Best In Show Daily December Issue

Best in Show December Issue

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D I G I TA L M AG A Z I N E

In this Issue Next Issue

editor’s welcome FEBRUARY

A Word from Our Editor........................................................................................... 2 The Sloughi in America............................................................................................. 6 Barking with the Stars................................................................................................. 12 Sunshine State Welcomes Beagle National....................................................... 18 Big Dogs.......................................................................................................................... 26 Toxic Food for Dogs................................................................................................... 28 The Boerboel.................................................................................................................. 32

Westminster Kennel Club Rates Regular Page................................................................................................................... $200 Regular Spread.............................................................................................................. $400 Front Cover (includes 2 pg spread)...................................................................... $800 Inside Front Cover Spread....................................................................................... $750 Preferred Pages (pg 3-10).......................................................................................... $350 Inside Back Cover........................................................................................................ $400 Inside Back Cover Spread......................................................................................... $800

Who’s Who at BISD Publisher/Founder

art & photography Director

Kayla L. Kurucz

Megan Cloudman

Associate Publisher

candid photographer

Richard F. Goldman

Diana Han

editor-in-chef

sales

Leah Bertagnolli

Jess Pearson

associate editors

website editor

Laura Reeves Elizabeth Tuner-Brinkley Marlene Groves

Ruben Alanakyan Creative director

Keith Fleming social media director

Jen Smith social media intern

Amanda Mowery

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A Word DECEMBER / J A NU A RY 2 0 1 6 / 1 7

from our Editor

‘Tis the Seas It’s the holiday season and with that, the season of giving.

If your house is like mine, the phone rings incessantly we used to say “off the hook” - with pleas for donations of money, food, time, blood, platelets, marrow to name just a few.

Emails fill my page with requests and with social media, my preferences for giving are now advertised to me through the magic of Big Data. I walk into shops and there’s the pleasant ringing of the Salvation Army bells looking for change; my mailman delivers shopping bags to be filled with food for donation to the food bank. These positive efforts to aid others lift me up.

This year, I wanted to explore smaller charitable organizations that are dog affiliated, often local, and filling needs not easily met by the larger charities. They can each be models for other local charities and are definitely worth a few dollars or your time. Everyone knows and loves Take The Lead. This year, sensitized to the horrific losses of fires, floods, other natural causes throughout the Country, they’ve expanded their

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mission to include anyone hit by natural disaster with a program that will help with expenses up to $5000.00.

Take The Lead offers multiple, enticing fund raisers: from t-shirts, pins, hats; to raffles for wonderful sponsored gear, to ice cream socials & spaghetti feeds, to galas.

More funds will be needed with their expanded charter.

If you’re looking to aid your fellow dog fanciers, Take the Lead is an excellent choice.

A Monterey Bay non-profit, Max’s Helping Paws Foundation, has caught my attention. Founded by a veterinarian and his marketing guru wife, their mission is to reduce euthanasia, surrendering and suffering of severely ill pets. They are accomplishing this by subsidizing costs of life-saving pet medical care for Monterey County pet-owners facing financial hardship. After their beloved pet, Max, was diagnosed with a terminal illness, they were able to provide a level of care not every pet owner in similar circumstances can afford. Understanding

son of Caring & Sharing that others do not have access to every resource, and that many cases that would have positive outcomes do not get the opportunity because of financial limitations, they founded Max’s Helping Paws. They believe many animals would not need to be euthanized if funds were readily available. Max’s Helping Paws Foundation is also offering blood banking services. This is an idea that could be replicated across all communities to aid pet owners caught in a catastrophic situation by setting up partnerships with veterinarians and gifting programs. For more information, you can find them on facebook or follow this link: https://www.maxshelpingpaws.org/# Last on my list, and dear to my heart as a scent hound owner is Bloodhound Man Trackers Inc. Marlene Groves, one of our contributing writers, encouraged my interest in this worthwhile organization. This nonprofit is dedicated to providing working, trained K-9 Bloodhound teams used by law enforcement agencies for man tracking,

identifying human decomposition, finding the lost and the missing, and to help bring criminals to justice. Bloodhounds doing what they were purpose-bred to do. Radar, out of Marlene’s breeding program, will be receiving the 2016 American Bloodhound Club Meritorious Service Award and is the 2016 AKC ACE Award Recipient for uniformed service.

Radar found two miniscule drops of blood which changed a missing persons case to a murder homicide investigation and then secured a murder conviction. Bloodhound Man Trackers uses donations to continue to train, educate, support expenses for bloodhounds on a case as they are owned by their handlers not the agencies, making quality Bloodhounds available to law enforcement. If you want to learn more about them, their successes or donate, follow this link: http://www.bloodhoundmantrackers.org/home.html I hope my suggestions inspire you to give. There are many other purebred dog focused efforts out there - drop me a line, I’d love to know about them and share with our readers.

From all of us at Best In Show Daily, we wish you a very happy holiday season,

Leah Bertagnolli, Editor.

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The Sloughi in America

By Dr. Dominique Crapon

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The history of the Sloughi in America is relatively recent compared to the history of the breed in Europe, but the Sloughi has made its mark on this continent, and its history is therefore worth mentioning. The very first representation of North African Sighthounds is found in the American Harpers magazine, published in 1882.

The engraving (at left) pictures two Mountain type Sloughis on a leash. However, one had to wait many more years before live Sloughis entered North America.

As will become apparent, their story on this continent was quite international from the very beginning.

California is the State in which most of the major early events concerning this breed took place. In 1973, probably the first Sloughi to enter the USA, was Tagiurie El Sian, a dog brought back by Kate and Carl Rodarty from Libya. The Rodartys acquired Tagiurie, and their Dutch friends van Duyvenbode his sister Djameela. Tagiurie went to the USA, he was sand with a faint mask, a typical Libyan desert Sloughi. While cherished by his owners, he was not bred because of his age and the absence of a possible mate. He died in 1979 and was put to rest at the Calabasas Pet Park. Djameela (Damiela in the Dutch stud book) had one litter in 1971 and a record litter of 13 puppies in 1973 when she was bred to the French International Ch. Sahib de la Ruine, and thus became a foundation bitch of the breed in the Netherlands.

In 1979 the next Sloughis were imported into the USA, again in California. Carole Cioce imported two German Sloughis, Picaro Schuru-esch-Schams, a sand male, and Nisa Schuru-esch-Schams, red /black mask. In 1982 Picaro Schuru-esch-Schams was entered in Mexican shows and won the first Mexican Champion title for the breed. Picaro also had the first Temperament Tested title. Cioce had also done some preliminary work to start an “American Sloughi Club”, but this idea was not brought to fruition until 6 years later. In 1981 the first litter of Sloughis, of French bred littermates Phitoussi and Pharaonne Kahloul de la Treille, was born at the de Moreau kennel, then in California. In 1988 the first litter, out of which dogs were to be show is born at Mr.Rechzaid’s home. The parents are Fahran of Mumtaz-I-Javanadmi and Tounsia Kahloul de la Treille.

One bitch of this litter Jaaram Nubia introduces the breed to the Sighthound fancy at the time.

In 1987, a rare breed exhibit sponsored by the Rare Breed Kennel Club (RBKC) was organized in collaboration with the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills. J. McGuffin represented the Sloughi with his bitch, Jaaram Nubia, and had a booth with information about the breed.

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Along with the contacts established before, during and after this show, the Sloughi Fanciers Association of America (SFAA) was officially founded January 1, 1988 and the Stud book opened in an attempt to keep track of the Sloughis being born in the USA at the time. The founders were Gisela Cook-Schmidt, Jack McGuffin, Carole Cioce, Mario Rechzaid, Kate and Carl Rodarty. Mrs. Moreau-Sipiere created the American Sloughi Association in 1989, after leaving SFAA. In April 1993 the first litter is born at the Shi’Rayan kennel, out of Fehda Fayrouz Kahloul de la Treille, by German import Damir el Tahiri. Three of the 4 puppies of the Shi’Rayan “A” litter, Amir, Aswad and A’ssissa,established milestones for the breed in America.

The Sloughis owned or bred by Shi’Rayan, participated actively indog shows and won top awards, following the effort of previous owners of Sloughis, in an effort to familiarize American and Canadian judges to the breed.

The Sloughis owned or bred by Shi’Rayân are also the dogs whose racing and coursing talent succeeded in getting the breed recognized by the National Oval Track Racing Association (NOTRA, non-commercial oval racing, 1994) and the American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA, lure coursing, 2001). As a result the Sloughi became a foundation breed of the Large Gazehound Racing Association (LGRA), created by Jack William Lewis (Rheata Whippets) in 1995, to satisfy the request of the breeders of Shi’Rayanto enable their breed and other non-Whippet breeds to compete in sprint racing – Whippets having their own sprint racing association. The very first LGRA race meet took place in 1995 in Utah at the Rheata Whippets Racing Group. It was launched by 8 Sloughis and won by Amir Shi’Rayân.

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Ch Bouthayna Shi’Rayân, SORC, GRC, FCM and Ch Balsam Shi’Rayân, ORC, GRC, FCC California© Rick Todd Ch Chamisa Schuru esch Schams, GRC, ORC, FCC with sons Ch Fahel SORC, SGRC6, FCC, F.Ch and Ch. Fa’iq Shi’Rayân, ORC, GRC Best Brood bitch under judge Bo Bengtson, SFAA National Specialty, Lompoc, California 1999© Cook BISS Ch. Fa’iq Shi’Rayân, ORC, GRC© de Caprona First FCI International Ch. Aswad Shi’Rayân, ORC, SGRC, FCC,TT 2 BISS, 6 5BIS,32 BOG, and 4 BIS Veteran, 10 1/2 years old ©Meyer Bahlawaan Sheik el Arab, GRC, F.Ch.© Shot on Site

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The Sloughi (cont.)

In 2004 theAmerican Kennel Club allows the breed Sloughi to participate in its coursing tests as demonstration and Sloughis start to participate to acquire the Junior Courser title (the only AKC title available for Sloughis at this time). Starting October 1 2006 the breed is able to compete in coursing AKC events.

Several Sloughi trophies have been designed and donated to honor the achievements of Sloughis and dogs of other breeds who excelled in the various sports. Starting in 1995, the Nubia Memorial Cup donated to SFAA by Jack McGuffin, is awarded each year to the #1 performing Sloughi all venues combined.

In 2002, the author and Dr. Bernd Fritzsch donated the Fahel Award to LGRA to bepresented to the top bitch who has earned this position twice in her career, to commemorate the competition for top dog between their Sloughi Fahel and Michele Houghton’s Greyhound, Horse, during the years 2001 and 2002. In 2003, the Amir Trophy is donated by the Sloughi Fanciers Association of America to NOTRA for the High Point Sloughi at the NOTRA Nationals each year. Last, but not least, the Bouthayna Memorial Trophy is donated by the author and Dr. Bernd Fritzsch to the BOB winner of the International Invitational organized by ASFA each year The Sloughi is also an official breed in hunting events of the National Open Field Coursing Association (NOFCA) with the help of Vicki Clarke, and of the North American Coursing Association NACA, for open field hunts. Only two Sloughis have competed in these events: Zayed el Tahiri (1991, K. Schirmer), and Isabella de la Horde d’Or (J. Burchard).

In 2002, the Sloughi is the only Rare Sighthound breed (Azawakh, Chart Polski, Galgo espanol, Sloughi, Magyar Agar), not yet recognized for shows by the American Kennel Club, which is an official breed of all major Sighthound performance venues in the USA. Since the 1970s, other Sloughis have been imported.

From France, (Kahloul dela Treille, de la Cité du Guerrier, de la Horde d’Or, Min Ahrar al Magrib), Holland (Mumtaz-iJavanadmi), Germany (Schuru-esch-Schams, el Tahiri, Sheik el Arab, Mahanajim), Sweden (Syringa), Tunisia (Rym Cassandra, Tarfa) and from Algeria (Richa & Ramla). Through these dogs other lines were represented such as French Ben Bahram, Dutch Min Darazja Loewwla and El Cid, Swiss el Djerid, Moroccan G’zel Ouled Laouichat, and Libyan Dukal umm bersheba el Abid. Thus most European, and country of origin, bloodlines are represented in the American Sloughi today.

The Sloughi in America is more active in racing and coursing than it is in showing, because it is now able to compete in all official Sighthound sportsin the USA. The dogs which participated, or are active today, in these events have the following kennel names: Mahanajim, Schuru-esch-Schams, Sheik el Arab, Shi’Rayân, Syringa, and 2 are direct imports from North Africa.

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Above: Ch. Syringa Happiness at Shi’Rayân, SGRC, ORC

America is a huge continent and the distances that one needs to travel to participate in racing and coursing are many hours of driving away. For this reason, the Shi’Rayân Sloughis Amateur Racing Association was created in 2004, and developed its own sprint racing track to enable Sighthounds to participate actively in sprint racing events, and hopefully in oval track racing events in the future as well. The track is situated on the top of a hill, in one of the few hilly areas among the wide plains of the Middle West, in the central state ofIowa. It is surrounded by Shi’Rayân’s private natural refuge. At other times than the racing events, coyotes, foxes, deer and wild turkeys can be seen walking through the mowed grass, and many flocks of wild geese use this hilly landmark for their migrations in Spring and Fall.

Sloughis continue to participate once in a while in shows, to further present the breed to American judges. Specialties on this vast continent are very difficult to organize because of the huge distances - equivalent of Madrid to Moscow - that the few people who own Sloughis have to travel to meet in the same place and show their dogs. However there are a number of American show circuits which enable owners to show their Sloughis in various parts of the country. The closest FCI shows available are in Puerto Rico and Mexico, which in most cases represent several hours of flight or many miles and hours, if not days, of travel During all these years and until more recently, the Sloughi and the Azawakh, were met with a lot of skepticism and downright antagonism by a small faction of the Saluki Fancy the misconception being that these 2 breeds are just another version of the Saluki. This attitude has considerably undermined the efforts of Sloughi and Azawakh owners in America.

However, it seems that the new millennium has brought with it a more tolerant, and knowledgeable attitude towards these 2 breeds, as open minded people exposed to these dogs see the differences, and also because of recent DNA findings.

At this point in time, although the breed is no longer perceived as a smooth Saluki and has found its own appreciative supporters, its future remains uncertain in the USA.

Sloughi Milestones in the Show Ring

Sloughi Milestones in Racing NOTRA (oval racing) LGRA (sprint racing)

Sloughi Milestones in Coursing ASFA and AKC

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Best In Show Daily’s Leah Bertagnolli sat down with David Frei to talk about the great success of Thanksgiving’s National Dog Show presented by Purina, and NBC / USA Network’s plans to extend the formula to a new venture, the Beverly Hills Dog Show presented by Purina next Easter.

Barking with the Stars!

BISD: Wow, great ratings story, huge numbers for the National Dog Show presented by Purina on NBC on Thanksgiving Day. Record Nielsen ratings, a total audience of 26.9 million, awesome.

Congratulations!

DAVID FREI: Once again, as has been the case for the past 15 years, a lot of people work very hard to make the show a success and I am proud to be a part of that team.

BISD: And now, what’s the next chapter?

DAVID: Last February, after my 27th and final Westminster telecast, that great dog show judge, Horace Greeley, told me: “Go West, young man. And take the dogs with you.”

And now, at last, I can share just what he had in mind.

BISD: Something for us in the West?

DAVID: Yes, how about that, the Left Coast is getting its own dog show on television: “The Beverly Hills Dog Show presented by Purina” on USA Network, a two-hour entertainment special to air this spring on Easter night, April 16.

A prime time repeat on NBC a week later is a bonus for Beverly Hills and dog fans everywhere.

BISD: And you have moved West yourself, just in time for this.

DAVID: Very exciting career move for me, if you will, and I get to commute from my new home on the North Oregon Coast, Cannon Beach, to Beverly Hills for the job.

BISD: Tell us about it.

DAVID: Well, as you might expect from Beverly Hills, this show comes with red carpets, palm trees and celebrities.

For years, I have always said that the dogs are the stars of our events, and they still will be, with a fashion-show style runway for Best In Show competition for the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills. But this time the dogs might have to share the marquee a bit as we work in the locals, with stars from NBC Universal’s television hits expected to be on hand.

BISD: And for you?

DAVID: I am going to keep doing what I do. The messages are going to be the same ones that I have shared wherever I have gone: a celebration of all the dogs in our world, responsible ownership for all of those dogs, and the history and the role of purebred dogs in all of this. Not at the expense of non-purebreds, but in a way that makes it a better world for all of them.

If you have been with me for those 27 years of Westminster and 15 years of the National Dog Show / Kennel Club of Philadelphia, with a few other shows mixed in and a ton of media appearances connected to each, you know of what I speak.

BISD: How did this all come about?

DAVID: It was not a particularly well-kept secret, as talk about the negotiations between the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills and NBC surfaced at Westminster time last February as USA/ NBC worked the last year of their WKC contract. After all the new contracts were signed, KCBH joined established

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East Coast icons National Dog Show presented by Purina (Philadelphia) on NBC in November, the AKC National Championship (Orlando) now on the Hallmark Channel in January, and Westminster KC (New York) on Fox Sports1 in February.

BISD: And why Kennel Club of Beverly Hills?

DAVID: The Beverly Hills Show can certainly be positioned as a perfect partner for the National Dog Show, and gives NBC/USA an enviable TV dog show brace. To accommodate the telecast, KCBH moved its date from June to March 4-5 for back-to-backs, and changed its venue from Long Beach to the Fairplex in Pomona (also the home of the vaunted Mission Circuit later in the spring). The Easter telecast will be produced from the Saturday show.

BISD: Sounds similar to the National Dog Show.

DAVID: Yes, as an entertainment special on a family holiday, Beverly Hills will be similar to the greatly successful format that NBC uses for the National Dog Show, including the hosts, two West Coast guys - Beverly Hills resident and celebrity in his own right, John O’Hurley, and new Cannon Beach, Oregon, resident and dog guy, David Frei, a celebrity in his own mind (laughs). And we will have Mary Carillo working backstage, with Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir bringing their talents and enthusiasm, too, just like with the National Dog Show.

BISD: Sounds great!

DAVID: Plus, the deal includes the NBC production team of Emmy Award winning people, many of whom produced Westminster and the National Dog Show for more than 40 combined shows in the past 27 years (and most of the telecasts of the Olympic Games in that time as well).

BISD: A successful formula.

DAVID: We’re not done: Add in Carson International, the production company that stages the National Dog Show and the Incredible Dog Challenge; the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, with President Wayne Ferguson and members offering their support and experience; and of course, the support of the American Kennel Club, all of whom makes for a pretty attractive formula for that celebration of the dogs in our lives. And here is a nice bonus: Wayne Ferguson will be providing the inhouse PA comments for Beverly Hills, just as he does for the National Dog Show. Those comments will accompany the streaming video of the individual breeds in the group, all of them being shown online.

BISD: That all sounds great!

DAVID: As I said at the beginning, it is a great team and I hope that we are doing the dog show world proud with our continuing theme of a great celebration of the dogs in our lives.

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Sunshine State Welcomes Beagle National Author, Deb Krier.

The National Beagle Club of America held its 48th Annual Specialty Show in Ocala, Florida, November 14-16.

All events were at the Greater Ocala Dog Show Grounds. Imagine...a beautiful outdoor facility specifically built for dog shows! Kicking things off were the performance events. We started with two days of agility with a total of 25 beagles entered. Courses offered were: Standard, Jumpers With Weaves, FAST and Time 2 Beat.

Although there were many qualifying runs on judge Deb Mosher’s challenging, yet do-able courses, the highlight was Diane Dittrich and “Timber” earning their MACH 5 on Sunday!

A very special inaugural “Iron Beagle” perpetual trophy was offered this year for the beagle with the highest score in at least three of the events offered at the Nationals: agility, obedience, rally, tracking and Fast CAT. Points were calculated based on the event entered and the difficulty level of the qualifying scores. Amanda Stipe and “Rembrandt” (above) earned the highest qualifying scores in agility, obedience and rally to be the first winner of the Iron Beagle award!

Special thanks to Dina Stenz for sponsoring this perpetual trophy and to Diane Dittrich for the scoring input.

What, you may ask, is Fast CAT? The Fast CAT Test is a timed 100 yard dash for dogsand is meant tobe fun and healthy activity of interest to any dog owner. The Gulf Coast Sighthound Club partnered with us to offer the Fast CAT events.

This new event made it possible for dogs to earn their BCAT Title during the National, and give them some good exercise.

The NBC made it fun by designating Awards for the four fastest

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times. The fastest time was Carol Rutherford’s dog “Austin”.

The event was overwhelmingly applauded as a success.

On Sunday, we held our “Performance Parade” – a fun showcase for anyone with a performance title on their beagle. We had 34 talented beagles and their handlers show off for the crowd.

Participants received a beautiful, large rosette, a color program with a photo of their beagle and a short bio on each dog.

The evening also featured a Welcome Dinner...a pig roast!

What a great way to welcome everyone to the show – and to the south! Following the dinner, we held our Top 20 Invitational event. Jennifer Bell coordinated the event, which was based on breed points won from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, as published by the AKC. Both sizes of beagles were included and featured three judges. The breeder judge was Darlene Stewart, the handler judge was Aaron Wilkerson and the multi-breed AKC Approved judge was Patricia Keenan. The stewards were Emily Cloudman, Wynn Wilkerson and Brett Sprout.

There were 23 entries for this great showcase of “the cream of the crop” of beagles. Attendees voted that evening for the “People’s Choice” award and GChG. Windstar’s Magnum Opus received the honor. Magnum, a 15” beagle, is owned

by Heather Lindberg, Kelly Lockwood, Betsy Manifold and Rob Lindberg. He was bred by Heather and Rob Lindberg.

TheTop 20 “Judges’ Choice” award winner was presented at the conclusion of the Specialty and was GChS. Gwencalon’s Tam O’Shanter. Tam is a 15” beagle, and the owners/breeders are William and Kathleen Friend. He was shown by Doug Belter.

Puppy and Veteran Sweepstakes began on Monday morning, with Ms. Colleen Tinlin of Ontario, Canada judging.

One hundred twenty dogs were entered, with thirty-four 13” puppies, sixty-four 15” puppies, seven 13” Veterans and five 15” Veterans.

The winners were: - 13” Best of Variety: GCH Milroc Quest To Impress, owned by Cassie & Chris Miller - -13” Best of Opposite Sex to BOV: Eardley Escort, owned

by Dr. Oleg Voloshin, Dr. Oksana Gavrilova, Tim Jones and Stephen Jepson - Best of Variety: Pun Kotzky Heaven Help Us All At Fleur De Lis, owned by Jennifer Bell and Jennifer Robbins -15” Best of Opposite Sex to BOV: Lane Rae’s 221B Baker Street, owned by Alayne Rae Mullen - Best of Breed in Sweepstakes: GCH Milroc Quest To Impress - Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes to BOB: Pun Kotzky Heaven Help Us All At Fleur De Lis Veteran Sweepstakes results: -13” Best of Variety: GCH Lanbur Quest For The Best, owned by Cassie & Chris Miller - 13” Best of Opposite Sex to BOV: GCH Skyline’s Dream Big, owned by Kathy & Judy Forbes, and Connie Conger - 15” Best of Variety: GCHB Scentini Million Dollar Pink, owned by Chase, Rob & Leah Santini - 15” Best of Opposite Sex to BOV: GCH Lynnstone Omega, owned by Patricia Staub - Best of Breed in Sweepstakes: GCHB Scentini Million Dollar Pink - Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes to BOB: GCH Lanbur Quest For The Best Also competing on Monday were five very talented Junior Showmanship handlers. Judged by Mr. Edmund Dziuk of Columbia, Missouri, Chanel R. Lefever was named Best Junior Handler and Emily Cloudman was Reserve Best Junior.

Mr. Dziuk also judged the 4 & Under 6 Month Puppy Competition that day. Twenty dogs, in both varieties, were entered. Best of Breed was 13” beagle Milroc It’s A Shore Thing, owned by Cassie & Chris Miller and Jerry & Carol Mounce.

Best of Opposite Sex was 15” beagle Fanta’s Brand Little Miss America, owned by Anastasia Krylova

Rounding out the performance events, we held obedience and rally. In Obedience, judged by Mr. Robert Withers of Lakeland, Florida, our Highest Scoring Dog, with a score of 196, went to Karlene Brumfield and Ch. Brumfield’s Deuces Wild, from the Novice B Class, out of five Qualifying scores.

For Rally, the judge was Mr. Kenneth Kincaid of Orlando, Florida. Only one dog did not Qualify and our High Combined score went to Amanda Stipeand Ch Lochnaw Rembrandt Van Rijn RE MX MXJ XFT2B, from the Rally Excellent Class.

Once judging had been completed for the day, the festivities didn’t end! More fabulous food, with everyone enjoying the annual American Beagle Relief Network (AmBRN) silent and live auction. As always, bidding was fast and furious, with many people walking away with great finds. A grand total of $8,800 was raised, between the auction, raffle, donations and the snack table. AmBRN is a fund-raising organization with the goal of assisting other non-profit beagle rescue organizations who are engaged in the work of rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming beagle dogs.

Bright and early Tuesday morning, conformation judging began, with Mr. Edmund Dziuk judging the 15” beagle variety. A total of 175 dogs were entered that day. Competition was fierce, with many, many fine beagles entered.

The results were: - Winner’s Dog: Maple Ridge Northern Lights, owned by Madeleine Baeck - Reserve Winner’s Dog: Fetch&Smell Simba, owned by Macarena Pantaleon - Winner’s Bitch: Danter’s Catching Fire, owned by Terri Papagni-Carter and Daniel Carter - Reserve Winner’s Bitch: Lisboa, owned by Mauro Ernesto Martinez & Gaby Galvez - Best of Variety: GCHS Gwencalon’s Tam O’Shanter, owned by Kathleen & William Friend - Best of Winners: Maple Ridge Northern Lights - Best of Opposite Sex: GCH Pun Kotzky Treasurer In The Dust, owned by Dr. OlegVoloshin and Dr. Oksana Gavrilova - Select Dog: GCH Windstar’s Magnunm Opus, owned

by Heather Lindberg, Kelly Lockwood, Betsy Manifold and Rob Lindberg - Select Bitch: GCH Torquay Midnight Victory, owned by Marcelo Chagas, MF Botelho, A Botelho and Dr. RP Travis - Awards of Merit to: GCHLokavi’s Battle Flag Of The South CAA RATN, owned by Jennifer Bell and Gary Patino - GCHS Foxtails Fast And Furious, owned by Sheri Berndt-Smith and Darrell Smith - GCH Jabrwoki’s Radio Flyer, owned by Shawn & Barbara Robbleeo - Ch Fetch & Smell Samantha, owned by Macarena Pant leon-Hernandez and Gretchen Milke - GCH Milroc Polarized Trouble, owned by Cassie & Chris Miller

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Sunshine State Welcomes Beagle National (cont.)

- GCH Danter’s Son Of Trouble, owned by Terri Papagni-Carter and Daniel Ca - GCH ThunderMtn Alpenglow A Time To Dance, owned by Elizabeth & Barry Friedlander.

Additionally recognized were: - Best 15” Owner Handler: GCH Pun Kotzky Treasurer In The Dust, owned by Dr. Oleg Voloshin and Dr. Oksana Gavrilova - Best 15” Puppy: Lokavi’s Longhorn Price, owned by Li Baio - Best 15” Bred By Exhibitor: Danter’s Catching Fire, owned by Terri Papagni-Carter and Daniel Carter - Best 15” Veteran: GCH Thunder Mtn Alpenglow A Time To Dance, owned by Elizabeth & Barry Friedlander - Best 15” Brace: GCH Lokavi’s Time For Trouble CAA and Ch Lokavi’s Time To Get Movin’, owned by Jeannie & Hugh Kelly.

Tuesday evening, we held our NBC Annual Awards Banquet.

The following awards were presented for 2015: - Obedience Beagle of the Year: CH Windkist B’Dazzle Me UD BN GO, owned by Karlene & Paul Brumfield - Agility Beagle of the Year: MACH11 Bayou Oaks Talbot Hill La Baffi MXS3 MJG3 MXF MFG TQX T2B7, owned by Laura & Brian Hiatt - Junior Handler of the Year: Miss Chanel Lefever -13” Beagle of the Year: GCH Barrister’s Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, owned by Betsy Manifold and Shawn Robblee -13” Best of Opposite Sex to Beagle of the Year: GCH Lane Rae’s I’s A Special, owned by Alayne Mullens - 15” Beagle of the Year: GCH Foxtail’s Race for the Chase, owned by Sheri Berndt-Smith & Darrell Smith - 15” Best of Opposite Sex to Beagle of the Year: GCH Torquay Midnight Victory, owned by Marcelo Chagas, Marco Flavio Botelho, Alessandra Botelho & Roger Travis - Sire of the Year: GCH Lanbur Carson City, owned by Jon Woodring,

Wade Burns & Eddie Dziuk - Dam of the Year (tie): Art Fantasy Glorious Mermaid, owned by Alayne Mullens and CH Encore Song of the South, owned by Teresa Nesmith & Rachel Southammavong.

On Wednesday, we had the 13” variety competition. Eighty-three dogs were entered. Again, the decisions were difficult, as many fine beagles were entered.

The results were: - Winner’s Dog: Windkist Wilderness What About Bob, owned by Leah & Kayla Bertagnolli - Reserve Winner’s Dog: Talbot Hill Kinsglo Twist In The Road, owned by Serena Soares, Carrie Davis, and Roger Johnson - Winner’s Bitch: TG Shillington Seeing Stars, owned by Todd & Allison Foley and Kimberley & Timothy Delaney - Reserve Winner’s Bitch: Woodstone Where Have All The Flowers Gone, owned by Connie Conger and Nick Peaker - Best of Variety: GCH Shoreviews Mango, owned by Bruce Tague and Audra Lambie - Best of Winners: TG Shillington Seeing Stars - Best of Opposite Sex: GCH Skyline’s Dream Big, owned by Kathy & Judy Forbes and Connie Conger - Select Dog: Ch. Skyline N Castlehill’s King ‘s Ransom, owned by Karen Forbes, Connie Conger and Sharon Dok - Select Bitch: Ch. Fetch & Smell Tanya Mousekewitz, owned by Macarena Pantaleon Awards of Merit: GCH Noreaster Long Walk to Freedom, owned by Jennifer Gonzalez and Anthony Saunders BEST IN SHOW D A ILY

- GCH X’plorer’s Star For Patriot, owned by T. Leelaprachakul & L. Brysono - GCH Blueprint’s Bricks N Ivy, owned by David & Ann Wolf.

Additionally recognized were: - Best 13” Owner Handler: GCH Shoreviews Mango, owned by Bruce Tague and Audra Lambie - Best 13” Puppy: TG Shillington Seeing Stars, owned by Todd & Allison Foley and Kimberley & Timothy Delaney - Best 13” Bred By Exhibitor: Woodstone Where Have All The Flowers Gone, owned by Connie Conger and Nick Peaker - Best 13” Veteran: GCH Shoreviews Mango With the Variety judging concluded, it was now time for the grand finale: Best in Specialty Show and Intervariety Judging!

Without further ado, Mr. Dziuk awarded Best in Specialty Show to GCHS Gwencalon’s Tam O’Shanter, owned by Kathleen & William Friend! Best of Opposite Sex was GCH Pun Kotzky Treasurer In The Dust, owned by Dr. Oleg Voloshin and Dr. Oksana Gavrilova, who also was named Best Owner-Handler. Best Puppy was TG Shillington Seeing Stars, owned by Todd & Allison Foley and Kimberley & Timothy Delaney. Best Bred By Exhibitor was awarded to Danter’s Catching Fire, owned by Terri Papagni-Carter and Daniel Carter. Best Veteran was GCH Shoreviews Mango, owned by Bruce Tague and Audra Lambie and Best Brace was GCH Lokavi’s Time For Trouble CAA and Ch Lokavi’s Time To Get Movin’, owned by Jeannie & Hugh Kelly.

The final competitions were for Stud Dog and Brood Bitch. Best 13” Stud Dog was GCH Lanbur Quest For The Best, owned by Cassie & Chris Miller; Best 15” Stud Dog was GCH Fanta’s Brand Dream On At Pun Kotzky, owned by Dr. Oleg Voloshin & Dr. Oksasa Gavrilova. Best Stud Dog was GCH Fanta’s Brand Dream On At Pun Kotzky. Best 13” Brood Bitch was GCH Vinla’s L.A. Ink, owned by Julie Lux, Kevin Brooks and Nancy Arthur; Best 15” Brood Bitch was Ch. Beowulf The Fashion Police at

Noreaster, owned by Anthony Saunders, Jennifer Gonzalez, S.T. Giannetti and T Swedalla. Ch. Beowulf The Fashion Police at Noreaster was honored as the Best Brood Bitch.

And so, judging ended and everyone headed home. Friendships were renewed, friendships were begun and everyone got to see lots and lots of the very best beagles from around the world. Of course, none of this would have been accomplished if it weren’t for the fabulous show committee, who worked tirelessly for months – even years! – to make the National a success.

Thank you to Lori Norman, the show chair, and her other committee members: Dina Stenz, Michelle Sager, Leah Santini, Heather Lindberg, Suzanne Lehing, Gayle Decker, Tony Saunders, Sharon Clark, Carol McElroy, Jane Craig, Liz Piquet, Jeannie Horton-Kelly, Jennifer Bell and Lesley Hiltz. We also want to thank Megan Cloudman and others for heading up fundraising. The various fundraising efforts, auctions and state baskets raised nearly $10,000.

Next Fall, we gather at the home of the National Beagle Clubof America, in Aldie,Virginia, for our National Specialty. Until then, best of luck to everyone and their merry little hounds, whether they’re competing in performance, conformation...or just for the best place on the couch!

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bigdogs

By Vicki Aquino Ronchette

There is a common misconception that positive reinforcement training is appropriate only for some dogs, you know small dogs or soft dogs but that other dogs require the use of force. I hear people say that all dogs are different and that “no single method works for all dogs”, but the fact is that the positive reinforcement quadrant of learning theory DOES work for all dogs, in fact it works for all animals. The fact is that the larger the animal is the more critical it is to create a cooperative working relationship where the animal actually wants to perform the requested behavior.

I coach people in conformation with all different breeds, of different sizes, with different temperaments and learning styles and I encourage them to use the same basic principle and core philosophy and that is to train primarily with positive reinforcement. It means to adhere to the commitment to “do no harm”, not just harm to the animal but harm to the owner’s relationship with that animal. It is astonishing how many times a new client comes to me with a specific issue that they are having with their dog in the show ring whether it is pacing, sniffing the ground, pulling or moving on the stack that when I show them how to change the behavior they are shocked that we change that without corrections. People will actually ask, “you mean you don’t use corrections?” That is correct, I don’t use corrections, I identify what the dog is doing versus what I want and then I train what I want rather than trying to punish what I don’t want.

I am showing an Irish Wolfhound for a friend and part of the reason I am doing that is that I want people to see that positive reinforcement works with all dogs. I know that people may say, “ah, but it’s a sight hound, they are soft”.

People who are used to using traditional methods may find it hard to believe that positive reinforcement can work with large breeds because change is hard and when people are very set in their ways they don’t want to accept that another way could be effective. At a recent dog show I stepped in and offered to help someone who I watched frighten and very roughly handle a young puppy, biting him, shoving him to the ground and poking him while he squirmed and cried. She rejected my offer to help and continued what she was doing to him. The attitude was that I have small dogs and don’t know how to handle bigger dogs or stronger dogs, but that isn’t the case. As I said before, the larger and more powerful the animal the more important cooperation is. It doesn’t matter if I am working with a 5 pound dog or a 180 dog, my core philosophy remains the same and my commitment to train, manage and handle the dog with care and respect remains the intact.

As we learn more about dogs and how they learn it is important for trainers, handlers, breeders and anyone who works with dogs to stay on top of the current information. While it is true that punishment and force can “work” with some dogs, if there is a way to do it without punishment and force don’t we owe it to the dogs to use the methods that work for them as well as us? I want to share a few stories of large dogs trained with positive reinforcement and who I think are doing a great job of showing people that positive reinforcement works in the show world. What better way to prove something works than to do it and have success as these owner/handlers have.

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s

Glaukos

Remy

My good friend Anna Bettina is a highly skilled dog trainer and owner of Happy Healthy Pup out of Atlanta, Georgia.

Anna is a big dog lover and has lived with many different types of mastiff. She currently has Briscoe, a Bullmastiff and Glaukos, a Neapolitan Mastiff, both of which are trained with positive reinforcement. Glaukos is a model citizen and is welcome in a lot of businesses around Atlanta.

Sarah had Vizslas before but Remy is the first dog that she has shown in the conformation ring. Sarah was already in a positive puppy class and was referred to me for show ring training. The stars just aligned perfectly for this team as Sarah was a natural, Remy is a beautiful Vizsla and Sarah’s husband Rob is completely supportive. As we were training Remy some people thought Sarah used too many treats, but no one could deny their success in the show ring. Before Remy was a year old they were winning not only points but Best of Breed wins and group placements out of the puppy classes. One thing that made my job very easy is that every time I would work with them and give them homework they would go home, practice and nail it. Sarah is now helping out with showing some of Remy’s littermates and having success with them as well, all trained with positive reinforcement.

Remy continues to have success as a young special having completed his Grand Championship and winning Best of Breeds on a regular basis.

Glaukos is Anna’s first show dog and I helped her with his conformation training since she had never had a show dog before. Being a professional trainer and a very competent positive reinforcement trainer she trained Glaukos using the same methods she uses to train other dogs. Glaukos would sometimes pace in the ring and Anna was told that he would never finish unless she put him on a choke chain and corrected him. Refusing to use a choke collar or corrections with Glaukos we came up with training plan for helping Glaukos learn to trot in the ring rather than pace. We taught him how to take off quickly so he would go into a trot instead and she would reinforce him when he trotted. He has always been shown on a leather loop lead rather than a choke. I am proud to say that Glaukos finished his championship this past weekend at the Neapolitan Mastiff National Specialty as well as picking up two Award of Merits along the way. A 180 pound dog trained completely with positive reinforcement and without corrections or aversives.

Spark Olga Maderych is a vet student and a really talented dog trainer who has been training and competing with her family’s Great Danes and Goldens for years. Now an adult Olga has her own Great Dane, Spark who she has trained with all positive reinforcement. Spark has his bench championship as well as rally, agility, obedience titles and more and Olga is now showing Spark’s son Bright as well. Spark is reliably trained and beautifully presented showing that this team is a great representation of the power of positive reinforcement.

Olga and Spark are a great example of how much you can accomplish with positive reinforcement training. Despite what some believe it is not necessary to use harsh corrections or force to train large dogs.

Any Questions? Please visit Vicki’s blog spot for more details at: http://positivetrainingforshowdogs.blogspot.com/

All three of these dogs have been trained without force and so many more of my client’s dogs have as well. To those who say that you need to be heavy handed or tough on these large breeds, I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case.

Large dogs, small dogs and all other animals learn the same way. You can accomplish so much by taking the time to train the dog by setting him up to have success and then reinforcing those choices that you like. It not only makes for a reliably trained dog but also helps to strengthen the relationship between dog and owner.

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The Boerboel Author, Kerri Dale

Historically the Boerboel was developed as a general farm dog for the pioneers who began settling in South Africa in the 17th Century. These dogs were often the first line of defense against predators.

Many old farmers told tales of the strength, agility and courage of the Boerboel. The dangers and harsh environment allowed only the fittest to survive.

When Jan van Riebeeck came to the Cape in 1652, he brought his own dog along to protect him and his family in the

wild, unknown country. This dog was known as a “Bullenbitjer�, a large, heavy Mastiff-type dog. The settlers, from many different countries, who came after Jan van Riebeck also brought along their strongest dogs to protect them. His pioneer owner requested him to be a friend of the family, a worker and provide protection. The protective character of the Boerboel is today still evident, as is the calm, stable, confident composure of the breed. The Bullmastiff that DeBeers brought in to guard the diamond mines as well as the Rhodesian Ridgeback, long legged bull dog and boxer play a prominent role in the Boerboels more recent development.

As an established breed, the Boerboel is relatively new. In 1983 a few farmers, who did not want to lose the breed they knew and loved, got together and formed the SABT. It was the original breed/registration organization. They handpicked 72 dogs; out of the 250 they viewed on a cross country trip, to be the foundation stock of the current Boerboel breed.

Like many other breeds, the Boerboel will evolve in its purpose. However, the origin and purpose of the Boerboel should be understood in order to preserve its unique identity and qualities. In order to retain the traits that make it a Boerboel, they will need to continue to be identified and bred for.

The Boerboel is a big, strong, athletic dog. Well balanced with good muscle development. Movement is the ultimate test for correct conformation. They should move swiftly and powerfully with an impressive and imposing countenance.

Balance, proportion and sound movement are of utmost importance – more so than size. They are self-assured, obedient and intelligent with a strong watch dog instinct. Due to the emotional nature of their bond, Boerboels fare best living as part of the family. Left to live completely outside and away from their humans, they can become bored, depressed and will likely occupy themselves by indulging in undesirable or destructive behavior.

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Boerboels are also dominant, strong willed dogs. They need to be raised with discipline, training and lots of socialization starting in puppyhood. Not all Boerboels are created equal, so do your research. That said, most responsibly bred, well socialized Boerboels are typically very good with children, especially those they share their home with. The entire family should take part in training exercises to ensure the dog understands that children occupy a higher station in the family’s hierarchy. Children should be taught to respect and treat dogs with kindness and should not be left unsupervised with any dog no matter how trustworthy you believe they are.

Boerboels are large dog breed, requiring physical exercise to develop properly and to be fit. There has been a lot research that indicates that a good deal of bone heath and structure will be less genetic and more environmental. Still I would look to purchase puppies from breeders who are health and temperament testing. With that in mind I would also feed the best food that I could afford, some would suggest RAW, keep them at a healthy, fit weight, exercise but avoid high impact activities, avoid raising them on slippery surfaces.

With all of its wonderful qualities, the Boerboel is still NOT a dog for everyone. This is not a breed that is recommended for first time dog owners or owners who are not willing to spend quality time with their dog, socializing and training.

If you do think the Boerboel is the breed for you, patience and research is of paramount importance in your consideration.

After fully educating oneself on the demands and expense of owning this breed, before you ever purchase your first Boerboel, find a good mentor. One that is a member of the AKC affiliated Breed parent Club (American Boerboel Club)

is a good place to start. One that has years of experience with the breed, has extensive knowledge of the breed’s history, traits, temperament, and conformation.

The Boerboel breed entered the AKC in the Foundation Stock Service in 2006. They officially became a part of the AKC working group in 2015. The breed standard used by AKC was derived from the standard of the SABT (now defunct). The goal of the American Boerboel Club, the AKC parent club for the breed, has always been to preserve and protect the historical Boerboel. With all of the upheaval in the Boerboel community in the past several years over the ever-changing breed standard in South Africa and other countries you will find that the American Kennel Club Breed Standard has not deviated and will be close to the original standard put forth by the founders of the breed. Boerboels have proven to be a very versatile breed.

There are Boerboels with AKC titles in Herding, Obedience, Rally, Agility, Therapy Dog and Coursing, we even have individuals working on the first AKC tracking title. Other sports enjoyed by Boerboels and their owners are barn hunt and nose work. This versatility is a testament to the “all round” farm dog developed in South Africa so many years ago.

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