Suggestions for Parent Club Seminars or Classes :
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 form the basic acts involved with being alive : breathing , eating , breeding , all qualities that are lost when breeding for extremes in any area ? Who is teaching that terms used in describing dogs should be taken fairly literally ? Long does not mean as long as possible ; spirited does not mean manic ; aloof does not mean pathologically shy . Without the guidance of our Parent Clubs , how do those who want to do the right thing learn ? To whom can people safely go for this guidance , if not the Parent Clubs ?
The founders and guides of the past were interested in health , of course , but surely not as much as we are today . This is undoubtedly because of advances in both veterinary research and clinical care of dogs , but also because we understand much more about inheritance , nutrition and environmental factors . Currently , our Parent Clubs are devoting an enormous amount of energy and money to help their breeds live longer , healthier lives .
But while emphasizing breeding for health , have we pushed aside breeding for quality , surely the goal of any responsible breeder and of the Parent Clubs ? Florence Nagle , well known for her Irish Wolfhounds and general stockmanship , said that it is of no use to breed a good Irish Wolfhound if it wasn ’ t healthy , just as it is of no use to breed a healthy Irish Wolfhound if it was not a good one . Must we make a choice between the two ?
Regardless of personal opinion , it seems that Parent Clubs might be neglecting the issue of combining the two . Naturally , it is far more difficult to teach people how to actually breed good dogs that conform to a written standard ,
Suggestions for Parent Club Seminars or Classes :
1 . Basic physical structure . Zena Thorn-Andrews , well-known international judge and breeder of Dachshunds and Irish Wolfhounds , has lamented publicly that many breeders today don ’ t understand the very basics of construction . It ’ s not enough to know where the femur or the hock or the loin are on the dog . We have to know their function .
2 . Reading pedigrees . Anyone can look at a pedigree and read the names of the dogs , but it ’ s essential to understand how dogs line up in that pedigree and what influence they have had or are having on the population . Experienced breeders are essential in this process .
3 . Genetics . Teach the very basics of the laws of inheritance and exactly what it means to linebreed or inbreed and what the results might be . It ’ s not enough to tell new breeders what they should or should not do . They must understand the consequences of what they do .
Our Parent Clubs are devoting an enormous amount of energy and money to help their breeds live longer , healthier lives .
and certainly there is an element of talent required that can never simply be taught . But Parent Clubs can play a crucial role in helping potential new breeders understand type , balance and quality .
Taking Quality More Seriously
As an early member of my own Parent Club , I was told that there were dogs of breeding quality and dogs that were “ pets ,” a term now considered pejorative . ( What better place for any dog than to be someone ’ s “ pet ,” just as the term is used by humans as a term of endearment ?) But let ’ s put that aside and call them non-breeding dogs . I was further told that when a litter resulted from two dogs of breeding quality , there would almost always be puppies in that litter of breeding / show quality and puppies that were “ companion ” quality , and any breeder that stated they were all show quality should be suspect . Therefore , we should always be breeding expressly for the highest-quality pups because there will be plenty of pups to place in loving “ companion ” homes . Breeding strictly for what we then called the pet market was a sure trademark of an irresponsible breeder .
This is still America , and people are allowed to breed any category of dogs they want , whatever their quality . But if our Parent Clubs are truly interested in maintaining the complete , overall quality of their dogs , including health , temperament , conformation and type , shouldn ’ t we be taking more seriously our role in helping those who want to breed the best dogs possible , ones that excel in all of those qualities ?
I am sure that we have at this time in this country , breeds that are represented in the conformation show rings by the best specimen ever seen , or at least by a healthy representation of top-notch dogs . But let ’ s be honest with ourselves . That ’ s not the case in many breeds , perhaps most . Any knowledgeable breeder and judge will undoubtedly agree . Many dogs that are being shown and becoming champions are not the best dogs we can and did breed . They are then becoming champions and being bred , and on it goes .
Allan Reznik , Editor of this publication , wrote about this lower quality in the August issue . He said , “ Years ago , strong entries forced us all to step up our game and show only our best . If that incentive no longer exists , it may fall to our judges to demonstrate by their placements that they refuse to settle for finishable , second best , barely passable dogs .” Shouldn ’ t it also fall to our Parent Clubs to lead the way in helping to reverse this decline in quality by helping their breedermembers to do a better job ?
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