Too Much of a Good (??) Thing

Too Much of a Good (??) Thing

How many dog shows are too many?  After increasing the number of show giving clubs to bolster a sagging income, the AKC now allows clubs to band together to make mega-events.  Our local Apple Blossom Cluster is just one example.  It has now increased to five shows on Thursday thru Monday of Memorial Day weekend. All we need to do is add some evening specialties to make it perfect.  God forbid we worry about the dogs!

Back in the days of the dinosaurs when I showed Collies my dogs never saw more than two shows per weekend.  The rest of the time they got to rest up, play and be quite comfortable at home.  Our record was quite competitive and the dogs didn’t get too stressed.  I worried about showing puppies because I guessed that every day at a show was one when they missed growing.  How selfish!

Besides being a strain on the dogs all these shows are breeding other problems.  Specialty shows are fighting hard to stay alive for many reasons.  Finding an affordable site is becoming tougher and many people find showing under all breed judges to their advantage.  When your only acquaintance with a Collie is to take an open book test and attend a national specialty, strange things can happen.

The point scale has gone to heck in a hand basket for many reasons and you can now have a major with a handful of Collies.  In the old dinosaur days a major was a real feat and to be treasured.  Depending on where you showed it took 20 or so dogs and in California it was ridiculous.  Now we have majors with 7 or 8 dogs in some cases and read ads where dogs finished with “all majors!”  Please get a life!

One of my other favorites and another money-making scheme is the Grand Champion.  It helped me decide I no longer needed to judge these things we now call dog shows.  It seems there are various degrees of Grand Champion.  I recently saw a dog advertised as the only Platinum Grand Chump (oops!) in its breed.  Can Diamond Encrusted Grand Champions be far behind?  Anything to get more dogs shown and shown and shown.

When I started to show seriously, Bill Van Dyck told me one day that Reserve Winners meant Best of the Losers.  He promptly gave me reserve when first I showed under him!  Today in addition to Grand Champs the judge has to worry about select, awards of merit (or lack thereof) and, at larger shows, who makes the cut.  People do advertise making the first, second or ad infinitum cuts at the national.  Please get a life?  It’s only a bloody dog show not a nuclear disarmament treaty. 

I might as well get one more pet peeve off my chest while on the subject of shows.    The pictures I see of Collies (and Shelties) at shows often with professional handlers sometimes cause me much anguish.  When I showed dogs grooming was a thing I prided myself on and worked at constantly.  The grooming of a Collie was an effort to make the animal resemble as closely as possible what the standard describes Yes, I did say “standard”, that oft maligned and apparently seldom read document.

The Collie is to be trimmed for showing in a subtle, but definite manner.  Forgive me if I quote that confusing old standard again.  “The forelegs are smooth and well feathered to the back of the pastern.  “(Not to the floor)”  The hind legs are smooth below the hock joints.  Any feathering below the hocks is removed for the show ring.”  If you don’t know how to groom, please learn particularly if you’re paid for your efforts, oh yes, “excessive posing is undesirable. (Had to get that in)

Collies are herding dogs and should appear as though they can do the job whether or not they ever saw a sheep.  In breeding and grooming we should strive for an animal that looks like they could drive livestock to market not pull them in a blasted wagon!  “Cumbersome appearance” is not desirable.  On what planet should a Collie look like a clumsy clod? 

Think About It!!  Please!!

Welcome Sweet Springtime!

I love Springtime when you can see things springing to life all around you.  Birds come back north and do their courting and nesting.  Flowers and trees blossom and grow their leaves.  Of course, you also get to start mowing, trimming edges, and caring for the strawberries.  Here in Michigan Spring, like Fall, is an unfortunately short season sandwiched between a short summer and a seemingly endless winter.

When I still bred Collies I knew that Spring pups were whelped at the most natural time of year.  They grew the best and were ready to show at the best specialties the following year.  Now I look for substitutes because I still love to watch young things grow and guess what they’ll be like at maturity.  My Miniature Silver Appleyard ducks hatched a brood in April and we’re now watching three breeds of baby chicks grow.  Most will go to new homes, but the ones we like best will stay for a while and provide fresh eggs in numbers that allow us to give most away.

I’ve been asked why a Collie person would talk about breed specific legislation.  The answer is quite simple.  Breed specific issues like puppy mill issues reflect on the whole world of dog breeding.  That means all of us and it gives the public a really bad view of the sport.  One of the nice things about this blog is that I write about what interests me and there are no deadlines or censorship to deal with at all.  You get my opinion on what interest me, and also what I think should be thought over by others.

Phyllis and I don’t spend much time on cruises or vacations because we have too many “critters” to care for and can’t seem to train and keep house and livestock watchers.  In addition to the already mentioned chickens and ducks, we have dogs, cats, cage birds and two horses that we board at a stable.  It does keep you busy but that’s okay because we enjoy them all.

Many of my Collie friends have had interests in other types of animals.  Al Forthal was a real master at breeding and racing Homing Pigeons.  Steve Field bred shorthorn cattle and also kept chickens which would fly into the dog pens to pick up leftover feed.  He told me “the ones who fly out fastest, live the longest.”  It was survival of the fittest (or fastest) for sure.

Glen Twiford of Windcall fame, in addition to fine Collies kept a number of exotic birds and bred them in aviaries at his home.  Glen also had livestock on the family ranches which he helped work before moving to California.  The videos of his Collies working sheep, that he showed at one of the CC of A symposiums was a real pleasure to see. This was Collies doing what they were meant to do before it became a “fashionable” thing at herding trials as part of the dog show game.  The Collies were a plus because they found that Border Collies, while fine herders, were too small to intimidate Coyotes.

One of the tings we sometimes forget to do in the dog game and possibly life in general is to give special people an “attaboy” while they’re still here.  As I get older and many old friends are gone, it becomes more of a reality than ever before.  So my hat’s off to Glen Twiford, who I know has been under the weather a bit lately.  A man of many talents over and above Collies , and a very special person.  He judged at the highest level and won at the highest level and did it all with class.

I’ll keep the blog going in spite of mowing, trimming, gardening, and dog grooming but at my pace and about my interests.  Some topics may raise some eyebrows, but that’s ok.  Those muscles need some work.

Think About It!

Breed Specific Legislation-What Price Breeding?

Breed Specific Legislation – What Price Breeding?

Years ago I had a very good vet when I lived in Sturgis, MI.  He handled large animals as well as dogs and cats and bred and raced Standardbred horses.  Besides being a good vet and a cracker-jack surgeon he knew animals and how they behave.

One day he and I were talking and the subject somehow got to Pit Bulls.  He said he had ten in his practice and nine of them were fine, but the tenth one scared him to death every time it came into the office.  He said that lots of dogs had threatened him in the office or on farm visits but most would stop if you faced them and talked them down, but a Pit Bull that comes for you keeps coming.

Some of us have encountered the same trait in other creatures.  I’ve had roosters that were so territorial that you could have beaten them to death before they stopped being on the attack.  They taste delicious, by the way.  Ganders (male geese) can be the same way, particularly when guarding a nest or young.  This quality in chickens is called “gameness” and the Standard Old English Game Chicken exhibits it to an extraordinary degree.  The ugly sport of cock fighting depends on this characteristic.

My vet also mentioned the fact that Pit Bulls had the equipment to do great damage due to their traits of having very powerful jaw muscles.  Neither he nor I were suggesting that they be banned, but were saying that you needed to understand what you were dealing with and that while most might be ok, some are not.

Now we’ll fast-forward a few years to another problem that came up in Michigan when some people decided to breed wolf-dog hybrids.  They were readily available and I even saw them offered at swap meets.  They became a macho symbol and though some may have walked around on lead and seemed calm, they were anything but trustworthy.  Over time there were a number of attacks on people particularly children and some deaths.  Children are particularly prone to attack by some canine species, because of how they behave.  They squeal, they step on toes, they pull ears, they run and they fall.  All these traits can trigger a problem with some canines, wolf-dogs or otherwise.  Finally the public in general as well as many dog breeders had enough.  Legislation was passed to make owning a wolf-dog hybrid virtually impossible and breeding them against the law. The rights of a few people who wanted to profit thru these creatures were outweighed by the public’s wishes.

When I was breeding Collies it was a standard joke that my dogs (which I loved and loved me) would leave me to greet a child they’d never seen.  This is what we expect of most Collies because it’s what they do.  My dogs were used to visitors to the kennel and seeing many people at dog shows and they just loved kids.  Years later I bought a male puppy who was raised without much exposure to strangers or children.  He was a vocal watchdog and while he never threatened a child, he would avoid my grandchildren I suspect because he didn’t know where they fit into his world. He was by the way, a great dog for his owners, but watchful of all others.

So let’s get back to the Pit Bull question.  The AKC and many dog breeders say breed specific legislation is bad because it’s not the dogs, but the owners who cause the problem.  They further say that people have the right to breed whatever kind of dog they choose.  Such freedoms would seem to be very basic in this “land of the free.”

There are a couple of points that bother me greatly in this matter.  In spite of all the friendly Pit Bulls that may be out there, what to do about the ones that kill people, particularly children.  It’s a fact beyond dispute that this breed is the new macho breed and often falls into bad hands.  They are used for dog fighting just as Old English Game Chickens are used for cockfighting, because they have the tools needed to inflict serious injury on an opponent.

We know that dogs of this breed (and several others, too) can with bad handling become a ticking time bomb just waiting for a reason to explode.  Breeding and handling for gameness and aggression can produce a fearsome four legged killing machine.  How do we stop this from being a danger to the public in general and children in particular?  The public in general is not in tune to AKC and dog breeders on the right to breed dangerous dogs.  If it’s just one in ten or twenty, or one hundred and a child is injured or killed, then the cry goes up to bar them just as the wolf-dog hybrids. 

When I was actively breeding the dogs were well cared for and loved by the whole family.  My boys often went to dog shows with me and they loved it as did the dogs.  At the same time I told people that that kennel of dogs was not on a par with what the boys meant.  Some folks want to treat animals like people and perhaps put them on the same level as their children.  Most people do not I assure you.

Meanwhile, though I hate the idea of legislating away people’s rights as breeders, I know the general public who far outweigh dog people at the polls are getting fed up with the issue. They are getting sick of hearing don’t take away our rights to breed, but we haven’t offered an answer on how to control the problem.

There are a lot of breeds out there as the AKC goes on its merry way recognizing new ones to boost the sagging registrations.  Some are good, but some need “intense socialization” according to dog show announcers.  They’re not for everyone.  With some one hundred and fifty breeds available how do we defend the scary ones and what’s our solution to keep them out of the wrong hands?

When is the last time you heard a child’s death blamed on a Collie, a Setter, a King Charles Spaniel or so many other breeds.  How do you weigh a child’s life against out right to breed what we want when so many other breeds exist?  I’m still waiting to hear an answer that makes any sense.  I know what my answer would be if one of my children or grandchildren was attacked and I’ve been a dog person virtually all my life.

Wolf-hybrids needed to be outlawed and so, in my opinion does the keeping of any creature, wild or domestic that poses a danger to humans.  Most start off as cute babies, but end up as dangerous adults that owners dump to get rid of because no one wants them.  Our land of the free has to have some limits and when your pet, canine or otherwise, is a threat to others, it shouldn’t be allowed to exist because you want it.

Think About It!

What's In A Dog Show?

What’s In A Dog Show?

I remember Noel Denton of Georgia doing a talk on dog shows at a seminar.  He was a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor and described the dog show as seen thru the eyes of a southern novice dog show viewer.  Noel dressed for the part in bib overalls and his talk was hysterical to say the least.

Bill Witherspoon of Ohio had a talk he gave of going to his first show with a piece of baling twine for a lead.  Bill was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met and along with the dog show story had a number of tales to keep you laughing for hours.  His story about gorilla hunting was the best, but won’t appear here because of delicate terminology.

We know in spite of these fun filled episodes, what a dog show is all about.  It’s where I bring my dog(s) and try to win over your dog(s).  If they happen to be dogs we bred it makes things even sweeter, but as long as you own the winner that may suffice.  You can talk about using the show to pick breeding stock and rightfully so, but it’s all about winning to justify the choice.

Our national specialty has just been held and I’m sure you can check the winners on line if you didn’t attend.  For years people have asked me why I don’t attend the national.  The answer is fairly simple.  I’ve never viewed a dog show as a social event.  My reason for attending a dog show has always been to exhibit or judge.  When I ceased to exhibit I had the good fortune to attend many shows, but never as anything, but a judge.

Generally speaking watching a show is a pursuit I find tedious.  Though I enjoy the occasional outstanding dogs not being able to handle them takes something away from the process.  Long ago I found out that second guessing a judge is generally a fool’s occupation because “your hands must verify what your eyes think they see.”  Most judges will agree they often have the class largely placed before they touch a dog, but touching is how we make sure.

Steve Field, who I consider the consummate Collie fancier, breeder, speaker, writer, and judge, only went to dog shows for a reason.  He attended the Collie Club of Nebraska in his own back yard, but he didn’t go to the national once his career was over.  One year the Quarter Century Group wanted to give him the Right Stuff Award.  The requirement was that you had to be present or it wouldn’t happen.  The show was in Oklahoma, I believe, and they had someone to drive Steve there.  He didn’t go because getting the award was not what dog shows were all about. 

Years ago when I was judging sweepstakes enroute to my judge’s license, I used to groom people’s dogs for the regular classes.  It gave me something to do instead of just sitting.

When I was still showing dogs one of my boys generally went along.  They were my “go-furs” and got coffee, watched the ring and told me which class was in so I could time my grooming accordingly.  Timing was very important to my preparation.  Ideally I took a class dog, class bitch, and a special and recruited friends if I had two dogs at the end.

People used to come and talk as I was grooming and it made me very happy.  If they were watching me, they weren’t getting a dog ready and make no mistake:  I came to beat them.  I always said we can socialize at club meetings, at home, or somewhere else, but not at the show.  Shows have a purpose and I stuck to it.  Perhaps I was too focused in those days, but it worked for me.

As I’ve said before this is just my opinion.  If you like socializing at dog shows that’s fine.  It just has never worked for me.  Decide what your priorities are and act accordingly.

Think About It!

Really "Nutty" About Merles ? ?

The first time I saw a blue merle Collie was at a horse show in Bucks County, PA.  With the bravado of a teenage boy, I asked the people if they planned it or if it was an accident.

Interestingly the first champion I finished, which was co-owned with my mother, was the blue Ch. Windsong Dealer's Choice.  He was bred by Ginnie Benderly and a double grandson of Ch. Gaylord's Mr. Scalawag (a CC of A winner) being by Ch. Cherrivale Darn Minute out of a blue Scalawag bitch.  He probably would have finished more quickly, but I was a young, inexperienced dinosaur back then!

At the CC of A at Rochester, NY in 1976 I won with the blue merle, Ch. Gingeor's Indelibly Blue, in what was to be my last dog show weekend.  All this will let you understand that I do not have a prejudice against blue merle Collies.  "Hair" as Ch. Indelibly Blue was known, was the first blue to win the CC of A in years and may have been the first American bred blue to do so.

Blues were a somewhat rare commodity when I got started in Collies.  Mrs. Browning of Tokalon had a line of blues and Mrs. Illch's Bellhaven had success with some as well.  Edith Levine of Glen Knolls and several others showed some blues, but sable and tris were the big winners as a rule and stayed that way for years.

There were blues out west as well.  Glen Twiford, Billy Ashenbrenner, and Hilda Richebauch all showed some blue merles with success.  Hilda offered the Blue Banner Trophy to promote more interest in the color.  During those years, however, the sables and tris were, for the most part, the dogs who won and consequently were used for breeding.  People like Steve Field (Parader) or Fred, Madge, and, later, Oren Kem (Lodestone) did not keep blues at all.  For one thing the public (like the teenage dinosaur) didn't think they looked like Collies and there was also concern in some quarters of the affect of dilute genes on the health of the breed.

For years the Collie standard described whites as being marked with sable or tri, because of the problem of sorting blue marked whites (perfectly sound) from the double-dilute blues which often had hearing and/or vision problems.  The same concern may exist today over sable-merles being bred to other merles (either blue or sable) resulting in serious health issues. Collie rescue groups sometimes get these sad dogs when people no longer wish to put up with the problem.

In the Collie standard under color it plainly states that there is no preference between sable, tri, blue merle or white.  It also says that under white-sable, tri and blue shall be preferred as markings, but doesn't mention any other choices.  So why suddenly do we have a yearning for blue merles?  Why do we want them badly enough to breed to a blind dog (in a breed trying to overcome vision problems) so we can get a whole litter of blues?  Do some folks fail to realize that our goal should be to produce litters of quality starting with good health and good temperament not color-coordinated puppies?

I suspect that blues appeal to show going folks because they need less makeup than sables and tris.  That may be wrong, but we can breed blues without going off the deep end to do it.  Blues from a tri to blue mating can be just as lovely as from any other combination and sound as a rock health wise.  Why would anyone wish to chance sacrificing the well being of part of a litter to get a certain color when our standard says there's no preference?  Perhaps what we really need are more good tricolors who are so useful.  Besides being used in breeding blues the tri can also intensify the color of your sables thus saving on makeup.

If you think I'm on a crusade against blues or out to get someone, guess again.  My days as a breeder ended long ago so I have no puppies to sell or studs to promote.  My need for speaking engagements is long since passed.  Having turned down several good judging assignments recently there's nothing to motivate me there either.

My motivation is really quite simple.  I love the Collie and have for over sixty years.  If I can do anything to benefit this breed and cause people to think carefully about how they approach breeding, showing, or any aspect of the dog game, it's my pleasure to do so.  
                                                                                 
Think About It!

Where Have All The Breeders Gone?           March 14, 2012

Before we decide where these people have gone we must decide what constitutes a breeder.  What sets them apart for all to recognize?  Remember as I said earlier what you get is my opinion and you need not agree, but perhaps it will set you thinking.  It's easy to say you're a breeder just as it's easy to say you're a Christian, or Muslim or Jew or anything but talking the talk doesn't mean you walk the walk.

A breeder must have as a goal trying to make the Collie breed better than it would have been without his/her efforts.  This person will likely show dogs to measure their progress, but the shows are not the most important goal.  I used to tell people that they might be able to buy the best show prospect from a litter, but not the one the breeding was made to produce.  Of course, it helps to recognize a good one, to understand what the Collie standard really means, and to have enough time invested to know what the dogs in a pedigree represent in terms of their likely contributions not just how many champions are in four generations.

Years ago I wrote an article entitled "A Breeder or a Builder?"  The point was that breeders accomplish their goals by knowing how to select and mate Collies to achieve the desired results.  Builders on the other hand resort to some rather artificial aids in the attempt to accomplish what they consider success.  The question to ask yourself is which one will help our breed in the quest for perfection.  Surely you can tape and manipulate puppy ears, color dog's faces orange, and draw masks on them as needed.  Instead of breeding proper coats we can use all kinds of products to make them seem correct.

When I started in Collies (dinosaurs were plentiful) everyone loved the breed and seemed to remember a Collie around when they were kids.  Collies were always in the top ten in registrations and though they surely were helped by Terhune's books and Lassie, they had other endearing characteristics as family dogs.  Today we find Collies have lost their top ten position and some might say that's OK, but people need to look at what is being bred for some answers.  We must decide if a dog that can only be maintained by a professional handler rather than kept as a loved family pet is what Collies are about.  Please pardon me if I digress, but some things are close to my heart and affect my writing.

In Minnesota one year, when scheduled to do the specialty, I attended a seminar the day before.  One of the speakers was a vet who also bred Greyhounds.  After listening to him speak about how to render a bitch most likely to conceive by a series of exams and injections I could stand it no longer.  Waving my arms like a pelican taking flight I finally got his attention and asked how he, as a breeder, could recommend such claptrap.  Your goal as a breeder is for stud dogs who breed normally and controllably, bitches with normal heats who conceive and bear healthy puppies.  Your bitches need ample milk and the ability to care for a litter with reasonable care not abdication of all her responsibilities.  As a real breeder you honor health, good temperament, and being able to perform normal functions as priorities.

Obviously we've covered a lot in this short time and more can be said.  In no way to do I infer that there are no breeders left, but I certainly question some of the methods and motives seen today.  As a breeder your skills and integrity are your most important offerings.  They should never be compromised by the need to fuel your ego by filling up the trophy room.  Records are made to be broken and it will always be so.  The contributions of people like Steve Field will go on forever for "he was a breeder."

For those who weren't around when I was breeding and showing in the 1960's and '70's and are asking "who is this old has-been with so much to say?", I'll just say this - for those years I was competitive at all levels without artificial aids.  Foo-Foo Powder and plain water, lots of elbow grease, and good Collies, well trained who won their share.  It's much better to be a has-been than a never was and if I was young, I know it would work today.  Do things for the Collie not the AKC,  C.C. of A.,  and not for yourself.

Next time unless something else takes over my thinking we'll talk about the "Merle Craze" and associated problems.  The other future topics will include but not be limited to some discussions of "The Standard as I see it," Grooming without "Cheating," and "How Breeders Attack Problems by Breeding Not Building."  Until then dedicate the time and effort needed to deserve the title of "Breeder."

Think about it!

March 9, 2012 Introduction

From the Desk of the Dinosaur - by George Horn

Now I do know that to be a dinosaur you need to be extinct and gone from this earth.  Though I'm not quite into that exact category it has been some time since I did much writing.  Starting in the 1950's and 60's for Ken Martin's Collie Cues, then on to Murray Drucker's Collie Review, a stint as AKC correspondent for the CC of A and finally for some years with Collie Expressions.

In addition it was my pleasure to contribute to the stud dog section of The Complete Collie, even though what was submitted to Isabelle Butler did not subsequently get into the book.  Gayle Kaye and I worked together on the book about Steve Field's Parader Story.  When asked to chair that committee, I made one of the conditions that Gayle be my co-chair and co-editor.  In addition to sharing my admiration for Steve's accomplishments Gayle had access to info. thru the archives and possessed expertise of the computer which was priceless.

So you see I've been at this for some time.  My hope is to share some experiences and opinions with those who love the Collie as I do.  Though it is not my intent to stir up any controversy, there may be things that some will take exception to and not take kindly.  Anything that I may cover will reflect one man's opinion backed by over sixty years in Collies.  My success in Collies will be judged by others, not by myself.  My basis for this endeavor is to share some experiences and perhaps to get folks to think carefully about some things that need to be questioned not just blindly accepted.  I hope it proves to be enjoyable for all of us.

Watch for..."Where Have All The Breeders Gone???"