Statistics, Statistics, Statistics

Statistics, Statistics, Statistics

Not all dog magazines, but a lot of them, seem to owe their existence to statistics.  They have pages and pages devoted to these numbers games many of which are meaningless and boring as well.  Do I care who is the tenth highest dog in breed or all-breed points?  Do I care who is the breeder who bred the tenth highest total of champions let alone the color, sex or coat type of these animals.  All this material is filler in place of good articles that might be helpful and of serious interest.  What a waste!  Those of you who are CC of A members can notice it in the yearbook as well.  Cease and desist already!!

On a more serious topic, I’d like to clarify something I’ve said, but which may have been misunderstood.  As a judge and breeder (some years ago) I’ve always thought that the whole dog and overall way the parts fit together must be more important than any one of those parts.  This includes the head properties which though extremely important should not, in my opinion, trump the overall picture.

Years ago I remember some very respected judges making comments like, “give me a good head and I can get the rest from mutts,” or “give me a good head and if the dog can get across the ring, he’s sound enough.”  Both of the statements may seem extreme, but they were opinions expressed by people who felt strongly and had a sound background in our breed.  Getting all of this sorted out and into proper focus is important to any serious breeder/exhibitor/judge of Collies.

I stick by my statement that the whole is of more value than any of the parts including head, coat, soundness or any other part.  To be a really good Collie a dog or bitch must be good in all of these areas, but the key is how they fit together to form a good specimen.  When we judge the first look at the dogs often gives an indication of who will win the class.  We must do further examination to be sure our eyes aren’t being fooled by grooming techniques or some other trick of the trade.  We must handle and move the animals so “our hands can verify what our eyes think they see.”  This along with knowing the breed, is the basis for judging.  Years ago I judged the North Jersey Specialty and most of my male classes were just average.  My last male class, Open Tricolor, had a truly spectacular looking dog who “filled the eye.”  After going over him I told his handler ”I’m going to be very disappointed if he can’t move!”  Well he could and did and was a shoo-in for Winners Dog.

Now if this dog had a magnificent head, but didn’t stand or move well, he still might have gone Winners depending on the competition, but he wouldn’t have put a real smile on my face.  To do that we need the whole package.

Based on our standard and my sixty-some years of study the Collie head is the “index of the breed.”  Though some other breeds may have heads with some similarities to the Collie’s our breed is unique in that area.  The parts of the head such as muzzle, backskull, eyes, and ears go together to create the expression which is the product of these parts.  There are other breeds which may have similar coats, movement, or other parts which resemble our Collies, but the way all the parts including the head fit together make a good specimen.

The first paragraph of our standard makes very clear to me what a Collie should be, but it only does so if you have a mental picture gleaned from years of observation.  Years of watching puppies grow, seeing dogs from various lines with the faults and virtues they’re known for, and comparing dogs in your own breeding program and others.  Being confident that you understand what our standard means based on discussions with mentors and personal observation over time is when the standard really comes to life.  Don’t be in a rush to show how much you know.  Steve Field once told me that as he got older and learned more, he stopped writing articles because he realized how much he had to learn.  Steve was obviously much smarter than I since I’m still writing.

If my wife, Phyllis, hadn’t prodded me a bit, I probably would be done writing, too.  Behind every good man, there’s a better woman prodding him along.

Think about it!

Waiting For Spring

Waiting For Spring

As mentioned in my last blog, this winter has been a real trial as it has in much of the country.  The snow has just kept coming and the cold didn’t allow for much melting.  Soon after I moved to Michigan in 1976 we had an awful storm in late January of 1978 that dropped 34 inches at one shot.  Things were tough but I was a lot younger and had three teenage sons at home to help.

This year unlike last year I’ve stayed pretty healthy and Phyllis and I have blown snow and shoveled snow since December.  When you have animals to care for staying inside where it’s warm is not an option.  Besides blowing paths for the dogs and to the bird feeders, there were cats and chickens to take care of in spite of the weather.  Both had heated water bowls and the cats slept on heating pads in a dog crate.

Unfortunately the worst was yet to come.  On February 19 the weight of snow on the pole barn brought it down.  The chickens and cats survived in rooms off to the side, but the two riding mowers weren’t so lucky.  The electricity had to be turned off to prevent fire from many broken wires.  Goodbye lights, heated water bowls and cozy heating pads.  Normally at 9pm I take the dogs out for the last time and go in the pole barn to turn off the lights in the chicken coop.  That night we watched a nature show until 9pm so I was a bit late.  The barn collapsed at 9pm just as I was getting dressed to go outside as usual.

So you see blogs may be scarce for a while as we work a bit harder to take care of our creatures under tough circumstances, but this old dinosaur will give thanks to his God every day for not being in the barn when it came crashing down.  For now at least this dinosaur was not meant to be extinct.

Think about it!

How Fast Can He Go?

How Fast Can He Go?

Ye Olde Dinosaur has been rather quiet lately due to the rigors of winter.  In addition to lots of snow the weather has been so cold the snow can’t melt.  We didn’t see above freezing for about a month.  It’s almost forty today so I’m temporarily out of hibernation. 

Like many of you I watched the Westminster Show last week.  Over the years it’s undergone many changes.  When I started showing the Garden offered regular classes from puppies to specials and most often featured a specialty type judge.  The entries in Collies were always a major and the show was considered the “coming out” show for Eastern Collie puppies.

Most shows back then had all around judges doing the groups and judging many of the breeds with smaller entries.  The popular breeds such as Collies often rated a specialist judge and the entries reflected this.  Nowadays many clubs seem to let the judges be selected based on how many breeds they can handle and if they can also be used on next day’s show thus splitting expenses.

The Garden as usual had dogs I liked and some that I didn’t.  The seven finalists at least let me pick both of the top winners.  Many of the judges were dressed in a manner more appropriate to a Broadway opening or a cocktail party.  One lady was so interested in her appearance and had her nose so far in the air, I’m not sure if she saw the dogs.

One of the other things I noticed was the speed at which most dogs were moved.  They seemed to be flying as fast as their legs could go regardless of breed or function.  The crowd and some judges may like it, but I question whether it’s correct.  Dogs that are moved at top speed always make me wonder what they’re trying to hide.  Different breeds and different dogs within each breed have speeds at which their movement looks best.  Faster is not always better just as coatier is not always better.

Years ago at Hagerstown, MD I showed Jadene’s Breezalong under Phil Marsh who had already given him a major.  We went BB from the classes to finish and on to second in the group under the same judge.  The Group First went to Jane Kay with one of her lovely Dobermans.  After the group she told me that I could have won the Group if I gaited my dog at a more lively pace.  I told her that I moved him at what I considered his best speed.  She reminded me that Phil Marsh was an ex-pro handler and liked to see the dogs really move as he did when he was showing.  We next met Phil Marsh judging the Group at the big Trenton show and I put on the gas with Breezy.  We won that Group and I guess I learned a lesson.  It still would seem apropos to move a dog at his or her best speed, but if you find a judge with certain preferences, you’d better decide what makes sense.

As many of you know I deplore the practice of hand stacking a Collie.  Indeed no matter what breed I judge when they go down and back I want a “natural” stop at the end.  The Collie standard tells us excessive posing is not desirable and my dogs were trained to stand on the four good legs God gave them.

Years ago when I was exhibiting Ch. Gingeor Bellbrooke’s Choice in the classes, I showed under an old all-rounder from Washington, DC.  He was a nice man and very likable, but we lost to a dog I though we should have beaten.  After the show someone told me that sound or not he wanted the dogs to be hand stacked.  Next time I showed under him I pretended I had a Boxer and we went Winners.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

You need to study judges and know their special little idiosyncrasies, but never lose sight of what is correct for our breed.  You may have to give a bit if you want to win, but you shouldn’t be swayed from breeding the right kind of Collies.  Moving faster than your dog can handle is generally a bad idea and hand stacking may appeal to some all-rounders, but not to the true Collie judge.

Judging is an interesting vocation and I like it when we have some variation.  Having all judges who dress alike and handle the ring alike and like exactly the same thing can be boring.  We all want to see the best specimen win particularly when we own it.  If someone else has the winner, then obviously the judge is having a bad day, right?  Over the years I showed under many judges who were having a bad day.  Their efforts generally became more noteworthy as my placements improved.

Think About It!

p.s.  It’s been such a fun winter , the main part of our pole barn collapsed on the 19^th, the next day the refrigerator died and oh yes, we needed a new clothes dryer.  Love those Michigan winters!

Happy New Year?

Happy New Year?

It’s New Year’s Day 2014 and snowing and cold here in Kalamazoo as is usually is at this time of year.  It seems to me such weather may not be good for dinosaurs, but we persevere.

As with most people who write, I sometimes decide to check my facts against the foremost authorities.  In my case this generally happens after the fact because dinosaurs often “walk in where angels fear to tread.”  The authority for things I say about what makes a good Collie is the Collie Standard.  I realize some folks have never read it and many who have still don’t understand it or, even worse, chose to ignore it.  It has been a roadmap for me for over sixty years as a breeder, exhibitor, writer, speaker and judge.

I have complained in the past about Collies with extremely small squinty eyes.  This creates a hard expression which is not pleasing to anyone who loves the Collie.  The standard says quite plainly with regards to this “they are almond-shaped, of medium size, and never properly appear to be large or prominent.  Nowhere do I find a reference to tiny, squinty, or the smaller, the better.

One of my other complaints is one shared by many and a likely reason for the Collie losing popularity with the public.  If you ever watched the movie “Lassie Come Home” you know you were not looking at a show Collie in today’s world.  In spite of that this was a pretty dog and the public loved her (him).  To clarify I again quote the standard.  “The well-fitting, proper textured coat is the crowning glory of the Rough variety of the Collie.”  It further elaborates on proper texture and reminds us that incorrect coats regardless of quantity are penalized.  No mention of the more coat the better.

Another point I’ve noted has to do with properly grooming our dogs for the ring.  Again I’ll quote the standard.  “The forelegs are smooth and well feathered to the back of the pasterns.  The hind legs are smooth below the hock joints.  Any feathering below the hocks is removed for the show ring.”  We obviously have some exhibitors who are either poor groomers or haven’t read the standard or both.  Read it and reread it and learn what it really means.  The Collie Standard represents the best thinking of people who deserve our respect and for the good of the breed we should follow this road map not just do what we like.

On a more personal note, I want to write about our recent loss of a dog named Grace.  The story of how we acquired her from the local animal control shelter was told in Collie Expressions some years ago.  They considered her pretty much unadoptable due to her condition physically and mentally.  She was a forty pound bundle of distrust complete with fleas, ticks and a coat so matted with filth we had to cut much of it off.  With regards to her being unadoptable they had underestimated my wife, Phyllis.

We got Grace right after my knee replacement surgery in April of 2008.  She spent some time in an ex-pen with me on crutches reading a book to keep her company.  She couldn’t be out with the other dogs until she was de-ticked, de-flead, had her shots, and was free of worms.  The other dogs in time helped because she could trust dogs, but not people.

Phyllis reached out for help and found lots of people willing to offer suggestions.  Some worked and some didn’t, but Phyllis doesn’t give up very easily.  One of the real break-thru’s came from Marianne Sullivan who was very patient and had worked with some traumatized dogs herself.  Step by step, inch by inch, it came together.  After months and years we had a dog who was having a good time.  She never trusted strangers and barked at anything she didn’t identify quickly, but she had a great time and loved Phyllis above anything in this world.  As Terhune might have said “she had found her god.”  She might have been a recreational barker, but Phyllis figured out what it was all about much sooner than I did.  Grace barked at nothing until we came outside.  Then she only barked for good reason.  She had found people to trust finally and wanted them with her.  My wife, Phyllis, often tells me she wishes she knew as much about Collies as I do.  My answer to her is very simple.  She knows all she needs to know and has a way with dogs that we all might wish to duplicate.  She doesn’t give up!

As Terhune also often said “People live too long and dogs die too soon.”  Our goofy, recreational barking Grace is gone.  It’s time now to grieve her loss, or is it?  You can imagine that over sixty some years in Collies I’ve had to say goodbye to many dog friends.  You could ask yourself why continue to put yourself thru the hurt of losing them.  I won’t say my answer will work for everyone, but it works for me.  We gave Grace back her life and watcher her thrive as much as a dog with her baggage ever could.  She was well-fed, groomed, loved and had doggy friends who loved her as we did.  So I just think of the good things not the loss.  It relieves the hurt and helps me build on the only advantage of growing old – memories!  

Think about it!

What's Going on Here?

What’s Going on Here?

The Blood-Horse Magazine which is one of my favorites is all about horse racing, breeding and sales trends.  One of the editorial sections is entitled “What’s going on Here?”  It seems apropos as one looks at the dog game to ask the same question.

Dog show entries are down as are registrations.  The AKC in their infinite wisdom has seen fit to license far too many shows just to help pay the bills.  Likewise they have recognized many strange breeds, some of which were created to kill, not for some silly purpose such as herding, hunting or killing vermin.  In further efforts to boost sagging income we have competition for Grand Championships and Reserve Best In Show along with various titles too long and numerous to mention.

Legitimate breeders are being legislated out of business or going broke because of the cost of vet bills, show expenses and the multitude of fancy dog feeds that modern canines seem to require.  Gone are the days of a few simple choices of what to feed and dogs that could thrive on them.  Today’s pampered pooches need to be tested for food allergies, fed small meals lest they bloat, and beware of raw beef bones!  The nasty cows get growth hormones, antibiotics, and all sorts of bad things.

With the exception of absolute puppy mills, most breeders are so fascinated with breeding the exotic show dogs that they forget what John Q Public wants in a dog.  They forget good health and sound temperament and concentrate on show points that in many cases create a dog that is a sad caricature of what a real dog should be.  There are many examples of such thinking, but one of my favorites is the Pekinese.

This breed used to look more like a Tibetan Spaniel than the Pekinese of today.  We have intensified the breathing problems, eyes popping out, and added coat that hides the characteristic lack of soundness.  How would you enjoy taking the Westminster BIS Pekinese for a walk around the neighborhood?  The poor soul would probably suffer a heart attack.

Just so you know I’m not picking on Pekes, the breed I’ve loved for sixty-five years, the Collie, has its own problems.  There are far too many squinty little eyes, excessively long, open coats, and little tiny phony ears that need to be molded in place.  The temperament of choice is one that shows non-stop and never mind if the dog ever relaxes and enjoys being with its owner.

More and more we see people adopting dogs from shelters whether purebred or mongrel in preference to going to a breeder for a puppy.  Though these adoptions are seldom cheap, and often come with lots of baggage, the new owner feels noble in having saved a life.  Now Phyllis and I have “rescued” several dogs and cats as well.  Some of the dogs were collies and some were not, but between vet bills and adoption costs, they weren’t cheap, but they did need help and I make no apologies.

Breeders need to step up and recognize what the puppy buyer in the real world wants.  They need to be responsible and be willing to take back dogs that don’t work out and encourage people to spay and neuter to avoid shelters full of unwanted pets.  If a perspective buyer wants to show or breed they need a clear picture of what’s involved and some help along the way.

Now I’ve been a dog person all my life and still am, but the cat is becoming very popular as a pet and, in many cased, is replacing the dog because of our changing life styles.  The cat doesn’t need to be walked, and does quite well with bowls of food and water and a clean litter box.  They are subject to ailments just like dogs and many can be annoyingly independent, but many people enjoy that trait.

Those of us who believe in Creation can also understand that things don’t stay the same.  Evolution is a process that is natural and occurs in wild creatures without our help as well as in domestic creatures that we control.  The wild creatures evolve in ways that help them better deal with the life they must face.  If we wish to truly be successful as breeders our goal must be to breed animals that can live as companions as well as show dogs.  One of our main goals should be to produce puppies that mature into happy, fun to be alive dogs.

Car companies over the years have evolved into some habits that are quite annoying.  To get item “A” you must purchase a package that includes “B” and “C”.  If we who love purebred dogs pursue that line of thinking and insist that people who want a happy, healthy, pretty pet must accept a lot they don’t want the shelters and cat breeders will be full of smiles and we’ll only have ourselves to blame. 

Think about it!

Stud Dogs and Stuff

Stud Dogs and Stuff

It’s been a busy last two months.  In early Sept. Phyllis and I spent a few days in Lexington, KY,  one of our favorite spots.  We visited horse farms, The Kentucky Horse Park, and Old Friends, where they keep retired racehorses.  In October Phyllis went to visit our daughter, Alexandra and her husband in New York City.  When she got back it was hard to tell who was most tired.  Our Daughter lives on a fifth floor apartment with no elevator and I had to do the chores we normally share for five days.  Now you all know why no blogs for a while.

Steve Field, my mentor and friend, was also the most astute breeder I ever met.  He realized the importance of good bitches and finished several over the years, but he always was in search of his next good young male.  The reasons behind this are fairly evident at least to me.  Showing a good young male is good advertising for your kennel and, if you own his sire and/or dam it’s even better.  A good young male until old enough to hopefully have winning puppies sells himself by his wins and appearance in the ring.  Steve had a powerhouse line of stud dogs starting with Ch. Silver Ho Parader, to Image, to Venture, to Country Squire, to Reflection.  Of Country Squire’s offspring, however, it was not Steve who owned the most prolific.  That honor went to Ch. Two-Jays Hanover Enterprise.

Though I would never compare my dogs or success with Steve Field, there were similarities in what we believed.  Coincidentally the start of my kennel’s success started with a dog closely bred to Steve’s Ch. Silver Ho Parader.  I used to say that Ch. Gingeor Bellbrooke’s Choice could carry the costs of the kennel with his stud fees.  No doubt Steve’s studs did that or better and he also bred and sold some darn good pups.

There are seldom more than a handful of really worthwhile stud dogs in this country.  If you can own such a dog you have a profound impact on the breed.  A bitch at most has one or two litters per year.  A desirable stud can literally have near one hundred.  The price of a good stud’s fee used to be roughly the cost of a top notch show puppy.  Breeding a bitch to a well trained stud takes a lot less effort than raising a puppy, but the return is just as great.  Remember it only works if you have a well bred, top quality male with producing credentials.

Today a lot of breeding is done by artificial insemination.  When I was active the breedings were almost 100% natural and a stud needed to know his job as did his handler.  With a bitch ready to breed and without any obstructions, a good stud would have a tie in five minutes or less.  You had to have a bold eager dog who probably started breeding at 9-10 months on a limited  basis.  For safety the bitch would be muzzled and held until the tie broke at which point I got a sample of sperm to put under the microscope.  The stud dog was disinfected before and after the breeding to prevent any transfer of disease.  The care, feeding, and exercise for a top stud could take a book and many have been written so I’ll not try to compete.

In the dinosaur days of my breeding and showing hardly anyone showed bitches past what it took to get them finished.  The feeling was that their value was in the brood box producing the next generation.  The stress and exposure to disease, worms, and all kinds of goodies just didn’t make sense.  The males were in coat longer and generally took top honors anyhow.

It’s beyond me to figure out if bitches today are better than they were.  I only know that they are shown a lot more and go BOB much more than they used to in years gone by.  The dog show game has taken on many changes over the years.  The people involved as breeders, handlers, and judges have gone from being largely men to being at least equal numbers of women.  Perhaps the ladies understand and can get more out of bitches than men used to years ago.

More bitches may be shown today because less people want to breed than to accumulate ribbons or titles.  Over my years of judging I certainly don’t recall any preference based on sex, color or anything but quality.  Dog shows and breeding dogs have many issues, but preference based on  prejudice has never been included.  In Collies one of the most respected breeders and judges years ago was Dr. J.P. McCain, a black man.  He was one of those few about whom I have never heard a negative remark – ever!

If we as just people, whether dog breeders or not, could just aim for such a reputation as his it would be a much better world.

Think about it!!

Times They Are A Changing

Times They Are A Changing

My thanks to Jerry and Kathy Zehetner who brought us a lovely surprise recently.  It was a CC of A 2013 catalog signed by a number of old friends and some new ones, too.  Almost as good as being there!  Thanks Jerry and Kathy.

The Indians (or Native Americans if you prefer) had a saying “nothing is forever, but the stones.”  You can call it progress or evolution or whatever suits your fancy, but things do change.  The AKC now recognizes breeds of many more kinds than when I was breeding and showing.  It used to be a rather long drawn out process to get a new breed accepted, but now they’re coming out of the woodwork.  A number look like refugees from an animal shelter, but they do add up to more registrations and show entries.  The Grand Champion brainstorm adds up to showing dogs for longer, but I still can’t validate it meaning much.

It seems that the judges approval process is constantly being reviewed and or changed, because people think it’s faulty.  There is no way of getting complete agreement on how it should work.  The quality of judging doesn’t seem to change much no matter how the process goes.  There are judges with a background and “the eye” to do an excellent job and some who could work at it for a lifetime and never have a clue.  All breed clubs pick judges based on how much they can do for their fee and not how good they are.

The world of purebred dogs and dog shows is constantly being manipulated and it is changing.  We constantly see laws cropping up to restrict various aspects of breeding.  Many of these are caused as a reaction to “puppy mill” operations.   When this dinosaur was getting started there were kennels considered “pillars of genetic strength” where one could breed or buy to acquire certain strengths that they had acquired over the years thru careful selective breeding.  Many would now be called “puppy mills!”

Years ago the number of blue merles at any show, specialty or otherwise, was a minor factor.  Smooth Collies were even more rare and the quality of many of those smooths was really questionable.  The first specialty I judged was in California.  My best of breed over 175 Rough Collies was Ch. Black Hawk of Kasan.  Later Svend Jensen put him BB at the National and took me off the hook.  Hawk started a change in Collies which today sees the smooth entry at many shows equal to or surpassing the Roughs.  The quality of Smooths has been steadily improving and it’s no longer a rarity for them to go BB at many specialties including the National.  They are also making inroads on the pet or companion end of things because people don’t want to battle the grooming associated with Roughs.

Expecting things to stay the same is not going to happen, but we need to guard against change for the sake of being different.  It needs to bring an improvement or benefit with it to be worth the effort.  If we want to change the Collie is it to improve the breed or to make it easier for us to breed what we want.  Years ago when the size was raised in the standard it seemed to be OK with most, but the value to the breed was negligible.  The standard calls for no size disqualification, but for penalizing dogs or bitches “that appear” over or undersize.  If we’re breeding dogs that supposedly can herd sheep Border Collie size seems to work just fine.

Over the years this old dinosaur has seen many changes in our breed and in the dog game in general.  Some have been of benefit to the dogs, but unfortunately most have been to benefit the people involved.  Collies used to be a breed largely handled by their owners who were also their breeders.  Today’s top awards, particularly at the highest level, seldom go that route. Could be discouraging if you can’t afford a handler.  We have lots more dog shows and finish many more champions, but I have to question whether we’ve made that title somewhat meaningless.  We seem to be able to “doctor” up the appearance of most dogs so they can finish and then breed them and get more of the same or worse.  Real breeders have become few and far between.

I know sometimes these blogs seem to be written by an old grouch.  It’s one of the blessings of being able to write what you want without being edited.  I applaud the advances made in areas such as veterinary medicine.  Our dogs are healthier and that’s a great benefit to breeders and pet owners alike.  Just don’t let that send you down the road of breeding dogs of limited natural vigor just because you can save every puppy.  It’s ok to save the weak ones, but don’t breed them!

When General Douglas MacArthur (one of my heroes) gave his final address to the cadets at West Point he said, “When I pass away my last thoughts will be of the Corps.”  Let’s try to make our thoughts of the Collie and what’s good for them, not just what fits into our plans for winning dog shows! 

Think about it!