Publishers Jovana Danilovic Ruth Rauherz Managing Editor Ruth Rauherz editor@bestinshowmagazine.com Art Director Jovana Danilovic jovana@bestinshowmagazine.com
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Marketing Manager Juraj Sokolic ads@bestinshowmagazine.com
Dear Best in Show readers and followers, we are proud to present you Best in Show Spring edition 2016, our 13th edition.
Contributin Writers Anne Tureen, Richard Hellman, Juha Kares, Paul Stanton, Karl Donvil, Jovana Danilovic, Bo Bengtson, Ante Lucin, S. Edgar Andersen Stanton , Viltė Šokaitytė
In this edition you will be able to enjoy beautiful photos taken by our new co-workers Todos Split from the 4 International shows in Zadar; Karl’s facinating article about Crufts accompanied by his great photos; report from the New York’s amazing show - Westminster and many more. As well there are lovely articles written by Anne Tureen about artist Donatella, interview with Charley Donaldson - the youngest handler who won reserve Best in Show at Crufts 2016, interview with a Junior Handler DemiWeijmans and breeders interviews about Chihuahuas. I am specially excited about interviews with Mr Espen Engh - breeder and judge who celebrated his 200 champion dog. I truly hope you will enjoy spending time reading our new edition with a cup of coffee or tea until our next edition which will be ready for the European Dog Show in Brussels.
Contributing Photographers Karl Donvil, Lisa Croft-Elliott, Jeffrey Hanlin, Jovana Danilovic Web Designers Jovana Danilovic Sanja Jukic Printed by GrafoMark d.o.o
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Best in Show Magazine
Jovana Danilovic publisher & art director
Content
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Crufts 2016
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Charley Donaldson
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Zadar 2016
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Demi Weijmans
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Espen Engh
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Meet the breed: Chihuahuas
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Donatella Diana
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Westminster
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Charisma in Dogs
by Karl Donvil
Inteview with Handler
4 International Dog Shows Intervie with Junior Handler Interview with Judge
The Standard, Misty Meadows, Di San Gimignano, Micrchihuahuas, Chidelia, Bramvers by Anne Tureen
Photo story by Jovana Danilovic by Juha Kares
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2016 Crufts 2016 LOOKING BACK TO 125 YEARS OF DOG TRADITION by Karl Donvil
Britain has always been a dog minded country and Charles Cruft is maybe the best example. If he would know how famous his show is now, 125 year later, he would be enormously proud. His first show in 1891 had an entry of 2437 dogs. However, he was known to bump up the numbers and there were for example several stuffed dogs on display. Now, 2016, there are almost 22,000 dogs entered. Around 22.000? What about exact numbers? This proves that it all depends from what angle you look at it. For the show itself 21.866 dogs were entered but dogs can participate in more than one class, all the dogs participating in the sports competitions can be taken into account, and what about the cross breeds, junior handling,...that would bring us much further than 22,000 dogs. One thing is clear, it is the biggest dog show in the world, maybe beaten in numbers of dogs entered for the show (France?) but it is the most known in the world, attracting record numbers of visitors, offering the most diverse trade stands, covering the largest space for a dog show, probably the most diverse in numbers of nationalities etc. This year was an important anniversary, 125 years of Crufts, and one would expect some special things to happen but it was business as usual. It gets more and more difficult to invent new things. Maybe one thing is worth mentioning; on Friday, when only one group, the Gundogs, was on term, there was a new competition, the vulnerable breeds. Interesting as this brings some rather rare breeds into focus and that might help as people like to have 32
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something special and unusual. Two new breeds were new on the list, the English Setter and the Irish Terrier and the Bedlington was put on the watch list. The lists contain only English and Irish breeds, including the Bloodhound that is in fact a Belgian breeds stabilized in Britain. The most vulnerable breed is undoubtedly the Otterhound with only 34 registrations. Compared to the most popular breeds, the Labrador with 32.507 pups and the Cocker Spaniels with 22.577, it is a huge difference. Every day has a nice and entertaining program on offer for the spectators and new items for the main ring are not needed in fact, Thursday the Young Kennel Club Agility Dog of the Year and the Junior Warrant Competition, Friday Agility, Gamekeepers Competition, Gundog display and the Vulnerable breeds, Saturday has Agility international, Heelwork to Music, International Junior Handling, and Sunday of course many more things like Friends for Life, Mary Ray and the Police demonstration. There would not be much more possible if not it would end much later. In fact, in the arena you can take a seat at 9 and leave late in the evening and all the time you would have doggy entertainment. Crufts is a total spectacle and you are forced to make choices, or shopping or seeing a few breeds in the ring or the arena program, it’s only possible to experience Crufts but missing nothing is impossible. Thursday and Friday seemed much more busy than usual and many stand holders agreed with me. Perhaps this had to do with the rescheduling of some groups. The Gundogs were on Friday, last year on Thursday, Toys and Utility was now on Thursday and
maybe this attracted more visitors on those days. More and more visitors come from overseas, some to visit some to participate. This year 3396 dogs from other countries came over to Birmingham, 14% more than last year. There were dogs entered from Peru, Japan, Mexico, Venezuela, the Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, each time one or two. 47 Dogs from the states were entered. France was best represented with 428 entries, followed by Italy with 382, the Netherlands with 347, and Ireland with 301. Sweden had 209 at Crufts, more than double of the next Nordic country and Russia was represented by 200 dogs. But so many foreign visitors means so much more hotel bookings and the prices are going higher and higher each year. Nearby the halls it is as good as impossible to find a room below 100£ a night. The only option to have it cheaper is take the train to Birmingham or Coventry. A weekend Crufts becomes a very expensive holiday. But if you come as a visitor, I would advise to buy the Show Guide instead of a catalog as all dogs can be found online. This Show Guide is, and I keep on repeating it every year, one of the best things to buy and keep. It is so well organized and holds so much interesting information for novices as well as for professionals. The Cirneco Dell’Etna and the Lagotto Romagnolo, two Italian Breeds, are now accepted, while the Azawakh, Hungarian Pumi and the Picardy Shepherd dog are accepted in any variety class. The Azawakh that I saw in the main ring, was very weird for European Standards. The dog had not it’s typical color but more the color of a Sloughi and the face too looked not very typical either. And that brings us to the judges. For them, the Kennel Club has started the Kennel Club Academy. Breed and specialty clubs can, with the help and finances of the Kennel Club, make a documentary about breeds, showing all aspects of the breed, possible problems, faults and peculiarities and this in order to instruct judges and aspirant judges. It would be a great idea if this could be done in collaboration with the FCI and AKC in order to prevent certain breeds to deviate from the original. New too, is that from April 6 on, all dogs in Britain need to be microchipped. Still Britain, notwithstanding a dog loving people, has its problems, just as much as anywhere else in
the world. Dogs that suffer, crossbreeds dropped in shelters, etc. This microshipping could make a difference although it will never completely stop the problem. The Kennel Club took several initiatives to cast the Crufts Spotlights on these dogs too. There is the Scruffts Crosbreeds competition and Friends for life is often also a matter of non-showdogs. But Friends for Life hype is slowing down, at least that’s how it looks. It looks like the stories are more common, more like thousands of dogs do every day in caring for their masters and bringing comfort into their lives. In fact they all deserve a medal. The stories behind the nominates look more common, more like so many dogs. Instead of choosing a winner by voting it would maybe be better to just nominate 5 dogs that stand for all the dogs that do exactly the same every day, a celebration of dogs that sacrifice their lives for mankind. Crufts could be the ideal means to bring the work of our beloved dogs into the spotlights and that is more than taking care of its master in need. So many people have no idea what some dogs to do for us, including searching cancer. Maybe Friends for live should get a facelift, a new formula. But it’s without any doubt a great initiative. The Junior Handling competition has a kind of strange overcast the last years. Although 46 countries compete it is no longer a headlight. In the website it is hard to find any information about it. One would suppose to find something about it in the Press Pack, but no. Under the” What’s on” button you can find a link. It looks like the Kennel Cub no longer wants to bring this under the attention. Isn’t that strange? A more international competition is hard to find at Crufts, and still? But no other competition has been more the subject of discussion, maybe that’s what the Kennel Club is afraid of. More and more shows in the world drop the Junior Handling competition, probably for the same reason. First there is here at Crufts the handicap for the handlers that they are not able to chose their dogs. How fair is that? Some dogs are nervous, don’t like strangers, etc. Most of the kids are used to certain or even only one breed and suddenly they are supposed to handle a completely different kind of dog, that is not their own, etc , etc. In a couple of minutes they make the dogs get crazy as the judge makes the kids turn in all kinds of ways, turning around the dogs Best in Show Magazine
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while keeping an eye on the judge. Imagine what goes on in the head of the dog? And then when finally they maybe get a little at ease they are given to another kid! Is that the way we teach children to handle dogs? And there is the competition factor that teach the children, often pushed by the parents, to have only one objective, to win. Kids are kept away from school and are learnt to ask money, black money, for handling dogs on shows. And what about the countries in competition? Some children represent countries they even are not able to point on a map. It would be better to start learning Geography at school. And if you hear the comments, they all want to become a vet, doctor, engineer, etc. Sometimes you hear an honest comment “X wants to be a professional handler later...”. If kids want to handle and show a dog, no problem. Let them participate in the show, let them have showtraining and compete in the normal judging where the dog is judged, not the kids. If talent floats, it will also float without Junior Handling competition. It will finds its way also without. Junior Handling has become a circus, at least that is how I see it. As mentioned before in this article, Thursday started with the Toy and the Utility Group. The Toy group had 2909 dogs, 3182 entries. As everywhere the Chihuahua , Chinese Crested, the Papillon and the Pug were most popular in this group, all with over 200 entries. There were 269 Pugs and 429 Chihuahuas, both short and long coats. Mrs.Valerie Blore was the judge and she chose the Pekingese Ch. Yakee Ooh Aah Cantona as BIS. Reserve was the Havanese Ch Larwinsca Lady Guinevere. The Utility Group was judged by Mrs.Mary Deats. There were 3012 dogs in this group, good for 3311 entries. The Bulldogs were leading here with 245 dogs. The Tibetan Terrier seems to be very popular here as this breed came second with 235 dogs entered, beating the Dalmatian and the French Bulldogs with 228
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and 219 dogs respectively. Ch.Longdale’s Jen You Win, a German Kleinspitz, won the group and was runned up by the Japanese Shiba Inu Ch.Vormund Leonardo Di Caprio. Only one group was on term on Friday, the Gundogs. This biggest group had 4957 dogs and 5838 entries and was judged by Mrs. Di Arrowsmith. This group has many very popular breeds. The Labradors are the top breed here with 588 dogs, followed closely by the Golden Retrievers with 569. The English Cockers are ranking on the 3rd place with 403 specimen and then you have the Flat Coats with 334 and the Irish Setters with 314. Amazing numbers! And it is not over, 236 Pointers, 203 Welsh Springers, 200 English Setters and 192 Gordon Setters. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers follow next as the first non-British breed in this group with 169 of them. It was a Gordon Setter, Ch.Lourdace Fulcrum, who was given the ticket for the finals. Runner up was the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Ch.Arnac Bay Exe. Friday is the most relaxing day ending at 19.25. Saturday ends more than an hour later. The Working Group and Pastoral Group were on term now. The Working group had 2566 dogs and 2788 entries. Mr.Kari Jarvinen from Finland had the honor to judge them. The Boxers were the most popular breed in his group with 236. The Bernese Mountain dogs seem to be popular over here too, 221 were in competition. The Newfoundland was just below 200, 198 to be precise. And of course also very numerous and popular are the Rottweiler and the Dobermann with 193 and 179 respectively. Mr.Jarvinen chose the Bouvier des Flandres, Ch.Liskport Lord of the Rings, as his winner, a very nice dog fitting the continental standard perfectly. The Bullmastif who was second came from Italy, Angel’s Phoenix The Devil’s Advocate. Mr.Frank Kane was the judge of the Pastoral Group that had 3077
dogs and 3497 entries. The Border Collie caps the other breeds here with 359 dogs. The Bearded Collies came next with 299, followed by the Shetland Sheepdogs with 282 and the Rough Collies with 269. The Samoyeds counted 168 dogs and was won by a dog handled by a 9 year old girl who was showing absolutely amazing and professional. She was placed 4th. The Groupwinner was the Border Collie Ch.Simaro Cold As Ice, he won from the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Multi CH.Vi’Skaly’s Harlem Shake. Unfortunately the website is not giving information about the countries the dogs come from, but I presume many of the winners are foreign dogs. Sunday, day of the finals, is the most stressing day, and it will not be over before 21.00, at least if you are not press and need to wait till you can take the famous BIS pictures. The main program starts at 16.55, which means that you have your paid seat in the arena for 4 hours. Fortunately there is enough of entertainment to keep you busy without noticing the hours go by and there are two groups to be done before the BIS can be chosen. The first group is the Terrier group, the smallest, judged again by a foreign judge, Mr. Dan Ericsson from Sweden. He had the best in front of him out of 2307 dogs and 2496 entries. The Staffordshire Bull Terriers are far out the most popular with an entry of 410! Strange enough, at least for European standards is the popularity of the Border Terrier who came second with 239 specimen. His winner was the West Highland White Terrier Ch.Burneze Geordie Girl. He won from 147 competitors. Runner up was the best Border Terrier Ch.Brackenfell Bok To Bach. The last group before BIS judging was the Hound group, 3038 Dogs and 3350 entries. They were judged by Mr.Jeff Horswell. Most popular were the Whippets who showed up with 397. The Beagles are also very popular, they were with 253 and then there is the popular Afgan Hound, on this edition 232 were
in competition. The Rhodesian Ridgeback was the last breed in this group with over 200 dogs, 201 in fact. With surprise I note that 162 Irish Wolfhounds were entered, a high level of popularity! Winner in this group was the whippet Ch.Nothing Compares to You at Crosscop. The only difference in the Best In Show program for this 125th anniversary were the 3 singers that were supposed to sing live but they had back luck, their microphones got stuck. Some people joked about it aloud, but I felt sorry for them especially as they continued courageously to sing live and received a big applause. After Mary Rays performance and the West Midlands Police demonstration the lights dim, the fanfare of the Royal Marines open the finals and Mr.Derek Smith, the Best In Show judge is introduced. 7 Nice dogs are coming up, one by one and judging starts. 25 Minutes later Mr. Smith is making a last check, the dogs make a last round and then he goes straight to the West Highland White Terrier, choice of Mr. Dan Ericsson and seconds later to the runner up to BIS, the whippet. For both dogs it must have been a most exciting day, winning the breed, then the group and finally ResBIS, all the very same day. The whippet is co-owned by MRS L D, MR G M & MISS C MORRIS, WADDELL & DONALDS. Our Westie , Burneze Geordie Girl, is owned by Miss M & Mrs A Burns. Geordie’s photo will show in next year’s Show Guide and this year is hundreds of magazines, blogs, Facebook pages etc. This cute little bitch is born in june 2014 and now, not even two years later, she is a world famous diva. In a couple of months many people start longing again to go to Crufts next year, victims of a strange attraction. It’s like a soccer game, you can see it much better on television, but witnessing it live is beyond comparison. See you there next year!
Best in Show Magazine
Judged by Mrs Di Arrowsmith
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
LOURDACE FULCRUM Gordon Setter
Owned by Alcorn, Crowther & Baddele
ARNAC BAY EXE
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Owned by P. Uncles
GLESKA GOODY-GOODY Lagotto Romagnolo
Owned by K. Van Gemert
CASTLEROCK SIMPLY MAGIC Flat Coated Retriever
Owned by A. Dyren
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Judged by Mr Jeff Horswell
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU AT CROSSCOP Whippet
Owned by Morris,Waddell & Donalds
SILVAE SOLO Standard Dachshund Wire-Haired
Owned by D.C. & K.D. McCalmont
KINABULA BIN THERE DONE THAT Rhodesian Ridgeback
Owned by M.L. Farleigh
PRAMADA’S XAVIER WITH JORDDACHS Standard Dachshund Long-Haired
Owned by M. Peat
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Judged by Mr Frank Kane
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
SIMARO COLD AS ICE Border Collie
Owned by S. Adelsperger
VI’SKALY’S HARLEM SHAKE Pyrenean Mountain Dog
Owned by N. Danielson
WINDCREST STYLISH MOVE Shetland Sheepdog
Owned by C. Akesson
SMILIESAM STRIKE HOME Samoyed
Owned by J. Fulierova
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Judged by Mr Dan Ericsson
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
BURNEZE GEORDIE GIRL West Highland White Terrier
Owned by M. & A. Burns
BRACKENFELL BOK TO BACH Border Terrier Owned by C. Hall & L. Ellis
IRISBLU JACK OF DIAMONDS Kerry Blue Terrier
Owned by H. & H. Quigg
KINSRIDGE TOP TIP Norfolk Terrier
Owned by D. Jenkins
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Judged by Mrs Val Blore
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
YAKEE OOH AAH CANTONA Pekingese
Owned by A. Easdon & P. Martin
LARWINSCA LADY GUINEVERE Havanese Owned by P.J. & T.J. Clayton
FLORITA TUELETTA Italian Greyhound
Owned by H.M. Lister
ALPHA LYRAE¦S BE MY LOVER Pomeranian
Owned by H. Lemtun & H. Kaald
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Judged by Ms Mary Deats
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
LONGDALE’S JEN YOU WIN German Spitz (Klein)
Owned by G. Pearce & D. Francis
VORMUND LEONARDO DICAPRIO Shiba Inu Owned by S. Dunhill-Hall
AEDAN TALK OF THE TOWN Toy Poodle
Owned by B. & S. Godfrey
FOROCHEL FJORD Lhasa Apso
Owned by D. Dungate & T. Minton
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Judged by Mr Kari Jarvinen
1st place
nd 2place
3place rd
4place th
CH LISKPORT LORD OF THE RINGS Bouvier des Flandres
Owned by F. Lambert
ANGEL’S PHOENIX THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE Bullmastiff
Owned by F. Pavesi
CYPRESS BAY’S THE ONE THAT I WANT FOR BEAR N MIND Newfoundland
Owned by P. Bogaerts & D. Gorsuch
CHAYO MY PREROGATIVE Alaskan Malamute
Owned by S. Ellis
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1st place BURNEZE GEORDIE GIRL West Highland White Terrier
Owned by M. & A. Burns
nd 2place NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU AT CROSSCOP Whippet
Owned by Morris,Waddell & Donalds
Charley Donaldson The youngest handler to be placed on Crufts BIS Podium Interviewed by Anna Szabo BIS: Please tell us how you started in dogs. How many dogs do you keep currently? C.D.: I was introduced to dog showing by Leigh Morris and George Waddell of Crosscop Whippets. Leigh asked firstly if my sister, Alison, and I would like to help walk the dogs and I couldn’t say no! I went to my first dog show with Hazel’s grandfather, Douglas (Crosscop Stormy Weather) and won Pest Puppy in Show. After that, I was hooked. We currently have 11 Whippets, 2 Basenjis, a Dachshund and a Dalmatian who all live together in the house so it’s a bit crazy sometimes! BIS: How did you get involved with Whippets, the breed you are now famous for? C.D.: I got involved in Whippets through Leigh. It was the breed she had in the house so there was no point in getting a brand new breed when you have the quality of dogs that she had. BIS: Since when have you been showing dogs? C.D.: I started showing dogs when I was 7 years old and went to my first Crufts at 8, so it’ll be 12 years this year!
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BIS: What was your motive when you first started competing at dog shows? What do you want to accomplish by doing so? C.D.: I just wanted to have a bit of fun. I love dogs as it is, so the hobby is perfect for me. I want to breed happy and healthy pedigree dogs and being part of the Crosscop kennel and being in the show world is helping me accomplish this. BIS: How would you describe the Whippet community in the United Kingdom? Is it one with humming activity and a welcoming atmosphere to winners as well as to newcomers? C.D.: The community is very supportive. As a young person, I have always been encouraged by many respected Whippet exhibitors. We have 12 breed clubs, so we are always meeting up and we seem to throw some of the best parties, with some amazing cakes and plenty alcohol (not the drivers though)! We all try to help all newcomers into the breed and will give assistance to anyone who asks.
BIS: Can you recall any early memorable wins? C.D.: Like I said before, my first win was Best Puppy in Show at my first show with Douglas! Another huge win was when George forgot to enter me in the Junior Handling at Scottish Kennel Club 2009, so he told me I could show Dave, Ch Crosscop Brilliant That’s Me in Open Dog. That day, I went on to win the Dog CC as well as BOB under Mrs Delabelle, and all at the age of 12. I ended up making him into a Champion in 2012 when I was 15. BIS: Do you have a mentor whose knowledge and opinions have been a real support to you? C.D.: Leigh Morris has always been someone who has been by my side when I needed her. She’s passed down her years of knowledge onto me and has supported me through tough times. As well as Leigh, George has been a fantastic support. Driving us here, there and everywhere. Lastly, my mum has headed up the support for me and prior to Crufts, she hadn’t seen me show since 2014, so for her to be there in BIS was very special. BIS: It is crucial for exhibitors to keep their dogs in the epitome of health. How do you condition your dogs at home? C.D.: Correct food and exercise are the key. Not just any exercise: our routine is 4 miles of road and dirt track walking on inclines and declines combined with controlled free exercise. Living in the countryside definitely helps with this! This helps t build the correct muscle a Whippet should have. BIS: Do you have any special habits/rituals before entering the ring? C.D.: The only ritual I have is that I have only ever shown Hazel on one lead, so if I didn’t have that, I think I’d feel slightly uneasy. BIS: The Whippet is one of the very strongest breeds both in numbers and quality not just in the UK, but all over the world. Even winning a class isn’t an easy task with a Whippet in Great Britain. Yet, Hazel very quickly rose to the top and finished 2015 as the UK’s Nr 1 Whippet. What qualities do you think were the key to her success? C.D.: She has personality and ring presence which is 58
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needed in today’s show ring. She’s a complete attention seeker, so being in the middle of it all does not phase her at all! To me she is as near as a perfect Whippet you could get! BIS: ‘Winning means hard work’ - says the ever great Mrs Patricia Craige Trotter. How would you outline the road to Reserve Best in Show at Crufts? C.D.: It definitely is hard work! It starts as soon as you get the puppy and training her/him. The food and the exercise on top of that, and then the commitment to top it all off is what has put us on this road. At times, walking the dogs and showing is knackering, but when you are rewarded with dogs like Hazel, it makes it all worthwhile. BIS: Hazel’s most jubilant performance in the Arena was rewarded with an enormous round of applause and cheering from the audience. I recall, however, a massive crowd around the Whippet ring going absolutely wild; almost exploding with joy and ovation when referee Jeff Horswell pointed at Hazel with the BOB rosette. It was incredibly mesmerizing, even to just the simple spectator like me. How would you describe what you felt in that moment? C.D.: I was speechless, it was amazing. All I can really remember though, because I was so concentrated on Hazel, was the massive cheer then the bank of photographers who all crowded around us. I could not have been happier in the moment. I’d love to relive it every day. BIS: Was it difficult to hold your nerves together in the breed/Group ring? C.D.: Along with Leigh and George, we go to shows with a young boy, James Winkley Balmer and his Mum, Rosemary. James shows one of our other bitches April, April Showers at Crosscop, on this day he had actually won Limit with April, therefore he was right beside me in the Bitch challenge and to top it all, she ended up winning the reserve CC!! So, it was absolutely fantastic. The same day, I also won Best of Breed with my Basenji, Jayda, Nialah in That Lil Red Dress. here was no other person I would
have asked to show Jayda other than James, so again, in the Group I had James by my side.
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BIS: What does the future hold for Hazel? Are you planning on buying another Whippet as well? C.D.: She will continue to show, she loves doing it! Although, she won’t be in the breed at every single show, we will try and qualify her for the Eukanuba Champion Stakes final, so a bit of fun too! We have puppies just now, so I hope I can run one on to be as successful as her! BIS: Does this mean you breed together with Leigh? C.D.: Myself, Leigh and George all own the Crosscop Kennel of Whippets and Basenjis. I was added me onto the Crosscop affix as a Christmas present in 2014.
My boyfriend, Will Croxford, was also by my side through the whole day, so I had constant support! This is what kept me calm! BIS: Could you please summarize what Crufts 2016 was like and means to you? C.D..: It being the 125th anniversary of Crufts made it very special! BIS: ‘Winning means having fun’ - to quote again the grand Mrs Trotter. And she is so right, isn’t she? What elements of ‘winning’ make success truly fun and memorable for you? C.D.: Seeing the reactions of your friends and family make it fantastic. Also, when judges who have done her well in the past, and remember her for what she did makes it memorable as it means that we’ve made an impact on lots of different people. Ernie Patterson, for example, gave her Puppy Group 1 (her first), and then the next time he saw her she was Top Whippet 2015!l 60
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BIS: Please mention two or three of the best Whippets you have seen in real life or on photos. C.D.: Ch Dyanne Dondelayo is one of the most beautiful Whippets I have ever seen. Although, I never saw her in the flesh, the photos say it all! Ch Shalfleet Simply a Lord, a stunning dog who has paved the way for Whippets today. And finally, our own Ch Crosscop Count On Me who, although isn’t everyone’s colour preference, but is a complete, classic, old fashioned type Whippet… not that I’m bias! BIS: Have you been showing other breeds as well? C.D..: Yes, I show Basenjis as well. Currently, I have 3 on my name. Nelson, my first Basenji, who is a fantastic little dog and now lives the life of luxury with my Mum. Aoife, whom I co-own with Tom Rabbitte, is an absolute star and finally the aforementioned Jayda, who again I co-own with Tom, was imported form Australia in December and has already absolutely excelled herself in the show ring by winning 2 CCs, one of them at Crufts, all at the age of 9 months! We also hope to show the Miniature Short haired Dachshund in the future. BIS: Which show dogs you have encountered (other than Whippets) do you admire? C.D.: One of my favourites is my boyfriend’s Norwegian Elkhound, UK IE Ch Ennafort The One and Only ShCM, otherwise known as Pearl. She’s is truly a stunning dog and I’m so lucky to have had a chance to practice with her! Another stunning dog is
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Michael Coad and Geoff Corish’s Bichon Frise, Ch Pamplona Bring Me Sunshine, aka Eric. As you can tell by the breeds I have, coated breeds aren’t my forte but Eric just stands out! I’ve met him a few times and he’s not just a lovely show dog, he’s a happy pet too! One dog I’m extremely happy to have encountered is Moray and Kathrine Armstrongs Hungarian Visla, Lizzie- Sh Ch Bitcon Merely Magic. I remember when she came into the training class as a puppy and wouldn’t walk. I spent up to 4 weeks persevering and coaxing her to get her going. She ended up winning numerous CCs and also having some beautiful puppies! Finally, Ch Feldkirk Fashion, who was brought to our training class by Frank Whyte and Tommy Johnston. This young Flat Coat Retriever took the breed record this year and I’m not surprised as she is a gorgeous dog both in breed type and personality.
“ I’ll always stay in the dog shows, I’ve made so many fantastic friends and can’t thank them enough for all the support they have given me over the past 12 years!” BIS: Have you shown overseas before? C.D.: I have never shown overseas, however, I would love to in the near future! Fingers crossed I’ll be attending the World Show this year as a spectator, if not an exhibitor. BIS: Are there any judges/breeders or handlers you look up to and find inspirational? C.D.: Although Middlebie and Waterbeck Training club is a small club, we have many inspirational people who attend. Moray Armstrong, Judith Carruthers, Frank Whyte and Tommy Johnston all come each week. When you look at what they have all done, you can’t help but find them inspirational, and if I can be a little like any of them, I’ll be truly happy. 62
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In respects to the Whippet breed, I look up to the Mcleods: Johnston and Jessie. They have produced a number of beautiful dogs under the Peperone prefix as well as being well respected judges. They are two amazing people in the Whippet breed. BIS: Who have been the greatest support to you so far? C.D.: I have a huge support network and I can’t thank everyone enough for it. It starts with my mum, Leigh and George. They have been there since day one, they have been fantastic. Rosemary Balmer, has been an amazing support to all of us too, cheering us on and supporting us in all our wins. In addition to that Moray, Judith, Frank and Tommy have always pushed me to better myself and have given me a lot of brilliant opportunities! Finally, one of my biggest supporters is my boyfriend Will Croxford. He has been by my side through everything over the past year, he’s calmed me down when I’ve got stressed and been truly happy for me and Hazel! BIS: Do you enjoy reading about the dog sport’s history and following up on the main news of the dogdom? C.D.: I have multiple breed books, Zuber to 1960 being one of my favourites! I follow the news through the two leading magazines, Dog World and Our
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Dogs, and also through Social media (Facebook and Twitter). There are so many ways to keep up to date now! BIS: Seminars are an outstanding learning experience, no matter the subject. Do you attend such events? C.D.: I have attended many seminars held by great people, some of my favourites were taken by the greatly admired Eleanor Bothwell (Norcis Beagles). Her talks were amazing and I always learned so much! I would love to sit in on more seminars but there’s not many held up near me, unfortunately! BIS: Do you take part in other activities within the sport than showing? C.D.: I also judge Whippets with the hope of giving tickets in the new future. I also help Leigh run the Training class, we must be doing something right as we have had numerous champions, group winners and best in show winners grace our door as well as being voted Training Class of the Year 2015 at the Pawscars ( an event held on Crufts eve to highlight the bests of the Dog World). BIS: What do you think of the quality of judgings these days, and in your mind, what makes a judge good one? C.D.: Judging on the whole in this country is very good, the standard is very high. Some judges can get over awed by the number they can receive at one show for Whippets, but always seem to have good ring organisation, confidently but gently go over the dogs and give every dog a fair chance. All of which are needed when judging any breed! BIS: Can you name any UK/overseas judges whom have truly impressed you with their professionalism or flawless eye for type & balance? C.D.: Espen Engh, is one who no one can fault. He truly knows his stuff and this is shown through his own dogs too! 200 champions, WOW! Jill Peak, an all rounder who has an eye for a good dog, a dog that can move and is beautifuly put together. Pam Marston-Pollock, a woman who has a vast knowledge of her chosen breeds and puts this knowledge into her judging and her educational 64
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talks. Ray Morland, another outstanding judge who has always encouraged youngsters, including myself and James, to reach their highest potential. And last but not least- Pauline Oliver, a Whippet breed specialist of outstanding Whippet breed knowledge. Cannot only judge them but can also breed them. Five judges who I’m inspired to be like! BIS: And finally, please tell us about your plans for the future. C.D.: In the future I would love to stay involved in dogs whether that be showing or kennels or anything. I’ve put my application in for the police in hopes that I’ll be able to become a dog handler. I’ll always stay in the dog shows though, I’ve made so many fantastic friends and can’t thank them enough for all the support they have given me over the past 12 years!
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4 International Dog Shows ZADAR, CROATIA 28th of April 2016 Photo credits: TODOS Split
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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM
OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG OWNED BY KOROKNAI JOZSEF (H) JUDGED BY M. WIEREMIEJCZYK - WIERZCHOWSKA
GROUP 2 ATLANTIC EUROPICA VARIETAS
BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER OWNED BY ZAHONYI - ABEL DOROTTYA (H) JUDGED BY SINIÅ A CUJAN (HR)
GROUP 3 CYNETKOY BIZZIE BEE
BORDER TERRIER OWNED BY WATSON S.D. & KENNA A.S. (UK) JUDGED BY SVEND LOVENKJAER (DK)
GROUP 4 DREAMDAX ALL OF ME
DACHSHUND MINIATURE WIRE OWNED BY GABBRIELLI LUISA (I) JUDGED BY JASNA MATEJCIC (HR)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 SHEYTAN’S BEAUTY GOT A BABY DOLL AT BLOO SIBERIAN HUSKY OWNED BY FLENGHI LAURENT (F) JUDGED BY ZOIA OLEINIKOVA (UKR)
GROUP 6 DALMINO OZONE LAYER
DALMATIAN DOG OWNED BY HALPER DRAZIC ZELJKA (HR) JUDGED BY PETAR KLARIC (HR)
GROUP 7 BLUE BALTIC’S LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
ENGLISH SETTER OWNED BY WAGNER OSWALD&PREISSL (A) JUDGED BY ZLATKO KRALJIC (HR)
GROUP 8 ONE AND ONLY FROM SERVICE PARADISE WINST LABRADOR RETRVER OWNED BY KUIJT - V.D. KERKHOF LOES (NL) JUDGED BY JUAN NAVEDA CARRERO (E)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 CINECITTA IAN SOMERHALDER MALTESE OWNED BY PROSPERI FRANCO (I) JUDGED BY NIKOLA SMOLIC (HR)
GROUP 10 AMLU-ULMENA CASANOVA IRISH WOLFHOUND OWNED BY AMLING ASTRID (D) JUDGED BY ZLATKO KRALJIC (HR)
BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R CINECITTA IAN SOMERHALDER MALTESE OWNED BY PROSPERI FRANCO (I) JUDGED BY NIKOLA SMOLIC (HR)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG OWNED BY KOROKNAI JOZSEF (H) JUDGED BY SINIŠA CUJAN
GROUP 2 SENNENHUND ROSSII ORFEY BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG OWNED BY FILIPPOV I. (RUS) JUDGED BY  SVEND LOVENKJAER (DK)
GROUP 3 TOUCHSTAR GOSSIP MAKER JACK RUSSELL TERRIER OWNED BY FRANCESCA SCORZA (I) JUDGED BY GERARD COX (UK)
GROUP 4 LUX DEL PALATINO LILLYWOOD DACHSHUND MINIATURE WIRE OWNED BY SALETTI ANNALUCE (I) JUDGED BY DUŠAN PAUNOVIC (SRB)Ć
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 ESTAVA RAIN CATCH THE WIND AMERICAN AKITA OWNED BYRAUHUT SABINE KATJA (D) JUDGED BY JASNA MATEJCICĆ
GROUP 6 DALMINO OZONE LAYER
DALMATIAN DOG OWNED BY HALPER DRAZIC ZELJKA (HR) JUDGED BY MALGORZATA WIEREMIEJCZYK WIERZCHOWSKA
GROUP 7 BLUE BALTIC’S LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
ENGLISH SETTER OWNED BY WAGNER OSWALD&PREISSL (A) JUDGED BY JUAN NAVEDA CARRERO (E)
GROUP 8 LEONARDO OF ANGEL’S HEAD
LABRADOR RETRIEVER OWNED BY ONKELINX T. & DE SMEDT N. (BE) JUDGED BY PETAR KLARIC (CRO)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 KATASTICO MERLOT POLAND SHIH - TZU OWNED BY KIKIEWICZ KATARZYNA (PL) JUDGED BY WIM WELLENS
GROUP 10 ABSOLUTE MANN BETTY BOOP WHIPPET OWNED BY MANNI FABRIZIO (I) JUDGED BY NIKOLA SMOLIC (CRO)
BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R BOTTOM SHAKER ZEPHYR DREAM OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG OWNED BY KOROKNAI JOZSEF (H)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 FLAMMEUS U SHOULD KNOW ME BELGIAN SHEPHERD DOG-TERVUEREN OWNED BY RINNE IIDA (FIN) JUDGED BY ZOIA OLEINIKOVA (UKR)
GROUP 2 XPLOSIVE POWER Z DIXIE
MINIATURE SCHNAUZER CHBANI BAHA (RUS) JUDGED BY GABRIELA RIDARCIKOVA (SK)
GROUP 3 TOUCHSTAR GOSSIP MAKER
JACK RUSSELL TERRIER OWNED BY FRANCESCA SCORZA (I) JUDGED BY JUAN NAVEDA CARRERO (E)
GROUP 4 LUX DEL PALATINO LILLYWOOD DACHSHUND MINIATURE WIRE OWNED BY SALETTI ANNALUCE (I) JUDGED BY JUAN NAVEDA CARRERO (E)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 SHEYTAN’S BEAUTY GOT A BABY DOLL AT BLOO
SIBERIAN HUSKY OWNED BY FLENGHI LAURENT (F) JUDGED BY  MALGORZATA WIEREMIEJCZYK WIERZCHOWSKA (PL)
GROUP 6 MELISSA IZ TERLETSKOY DUBRAVY
DALMATIAN DOG OWNED BY PETRAKOVA I.&CHERNOVA V. (RUS) JUDGED BY WIM WELLENS (NL)
GROUP 7 BLUE BALTIC’S LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
ENGLISH SETTER OWNED BY WAGNER OSWALD&PREISSL (A) JUDGED BY PETAR KLARIC (HR)
GROUP 8 LEONARDO OF ANGEL’S HEAD
LABRADOR RETRIEVER OWNED BY ONKELINX T. & DE SMEDT N. (BE) JUDGED BY SVEND LOVENKJAER (DK)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 NOBEL NICKY GOLDEN AMBER PAPILLON OWNED BY KRAPOVSKA DZINTRA (LAT) JUDGED BY ADRIAN ARGENTE (E)
GROUP 10 ABSOLUTE MANN BETTY BOOP
WHIPPET OWNED BY MANNI FABRIZIO (I) JUDGED BY MALGORZATA WIEREMIEJCZYK - WIERZCHOWSKA (PL)
BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R MELISSA IZ TERLETSKOY DUBRAVY
DALMATIAN DOG OWNED BY PETRAKOVA I.&CHERNOVA V. (RUS) JUDGED BY JASNA MATEJCIC (HR)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 MATYAS KIRALY UDVARI PANKA FANNI KOMONDOR OWNED BY CERESCINI-PLASTITALY SANDRO (SK) JUDGED BY ZLATKO KRALJIC (CRO)
GROUP 2 FENJA ALEXANDRA VOM ZARENHOF BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER OWNED BY FRIEDRICH HEIDI & ARND (D) JUDGED BY JUAN NAVEDA CARRERO (E)
GROUP 3 TOUCHSTAR GOSSIP MAKER JACK RUSSELL TERRIER OWNED BY FRANCESCA SCORZA (I) JUDGED BY NIKOLA SMOLIC (CRO)
GROUP 4 LUX DEL PALATINO LILLYWOOD DACHSHUND MINIATURE WIRE OWNED BY ANNALUCE SALETTI (I) JUDGED BY GERARD COX (IRL)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 ESTAVA RAIN CATCH THE WIND AMERICAN AKITA OWNED BY RAUHUT SABINE KATJA (D) JUDGED BY DUSAN PAUNOVIC (SRB)
GROUP 6 BLACK MAJESTY GIVES U GOOSE BUMPS
PETIT BASSET GRIFFON VENDEEN OWNED BY IVA RAIC & MARKO LJUTIC (CRO) JUDGED BY GABRIELA RIDARCIKOVA (SK)
GROUP 7 ZENSU MOUSETRAP HEART
ENGLISH POINTER OWNED BY ZAHONYI - ABEL DOROTTYA (H) JUDGED BY SVEND LOVENKJAER (D)
GROUP 8 SEMPRE FELICITA BIMBIK’S AMIGO CLUMBER SPANIEL OWNED BY BUBALO MAJA (HR) JUDGED BY JASNA MATEJCIC (CRO)
GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 E L’MAMBEE’S PLAY IT AGAIN PEKINGESE OWNED BY VARHAUG BRIT (N) JUDGED BY ZOIA OLEINIKOVA (UKR)
GROUP 10 ABSOLUTE MANN BETTY BOOP WHIPPET OWNED BY MANNI FABRIZIO (I) JUDGED BY SVEND LOVENKJAER (DK)
BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R ESTAVA RAIN CATCH THE WIND AMERICAN AKITA OWNED BY RAUHUT SABINE KATJA (D) JUDGED BY DUSAN PAUNOVIC (SRB)
Demi Weijmans Story of a Junior Handler Interviewed by Vilte S okaityte
BIS: Dear Demi, first of all congratulations on your wins. It has been a wonderful year for you so far, but we will come to that later - for the beginning could you introduce yourself and tell a little bit more about your life with dogs? D.W.: Thank you! My name is Demi Weijmans, I’m 14 years old and I live in a small village in the South of Holland called Ysselsteyn. At home, we breed American Cockers and as of recently Boston Terriers as well. BIS: When did you take part in your first dog show? Do you remember what your impressions then were? D.W.: I have been going to dogshows as long as I can remember, so I honestly don’t remember the first time I stepped into the ring! My mother already bred Cockers before I was born, so she always took me to dog shows. BIS: Did you ever think of not following you Mother’s path, do something completely different? D.W.: No I actually never thought of that. I can not imagine a life without dogs or dogshows. I am kind of raised with it! BIS: What was the hardest thing to learn for you as a beginner at dog shows? D.W.: I think the nerves. I was (and actually still am) very nervous, always! I can’t help it. I still struggle with it.
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BIS: When speaking about handlers, breeders, judges – who do you take inspiration from? D.W.: My mother, of course. But I also like to watch professional handlers, and to watch their tricks and maybe use it myself as well. I also like to watch judging. No one in particular. BIS: And here we come to Crufts 2016... What was the first thought that came to your head when Mrs. Barbara Muller chose you as the winner of the International junior handlers competition? D.W.: It was such a dream! I just could not believe it! Everything was so overwhelming. I remember myself standing at the number one spot and I just saw my whole supporting crew crying. And of course I was crying myself as well. I did not see it coming at all, so I was very surprised. The only thought that was going in my head was: Oh my goodness! Haha. BIS: What were your priorities when you were choosing the breed to take part in The competition? D.W.: I was undecided, that’s why I sent in the breed just the last day it was possible. I watched the International Junior Handling competition from 2015 and I noticed that the year before, there was a very beautiful Irish setter. I was already thinking about this breed because it is so beautiful, and showy as well. So that’s when I decided to take an Irish Setter. And funny enough, I got that nice setter I liked so much, from the year before! I felt very lucky.
BIS: Would you like to come back to Crufts as a competitor in the junior handler competition? D.W.: I don’t think I will compete in junior handlers again at Crufts, but I am not quite sure yet. I reached my goal which I had always dreamed of, so I am very happy to have achieved that. I still have to think about that haha! BIS: Besides Crufts, what are your biggest and most memorable wins during your career; in show rings & JH competitions? D.W.: My most memorable win was definitly back in 2013, when I won Dutch Champion Junior Handling in Amsterdam with my very own bred, groomed and trained Cocker Spaniel. I was just so proud of him. It was always my ambition to represent the Netherlands at Crufts. So when I won, I was again overwhelmed with the fact I would go there, as it would be my first time at Crufts. I also found it very exiting to meet all these handlers from all over the world! And my other most memorable win was with the same Cocker ‘’Brownie’’, when he won FCI group 8 in Amsterdam. I couldn’t help it but I cried a little as well ! I was just again so proud of him, he did a perfect job. BIS: We see you mostly with American Cockers, but is there a breed or maybe even few that you might like to own & breed? D.W.: My other favourite breed is the Australian Sheperd. I hope to own one some time in the near
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Photo 2 • Demi winning first place at Amsterdam Winner 2013 Photo 3 • Demi at Amsterdam Winner 2015 Photo 4 • Dog Of The Year Show 2015
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Photo 5 • Demi at the European Dog Show in Oslo 2015
future, and of course to breed them in the future! I love them so much. BIS: What are your plans for the future? Will you link your job to dogs, become a judge, professional handler or maybe have completely different profession next to all of this? D.W.: I really want to be a professional handler, and breeder as well. I actually want to be a judge too, but that will be a little hard to combine. We will see! BIS: What is your opinion on recent discussion concerning changing junior handling competition rules on figures like T, L, 8? D.W.: I really think the rules should be changed. My opinion is that Junior Handling is about who gets the best out of his/her dog, and not about who walked
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the left line of the T 2 steps too short. I understand that by example a triangle is very important, but a T, L and an 8 are just unnecessary and it certainly doesn’t make sense to me at all. BIS: Please, tell something that you would like to wish for our readers! D.W.: I would like to say to everyone to not give up! Everyone has to learn, and to loose before you can win! Last but not least I want to give a tip to all junior handlers: Show the dog, and not yourselves! Thank you for the interview
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Photo 1 • Espen judging Greyhounds at Crufts 2016
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Espen Engh Story of a well-known judge and breeder Interviewed by Anna Szabo
BIS: ‘Greyhounds since 1955’ means you and your family had been involved in Greyhounds well before the first Jet’s litter was even born. What were the highlights of the kennel’s prehistory and what is it you acquired from this era that eventually influenced the foundations of your breeding program? E.E.: Yes, my mother bought her first Greyhound in 1955. From the very start she was very keen on showing and exhibited this first male in Sweden and Denmark as well as in Norway, but he was never made up a champion. My mother was not in a position to start breeding at the time, but concentrated on males. Our first truly successful show dog was Int.Ch. Jet Commander, born in 1966 and the dog that gave name to our prefix. Another even more successful dog imported and owned by my mother was Int.Ch. Gayside Solomon Grundy. He was runner-up Dog of the Year in Norway in 1973. My mother had already been active in the breed for 20 years when we bred our first litter in 1975, and she had started judging in 1968. First gaining a lot of experience in the breed via showing males was an excellent way of gaining experience. Then only much later starting up with the breeding was perhaps the
main key to our success from the start. Most people would start out with a bitch and would breed from her without the necessary knowledge and experience. My mother knew the breed inside out before we even started looking for a foundation bitch. BIS: So, who were your foundation dogs, and what led you to the decision of choosing them? E.E.: My mother had judged several dogs from the Gulds BB-litter and had been most impressed with them. When Ann Gustafsson of the Gulds repeated the combination, she acquired Gulds Choice Cimone as a puppy. Cimone turned out to be quite exceptionally good, winning Best In Shows at international shows in both Norway and Sweden and being runner-up top dog all breeds in both countries. She also had what to look for in a brood bitch; very sound, well constructed, sturdy and substantial. We bred her to our foundation male, Int.Ch.Jet Commander, the first champion that I owned. He was born in 1966 from a mostly English pedigree. Both Jet Commander and Cimone went back several times in their pedigrees to crosses between the famous old Treetops and Carnlanga kennels.
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BIS: In 1975, the first Jet’s Greyhound litter was born and the kennel’s success saga began. You were 13 years old at the time, but had already developed a very keen interest in the canine world and consequently, you were very closely involved in breeding. How would you describe your role in the (kennel’s) first few years? E.E.: From a very early age I was very actively involved with the dogs. My mother brought me along to dog shows from when I was just a month old, and by the time I was around four or five I started to compete in child handling competitions. Some of my proudest moments were winning the Group and Runner-up Best In Show with Solomon Grundy at Bergen International show at the age of 10 and then the same year beating my mother for BOB at the Oslo International show. My mother always very actively supported my interest in dogs, and when she applied for a prefix in 1971, she included me as an owner from the start. I read everything that I could find about dogs, corresponded with some of the breeds top breeders in other countries, started subscribing to Dog World and other publications, and kept an extensive file of pedigrees, mostly of Greyhounds, but also of other breeds. My favourite pastime at that time was writing out circular 10-generation pedigrees. I was actually twelve years old, not thirteen, when our first litter was born. My mother and I made a team from the start and had thorough discussions about potential combinations. Nearly always we would fully agree, but then my ideals and priorities were very much influenced by my mother - and they still are years after her passing. Most of the practical work of raising litters was done by my mother until the mid 1980-ies. BIS: Were you interested in your mother’s judging as well as a young child? E.E.: Yes, very. My mother started judging around 1968, and I would go along to the shows, sit ringside and voice strong opinions about the dogs and the judging. Sometimes it was a little too much for my mother, and once she even had my grandmother remove me from ringside! 112
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BIS: When observing your pedigrees, it becomes obvious in an instant that their structure is based on careful planning and a unique system you breed within. Can you please tell us about the ‘Jet’s code’ and your breeding philosophy? E.E.: As we have always bred on a small scale with an average of only one litter per year, there has been very little room for experiments or for surprises. So, a method to make it possible to breed successfully without a lot of dogs was designed. We started out with the best possible brood bitch the best advice I can give to any wannabe breeder. We bred three litters from Cimone, and she produced a number of excellent bitch puppies. We bred on from her best daughter, Negress, in a tightly line-bred combination. We also tried to breed males from her Cimone’s second best daughter to an outcross. From the line-bred combination came Pink Panther. She was the best bitch of her generation and was bred four times, back to two of her uncles and to another closely related male. We kept several bitches from her, but only the very best one, Coco Chanel, was used to keep the bitchline going. From Coco Chanel, bred back to her nephew, we got Headed Like A Snake. Like Pink Panther, she was a definite quality highlight, but more importantly she was the mother of 30 champions from her four litters. In short, this is how we have gone about creating our strain; we choose the very best bitch of each generation to become what I call the alfa-bitch, the bitch that goes into the bitch tail line of the pedigree. Only the very best bitch of each generation is good enough for the role of the alfa-bitch. This bitch will be bred three or four times to three or four males that are closely related to her, to keep the bitchline linebred at all times. We keep on to at least two bitches from each of these litters and run them on until we are absolutely sure which one is the best. This is usually around they are 12-15 months old. From the six to eight selected bitches from these litters, we select the one alfa-bitch from this new generation to carry on the bitchline. This bitch will then in her turn have three or four litters to closely related males. Sometimes those males closely related to the alfabitches will come from other breeders, such as males out of bitches or males that we have sold to others,
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reason why I NEVER make an outcross into the main bitchline - that would be too much of a risk. But fortunately some of the beta-bitch to outcrosses do work, and I get males that can be bred back to the alfabitches. This keeps the bitchline line-bred at all times with approximately a quarter of something else. The result is that I keep line-breeding to my own bitchlines. Our two Young females at home have the Jet’s bitchline 35 times in their pedigrees.
Photo 2 • SBIS WW’99 Int.Am.Mex.Ch Jet’s Ravishing Redhead pictured winning Best of Breed at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show under judge Louis Auslander in 1996. Handled by Åge Gjetnes. Photo 3 • SBIS BIS Int.Nord.N.S.Dk.Eng.Ch Jet’s Moonlight Serenade won Best in Show at Windsor Championship Show (UK) in 2015. The second and only ever Norwegian-bred and owned dog to win BIS at a UK Championship Show after the Norse Standard Poodle, Nord.Ch Topscore Contradiction won BIS at Crufts in 2002.
but more often than not I have to breed the males myself. So, I choose the second best bitch of her generation, the beta-bitch, to be a male producer. Ideally the beta-bitch should be half sister to the alfa-bitch. The beta-bitch is normally outcrossed to try to bring in traits that need improvement within my own strain. Unfortunately, quite a few outcrosses do not work and do not produce anything that it would be wise to breed on from, and the outcrossed combinations are much less predictable. This is the 114
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BIS: So well thought through... When and why did you adopt this ideology? Have you, from the very beginning, consciously kept yourselves to this pattern that so defines Jet’s today? E.E.: Yes and no; finding your way as a breeder takes years of actual breeding experience. You learn from your successes as well as from your mistakes. From the start, we have been applying the same principles of doing complimentary combinations. But at that time there were more true breeders and true strains around. We were able to find stud dogs bred by others, but related to ours, that would be able to compliment and improve on our stock. Now there are hardly any strains left, and in general, I have to depend upon myself to produce both the bitches and the males to move forward in the breeding puzzle. The more or less strict pattern of breeding that I follow has gradually evolved as a necessity, but also as a way of getting more and more predictability and control over the gene pool. BIS: Seemingly this logic results in a high price tag on each Greyhound generation. Have you ever found yourselves at a point in your breeding program which you thought to be a difficult or impossible act to follow? E.E.: Yes, on a couple of occasions, we have come to a point in our breeding where we had to realize that we were going to take a step or two backwards in order to progress in later generations. We encountered this with the bitch Int.Ch.Jet’s Pink Panther. We considered her significantly better than both her parents and all her siblings. There were no stud dogs that were as good as her either, so could we realistically expect her to produce anything as good as herself? Even though, she could certainly be improved on – as can any dog – we could not
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expect to improve on her in the first generation. And we did not get any miracles from her. What we did was to breed Pink Panther to four different males that complimented her and were able to improve on her in one trait or another. Then, we spent the next generations line-breeding to her without doubling up on the males she was bred to. From this, we got our next outstanding bitch, Int. Ch.Jet’s Headed Like A Snake – another female that was considerably better than both her parents and her siblings. Again she was hard to improve on in the next generation. So we repeated what we did with Pink Panther and line-bred heavily to Headed Like A Snake as well in the coming generations. BIS: Your most recent love affair is Griffon Bruxellois, a breed as different in its biological aspects from Sighthounds as you can get. Have the same breeding principles worked out in Griffons as well? E.E.: No, I have found it much, much more difficult to breed Griffons. There are at least three main reasons for this; the breed has small litters meaning much less room for selection, they do not breed anywhere near as true, nor are they as healthy as Greyhounds. If you breed two excellent Greyhounds together and they complement each other, you are very likely to get at least a couple of excellent offspring. Not necessarily so in Griffons. I have not actually found out yet how to breed Griffons and it has not been for lack of trying! But, perhaps if you give me another 40 years or so - ? BIS: We’re certainly looking forward to the day when you break the Griffon code! Is there anything you learnt from breeding Griffon Bruxellois that you
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Photo 4 • The latest endevour of Jet’s is Griffon Bruxellois, having produced several top winners, including two English Champions, the kennel is yet ahead a long journey in the breed. Pictured is Jet’s D’Artagnan at Donzeata, owned and handled by David Guy, who won his first CC, BOB and Group-3 at his second ever show, Birmingham National Championship Show in the UK (May, 2016) at only 10 months of age.
could make use of in your work with Greyhounds? E.E.: Interesting question as I have never really thought about this before. But I think I have learnt to put even more emphasis on health and fertility and never take those things for granted. And I have certainly learnt that what works in one breed does not necessarily work in another. That being said, there are some really good Jet’s griffons out there too, however mostly males. BIS: 200 homebred Greyhound Champions and 42 Best in Show winners, with more in the making, are ‘just’ two of the extraordinary records the kennel has on its account to this day. Other than the tremendous work of having had to breed, raise and find home for these puppies, what did it take to reach such accomplishments worthy of praise? Did you build a part of this success on teamwork with puppy buyers? E.E.: Yes, breeding does take commitment and persistence more than anything. You have to realize that in order to succeed as a dog breeder, you will have to sacrifice quite a few other things in life. The dogs
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Breeders Records Fact box • • • • • • • • • •
38 Greyhound litters & 10 generations 1975-2015 Nine consecutive generations of BIS-winning Int.Ch bitches, including the foundation bitch 200 champions 7 British Champions (the record among overseas breeders) 720 champion titles in 62 different countries 92 FCI International champions 42 individual Best in Show (All Breed) winners 34 National/Parent Club specialty BOBs 40 times top Greyhound of the Year 3 times TOP DOG ALL BREEDS in Norway
are there every day, and you have to face up to that responsibility today, tomorrow and every day for many years to come. Very little can be accomplished without clever puppy buyers, who are dedicated to raising, feeding, training and socializing their puppies. Even though we have never co-bred any litters, we have depended on others to keep both most of the betabitches and the males that we have used in our breeding. I am very grateful for so many clever puppy buyers over the years. I have always worked full time out of home and have relied on a lot of help from others just to keep the dogs happy and content every day, and even more so for raising the litters. Without all those great helpers, it would have been impossible to breed dogs at all. For sure this project has taken a committed life partner, and I have been so lucky to have had the very best one for 26 years now in Åge Gjetnes. BIS: So, what has Åge’s part of the big picture been? E.E.: For sure Åge has been a huge support and has done more than his share of all the practical 118
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work that goes into the dogs daily, not the least with raising litters. He is also an excellent handler and has shown many of our dogs to many of their successes. For many years now, he has co-owned the Greyhounds. Åge himself is an accomplished breeder, but we have bred our dogs separately. To have somebody to discuss both potential combinations with, and evaluating puppies and grown-up dogs with has been most valuable. BIS: What do you think is the importance of your records? What message would you like them to translate to your fellow breeders and exhibitors? E.E.: I actually do not think that the numbers themselves have much significance other than testifying to persistence and competitiveness. But an average of more than five champions per litter at least means that most of the Jet’s Greyhounds have been quite healthy and typical of their breed. Hardly any of them have struggled to make up, and many were shown to their titles in just three or four shows. Nevertheless, the champions and the BIS-wins are not the real goal; on the contrary, the goal is to breed the ideal dog according to my own interpretation of the standard. This is, however, an unat-
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tainable goal and during the very slow process of getting closer to it, I need some obtainable goals to keep me motivated. This is where going out there to compete, making up champions and winning Best In Show comes into it. BIS: Would you, however, say that keeping track of these numbers gives more depth to whatever one achieves or aims for in the sport? E.E.: No, not really, but there are many people in dogs claiming all sorts of records ungrounded by facts. 200 champions are still 200 champions and not “having exported champions all over the world”, or something similar and non factual. BIS: Please summarize the highlights of your homebred Greyhounds’ successes in the show ring and on the lure coursing field. E.E.: There have been many highlights over the years. For me the most meaningful have been all the specialties that our dogs have won over the years, almost always judged by a long-time greyhound breeder, being a token of recognition by your peers and probably having more influence on the breed than other wins. The BOBs at the World Shows and Crufts have felt important as the competition has been strong. BOB at Westminster because of the razzmatazz. Making up quite a few champions in the breed’s home country, the UK, has been especially gratifying. Winning Dog of the year three times has been very satisfying, but also stressful. Winning Best in Show at the Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm Internationals in the same year was a thrill. Finishing the breed’s only ever FCI international lure coursing champion in Scandinavia by going Best in Field over 90 dogs at day one at Skokloster was another blast, as was winning Best in Show there.
Photo 5 • Espen with one of his puppies. Photo 6 • Jet’s are far from ‘just pretty faces’: pictured are BIS SBIS WW’03 Int.Nord.N.S.Fin.Dk.Lux.Est.E.Gbr.B.NL.Ch. Jet’s Something In The Way U Smile, ‘Gustav’ and his sister on a lure coursing competition. Gustav was an International Lure Coursing Champion and beat countless opponents at Lure Coursing competitions, clearly proving the accusations of ‘show’ Greyhounds being nonfunctional utterly wrong.
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BIS: When does preparing your dogs for shows start? At what age do your puppies step out into the spotlight and why? What are the most common mistakes Greyhound owners and exhibitors make? E.E.: You are hitting quite a sore spot there. I am not at all clever with the training of our dogs, but wish I was. I more or less just expect them to be born show dogs, and most of the times they fortunately are. Vera (Once Upon A Dream, the top winning grey-
hound of all times in Scandinavia) had a show leash on for the first time at a dog show and went home with Best in Show. Yes, that is a bit extreme, but still. We never show our dogs as puppies, mostly because I want them to stay home and eat, sleep and grow and fullfil their potential before I take them out. In my mind, the most common mistake people are making is not committing themselves as slaves to their puppies, making sure they eat every meal and then some. Then, people are wearing their puppies out by dragging them around to shows far too early when they should actually stay home eating, playing and sleeping. BIS: Health transcends beauty... Can you please tell us about your efforts to keep your Greyhounds healthy and clear of neuropathy? E.E.: There is no such thing as a beautiful cripple or a dog that has anything to offer the breed if it is not healthy. And I am not just talking about dogs that are free from well known and testable diseases, I am talking about health as a positive quality as opposed to absence of disease. I insist on dogs that are mating freely, give birth to their puppies without complications, where the puppies survive by their own initiative and grow up to long and troublefree lives. Dogs that get up happily in the morning, that eat and poo well, dogs that grow bodies and muscles naturally, dogs that do not scratch, dogs that are able to run full speed every day without harming themselves, dogs that die of old age without having to go to the vet for anything except their vaccinations. This to me is health. Unfortunately, a previously extremely healthy breed, there are some dark clouds hanging over the standard Greyhounds as well. Greyhound neuropathy is a very serious and lethal disease which is inherited as a simple recessive. Fortunately we now have a very reliable gene test. With clever use of the test, we should be able to eradicate the disease from the breed, but sadly I do not think that most breeders are facing their responsibility for the future welfare of the breed. BIS: I notice you use ‘Standard’ Greyhounds instead of ‘Show’ Greyhounds? Why is that? E.E.: As many other breeds, my breed has been split
“What makes breeding enjoyable is the creativeness of it all, using so much of yourself in the process, combining your artistic sense with your intellect and knowledge, your heart and your brain.” for decades. It is common to talk about racing greyhounds on one hand and show greyhounds on the other. Well, the greyhounds that I breed are much more than just “show dogs”. Our breed standard was written to describe a dog that is able to a day’s work hunting down game out in the field. I would like to retain those working abilities in my dogs, and I have therefore also done a lot of lure coursing with them. My focus is to breed functional dogs according to the standard and not simply to win in the show ring. I refuse to have them reduced to just “show greyhounds”, but think of them and call them “standard greyhounds” for these reasons. BIS: How do you think the breed has benefited from what you have instilled in the gene pool? E.E.: For what it may be worth, at least I have bred a true strain within my breed. Generations after generations of dogs bred with the same ideal and priorities have after all these years resulted in a family of dogs with (mostly) a certain set of qualities or traits. You may like them, or you may not. If you do not like them, I probably did not breed them for you anyway. If you do like them, and you are already, or aim to become a serious breeder and you feel you can benefit from my dogs, they are available for you to breed to. Neither my mother, nor I have ever been exclusive or elitists when it comes to breeding. We have over the years depended on other breeders to breed males that we have used in building up our strain, and conversely our dogs have been available to others - and still are. Almost all standard Greyhounds in the world now trace back to our dogs, so, at least we did make some difference to the breed. Best in Show Magazine
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BIS: So, are there any kennels that based their foundation on Jet’s Greyhounds? E.E.: Yes, there are several kennels that have bred on from our stock, notably Eikica in Denmark, dell Attimo Fuggente in Italy, Salgreys in Russia, Gerico in the US, Taikatassun and Rantalaukan in Finland, Moyen and Schotborg here in Norway, Nicesteps in Latvia and Quom in Australia, to mention some of the most important ones. Many others have made use of stud dogs bred by Jet’s. BIS: What makes breeding so enjoyable for you? What does the future hold for Jet’s? E.E.: What makes breeding enjoyable is the creativeness of it all, using so much of yourself in the process, combining your artistic sense with your intellect and knowledge, your heart and your brain. The sheer difficulty involved with slowly, slowly building a giant puzzle consisting of many, many pieces that have to fit together to make outstanding dogs - it is most intriguing. Every time a new litter is born is definitely a highlight; will there be some important pieces in there to improve on the big puzzle? I have no plans to slow down on the breeding. Quite to the contrary, several new litters are planned for the future. BIS: Are there any breeders (all breeds) you look up to? E.E.: For sure, there are many breeders whom have I have looked up to and who have inspired me over the years. To name just a few, the master breeders in my own breed such as Barbara Wilton-Clark (Shalfleet, UK), Frank Brown (Shaunvalley, UK) Ann Gustafson (Gulds, Sweden) and Judith Donaldson (Kingsmark, USA). As a youngster, I corresponded with Raymond Oppenheimer of the Ormandy Bull Terriers and marveled over his books - and I still do. I much admired the pedigrees of the Ozmillion Yorkies of Osman Sameja and the Hillsdown Whippets of Philip Moran-Healy. Among the current master breeders whom I look up to are Terri Miller of the Deja Vu Briards and Patricia Trotter of the VinMelca Elkhounds, both in the US. And, of course my benefactor in Griffons, master breeder David Guy of the Donzeatas (UK) has been a great mentor and source of inspiration. 122
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Photo 7 • Norway’s current leader (as of date of publication) for Top Dog All Breeds, BIS BISS Am.Swed.Norw.Ch. Jet’s Man in the Moon, pictured on his way to winning Best in Specialty Show at the Norwegian Sighthound Club’s 70th Anniversary Show earlier in May this year, handled by Espen. He is an exceptional lure courser and show dog, just like his all-star father, BIS SBIS WW’03 Int.Nord.N.S.Fin.Dk.Lux.Est.E.Gbr.B.NL.Ch. Jet’s Something In The Way U Smile. Photo 8 • BIS SBIS WW’03 Int.Nord.N.S.Fin.Dk.Lux.Est.E.Gbr.B.NL.Ch. Jet’s Something In The Way U Smile pictured on his way to Reserve Best in Show at the World Dog Show in Dortmund in 2003, breeder-owner handled. The same year, he was Norway’s Top Dog All Breeds and is the sire of Norway’s current leader for this top award (as of date of publication).
BIS: You certainly have carved your name into the dog sport’s history by becoming one of the world’s top breeders of all times. Your judging career, however, has been just as much a master stroke. What attracted you to judging to begin with and what did you want to accomplish by becoming a dog show judge? E.E.: I recently read an interview with Aksel LundSvindal, the famous downhill skier. When asked what other sports he would contemplate being active in, he answered “just not one that depends on the subjective assessment of any judge”. Our sport
Photo 9 • A most honourable appointment - judging Best in Show at the winter Helsinki International in 2015 (picture by Paula Heikkinen-Lehkonen)
very much depends on good judges, and I do not think we have enough of them. I have been active in the dog sport all my life. I have bred, owned and handled lots of very good dogs. I have invested a lot in this sport, and others have invested in me. Perhaps I was being naive, but I thought I could contribute something positive to the sport by becoming a judge. I started in my early 20ies and found that I enjoyed it a lot. First of all, I very much enjoy connecting with dogs in and out of the show ring. Just laying my hands on them and looking them into their eyes, very often gives me a lot of satisfaction. Consequently, I can enjoy judging even quite ugly dogs, if we connect. But laying my hands and feasting my eyes on truly outstanding dogs gives me an aesthetical kick like no other; I can get an emotional high and physical reactions in terms of goose bumps and a few tears
in my eyes from watching and touching outstanding dogs. So judging dogs is a very gratifying experience. I was and still am attracted to the intellectual challenge of judging classes of outstanding dogs, and I have been lucky to judge some truly wonderful entries over the years. BIS: How is the knowledge/experience you gain from breeding reflected in your judging? E.E.: I do think a breeder will have a different approach to judging than non-breeders. As a breeder, I may be more aware of the fact that my choices in the ring may have consequences on future generation. Yes, I do subscribe to the Scandinavian notion that we are judging the result of breeding, but we also need to step up to the fact that our decisions, at least collectively, do influence the selection of fuBest in Show Magazine
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Judging Fact box • • • • • • • • • • •
First judging appointment in 1984 Approved to judge at Championship show level in 1987 and gained FCI All Rounder licence in 2011 Approved to award CCs in 78 breeds in the UK, all Groups and BIS Approved to judge all breeds, groups and BIS by the AKC Judging appointments in 94 countries per 2016 Best in Show appointments in 60 countries Thirteen World Dog Show assignments (breed and Group level) Nine Skokloster Sighthound Specialty appointments Judging Crufts for the 6th time in 2017 Judged Westminster twice as the only FCI European Judged more than a dozen National /Parent Club specialties in the US
ture breeding stock. A lot of people breed to win, and they will breed to winners. I think that long-time breeder-judges will be less tempted to go with fads and fashion. I think they will often focus more on type and construction at the expense of presentation and showmanship. I think the fact that I very often end up with bitches for BOB is a reflection on a breeder recognizing the value of good bitches over sometimes perhaps more imposing, but less correct or less typey males. BIS: So, would you say that a clever breeder will no doubt make a great judge as well? E.E.: Unfortunately not; there are many clever breeders that do not make good judges, as we all know. Judging is about summing up the essence of dogs in a very short time, actually in order to succeed as a judge you need an instant eye for balance and beauty. When breeding you can use years to come to your decisions. For this and other reasons, breeding and judging are quite different ballgames. BIS: How do you prepare for your judging assignments? 124
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E.E.: I read up a lot before judging assignments. I have an extensive dog library and two four-drawer cabinets full of illustrated standards and compendiums that I have collected over many years and that are put to use before appointments. By reading through these, I get mentally prepared and attempt to sharpen my radar for breed type. I will often bring a lot of reading material with me on the trips and spend the waiting time in airports and on board airplanes reading about the breeds I am about to judge. I also read up on show rules and regulations from the country I will be judging, if available. And I make sure to get a good night’s sleep. BIS: What is your judging philosophy? Has it always been the same, or has it slightly changed from the time when you started? E.E.: What has not changed is my outlook on the role of the judge in the sport of dogs. Some judges seem to believe that dog shows are organized for them and that they are the most important ingredient of the show. I strongly disagree; without the
dogs, their breeders and their owners, there would be no dogs to judge. The breeds, the breeders and the owners would probably survive just fine without dog shows and dog judges. As a breeder, I have to be able to evaluate the breeding results myself, and cannot rely on the judges to do so more accurately than me. Sure, a second opinion can always be valuable. But I could always ask another breeder for his or her opinion. In a way that is what I am doing when I show my dogs at the specialties. Another thing that has not changed is the quest for learning more. Judging dogs you are constantly studying and learning - and this is one of the main reason why you want to do it in the first place; to keep learning and improve. When I started out as a judge, I was convinced that I would only judge a few selected breeds, naturally the ones I had the most experience with. For a long time, I stuck to sighthounds and just a few more breeds as that felt very comfortable and safe. Then I came to a point where I did not find the judging all that challenging any more. The learning curve was not as steep, and I felt I needed new challenges. So, I gradually added more breeds until I was approved to judge all breeds in 2011. BIS: Which elements of judging dogs do you take the most pleasure in and when (and why) is it you enjoy it the most? E.E.: There are several, and I have already briefly talked about them, but to sum them up; the pleasure of connecting with the dogs, the emotional kick of judging great dogs (the Best in Show ring is often a place where you meet up with some great dogs, so I really enjoy judging BIS) ,the intellectual and artistic challenge of sorting out the cream in an excellent entry and the constant studying and learning. There are many good reasons to judge dogs. BIS: As opposed to the points you remark above, what can upset you when you judge? E.E.: Dogs being roughly or badly treated in the ring, such as being strangled or kicked. Dogs that are in bad muscular or coat condition, dirty and/or not in good health, sometimes looking really miserable. That makes me miserable as well. I am also not at all charmed by people who try to tell me how much
the dog has won previously or talk to me in a language trying to impress me with how far they have travelled to get to the show. I am easily provoked by bullies and bad losers and would not recommend trying that tactic in my ring. BIS: Nowadays, we oftentimes describe judging and breeding as two separate branches of the sport, despite the fact that they are extremely interdependent on each other. What is your take on how judging and breeding intersect today? E.E.: Yes, I think it is quite dangerous to the sport that too often breeders and judges seem to live in two separate worlds. The two groups have much to offer each other and need to interact and learn from each other. If breeders and judges have similar ideals, or have a common understanding, both groups can contribute significantly to the progress within a breed. If the two groups are pulling to different directions, quality is more than likely to suffer. In years gone by, judges were almost entirely recruited from the ranks of top breeders, and thus they were playing more on the same team. Now, in quite a few countries, judges seem to be recruited more and more from show organizers and officials. In the US, judges are mostly recruited from handlers, i.e. people that have been paid to win with other people’s dogs. When talking to many of my colleagues I often get the same story: “Unfortunately I cannot keep any dogs any more as I judge so much�. Well, most of them had a choice and they made it. Am I supposed to feel sorry for them? I find it worrying that we seem to be recruiting more and more judges from outside the ranks of real dog people. In my definition, real dog people keep dogs - that is what makes them dog people. And if they are not even dog people, why should I pay for their opinion? BIS: Some breeds have deteriorated to a degree where it is almost impossible for judges to develop an adequate competence in judging them, as truly quality examples of these breeds are troublesome to find or simply do not exist. How would you advise student- and well-established judges to cope with these challenges? Best in Show Magazine
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E.E.: Fortunately, I do not find this to be the case in many breeds, but there are sadly some breeds that answer to this description, two of the three Norwegian Hound breeds coming instantly to mind. I do not think there is any other way to educate oneself and train one’s eye other than repeatedly seeing and appreciating outstanding representatives of a breed “live”. Therefore, a breed can easily get into a downward spiral, which it will be very hard to get out of. I guess carefully studying photos, videos and reading material could get you somewhere when trying to learn how to judge a breed, but I am afraid that it will not get you all the way. BIS: Judging appointments in 95 countries is likely the world record. In what ways has officiating in so many different countries shaped your outlook on the sport as a whole? E.E.: I have not joined any competition to judge in more countries than anybody else, but if you tell me it is a record, you may be right. Being very fortunate to judge so many dogs in so many countries has of course added to my perspec-
“I guess carefully studying photos, videos & reading material could get you somewhere when trying to learn how to judge a breed, but I am afraid that it will not get you all the way.” tive, both on my own breed(s) and on the dog sport in general. As a breeder, I have been able to see close up the results of combining different strains and traits. My mother did the same thing for many years, and I think our breeding has benefited quite substantially from this. I have met so many clever and dedicated dog people who have contributed to my knowledge and experience. In some of the smaller and less affluent dog countries, I have frequently encountered the most remarkable dedication and willingness to 126
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make sacrifices in order to keep or breed dogs and a thirst for knowledge that I have rarely found in my part of the world. Many countries in Latin America and Asia have made huge strides forward in many breeds over the last decade and more, and I predict that we will see many more outstanding dogs and clever breeders from those parts of the world in the years to come. BIS: Traveling to the most exotic corners of the world goes with having have to judge native (not approved by FCI in most cases) breeds that only exist in their respective countries. How do you build relevant skills for such assignments? E.E.: Yes, as an all-breeds judge I am quite frequently asked to judge breeds that are not yet internationally recognized. I find this difficult and challenging as I often will not have encountered those breeds before. Of course I ask for the breed standard and any educational material in advance and study this carefully, and I will consult with other judges that may have experience judging the breeds. Generally speaking, I think it would make sense if those native breeds are judged by native judges. BIS: Are there any ‘new’ countries on sight? E.E.: Well, there are not that many countries left that I have not already judged in. But yes, I have agreed to judge in a couple of more “new” countries and am much looking forward to going there. BIS: Which shows do you fancy judging at the most? How about favourite countries? E.E.: I have had many positive judging experiences from so many countries that it is difficult to hold up just a few. In general, I prefer to judge in the UK as this is where the sport has its roots, and the British still have both numbers and quality in many breeds. This being said, I think that the best US National specialties can rival the best dog shows anywhere in the world. The Skokloster sigthhound show in Sweden used to be a unique experience, and I have much enjoyed my appointments there. My appointments at Westminster, Morris & Essex, Del Valle, K.C. of Philadelphia, Santa Barbara and AKC Invitational have been very memorable, and Crufts
anyway. Judging BIS at the UK Hound Show was another very memorable appointment. BIS: Many claim that they judge dogs differently in the breed than at Group or Best in Show level. How do you approach evaluating dogs in the breed ring, and is it any different from when you judge them in the finals? E.E.: Yes, I do approach the dogs slightly different at Group and Best in Show level. While the dogs considered for placement in the finals still have to be outstanding representatives of their breed, at this level they also have to perform and show some degree of showmanship. I never take into account what a dog may look like in the group when awarding deciding on BOB. I simply go for the dog that I consider to be the best representative of the breed. If he or she is not a particularly good show dog or not particularly well presented - well, so be it, the dog will still win BOB. But in the Group and BIS-ring I pay more attention to showmanship and presentation, but then only among the dogs that I consider to be typey and excellent representatives of their breeds. A less than correct and typey dog should not be considered in the finals no matter how showy, but then he should not have been in the group in the first place either.
Photo 10 • Espen judging at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2011. In 2017, he will be judging at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the third time - and incredible account for an overseas judge. Photo 11 • Judging Best in Show at Welsh Kennel Club in 2012 (photo from Highampress)
is always very special, of course. But if I was to pick just one appointment that stood out from the rest, it would have to be judging all groups and BIS at Leeds 2014, Leeds being one of my favourite shows
BIS: Do you ever walk away from an assignment thinking ‘I could have done better’? E.E.: Yes, quite often, and I admit that it can be quite annoying. But judges sometimes make mistakes, and why would I be any exception? I try my best, but do not always succeed in satisfying myself. The good thing is that having second thoughts paves the way for learning from your mistakes rather than simply repeating them. BIS: Have you, therefore, ever sought for feedback on your judging from experts watching your judging ringside? Do you enjoy discussing entries/judging with your fellow judges? E.E.: When I started judging in the mid 1980-ies, my fellow judges were much more eager to give feedback and to discuss dogs than they are today. During my first appointments, I had some well respected judges ringside watching me, afterwards Best in Show Magazine
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offering me comments and advice. I found this very helpful and useful. I love to discuss dogs, and there are fortunately still some colleagues that will enjoy a good discussion. The aim should, however, not necessarily be to agree; agreeing is fine, but disagreeing is probably even more fruitful when it comes to learning. BIS: What do you think was the key to your becoming one of the world’s most popular and acknowledged judges? E.E.: Those are your words, not mine. But I have been very privileged as a judge, having officiated at so many of the important shows around the world, including lots of specialties/breed Club shows. Luck has something to do with it, but as another downhill legend, Ingemar Stenmark, said: “Luck has a lot to do with it. The more I trained, the luckier I got”. I got a lot of important assignments early on in my judging career. This was partly luck, partly that I already had a reputation as a breeder and partly that I was the son of a famous mother. I judged at shows like Windsor in England, the American Whippet Club specialty in Pennsylvania and Santa Barbara in California, while I was still a youngster. Those were my “sink or swim appointments”. If I had screwed up, my career as a judge would have ended almost before it begun. But I did not screw up, and instead many doors were opened. I take judging very seriously; I spend a lot of time and energy on it, and I have an ambition to do it well. And I never play any games, knowing that integrity is the most precious capital of any judge. BIS: Which past show is the ONE you would love to re-live again (regardless whether you judged or showed), if you could go back to the past for a day, and why? E.E.: The Afghan Hound Club of America national specialty in conjunction with the Afghan Hound World Congress in San Diego 1996 was and still remain the most memorable dog show I have been to, and I would love to relive it. Everything was just fabulous; the show site and ring, the quality of the best dogs - sadly never to be seen again, the judging of the BOB-judge, the enthusiasm. It was just magical. 128
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Photo 12 • Judging the Greyhound Club of America National Specialty in 1991.
BIS: Do you actively take part in recruiting and educating newcomers? What are your ‘teaching’ methods? E.E.: I am worried about the lack of new young breeders and judges coming up in our sport and try to do my best to encourage the up-and-coming generation. I am happy to be an active mentor for a couple of promising young talents in the sport and find that inspirational. We meet up, talk and discuss quite frequently. I also lecture at seminars on breed standards, breed history, judging, breeding and genetics, and sometimes on veterinary matters - as I am a vet by education. My teaching method is to try to stimulate people to think for themselves - giving them pause for thought rather than just providing them with “my” answers. BIS: What books do you think are essential to read in order to have a better understanding of the sport? E.E.: I am fortunate in having built up an extensive dog library over the years. There are quite a few books that are “must-reads” for serious students of dogs and others that are very useful for references. Some of the dog books that I has been particularly important for my own education are Raymond Oppenheimer’s two books on Bull Terriers (After Bar Sinister and McGuffin & co), Mary Roslin-William’s book Advanced Labrador Breeding, Betty
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Penn-Bull’s The Kennelgarth Scottish Terrier Book, Charles Little’s The Inheritance of Coat Colour in Dogs and more recently Pat Trotter’s Born to Win, Breed to Succeed. Hutchinson’s dog encyclopedia and the early fundamental works by Leighton and de Bylandt are evergreens and masterpieces as is Harold Spira’s book on canine terminology. BIS: During your 50-plus years in the canine world, what has changed the most? E.E.: Wow, what has NOT changed? And most of it for the better too! The access to information through books, magazines and the internet is enormous compared to yesteryear. The possibilities for travelling and communicating has vastly improved. The globalization has given us potential access to bloodlines, stud dogs and semen that was impossible 50 years ago. The health testing that we can do on our dogs today means that we can combat diseases much more effectively than before. On the downside, I have to get back to the disappearance of the big kennels and the the true strains within the breeds, probably never to be seen again. BIS: And finally, what wisdom you gained over your more than 5 decades in the sport would you like you to share with us? E.E.: That could be many things, but I think my main lesson is; the more you invest in something, the more you will get back – this certainly goes for the dog sport as well. Think positively, focus on what you can positively achieve and contribute. Do the very best you can in any situation and in any position. Envy is for the lazy and unsuccessful.
Photo 13 • Espen judging Best in Show at Leeds Championship Show, UK in 2014. Photo 14 • Awarding Best in Show at Del Valle Kennel Club, USA in 2010.
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Chihuahua • THE Breed Standard with comments to the standard: by Mr. Francesco Cochetti, Italy.
There are claims that the breed originated in Europe and that a painting by Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel in Rome depicts the head of a small Chi- huahua type dog. But the truth of the matter is that we simply are not sure of the origin of this breed. The modern day Chihuahua originated from dogs brought to the United States by people who visited Mexico, during the latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1946, 3359 Chihuahuas were registered with the AKC.
TRANSLATION: Chris Seidler. ORIGIN : Mexico. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 28.07.2009. UTILIZATION : Companion dog. FCI-CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :Group 9 Companion and Toy Dogs. Section 6 Chihuahueño. Without working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The Chihuahua is regarded as the smallest pedigree dog in the world and carries the name of the largest state of the Mexican Republic (Chihuahua). One assumes that these dogs used to live in the wild and, at the time of the Toltec civilization, were captured and domesticated by the natives. Representations of a Toy dog called « Techichi» which lived in Tula, were used as decorations on town architecture. These statues are very similar to the present day Chihuahua. ORIGIN AND HISTORY: There are many theories 138
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about the origin of the Chihuahua. There are claims that they were originally bred by the Mayan Indian tribe who inhabited the area now known as Mexico and relics as old as 2000 years which resemble Chihuahuas have been found there. The Mayans called them Techichi Dogs. The Toltecs and later the Aztecs, are also said to have bred similar small dogs and that some were bred for eating and others possibly for use in religion cer- emonies, were they were sacrificed with the bodies of the dead to show them the way to life on the other side. There have also been claims that the breed originated in Europe and that a painting by Botticelli in the Sistine Chapel in Rome depicts the head of a small Chihuahua type dog. But the truth of the matter is that we simply are not sure of the origin of this breed. The modern day Chihuahua originated from dogs brought to the United States by people who visited Mexico, during the latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1946, 3359 Chihuahuas were registered with the AKC. GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Chihuahua dog has a compact body. Of great importance is the fact that the skull should be appleshaped and that the moderately long tail should be carried very high, either curved or forming the shape of a semi- circle with the tip pointing towards the loin region. CHARACTERISTICS: An alert little dog, swift-moving with brisk, forceful action and saucy expression. They have to be bright and interested in everything going on around them in the ring, confident and not
aggressive, intelligent and at the same time sensitive. The American standard says that they have to be alert with terrier-like qualities. The Chihuahua should look like a big dog in the ring. They have to move with good driving and plenty of reach. This is very important for this breed, especially at this time. Many Chihuahuas have short movement and unsound construction. Soundness is a consequence of a good movement, right shoulder angles and it gives elegance to the dog. Toys are small and elegant dogs. They must be swift and cover the ground as well. They should never be going round with high stepping or with front and rear action like a trotting horse. Their saucy expression means also they have correct ears and eyes and length of muzzle. IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body should be slightly greater than the height at the withers. Desired, however, is an al- most square body, especially in males. In bitches, because of the function of reproduction, a slightly longer body is permitted. BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: Quick, alert, lively and very coura- geous. TEMPERAMENT: Sensitive, gay, spirited and intelligent. The judges have to be very gentle when going through them and not cover the entire face and eyes when examining the mouth. They are usually well behaved, some do have the habit of complaining when their mouths are being examined. If they do attempt a snap it should not be laughed off just because they are tiny dogs, they should always be removed from the ring. Those that are snappy are generally like this because their owners have accepted it. HEAD CRANIAL REGION: Skull: Well rounded appleshaped head (a characteristic of the breed). Preferably without a fontanel although a very small one should be allowed (about 0,2 inches). We can not forget that the fontanel has always been a characteristic of the breed.
STOP: Well marked, deep and broad as the forehead is rounded above the set-on of the muzzle. HEAD AND SKULL: The head is a very important part of this breed. The ideal Chihuahua head is truly apple domed. It should be clearly rounded between the ears and from the very well defined stop to the occiput. The cheeks and muzzle should not be too full. The muzzle is moderately short and slightly pointed. Today you can easily see many too pointed muzzles and lacking in bottom jaw. On the other hand breeders and judges should be very careful not to look for broad extremely short muzzles and almost as much cushioning as in a Tibetan Spaniel. FACIAL REGION: Nose: Any colour is permitted. Moderately short, pointing slightly up- wards. Muzzle: Short, straight seen from side, broad at seton, tapering towards the tip. Lips: Lean and close fitting. Cheeks: Only slightly developed, very clean. Jaws/Teeth: Scissor or pincer bite. Overshot, undershot, as well as any other anomaly in position of upper or lower jaw must be strictly penal- ized. PIGMENTATION: Many judges comment about poor pigmentation in this breed. Of course we all like to see dark pigmentation in light dogs and it helps to highlight the expression, but light pigmentation is not a fault and should be not penalized. In some colors, like blue, chocolate and cream colors, the pigmentation is of the same nuance as the coat.
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TEETH: Missing one or two teeth is a fault but it is not a severe or elim- inating fault. Unfortunately some dogs loose incisives sat rather young age. Judges should value the dogs overall qualities, but of course not ig- nore the problem if we want improve the mouths. EYES: Large, rounded in shape, very expressive, not protruding, perfectly dark. Light eyes are permitted, but not desired. EYES: The centre of the eye is on plane with lowest point of the ear and base of stop. Dark or ruby eyes. Today we can easily see too small eyes in the breed and it should be more penalized by judges. EARS: Large, upright, widely open, broad at set-on, gradually tapering towards their slightly rounded tip. In repose inclined laterally forming an angle of 45°. EARS: Small ears are unfortunately very common in the breed. The ears do need to fit the head. The 45 degree angle cause a fair amount of con- fusion. When the Chihuahua is relaxed or on the judging table the ears are normally at about 45 degrees, but when alert the ears are much more erect than this, but should still have width between them and should not be set high. On the move they are often held back along the skull, if they put them up and use them when standing, they should not be penalized. The ears should not to be too soft and this is a problem we can also find in the breed in this time. The wrong set, carriage or use of the ears, has a detrimental effect on the expression. NECK: Upper profile slightly arched. Medium length. Thicker in dogs than in bitches. Without dewlap. In the long-haired variety, the presence of a neck-ruff with longer hair is highly desirable. NECK: A Chihuahua must have some length of neck for it to be slightly arched. The head should never look like it was set straight on the shoul- ders. A nicely arched neck is a very important part of the desired elegant outline. Good proportions - the height and length of the relationship. BODY: Compact and well built. Topline: Level. Withers: Only slightly marked. Back: Short and firm. 140
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Loin: Strongly muscled.
BODY: Soundness means seeing a well carried head on a good arched neck, level back line and well set tail. The Chihuahua must move around the ring with plenty of scope. The difference between height at withers and the length from withers to rear point of croup is very little. The body should have a feel of substance, it should not be tube shaped.
Croup: Broad and strong; almost flat or slightly sloping.
Chest: Ribcage broad and deep, ribs well sprung. Seen from front, roomy but not exaggerated. Seen from side, reaching to elbows. Not barrel shaped. Underline and belly: Formed by a clearly tucked up belly. Slack belly is permitted but not desired. TAIL: Set on high, flat in appearance, of moderate length; broad at root, tapering gradually towards the tip. Tail carriage is an important characteris- tic of the breed : when the dog is moving it is carried either high in a curve or in a semicircle with tip towards the loin region, which gives balance to the body, it should never be carried between the hind legs nor curled below the backline. The hair on the tail depends on the variety and is in harmony with the body coat. In the long haired variety, the tail coat forms a plume. Tail is pendant in repose and forms a slight hook. TAIL: The tail set and carriage are very important features to the overall balance and outline of the Chihuahua, as it moves around the ring. Low set tails give the impression of the dog being too long in the back. Usually it is a consequence of the wrong inclination of the croup and rear angles. Tails slightly curled to one side, or curled down over the back, do not distract so much from the outline, but tails lying along the back like for example on a Pomeranian or curled piggy-tail like, either on top of or to the side of the back, certainly distract from the dogs outline. The tail type is unique to the Chihuahua. It should feel quite broad with substance and a positive broader area in the centre. Short tails look wrong, espe- cially on a Smooth Coat.
LIMBS FOREQUARTERS :
General appearance: Forelegs seen from the front form a straight line with the elbows. Seen from the side, they are upright. Shoulder: Clean and moderately muscled. Upper arm: Good angulation between shoulderblade and upper arm. Elbow: Firm and fitting close to body, which ensures free movement. Forearm: Straight and of good length. Metacarpus (Pastern): Slightly sloping, strong and flexible. Forefeet: Very small and oval with toes well apart but not splayed (nei- ther hare- nor cat-foot). Nails particularly well arched and moderately long. Pads well developed and very elastic. Dewclaws are not desirable.
GAIT / MOVEMENT: Steps are long, springy, energetic and active with good reach and drive. Seen from rear, hind legs should move almost parallel to each other, so that the footprints of the hind feet fit directly into those of the front feet. With increasing speed, the limbs show a tendency to con- verge towards the median plane (single track). Movement remains free and springy without visible effort, head raised and back firm. Very good movement. Helmiäisien Lois Lane. Owner Leeni Laatikainen. GAIT/MOVEMENT: Topline should remain firm and on level when moving. Coming and going you should see only two legs. SKIN: Smooth and elastic all over body. COAT
FOREQUARTERS: A Chihuahua does not have a terrier-like front, there is more play at the elbows than in a terrier front. The pasterns are finer and ankles much more obvious than in a terrier. The shoulders should be well angulated and the withers pronounced. The Chihuahua has a good weight of bone, not too fine or too heavy. HINDQUARTERS: General appearance: Hindlegs well muscled with long bones, vertical and parallel to each other with good angulation at hip, knee and hock joints, in harmony with angulation of forequarters. Metatarsus (Rear pastern): Short hocks with well developed Achilles’ ten- dons; seen from rear, they are well apart straight and vertical. Hind feet: Very small and oval with toes well apart but not splayed (nei- ther hare- nor cat-foot). Nails particularly well arched and moderately long. Pads well developed and very elastic. Dewclaws are not desirable. HINDQUARTERS: Strong driving rear action. FEET: Viewed from the front the pasterns should be straight but it is common to find Chihuahuas weak in the pasterns and turn out to a ten to two stance. Dewclaws are not desirable (this sentence has to be removed).
Hair: In this breed there are two varieties of coat. Smooth-haired: Coat is short, lying close all over body. If there is an undercoat, the hair is somewhat longer; sparse coat on throat and belly permissible; slightly longer on neck and tail, short on face and ears. Coat is glossy and its texture is soft. Hairless dogs are not tolerated. Longed-haired: Coat should be fine and silky, smooth or slightly wavy. Not too thick undercoat desired. Coat is longer, forming feathering on ears, neck, rear of front and hind legs, on feet and on tail. Dogs with long billow- ing coat will not be accepted. Colour: All colours in all possible shades and combinations are admitted, except merle colour. COAT: When looking at a Long Coat Chihuahua you should, in your mind’s eye, be viewing it without it’s coat and asking yourself if it would really look like a good representative of the breed. In a Long coat you can find some with undercoat and a harsh outer coat, like to Pomeranian coat, which is a bad fault. In Smooth Coat there are two types of coat and both are equally correct. You can find very soft textured close glossy coat and this type rarely has an undercoat or ruff. The other type of coat is slightly longer and has an undercoat and displays obvious ruffs. Blues often have problems with the Best in Show Magazine
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hair on their ears when casting. SIZE AND WEIGHT: In this breed only the weight is taken into con- sideration, not the height. Weight: Ideal weight: between 1.5 and 3 kgs. Weight between 500 gr. and 1.5 kgs tolerated. Subjects weighing less than 500 gr and more than 3 kg shall be disqualified. IDEAL WEIGHT: Between 1.8 and 3 kgs. Weights between 1 and 1.5 kgs are tolerated. Subjects weighing less than 1 Kg and more than 3 kg shall be disqualified. FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and wel- fare of the dog. • Missing teeth. • “Double teeth” (persistence of temporary teeth). • Pointed ears. • Short neck. • Long body. • Too fine bone • Roach or hollow back (Lordosis or Kyphosis). • Steep croup. • Narrow chest, flat ribcage. • Tail : incorrect set-on, short or twisted. • Short limbs. • Out at elbow. • Too close behind. SEVERE FAULTS : • Narrow skull • Eyes small, deep set or protruding. • Long muzzle. • Under or overshot mouth. • Unstable stifle. DISQUALIFYING FAULTS : • Aggressive or overly shy. • Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioral abnormalities shall be disqualified • Deer type dogs (dogs with an atypical or ex-
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tremely stylized structure: refined head, long neck, slender body, long limbs). • Dogs with an open fontanel. • Dogs with a fontanel bigger than 0,2 inches. • Drop ear or short ear. • Deformed jaws. • Extremely long body. • Absence of tail. • In the long- haired variety: Dogs with very long, fine and billowing coat. Pomeranian coat. • In the smooth-haired variety: Bald patch (alopecia). • Merle colour. • Subjects weighing less than 500 gr and more than 3 kg. • Subjects weighing less than 1 kg and more than 3 kg. N.B.: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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Misty Meadow’s & Di San Gimignano Chihuahuas by Francesco Cochetti & Tuula Lehtinen-Cochetti Interviewed by Jovana Danilovic BIS: How long have you been breeding Chihuahuas? How and why have you decided to breed Chihuahuas? F.C.: I had my first Chihuahua litter in 1996. It was by chance because my wife Tuula, at that time she was my girlfriend, moved to Italy in February of that year with 6 of her Misty Meadow’s Chihuahuas. One of her most beautiful females Misty Meadow’s Heaven Can Wait “Hilda” came into season. We hadn’t yet any of the males with us, as she was moving her dogs from her Finnish home little by little. She was in Finland during those days and I called her to say that Hilda had started her season. She suggested that I phone Marcella Martinotti (Dacharella’s Kennel) to ask her for the possibility to use her male, CH Dachida’s Abracadabra. I went to mate Hilda with him during the night. Tuula was so happy and decided that the future litter will be born under my kennel name. From that litter I bred a World Winner, Multi CH Stardust Di San Gimignano. So you see, Chihuahuas came into my life because of my wife. I was born with Poodles. BIS: What makes Chihuahuas so special and different than other dogs? Why would you tell people to get a Chihuahua? F.C.: Before I ever had the opportunity to be in close contact with the breed, I could have never imagined what a sensitive breed the Chihuahua is. Since I was a child, I have lived with dogs of many different breeds but I have never noticed this particular
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quality in any of them. It’s a companion dog but at the same time it’s a very independent breed. Chihuahuas are like potato chips, when you get one you want more and more. BIS: What more can you tell us about the beginning? F.C.: As I have already mentioned Chihuahuas came into my life because of my wife, so I was older. I was born into a dog family, and my parents were breeding poodles. At that time I could have never imagined it being at all possible to fall in love with another breed. My foundation dogs were poodles from Tiopepi Kennel in England. Among the first was a medium size black female called Tiopepi Jamila. My foundation Chihuahua was “Hilda”, the female I have mentioned above, bred by Tuula. Later, she gave me a few other females to show and I bred litters with them. BIS: How many dogs do you have? Are they all living with you or do you also practice co-ownerships? F.C.: I have, or better we have, as I breed together with my wife, 30-35 Chihuahuas, 2 Pointers and 3 Jack Russell Terriers. We do not practice co-ownership but sometimes we lease young dogs to people we trust and we know personally. BIS: Do you co-work with other kennels? If so, can you please tell us little bit more about kennel collaborations? F.C.: We are working as breeders, for the good
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of the breed. We have been co-oporating with breeders in England for a long time and we never had any problems. We have never been jealous of others in the dog world and when we see serious people perhaps even beginners, who want to do things properly we help them. I’m proud to say that we have helped establish the basis of many important kennels in Europe and in South America. BIS: Are collaborations between kennels the key to successful breeding? F.C.: Yes, absolutely! This is the key to success for every breeder. You need others and others need you. Jealousy can kill a breed and unfortunately there are some people too full of themselves. This can only lead to a short life in our dog world. BIS: Did you have a mentor at the beginning? Whom do you admire the most in the breed and breeding in general? F.C.: My parents were my mentors and I have to mention Tina Violi Gussoni as a mentor of my judging . She was an Italian all rounder and the president of the Italian Toy Dog Club. She had a deep knowledge about dogs and preparation. In chihuahuas, I must say I learned a lot from my wife. BIS: What is the most important thing about being a breeder? F.C.: Knowledge, a good eye, passion and humility. These ingredients are the key to success. BIS: What makes one a good breeder? F.C.: A good breeder is one who is able to consistently breed winners and the same type of dogs. Looking at the dogs of a good breeder you can recognise the origin.
champion is, for me a great achievement. Of course to win BIS is an amazing result, especially for a Chihuahua. BIS: Are dogs shows important for breeding? What positive effects do they haveon breeding and when do they hurt good breeding ? F.C.: I think for a breeder, a dog show is a must. It’s the right place to show the work that the breeder has done as well as being a place to compare the work with others. For beginners especially, it’s the place to meet other breeders and to have the possibility to start co-operation between breeders. To show dogs means to spend money and to invest in your work. A breeder can benefit from the opinion of a good judge, and check if he/she is working in the correct way. Thusshowing directly affects breeding . A good breeder should never use a dog with too many faults. BIS: What do you think about flashy and showy dogs as oppose to the Standard balanced dogs? F.C.: I think most of the judges are following the breed standards when they are judging. The breed standard is the only parameter available upon which the judge can base his evaluation in the ring. Flashy show dogs win sometimes but I believe that, in most cases these dogs also represent very the breeds well. If a dog is not a correct specimen of the breed and wins only because of showmanship and flashiness with the aid of social networks, then this will be immediately known and criticized.
BIS: Do you remember your first Champion? Do you know how many Champions you have had so far (your own dogs, and your bred dogs)? F.C.: My first champion was a Poodle and it was Tiopepi Jamila. Together with Tuula, we have bred about 500 champions.
BIS: Do you think show trends change the breed and in what way? F.C.: Social networking sites almost certainly do influence certain show trends, as of course a dog who is winning constantly is advertised a lot, but probably one good breeder can change the breed. In my opinion, the breeder who has a great impact for many years can have that power. For the most part, a good breeder likes to preserve the breed which means that they will try to improve it and will not change the essential part of the breed.
BIS: What are your personal favorite wins? F.C.: World and European Winner titles. The UK
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remember when judging a Chihuahua? F.C.: The Chihuahua is a big dog in a small package. They should have nothing less than other breeds. Even if it is called a head breed, we can never forget soundness. I like to show under breed specialist judges, but sometimes specialists are focused on a particular thing. I find that good all rounder judges are often looking more at the whole picture. BIS: Can you please tell us who are your personal breed specialist judges? F.C.: I don’t like to write any one name, as I find it impolite, but I like to show under breed specialist judges from the UK where the breed is so well represented. BIS: Can judges change the breed if they don`t understand the Standard correctly? F.C.: I’m sure they cannot! The dog world is very small and the news travels fast! BIS: What is the most important thing you would never compromise in your breeding program? F.C.: Soundness and movement must be there. A Chihuahua with an excellent head and poor construction is a pet. BIS: Do you think the breed changed and evolved in a good or bad way over the past years? F.C.: It is evolving in a good way, but I have to say that we in the dog world have, at the moment some problems with bad fronts, part of a larger problem in movement. Unfortunately there is still too much focus on heads and breeders forget sound construction. BIS: How many generations of your affix (kennel name) have you bred? F.C.: Considering my wife bred our Misty Meadow’s chi’s, probably 8-10 generations have our kennel names. I can happily say we have our own bloodline. BIS: What do you think is your biggest achievement as a breeder? F.C.: We have bred 500 champions and achieved
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champion titles in almost all active dog world countries. This is an achievement to be proud of. BIS: What dogs (male and female) do you think have left the biggest positive mark on the breed? And why? How did they improve the breed? F.C.: Multi CH Misty Meadow’s Dressed To Dance (smooth) and Multi CH Misty Meadow’s Bart Simpson. They gave type and soundness and they are in the pedigrees of most of the winners. BIS: What do you think about breeding to titles and using “popular” Champion studs? F.C.: It means poor knowledge of the breed. Breeding to titles means one doesn’t care about the breed. Breeding good dogs is a different task and first of all we should breed according to the standard. BIS: Do Chihuahuas have certain breed problems? Can you tell us little bit about breed problems in your opinion? F.C.: The chihuahua is a healthy breed, however like other toy breeds, patella luxation can be a problem in the breed. Even if nowadays most of the breeders are checking for it and it is under control. Sometimes people are more emotional than informed about this and they don’t know that even from parents who are patella free they can get offsprings with patella problems. Chihuahuas are not an easy breed to whelp. Even with natural whelping the structure of the head can make whelping not so easy. BIS: What advice would you give to someone that is buying a Chihuahua for the first time? F.C.: First of all, they have to know that it is not an easy breed in which you get results. Whelpings are quite difficult and there are other risks in the breed. Their short muzzles can give undershot bites and this is another risk you have. It’s the most sensitive breed and it is imperative to understand their personality or risk ruining them for ever. I have to say I consider the chihuahua is one of the most difficult breeds and the most satisfying because getting good results with them is a great reward for a breeder.
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Microchihuahuas • Chihuahuas by Dusan Paunovic Interviewed by Jovana Danilovic
BIS: How long have you been breeding Chihuahuas? How and why have you decided to breed Chihuahuas? D.P.: I have been in this breed for 26 years. It was love on first sight, when I was a child and I watched a TV show about Chihuahuas.
BIS: Do you collaborate with other kennels?? D.P.: I have my own kennel, but of course I work with another kennels and bloodlines. I think that we can improve the breed only with strong team work. People should forget personal relations and turn more to quality of the dogs.
BIS: What makes Chihuahuas so special and different than other dogs? Why would you tell people to get a Chihuahua? D.P.: The answer to this question is double SS: smallest and smartest. Those who have this breed know how fast they get under your skin.
BIS: Did you have a mentor at you beginnings? Who do you admire the most in the breed and breeding in general? D.P.: When I started in Yugoslavia, there were few breeders, nowdays they are dead, or stopped breeding. Of course, their advice in the beginning was very important for me, but afterwards I started to get to know more bloodlines from all around the world.
BIS: Which are your foundation dogs? Can you tell us little bit about your beginnings? D.P.: My foundation dog was a male from Italy, at that time from one of the most famous kennels in Europe, Del Pasador. I showed this dog and got my first big results as r.BIS at our biggest Yugoslavian show in Belgrade. After that, shows became my life. BIS: How many dogs do you have? Are they all living with you or do you also practice co-ownerships? D.P.: I have six dogs with me, and few with my friends. It is not exactly co-ownership, I’d say that the owners become my friends.
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BIS: What is the most important thing about being a breeder? D.P.: Knowledge, honesty and dedication. BIS: What makes one a good breeder? D.P.: Not only one famous champion dog makes you a famous breeder. In my opinion, generations and generations of our dogs should be recognizable in type and of course, most important is their health and temperament.
Photo 1 • Microschihuas Godfather, owned by Alice Varchi
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“Shows should be the best aspect of breeding and they should make way for future breeding. But nowdays, I am so sad to see many winners who are far away from our breed standard. ”
BIS: How many litters do you have per year? D.P.: Sometimes 0 and as many as 3 or 4 BIS: Do you remember your first Champion? Do you know how many Champions did you have so far (your own dogs, and your bred dogs)? D.P.: My first champion was my foundation dog, and now I have bred world, European, international and national champions in many countries. BIS: What are your personal favorite wins? D.P.: My favorite win was with my Multi World European Winner Microschihuas Furious`N`Extravagant in wds Budapest, 2013. BIS: Are dogs shows important for breeding? What advantages does showing bring and what are the disadvantages for a breeder who shows ? How do dog shows effect breeding (and a certain breed in general)? D.P.: Shows should be the best aspect of breeding and they should make way for future breeding. But nowdays, I am so sad to see many winners who are far away from our breed standard. I don’t know if it’s a problem due to too many shows, or poor judging decisions. BIS: What do you think about flashy and showy dogs as opposed to balanced dogs? 152
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D.P.: I always prefer to breed with anatomically excellent dog, with all health results, then only with nice picture in the ring. BIS: Do you think Show trends change the breed and in what way? D.P.:Yes, sometimes, not only in this breed, I see too much grooming and over handling, which are are not important things from my prospective. Again I repeat, balance and the breed standard should be our priorities. BIS: Many people like to show under breed specialist judges. What is the most important thing to remember when judging a Chihuahua? D.P.: The most important thing is to never forget that a Chihuahua is a real dog, just in a small package. It must be correctly built and must move well. BIS: Do judges risk changing the breed if they don`t understand the Standard correctly? D.P.: For a smart breeder, they can never change anything, what ought ot happen to a poor judge is thathe becomes less popular within the breed and will have fewer entries.
BIS: What is the thing you would never compromiseon in your breeding program? D.P.: Health, type and movement. BIS: How do you think the breed hasevolved over the past few years? D.P.: I can say, after judging in 50 countries all around the world, that lately breed quality is going down rapidly. BIS: How many generation of your affix (kennel name) have you bred? D.P.: I’ve bred 8 generations with Microschihuas affix. BIS: What do you think is your biggest achievement as a breeder? D.P.: Recognizable expression in the eyes of my dogs. BIS: Which dogs (male and female) do you think have left the biggest positive mark in the breed? And why? How did they improve the breed? D.P.: I can not say that only one or few dogs left a mark. BIS: What do you think about breeding to titles and using “popular” Champion studs? D.P.: I don’t think it is sure way to get a new champion. First , you should evaluate the faults of each dog and how work out howthey suit each other. BIS: Do Chihuahuas have certain breed problems? Can you tell us little bit about breed problems in your opinion? D.P.: I didn’t see many problems concerning health. I think that breed is healthy and natural. BIS: What advice would you give to someone that is buying a Chihuahua for the first time? D.P.: Don’t buy your future member of family in puppy mills or from backyard breeders.
Photo 3 • Microschihuas Imperator, owned by Tatiana Koulahmetieva Photo 4 • Multi BIS Ch. Microschihuas Stranger In The Night, owned by Tracey Wright Photo 5 • Microschihuas Furious’N’Extravagant became World Winner with Best of Breed at the World Dog Show in Budapest 2013
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Chidelia - Chihuahuas by Lene N. Kaleklev Interviewed by Jovana Danilovic BIS: How long have you been breeding Chihuahuas? L.N.K.: I got my first Chihuahua in 1995. I quickly fell in love with the breed, as well as dogshows and the dogworld in general and decided only a few years later that I wanted this fantastic breed to be a big part of my life. So in year 2000 I bought my second female – This time from Italy from Misty Meadow`s Chihuahuas. BIS: What makes Chihuahuas so special and different than other dogs? Why would you tell people to get a Chihuahua? L.N.K.: Before I got my first Chihuahua, I’d only had experience with bigger breeds and I had never imagined that the breed I should end up with was Chihuahuas. But today, I could never live a life without them and for me they are breed nr. 1. It is certainly not a breed for everyone – but most people are surprised to see “how much dog” it is in this small body. If you treat the Chihuahua like “a real dog “ and not a toy, you will get the most lovely dog that you can use to almost everything. They love to go on a trip, they are full of love to their owner, they are smart and they do not perceive themselves as small. BIS: Can you tell us more about your foundation dogs? ? L.N.K.: When I decided to start breeding with Chihuahua I searched around for a few years to find
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“the perfect one”. And when I suddenly found Misty Meadow`s Chihuahuas in Italy, I knew that I had found what I was looking for. I have imported many dogs from them during the years and among of the first ones was a longcoated male WW-01, INT,NORDIC,NO,SE,DK,FIN,P,LV & AM CH, FINW-00 Misty Meadow`s Mickey Mouse and a lc female WW-06, EURW-07, INT,NO, FIN ,HR & PL CH,KBHW-07, PLW-06 Misty Meadow`s Doris Speed (littersister to the wellknow Multi Ch,Multi Winner Misty Meadow`s Donald Duck). From Multi Ch Misty Meado`s Mickey Mouse I got among others the famous and wellknow WW-08, INT,NORDIC, NO,SE,DK,FIN,EE CH, NW-06-0709,NORDW-06-08, SEW 06-08, KBHW-07-0809,ESTW-09 Bel Ami Chis Angelino that is one of the dogs that has characterized my breeding considerably. He is father, grandfather and grand grand father to many of our top winners the last years. “Angelino” was the result of cooperation with a Norwegian breeder in Norway at that time – Dagfrid Skartveit at Bel Ami Chis kennel. BIS: How many dogs do you have? Are they all living with you or do you also practice co-ownerships? L.N.K.: I never had a desire for a big big kennel. So I try to not have more then between 12-15 dogs at home at the same time. Our dogs lives inside our house and is a part of our family. They have their own area in our house, but they can see us all the time and we gives them a lot of love and atten-
tion every day. I do not practice co-ownership, but there are several dogs that I own and can use in breeding/showing, but that lives their daily life with another family. BIS: Do you work with other kennels? If so can you please tell us little bit more about kennel collaborations? L.N.K.: For sure – Cooperation is important ! Sometimes I need “new blood” to my breeding and I borrow males from other breeders. Sometimes I also take dogs on leasing here for a while. BIS: Are collaborations between kennels the key to successful breeding? L.N.K.: Yes, I think so. All breeders need to add something new to their breeding once in a while, so maintaining good relationships with other kennels is important. BIS: Did you have a mentor in the beginning? Whom do you admire the most in the breed and breeding in general? L.N.K.: Yes I did . Firstly I watched several kennels from the past, I have looked closely how they were working and so I have learned from them and formulated my own way of breed. But the greatest influence on my work comes from Tuula & Francesco Cochetti. BIS: What is the most important thing about being a breeder? L.N.K.: It is to find your own way ! To build up your own type that can be recognized as “your work”. It makes me happy and proud everytime people say “I can see this dog comes from you “. Common sense is important, and not being either too slack or fanatical in breeding work. And last but least – to always have a goal to improve the breed – both in health and type. BIS: What makes a good breeder? L.N.K.: To see the faults in your own dogs, and to be able to see that other kennels also have nice dogs. And as I mentioned before, common sense and not being either too slack or fanatical in breeding work. When you are breeding, you are not only breeding
Photo 1 • IJWW-14, NO & SE CH,NORDW-14,NNOW-15 Chidelia Smell of Dom Perignón JWW-14 Photo 2 • INT, NORDIC CH, Multi Winner Chidelia Dj D.Guetta Photo 3 • INT,NORDIC CH, NO JW-13 Chidelia Simply Chic
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for a good mouth or a gorgeous head – BUT the total dog. BIS: How many litters do you have per year? L.N.K.: Normally around 4-6 litters. BIS: Do you remember your first Champion? L.N.K.: Yes, I do. My First Champion was my first Chihuahua. I think I have bred around 30 Champions today. Several of them are INT CH. BIS: What are your personal favorite wins? L.N.K.: Oh...there are many. But to win at the WORLD SHOW must be among the best. We have won the WORLD WINNER title several years ! In 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014. All of these wins are unforgettable! BIS: Are dogs shows important for breeding?How do dog shows affect breeding (and a certain breed in general)? L.N.K.: Absolutely! I don’t think you are a real breeder if you don’t show your dogs. It is a important part of the breeding work. It is important to get feedback on the work you do as a breeder. And dog shows are also a wonderful occasion to meet other kennels, make new relationships, meet friends, to see other breeders of dogs. But of course – not everything is positive. Unfortunately dog shows are also a place for envy and drama. Unfortunately we see too much of this in the dog world too.
“Absolutely! I don’t think you are a real breeder if you don’t show your dogs. It is a important part of the breeding work. It is important to get feedback on the work you do as a breeder. And dog shows are also a wonderful occasion to meet other kennels, make new relationships, meet friends, to see other breeders of dogs.” 156
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BIS: What do you think about flashy and showy dogs oppose to the Standard balanced dogs? L.N.K.: I love to see a real “eye catcher” in the ring If it is correct in type and soundness of course. BIS: Many people like to show under breed specialist judges. What is the most important thing to remember when judging a Chihuahua? L.N.K.: TYPE! Without the characteristic breed features, the Chihuahua is nothing other than a “small dog” ! And of course - a healthy dog with sound movement. BIS: Can you please tell us who are your personal breed specialist judges? L.N.K.: There are several, but to mention a few: Arne Foss (NO), Francesco Cochetti (IT), Dusan Paunovic (SER), Samuel Carlid (SE), Adam Ostrowski (PL)…. These are all judges whom I think focus on the right things when they judge the breed ! There are of course many others too ... but the list would be too long if I were to mention them all here.) BIS: Can judges change the breed if they don`t understand the standard correctly? L.N.K.: Yes! We see, unfortunately, that frequently the judge emphasises one simple thing rather than judge the dog as a whole. For example when a beautiful dog with all the correct breed qualities is excused from the ring becauseONE tooth is missing. This type of judgment gives the public the impression that the most important thing is this, and that all the other qualities are less important and we can easily loose the most important thing – TYPE & Soundness – with too much of this kind of judging. BIS: What is the most important thing which you would never compromise in your breeding program? L.N.K.: No doubt-Type. BIS: How many generations of your affix (kennel name) have you bred? L.N.K.: Soon it will be 6. BIS: What do you think is your biggest achievement as a breeder? L.N.K.: I am very proud to have bred several World
Winners and that we have earned this title with offspring from the same line. Junior World Winner in 2013 & 2014 is the offspring after our World Winner in 2010 and the grandchild of our World Winner in 2008 & 2006. During the last 10 years we also had the Nr 1 top winning Chihuahua in Norway I am also very proud of all the BIS wins and Top placements at the breed specialities we have been to. Besides the wins, I am most proud that I have managed to create a type which is recognizable as my breeding. BIS: What do you think about breeding to titles and using “popular” Champion studs? L.N.K.: There are advantages and disadvantages to this system. I have seen top winners that are really worth all their titles, but I have also seen dogs with a number of titles that are not anything special. So for me its always important to have seen the dog with my own eyes. I would never just use a dog in breeding simply because it has a lot of titles. BIS: Do Chihuahuas have certain breed problems? Can you tell us little bit about breed problems in your opinion? L.N.K.: In general I would say that the Chihuahua is a healthy breed, but like most breeds we have some issues to address. The most common is the luxating patella and recently I have also seen and heard more about heart problems in quite young dogs. BIS: What advice would you give to someone that is buying a Chihuahua for the first time? L.N.K.: Buy it from a serious breeder !
Photo 4 • WW-10, INT CH Chidelia Bella Celina WORLW-10 Photo 5 • JWW-14, NO & SE CH,NORDW-14,NNOW-15 Chidelia Smell of Dom Perignón JWW-1 Photo 6 • JWW-13, INT Multi Ch & Multi Winner Chidelia Dj Tiesto
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Bramver’s - Chihuahuas by Hisayoshi Kadowaki Interviewed by Jovana Danilovic BIS: How long have you been breeding Chihuahuas? H.K.: I suppose I inherited the passion, my parents kept Chihuahuas, so they have been with me all my life. I showed my first one when i was just 12 years old. When I was 15 I won my first BIS and BISS! Now I have been breeding these dogs for 38 years. BIS: What advice would you give to someone that is buying a Chihuahua for the first time? Beware of becoming a fanatic! No really, I would say that they will become a part of your family for the rest of your life, and that is the truth. BIS: How many dogs do you have? Are they all living with you or do you also practice co-ownerships? H.K.: I have 50 Chihuahuas, but they are all co owned by my wife, so even though I do not collaborate with other kennels, I am able to work in team with Chizuto, and that makes all the difference. BIS: What are your personal favorite wins? H.K.: I’ve won the FCI WDS 4 times, Westminster in the USA 3 times, and perhpas more importantly the USA breed specialty twice! How can such recognition not be meaningful, I’m extremely proud and honored by each of these wins. BIS: Are dogs shows important for breeding?How do dog shows affect breeding (and a certain breed in general)?
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H.K.: His influence will guide the public, and breeders, if he is right, he pointing toward the correct type, however if he is wrong, poeple will follow down that direction as well. Judging is a great responsability. BIS: What do you think about flashy and showy dogs oppose to the Standard balanced dogs? H.K.: I’d say yes I do, I find it disappointing when a flashy dog wins over a thouroughly correct one. BIS: So you’d say show trends influence the breed? H.K.: This is an important issue, however on the whole I’d say these trends are improving quality, and as breeders we need to anchor ourselves in the traditional type, as we carefully move on. BIS: What should judges of Chihuahuas keep in mind while making their evaluations? H.K.: The number one priority is head type, followed by the topline and tailset, of course the dog must be healthy, and then there is movement and temperament. They are all important, and they all work together, but this is how I would list my priorities. BIS. Can you please tell us your personal breed specialist judges? H.K.: In the USA Edd Bivin, Peter Green, Frank Sabella. In the UK Natimk and Dachida kennel. BIS: Which dogs do you think were most important in representing this breed?
H.K.: Well, I’ll give you a personal answer on this one, becasue anyone can read a history book or a list of important winners. Those dogs which make me think of a lion are the best, they are stately and majestic, and when I see something like that, in a youngster, I know that will be a great Chihuahua. BIS: What do you think about breeding to titles and using ìpopularî Champion studs? H.K.: Yes, I use champion studs, however I will also use a winning dog not yet champion. BIS: Do Chihuahuas have certain breed problems? Can you tell us little bit about breed problems in your opinion? H.K.: Teeth and health are a problem, unfortunately it is smetimes overlooked in favor of size or cuteness. BIS: What makes Chihuahuas so special and different than other dogs? Why would you tell people to get a Chihuahua? H.K.: Young people are often attracted to this breed, and of course the parents must agree. However to anyone I would say, have a converstaion with the breeder and try to listen and understand what a Chihuahua really is.
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The Literary Dog Donatella’s Library, an interview with Donatella Diana. Interviewed by Anne Tureen
I first discovered the charm of illustrated books when I was about 20 years old and I ran into a copy of Humpty Dumpty, a story for children. I didn’t understand the tale until a couple of years later when I was in the USA, but I thought the drawings were delightful. I am still collecting such treasures all these years later, especially books centered on my lifelong passion: dogs. BIS: What makes an illustrated book interesting for you? D.D.: A drawing can express so much more than real life. Compared to a photograph for example, which shows you how something looks, a drawing can express what the subject is thinking or feeling. Look at this book about a group of Dachshunds by Neue Folge for example, it is from 1923. I take this one down and page through it occasionally and
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I never tire of these wonderfully expressive figures. Dac hunds are an excellent subject for a drawing because they are exceptionally expressive dogs. They are perfectly comfortable in their strange little bodies and they feel a natural command in any situation. We can’t train them, they simply decide to humor us, more often than not they invite their humans to join in their plans rather than the reverse Another dog like this is the Scottie. I would say I fell in love with Scotties through a book , The Scottish Terrier by Betty Penbull, here is one of hers about grooming the Scottie. This is not exactly an illustrated book though there are a few illustrations. The text is magnificent, full of knowledge and love for the breed, and it is able to bring to life the essence of the Scottie. . BIS: Here is a very good demonstration of how to trim the ears. D.D.: Yes she has plenty of specific information, not
just how to trim the ears or tail, but how these details come to be essential to what the Scottie really is, something even beyond type. BIS: Neither the Scottie nor the Dachshund is ‘your breed’. D.D.: Yes, I would say I’m really a Wire person, but after reading this 200 page book, I fell in love with the Scottie, in fact I would say that this breed could be the emblem of ‘dogs’ in general. I’ve done a lot of work with West Highlands, and I was asked to write a breed book for the publisher De Vecchi on that subject, but I was the one to ask the publisher to write about the Scottie, I really wanted to take on that project! These books published in the 90’s in Italy were something of a breakthrough, because before that, the publishing houses just found someone and gave them a number of breeds to write about. This series however was written by experts or breeders of that specific breed, so there is some quality content, it isn’t just a general book for the public with lots of photos. In fact I wish the Westie book had better pictures, someone in the publishing house just put in whatever they thought looked attractive, they aren’t pictures for experts to enjoy.
“I’m afraid it’s true I have an extensive collection of objects of all sorts. If someone comes into my home, it is very difficult not to stumble over something. ” BIS: Lovely this watercolor on page 103 from your book The Scottish Terrier. D.D.: Yes, I did that, also all of the illustrations in the book I wrote with Alberto Marengoni on grooming. A breed book has a different objective compared to a ‘How To’ book like the grooming one. If a breed book cannot show you the essence of the breed it
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has no purpose. Plenty of times I have met someone who’d picked up a book on a certain breed, and afterward they acquired a dog of that breed, and another, and another. Look at the Folge book again, it is almost completely an illustrated book, and you can see that the artist loves Dachshunds. He so beautifully captures all that a Dachshund is, that is what a breed book must do in words. Look at this drawing, in Shakespeare in the Kennel, by Persis Kirmse, the way the dog is lording over all he surveys, with his short little legs, yet he is the King more even than an Airedale who is so much more qualified as King, yet that is what a Scottie is all about, and you can see it in this little drawing. BIS: Look at this darling little volume. D.D.: Yes, sooner or later it is going to break because I open it at least once a week. BIS: It’s from 1902, nearly a century and a half... D.D.: I love the effects obtained with just two colors, very expressive. One thing about an illustrated book is that it has no confines, I mean this Dachshund book is in German, and, unfortunately, I don’t speak German, but I love this book, and it speaks to me quite plainly through it’s many illustrations. Anyone from Japan to Brazil can love this book. That is what draws me into my little statues too. I start with the clay and try to obtain in miniature with all the detail possible, I try to capture a characteristic moment of a certain breed and then I cast them in bronze. Rick Chashoudian was my great master in this art. I have met so many dog people who are as crazy about this sort of collecting as I am. What is it that delights us in a little figurine of a dog? When we find one we like, we would never sell it, not for any amount! BIS: That is absolutely true. One of the first Terrier people I met in Italy ushered me into his living room and said, ‘Now let me show you something fantastic’, and he had a glass case with his collection of dog figures, most of which you had made. They were his prize possessions. D.D.: Perhaps something like a figure or an illustration is so precious because it is a little spark of inspi-
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ration. In that sense Dogs by Rien Poortvliet is one of my most important books. I have to meet this man, he is a genius. His illustrations are also an integral part of the anecdotes he recounts in the text. He has fabulous books on other subjects, ‘Forest life’, and ‘Hunting’...the ‘Farm’, quite a large number of titles. BIS: Where do you find all of these unusual books? D.D.: I spend entire evenings, and I confess- nights, prowling on ebay. BIS: I had no idea. D.D.: I’m afraid it’s true I have an extensive collection of objects of all sorts. If someone comes into my home, it is very difficult not to stumble over something. It is all grist for my mill, I have my first show opening in about a month’s time in the city of Gubbio, there will be about 64 pieces, some of my little statues, drawings, some objects from my collection. It will be an eclectic sort of event with several themes. Gubbio is where San Francesco had his encounter with the she wolf, and where I discovered dogs, and the native city of one of the most important friends I’ve had, so I’d say this show will tie those threads together.
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Westminster Kennel Club
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New York • 15th & 16th of February 2016 P H O T O S T O RY B Y J O VA N A D A N I L O V I C
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2nd place • GCH WIND SPIRIT ROD’S AMAZING GRACE Australian Shepherd
3rd place • GCH MAJESTIC ELITE CLEVER ENDEAVOR PT Border Collie
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2nd place • GCH SPORTING FIELDS SHAMELESS Whippet
4th place • GCH TORQUAY MIDNIGHT VICTORY Beagle, Over 13 In. But Not Exceeding 15 In.
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3rd place • GCH Baghdad Eleganza Extravaganza Saluki
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2nd place • GCH MERRY GO ROUND COACH MASTER Dalmatian
3rd place • CH AFTERGLOW MAVERICK SABRE Standard Poodle
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4th place • GCH SABE’S SIMPLY INVINCIBLE Boston Terrier
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2nd place • GCH CLUSSEXX MAN OF STEEL Clumber Spaniel
3rd place • GCH SHALIMAR’S THE ANIMATOR Labrador Retriever
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4th place • GCH SABE’S SIMPLY INVINCIBLE Brittany
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2nd place • CH MEADOWLAKE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Border Terrier
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4th place • CH SNOWTAIRES NEXT GENERATION Lakeland Terrier
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2nd place • CH PEQUEST GENERAL TSO Pekingese
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2nd place • GCH MEPHISTO’S SPEAK OF THE DEVIL Boxer
3rd place • Rottweiler GCH GAMEGARDS I’LL HAVE ANOTHER V BRAESIDE TT RN
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3rd place • Greater Swiss Mountain Dog GCH DERBY’S TOAST WITH GUSTO
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CHARISMA IN DOGS by Juha Kares One of the most important thing in dog breeding is the power and vitality. These are not just words but real things. Vitality and power means a lot in life. Vital dog is outgoing happy and active. These dogs can be seen and heard. This kind of dogs are powerful and they do also have a will power. I am affraid that in past decades in the time of big kennels people did prefer too easy dogs. Now a days it is no better. People do work and have busy lives. Let´s be real. Do people want easy dogs or very active vital ones? I do believe in modern breeding we often prefer also lazier and easier dogs. In so many breeds males do not mate anymore and as looking the show rings there often is less and less charisma. What is charisma and how charisma is born in dogs? Why charisma is so important? What is charisma? Charisma is will power. Charisma in dogs means a dog who know who they are. They do have a real
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and strong libido. In males it means powerful instincts and a bit dominant attitude – which in best cases is still under control. But sometimes these charismatic males can be firely. If there is a female in season the feelings are stong. Charisma in males means also very much a stallion like attitude. Again in females charisma is more elegant in nature. In females it is about knowing the power. “I am alpha and I do not need to argue around.” The charisma is the look. Just by looking charismatic female indicates to others the ultimate power. No argue is needed. This female charisma is more about peace and aura around the dog. Where charisma comes from? Charisma in dogs comes from very vital and strong dogs. These charismatic dogs often are born as kings and queens. Most charismatic dogs in breeding I have often picked up as new born. They are the strongest in the litter from the very begging.
They do shine and do stand out often very early. These dogs have ultimate vitality and ultimate will power. As puppies start to walk the real charismatic ones do rule the other puppies. Real vitality and power comes from the parents. In ideal cases both sire and dam are powerfull and outgoing dogs. The matings are firely and easy. Whelping is piece of cake. As we are talking about charisma in dogs. It is very closely related to libido and reproducing qualities. Charisma comes from very easy life. These dogs know where they do come from and they do know where do they stand. A charismatic dog needs secure limits aswell evenif they may challenge the owner every now and then. Charismatic puppies are often wild Charismatic puppies do stand out. It is owners job to protect that charisma by letting strong and vital puppy to use it will power the right way. Too many limits and too strong hand can ruin the charisma. Wild puppies do challenge the owner. They do search their limits and finally do find them by themselves with right kind of guidance. To keep and raise the amount of charisma needs attention and love. You must love and let the dog know how special it is. Finally the love and attention start to shine back. Charismatic dogs are natural winners and groundstone of the breeding To get charisma in dogs means you must use very
“I believe that team work is the future of dog breeding, and it is the breeder who can make this happen or not.�
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Photo 1 • This is what I do and what I love. The best hobby in the World is breeding and having best breed in the World. That is of course Tibetan unique breed Lhasa Apsos. These unique dogs and their wonderful owners make my life heart emoticon So my kennel Chic Choix was best breeder in Finland second time in a row. Thank you all. Special thanks to all those active, loving and talented friends having my lhasas
vital and strong dogs in breeding. Charismatic dogs are never nervous. They do have the best of brains with lot of will power. You must respect the charismatic dogs. As a breeders we should look for these individuals and use them for breeding. The truth is the most charismatic dogs are the most vital individuals of the popultion. They are nothing but natural winners that owners have managed to live well with. They do shine and natural charisma in dogs is nothing but easy life and power of mind and body. The natural chrarisma in dogs is closely related to vitality. Vitality is what dog breeding is all about. Charisma comes from easy and happy life. This way the self-esteem becomes strong. However people do look more and more numbers. They do study the pedigrees. Far too often they do forget to look the dogs themselves. Dog breeding is pedigrees and numbers but most of dog breeding is about using the most vital and strongest dogs of the population in breeding. Do never under estimate the charisma of the dog. As this makes them the best in show ring, in the field and in breeding. Charisma in dogs is everything. It can be seen and feel. Charisma indicates easy life.
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Best in Show Magazine ad design by Jovana Danilovic Š 2016
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