364 – Healthy, Happy Travels to Westminster Kennel Club
Healthy, Happy Travels to Westminster Kennel Club
Dr. Marty Greer provides thorough and thoughtful advice for keeping your dog healthy and happy on the way and at the big show.
Preparing the Dog
- Enter the dog.
- Assure the entry has been accepted.
- Arrange travel.
- Have an appropriate travel bag or crate, depending on if the dog will travel in the cabin under your seat or in cargo, with or without you on the airplane.
- Do NOT try to pass the dog off as an “ESA” – Emotional Support Animal if this dog is not certified as such. There is current proposed legislation that will restrict the use of this term as it has been overused and misused by many travelers.
- A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) is required for all animals crossing state lines. This applies whether you are driving or flying the dog to the destination. Most of the time, you will not be asked for this document. However, if you are without it, your travel plans may be interrupted. This must be issued by a veterinarian who is “Accredited” by USDA. Not all Veterinarians are accredited so be sure you have a veterinarian who can sign this paperwork.
- A current rabies certificate is also required for all dogs traveling.
- A “Letter of Acclimation” if the dog is flying in cargo. This will reflect the temperatures the dog has been acclimated to prior to travel. This is issued by your veterinarian.
- Microchip and identification collar with your current cell phone number.
- Anti-anxiety medication if indicated. Acepromazine and Benadryl/diphenhydramine are NOT anti-anxiety medications. Alprazolam, trazodone, or gabapentin may be suitable if indicated and prescribed by your veterinarian.
Preparing the Equipment
- Make a list of the least amount of equipment and supplies you can manage with. Consider shipping these ahead to the hotel.
- Arrange to rent equipment
- Travel bag, leash and collar. A quiet toy to keep your dog busy and avoid annoying fellow travelers.
- Travel crate, absorbent material, leash, collar, ID, small bag of food enough for one meal, bowls (the kind that flatten are easiest) and a toy to keep your dog busy.
Preparing you!
- Buy tickets for admission to Westminster.
- Make flight arrangements. Be sure you include the dog(s) on the reservation.
- Make hotel reservations. Be sure you include the dog(s) on the reservation.
363 — Reactive Dogs: Learn their Language
Reactive Dogs: Learn to Speak “Dog” for Better Outcome
Kristin Sandstede, Big Moose Dog Training, is back with some great conversation about “reactive dogs.” We narrow the topic down to reactive, non-aggressive dogs and learn to speak “dog” for some great solutions.
Dogs speak in body language, Sandstede reminds us. They use “distance increasing and distance decreasing body language.”
For example hard, sharp barks, growls and showing teeth are distance increasing signals. Dogs when they play bow and offer “circle wags” are telling their playmates to come closer. Drilling down on that behavior more, Sandstede observes that a “hip check is friendly, a shoulder check is not.”
Reactive dogs are often just plain scared, Sandstede said.
“Many dogs learn that the best defense is a good offense, Sandstede said. “The big reaction saves them from having to get into interaction that makes them scared.”
Lack of early socialization, negative experiences and a second fear stage at around 9 months, can all cause the problems the dog is experiencing, Sandstede said. “You can do all the right stuff in the 0-16 weeks timeframe and still have 2nd fear period. It’s a real thing and it happens.”
So, if this is happening to your dog, your first move is to avoid the “threshold” that causes the reaction.
Going forward
“Don’t get after the dog,” Sandstede said. “While we’re embarrassed and don’t want our dog to act that way, all (a correction successfully does) is stress out the dog, create more fear/anxiety. Scared dogs don’t know what to do. Give them things to do. If you take away a behavior you don’t like, you have to replace it with a better one. The more time focused on what the dog does right, also decreases his stress level.”
Traveling to NYC
Folks traveling to Westminster Kennel Club with reactive dogs need to consider the high traffic, lots of noise, lots of people as potential triggers to the dogs fears.
Counter-conditioning to solve the underlying issue takes time. So the next best option is to manage the dog’s anxiety. Cut down on their external stimulation when possible and utilize products such as CBD oil, melatonin or lavender oil to reduce anxiety.
362 — Joseph Vergnetti: the Art and Science of Dog Breeding
Joseph Vergnetti: the Art and Science of Dog Breeding
“Breeding is Like a Recipe, You Need All the Ingredients On Hand”
Host Laura Reeves and Joseph Vergnetti in Puyallup, Washington.
So says Joseph Vergnetti, master breeder at Dassin Poodles. Vergnetti talks about the presentation, line-breeding and outcrosses, and the differences in the varieties.
In partnership with Ellen Charles, Vergnetti has been voted Breeder of the Year twice by his peers and was selected Non-Sporting breeder of the year by the American Kennel Club. They have produced more than 300 champions across all varieties of poodles.
Starting Young
Starting with a toy poodle that he learned to trim by himself at 10 years old, Vergnetti has successfully bred Boxers, Great Danes and American Foxhounds as well. He apprenticed with professional handlers in his teens, including Ted Young Jr, then went to work for Wendell Sammet, Ale Kai poodles.
“Wendell was hardest worker in the world. Everything was very precise,” Vergnetti said.
It was during this late ‘60s, early ‘70s time frame, that the trimming and presentation style of poodles changed dramatically, Vergnetti said, with the “spray up” becoming more and more important.
“Today it is a little over-done,” Vergnetti said. “They are almost a caricature, way over the top. Hairspray and excessive presentation has taken over. In a way, I think poodles are a victim of their own beauty. There is a normal dog (construction) under all the hair. That’s very important.”
Differences in varieties
Miniature poodles are Vergnetti’s favorite, he said, adding that “Miniatures are smart. They’re the perfect size. They know what they like and what they don’t.” He noted that miniatures often have more work ethic than standards. They were originally truffle dogs and circus dogs. “They don’t take much (grief) from anybody.”
Breeding planning
When breeding dogs, you need to have all ingredients, like a recipe, Vergnetti opined. The Dassin program generally maintains seven or eight stud dogs and an average of 10 bitches… “It’s important to have the dogs you want in front of you,” he said.
The Dassin Farms facility features a four-story-tall barn for a kennel building, Vergnetti said, with 50-60 runs and 72 windows all around.
“We can see the dogs all day, every single day. We take hair off the puppies to see the bodies. You can see temperament. We evaluate them every day on their own,” Vergnetti said, which he adds is how they make decisions about which dogs to keep.
361 – Specialty vs All Breed Part 2: Identifying Solutions
Specialty vs All Breed Part 2: Identifying Solutions
Our experts are back to help us identify solutions to the dilemma of specialty versus all breed shows. Part one is available for listening here.
All breed shows offer a moderating influence on the extremes that can reign at specialty shows. They also enable judges and owners to see the quality of dogs presented at specialties.
“The ultimate learning tool for judges is to get your hands on good dogs.”
And, in a special opportunity, I had a listener contribute thoughts on this topic that I think are absolutely on point and applicable to this conversation. Welcome Tracy Dineley, Clandara Perm Reg, with her input.
“I just wanted to write to you after listening to your latest podcast as this topic has been on my mind for the last few years and I myself have spoken about it many times and have also written about it.
First let me give you my 411. I have been involved in purebred dogs since 1981 as a professional handler and breeder exhibitor. I have been breeding and showing Staffordshire Bull Terriers since 1984. I have bred more all-breed BIS dogs than any other breeder in Canada and more National Specialty winners in Canada than any other breeder. I have over 80 champions in Canada and the US.
It is my opinion that showing strictly or mostly at one or the other, specialties versus all breed shows is actually detrimental to any breed. It divides a breed, usually not for the better, in two directions. In some cases, it has divided breeds to the point that they almost end up looking like two different breeds.
All breed judges versus breed specialists have different priorities when judging. An all-round judge will judge the whole dog. They won’t focus on one thing. They take soundness and movement into the equation. They may even refresh themselves with the breed standard.
The breed specialist judge tends to focus on types or heads. They forgive movement flaws and sometimes forgive to the point that they will put up maybe a pretty or typey dog that is just plain unsound. They might even focus on things that are an issue in their own breeding program. It is not always the most balanced opinion.
In my breed, I have found that many breed specialists will interpret the breed standard to suit themselves. For instance, the breed standard calls for a level topline, but many breeders say that level doesn’t really mean level. I also find that many specialty winners cannot win at the all-breed shows at a high level. I think it’s usually because they are not sound enough. Just the same as some top-winning BIS winners who cannot win a Specialty. They are not typey enough.
In my opinion, we should all be striving to win under both judges. To have a dog that is correct and typey enough to win a specialty and sound structurally correct enough to win under all-rounders at all breed shows.
I think your speakers on the podcast were perfect for this topic. I think out of the three breeds, Staffy Bulls, Collies, and Bull Terriers, the Bull Terriers are the only breed that has it right. I believe you could take pretty much any specialty-winning Bull Terrier and do some serious winning at the all-breed shows even to BIS level.
I think the possibilities of creating extremes happen on both sides and therefore are detrimental to any breed. We need balance. We should always strive for the best to be somewhere in the middle of extremes but have the best of both worlds.
Thank you for your podcasts, I look forward to them every week!”
360 — Specialty vs All Breed Dog Shows
Specialty vs All Breed Dog Shows
In certain breeds, the judging of breed specialists and specialty shows draws higher entries and is of greater interest to the exhibitors than the day-in, day-out all-breed shows with which most of us are familiar.
In part one of this panel discussion, three exhibitors and judges from some of these breeds share their thoughts about why this is so.
“We wanted to take back ownership of our breed. Generic dogs were winning at all breed shows versus the details of breed type that breed specialist judges would reward.”
Our panelists are:
David Alexander, Bull Terrier Breeder,
Jason Nicolai, Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breeder
Marcy Fine, Collie breeder.
Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Collies are all breeds in which specialties are the holy grail and all-breed dog shows are considered less important.
Take a listen to part one of this challenging conversation about the “why” and join us next week when we talk about the solutions. My thanks to Lorelei Craig, President of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America for arranging this panel of experts.
359 – “Space Whippet,” Insta Celeb, Provides Social Media Tips
“Space Whippet,” Insta Celeb, Provides Social Media Tips
Beth Gordon acquired a race-bred whippet after her mixed breed rescue developed IVDD (intervertebral disc disease). Kuiper the Space Whippet’s rise to fame on social media provides a blueprint for others to follow in promoting purebred dogs.
“I wanted a healthy dog I could do sports with. It’s ok to not want a project. We’ve spent as much as my college education on our older dog with health issues. I just didn’t want to have to do that again,” Gordon said.
“I decided we needed better influencers on this new-fangled thing called Instagram, Gordon said.” She wanted to do something that was informative, not just fluffy. A “space tree” in Salem, Oregon was the idea for the launch of Kuiper the Science Dog, Space Whippet.
In just a couple years, Gordon and Kuiper have acquired more than 150,000 Instagram followers and been to Kennedy Space Center for a photo shoot for the account.
Utterly shameless self-promotion makes all the difference, Gordon said. “Business cards cost $20 and people love to get them.”
“Even though the account name is space whippet, I get a lot of questions about his breed,” Gordon said. “I think it’s a good opportunity. The way you increase representation for anything is by showing it to people, not making a big deal out of it.
“When you’ve been fed this line there are so many rescue dogs, why don’t you have a rescue dog? My answer is that purebred dogs are not fungible with rescue dogs. If my choice was another rescue dog or no dog, I just wouldn’t get a dog. If you have specific things you want to do, you’re much better to get a breed designed for that.
“The general public doesn’t know there are so many things you can do with your dog. May not consider their dog trainable. Increasing awareness of the sports they can do is so important. Purebred dogs are not just for beauty, dogs are functional,” Gordon said.
358 – Dale & Jane Martenson: Touche Japanese Chin
Dale & Jane Martenson: Touche Japanese Chin
Master Breeders Dale and Jane Martenson of Touche Japanese Chin, have produced more than 500 champions in a very difficult breed. Dale shares invaluable, detailed advice for success.
Purposely bred dogs allow us to pick the dog that best fits our lives, Martenson said. He and Jane started with Cocker Spaniels in the ‘80s when the breed was deeply competitive.
“Cockers helped us learn how to lose. We showed dogs for two years before we earned a point,” Martenson said. “You learn a lot on those drives home.”
In the original dog show, there was winning and losing, Martenson said. You got good or got out.
“There was a degree of respect and those were the people (handlers) we wanted to learn from,” Martenson said.
“You can raise dogs successfully on a profitable basis with integrity. This is an achievable goal. You don’t have to be a martyr. Use the tools we have today,” Martenson said.
Advice from Touche
On a breeding program: Have a good core line of bitches, keep the line sound and clean. Can maintain a small but effective program based on your bitches.
On owner-handlers: When you know your dogs and can compete with your dogs, you know the areas you want to improve.
On breeding decisions: Have A and B lists of faults – what you can live with and what you can’t
On importing: Don’t ever believe your own advertising
On outcrossing: Don’t discount the value of the things you know for the comfort of the things you don’t know
On money in breeding: If you don’t make money with your dogs then you aren’t doing it very well. Should be a self-funding hobby. Should be able to get out of it, what you put into it.
On retiring breeding dogs: You cannot be a great breeder and be a hoarder too.
“One thing I love about our sport is anybody can come in and compete at any level. You don’t have to be of a high finance. It can be your own dog you raised if you do the equal work. You also have the advantage of knowing your animal more intimately,” Martenson said.
357 – Genetic Testing Helps You Swipe Right for Your Dog
Genetic Testing Helps You Swipe Right for Your Dog
Today’s dog breeders are getting a boost from the burgeoning field of genetic testing. Doberman Diversity Project co-founder Sophie Liu talks about her work using advanced tools to improve genetic health issues in Doberman Pinschers.
Liu was a vet student researching her next dog when she became aware of the multitude of health challenges facing Dobermans.
According to the DDP website:
OUR MISSION is to reduce the incidence of heritable diseases in the Doberman by studying and addressing the depression in the overall genetic diversity of the Doberman breed and studying and researching widespread disease-associated mutations, through comprehensive genetic testing and analysis, development and sharing of evidence-based breeding findings, development of online breeder decision-making tools, and long-term tracking of results to measure the effectiveness of varied approaches to breeding — in terms of genetic health and longevity.
Combatting DCM
Liu said that a major focus of their research is geared toward reducing the incidence of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in the breed, which currently is plagued by the devastating disease, with nearly half of the breed being affected.
A great deal of DDP’s research and studies are directed at developing a tool which establishes a genetic value for the risk of passing on DCM. Building on the work done by Guide Dogs for the Blind, DDP hopes to enable breeders to determine an “estimated breeding value” for DCM on a pedigree and genetic basis.
“This is a super powerful tool,” Liu said. “This is how guide dogs have systematically improved their breeding program.”
The two genes identified to date that are associated with DCM in Dobermans are autosomal dominant, Liu said. Because the disease shows up late in a dog’s life, it can be hard to stay ahead of, she noted.
Genetic testing offered through Embark at cost enables DDP to track genetic data. Study participants also update all clinical health data for the research project.
Need more dogs tested
Liu said that in just about two years DDP has tested more than 2,500 dogs, but they need many more.
“We need more dogs tested. Affected and unaffected dogs. We need raw data and clinical updates and medical records,” Liu said. The guide dog programs’ success relies on having the advantage of huge breeding colonies that are all tested in house, she added.
DDP’s relationship with Embark enables breeders to find the right balance between the inbreeding percentages needed to fix type and maintain health. Embark’s breeder tool enables people to make that decision for themselves, Liu noted, “just like Tinder for your Doberman.”
“We’re finding out that the genetic bottlenecks are worse than we thought,” Liu noted. “Over 99% of Dobermans share a single paternal haplotype, in other words, one stud dog is behind nearly every Doberman tested.”
The research is also turning up valuable information about the heritability of various traits – in other words, how much variation of the trait is genetic. For example, studies indicate 40 percent of fear behavior is genetic. For more on the topic of how genetics impact fear behavior, listen to Pure Dog Talk Episode 221.
“People go to breeders for consistency,” Liu said. “The better we get at it, the better it is for everyone.”
356 – Soul Dog: Investigative Journalist’s Poodle Journey
Soul Dog: Investigative Journalist’s Poodle Journey
Emmy award-winning investigative journalist Elena Mannes shares her story of the journey on which she embarked with her first dog, a Standard Poodle.
Soul Dog – A Journey into the Spiritual Life of Animals chronicles Mannes’ determined quest to harness her inner dog whisperer by learning to decipher the unspoken language present in every animal-human relationship.
“I brought Brio home… and it wasn’t really going according to plan. I really just thought I would get trainers and support and it wouldn’t really change my life to have a puppy,” Mannes said with a rueful chuckle.
“One time, I had him in Central Park. I had started to have him off leash… he would take off and not come back when I called. I was walking backward, screaming at him to come. All of the sudden, there was no ground under me… I stepped off the edge of the boat pond and fell in…. Brio eventually came back and just stared at me.”
Skeptic to believer
“I felt sort of desperate. I didn’t talk dog. I heard about animal communicators, but I was a real skeptic. I’m a TV journalist, I don’t like woowoo things.
“(Brio) changed me in so many ways as the years went by and the connection became so deep and really life changing for me,” Mannes said.
Mannes also addressed her decision to choose a purebred dog.
“I respect people who rescue, but in my situation at the time I really didn’t know enough. I had a sense of Standard Poodles that they were so smart. I was scared to death (of adding a dog to my life),” Mannes said, adding that the predictability of a purebred dog helped provide some comfort in this decision.
***
Elena Mannes is a multi-award-winning independent documentary director/writer/producer as well as an author. Her first book, The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song, is published by Walker Books/Bloomsbury USA (May 31, 2011).
Her work has appeared on both public and commercial television. Her honors include six national Emmys, a George Foster Peabody Award, two Directors Guild of America Awards, and nine Cine Golden Eagles.
Mannes developed and created a primetime PBS special, The Music Instinct: Science and Song,a co-production with WNET/Thirteen.
Mannes productions include the feature documentary film Amazing Grace with Bill Moyers (PBS) which won the Directors Guild Award as well as an Emmy for directing. For ABC, Mannes has produced a special with Diane Sawyer The Amazing Animal Mind, exploring the intelligence and emotions of dogs and other animals, as well as other ABC hours including Ground Zero with Peter Jennings which won an Emmy for best Historical Program.
Mannes has also produced and directed documentaries for CBS REPORTS and segments for 60 MINUTES and PRIME TIME LIVE (ABC).She worked with George Lucas to develop a television project incorporating documentary and dramatic sequences.
Mannes is a member of one of the first families of American music. Her grandparents founded the Mannes College of Music in New York City; and her great uncle, Walter Damrosch conducted the Metropolitan Opera and instigated the building of Carnegie Hall.
355 – Scott Sommer on Owner/Professional Handlers Relationship
Scott Sommer on the Owner/Professional Handlers Relationship
Scott Sommer, handler of two different Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show winners is back for the third and final installment of his conversation with host Laura Reeves.
Today we’re talking about owner handlers and professional handlers. Plus, Sommer talks about the most difficult trimming techniques he learned and offers invaluable tips from an experienced veteran about working with scissored coats and other tricks of the trade.
Handlers compete with the best to improve
Discussing the Owner Handled competition, Sommer reflects on the past when direct competition between amateur and professional handlers forced owners to “Step up and compete with handlers, which made them better.”
“Owner Handled allows them to compete against one another. I’m not opposed, but I think it separates the whole dog show world,” Sommer observed. “It takes away from people’s ability to learn. You have to compete with the better (competitor) to make your dog better. It makes a difference.
“The Owner Handlers have to compete with people who can make a dog look like it isn’t. It’s a hard thing to do. I worked for Michael Kemp for 16 years. Even now, I struggle with some things. It takes a long time to learn.”
Still learning after all this time
Sommer said that even after 40 years, his biggest struggle is trimming a dog’s off-side front leg.
“It’s horrible,” Sommer said. “The hardest thing in the world for me to get right was the neck in to shoulder. The best thing you can do is never touch the head and neck until a day after they are bathed. You can trim the body. But if you trim (the head/neck of a Bichon Frise) right after you dry, there’ll be no hair left. It needs at least a day.”
Sommer noted that climate, humidity, and even water quality makes a tremendous difference in coat texture. He advised bathing a Bichon two to three days ahead of the show in order to have enough spring in their coat.
“When I was in dry areas, I’d just spray water and pat the hair down,” Sommer said. “Kaz (Hosaka, legendary poodle handler and protégé of Anne Rogers Clark) taught me that.
“There’s so much to tell people. (Learning all of this) doesn’t just happen overnight.”