Six-Pack Abs

In my opinion, as a Judge, there is nearly nothing more satisfying than examining a dog whose muscling is 'hard as a rock.' Truly, nowadays this is a rarity because many dog entries are poorly conditioned having soft and squishy muscling. In fact, this is not localized to a few breeds but runs the gamut of our breeds.

Over the past decade or so, I have had various opportunities for discussions with judges who adjudicated over a respectable number and quality of entries. Surely not in a challenging manner, afterward, we reflected on their awards, and on just one or two of these occasions had a judge ever reflected back on their conclusions and stated that fitness was of primary importance. Just one instance comes to mind. I observed the judging of a large entry of Rhodesian Ridgebacks at a Hound Show and approximately a month or so later I had the opportunity to chat with the judge while we both happened to be attending another event. I asked them why they awarded their Winners and without hesitation, the judge stated that the dog’s muscling fitness was essential and became the deciding factor. I had already suspected this was the case because I am a keen observer of judges’ hands. As I’ve written in other articles, communication is a lost art form in our sport because our late ‘great’ sportsmen and women communicated everything they were thinking simply with their hands as they examined dogs. This particular judge did, in fact, go back and feel all his class winners hindquarters before awarding Winners. The judge stated it was one of the few hounds that day who had toned, firm muscling!

Although I have been judging for less than a decade, I still can count only a few times where I had the great pleasure of finding a well-muscled, robust dog to examine. When I do, I congratulated the exhibitor, with glee. When I am not judging and either spectating or exhibiting, I will ask if I can ‘go over a dog’ that interests me and nine times out of ten, the dog will have weak muscle tone. I should define muscle tone as this is instrumental to the conversation. Muscle tone (residual muscle tension) is best described by any of the online dictionaries as the normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle. This continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles or its resistance is felt when the dog is standing for examination. Of course, not all muscles are tangible. Therefore, I speak only to these that are palpable during the examination. Excellent toned muscle and abundance thereof are inextricable with fitness. Yes, heart and lungs are other important factors in exercise performance, but I am only speaking to muscle right now.

It is extremely disappointing, as well as sad, that otherwise ‘typey’ specimens are not in good, physical condition. Conceivably many fanciers and exhibitors are not aware that if a dog is unfit, the condition will affect a dog’s movement. In some breeds, such as the hunting sighthounds, e.g., Irish Wolfhound, if a pup has not developed muscling by a certain age in puppyhood, most likely the hound will have a poor quality of muscling throughout its adult life. This quality of state is predicated first on genetic properties -- the expression of genes directing the cellular development of the muscling -- and constructive metabolism overall influencing quality skeletal muscling. If the potential for muscling exists, then we need to look at the quality and length of play, romping, turning and twisting in big, secure areas which will affect and tone these bands of tissue.

A genetically favored dog with superior skeletal muscling that has not received the supervised, safe exercise his breed demands, will suffer. His capacity and ability to excel in work, skills or performance will flag. Muscling is responsible for contracting and producing movement in the body as well as maintaining the position of the body parts. If the dog has inferior quality and toning of muscle, it will affect the dog's energy level, his efforts, and his motion, all of which are obvious.

Muscling in today’s show dogs seem to be overlooked and undervalued as aesthetics is usually always front and center. Often there are commonly neglected muscle groups in breeds who require specified areas to have exceptional muscling. To illustrate, my sighthound breed’s neck muscling is critical in the kill and take down. I am quite proud to say that nearly every wolfhound that I have bred has possessed ‘hard as a rock’ neck muscles. Once you feel such power, you will not forget it. Despite this easily explored and excellent trait, to the best of my recollection over my nearly 32 years, I can count on one hand the number of judges who recognized and commented on this significant feature on my hounds.

Today, there remain a few conscientious, knowledgeable breeders who will grade their dogs on skeletal muscling. Indeed, I knew a former breeder who had a lovely hound epitomizing breed type, but the breeder would not use this bitch in their breeding program because the hound possessed genetically inferior quality muscling. Rather than perpetuate this considerable weakness and its limitations, the breeder abstained from using the dog in their otherwise noteworthy breeding program. To be sure, these were actions of a role model.

This edited article was first published on the Canine Chronicle website. Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=15225

What Are They Looking For?

Have you recently heard this question ringside at a dog show? Perhaps even you have asked this a hundred times over. More often than not, it is posed rhetorically as a reflection or criticism of your observation. I am referencing the deliberations and decisions made by the AKC dog show judge. We all at one time or another have stood ringside and observed judges that have left us shaking our heads and muttering, “I must have missed something!” Even more frustrating is attending our breed specialties, and we are left altogether bewildered. Here, in particular, we ask, “What are they looking for?” The judges explanation is not forthcoming unless you attend a dinner where the judge says a few words about their selections, or you may read it later in the club’s publication.

At the all-breed level, we can surely solve this issue while improving upon the adjudication process. In recent times, there have been debates about adopting a few practices of the FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE (FCI). For instance, we now offer a Reserve Best in Show, and although I do not see a restructuring of the classes I believe we can and should adopt one other highly useful and logical method. We need to embrace the custom of judge’s grading and critiquing each dog entry. This is not just an enlightening tool for exhibitors, but a valuable tool for judges and AKC Field Representatives, as well. The latter I touch on further down. For those who are unfamiliar with FCI Regulations for Show Judges,

 “The candidate has to produce a consequent critique with the good and less good points of the outline and movement of the dogs and he must pay attention to the health and welfare of the dog.”

From there, the FCI qualifications given by the judges must correspond to the following definitions:

EXCELLENT may only be awarded to a dog which comes very close to the ideal standard of the breed, which is presented in excellent condition, displays a harmonious, well-balanced temperament, is of high class and has excellent posture. Its superior characteristics in respect of its breed permit that minor imperfections can be ignored; it must however have the typical features of its sex.
VERY GOOD may only be awarded to a dog that possesses the typical features of its breed, which has well-balanced proportions and is in correct condition. A few minor faults may be tolerated. This award can only be granted to a dog that shows class.
GOOD is to be awarded to a dog that possesses the main features of its breed. The good points should outweigh the faults so that the dog can be considered a good representative of its breed.
SUFFICIENT should be awarded to a dog which corresponds adequately to its breed, without possessing the generally accepted characteristics or whose physical condition leaves a lot to be desired.
DISQUALIFIED must be awarded to a dog which does not correspond to the type required by the breed standard; which shows a behaviour clearly not in line with its standard or which behaves aggressively; which has testicular abnormalities; which has a jaw anomaly; which shows a colour or coat structure that is not according to the breed standard or clearly shows signs of albinism. This qualification shall also be awarded to dogs that correspond so little to a single feature of the breed that their health is threatened. It should furthermore be awarded to dogs that show disqualifying faults in regard to the breed standard. The reason the dog was rated DISQUALIFIED has to be stated in the judge’s report.

Mandatory judging critiques have numerous advantages with the most obvious being that exhibitors receive an immediate explanation and grade. Moreover, the process can strengthen the overall quality of the judges pool. When a judge has to grade and explain ‘why they did what they did,’ it may accentuate incompetence. Frankly, most judges prefer not to look like a fool. Similarly, this process benefits both Judges and AKC Executive Field Representatives, as well. The critique is a written opinion and rating that serves as a tool to enforce an AKC Field Rep’s evaluation on a permit or regular status judge. Likewise, it can act as validation for a judge’s quality of selection when confronted and challenged by an AKC Field Representative, hopefully preventing an unfair, unfavorable evaluation.

Moreover, this elaborating and grading process may give some judges pause in accepting breed assignments that they may be both unqualified and uncertain in. If they are compelled to expand on the virtues or merits of a breed, they may hesitate to accept the assignment in the first place. This sure sounds better than the current system at all-breed shows where we have judges hastily, all in a cloak of secrecy, flick a finger or wave their hand at placements and awards, then rush to fill out their judging book. The satin ribbons and rosettes are handed out and finito!, the judge is on to the next breed...

This article was first published in a previous version on the Canine Chronicle website. Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=12388

Parent Club Shared Services

During a conversation with a ‘plumb tuckered out’ national specialty show chairperson, they announced they were planning to resign their position after their upcoming national specialty. I was, of course, sympathetic having served in such capacity twice before, and I began discussing an idea I had that is best described as ‘enhanced parent club shared services.’ More specifically, what I have in mind are related breed’s hosting their national specialties together while sharing services.

Sure, today several breeds are holding their regional specialties together with advertised “combined specialties.” However, after review, these events appear many times to be a discombobulation of various, unrelated breeds. Likewise, many of our low-entry and ‘rare’ breeds often hold their national specialty in conjunction with a well-known, all-breed circuit. This often results in building major championship points, but at the end of the day, there is nothing ‘special” about the shows themselves. These often are merely another all-breed dog show experience. Like-kind group breeds such as English and American Foxhounds, Harriers, Black & Tan’s, Treeing Walkers, Redbones, etcetera, along with the many other low-entry breeds, all deserve an annual national specialty festival. The same can be said for many of our field hunting breeds, some of whose numbers are very low. The proposed, combined national specialties place these rare breeds in the limelight, and not just as supported entries on yet another all-breed circuit.

Yes, today we have something similar, such as Montgomery County, a Terrier presentation, or the Hound Classic in Southern California composed of independent regional specialties. However, these shows are in the same location, year-after-year and do not wander around the country, allowing for diversified competition. They present more of a micro-habitat for those breeds in attendance. These events are not parent club annual celebrations with dinners and breed related contests like earth dog tests or lure coursing trials or offer educational seminars over the course of the week. Another significant difference is that these well-known classics and others like them culminate in a Best in Show finale which is not the intent of the consolidation of parent club national specialties and their shared services. There is no best in group competition.

Currently, Parent Club’s organize independent national specialties across the country all the while incurring excessive costs for just up to two hundred entries. We should consider consolidating some of these national specialties, holding them simultaneously resulting in shared costs. Therefore, expenses decrease for each parent club. All-breed circuits have been doing a similar version for years now banding together to increase entries while reducing equipment and site costs. First, clearly savings is in labor. The previously mentioned show chairwoman and others like them work tirelessly to organize such events, sometimes with limited assistance from other fanciers. Let us consider several related breeds, e.g., the Scottish Deerhound, Irish Wolfhound, Greyhound, and Borzoi. These breeds' recent show statistics reveal a combined total of 682 entries in competition at their past national specialties. The 2015 Irish Wolfhound national specialty had 169 entries; the 2015 Scottish Deerhound national specialty had 126 entries; the 2015 Borzoi national specialty had 331 entries, and the Greyhound national specialty (as far as I can ascertain) had 56 entries. Please note when I first published this article, in 2012, the combined numbers were 513 entries for all these breeds. We expect fluctuation as shown by the figures, but that makes my case even stronger. Fluctuation is the curse of an accounting ledger and proper planning. 

Nonetheless, each parent club had to spend good money and expend labor independently of one another with four show chairpersons performing the same work for limited and unprofitable entries. Each show chairperson negotiated, scheduled, and supervised the same responsibilities for their independent parent club national specialty. A combination of shared services would be advantageous for these national organizations to consolidate and divvy up the work between themselves. One breed show chair may oversee hotel(s) accommodations, another focuses on RV parking and vendors, yet another agrees to manage equipment and tent rentals, and so on. It is a huge, labor saver.

The second readily perceived benefit of such alliances is economics. Shared services do what the expression infers -- it shares services but also costs. Let’s face reality, everything is getting more expensive. Mainly, equipment rentals, hotels, banquet, and club meeting room rentals, as well as associated professional fees. None of these are decreasing. The cost savings can be compelling. Individual tents, indoor hall and equipment rentals can consume a large portion of the pie compared to group rentals and shared costs of such. Today, hotel discounts may depend on the number of club member room bookings or the organization does not receive discounts in other negotiable areas. Similarly, club dinners hosted at headquarter hotels typically require a set number of people to pre-register or the club has to ‘eat the difference.’ Today, attendance at club dinner or banquet events has markedly decreased. The disinterest and subsequent poor attendance at such dinners may be due to boredom, stale company, or often mediocre to the poor quality of food such as cheap buffets or convention quality meals. On the other hand, think about if we were to join ranks using the example of the previously mentioned sighthound breeds. We could enjoy a combined dinner event for everyone, instead of four separate club meals in different locations of the country with various hotel requirements. Think about the interest this dinner event would create with the exciting prospect of meeting new people from other breeds. I envisage the opportunity for good debates, discussions on the various breeds’ health and anatomy issues, or the ability to obtain valuable advice from a different breed fancier with another perspective.

Another benefit, picture the increase of miscellaneous items available for auction or raffles and the number of other people who may be interested. Think about the added number of show vendors if there was related, multi-breed, multi-day national specialty events for them to sell their wares. Case in point, I purchased nearly $300 of handmade, high-quality leather goods from a vendor while attending the multi-day Scottish Deerhound National Specialty even though we do not have Deerhounds but a related breed, Irish Wolfhounds. Today, we do see occasional fanciers spectating at other breed specialty’s, but this number pales in comparison to how many people would be in attendance if we united our like-kind breed national specialties. Also, consider the number of foreign visitors and aspiring judges who may attend for the collaboration of related breed national specialties promoted as the event of the year! Granted that there are breeds that are too populous to combine their national specialty events with another breed. They are very fortunate not to have such a dilemma of roughly 200 entries, sometimes less, at their national specialty. For the rest of us, there should be an extraordinary appeal for combined breed related, multi-day national specialties, in particular for the accounting ledgers.

This edited article first appeared on The Canine Chronicle website in a previous version. Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=10222

Foreign Judges

If you read my previous blog posts you will already know that I attended the Westminster Kennel Club 2016 dog show. My take-away on both the breed judging's massive crowds at The Piers in NYC, and the lack of women's restroom facilities has been discussed earlier. I will mention that if I entertain another visit to WKC, I will not attend the breed judging programs, instead just the Group Judging events on both evenings. I'd much rather while away my day enjoying NYC's numerous attractions instead of re-experiencing the awful crowds during breed judging. Being on your feet, as one cannot find a seat, from 8:30AM until 4:00PM and walking the long distances in and between the Piers is exhausting, especially when you cannot view the competitions.  

However, when I posted from the show I did not go into detail about a glaring issue that was maddening to watch. During breed judging it was plain to see that a foreign judge had limited knowledge to proficiently judge dogs in accordance with AKC procedure. Not only did he demonstrate inadequate procedural knowledge but was painfully slow -- as evidenced by the show breed video and my iPhone video. I can confirm that this particular judge took, on average, nearly 3.5 to 4 minutes per dog -- and it was agonizing. All told, he took almost 26 minutes to adjudicate over 7 entries. From my observation point, he most likely would not have been able to complete his assignment if not for the capable hands of his Ring Steward who had to repeatedly explain how to proceed with the awards. This did NOT just occur in one but several of his breed assignments.

The foreign judge required constant consultation with the Steward regarding the awards process -- he would proceed to award Best of Breed and then wring his hands until the Ring Steward counseled him again as to what to do next. Minutes would fly by as the exhibitors were standing, waiting, while he discussed "who knows what" before he would walk over and declare another decision.

He appeared to be quite a jovial chap but that does not excuse his lack of proficiency in adjudicating under the AKC Dog Judging system. Surely, all foreign judges MUST understand and be fully versed in how to judge under our procedures, at the very least, they need to make an effort to do so. It was evident during this foreign judge's breed assignments that this was not the case and it was and remains maddening. If you are going to accept such a privileged assignment then you better know how to do it, properly.

And what is it with Judges, including this international judge, asking exhibitors the age of the dogs?! Are they not aware that under AKC rules, a judge is not permitted to ask the exhibitor such a question? If age is a factor in their decision making process then they must have the steward provide them with this information -- NOT the exhibitor. As any AKC Field Representative will inform you- an exhibitor might lie so you do not base any decisions on what the exhibitor tells you. The question I ask is WHY are foreign judges not versed in this and other procedures? If you are going to accept an assignment in a foreign country you MUST learn that country's federation judging system. You don't just wing it. I find it disrespectful and I know for certain, that if and when I do receive an assignment overseas, I will do everything in my power to make certain I am studied in their adjudication processes.

Westminster Kennel Club Commentary

Without a doubt, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is a premier event. From the purple floor covering throughout the two buildings, a.k.a the piers, where all of the breed judging occurs to the instant pop-up cafés with high top tables and scattered lounging chairs in Pier 92 --let us not forget to mention the complementary shuttles from the gold star hotels -- it is a big event. 

But, my goodness, it is unbearably crowded. It comes as a big disappointment when the crowds surrounding several of the breed judging rings are at least 20 people deep in front of you and you cannot see anything, whatsoever. To aid spectating, thankfully they did have a few bleachers in scattered areas of Pier 92, not in Pier 94 as there was no available room to install such. In front of these bleachers they had set up complementary TV monitors to watch the live action, the downside was that they did not cordon off the area in front of the monitors so that a heavy stream of traffic walked in between the bleachers and the TV monitor, effectively blocking your vision. 

In many areas, as I described to several friends via telephone, you had to wait on line to be able to walk through to get to the other side. I am not exaggerating, you had to wait online to be able to walk through funneled areas because one side of the ring is blocked off, and reasonably so because the breed ring entrances need to be kept open for the exhibitors and their dogs. However, one exhibitor commented, or rather complained last evening at group judging that they saw countless people in these restricted areas who certainly did not have the appropriate wristband on standing there observing the judging. Indeed, there were sentries positioned at the entrances to prevent people from entering these restricted areas as I myself saw many people turned away, but unfortunately in some areas I assume the security was more lax.  

Should I even discuss the infuriating lines for the women's restrooms? Yes, I need to because it is exasperating not only for me that still to this day, even with the female gender dominating the percentage of exhibitors at AKC dog sporting events that there is no attention being paid to this major issue. In Pier 94, on two different locations throughout the day I had waited online with approximately 22 women in front of me. Only to discover when we finally entered the bathroom that there was an additional line feeding into the same women's bathroom stalls from the opposite side! To make matters worse,  adjacent to ring three there were two restrooms that were out of order and obviously could not be used. I have to wonder if these bathrooms were closed purposefully due to their proximity to ring three as they were just steps away from the seating area. Or, maybe I am wrong and they were both unluckily indisposed for use, however that would lead me to a very reasonable question. Was there every effort made to get these bathrooms back into working condition, especially in light of the fact that a major event was going to be held there in this pier? Have they ever been in working order, and if not, then why haven't they? Again I return to the gender issue pointing out, again, that the majority of exhibitors are female. I firmly believe that we are consistently disregarded and it simply is unacceptable.

Do I sound like I am getting worked up about this? Well, yes, especially when you have to go to the ladies room and you will have to wait approximately 20 minutes online. Why are we forced to have to plan our bathroom forays throughout the day? Why are we forced to have to strategically plan our fluid intake? It doesn't make sense and it is just wrong. 

Packed Westminster shuttles

Westminster Now

The crowds are in abundance for the 2016 Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Shuttle buses are packed tight as even the later shuttles are full up. Rings are very crowded, in most cases 10-15 people deep. Chilly weather with snow in the forecast for today.   

 Ring 5 Pier 94

Ring 5 Bloodhounds

Re-posting my blog post "Happy Holidays & Westminster Musings"

As I was performing chores this morning my thoughts turned to the upcoming Westminster Kennel Club dog show on February 15-16, 2016. For me, it is disappointing that another year has rolled past without what I feel are necessary changes to the membership roles of the Westminster Kennel Club. If you are unaware, this venerable club is Men Only -- NO WOMEN ALLOWED AS MEMBERS. Yes, you read that correctly. This dog club is not the only holdover in the United States, but certainly is one of the most prestigious. Here is an excerpt from my article I penned in March 2015, titled "Musings".

This august organization’s ranks do not include women. Females are not allowed to be members, yet this kennel club maintains that it is “America’s Dog Show.” How ironic that this revered institution claims such lofty, patriotic status while simultaneously denying our sports gender majority — women — membership in their club. Consider these profound statistics from the 2002 Delegates Meeting Minutes revealing that 75 percent of AKC breeders and 72 percent of puppy buyers are women. Long ago, the American Kennel Club established that breeders, ergo women, are the backbone of the sport, but women are not welcome as members of several kennel clubs — only their hard earned cash...

That the majority of AKC dog show participants are of the female gender and are, still, taking a backseat role in the governance of this sport in the year 2016 should be alarming. That in the year of 2016, while humanity is pursuing deep space exploration and a colonization of Mars in the advent of a successful, historic landing of reusable rockets back on Earth, the Westminster Kennel Club still clings to its antediluvian traditions of banning women from membership. 

How can such an affront towards women, our sport’s nucleus group, continue unchallenged and be celebrated annually? WKC professes to crown “America’s Dog” just so long as women who comprise 50.8 percent of the American population “know their place”. The Westminster Kennel Club is a gilded cage enclosing their male membership within the comfortable confines of antiquated conventions. Purposefully an Old Boys Club, they celebrate and preserve their gender bias practices. Insofar as women, well, women are only necessary and welcome when the club needs exhibitor participation.   

While we celebrate the holidays and give thanks for all that we have in our lives -- ponder on this contradiction and dismissal of women's equality and our rights. Consider that if women took a stand against such blatant gender discrimination, we can make an enormous difference. We did so with the women's suffrage movement resulting in the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution ratification in 1920 guaranteeing all American women the right to vote. In the sport of purebred dogs, it is unjust that women have been continuously denied administerial duties of the American Kennel Club Board of Directors. An excerpt from my investigative article "Women in Leadership Roles at the AKC" follows:

Let us consider first the little known historic, consequential and stunning fact that AKC did not admit women to serve in the Delegate body until the 1970s. On March 12, 1974, a motion to allow women to serve as delegates was seconded and carried by a vote of 180 to 7.

Furthermore, that the administrative part of the AKC has just one female President over its entire lifespan since its formation in 1884, and to date, there has never been a female Chairwoman of the Board of Directors is simply a travesty of equality. 

Before I sign off from this post, I also would like to remind people of what had transpired during the 2015 WKC dog show. Another excerpt from my "Musings" article. 

Yet, unfairness or bias was not limited to the organization’s constituency roll. A particular incident took place during breed judging that reinforces the dog show community’s prevailing, cynical state of mind. No wonder fanciers are disgusted, throwing their hands up in exasperation. Actions that did not merely give an impression of but created a dense cloud of impropriety.

The ethical transgression transpired when a Judge presided over a Best of Breed assignment which included a dog this judge very recently used at stud. The litter sired by this entry reportedly was whelped already. Destroying any sense of impartiality, the judge proceeded to award this stud dog Best of Breed over the competition and also awarded Select Dog to yet another dog they previously used at stud as well! The basis of sportsmanlike competition is to adjudicate with neutrality, imputing ethics, honesty, and common sense. Instead, this incident exposes a lack of common decency and an illiteracy for the Rules, Policies and Guidelines for dog show judges.

This is an unambiguous example of Conflict of Interest. AKC dog show judges are responsible for situations such as this that require the judge to excuse an exhibitor for causes even known only to them and they were obligated to recognize that a conflict of interest existed. As for the exhibitor(s) who intentionally exhibited their stud dog under this particular judge? The responsibility for entering dogs that are ineligible or create a conflict of interest lies with the exhibitors, so says the AKC Rules & Policies Handbook for Conformation Judges. In fact, the Handbook states that awards won may be canceled, and exhibitors with repeat violations may receive reprimands or fines. Further exacerbating the situation, this competition was video streamed live throughout the world! A great many breed fanciers watched in disgust as the judging unraveled. It most likely has not nor perhaps ever will dawn on the judge that they would have gained a great deal of respect, if, in fact, they had exercised their right and performed their duty by excusing the violating exhibitors from the show ring. However, it is too late as now their repute is justifiably and seriously challenged.

As for the other exhibitor(s) competing in the show ring, in my opinion, they should have filed a complaint without delay with the AKC Executive Field Representative who was visibly in attendance. Until our sport participants slip their binds of submissiveness and possess the courage of one's convictions, violator's such as these described will continue to bully, unhindered. Here are links to both of my articles discussed above.

Women in Leadership Roles at AKC      Musings

Westminster Kennel Club 2016

Well, I am off to the 2016 Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) Dog show. I will also, hopefully, be taking photographs and I will post from there, especially if anything of tremendous interest occurs. Keep in mind that last year indeed those of us watching both live via video and ringside viewed actions that unfortunately were much more than an appearance of impropriety. A breed judge engaged in, and an exhibitor(s) purposely participated in what was an obvious example of Conflict of Interest during breed judging.

This brings me to the suggestion if you have not re-read it, that my earlier December 2015 blog post, "Happy Holidays and Westminster Kennel Club" should be reviewed again. It details the significant arguments surrounding today's WKC with a parallel issue, a dog show judge & exhibitors behavior involving their apparent subversion of neutrality and principles. I am re-posting it for this annual event.

Shock Absorbers

That is right, our dogs have shock absorbers just like vehicles and without these, the dog is in for a very bumpy ride. So where are these awesome parts on our dogs? I speak of the pasterns, of course.

All dogs have two sets of pasterns. Those familiar with anatomy may believe there are only the front pasterns, technically metacarpals, however, they would be mistaken. The rear pasterns a.k.a., the calcaneal process is the point of hock downward to the tarsal bones of the foot.

Briefly, the pasterns are the dogs’ shock absorbers for the body. Bear in mind that the forequarters are responsible for supporting more than half of the dog’s weight. Simply, no matter the gait, the heel of the dog’s lead foot will hit the ground first. This heel must consume the shock of impact. For these reasons, dogs’ feet have padded heels for softening impacts, these being the communal and digital pads. They also have a series of tendons and leverages in the feet and lower legs for pushing off. The latter is key in the rear pasterns, a.k.a. hocks.

So, why such a big deal over pasterns? The analogy of a vehicle is a good one to make because shock absorbers perform by offering resistance to movement. In other words, as the car drives over bumps, the shock absorbers compress as they absorb the forces and energy pressing down on them from the up and down movement taking place above. So it is the same with our dogs.

The metacarpal pasterns are energy absorbing mechanisms, and the rear pasterns or hocks are propellers. To propel, the muscles of the lower leg (below the stifle) connect to the tendons of the calcaneal process which in turn, when drawn, snap the rear pastern, foot, and digits, mobilizing the hindquarters. This is one aspect of the launching stage of the dog’s trunk and weight in a forward motion. The length of the calcaneal process will directly affect the function of the dog. A long calcaneal process is usually related to fast action, quick bursts of speed and is called ‘high in the hock.’ A shorter calcaneal process is typical of staying power for a dog who is not inclined to sprint, who has stamina. This is referred to as a low hock, or often described as ‘well let down in the hock.’ The functional difference is that a high hock, conducive to speed, produces and expends lots of energy while theoretically, a lower hock or shorter calcaneal process does not.

However, the devil is in the details as to the form of both sets of pasterns, and their form can make or break a working dog. When I use the term ‘working’, understand it is not exclusive to describing one of AKC’s Group classifications. The term references any dog that hunts, pulls, herds, retrieves, flushes and so forth.

The form of the pasterns is important because we have a variety of breeds and blueprints that require varying degrees of pastern shape. A galloping sighthound, such as the wolfhound, is to have well let down hocks with moderate length and slope of the front pastern. The length of the front metacarpal is important because if too long, the front feet flip up to avoid tripping. Compare this to the German Shepherd who has longer and more angled pasterns. Observing the footfall of the shepherd’s front feet depicts them nearly landing on the flattened pastern. The Shepherd’s ideal metacarpal is long, springy with a 25-degree angle from the vertical. The spring emanates from the length of the strong pastern because if it were short, the pastern would be stiff. An improperly formed pastern can affect this trotting dog’s considerable outreach as it is a part of his gait’s transmission. Typically, the longer the pastern, the longer the shape of the front foot. As an example, in a flying trot, you do not want to land on small, terrier feet.

On the other hand, the formation of a scent hound’s pastern, such as the beagle, is short and straight. This form aids the miniature foxhound while he casts for scent, back and forth with his nose forever to the ground. The American Foxhound has only very slightly, sloping metacarpals and if he were to have a pastern similar to the shepherd, he would be described as ‘down in the pastern.’ A serious fault for this breed’s architecture.

If you do not have good shock absorbers, the dogs will most likely be bouncing, up and down. This movement is typically faulty. Be careful not to misconstrue bouncing with springy which is elastic movement, resilient, limber with milliseconds of floating. This perceived floating is partly due to the pastern’s springing back. They rebound under the forces from above as they absorb the energy and then release it.

So, Mother Nature’s created the metacarpals and calcaneal processes for ‘damping’ movement. Resistance takes away energy and where there is energy, there is heat. I look forward to discussing energy, its release and how this translates to our dogs in another article.

This article first appeared on the Canine Chronicle website, Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=48199

Stern Warning!

The stern or tail is not inconsequential. If that were the case, Mother Nature certainly made an engineering error in nearly every warm-blooded mammal and in most of her cold-blooded, footed creatures. From the lowest lizard to the otters, nearly all have tails.

It is human nature to meddle or interfere with the natural order illustrated by the number of various dog breeds. Today’s AKC recognized breeds have approximately 47 tail types which is predictable because humans have a habit of making things complicated. The ultimate irony though is that our forebears already modified Mother Nature’s work and put pen to paper to dictate the breeds’ ideal physical traits and characteristics, yet we frequently see today’s fanciers ignoring these demands. In many cases, today’s breeders are changing the rules again with a casual disregard for the tail, as if the stern had no purpose. If that were the case, then why did nature initially design it?

In nature, the stern serves a myriad of purposes and our dogs are not exempted. Tails communicate, provide equilibrium and stability, and even serve as tools. For example, suitable for their place of origin, a number of our Northern Spitz breeds use the tail to protect and warm their face when curled in a ball. The tail on whippets or greyhounds is used as a counter balance at high speeds in tight turns, as both breeds natural quarry was hare which does not flee in straight lines. Further, the stern is highly valued in our scenthounds for locating in the brush but also communicates or is a beacon to the Master of Hounds. Apart from the designated versatile hunters, gun dogs’ tails such as the retriever class, is not docked and is often used as a rudder in rough waters. Breeds vital to fishermen, such as the Flat-Coated Retriever or Chesapeake Bay Retriever, have tails that are important appendages. The Chesapeake tail has a necessary, strong insertion or set-on. It should be fairly heavy at this base as he worked in icy, rough ocean waters launching himself off boats, which requires a strong, powerful stern. A dog without such or even docked may not fare well. Hence, one of the reasons why it is unacceptable for a Chesapeake to have a curled tail. Contemplate the Newfoundland’s function as a utilitarian dog, but excels in water and must have a broad and strong tail insertion with no kinks in the vertebrae.  

Moving beyond tail function is the form of tails, that which is frequently modified or overlooked by neophytes and breeders. The tail is the final portion of the spine and is composed of coccygeal vertebrae, in which the tail root attaches to the sacral region of the croup. This set-on varies with breed blueprints. A dog whose tail is low-set is typical of a gently rounded croup such as the Bearded Collie. Conversely, an Australian Terrier’s tail is set on high and whose sacral vertebrae, or croup is seemingly a firm, level line from the withers to the set-on.

We see dogs who are supposed to have a low tail set, yet have an unattractive, gay tail. This is not an insignificant adaptation to a breed blueprint and the fault lies in the slope of the pelvic girdle. Imagine using a negative angle (an angle that goes clockwise) to measure the slope of the iliac wing and ischial tuberosity, which the amount of turn on the angle is too slight. It may measure a negative 15 degrees instead of a desired 30 degrees. As such the tail root is too high, inducing tail carriage above the horizontal line of the back and is not only unattractive but is an engineering defect. A common cause is a faulty, shorter pelvis, along with the flatter pelvic slope creating a ‘chopped off behind’ appearance. The latter being the ischial tuberosity and upper thigh muscles do not extend beyond the set-on of the tail, the dog lacks a ‘shelf.’ This all has consequences in gait and power.

I will continue the discussion and merits of the tail to the hindquarters in an upcoming segment. For now, hopefully, you understand and appreciate the tail’s importance as breeders should pay heed to this stern warning.

This article first appeared on the Canine Chronicle website. Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=36592

Cautionary Post on Manufacturer Cedar Creek Pet Dog Beds

Heads up on Cedar Creek pet dog beds. If you have one of their newest rectangular beds manufactured on or after April 2015, please take extra precaution using them with a dog that chews. We discovered, wholly by accident, that our dog bed contained large, loose plastic bags that were partially torn. In my considered opinion, these are most definitely a hazard for any dog that may chew through or get into the dog bed. See the photos below.

When we originally purchased the bed, we were quite annoyed and dismayed that we had to remove fill from the inner mattress as it was entirely overfilled. There was so much foam material inside that none of our hounds would sleep on it! Still, even after removing a large amount of the aggravating, loose, static-ridden, shredded foam, we observed that none of our hounds would use this bed. It remained too overstuffed. As it were, this bed was in an infrequently used room off the central part of our home, so, finally we got around to pulling out more filling. Suffice to say, we were dreading it having long procrastinated doing so because it is a big hassle. The shredded foam is incredibly annoying, as there is so much of it and it sticks to any and everything. You cannot sweep it but only vacuum it up. See my photo of the contractor garbage bag that I filled with excess foam fill. You could fill up many of these bags with how much they shoved into this one dog bed.

It was only today we made the disturbing discovery. Buried in all the fragmented foam were thin, partially torn plastic bags. I am not talking about gallon-size sturdy kitchen storage bags that we use for food. Instead, I am describing very thin, lightweight, elastic plastic that could prove to be disastrous if ingested. I even said to my husband as we were pulling the plastic out of the interior cavity that the bed would be dangerous for a chewing breed such as a Labrador.

As a disclaimer, we have purchased at least eight rectangular beds over the past nine or so years from Cedar Creek pet. This bed was their newest product and unlike the others we have. Although Cedar Creek's customer service leaves a lot to be desired for, with unresponsiveness being my biggest complaint, they previously made pretty decent beds. This discovery, however, needs to be shared for the sake of some dogs life. 

Shredded foam plastic surprise

Shredded plastic

contractor bag filled with foam

plastic found in bed filling

large amounts of plastic

Posterior Judgement

Fanciers and Judges make a great to-do over the dog’s hindquarters but can they recognize a sound, strong pelvic girdle, and pelvic limb construction? Although breed blueprints revolve around specialization demanding differing angles to include descriptive terms, such as sweep of stifle or great length from hip to hock, unimpaired hindquarters construction is the same, no matter the breed.

First, we start with the basic technicalities to differentiate the thoracic from the pelvic limbs. The pelvic limbs are fused and joined to the vertebral column, whereas the thoracic limbs are connected by muscle and ligaments, that is to say not bone to bone. The pelvic limbs are heavily muscled, longer and more angular than the thoracic limbs as they are responsible for propulsion. Pelvic limb movements surge or throw body weight forward, and the thoracic limbs catch and support this weight no matter what the stride and gait. Please note that stride and gait are not the same but more on this in another essay. One more fundamental is that the arrangement of the pelvis girdle and rump muscles enables the simultaneous extension of the hip, stifle, and hock. I will delve into regional musculature in another series.

Moving on, the strength of the pelvic girdle and limbs, length, and angularity of its bones and quality of muscling, in almost all cases, ultimately determines successful running speed. Because the dog species are carnivores, Mother Nature constructed him for running. Unmistakably, humans have intervened in evolution creating significant variations in the species and their functions. Some breeds have substantially limited running abilities, i.e., today’s Bulldog, Pekingese. Despite this, even the Bulldog’s hind end should be strong and muscular.

Many fanciers have taken a great liberty, far too much, redesigning the hindlimbs. Frequently we see improperly angled croups, plus over and under angulated hindquarters. Evaluating ‘hindquarter angulation’ involves two methods, yet often fanciers confuse the two or sometimes do not consider the other. The first is determining the angle of the pelvis from the horizontal called the pelvic slope. To determine pelvic slope we estimate a straight line from the forward part or crest of the ilium, to and through the ischial tuberosity. This line intersects with the horizon, therefore, creating a determinable angle. The most significant point is that this slope of the pelvic girdle can directly affect the progression and ability of the hindquarters forward-drive and thrust, otherwise known as propulsion. A steeply angled pelvis usually will restrict back reach locomotion.

The second process of determining hindquarter angulation is estimating the stifle joint angle. This angle is created and defined by two lines of intersection. One line is running centerline through the femur that is articulating from the hip bone to the stifle (knee joint), and the other line runs centerline through the tibia bone which articulates with and is connected to both the stifle and the tarsal joint (hock). Notably, the tibia is one of the major weight-bearing bones in the hindquarters. This method is standard in ascertaining symmetry between the forequarter and hindquarter angulation establishing if a dog is balanced.

The average, desirable stifle joint angulation for functioning dogs is 90-110 degrees. Simplifying the term ‘overangulated’ is when the angles of the femur and or the tibia themselves are set too sloping. An angle created by the femur through the axis of the tibia that is narrow, or more closed, is less than 90 degrees and is over angulated. In contrast, open angles might be more than 110 degrees where such a straightened femur and tibia do not generate rear power and drive. Invariably, in numerous breeds we see an unequal length of bones in the hindlimbs where the tibia bone is both too long and steeply sloped. This faulty engineering and redesign draws out the distal (lower) tibia, tarsal joint and rear feet, placing them dramatically behind the ‘seat bones,’ thus, greatly weakening the rear assembly’s capacity, thrust, and strength.

I repeatedly emphasize that the angle of the pelvis is very influential. Since the pelvic angle affects the width of the stifle and first thigh, a faulty slope limits the area for muscle attachment, and the dog has narrow thigh muscles. This is because many important muscles and tendons originate, are housed and attached on the femur, one of the strongest and longest bones in the rear. Also, consider the width of the second thigh and the lack of resulting in the phrase, weak second thighs. Second thighs are located below the knee joint and should be broad on almost all dogs. Weak and narrow thigh muscles do not show promise of speed or power.

If the dog has a weak or poorly constructed posterior, the dog is handicapped. Many breeders are careless, often planning matings based on conformation show wins without much thought to the pesky details of anatomy. Some casually believe that trends, such as over angulated hindquarters, results in accumulating more ‘wins’ then so be it, if that is what they have to do to win. In these cases, I reasonably question their posterior judgment.

Here, I have included photos depicting ideal canine hindquarters for an Irish Wolfhound. This bitch's hindquarters exemplifies strength, power, all in moderation at different ages. Neither over or under angulated, her pelvic angle along with her 30-degree croup angle regulating her tail set, are all ideal. For larger images, please click on the photo to enlarge in a lightbox. I included the 'going-away' photo illustrating exemplary rear hindquarter construction with sound, strong hocks. In this photo, the student or fancier can draw an imaginary line beginning at the center of the communal pads of the feet, up through the metatarsus and its hock joint, towards the hip socket and further, up through the crest of the ilium or hip bone. Another is of Jane's perfect, yes perfect, side gait. Rarely seen in Irish Wolfhounds, Jane's side gait was flawless, notice her rear feet comportment drive as she glides effortlessly.

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Rosslare's Jane of Ballyhara 6 months of age

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Rosslare's Jane of Ballyhara going away

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Rosslare's Jane of Ballyhara gaiting 12 months. Credit Steve Surfman

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Rosslare's Jane of Ballyhara 3 years

This article in a previous version first appeared on the Canine Chronicle website.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=38978

Fill & Station

Yes, pun intended, I mean filling station. My play on words is tailor-made for this discussion about dogs, particularly on their fill and station. Many hobbyists who are unfamiliar with the phrase ‘station’ are shaking their heads but then so is the notion of filling this station — filling what with what?

In ‘dog speak’ it may help to know the origination of many expressions and anatomy parts we use in describing dogs was appropriated from horsemen. The native language such as station, withers, forehand, fetlocks, pole, ‘standing over a lot of ground’ are just a common few. Suffice to know that we just did not make this stuff up but the terminology has been in use for centuries.

Let us begin with the station a dog must have before we discuss fill. A station is a description we apply to a dog’s depth of chest or specifically, the measurement of the distance from the top of withers to the elbow as compared to the length of the dog’s leg. The distance determines if a dog is of a low or high station. Rather, if this distance largely eclipses the length of leg, we consider the dog ‘of low station.' A length of leg that is decidedly longer than the distance from withers to elbow is ‘of high station.' Ideal examples ‘of high station’ are sighthounds such as the Ibizan Hound and Saluki. Both have an appreciable length of leg with a shorter distance from their withers to the elbow. The Ibizan is both lithe and racy with deer-like elegance, and the Saluki brings down Gazelle, the fastest of the antelope family. In fact, the galloping sighthounds are to have extraordinarily, long legs and will have, for the most part, longer ratios of leg length as compared to their station. As a result, in general, they are appropriately of high station.  

Low-station dogs such as the Basset, Dachshund and Dandie Dinmont — the latter being that he is uniquely low in the shoulder — are evident. However, one should also consider the Bull Terrier and the Pug as other fitting examples. Occasionally, a long-serving judge may comment that a dog has either excellent or poor station. To illustrate, if a judge faults a Rottweiler with a shelly appearance, then the judge has noted the dog is lacking the appropriate depth or also width of chest. The correct station for this working cart and drover breed should be 50 percent of the height of the dog. If the dog is too leggy or high in station, then he lacks the necessary chest depth and width measurements for the desired exercise and work tolerances.

One breed standard which refers to a decidedly filled chest or accentuated ‘spread’ is the Bulldog. Indeed, his spread is so valued and emphasized that when viewing the dog head-on, the rear legs are visible from the front. That is to say, if one were low enough to have an unobstructed view! At least, beginning in January 2014, the AKC announced that the Bulldog and Basset Hound judging will take place on the ramp in breed, group and best in show competitions so this may be of advantage to judges.

Function and performance demand quantity and quality fill in a dog’s station. Since fill is not just skeletal parts, particularly the prosternum and sternum (breastbone), but the muscling that protects the vital organs. The fill, more specifically the musculature collection which is both plentiful and very productive, surrounds the bow or keel. I speak of the serratus ventralis muscle, which is the sling and stabilizer of the thorax, the deltoids and brachial muscles, the descending and transverse pectorals, which advance the forelegs and draws the limbs in towards the axis or center line of the body, along with the deep pectoral muscle which stabilizes the forelegs. When a dog lacks the proper breed constitution, such as not being well-let-down in the chest — shallow — or he is narrow — lacking chest width and rib spring — the result is limited fill space. Often these faults also unmask concave or hollow chests, but all affect heart and lung capacity as well as gait. Pinched fronts are a definite fault as stated in the Giant or Miniature Schnauzer standards. As a result of this unique front, there is inadequate fill and a shallow brisket.

For the hunting breeds who dispatch game, poorly designed stations lacking fill put the hound at significant risk. Consider the Irish Wolfhound’s chest was also developed for impact and is part of the dog’s mass. It is another tool provided to injure the prey, but importantly, it is imperative to prevent injury to the wolfhound’s frontal portion of his skeletal structure. In this giant breed, a prominent but never excessive prosternum with a well-spread chest and quality fill operate as a shock absorber. All of this indubitably affects gait which is for another discussion on another day.

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This bitch, for me, exemplifies Fill & Station. Even here as a yearling, she exudes being of 'high station.' She has quantity and quality fill in her station, but also her musculature collection is both plentiful and very productive surrounding her bow or keel. The lack of these essentials is, unfortunately, evident in many of today's Irish Wolfhound specimens. An important criterion that I seek out when judging is the fill between the breastbone. I know from first-hand experience that this is sadly lacking in too many Irish Wolfhounds. Disguised by combing hair forward, too many judges are deceived by ingenious grooming, and these judges do not see nor uncover concave or hollow chests with their examinations.

This article was first published on the Canine Chronicle website found at:

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=40327

Feet Don't Fail Me Now!

One cannot overstate the importance of the feet on our many breeds. I am discussing the shapes, phalanges, claws along with the digital and communal pads. A future essay will discuss the pasterns’ carpal and metacarpal bones.

Virtually all the Dog Group breeds were propagated for and should be functional. Although today many argue that nearly every one of the breeds no longer fulfill their purpose, the truth is that for basic soundness of even our companions and family dogs, the feet factor into sustaining their quality of life. Similar to a person whose feet have fallen arches, plantar fasciitis or muscle strains that cause constant discomfort and pain.

There are three standard shapes of canine feet. The round (cat-compact) foot has well-arched, tightly bunched or close-cupped toes with the center toes just marginally longer than the outside and inner toes. The oval (spoon-shaped) foot, is similar to the round, except the center toes are slightly longer than described in the round foot, which leaves an oval shaped impression. The hare (rabbit) foot has noticeably longer center toes, all of which are less arched and appears almost elongated. There are then a number of variations on these basic shapes.

Here some may ask what’s the big deal -- why do breed authorities and genuinely knowledgable judges complain about feet on our dogs? The foot is foundational. To illustrate, the Alaskan Malamute breed standard demands a snowshoe foot, which is a specialized variation of the oval foot being well-knit, well-arched, but with strong webbing between the toes. If a Malamute has splayed feet, he is going nowhere fast in his place of origin. Splayed feet are flawed, with toes spread far apart and can occur in any shape of the foot. This may be tolerable in a warmer climate, but in time may prove painful as the Malamute’s weight bears down on the defective foot having spread, far apart toes, typically accompanied by thin, flat pads offering inadequate support.  

Consider the various gundog foot shapes, such as the Irish Water Spaniel whose benchmark calls for a large, round, somewhat spreading foot, but never splayed. This separation of toes aids the dog in his primary function, which the breed blueprint clearly defines for working in all types of shooting and who is particularly suited to waterfowling in difficult, marshy terrain. His feet are to have pronounced webbing for propelling him through rough waters, mudflats and tidal marshes with ease. Liken this foot to our using webbed flippers in the water. The greater webbed area propels and the stronger we swim forward. Providing that this dog has the obligatory, moderately spread toes and very strong webbing creating a resourceful surface area, he can navigate through mudflats with ease. An Irish Water Spaniel with short, stubby, well-knitted toes is like poking a stick into the mud.

What of the hunting hounds? Pack scenthound and sighthound feet are highly rated. Consider the American Foxhound, whose feet are of tremendous importance rating 15 points on a scale of 20. His are shaped like a fox foot, which is a variation neither hare nor a cat foot, and is known as semi-hare. This shape levels the playing field so the foxhound hunts with the same shaped digits as his quarry to match speed. He has well-arched toes, close and compact, with thick, tough, pads indurated by use. If you are running a foxhound with a paper or splayed foot, the hound will be useless in the hunt as he will quickly break down.

Lastly, we discuss digital pads and the communal pad. Pads provide protection in the simplest form. They are our shoes. The dog or hound will hurt if he has thin, poorly cushioned toe pads. Experiment by walking barefoot for a long period on various surfaces. Some breeds pride themselves on the size and padding of the feet, e.g., Afghan Hounds. They are to have ridiculously large front feet with harmonious, large, thick pads. As an Afghan Hound judge, I confirm the pads of the front feet because the Afghan Hound hunts in both hot, open, hard packed and steep, craggy terrain. If his pads were small and thin, with a weak fibrous tissue then the hound will break down. In his country of origin, breaking down means the hound most likely will die because speed and hunting skills along with proliferating these traits are necessary for his ongoing value to the tribes.

Keep all these factors in mind when you evaluate your litters because feet are mostly unforgivable. 

This article first appeared on the Canine Chronicle website: Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=35454

I Hate to Say I Told You So, But...

On the CBS Evening News last evening, they ran an investigative report on The Wounded Warrior Project -- a well-known charity. See the report here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wounded-warrior-project-investigation-veterans-charity-accused-of-no-follow-up/

What does this have to do with dogs? At first glance nothing, however, when you look a little closer, it is closely connected to my earlier blog post just before the holidays, titled, "Year-End Tidings". In it, I discussed the financial health of some charities soliciting our hard-earned donations and their ratings by the investigative watchdog group Charity Navigator. Parenthetically, I notified and have been cautioning my family and friends on the Wounded Warrior Project charity ratings for years now. I caught on to them a long time ago.

Philanthropic organizations abound throughout our country, with many having stellar reputations touting excellent accounting & transparency records. Sadly, many charities are preying on the American people's goodwill. Goodwill to the tune of $358 billion dollars donated by Americans in 2014, according to Charity Navigator. These non-profit organizations financial performance ratings are weak, even deplorable as they line both their personal and corporate coffers with our money. Additionally, many of them have even been posted to the Donors Advisory List on the Charity Navigator website that includes several animal welfare groups!

In a few cases, some charities have even been shut down by a state attorney, see my earlier blog post involving the animal rescue group in upstate New York who had celebrity sponsors -- Year-End Tidings. Swindling and bilking money from well-intentioned donors is despicable and is happening all around us. Be careful with your money -- research and review before donating. If your charity does not appear on the comprehensive list it does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe -- you just need to do your homework. Read this information found on Charity Navigator to assist you in your investigations.

“Evaluating Charities Not Currently Rated by Charity Navigator”

— http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=847#.Vqj5u_GBM4o

In short, don't throw up your hands and say the heck with it -- they seem to be reputable because they keep running numerous TV ads, and they have celebrity sponsors too! Do not assume they are reputable because they have a prominent celebrity spokesman. Be careful out there -- especially when it involves animals.

Head Cases

Depending on the breed, one of the most interesting features is their headpiece. Headpieces glorify the breed by way of expression and shape. The expression is achieved by appearance, rather a dog’s look, set, shape and color of their eyes, set-on of the ear, the planes of the backskull and muzzle or foreface.  

So many details go into sculpting a marvelous head. Many breeds are considered ‘head breeds’ insofar as the head is synonymous with the breed’s essence. The headpiece instantly identifies the breed, and fanciers place enormous emphasis on this. Frankly, a glorious headpiece can sway many a judge’s opinions viewing it as the pièce de résistance.  

What makes a great head case is the handiwork of several essential elements. First is the formation and length of the bones of the skull. Often fanciers mistakenly refer to the skull as the top of the head encasing the brain. In truth, the skull is the composition of ALL the bony components of a dog’s head, including the upper and lower jaws. In lay terms, there are three scientific classifications for all breeds' skulls derived from the base width and skull length. Their names are not easily pronounced nor relevant for discussion save for one, but their overall shapes are fundamental. The first is a narrow skull base with great length, i.e., Borzoi. Next, the medium base width and proportions of length, i.e., the majority of breeds. The third is most commonly known because of its exaggerations — the brachycephalic skull — which has a broad base and short skull length, i.e., Bulldog.

From here, all due to selective breeding, there is a variety of skull sizes and shapes which set the breeds apart from one another. First, breed blueprints detail the overall headpiece and breakdown its components with specifics. Almost all detail the form of the skull with the most commonly cited being apple shaped, arched, broad, coarse, cone or conical, domed, flat, oval, rounded, and wedge-shaped. Prominent examples of some of these types are the American Cocker Spaniel with a top domed skull and the cone-shaped ideally represented by the Dachshund. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel demonstrates a top rounded skull, and the Bull Terrier is an example of an oval or egg-shaped skull. Two last good examples are the Collie with a wedge-shaped skull and the Wire Fox Terrier whose brick shaped skull is long and rectangular; its width of the muzzle (foreface) and backskull are nearly the same. Other virtuous and faulty head descriptions include blocky, Fox-like, tapering or squared-off.

The other elements of an ideal head are often the first things noticed. Since I have already discussed eyes and ears with their features — see “The Eyes Have It” and “Hear No Evil” — I will not go into detail about them. I will add though that a poor eye can ruin an otherwise correct headpiece. The eyes are windows to the soul and convey disposition, warmth or otherwise. Eyes and ears are intrinsic for both strong points and beauty, or flaws and ugliness. I recommend both articles for reference.

An ugly or atypical headpiece on an otherwise correct frame, in my opinion, is regrettable. “I just can’t get past that head” is a phrase I often use in my breed, especially if I had to look at it every day. I was schooled by old-timers, those who cherished shape and finesse. For clarification, my origins are in a breed designed in curves; the greyhound-like, Irish Wolfhound whose expression is poignant with a faraway gaze.

Almost all heads are an identifier of a breed. So much so, that if the head were masked or removed from the photo, a dog hobbyist might have a difficult time distinguishing the breed. Conversely, with good reason many learned fanciers say that the working, hunting breeds do not ‘run on their heads.’

This argument is not entirely valid because the skull composes all the head bones, including the jaws. Backskull measurements can determine the width of jaws and formation of dentition. Soft mouths are important in the gun dog breeds and narrow mandibles, or lower jaws are detrimental for hunters, not to mention that it produces wry and parrot mouths. Some believe that faulting a dog’s headpiece, effectively removing him from awards, is likened to ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater.’ However, in some of our ‘head breeds,’ this is not true, as the headpiece is the quintessence of the breed.

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Ballyhara Cinneide (Kennedy)

Cinneide -- pronounced 'Kennedy' -- epitomizes the ideal wolfhound's headpiece, take particular notice of her level planes. Here I quote the Irish Wolfhound breed standard:

“Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation
between the eyes. Skull, not too broad. Muzzle, long and moderately pointed. Ears, small
and Greyhound-like in carriage.”

This article was first published in an abbreviated version at Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=46838

Hear No Evil

‘Hear no evil’ is just one of the principles of a popular ancient proverb. Our canine friends believe they hear nothing but good things from us mostly due to their unwavering dedication and unconditional love for us. Naturally, we are truly fortunate to have such extraordinary carnivores as our closest allies and guardians. As part of their services, their ears perform one of the most important deeds as they hear at higher frequencies than humans. The frequency range of dog hearing is approximately 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz as compared to humans which is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, with Hz being the symbol for Hertz, a unit of frequency. Because of this, their alertness has been extremely useful safeguarding us over the millennia.

Save for cropped breeds, most fanciers don’t pay too much attention to their dog’s ears, regarding them as obvious features to have but inessential in the overall genesis of a very good dog. Though this may reflect a modicum of reality for some breeds, for instance, a few sighthounds, where some repeat the phrase parrot-fashion “he does not run on his ears,” indeed there are breeds who contradict this accepted tenet.

There are approximately 36 assorted ear types from our breed blueprints. Due to space limitations, I will not list them, but summarize their shapes such as drop, pendulous and pendant; erect and pricked; or semi-drop, semi-pricked. On occasion, we see judges have a more forgiving attitude towards the not perfect but somewhat flawed ear type on a specimen. I do not disagree with this compromise providing that this does not occur in breeds where the set-on or shape is important to the breed’s function or essence. We must always keep in mind that ear mobility and shape are factors in how well a dog can hear. An ideal illustration is the Ibizan Hound whose rhomboid ears are highly mobile and at times point forward, sideways, or backward according to mood or if hunting.

The placement of the ear lobe or junction to the head is called the set-on or ear set. The shape, leather, carriage and size of ear lobes vary according to breeds, but ears are all the same in composition. The set-on can have an influence on performance, to illustrate, low set ears on a retriever breed may take on water while the dog is swimming to retrieve game. Waterlogged ears are much more prone to infections and are dysfunctional.  

Some breeds, such as the Bloodhound and Basset scenthounds, have uniquely shaped ears vital to their ability and competence. Their ears are tools, not only for hearing but are integral parts of the greater apparatus, the head. Heads with loose, pliable, thin skin with deep folds around the face, dewlap, and neck to aid in capturing, holding scent. The length of the ear, even the leather is crafted to cup the scent, while framing his head as it is lowered towards the ground when he is canvassing, constantly puzzling out a line.

Other sorts of ears are considered highlights as they exert great influence on breed essence. Ear carriage on Whippets and Greyhounds, with distinctive rosed ears folded tightly back against the neck, are contributive to expression. Another excellent illustration is the Papillon, with beautiful, butterfly-like ears, either erect or drop, large with rounded tips, and set on the sides and toward the back of the head. The erect type is carried obliquely and move like the spread wings of a butterfly which is a breed trademark though it is acceptable for the drop variety, a wholly drooping ear called Phalene, to be shown in conformation. There are many AKC recognized breeds which are considered ‘head breeds’ with ear lobe attachment, shape and even mobility influential in their expressions. This includes the Great Dane whose head description is 26 percent of the breed standard or the Neapolitan Mastiff whose head is exceptionally distinctive segregating him from the other Mastiff varieties.

Interestingly, Canidae, which are carnivorous mammals that include dogs, wolves, jackals, and foxes, originally all had prick ears. Due to man’s intervention of selective mating and hybridization, the ears dropped on dogs and later domestic foxes species. In Chapter One of On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin states

“Not one of our domestic animals can be named which has not in some country drooping ears; and the view which has been suggested that the drooping is due to disuse of the muscles of the ear, from the animals being seldom much alarmed, seems probable”.

This a feature not found in any wild animal except the elephant, states scientist and author Lyudmila N. Trut, Early Canid Domestication, The Farm-Fox Experiment. Mostly, foxes ears became floppy when breeding for tamability and in the process, the researchers observed striking changes in physiology, morphology, and behavior which mirrors the changes known in other domestic animals. Consequently, mankind’s intervention has again proven to be exacting and influential with Trut summarizing,

“Patterns of changes observed in domesticated animals resulted from genetic changes that occurred in the course of selection.”

One message of the proverb “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, do no evil” is associated with good mind, speech, and action. Another gist of the proverb is turning a blind eye — one that is so very à propos while discussing purebred dog conformation events.

This article was first published at The Canine Chronicle website: Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=39239

He Got a Good Ribbing!

What exactly is the judge feeling for when examining my dog’s chest? Unfortunately, for many exhibitors brave enough to inquire, they do not receive a thorough nor even sufficient explanation. Thus, the reason remains a mystery to many exhibitors. Well, here I will unveil the mystery.

A truly, well-skilled judge is carefully feeling for the curvature or flatness of the ribcage, from the vertebral column down to the sternum. Ribbing is the narrow, elongated bones emanating from the vertebral column that forms the chest wall. The Carnivora, more specifically "Dog", has thirteen ribs on each side, nine sternal and four asternal which connect with the thirteen thoracic vertebrae of the spinal column. The first nine ribs are called ‘true ribs’, the next three -- the tenth, eleventh and twelfth ribs -- are called ‘false ribs’, and the last, the thirteenth rib is known as the ‘floating rib.’ To uncomplicate this, in lay terms the ‘true ribs’ are attached to the sternum, the ‘false ribs’ are hinged at the bottom of the ninth rib and therefore not directly connected to the sternum, and the floating rib -- the shortest rib -- is not connected to the sternum below. Hence, the term ‘floating.’

The shape or contours of these ribs can vary in the many different breeds. To illustrate, well-rounded ribs, also known as barrel-shaped, are well-arched from the upper attachment of the thoracic vertebrae (outwards) to the bottom. An example of this would be the Bulldog, which calls for well-rounded and very deep ribs and is often requested in the stocky ‘Bully’ breeds. The Mastiff also necessitates ribs that are well-rounded with the ‘false ribs’ deep and well set back. A contrasting ribbing shape, such as the Ibizan Hound, requires smooth and only slightly sprung ribs.

The most common rib formation is the egg-shaped or oval-shaped chest which is typical for the majority of breeds. To illustrate, the Briard demands an egg-shaped form, with moderately curved ribs and is not too rounded like the previous working breeds. A formation rarely requested are flat ribs that require less curvature. At the cross section, they lay flat and are not rounded or bowed while radiating downwards. This is illustrated by the Bearded Collie whose ribs, though well sprung from the spine but are flat at the sides or cross sections. This is also true of the Bedlington, who has a deep chest but is indeed flat as the ribs approach the sternum. However, flat ribs are not to be confused with the state of being 'slab-sided' which is narrow throughout. The slab-sided ribcage has very little to no arch, roundness or spring from the spinal column and is flat everywhere, beginning with the articulation from the vertebral and continuing downwards. Both slab-sidedness and flat ribs are atypical for almost all breeds but especially is a serious fault, or antithesis for the endurance hunting dogs such as Beagles, Foxhounds and Wolfhounds. The reason is that rib curvature determines the shape of the chest and influences chest capacity that in turn governs maximum lung and heart development. The flatter the spring or arch of the ribs, the less development of the heart and lungs and tolerance to exercise. Here, I should mention a particular defect in ribbing that is described in the Basset Hound standard, ‘flanged ribs.’ This is a condition in which the ribs are deformed at the bottom, creating a ridge or rim sticking out and it is thought to be common with flat-sidedness. Both of which are faults on a Bassett.

There are other key factors in understanding proper ribbing, besides the shape discussed above. Though all are essential to one another as well as being extremely important. Width often describes chest breadth, as seen in the American Staffordshire Terrier whose blueprint calls for a deep, broad chest. When one looks at the dog from the front, you can observe the well-rounded shape and great breadth of chest. This is the opposite of what you’d find on the Borzoi, who has a rather narrow breadth of chest, although very deep brisket to the elbows, which is depth.

This leads to the next key - depth of chest. The usually desired depth of ribs and chest is to the point of the elbow. In turn, if the chest does reach the point of the elbow it is known as shallow.

The last key factor is the length of the rib cage which frequently is referred to as well-ribbed back, ribbed-up well, well-ribbed up, or long-ribbed back. All of these describe rib cages that are carried or extend well back on the trunk, especially correlating to the length of loin or coupling. Loin or coupling are the powerhouse on a sighthound and their length and depth influences speed and agility. Length of ribbing is crucial for the hunting breeds as it relates to chest capacity that was already discussed. In short, it is vital for superior stamina.

‘Well-developed’ is the compilation of all three key factors including the rib or chest shape. The opposite of being well-developed is known as as being 'shelly' or 'shell-like' referring to a shallow, narrow body, and insufficient chest measurements. For example, the Rottweiler and Standard Schnauzer standards mention these deficiencies as faults.

Summing up, the chest and ribbing are vital as armor for the critical internal organs, i.e. heart, lungs. This armor is key to the development of the organs and in turn, is inextricably linked to endurance and performance. Although we use the expression in jest about ourselves, ‘he got a good ribbing’, in dogs, it is of primary importance.

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Ballyhara Rumor

In the photo above, Ballyhara Rumor illustrates ideal symmetry in length of trunk to ribs to loin, as well as depth to elbows and spring of ribs. A seasoned breeder hardly needs to place their hands on the hound to feel that the hound is well-ribbed up and has a powerful arched loin. Notably, also, observe that the thorax is perfectly angled, neither steep nor tubular leaving ample room for the diaphragm's contractions.

This article in ist original version first appeared on the Canine Chronicle website. Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=37508

The Eyes Have It!

Eye color. Much is made of it, but a majority of fanciers have no idea why their breed’s eye color is defined in the breed standard. Other than the cosmetics being the dark eye is considered by most as attractive, many breeders just “do as they are told.”

The majority of breed standards demand dark eyes. In truth, for the greater number of our working, hunting breeds, this dark eye color is at odds with nature. There is no greater cultivator, progenitor than Mother Nature. Repeatedly throughout her creations, we find wild animals with light color eyes, predator, and prey alike. Why then do we humans selectively breed and require dark eyes for the better part of our dogs? For basic aesthetic purposes as humans selected for the more pleasant dark eye than the ‘bird of prey’ color, this being amber to yellow. Such light iris color most likely was unattractive but unsettling to our breed forebears, as it was reminiscent of a predator instead of a companion.

Some claim that dark irises permit our dogs to function more efficiently than light, yellow or amber. This is incompatible with Mother Nature. Consider the Lion, an unrivaled predator whose environment is Sub-Saharan Africa, with its savannas and grasslands. This predator’s eye color is golden or amber whose vision is comparable to a human during the daylight hours but has exceptional night-vision. Both the Cheetah and the Tiger irises are golden or yellow with the Cheetah having poor night vision and the Tiger’s approximately six times better than humans. Note that the development level of night-vision depends on the number of the photoreceptor (rod cells) the animal has and has nothing to do with the color of the iris. Further, wildlife biologists state that fur markings under these predators’ eyes aid their hunting vision, indicating whether they are nocturnal, crepuscular or daylight hunters. What of the Wolf, the only ancestor of the canine species whose eye color is typically gold, some amber or light brown and is often seen in hues of yellow, even gray? Even the Eagle, a bird of prey has a pale yellow iris. All these examples have not been disadvantaged with light eyes while performing their function in order to survive.

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Ballyhara Kate, 9 months

Selective breeding and aesthetics have had a great influence on the modern breeds. The long-standing preference for dark eyes may already have had lasting repercussions. Such breeding may cause severe selective pressure -- selecting for dark eyes may carry a recessive mutant gene from the trait, along with a dominant normal gene that masked its effects. Such heterozygous dogs would be hidden carriers, unaffected by the mutation themselves but capable of passing it on to later generations. This should be especially concerning amongst breeds with limited genetic diversity.  

Insofar as eye setting, frequently referred to as eye shape, incorrect settings can have injurious implications for many breeds. For example, the ideal Rhodesian Ridgeback eye is round, however never protruding as this can be damaging to the hound in his place of origin. The African Bush consists of Buffalo Thorn, Sickle Bush, and other sharp, thorny fauna which could injure and blind a dog whose eyes are bulging. The English Setter eye set specifies that the eye is neither deep set or protruding with the lids tightly fitted so as not to expose the haw. The Golden Retriever eye shape is to be medium-large with close-fitting rims as well and imparts a kind and pleasant demeanor. On the latter, slanting, narrow, triangular, squinty eyes detract from, moreover modify this expression causing the dog to appear mean. As in the Ridgeback, a prominent eye in both English Setters and Golden Retrievers can easily be injured by the brush and picker bush terrain in which these dogs hunt. Particularly at risk are exposed haws that catch debris causing eye infections or more serious, long-term damage.

Eye setting or shape is necessary for the majority of our working dogs. Regarding iris color, Mother Nature knows best, and we should recognize that tinkering with her work has consequences. We must face facts; the eyes have it.

This article was first published on the Canine Chronicle website.Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=36254