205 – NAIA’s Sara Chisnell on Legislative Trends
NAIA’s Sara Chisnell on Legislative Trends Nationwide
NAIA Legislative Director Sara Chisnell and PureDogTalk Host Laura Reeves at the NAIA Conference in Washington, DC October 2017.
National Animal Interest Alliance Legislative Director Sara Chisnell is seeing legislative trends develop across the country in several categories. More than just dogs, NAIA is leveraging a larger voice by bringing together groups across the animal kingdom.
Pet shop mandates
Pet shop sourcing mandates are cropping up in a number of states, Chisnell said. Laws were recently passed in California and Maryland which require pet shops to source the animals they sell only from shelters and rescues, cutting off supplies of commercially bred dogs.
“Puppy mill is a genius term coined by the animal rights groups,” Chisnell said. “What was portrayed in past is not true today. No matter how you feel about it, it is a much more regulated source of dogs than any shelter or rescue. There are no regulations whatsoever of shelters and rescues, while there are many layers of regulation on commercial breeders.”
For newer listeners, take a minute to check out PureDogTalk’s interview on this topic from last year.
“Set aside how folks feel about commercial breeders and pet shops,” Chisnell said, “when you cut off this supply, mandating only shelters/rescues supply to pet shops, it opens up those channels further. We have a huge problem with importation of unwanted dogs from other states and other countries. This is bringing in new diseases, Korean dog flu, zoonotic diseases, all kinds of crazy stuff. This is the main reason you should care. This will impact your own dogs.”
Chisnell also noted an increase in behavior issues in rescue animals as a direct result of the “no kill” movement in which rescuers are trying to save all dogs, whether they should be in a home or not.
“Some of the people working in shelters/rescues are very well intentioned,” Chisnell commented. “But many of them may not be properly equipped to evaluate the dogs. There are no repercussions for rescues. Purpose bred animals have consumer protection laws. These no longer come into play when it’s shelter or rescue animals.”
NAIA is working with the pet shop industry on preemptive laws, Chisnell noted. One particular eample, in Michigan, strengthens requirements for pet shops, while simultaneously preempting pet shop sourcing mandates.
Hot car bills
Feel good legislation, like providing immunity for individuals to break into a car to save an animal, have a multitude of unintended consequences that have not been thought through, according to Chisnell.
Animal Research Adoption Bills
These laws require research facilities to place animals in adoption, often through local animal shelters.
“These are programs that research facilities have had for years,” Chisnell noted. “When they are forced to work with local animal shelters, it takes away oversight from people who know the animals.”
For more information on the incredible work done within the research community working with animals, listen to Dr. Cindy Buckmaster’s PureDogTalk interview.
On the plus side…
- NAIA worked with the Illinois Purebred Dog Federation to pass a law requiring more oversight and reporting from shelter and rescues.
- A proposal in New Mexico to charge a pet food fee to a fund state spay/neuter campaign was defeated through NAIA’s efforts.
- NAIA drafted law to require shelters in Virginia to disclose behavior history, particularly known bite history, prior to adoption of a dog.
- In New Hampshire, grass roots advocacy supported by NAIA stopped anti-breeder legislation before it was passed.
For more information about the legislative work NAIA does, click the legislative action center and sign up for alerts at http://www.naiatrust.org/
Remember to stick around for Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy on safely loading vehicles for travel with our dogs.
204 — Vet Voice: Identifying, Treating Orthopedic Disorders
Identifying and Treating Orthopedic Disorders
Dr. Marty Greer, DVM walked us through the bewildering world of 10 syllable words and scary prognostics when it comes to the various orthopedic disorders than can affect our puppies.
OCD, HOD, pano, Legg-Perthes, premature ulnar growth plate closure, HD, patellar luxation, and more are all covered, along with potential infectious diseases that can cause lameness in young dogs. Greer goes through the differences in the diseases, symptoms and treatments for all of them. Primarily disorders of large, fast growing male dogs, a few affect small breed and achondroplastic dogs.
Pano
Panosteitis or Pano is a disorder in which pain is exhibited in shifting limbs.
“You’ll feel the legs and dogs exhibit pain where leg bones join,” Greer said. Pano won’t always show up on xray and it can be difficult to localize the pain. Cause – rapid growing puppy Treatment — non steroidal anti-inflamatory such as Meloxicam.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_multi_panosteitis
OCD
Osteochondritis Dissecans or OCD is cartilage that peels off, generally in the shoulder. It frequently occurs in both joints. It’s difficult to find on xray. This is a genetic disease with a database at OFA. If the cartilage doesn’t heal with crate rest, it can be treated with arthroscopic surgery.
“Most of these orthopedic problems, don’t let the puppies get too heavy or get too much nutrition,” Greer said. “Stick to the large breed puppy diets that are commercially available. Please don’t start feeding raw meat diets and unbalanced diets to these puppies because there are a huge number of nutritional problems we see with that.”
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_osteochondrosis
HOD
Hypertrophic osteodystrophy or HOD is an acute, sudden onset disorder that is extremely painful.
“They can be perfectly fine one night,” Greer said “and wake up with the ends of the bones above wrist/hock swollen, very painful, running a fever. It can be associated with recent vaccines.”
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_osteodystrophy
LCP
In Legg-Calve-Perthes small breed dogs are affected. The disease causes a loss of blood flow to the neck of the femur in the hip joint. Surgery is the treatment.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_legg_calve_perthes_disease
As in all instances, be sure to consult your veterinarian for specific recommendations.
203 – Love the Breeds: Harriers – Rare, Smart, Vocal
Harriers Are Small in Numbers, Big in Personality
Fewer than 300 Harriers, total, are registered in the US, according to breed experts. Just two litters were whelped nationwide in 2017.
“There are probably more tigers in the U.S. than Harriers,” said Donna Smiley, the only Master of Harriers in the country.
PureDogTalk host Laura Reeves caught up with some of the breed’s most ardent supporters at the Harrier Club of America National Specialty.
Ancient breed now endangered
Donna Smiley’s book about the Harrier is one of few modern resources available.
One of the first five breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, records of Harrier packs in England date back to 1100 AD. Harriers are believed to predate both Beagles and Foxhounds in England. They were bred to hunt hare, which was one of three “appropriate” quarry, along with boar and stag, for royalty to hunt. Foxhunting is a more recent tradition.
“They are an endangered species,” said Linda Johnston. “And they’re just as cuddly as Pandas!”
While there are hundreds of Beagle packs and at least 40 Foxhound packs in the US, Smiley owns the only Harrier pack in competition.
“We never want to see a dichotomy,” Smiley said. “We don’t want to see a show hound/pack hound divide.”
The Harrier’s quarry, the hare, is a different and larger species than a rabbit. The snowshoe hare and the jackrabbit are hares in the US.
“Hares when pursued, will cover miles in a circle,” Smiley said. “Rabbits, when pushed too hard, will bolt down a hole.”
Adaptable problem solvers
Harriers are good in a household and will adapt to their owners’ lifestyle, said Kevin Shupenia.
“They are as active as you want to be. We have several with marathon runners. But they are not a breed to ignore. They will find their own fun if left to their own devices. It’s important they don’t get bored.”
Contrary to popular myths, hounds are not dumb, these experts agreed. They are independent and self-thinkers. On the issue of trainability, Smiley noted that other dogs, such as sporting breeds were developed to take direction from people. Pack hounds, not so much.
“It was their job to figure it out,” Shupenia said. “They are not being directed. They are problem solvers.”
Kristi Bowers, the newest member of the group, laughed that “if harriers went to college they’d study engineering.”
Harriers in general are very healthy but they are not good off leash dogs. They thrive on routine and they are vocal.
“They’re job was to tell the hunter they were on a scent,” Smiley said. “Don’t try to make them in to a dog that is silent.”
Many thanks to our panel:
Donna Smiley, Erick Arceneaux, Kevin Shupenia, Linda Johnston and Kristi Bowers. For additional information on this ancient and little-known breed, visit some of the links below.
http://www.harrierclubofamerica.com/
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/harrier-1593784201
And don’t miss Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy on Appropriate Attire for the dog show!
202 — Mentoring the Future LIVE at the Copper Classic
Mentoring people in the sport will keep it alive
PureDogTalk host Laura Reeves moderated a LIVE Saturday Symposium sponsored by the Copper Classic in Prescott, Ariz. on the topic of Mentoring the Future. Judges Joyce Vanek, Cindy Vogels and John Wade headlined the panel.
Become the change you want to see
Anna Mysliwiec, Prescott Arizona Kennel Club, said, “We are the start of the change.”
“As a judge if I have a novice in the ring I try to help them,” Wade said. “We have to encourage people. Maybe the dog they have right now isn’t show quality, but they’d like to continue in the sport. Encourage someone so they are here tomorrow.”
Juniors speak up
Juniors attending the Seminar asked great questions, including one that prompted this response from Vogels:
“What’s the hardest part of being a judge?” asked by Julia, age 9.
Vogels: “…we realize each of you love your dog. We get to please very few people by the end of the day. The hardest part of judging is 5 dogs, 4 ribbons.”
Another junior attending, Kyle, age 14, asked, “What’s the first thing you notice about a dog when it comes in the ring.”
Vanek said, “The overall presence of the handler and dog.” Vogels added, “Correct silhouette.”
Workable solutions
Suggestions for clubs, breeders and exhibitors to “mentor the future” included:
- Encourage young people to be apprentice ring stewards
- Offer a Peewee Handling Competition at the show
- Advise all-breed clubs to offer Junior Showmanship as a FREE class
- Hire former junior handlers to judge Junior Showmanship classes
- Offer “best of the best” Junior Showmanship competitions with monetary prizes
- Support scholarship programs like those offered by PHA and other organizations
- Organize a potluck at the show for exhibitors in your breed
- Focus on the positive instead of the drama when counseling new exhibitors
- Show courtesy to ring stewards
- Encourage local and national breed clubs to offer junior memberships and junior showmanship competitions.
- Remember that the ribbon, the win, isn’t everything
“Welcome people to the sport,” Wade said. “Welcome people to your clubs. We need club members. The “greying of our sport” is apparent everywhere.”
201 – Exhibitor Education Courses Come Online
“Crowdsourcing” Knowledge for Exhibitor Education
Vicki Ronchette, author of “From Shy to Showy,” has created a new exhibitor education resource with online college-type classes available on a wide variety of topics.
New owners, exhibitors who want to improve their performance and experienced members of the fancy who want to hone their skills will all find a topic of interest.
“A lot of people don’t have access to training classes near them,” Ronchette said. “Or the classes are more socialization and don’t offer a lot of information for training the dog or the handler.”
Listeners who missed Ronchette’s previous podcasts, can check out some of her outstanding positive training tips here and here.
Variety of courses available
Show Dog Prep School Courses include everything from training nail trims, to using Tellington TTouch for better results, to Safe Travel with dogs.
Full disclosure, your host, Laura Reeves, is an instructor for SDPS. Her first offering is: Canine Structure 101 and Applying the Breed Standard.
Courses are available with coaching from instructor, as well as a mentoring program with Ronchette, webinars, forums and more. The school is designed to offer easy navigation and a user-friendly platform.
Learn on YOUR schedule
“In today’s society, people don’t have a lot of time,” Ronchette said. “Show Dog Prep School allows people to learn on their own schedule. Virtual education is really helpful for folks to learn and get up to speed when they are just getting started.”
Ronchette is dedicated to the positive reinforcement system of dog training. And she applies it to her students.
“Positive reinforcement for people is so important,” Ronchette said. “We are creating a community of helping and support.”
People AND animals deserve to have an education so they can go in to a dog show with confidence and actually enjoy the sport and stay with it, Ronchette noted.
“We can help you understand the reason a dog didn’t win. It could actually be that your dog didn’t look as good. Let’s work on that,” Ronchette said.
Don’t miss Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy. Allison brings us *boggling* information about how to do up a coated breed beautifully – without power! Seriously, water and a bristle brush. What? Check it out.
200 – Celebrate 200th Episode with a Positive Outlook
200th episode? Celebrate with a positive outlook
Let’s talk about the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” And making a positive outlook YOUR approach to life and to this sport.
How can this be possible???
Host, Laura Reeves
Wasn’t it just yesterday that Mary randomly set up next to me at a dog show in Southern California and we started yakking about dogs and mentors and education and possibilities??
In fact, it’s just over two years since I first learned there WAS such a thing as a podcast. Never mind listened to one… lol
Since our debut in November 2016, Pure Dog Talk has been downloaded well over three hundred THOUSAND times! Yikes! We’ve aged out of the 12-18 class and we’re running with the big dogs, expanding our reach to more purebred dog enthusiasts every single day.
In recognition of the occasion, I thought I’d stop by for a personal one on one visit with all ya’ll.
Accentuate the PAWsitive
This post went up to rave reviews on a social media group. Many thanks to the original poster for permission to share here:
Barbara Eymard
A reflection on my first 9 months in the dog show world.
I have read lot of complaints about the cost of dog show. 2 tickets to the movies can cost more than one day entry fee for a dog and additional cost for each family member. Hanging out a a dog show with several family members much cheaper
For most part dog show parking and admission for friends and family is free. I live in an area where we do have a number of shows in day trip driving distance.
For my admission fee I get 8 hours of meeting and talking to people with a like interest, my dog evaluated, entertainment, shopping
Food is cheaper then at the movie dinner theaters. I come home win or lose happy and exhausted.
My granddaughter and husband often spend the day with me. Guess what, we talk, no TV and limited cell phones, we spend time with each other and our dogs.
Now compare the cost of a day at the dog show and the day at an amusement park which does mean travel and a hotel for me. The dog show still comes out cheaper and a happier event.
Costs of everything have gone up. my quarter allowance use to be able to buy 5 candy bars.
I use comparison shopping when spending my entertainment money. Dog shows come out as a good deal.
Thank you dog show world
Barbara NAILED it!! Would that several tens of thousands more exhibitors shared her attitude. PLEASE join us in this …. Joy and thankfulness are contagious!
12-Step Program
I wrote the following as a New Year’s resolution column several years ago. I think it is still applicable today and now is as good a time to celebrate a new year and a new you as any!!
I once read a line that has stayed with me for years. Essentially, it said, “The man who can focus his entire attention on one single problem for just 20 minutes can rule the world.”
In our hectic, over-scheduled, under-funded, hyper-stimulated world, this is, indeed, a very difficult challenge. Especially so in the dog world, where we are all juggling dogs, life, work, family and personal time in a constant battle to not drop anything.
To offer focus in this never-ending war against time, we have created the “12-Steps to a Happier You in the Dog Fancy” inventory.
One step, each month, establishes the habit. Then just keep building, brick by brick, adding one new goal each month.
January — Say “Congratulations” to the winner or “Thank You” to those who congratulate you. And MEAN it! Yes, every time. Yes, even when the winner is your most bitter enemy, actually, especially then.
February — Watch one breed, other than your own, from start to finish, at every dog show you attend.
March — Instill and enforce the “first to look at their phone during dinner pays for everyone” rule each time you go out to eat, whether at a dog show, with co-workers or family. Experience the miracle of direct human interaction.
April — Seek out a club official — show chair, chief ring steward, hospitality chair, etc — at each dog show you attend and thank them, personally, for their hard work and compliment them on a specific piece of the show which you particularly liked. Resist the urge to complain about anything.
May — Volunteer to help at one show. Even if it is an hour of ring stewarding, helping with clean up or set up, judging a fun match, simply restocking the candy dishes or picking up someone else’s poopie. Do one thing for a club for no better reason than you can.
June — Help someone new. It could be as simple as assisting someone with an armband. Maybe a promising youngster with a new puppy shows up and would welcome five minutes of *kind* and constructive direction. It is important here to understand the concept of help. Focus on the positive. Just be nice.
July — Organize a potluck. Get a whole bunch of people together at someone’s RV or grooming space, even invite someone you don’t know well, break bread together. Laugh. Tell stories. Talk dogs. If there is a water balloon fight (or an inflatable unicorn) somewhere in the mix, this cannot be a bad thing. Remember, we’re still carrying each month’s goal forward, so March’s “no phone” rule applies. By now, it should be ingrained and much easier to implement.
August — Read the standard for a breed about which you know nothing. Then, at the next show, while continuing your February goal of watching a new breed, go find the breed you read about. See if you can apply elements of the standard to dogs in the ring.
September — Go back to school … In your own breed. Re-read your breed standard. Memorize it. Commit the entire standard to memory so thoroughly that you can quote entire sections verbatim. Then pull a random dog out of your pack, stack him up and go over him piece by piece according to the standard. Try very, very, very hard to be objective and not make excuses. Simply see what’s there and what isn’t.
October — Take the skeletons out of your closet. Look at them in the cold light of day. Whether as a breeder, handler, exhibitor or judge, take a look at your past mistakes, acknowledge them, then burn them at the stake and move on!
November — Talk turkey. Get off the internet blogs and approach a more experienced person about a question in your breeding program, grooming routine, handling skill set, whatever. Talk to them in person. Invite them to lunch or drinks. Do not expect miraculous secrets, but acknowledge and respect someone outside your comfort zone. You learn something new every day!
December — Give the gift of your time and energy to a local animal shelter, rescue group or other doggie emergency support system.
This 12-step program is guaranteed to bring enhanced enjoyment, satisfaction, curiosity, knowledge, camaraderie and success to anyone’s dog show calendar.
Laughter is the Best Medecine
Our Last Word today comes with special thanks to Pure Dog Talk Patron Andi Jalensky for the idea!!
I talk to exhibitors all the time who are terribly nervous to show their dogs. I always try to cheer them up by telling them funny stories of things that have happened to me over the years. If laughter is the best medicine, laughing at yourself is a silver bullet.
One of my all-time favorite stories happened when I’d just moved from Washington to Nebraska. (No, that’s not the funny story.) I traveled up to Minnesota for shows a month or so later. I didn’t have any clients yet and was just showing my own GWP bitch special. I didn’t know any of the local folks and only a very few of the handlers.
We line up for the group ring, judged by Dana Cline, with Smoke and I in the lead. I take off, long strides, dog floating, hoping to make that all-important great first impression. About midway around the ring my shoe flies off my foot and lands in the center of the ring.
What can you do but keep running?
So, I go all the way around, one shoe on, one shoe off. Stack my dog and then wait for all the dogs to trail in behind me so I can go find my shoe. Carlos Puig, God love that man, comes in last with the Clumber. He spots my shoe, runs to the center of the ring, picks it up and waves it over his head yelling, “Cinderella? Cinderella!”
As the audience roars, I run out, curtsey, grab the shoe and run back to stack my dog for the exam.
We didn’t get a ribbon that day, but I’ve never forgotten it and still laugh every time I think about it.
And yes, I threw that pair of shoes away!
Another favorite moment, happened at a tiny, out of the way show in far eastern Illinois. (Why, you ask, are all of these stories from the Midwest? Hmm, good question!)
I was showing a top-winning Pug named Louis. I’d won a nice breed and a pretty good group. I traveled by myself at the time and had no assistant and, again, nobody I really knew that well was at the show. We step in to the ring to go around last in the Best in Show lineup under inimitable Sandra Goose Allen. I give Louis a little tug on the leash as his signal to get ready to go. And the stitching on the Resco unravels like it was planned that way.
Oh, good grief.
Fortunately, he was a great little dog and waited while I hastily improvised a way to get around the ring still connected to one another. So, of course, did the judge and the entire audience. Not your best first impression in the BIS ring! I was grateful to have a few minutes before his turn on the table, but a small show, light crowd and no real support system meant a panic-stricken moment trying to find someone, anyone to send scrambling to my tack box in a whole ‘nother building, find a new leash and bring it to me. Thank God for the kindness of strangers! Some blessed soul managed to find my set up and get back in time…. With the Clumber special’s leash and collar. Yes, it was too big, but better than the broken shoe string I had as an option.
I threw away the leash, too.
GWP National in Oregon. The owners of my open dog had taken him out for a run before the show to tune him up for the field trial that started the next day. It’s coming time to show the dog and they are nowhere to be seen. Literally minutes before his class is called, they arrive, breathless. With a lame dog. Seems he cut a pad running on the rocks near the show site. A common occurrence in bird dogs, but really bad timing for a show dog. Mom was there and happened to have super glue in her purse. I’m holding the leash, the ring steward is calling his number and my assistant is on hands and knees blowing frantically on the dog’s foot, hoping the super glue will dry and the dog won’t be stuck to the floor. Wink went Winners Dog that day with a superglued pad and a huge sigh of relief that he wasn’t permanently attached to the show ring mats.
Super glue. Who knew? Never leave home without it.
Showing the BIS Clumber, back in the day. He’d won a very competitive Breed at the Portland shows the first year Animal Planet was filming for TV. (OK, I guess not ALL of the bad stuff happened in the Midwest…) I’d been running around showing other dogs and came back to the setup to get him ready for the group which started in an hour. I could smell the disaster before I even opened the crate. Somehow, no one had noticed he’d gotten ahold of a piece of liver somewhere (to which he had a famously violent reaction). We can laugh about it now, but I’m still not sure, to this day, how we got him bathed and dry and tummy settled and in the ring on time. I kept having nightmare visions of a bad-potty-on-national-TV moment. He won a gorgeous Group 2 under Howard Yost that night, but in my mind’s eye, my strongest memory is the refrain that ran through my head the whole 30 minutes, “Charlie, PLEASE don’t have an accident on the pretty carpet!”
Poopy, sometimes quite literally, happens. You deal with it and move on.
There are so many more stories, mine and others. The point being, relax! It’s not world peace. It’s a dog show.
199 – New Resource Launched for Dog Community
New Resource Launched for Worldwide Dog Community
Cheryl Krajcar with one of her handling clients.
Third generation dog breeder Cheryl Krajcar has created a fascinating new community on the information super highway, just for dog people. Her fledgling start-up has “great bones” and tremendous potential for dog people everywhere.
On the chain gang
“I remember, as a little girl, being drug to FT, winding up on the “chain gang” (stake outs for field trial dogs) after getting in trouble for turning dogs loose,” Krajcar said with a laugh. “I decided I wanted nothing to do with that and went to dog shows with my aunt.”
After years handling dogs for others, living with a rough Collie, Flat Coated Retrievers and more, Krajcar found herself full-circle, back at horseback field trials. Today she is a licensed field trial judge, owns Shelties and is using her computer programming skills to create this in-depth resource, Showdogz.org.
Cheryl Krajcar running her Brittany in a pointing dog field trial.
“It’s time to bring people together as a community,” Krajcar said. “I love what the kennel clubs around the world do… AKC, CKC, FCI, The Kennel Club. They all have tremendous resources. But there is no place where the entire sport can come, get together, and be involved. This website allows the worldwide community of dog people to come together to support the efforts of their kennel clubs.”
Avoid the drama
There are plenty of groups on social media, Krajcar noted, but they don’t meet the needs of the fanciers because there is too much unpleasantness. And not everyone is on Facebook.
“The cattiness is out there. Let’s make it friendly, let’s build the community that people want to be a part of,” Krajcar said. “There’s something for everyone.”
“I really want to focus on the owners,” Krajcar said. “There are no good dogs without good owners. Owners are the ones breaking their backs, putting dogs out in the community. They are the ones supporting the events.”
Fully translatable chat rooms for worldwide conversation on Showdogz.org allows people around the world to visit, find mentors, find dogs or reach out to rescue and more.
People buy the dogs they can find
“We have all these doodles, mixes, being advertised in the newspaper and on Craigslist,” Krajcar said. “That’s the only thing people can find when they’re looking for a dog. What are they going to buy? They’re gonna buy what’s available.”
The site also includes an emphasis on juniors and mentors.
“Juniors are the backbone of the sport. They are the next generation,” Krajcar said. “I made my own way, but I had a lot of people that came along to support me. Participating in juniors gives kids such advantage in the world.”
Advertising opportunities on the site for breeders, show dogs, artists and more are priced to keep them at a realistic price point.
“It’s not about money,” Krajcar noted. “It’s about what I want to do for the sport, which is bring everybody back together. Social media is tearing us apart. I want to provide a resource for everyone.”
Stick around to listen to Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy. Allison gives us a run down on Dry Shampoo and its many uses prepping for the show ring.
198 – Vet Voice: Dog Days of Summer Precautions
Dog Days of Summer Precautions
Dr. Marty Greer, DVM takes us through a few summer dangers, how to avoid them and some excellent tricks to solve some of them. Listen to find out why canned spinach and Dawn dish soap are on her “must have” list.
Hot cars
Hot cars kill dogs every year. Don’t be a statistic!
“Nobody leaves a dog in the car on purpose,” Greer said. “They get distracted and lose track of time.” She recommends keeping a leash draped around your neck as a simple reminder. And to never trust the AC in a running car.
Leave a note on the car’s dash with your cel phone number in those instances when you need to make a quick dash inside a store, Greer suggested, so people won’t try to ‘rescue’ a dog that doesn’t need it or in case of actual emergency.
Blue-green algae
These toxic algae blooms in still water are not common, Greer said, but they are dangerous. She recommends keeping Dawn dish soap on hand to wash a dog that has been in questionable water. And not allowing dogs to drink water that is not free running and clear
Canned spinach??
Canned spinach wraps around sharp objects to help them pass through the dog’s system safely.
Greer said this easy, cheap household staple can be fed to dogs who have consumed small, sharp objects that could cause gastrointestinal distress like sharp bones from a barbecue.
“The spinach wraps itself around the item and allows the dogs to safely pass small sharp items,” Greer said. “Every year we have dogs that don’t have to go to surgery thanks to this — diamond rings, you name it.”
Cookouts and holiday festivities are always of concern with our dogs. She noted that corn cobs are a particularly common source of bowel obstruction.
Foxtails
These nasty weed seeds are deadly dangerous to our dogs. They can penetrate skin and migrate anywhere. Commonly they become imbedded between a dog’s pads. In the best case scenario, the seeds simply abscess and make a lame dog. Seeds can get in the dog’s ear, working their way down to puncture the ear drum and cause painful ear infections. Worst case, Greer noted, is when foxtails travel to the lungs from the nose, or even feet, and cause a pneumothorax. Saving the dog’s life then requires dangerous and extremely costly surgery.
Fox tails and other grass awns can be deadly for our dogs.
Greer recommends prevention by checking your dog after every outing in the field and learning to recognize the dangerous plants by visiting http://www.meanseeds.com/, a website created by a client of hers in Wisconsin.
Ticks
“These are nasty creatures we want to avoid,” Greer said. “Changes in climate have impacted the spread of ticks.”
An ounce of prevention, again, is worth a pound cure. Greer suggests that dogs be on flea/tick preventative year-round and that the current products are safe and effective. She is happy to provide current information about products that are safe to use with dogs in a breeding program. Visit https://www.smallanimalclinic.com/ for more information.
Ticks are vectors for zoonotic diseases including Lyme’s, anaplasmosis, Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and potentially dozens more that as yet are unidentified, Greer noted.
“There are new diseases, even new ticks,” Greer said. “It’s startling how many tick borne diseases out there.” She recommends visiting https://www.capcvet.org/ for more information
Canine flu
Greer’s advice: “Vaccinate. Any dogs in competitive venues or that even leave their houses should be vaccinated. There is no natural immunity in the population because these are new viruses.”
Thunderstorms/fireworks
Talk to your vet about anti-anxiety meds, Greer said. Acepromazine and Benadryl are not anti-anxiety drugs, they just make the dog unable to show you how scared they are, she added.
197 – Local Legislative Liaison Defends Our Rights
New Legislative Advocate in Our Corner
Robert Miller, AKC’s new legislative analyst and outreach coordinator, is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breeder of merit and hunter. His background in legislative work and public information is being put to use on the west coast to provide proactive involvement with fanciers.
Legislation is constantly popping up that affects everyone’s ability to do what they want with their dogs, or even have the dog they want, Miller said.
Fight for your rights
“It’s important to recognize that you have to pay attention to that kind of stuff,” Miller warned. “There’s no one fell swoop that will take away all your dog rights. But you’re going to have a lot of little pieces, chips, death by a thousand cuts. Eventually you’ll say I want to get this kind of dog and you can’t because there is breed specific legislation, which is basically animal profiling. There’s a lot of laws that come up, sometimes well-intentioned, that have unintended consequences.”
Miller’s role is to reach out to fanciers, to encourage them to pay attention and speak up.
“We depend on our dog people. They need to contact us when something pops up at the local level,” Miller said.
Miller encouraged folks to take a look at the Toolbox (https://www.akc.org/clubs-delegates/government-relations/toolbox/) on the Government Relations website.
“Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone,” Miller advised. “If legislators know it’s coming from constituents, they pay attention, they listen. Local people carry more weight with legislators than AKC. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can help you develop things that are germane to your specific district.”
It comes down to someone trying to tell you what you can and can’t do with your animals, Miller noted.
“Having animals and using them is a basic human right. People have had dogs for thousands of years. There is this recent sentiment that that is abusive. We believe you should be able to have the dog you want,” Miller said.
Get ahead of the curve
AKC is taking a more proactive approach with this new position.
“Being able to respond quickly is advantageous for all dog owners. I’m visiting local kennel clubs. I’ll do whatever it takes to solve the problem or provide education,” Miller offered. “Make friends with local legislators. They’re people just like you and I. Drop by the office. Get to know who they are. The squeaky wheel really does get listened to. Be civil and get to the point.”
The average legislator is probably not an expert on dogs, Miller observed. “If you are involved with dogs, you know a lot. They (elected officials) like it when someone can share their expertise.”
The people who would like to take our rights away are very active, Miller reiterated. “We need to pull a page out of their playbook. Get proactive. Do things. Run for an office, if that’s something you think you want to do.”
And don’t miss Allison Foley’s Tip of the Week from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy. Potato starch? Who knew?
196 – “Bracing” Talk: Pedigrees, Critiques and Skill
Andrew Brace on Pedigrees, Critiques and Skillful Handlers
In the third and final installment of my interview with international dogman Andrew Brace, he shared his knowledge on reading pedigrees, writing judge’s critiques and the definition of expert presentation in a wide-ranging and brutally honest discussion.
Our conversation also touched on the influence of animal rights extremism on the UK’s “high profile breeds” vet checks. Brace additionally noted the correlation between health issues in our breeds and the increasing tendency for breeders to “take Mother Nature’s job from her.”
Andrew Brace last showed a dog at Crufts 2000 when he retired having handled his BIS winning Beagle, UK Ch Dialynne Tolliver of Tragband.
Breed the best to the best to get the best
“Dedicated breeders are constantly aiming to improve their stock,” Brace said. “Those breeders who think breeding a winner is simply a matter of mating a winning bitch to a winning dog fail to realize the value and implications of the pedigree and do not understand what a valuable breeding tool this is.
“You need to be able to read a pedigree. This is where the truly great breeders score. The pedigree supplies valuable information – provided the reader has researched the dogs who appear in it. (Master) breeders study a pedigree of at least five generations. If they don’t know all the dogs in it personally, they’ll research them by seeking out photographs or simply asking older breeders who are still around exactly where these dogs scored and failed.
“In this way they build up a comprehensive picture of their dog’s ancestry. They will, over a period of time, be able to assess what faults and virtues lie behind their breeding stock. And, perhaps more importantly, establish which dogs were responsible for producing them,” Brace said.
“Correct is not produced by mating two extremes,” Brace added. “A potential parent who lacks in one area should be mated to a dog that excels in that failing. A dog that’s slightly straight behind will not produce perfect rear angulation by mating it to a dog that is hopelessly over angulated. Its chosen mate should have correct angulation.”
“Winning” dog is not always the same as “best” dog
“We have focused on show dogs,” Brace said. “In many breeds, this has meant that dogs that are perhaps a little exaggerated in one way or another have taken the eye of the judge over the dogs who are maybe more correctly balanced or constructed because they have a little sense of drama about them.
“It is our responsibility as judges to reward the correct dog over those dogs that have probably won a ton of best in shows by virtue of the fact that they fly around the ring with their long necks, gay tails and dripping in hair.”
Useful written critiques
“When writing critiques, I think it’s essential to detail the dog’s outstanding virtues but also mention any obvious shortcomings, which can always be done tactfully,” Brace said. “For example, ‘Head like a bucket’ and ‘prefer a cleaner backskull’ – they mean the same thing, but one is more palatable. It isn’t necessary to describe the dog from head to tail but, concentrate major pluses and minuses.”
Listen to renowned judge Ginny Lyne on this topic.
Merge into the background
Andrew Brace judging the American Pointer Club 2007 National Specialty. BOB Ch Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, handled by Michael Scott.
“It is little wonder that some of your most successful handlers go on to become outstanding judges,” Brace noted. “The thought process is exactly the same. Handling is the art of emphasizing a dog’s virtues whilst disguising its faults. Judging is all about recognizing the virtues yet getting the faults into perspective.
“Some countries, unfortunately, have produced some so-called professional handlers who have clearly watched a lot of American videos, bought some flashy jackets and race around the ring with dogs of indeterminate quality. They often carry too many dogs to do justice to and its obvious they aren’t kept in the best of conditions. These are the guys that are just doing it to make a buck. They aren’t handlers as I understand the word.
“The best handlers are those who are so skillfully unobtrusive that they just seem to merge into the background. These experts have the ability to project the dog to the judge at first sight,” Brace added.