compete in the Iditarod. In part one, today’s talk, she shares the foundation of that journey, her breeding program and some of the incredible stories along the way. In part two next week Russell takes us through the arduous process of actually competing in the greatest endurance race on Earth.
Russell acquired her first Alaskan Malamute in 1964. She became involved in showing dogs, like so many of us, by going to her first dog show at the suggestion of her mentor.
“I got a blue ribbon and a trophy,” Russell said. “(My dog) beat two other dogs. I was hooked.”
Champion Glacier’s Storm Kloud, the foundation of Nancy Russell’s breeding program.
At that show Russell saw what “I still believe is the best Malamute I’ve ever seen.” His name was Bear, Multiple Best In Show, Best In Specialty Show, American/Canadian/Mexican/International Champion Glacier’s Storm Kloud CD ROM ROM-OB ROM-WD CAM.
Bear was bred to Russell’s foundation bitch and she also eventually purchased him from his breeder. Inbreeding on Bear laid the foundation that produced the entire 15-dog Iditarod team, 11 of which were show champions.
Russell said she was always fascinated by Alaska, mushing and, the ultimate, the Iditarod. She dreamed of competing with a team of Malamutes in the 1,150-mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
“To me this would be a real test of the Alaskan Malamute’s ability to go back and do what it was bred to do,” Russell said.
Professional musher Jamie Nelson, from Minnesota, trained, conditioned and developed the team.
“I could never have gotten the team to the Iditarod without the help of Jan Richards,” Russell said, “who took a 6 months leave of absence from her teaching job to move to Jamie’s and help with the organizing of the supplies, correspondence and help with training with an extra team. Mark Scepanski spent a year helping Jamie train both the Malamute and her Alaskan team.”
Enjoy today’s journey through time as Russell shares more than 50 years of insight on breeding, training, socializing and judging the Alaskan Malamute.
For more information, visit:
227 — German Pinscher: All-Purpose, Robust Dog for Active Owners
German Pinscher is up for anything, but not for everyone
Valerie Vihlen Schluter, left, and Janet Oatney, right, show off their winnings and their dogs at the GPCA national specialty in Washington.
I visited with German Pinscher fanciers at the GPCA national to learn about this ancient breed. Valerie Vihlen Schluter and Janet Oatney were kind enough to share their enthusiasm and words of advice for potential owners.
German Pinschers date to the 1800s. This family farm dog was the foundation for Doberman Pinschers and Minature Pinschers. They are also split off as the “smooth coat” variety of the dogs that became the Standard Schnauzer. In fact, in Germany to this day, Oatney said, the Pinscher Schnauzer club remains united.
Like so many other purebred dogs, the German Pinscher was salvaged after the devastation of WWII. Werner Jung, the breed warden, smuggled a GP bitch out of East Germany and mated her with oversized Miniature Pinschers to establish the modern breed.
A Ferrari vs a Cadillac
German Pinschers excel at many sports, including Fast CAT.
“These dogs are competitive in all kinds of sports,” Oatney said. “They take an experienced dog owner. They are not a good breed for the first-time dog owner.”
Ferrari and Cadillac are both great cars, Oatney offered as a comparison. “These are like the Ferrari of dogs… You need to be on your toes.”
Vihlen Schluter also noted that because the breed is so in tune with its owners, they can make excellent service and therapy dogs. In this arena, the breed boasts a FEMA certified disaster assistance dog that dispatches to disaster areas to comfort victims.
The German Pinscher Club of America has excellent resources available at https://germanpinscher.org/
From the national club:
A Working Dog of Great Intelligence
An ancient breed of great intelligence and high energy. They are medium sized and robust with a strong prey drive. Alert and intelligent, they are outstanding performance dogs as well as companions with an instinctive drive to protect home and family. Because of their strong will, intelligence and independent nature, obedience training is a MUST!
AKC Standard
The German Pinscher is a medium size, short coated dog, elegant in appearance with a strong square build and moderate body structure, muscular and powerful for endurance and agility. Energetic, watchful, alert, agile, fearless, determined, intelligent and loyal, the German Pinscher has the prerequisites to be an excellent watchdog and companion.
Allison Foley, Leading Edge Dog Show Academy, offers her Tip of the Week on using available classes to best showcase your individual dog.
And learn more about Trupanion’s “breeding rider” insurance policy with Harin Greer.
Don’t forget to check out Pure Dog Talk’s new online store for great swag!
226 – Jane Killion Shares the Evolution of Puppy Culture
Jane Killion on Puppy Culture for New and Experienced Breeders Alike
Jane Killion, Mark Lindquist and Bull Terriers.
One of my most frequently requested interview subjects, Jane Killion, author and breeder, joins me today to talk about how Puppy Culture got started and why even experienced breeders should check it out.
Killion is a Bull Terrier breeder since 1997. She wanted to do some performance sports with her famously not very tractable breed. So, she wrote a book called When Pigs Fly to help folks train their non-biddable dogs in agility.
When that took off, Killion left her corporate job with the intention of making a video about the book. Meanwhile she had a litter due and said, to herself, “Wouldn’t it be fun to video development periods in Pat Hastings Puppy Puzzle book.”
Explosion of demand
“Four years later, we have a five-hour DVD and an entire series of protocols per development period,” Killion noted. “I thought it would be a 20 minute video!” That idea changed and developed as Killion saw how deep the topic was. So she reached out to scientists, experts, dog trainers to add information.
“Puppy culture isn’t really anything new,” Killion said. “It’s the gift of wisdom passed to me by my mentors and augmented with science. It’s what we all do, but more organized.”
Like many of us who have breeding dogs for an extended period, Killion said she did most of the things noted in the book. She noted, though, that “doing things as you go along is ok, but not optimal. You start observing puppies and really getting in heads. Breeders start to look at puppies like a behaviorist vs a breeder.”
Puppy Culture is “what I wish someone could have put into my hands when I had my first litter,” Killion said.
Protocols based on behavioral markers
One of the primary pieces of the program, Killion added, is to peg socialization and experience protocols to a puppy’s individual behavioral timeline, not a temporal timeline.
“For example, our puppies at 6 weeks enter the Curiosity period ,” Killion said, “– the highest approach and lowest retreat time – which is a great time to do heavy in home socialization. Other breeds, that period arrives at drastically different ages.”
The days of breeders with everything in their heads who are willing to share are gone, Killion noted.
“We’re trying to step into that void. Puppy Culture, we call it a mentor in a box,” Killion said. “Like you, we’re people who have a passion, with the overarching goal of infecting the next generation with our enthusiasm.”
225 – Fighting to Preserve our Breeds and their Purposes
Inside the battle to preserve racing Greyhounds
Jennifer Newcome, chair of the committee to support greyhounds, joins me to talk about the fight to preserve Greyhound participation in a sport they love and the current ballot initiative in Florida to ban betting on Greyhound racing.
The proposed legislation is a Constitutional amendment that effectively allows Animal Rights extremists to define what constitutes humane treatment of animals, rather than breeders, owners and exhibitors, Newcome said.
Equating a dog’s purpose-bred job with inhumane conditions, is a “terrifying” concept, Newcome added. It creates a vehicle for banning all activities with animals at the constitutional level.
From the Greyhound Club of America:
About The Greyhound
Purpose
The Greyhound is a sighthound and one of the oldest breeds of dogs. Sighthounds are hunting dogs that pursue running game by sight rather than by scent. This manner of hunting is called “coursing”. The attributes of speed, agility, strength and endurance are necessary to catch and hold game. The feature that distinguishes Greyhounds (and sighthounds) is their ability to run at speeds of 35 miles per hour or more using the double suspension gallop. The Greyhound demonstrates the double suspension gallop in its highest perfection. Their incredible speed comes from the singular combination of skeletal structure, musculature, and the ability to focus completely on the object of the chase.
Greyhounds and other sighthounds course game independently of humans. Sighthounds are unlike other breeds such as herding dogs that take signals from humans when moving sheep from pasture to pen or sporting dog breeds that range out to point and hold birds in one spot until their human indicates it’s time to flush. Once the chase is on and the Greyhound is on its way, there is very little you can do to intervene until the chase is over.
Newcome encourages all Florida residents to vote no on Amendment 13 to protect all of our rights to enjoy the various sports we play with our animals. The American Kennel Club and National Animal Interest Alliance also oppose this legislation.
224 — Veterinary Voice: Pyometra is an Emergency
Pyometra is a life threatening disease
Pyometra is a severe bacterial infection with accumulation of pus within the uterus. Though it often occurs with middle-aged or older unspayed females, younger dogs are sometimes affected. Pyometra most commonly develops a few weeks after a heat cycle. The condition results from hormonal changes that decrease the normal resistance to infection. As a result, bacteria enter the fluid in the uterus and large volumes of pus can accumulate.
Signs of Pyometra include loss of appetite, excessive thirst and urination, lethargy, and/or vomiting. Sometimes, there is a vaginal discharge. The disease may develop very slowly over several weeks.
This condition often requires emergency surgery, provided the animal is stable. Surgery consists of removing both ovaries and uterus, which not only corrects the condition, but also eliminates bothersome heat cycles. Because the patient is ill and the uterus is infected, the surgery is more complicated and carries a higher risk than a routine spay. Ultrasound and blood tests are useful in both diagnosing and evaluating surgical risk. Post-operative treatment includes antibiotics and intravenous fluids.
For dogs who are in a breeding program, Dr. Marty Greer, DVM provides information in the podcast about medical management that may avoid the spay surgery.
Pyometra
From Dr. Greer…. “Your pet has presented with a condition called pyometra, or a uterine infection. These can be life-threatening, and most cases will not resolve without surgery. Pyometra usually occurs 1-5 weeks after the last heat cycle. In this illness, the uterus has filled up with pus (white blood cells and bacteria) and is at risk for rupturing if not treated immediately.
Prior to surgery, we will stabilize your pet with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and pain medications. Most patients with pyometra are very sick – with either a very high or very low white blood cell count, fever, dehydration, a low blood sugar, and vomiting and diarrhea. As soon as your pet is able to tolerate anesthesia, we will start surgery to remove the uterus.
Your pet will be in the hospital for at least 2-5 days, depending on how she does during surgery and afterwards. It is important to know the possible complications of pyometra surgery. These include:
- Peritonitis is the most common. This means infection within the abdomen. It is treated with antibiotics, IV fluids, and may require additional surgery and drainage.
- Rupture of uterus in surgery. The uterus is often very thin and easily damaged. It is possible that it can rupture during surgery, spilling pus into the abdomen. This can prolong the hospitalization for several days.
- Aspiration pneumonia. Fluid and food sometimes bubble up into the throat and mouth during surgery. This can be inhaled into the lungs, leading to pneumonia. Every precaution is taken to avoid this, but it still happens in some cases.
- Sepsis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and disseminated intravascular coagulation can also occur before, during, or after surgery. These are uncommon complications in which the white blood cell count drops, the patient develops or continues to have a fever, sometimes develops difficulty breathing and difficulty with normal blood clotting. These are not common but can occur. If they do, very aggressive treatment must be undertaken to save your pet and can significantly prolong hospitalization and lead to death.
- Acute kidney failure can occur before, during, or after surgery. This is not a common complication but can happen. Often patients will also have a urinary tract infection. Once your pet is stable, eating, comfortable and able to take oral medications, discharge home can be discussed with the doctor. ”
223 — Rhodesian Ridgeback: Power and Elegance
Balancing act of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
Denise Flaim, Rhodesian Ridgeback breeder, judge and historian, shares her knowledge as the RRCUS 
National Specialty kicks off in Colorado.
The first impression of a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Flaim said, is a “smooth dog with an unbroken fluid line from the top of the head, lovely crested neck, smooth withers, straight topline, gently sloped croup, slightly longer than tall, handy sized for trotting all day. Well angled. Not an empty front, moves freely and effortlessly. Lovely head, round dark eye, triangular ear.”
The Ridgeback, Flaim noted, is that perfect balance of speed and strength. The original dogs routinely coursed large African antelope. As with other sighthounds, the size and bone of the breed always parallels the prey it hunts. They need to be heavy enough to bring down large game like a 200-pound Nyala; lithe and fast enough to catch it. While the breed features a diversity of style within type, the ideal is a dog lacking exaggeration in any part.
“If you don’t know (a breed’s) history you’re doomed,” Flaim said “because you can’t understand its function and morphology.”
Ch. Swahili Jeff Davis — first American champion — with owner and founding Ridgeback breeder Col. Morrie de Pass of Mississippi.
Ridgebacks in Africa
In brief, according to Flaim, when the Dutch went to southern Africa in the late 1600s, they found an unimproved “border collie looking” dog that had a dorsal rise of hair on its back, Flaim summarized. These indigenous dogs that hung out with Koi Koi people, interbred with the Continental dogs, resulting in dogs that had native knowledge, resistance to tse tse flies and more.
Buff of Between Two Rivers, South African, whelped 1924.
The Boers moved to Rhodesia in the late 1800s, and a popular big game hunter acquired ridged bitches and interbred them with his pack. The resulting dogs were excellent at lion hunting.
Flaim was quick to clarify what that actually entailed. The dogs would be taken with rich European hunting parties, in small packs of two or three, to find a lion and harass it, like a matador. Overall athleticism that let the dogs get out of the way of claws was most important.
“Any Ridgeback foolhardy enough to make contact with a lion, soon exited the gene pool in an unceremonious fashion,” Flaim said.
What travels with the ridge?
An endurance trotting breed, the Rhodesian Ridgeback should move effortlessly and freely.
The breed’s trademark ridge is important, Flaim observed, because “nothing exists in nature if it’s not functional. In Ridgebacks, the dogs that carried the ridge were superlative hunters and could survive in the harsh climate of southern Africa.
“Who knows what native knowledge or traits travel with that ridge,” Flaim said. “For example, Ridgebacks don’t jump into standing pools of water. They want graded entrances. In Africa, if you jump into a standing pool of water you encounter something that wants a snack.”
Rhodesian Ridgeback parent club website: https://www.rrcus.org/
And Allison Foley, Leading Edge Dog Show Academy, tells us how to use cornstarch for dematting.
222 — Lydia Hutchinson on Cairn Terriers and 54 Years Judging
Loving life and living for Cairn Terriers
I visited with Lydia Hutchinson, renowned AKC judge and breeder, owner, handler of Wolfpit Cairn Terriers, at Westminster Kennel Club earlier this year. After a day of stewarding, this enthusiastic septuagenarian was bubbling with enthusiasm about pedigrees, breeding and the sport of conformation dog shows.
Watch the video.
A lifetime in dogs
“I wasn’t quite born in to (dogs),” Hutchinson said, “But my parents got their first Cairn Terrier two months before I was born.”
Following a familiar path, Hutchinson and her family eventually wound up at a dog show. The year was 1949 when she attended her first dog show “when I was 9 years old.”
In the intervening 70 years, Wolfpit Cairns have produced 270 champions, Hutchinson said, almost exclusively homebred and largely owner handled.
Breeding, handling, judging
Hutchinson is still actively breeding and showing her Cairns. She said showing and judging dogs at the same time maintains her sensitivity to exhibitors, keeps her up to date and “keeps you young.”
Cairn Terriers are a breed noted for their adaptability, alertness and independence, Hutchinson said. She calls Cairn grooming for the show ring, “achieved naturalness.”
As she developed the family’s Wolfpit line of Cairns, Hutchinson said she utilized principles of line breeding learned from early Poodle mentor. She imported bitches from Europe looking to improve coats and fronts, but building on her program’s established sire line.
“I still hand-write pedigrees,” Hutchinson said. “I know it’s old-fashioned, but it helps solidify the pedigree in my mind.”
Hutchinson started judging in 1964 “when I was 7 months pregnant with our second child. She judges terrier, toy, herding, poodles, schnauzers. She noted that she wants to “have a relationship with a particular breed to want to judge them.”
“There is not a dog show I go to that I don’t learn something,” Hutchinson said. “Using your eyes, asking questions of knowledgeable people, you’ll learn.”
There’s something about the sport of dogs that’s very energizing, Hutchinson observed.
“I love life, I love my dogs. I’ve been married to my husband for 57 years. I’m not tired at all! I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
221 – Testing the Genetics and Biological Markers of Fear in Dogs
Research to develop scientifically based information about fear in dogs
Candace Croney is one happy researcher. Her team has received a grant for a ground-breaking study on the genetics and biological markers of fear in dogs.
“This study is going to give us information nobody has,” Croney said.
The $2 million grant will continue Croney’s work with commercial kennels and is designed to investigate how to best identify dogs that can be successfully rehomed as adult dogs.
Part of the Canine Care Certified program is making sure the dogs are treated humanely after their breeding career is done, Croney noted. Her hope is that she will be able to look at which dogs are more or less likely to run into trouble when transitioning from kennel to home
Measurable results
But all of the research is giving Croney invaluable information about how to measure fearfulness in dogs. The research is looking at both phenotypical manifestations of fear (spinning, pacing, freezing) and actual biological markers such as cortisol levels, immune system function, and more.
Amongst the most fascinating part of the equation, is Croney’s examination of fearful dams and fearful puppies. She’s investigating both the genetic and environmental components of this equation. The results of the work have the potential to be useful to hobby breeders, shelters, and companion owners as well as commercial breeders.
“This research benefits all breeders because it’s basic information we don’t have,” Croney said. “Scott & Fuller did great work on this in the ‘60s, but we’ve done little to follow up on it.”
Croney’s research goal is to produce answers to the questions:
- What tests give valid metrics of how fearful or comfortable dogs are around people, objects
- What are biological markers that identify fear – cortisol levels, the immune function of the dog
- Do stress-fearful moms have puppies that are different
Don’t miss Allison Foley’s advice on teaching tricks to focus your dog in the ring.
220 – Take the Lead Charity Supports Dog Fancier “Family”
Take the Lead founder Tom Bradley on supporting our “family” of dog fanciers
Take the Lead started with a phone call. Tom Bradley shared his memory of receiving a call for help from a young friend in need. That one conversation, and the subsequent private assistance provided to this individual, launched an enduring gift to the entire dog community.
Since 1993, according to Bradley, Take the Lead has distributed more than $5.5 million in assistance to dog fanciers around the country affected by the AIDS epidemic, cancer and every kind of life-threatening and terminal illness.
“We call ourselves a family,” Bradley said. “I’ve been involved in the sport since 1954. AIDS was the impetus for starting this. It began with one friend who needed help.”
Bradley began his involvement in the sport as a teenager exhibiting and later breeding German Shorthaired Pointers, Pointers and Labrador Retrievers under the Luftnase kennel name. He owned and handled other breeds over the years including Cairn Terriers, Whippets, Cocker Spaniels and more recently Border Terriers.
Volunteers give time and money
Bradley is the executive director of the organization which is run by an entirely volunteer board of 28 fanciers scattered around the U.S.
“People are generous with their time and their dollars,” Bradley noted.
Today Take the Lead serves an average of 35-40 clients each month, Bradley said, with some continuing to receive assistance over an extended period of time. All applications are entirely confidential and are reviewed only by a committee of three founding members of the organization, he added.
Qualification for assistance is determined by application. Bradley acknowledged that the seven-page form is deeply personal, but the information contained in it, including a doctor’s letter and recent income tax filing, is necessary to ensure the funds entrusted to the organization are used appropriately.
Just recently, the organization added a special emergency assistance fund application for fanciers impacted by natural disasters such as floods, fires and earthquakes.
Take the Lead 25th Birthday Party at the Harvest Moon Cluster is one of many fundraising opportunities local clubs provide for the organization.
Events help raise funds
All of the money raised by Take the Lead, a 501c3 charitable organization, has been donated exclusively from within the fancy, Bradley noted. Support is provided by individuals, local kennel clubs, the AKC and dog food companies, he added.
Many local clubs hold fund-raising events, like the 25th Birthday Party celebration planned by the Harvest Moon Cluster in DelValle, Cali. next month. Tickets to the event are expected to sell out quickly and can be purchased on the Take the Lead website, www.takethelead.org, or by calling the office at 1-800-814-1123.
219 – Positive Solutions for Canine Aggression Issues
Tips and tools for managing canine aggression using positive reinforcement
Lisa Moore, canine behavior counselor, with three of her dogs at a recent dog show.
Lisa Moore is a canine behavior counselor who works regularly for clients dealing with aggression issues in their dogs. She uses positive reinforcement and counter-conditioning methods to bring these dogs to a point at which they can be safely managed.
“One of my Belgian Tervuren had aggression issues,” Moore said. “The old techniques I had used were not going to be effective without somebody getting hurt. This was my primary motivation for making the switch to positive reinforcement and clicker training.”
A successful obedience competitor prior to her introduction to clicker training, Moore noted that, dog training is an unregulated profession. “Anybody can hang up a shingle and call themselves a dog trainer,” she said.
Moore strongly recommends working with a trainer certified by the Karen Pryor Academy and/or the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.
Common aggression issues
Moore shared advice on three very common types of aggression, how to identify the behavior and how to condition dogs correctly to be able to manage them:
- Fear aggression
- Leash reactivity
- Resource guarding
“Management will always play some sort of role when you have a reactive dog,” Moore noted.
Some general principles to keep in mind, according to Moore, when dealing with aggression issues.
- There is no room for corrections. Punishing any type of aggressive behavior will make it worse.
- There are no quick fixes. Corrections will suppress the behavior, but that is not a fix.
- Dogs will always have “tells” that will give you an early warning that trouble is brewing.
- Understand and listen to your dog.
Fear aggression, Moore said, is the easiest to fix. “You get the fear to go away, the aggression goes with it,” she added.
Leash reactivity is a situation in which Moore said, more often than not, she has to train the owner not the dog. “The owner tenses up, the dog reads that behavior and says ‘Mom’s worried, something must be wrong,’” she observed.
Resource guarding is a very common, solvable behavior, Moore said. Much more so when it is caught early, before it becomes entrenched. She added that dogs who become habituated to resource guarding can be particularly dangerous.
Learn more about applied behavior analysis in last week’s episode with Lara Joseph.
Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy regards mentorship and how to find it, and give it!