The early breed club in the US did not seek to cooperate with , or pattern their breed standard to comply with the mother country . Because of this , the AKC breed standard is different in many ways from the original of the mother country . The judges who judge only in the AKC shows are taught to use the AKC breed standard . Those judges who have judged in the FCI countries are familiar with the FCI breed standard , so they , naturally , have more information to work with . There are many AKC judges who participate in international shows on a regular basis and have a broader base of knowledge about dogs internationally . These are usually the best judges for the Xolo breed . As time goes by , the AKC judges will be better able to interpret the breed standard , and many judges here have done absolutely excellent work with our breed .
7 . I feel that people who are novices come to us with
a clean slate — fewer ideas about what should be , and only ideas about what can be achieved with hard work and an open mind . Yet , often the experienced exhibitors are able to accomplish what they want more quickly because of their background . Both types are welcome in our breed . Those who will work with the Xolo for longer than a year or two must become tolerant of the many difficulties that the hairless gene presents . This is a difficult breed to stay with for many years because of the limited gene pool and because there are still many unknowns . We are learning more about the hairless gene each year .
8 . Absolutely . Politics enter into every human endeavor .
The breed clubs that do the most significant work for the breed are not always the clubs that are selected as the AKC breed club . I feel that the selection process for choosing the official AKC breed club should become an unbiased , clearly described , transparent process .
9 . The pace is a matter for consideration depending on
the particular breed waiting for recognition . Much depends upon the work that the breeders have invested in prior to this stage of development . A huge amount of work really needs to be done to stage a breed for full recognition . This requires teamwork and a real investment of time and effort from the club members .
The decisions should be made in a clearly defined , unbiased manner , taking into consideration the degree to which the breeders and the potential breed clubs are complying with the AKC rules and regulations .
A breed that does not have a club in full compliance should not be moved forward . If the enthusiasm within the membership is not adequate to perform the required tasks before the breed is taken in , then it will not improve once they are in .
CHRIS LEVY , AKC JUDGE
1 . Abiqua Pumik ; the “ Abiqua ” ( with emphasis on the “ A ”)
comes from an Indian word and is the name of a creek not too far from where we live . We are in Salem , Ore ., and were best known ( until the Pumik ) for our Abiqua Miniature Schnauzers , having finished about 30 champions , almost all breeder / owner-handled .
2 . I went to the 1998 World Dog Show in Helsinki , Finland , to see the entry of 300 Miniature Schnauzers . At the show I saw a lady walking toward me with three of the cutest dogs I had ever seen in my life . After getting home from Europe , I couldn ’ t stop talking about these dogs , and my husband reminded me that we had been looking for a herding dog for our eight Hereford cattle . This dog was exactly what we were looking for — the right size , nonshedding coat , not too much grooming ( i . e . much less than the Schnauzers ), and it herded cattle .
A year later we bought our first Pumi from Hungary over the internet . After living with him for a year or so , we were hooked on their intelligence , eagerness to please , and almost uncanny ability to understand what is expected of them and to do it with joy .
3 . We ’ d had Miniature Schnauzers since 1972 and German Shorthaired Pointers for many years . We also had Cairn Terriers and Shiba Inu . More importantly , we had lots of club and AKC experience , which has been the most help for the development of the breed club . Our previous breeding experience aided our Pumi breeding program , and my judging career ( I judge about 2 1 ⁄ 2 groups ) has also helped broaden my experience in the dog world .
4 . At the ground level , breed knowledge is crucial to
mentoring newcomers and writing the standard for the breed . There may be no one who speaks English who can mentor Americans . Having someone who can communicate with the knowledgeable breeders in the country of origin is critical . Our learning curve was very slow because so much had to be translated , and we made multiple trips to Europe to learn . There were times when the Hungarian breeders brought their children or friends to translate . There is still not a good book on the Pumi in English .
Having someone who is a judge and who has long experience in the breed is vital for writing up the AKC breed standard . The FCI standard was our blueprint , but it needed to be written in the same format as other AKC breeds and improved upon to make it clearer . Having a person with intimate breed knowledge was important in helping with clarification . We consulted other breed standards extensively , and even copied some wording from other standards where it matched . Who is more experienced with multiple breed standards and interpreting them and making it clear to other judges learning a new breed than a judge ? We also had important decisions as to what should be a disqualification . Without extensive experience with the breed and its history , you ’ re pretty much shooting in the dark as to which faults are more serious than
MARCH 2017 DOGS IN REVIEW 91