Best in Show Magazine Spring 2018 by Best in Show Magazine

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American Cocker Spaniels

DREAMS &

dedication

are a powerful

combination!

Sanna Vartiainen & Laurent Pichard Muittarintie 75, 43220 Mahlu, Finland + 358 445691992 veryvigieamcockers@gmail.com

RUBEN

VERY VIGIE LOOK AT ME ALL BREEDS BIS-WINNER INT NORD FI DK SE HR EE CH EEW 2018 EUW 2017 FIW 2016 DKW 2017 FIJW 2016 HEJW 2016 EUJW 2016 BENELUX JW 2016

Publishers Jovana Danilovic Ruth Rauherz Managing Editor Ruth Rauherz editor@bestinshowmagazine.com Art Director Jovana Danilovic jovana@bestinshowmagazine.com Marketing Manager Juraj Sokolic ads@bestinshowmagazine.com Contributin Writers Anne Tureen, Richard Hellman, Juha Kares, Karl Donvil, Lisa Croft-Elliott Jovana Danilovic, Bo Bengtson, Ante Lucin, Viltė Šokaitytė, Mihaela Kosic Contributing Photographers Selene Favretto, Karl Donvil, Anna Szabo, Lisa Croft-Elliott, Jeffrey Hanlin, Tommaso Urciuolo, Jovana Danilovic Web Designers Jovana Danilovic Sanja Jukic Printed by GrafoMark d.o.o

intro Dear Best in Show readers and followers, After very successfully published 18 editions of Best in Show Magazine, we are proudly presenting you our Summer issue where you will be able to enjoy beautiful photos from shows around the Europe including reports from Crufts by Karl Donvil, Enci Winner by Tommaso Urciuolo, Winsdor by Anna Szabo and Nitra from Roman Nemesszeghy , and many reports from the dog scene worldwide. Besides reports you will be able to read a great number of articles and interviews such as two amazing interviews done by Milla Kanninen with famous Groomer and Handler from Spain - Felix Duque Cordoba and Junior Handler and Crufts winner - Antonio Flores. As well there is great article written by Vilte Sokaityte about Junior Handling history at Crufts. 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 Fall 2018. Enjoy!

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Jovana Danilovic publisher & art director

Content

128 186

CRUFTS

Junior Handling at Crufts

Antonio Flores

ENCI Winner

Nitra Dog Show

128

Felix Duque Cordoba

148

Euroasia

184

The Reason why breeds change

186

Eugene Blake

224

Winsdor show

248

Jean Donaldson

by Karl Donvil by Vilte Sokaityte

Interview with Junior Handler by Tommaso Urciuolo by Ante Lucin

by Milla Kaninen

by Dog Review

by Andrew Brace by Bo Bengtson

by Anna Szabo

by Anne Tureen

2018 Crufts 2018 THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE WORLD by Karl Donvil

What’s in a name? While a couple of years ago the adjective used to describe Crufts was “the biggest dog show in the world” it changed recently to “the greatest dog show in the world”. And I fully agree as the connotation to “big” is more for concrete things, while “great” is a adjective meant more for abstract things. Why do I start with this? Simply, because Crufts has been dethroned since the Paris World Dog Show and recently since the latest World Dog Show of Leipzig. Leipzig had over 24,000 entries, individual entries, while Crufts had 21,032 and even its record entry of 22.991 dogs is not enough to compete. So Crufts is not the biggest show in size, however it still holds many records, one of the number of trade stands, visitors, competitions etc. And taking its long history into account, it’s being world famous for many decades, it turns Crufts indeed into the “greatest” dog show on earth. And there is still one record that I cannot control exactly but what is most probably the case: it is the biggest show on earth if it comes to the number of national exhibitors. I don’t think there is any country in the world that has a show where 17.409 dogs of one country are competing. Indeed, that is the number of British entries if we subtract the foreign entries of 3.623 from the total number of entries: 21,032. Crufts is one of the most international canine events since many years and many exhibitors from all over the planet dream of participating one day or just visit. And it can be dangerous as very addictive, once you’ve been there you’ll probably long next year to go back, that’s the magic of Crufts. But it’s not easy for the Kennel Club to keep up with its 26

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popularity. They need to reinvent the show year after year and some things work, some fade and others don’t work. Mary Ray, for example, who invented heelwork to music and became extremely popular and famous all over the world, gave her last performance after 28 years at Crufts. It became harder and harder for her to be original and good, not to forget that you have to keep and train new dogs regularly. Those highly trained animals are used to plenty of attention and they can become pretty old. Mary herself is getting older and gym is no longer in her diary. No longer rolling over the ground, jumping, bending, kneeling, etc. But she has been one of the highlights of Crufts until her very last performance. So, the focus is slowly taken over by the International Heelwork to Music competition. I remember the first times of Friends for Life when half of the arena was sobbing while the other half was having difficulties not showing their emotion. It was so nice to see all those examples of how dogs can make a difference when coming into the lives of people in need. But the magic seems to have faded away. The stories of the laureates are rather common, nothing special or outstanding. Or maybe they are not properly told. They are no longer reaching the belly. I don’t know what is wrong but there are numerous cases like in the first years. What forces are behind it that they aren’t picked up? Of course, all respect for the candidates of this year, but compared to the start of this item.... it’s no longer a highlight. The winner of this year was Vanessa Holbrow’s Border Terrier. A dog that was re-homed for the 4th time and is now together with Vanessa,

being a team, doing lots of things together now and meaning a lot to her. But take any assistance dog and you’ll have this kind of stories (and certainly with all respect as I admire all those dogs), but where are those outstanding stories that move and touch deep inside? Anyway, Vanessa and her border will appear in many magazines, as Spice Girl Geri Hallywell was given the honor to offer the trophy. Just before Best In Show the there was the yearly presentation of the “Police Dog Team Operational and Humanitarian Action of the Year Award” offered to Police constable Phil Healey and his dog Majo who worked for more than 11 hours, searching for devices and clear the area for the rescue teams after the terrorist attack in Manchester, leaving many injured and 22 victims. It was clear that this was an outstanding performance very much appreciate by the audience. Nobody in the arena stayed seated and was applauding for 80 second long ( test it how long it is!) out of respect for the bravery of this man and his dog who risked their lives securing the way and checking for non-detonated devices in order to let the fire workers and ambulance teams do their jobs in maximum safety.

This year it was the celebration of 100 years Royal Air Force at Crufts. Instead of the police force demonstration the we are treated with, there was a demonstration of the Royal Air Force Dog team. It was a much more militaristic display than the Police Dog team used to give, less action. The police demonstration was scheduled in the early afternoon. And what we all missed was the Royal Fanfare to announce the start of the Best In Show judging. It was replaced with the same 3 ladies of last year singing, this time without technical sound problems. It is nice what they do but it has not the same appearance as the Royal Band. In general I have the impression that the main ring program is overstuffed with too many new competitions, finals and presentations. Two new things were on this year only and repeated probably the years to come. One is the Eukanuba Champions Stakes and the Eukanuba Pup of the Year competition. Let’s not forget that the audience is fond of action, while these two competitions are once more judging of dogs and people can accept this for a while but not too much and certainly if other more active things need to move or are shortened in time. Best in Show Magazine

The Fly-ball finals for example are moved out of the main program. Fortunately the Agility competitions were still kept in the main program. Everybody likes it, everybody is excited and is supporting. People want action and entertainment as a compensation for the couple of hours of judging dog per dog in every group. New was that on the large screen in the middle of the arena the course and obstacles were displayed. Exactly 40 years ago Crufts started with the Agility competition in order to fill the gap between the Obedience Championship and the Finals. Since then Agility became one of the most popular dog sports all over the world. Maybe one day this will become an Olympic discipline as the handler must be fit, swift, fast and smart and have his dog under control. It is a real sport and much more popular than many other Olympic games like curling or bobsledding. Crufts is certainly a record holder when it comes to trade stands. It is the place to be for every trade stand holder and the turnover is almost always a success. The ones I know were all very satisfied from day two on. Anything new on the market and you’ll find it here first. This year’s eye catcher was Nerf for dogs. Nerf is the famous harmless toy gun for kids. Now they have a big version that shoots tennis balls for dogs to chase. Another eye catcher were the ready-made grooming salons dog, available on wheels too if you want. Very nice! What I noticed was that most big booths like those of dogfood companies were less focused on VIP’s. Most of them didn’t have secured areas any longer. Last year Crufts attracted 162.000 visitors. It will be about the very same again this year. I noticed that , contrary to some years ago, Thursday and Friday were already having a lot of visitors. Could it be that more and more people take a day off from work to see their favorite breeds or go earlier in the hope to avoid overcrowded halls in the week-

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end? It is hard to understand that Crufts attracts more visitors while every day Channel 4 is focusing several hours on television and there is every day over 11 hours of live streaming! While for many smaller shows life-streaming means no added value and keeps people staying home before the screen instead of visiting life, for Crufts is seems extra publicity. People want to be there, feel it, experience it! It’s like the difference between playing a record or visiting a life concert of your favorite band. I think the secret is that Crufts has so much on offer, entertainment the whole day long, things to see, things to buy. No less than 5 halls are covered, and the huge Genting Arena is filled every day. The finals need to be booked in advance and it is usually sold out weeks before. Crufts is expensive, especially for exhibitors and visitors from abroad. Finding a hotel can start to be difficult from September on, you have to eat, travel by car or plane, buy entry tickets, show guide and catalog, etc. But some people keep on coming and get addicted and often when they become Crufts Qualified on one of the many shows in Europe and the world, they want to go for it. Many don’t care if they make a fair chance or not, but they come and participate. On many of their own shows they only enter a dog if they hope to have a chance to win, but for Crufts it doesn’t seem to matter. Being able to say “my dog participated at Crufts” immediately creates a “whaw”-reaction. It is a matter of prestige for many! This edition we found competitors from no less than 48 different countries for the show only. France had the most with 462 dogs, followed by Italy with 411, the Netherlands with 334, Germany with 319, Russia with 297 and Ireland with 295. There were 37 dogs from the United States and 6 from Australia. There were even two Salukis entered from Bahrain, a small gulf state that had a show two weeks earlier for Salukis only with over 200 entries! But of course

most dogs were dogs from England. Last year there were about 27.000 dogs participating but about 6000 of them were entered in other disciplines but the show itself. Crufts is no longer reserved for Pedigree dogs only. Hundreds of Cross breeds are entered in several sports competitions and they have their own show competition “Scruffts” wherein they can participate in several subgroups. By definition this competition is based on subjective criteria as there are no breed standards. But at least they are not forgotten. and can be as nice, sweet, intelligent and athletic as their blue-blooded cousins. But of course Crufts is in the first place meant for the last group. The most popular breeds were again the Golden Retrievers with 592 entries. In the Hound Group the Whippets are still very popular with 414 entries and in the Pastoral Group the Border Collie is unsurpassed with 390 entries. There were two new breeds in competition, the Swiss White Shepherd in the Pastoral Group and in the Toy Group the Russian Toy. In the Gundog Group we can find the Braque d’Auvergne, a French gundog and in April another French breed will officially be recognized, the Barbet, an old waterdog, ancestor of the modern Poodle. Thanks to the Netflix series “The Crown”, the Welsh Corgi Pembroke, once the favorite breed of Queen Elisabeth, escapes from the list of vulnerable breeds. Newcomer to this list is the Bullmastiff, believe it or not, with only 429 registrations last year, dropping with 73% in a decade. Not yet in danger but also losing popularity with around 75% in one decade are the Yorkshire and West Highland Terrier. Booming on the other hand is the French Bulldog with 30.887 registrations and it is expected that he will probably dethrone the Labrador who has still 35.068 registrations, being the most popular breed in the UK. Because of the immense popularity of Crufts, the

British Kennel Club is often target of protest when it comes to animal health in general. Again this year just before the winning dog was announced, two people managed to jump on the carpet showing slogans against the ethical politics regarding dog breeding. It is a good thing as often it keeps the targeted people alert and make them think about the message. It often results in new positive initiatives for the benefit of the dogs. The Kennel Club is already doing a lot, especially since the chocking BBC program against the health problems as a result of show breeding. It is still a long way to go, but the Kennel Club initiatives have been copied all over the world and there is a big progress in general. That is one of the greatest benefits that the Crufts show has generated worldwide. Crufts is undoubtedly the “greatest” dog show in the world with a magical attraction. From the moment you get addicted and you are no longer able to come...you are in serious problems, it’s your “health meter”. See you next year along with 160.000 other visitors, 800 Press people, over 21.000 dogs and their handlers or the millions who watch Crufts via Live-streaming!

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Judged by Mr Keith A W Young

1st place

2place nd

CH KANIX CHILLI Pointer

Owned by H .BLACKBURN-BENNETT

CH VERATEY VINCENZO AT CASSOM English Cocker Spaniel

Owned by S .AMOS-JONES

3place rd

CH CASTLEROCK SIMPLY MAGIC Flat Coated Retriever Owned by A. DYREN

4place th

CH COPPERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WAR OF ROSES Iris Red Setter

Owned by A. CROCKER & A. SIDDLE

CH COLLOONEY TARTAN TEASE

Judged by Mr Albert Wight

1st place

2place nd

Whippet

Owned by D. & G. SHORT

CH ALAQADAR RIGOLETTO Afghan Hound

Owned by W. N. DOUGLAS & A. TAN

CH SILVAE SOLO

3place rd

4place th

Dachshund (Wire-Haired)

Owned by D. C. MCCALMONT

CH MIRANDA DELLA BASSA PAVESE Irish Wolfhound

Owned by A. L. TURINI SALAMON

Judged by Mrs Meg Purnell-Carpenter

1st place

2place nd

3place rd

CH ARYAKAS PEGASOS Border Collie

Owned by D. & M. CONNOLLY

CH PEMCADER THUNDERBALL Welsh Corgie Pembroke

Owned by K. DOVER & L. SAETHER

CH CLINGSTONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MAKE MY DAY Smooth Collie

Owned by P. Klifton

4place th

CH MYBEARDS HERO Polish Lowland Sheepdog

Owned by L .MOTTRAM

1st place

CH MCVANS BIG BOPPER AT BEAMEUPS Scottish Terrier

Judged by Mrs Zena Thorn-Andrews

Owned by HUBER & CROSS

2place nd

3place rd

CH LAKERIDGE CAHAL Irish Terrier

Owned by T. BARKER & J. AVERIS

ORIGINAL MASTER VOICE LOVESONG RNB Jack Russell Terrier

Owned by J. F. FARÃ&#x;DI

4place th

CH DIGELSA DECLARATION Manchester Terrier Owned by K. CARTER

1st place

CH EXPANA’S SEA DRAGON CONQUEROR Papillon

Judged by Mrs Irene McManus

Owned by S. CARROLL & J. NEWMAN

2place nd

3place rd

MANTICORNS ENRICO Griffon Brussel

Owned by J .OHLSSON

CH SHAREX BURNING LOVE FOR DOBRUGH English Toy Terrier

Owned by BURGESS & BROWN

4place th

CH PAKOV’S PROUD TO BE BLACK Pomeranian

Owned by A. K. OGILVIE

1st place

CH STECALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Akita

Judged by Mr Mike Gilchrist

Owned by CORR & BEVIS

2place nd

3place rd

4place th

CH DAWIN STEAL MY HEART Standard Poodle

Owned by L. CAMPBELL

CH MINARETS BEST KEPT SECRET Miniature Poodle

Owned by M .HARWOOD

AFTERGLOW ALOYSIUS Toy Poodle

Owned by BAKER, ISHERWOOD & LYNN

NEWGRADENS LLORI NANYA

Judged by Mr Dave Killilea

1st place

Newfoundland

Owned by D. BALL

CH JOJAVIK PENELOPE PITSTOP

2place nd

Dobermann

Owned by A. & L. INGRAM

CH LANFRESE OCOLARDO

3place rd

4place th

Boxer

Owned by M. J .GRIFFITHS

CH SNOWSHOES AURORA BOREALIS Alaskan Malamute Owned by J. E. SMITH

1st place CH COLLOONEY TARTAN TEASE Whippet

Owned by D. & G. SHORT

2place nd CH KANIX CHILLI Pointer

Owned by H. BLACKBURN-BENNETT

Junior Handling at CRUFTS Written by Vilte S okaityte

Did you know that Crufts show was founded in 1891, and that in the beginning it was called “The First Great Terrier Show”? Only five years later it was renamed “Cruft’s Greatest Dog Show” and a new era was begun. Nowadays we often hear that “There is no dog show like Crufts…” Such a trite phrase, but every person addicted to dogs knows the truth of that quote. This is true for all dog lovers, since Crufts hosts not only breed rings – but also able agility, heelwork to music, obedience, YKC competitions and many more global events that are taking place on the famous green carpet. And yes, one of those competitions is The International World Junior Handling Final. (I apologize to the language commission for starting each word in capital letters, but this special event deserves it.) Once a junior handler starts his career, let’s admit it, the kid dreams of stepping onto the podium. The joy of first time in a ring cannot be forgotten and

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the memory of a first win stays forever as well. Speaking from my own experience, I can remember everything from my first dog show: starting from the dog’s name, who was judging, the place of the show, how I was dressed, even the weather conditions and finishing with the figure the judge asked me to do and with whom I went to the show. Later a junior handler comes to the point where he or she finds out the meaning of the short word – Crufts. If one is lucky enough to grow up in a family who is involved in dog breeding then I would not be surprised if the word were the first to be pronounced as a toddler. However, as soon as any junior handler knows about the International Junior Handling Final, they dream of stepping on the green carpet one day representing their country. For those who may not be familiar with the competition, I would like to list some interesting facts before continuing.

FUN FACTS 1. Junior Handling final is probably the most international handlers competition. The young handlers are mainly the champions of the year of junior handling in their countries and have earned the honor to enter the ring as national representatives. 2. Junior handlers can not choose the dog they will compete with – only their first and second choice of breed. The organisers then try to find the perfect dog for each kid which is not always an easy task. 3. The competition consists of two parts: first one with the dog that the young handler met in the morning and had time to get in contact with, the second part is with a swap dog. Handlers have only about ten minutes to get acquinted with their new partner before coming back to the ring. 4. The Junior Handling Final at Crufts was organized for the first time in 1984. The competition was judged by Geir Flyckt-Pedersen from Norway (The only person who judged twice!) who chose Tracie Lalibertie from USA competing with a lhasa apso as the overall winner. There were only seven representatives taking part – USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Only one of those young handlers happened to be a boy.

SO WHAT IS THE STORY OF THIS OLD INTERNATIONAL FINAL COMPETITION? Actually it was founded by Joe Cartledge, a professional handler, who had retired from showing dogs after winning BIS with an Airedale terrier CH Riverina Tweedsbairn at Crufts in 1971. Nowadays we cannot imagine the Crufts Junior Handling Final without a wonderful woman, Joe’s wife Liz Cartledge. She was born in Sweden and has always had Pembroke Welsh Corgis, but marrying a Terrier man brought her into terriers as well – a Norfolk terrier bitch CH Nanfan Wedding Present (Yes, the puppy was a wedding present for Joe and Liz!), was the foundation dog of their future successful kennel. Since Joe passed away, Liz has continued his work for many years and still strongly encourages the young handlers today. She is known not only for being honorable secretary of the Junior Handling Association, but also as a famous international judge who judged Crufts BIS in 1999 and runs “Ryslip” one of the first Businesses in UK to offer various services for dogs. Another important person who ensures that the competition goes smoothly is the very kind man James Skinner, Kennel Club Secretary and Communications Director. He has worked with the junior handlers at Crufts since 2011 – a total of eight times! I have been at Crufts for the past three years and had the chance to observe James working. Every single year I had the same thought in my head – it is amazing how he deals with all the stressful problems and still manages to smile to everyone who enters the Press office. James is responsible with entry forms of junior handlers before Crufts, and ensures that they are filed before the deadline; he also organizes the famous Gala Dinner, welcomes each Best in Show Magazine

5. It is interesting that 20 different countries have won the International Junior Handling final. The majority of the wins belong to USA which have won the final five times. Ireland was the winner four times and the Netherlands three. The UK has only won the competition twice – the last win was 27 years ago (1991). Portugal, Canada, Belarus, South Africa, Poland, Brazil, Latvia, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Malta, Slovenia are the countries that had the chance to stand at the highest step of the podium as well. Last March at Crufts I told James I wished to write an article about Junior Handling at Crufts. Not only about the winner, not only about those who step on the podium, but also about people who stay behind the scenes, those who helped to make it a beautiful tradition.

of the participants and its parents or tutors, provides information, answers tons of questions and encourages each young handler with a cheering word. An interesting fact about James Skinner – he has worked for The Kennel Club for nearly 15 years and has never owned a dog! But he revealed me a secret: this summer together with his wife they are getting a West Highland Terrier puppy. James said he looks forward to bringing the future family member to the office, so if anyone has the chance to pass Clarges street in London after July – don’t hesitate to meet the new Kennel Club worker. I also asked James what is the hardest part of his job. “The hardest part of my job organizing the

competition is to decide whether a person is a 52

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true representative of the country they are representing. We have made the rules stricter in recent years but unfortunately some people still try to get around them which makes me sad.” Despite the hard work, meeting the junior for the first time, and seeing their excitement is something he enjoys the most.

“I make a special effort to try and remember as many names as I can, and I love the look on their faces when I get it right before they tell me! It makes them feel welcome and starts their Crufts adventure in the right way.” There are great deals of names that must be mentioned next to Liz and James when it comes to The Crufts Junior Handling Final. The team is big - every single person is important and ensures that juniors feel as if they were home. Others who often stay behind the scenes are Valerie Foss, the President of the Young Kennel Club, Kathy Gorman, from Fosse Data, thanks to her, juniors are supplied with the armbands. Marina Scott, who helps to provide each junior with a perfect dog of their chosen breed. Rose Smart, Kennel Club Chief Executive, and Gerald King, Crufts Chairman (even though he retired in 2018 after the show). Irene Terry, who helps Liz Cartledge with organization, and for sure Jonathan Daltrey whose voice we hear every year – the ring commentary. (Imagine the hard task J. Daltrey has to deal with – pronouncing all those complicated surnames!). I also had the chance to contact another person mentioned above – Marina Scott. Those who have her on Facebook friends list have noticed that each year little more than a month before Crufts Marina writes a public post looking for help to find dogs of various breeds. I was curious to ask her few questions. Marina Scott told me that she has assisted Liz

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Cartledge for the past decade at the International Junior Handler of the Year finals at Crufts. She is a former successful junior handler as well as the winner of the UK Junior Handler of the year in 1998, so Marina has remained involved in the junior handling scene as an adult, organizing training events and the semi-finals of UK JHA competitions.

According to M.Scott, “The Interna-

tional Junior Handling Final is a huge spectacle and a really big deal for each and every handler who has the honor of competing at Crufts.” This ex-junior handler told me that at the start of the year, once Liz has received the list of requested breeds from the competitors, she gets to work of finding representatives of those breeds from around the UK. Actually there is an extensive list of “regular exhibitors” who have helped in previous years providing suitable dogs for this competition, but sometimes due to the alternating groups at Crufts, some regular dogs may be showing in the ring and thus are not available. Therefore, a few weeks before Crufts, Marina puts in much effort searching for breeds that are harder to find using the power of Facebook. “We always get a fantastic response from the

UK exhibitors as for many of them; it may be the dogs’ only chance to get into the main arena at Crufts so it’s a huge honor. We tend to get exhibitors who live within an hour’s drive of the Birmingham NEC and most importantly, the dogs who have to have a stable temperament to cope with the main ring atmosphere and will be happy to be handled by a stranger.” Since I have already mentioned that dogs are borrowed for the finalists I would also like to bring their owners into the limelight. I believe to sit in the arena and wait for their dog to enter the big ring after having the chance to 54

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meet the handler for an hour or maybe even less may cause a fast death of nerves stem cells. Some dogs might experience the sound and loud applauses for the first time and risk losing their confidence, on the other hand the lucky ones may get a dog who enters the main Crufts ring for a second or third time. I enjoyed reading the thoughts of a few of the owners who agreed to share their impressions about the Junior Handling Final and their dogs competing there.

Carine Rutten (Up And Downs Papillons & Phalens, NL) – Papillon Lafford Postman Pat a.k.a Patrick competed in the final in 2017. Sometimes it is impossible to find a dog in the UK, but thanks to foreign competitors, the handler may still get the required breed. “I enjoyed giving Patrick for the final. I saw a Tracey Douglas (professional handler, UK) – Australian shepherds: Ch.Allmark Italian Kisses For Applefire a.k.a Gabby, Ch. Allmark Muffin Muncher a.k.a Tinker, Ch. Bayshore Stonehaven Cat Buglar a.k.a Prowler, Ch. Allmark Naughty But Nice a.k.a Luna, Talard Lethal Weapon a.k.a Beetlejuice, Talard Basic Instinct a.k.a Nova, Talard Some Kinds Wonderful a.k.a Stryker. Tracey is one of the “regular helpers” that has been giving her dogs for the past six years. “My thoughts before meeting the junior handler

are about how the handler will cope with my dog/s. Especially when I have younger dogs which are taking part for the first time. I always feel it is important for junior handlers to make a bond with their dog to get the best possible performance. I love watching my dogs on the green carpet with their handlers, I do get the “I wish it was me handling” feeling. But it is amazing to watch how the handlers and dogs work together as a team and work to their best ability.”

young, dedicated person and most important of all – a happy papillon. It is a great honor to see your dog on the green carpet and it made me super happy. Wonderful experience. “ Kym Nicoll-Jones (Kyricia Dobermanns, UK) – Doberman Supeta’s in Yer Dreams With Kyricia a.k.a Elsa competed in the final in 2017 & 2018. “The first time I was asked if I could provide one

of my dobes for the IJH competition I must admit I was a little more than nervous. I would be handing over one of my precious babies to a young lady from Lithuania I had never met and more to the point my girl didn’t know and only had 30 minutes to build that trust. “Yes” to say I was a little anxious was a huge understatement with all sorts of things running through my head. (Would Elsa be fine in the big ring with someone she did not know, is she happy, will she show and etc.) However after 30 minutes of getting to know Elsa this stranger from another country had built an unbelievable relationship Best in Show Magazine

with her. The icing on the cake was sitting in the Crufts arena a little way back so Elsa did not get the scent of us feeling sick to my stomach and so stressed. Well I need not have worried. They both bonded so well I totally relaxed and I knew at that point the both of them were going to make a team. It is hard to describe how I felt watching the grand final and the team being pulled through to the final 10 my heart just filled with pride. Yes, I am not ashamed to say I had a little tear just watching them together. To sum the day up how emotional did I feel? Words can never describe – I was just so proud. And then in 2018 Elsa made to the final 10 with another girl again!” Lesley Davies (Standard Poodles, UK) – Pitfour Amazin’ Gracie a.k.a Josie, Afterglow Senorita Pitfour a.k.a Rita “I love being involved in the JH competition at

Crufts. We have been asked to lend our Standard Poodles since 2013 and we have been lucky to have such professional and caring handlers. Josie helped Victoria Gill to 3rd place in 2013 and Rita Goda Sulcaite to 2nd place in 2014. Yael and Lena have done great jobs with my dogs too. We get to know the handlers and their families on the day and it is nice to follow their achievements after Crufts too. We are told who has requested a Standard Poodle as their first choice so we have an idea who might get allocated with our dog on the day and I have been more than happy with all of them. I feel so proud of the dogs and handlers when I see them under the lights in the main ring at Crufts; it is really nice to see the rapport the handlers build with the dogs in such a short space of time. Nobody asked for a Standard Poodle one year and I was really disappointed not to be involved in such a great competition. This year I had entered Josie in the breed classes but preferred to let Lena handle her. We had 56

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friends watching in the arena and everyone at home was watching the live streaming!” And there are many more. Without all those people the International Junior Handling final would not be possible. So I would like to show immense gratitude for all those who agreed, agrees and will agree to let their dogs walk or run on the green carpet with one of the worldwide finalists. In 2018 there was an incredible number of 42 participants of whom 10 were taking part for the 2nd time, 3 for the 3rd time and even 2 handlers came back the 4th time! The whole event has incredible charm. Probably the funniest part of the competition is the Junior Handling Final Parade rehearsal to ensure that the next day everything goes smoothly. National representatives enter the ring without dogs imagining that there is the breed of their choice on the other side of the leash. 10 random handlers are picked up “for the final” and the judge congratulates three accidental winners. After this official part the fun begins – the welcoming Gala dinner sponsored by Dog World at the NEC Lakeside Lounge. Something I should definitely mention is how delicious the food is there. I had the chance to attend the event twice and speaking from my own experience – it is useful to wear clothes a little bigger than your actual size. There is always some room for dessert, right? After that everyone is happy with their full tummy and Mr. James Skinner gives a welcome speech for the juniors and their attendants, later giving the parole to the judge. When I decided to write this article about Crufts I knew that I would not miss the chance to speak with the judge as well. This year Yiannis Vlachos from Greece had the opportunity to evaluate the juniors. In his public speech at the Gala dinner Mr.Vlachos’ first piece of advice was to relax. Those words

made everyone smile, not only the adults, but the juniors also and they began to calm down. In my opinion during the evening of the Gala dinner it is essential to enjoy the event and not to try to make a favorable impression for the judge. A good judge will only pay attention to the work of the junior and his connection with the dog. Anyway Yiannis said that Crufts International Junior Handling final is the “Greatest event in the junior handling world”. He started judging junior handlers in 1995m. He used to be a junior handler, but never made it to Crufts. As he said, it was “a dream that never came true” due to the reason that the Greek Kennel Club did not send anyone for the final. That is why each of the 42 young handlers should already be proud of being there. Mr.Vlachos told everyone that he feels very grateful to judge them all tomorrow and reminded them that the purpose for which we are all here is the dogs. “We are here for the dogs. Remember to be

relaxed. Enjoy everything and do your best. You are already the winners.” – were his last words before letting the junior handlers present themselves. A big surprise for me was the representative from Cyprus Athina-Georgia Chairopoulou. I guess she deserves to be mentioned when it comes to fair competition and respect. This young lady had won the chance to represent her country, but to her disappointment only later she found out who the judge was. Mr. Yiannis Vlachos happened to be her mentor, teacher and a very close person. They both came to the decision that Athina should have the honor of presenting her dog on the green carpet but could not be evaluated. Seeing an example set like this makes me feel calm about the future – there are fair, young handlers who decide to avoid playing dirty. The speeches of each representative take a great deal of time, but it allows the youngsters to seen as individu-

als and makes the event even more special. At this point, a group photo is taken of all the junior handlers. Another beautiful tradition of Crufts International Junior Handling final is the exchange of gifts. Of course organizing a small souvenir for each of your 42 fellow participants’ requires good imagination. And some free space in the luggage! Sweets, pens and pencils, souvenir cards, notebooks, soup, calendars, bookmarks, key chains are only a sample of all the beautiful things that are shared between the handlers. This part gets chaotic when all juniors try to figure out which of the countries have already received their gift and whom they still owe one. That gets the party started and it would continue till the morning, but since the next morning juniors must be ready at 7.30 to meet their dogs, helps everyone to get off to bed at around 11pm. Mr. James Skinner ensures that each of the attendants reaches the hotel safe and sound, providing a taxi if needed. 10th of March was probably the most important day of the year for most of the juniors. They had to meet their dogs for the first time in the morning and show all their talent to get into contact as fast as possible. You could feel all the stress in the air next to the Arena’s collecting ring, but one hour later all 42 handlers were ready to step out onto the green carpet. Mr. Jonathan Daltrey called all the national representatives one by one into the ring. Looking around I was able to notice the joy, proudness and even some tears in the eyes of the parents, mentors, friends and supporters. Every year the final consists of two rounds. In the first round handlers must stack their dog on the table if needed, later they are asked to do a triangle finishing mainly with a free stack or expression and after this, proceed in a big circle all around the ring. This part requires a lot of patience as nobody can leave the ring. It takes around two hours for the judge to evaluate each handler Best in Show Magazine

so the dogs must keep waiting. The young handler’s job is to make sure that their partner will not get bored before it is time to show off. During the second part, kids show their swap dogs which they get right after stepping out of the ring. They have about ten minutes to make contact and come back to the main ring. Then Mr.Vlachos continues his judging and askes everyone to do an up and down before the Final Parade in the afternoon. I remember very well the stress of waiting more than six hours before having the chance to enter the ring again; you keep watching the video of your performance over and over again, analyzing each step, torturing yourself with the question – could I have done better? At 4.30 pm., the handlers gather before the moment in which will decide the crowning of the three winners. Blood pressure is rising, hands are shaking – it is time for the final. The judge looks at all 42 finalists and then Mr. Jonathan Daltrey announces the top ten finalists. In 2018 it was Finland, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Russia and the United Kingdom who were chosen as the top 10. Third place went to Marina Besedina from Russia with a Doberman, second place for the young lady Robyn Arnall from The United Kingdom with a border collie (you should hear the amount of the applauses in the Arena!) and the winner was Antonio Flores Ribiero from Portugal. The 10th boy to win the competition ever! (Who run the world? Girls!). The day after the competition I was lucky enough to catch Yiannis Vlachos between the rings for a small talk about the International Final and his experience. I have always known Mr.Vlachos as a boxer person. He confirmed that he owns four boxers at home and three golden retrievers in coownership.

“It was an outstanding experience, a dream that came true. It was excellent organization, exceptional hospitality and 42 very skilled kids from all over the world!” 58

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Mr. Vlachos revealed to me that he had looked for handlers’ connection with the dog, correct, calm handling, gaiting and of course the knowledge of how to stack the chosen breed. The handler who was the perfect example of the judge’s expectations became Antonio Flores Ribiero from Portugal.

“That boy is an absolutely great talent. He never took a wrong step during the two rounds with the English Springer Spaniel and then the Australian Shepherd.” I asked Yiannis’s opinion about handling nowadays. He admitted that the quality of junior handlers today is really high. The reason is that handlers have more access to watch and learn from their role models, professional handlers live streamed on TV from different shows, also improved opportunities to travel all around the world. He said that because of the high quality, choosing the three handlers to be placed was not an easy task and he doubted himself, but I could see Yiannis’s sincere excitement when he was talking about junior handling and his experience judging the competition. In my opinion a kind and friendly judge can help juniors to

relax and reveal their talent. Anyway, I could not miss the chance to ask few questions from the charming winner – Antonio Flores Ribiero. After the show YouTube was full of videos and Facebook filled with pictures of the young Portuguese guy showing his pure joy and surprise when the Greek judge pointed at him. That is something I call true emotion and passion. Antonio agreed with me that the annual meeting of people passionate about dogs is definitely a special event and he said that every dogs lover should come to Crufts at least once in their life. I asked Antonio what his expectations were coming to Crufts. The young handler first of all wanted to do his best and perhaps to be in the shortlist, but he could have never dreamed of winning. “It was my dream come true” – said Antonio. Furthermore I was also really curious to contact the winner of Crufts International Junior Handling final in 1984 Tracie Lalibertie. So for the very end of my article I have a short interview with an amazing handler from the US. She was so kind and agreed to answer my questions bringing back her memories from Crufts. It was after winning Best In Show JuBest in Show Magazine

this breed abroad and with the help of Joan Kendall, I was able to borrow a beautiful Lhasa from Jean Blythe, of the notorious Hackensack kennel.” The competition and whole process has not changed a lot overall. The first Crufts junior handling winner remembers that all the kids had a small meet at the reception where all the juniors were informally introduced. The other day she met her dog around half an hour before show time and later switched the dogs halfway through the competition. Tracie was asked to show a completely different breed – a German shepherd dog.

“It was a true challenge to show two very different breeds, the second of which I had no prior experience with.”

nior handler at Westminster in 1983 that she was sponsored by Pedigree Chum to travel to Crufts. Tracie began showing dogs at the age of 9 and thanks to her supportive mother she was lucky to be able to travel almost every weekend to attend dog shows. Even though, together with her mum, they attended shows across the US, visited Canada and even flew to Bermuda, the young Tracie had no idea what to expect traveling to Europe. She remembers very well her excitement and curiosity. At that time there were no forbidden breeds to take part with. Nowadays junior handlers are not allowed to choose Lhasa apsos, but back to 1984 it was the breed that Tracie decided to have on the other side of the leash. “My family raised and showed this breed. I had

shown various Lhasa Apsos in junior handling competitions in the US and won Westminster with a Lhasa as well. It seemed fitting to show 60

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Even after 34 years she did not forget the absolutely wonderful feeling of winning the final. The young handler was very proud of the dogs, who both worked so well for her. Moreover, she felt honored that handlers were being taken so seriously and that it was such an important show as Crufts that held the first International final. “Junior handlers are the future of our sport” – says Tracie. After leaving her dream, she came back to the US and went to school the next day, attended shows the following weekend and her life did not change a lot, but purebred dogs have continued to be a very important part of her life forever! “I was 18 years old when I won Crufts. I am

now 52. The best part of my day is still the time I spend engaging with my dogs. My passion for purebred dogs continues to be the guiding light for my life. I currently breed and exhibit Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and attend shows nearly every weekend. I am an active dog club member, involved with teaching handling classes and thoroughly enjoy some occasional judging assignments. I am a multiple award win-

ning writer on the subject of dogs and I am nearly finished writing a Doctoral Dissertation about the human canine bond for a Ph.D. in the Humanities.” Tracie Lalibertie also mentioned that she would love to come to the World dog show in Amsterdam… We hope to see you there, Tracie! Perhaps it is time to come back for another Best in Show in your pocket, this time as a professional handler? To conclude I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved - the Kennel Club team, handlers and others who shared their experience with me. After writing more than 5000 words about Crufts International Junior Handling Final I can only feel the excite-

ment for Crufts 2019. I hope and wish the Kennel Club will keep this beautiful tradition alive for a great many years in the future. Another competition, new hopes, new victories, new judge and new winners… Who will be crowned as 36th Crufts International Junior handling final winner? Let’s meet on the green carpet again on 9th March 2019! And remember that even the sky Is not the limit for those who dare to dream.

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Antonio Flores Interview with Junior Handler Interviewed by Milla Kaninen

BIS: Thank you for taking your time to answer our interview. Please introduce yourself a little bit. Antonio: Thank you to Best In Show magazine for interviewing me. I’m António Flores, I’m 15 years old and I live with my parents and my younger sister, Maria in a small village in the center of Portugal, Ferreira do Zêzere. I’m studying in 9th grade at school. BIS: When did you get into the dog world? How did you get encouraged to get into junior handling? Antonio: At home we have always lived with dogs and our life was always about dog shows. My parents are professional handlers and since my childhood, I always loved to go with them to dog shows, to watch them preparing and showing dogs and I knew one day I would follow the same passion. BIS: When was your first time competing in junior handling? What do you remember of that day? Antonio: My first time competing in Junior Handling was in Oporto Dog Show 2011 (one of the biggest dog shows in Portugal) I was 9 years old, I remember that I was a little bit nervous since I was one of the youngest and I had to give my best. I was showing a Portuguese Water Dog “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy do Sol da Laurita” with a huge junior handling entry I was 3rd place. I was so so happy.

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BIS: Can you describe your greatest win so far? Antonio: Without any doubt, THE CRUFTS INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HANDLING FINAL 1ST PLACE! I always dreamed about it like any junior handler (I think) and I just couldn’t believe when the judge Mr Yiannis Vlachos from Greece came in my direction and pointed his hand to me. I couldn’t contain myself and start crying for happiness. Wow, what a moment! BIS: Who do you admire in the dog world? Antonio: Of course my parents first, but I have a special admiration for the amazing professional handlers Mrs. Mia Ejerstad and Mr. Richard Hellman (in Europe) and in the USA, the fabulous “Green Team”, my dream is one day to have the opportunity to learn from them. BIS: Who has been your mentor? What has been the greatest advise they have given you so far? Antonio: My parents of course. They said to me that: “ even, if one day I’ll be one of the best, never stop being who I am “. BIS: How do you see yourself in the future? Would you like to show dogs professionally? Antonio: In the future, yes I would love to show dogs but I’m not sure if it will be professionally (the future will tell). I’m studying also to be an Hotel Manager.

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BIS: How do you think junior handlers are treated in your country? Do you think something should be improved? Antonio: In my opinion junior handlers should be treated with more professionalism, they should be prepared to take the care/groom and handling of their dogs more seriously. BIS: What do you dream of achieving in junior handling? Or do you feel that winning Crufts was the highest you can achieve? Antonio: Winning Crufts was my highest achievement as a junior handler, with no doubt. BIS: How would you encourage younger people to get started in junior handling? 68

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Antonio: I would say for them to follow their own passion, working hard, always loving what they do and especially loving the dogs they are showing ( they are always there for us) and never quit. BIS: How do you try to improve your own skills? Antonio: I work hard, reading all about dogs and practicing a lot! BIS: Anything else you would like to say to the readers and other junior handlers? Antonio: I would like to say: â&#x20AC;&#x153; IF YOU HAVE A DREAM, BELIEVE AND FOLLOW IT â&#x20AC;&#x153;.

BIS: Thank you for letting us interview you and your son. How did he get involved in the dog world? Did he like dogs since he was very young? Tell us a little about your history with the dogs. Marta: It is our pleasure to give this interview for such a well known magazine. My husband and I always loved, lived and worked with the dogs. We were the first Portuguese professional handlers and we started working together 20 years ago. We had the luck to work with some of the greatest!!! Antonio was “born in the dog world”. Actually, his first word instead of mom/dad was “cão”(dog in Portuguese) lol He started at a very early age started to come with us to dog shows. Before he was three he was bringing his soft toys with him, he did his own grooming and his own shows when the breed rings were free. At 3 years old Antonio started to have some fun at the mini handler competition always doing his best. When we arrived home back from the dog shows, we were completed exhausted and Antonio kept doing his shows in the kitchen. The morning after showing we would wake up and very often, he played at being the speaker of the show and asking for some judges names since he wanted to call them to the finals. Also, at the dog shows he was always looking at what we were doing and trying to the same. BIS: How did you encourage him to start handling? Marta: To tell the truth we never needed to encourage him, it was the opposite, sometimes we had to stop him as we thought he was too much “ dog obsessed” for his age, we wanted him also to see other things and to play with other toys like kids his age normally do. But we came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time since as like we usually say “Antonio breathes dogs”! BIS: Do you practice with your children at home? Do you teach them about handling yourself? Marta: Yes we do, they don’t give us any choice!!! In the beginning with Antonio we had to do many dog shows in the garden, and we were always the judges.

By that time Antonio loved always to be the winner (lol) Now with Maria our 8 year old daughter, it’s easier since we have Antonio to teach her!!! He says that Maria is one of “his next goals”!! BIS: Would you encourage him to continue in the dog world professionally or would you prefer him to keep it as a hobby? Marta: It will be his decision. I would love for him to do it professionally but you want the best for your children and the dog handling world is not so easy, at least in Europe, I think! BIS: What aspects of the hobby do you think are the most beneficial for our children? For example, do you think they are more outgoing, hard working, speak more languages etc due to this hobby? Marta: As I said before, we all know it’s not an easy world, really hard working but yes there are so many positive aspects children can get from it, like knowing other children, cultures, languages, countries, etc... BIS: Are there any aspects of junior handling that should be improved or changed in your opinion? Marta: Very honestly, I also a junior handler in the past and knowing that it’s the junior handler being judged and not the dog, I think they should also be required to take care, groom and not only show the dog. That way you could see more connection between handler/dog. BIS: What message would you like to send out to other junior handlers and their parents? Marta: To the junior handlers, you should follow your dream always respecting the other juniors since it might be there dream too. One day you win, one day you lose like everything in life! To the parents, let them follow what they really want, without any kind of pressure. If they love what they do, you will notice right away, if not you will notice that too ( if you want to). All together we can make “the dog world “ the greatest one!!

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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 AMBERYNLEA CRACKERJACK Welsh Corgi Pembroke

Owned by SALNIKOV SERGEY Judged by LEHKONEN HARRI (FI)

GROUP 2 GREAT SOUL-F DEL PICCOLO JIGO Great Dane Owned by ALLEVAMENTO DEL PICCOLO JIGO Judged by YANCHEV OLEG (RU)

GROUP 3 CH. MCVANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIG BOPPER AT BEAMEUPS Scottish Terrier Owned by CROSS REBECCA Judged by METTERI-GOLD KAISA (FI)

GROUP 4 BUDINA GIRL DEL WANHELSING Dachshund Rabbit Size Wire Haired Owned by PASCARELLA GABRIEL MARIO Judged by NAVEDA CARRERO JUAN (ES)

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 THAI SILK CODE OF SUCCESS Pomeranian Owned by MIRONENKO SVETLANA

Judged by SANTOS AUGUSTO BENEDICTO III (PH)

GROUP 6 TEOCRAZIA ONE MILLION Basset Hound Owned by SGANDURRA TOMMASO Judged by BOTTERO AMEDEO (IT)

GROUP 7 POLCEVERA’S PONENTE Bracco Italiano Owned by SEGATO GABRIELLA Judged by CUCCILLATO ALBERTO (IT)

GROUP 8 FRANCINI’S ENIGMA

English Cocker Spaniel Owned by FRANCINI ANGELA Judged by LA ROCCA FABRIZIO (IT)

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 DAWIN STEAL MY HEART

Standard Poodle Black Owned by CAMPBELL LINDA Judged by COCHETTI FRANCESCO (IT)

GROUP 10 YALAMEH PHIL

Saluki Owned by DALLA COSTA FABRIZIO Judged by BLAKE EUGENE (US)

BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R DAWIN STEAL MY HEART

Standard Poodle Black Owned by CAMPBELL LINDA judged by DE GIULIANI CLAUDIO (ITALY)

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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 AMBERYNLEA CRACKERJACK Welsh Corgi Pembroke

Owned by SALNIKOV SERGEY judged by JIPPING GERARD (NL)

GROUP 2 BUCK AND SONS ESCOBAR

Bulldog Owned by MARTININI LUANA Judged by INZOLI MASSIMO LEONARDO (IT)

GROUP 3 TOY SAVOY YSL IN LOVE AGAIN Yorkshire Terrier

Owned by AITUGANOVA NATALIA Judged by FORTE MICHAEL (IE)

GROUP 4 ALPHERATZ ALCAPONE Miniature Dachshund Wire Haired

Owned by FRIGOLI CRISTINA MARIA Judged by BAUCHAL GIANFRANCO (IT)

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 GUNGA ITAPUCA

Basenji Owned by SCHIAVO STEFANO Judged by ITOI KINJI (JP)

GROUP 6 ICECREAM VAN TUM-TUM’S VRIENDJES

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Owned by HUIKESHOVEN GWEN Judged by GABRIELLI MONDO MARIA TERESA (IT)

GROUP 7 EPITHELIUM DINAMO Spinone Italiano O wned by ZEMTSOVA IRINA

Judged by FULGENZI GIANNI (IT)

GROUP 8 JERSEY GIRL OPTIMUS CANIS Labrador Retriever

Owned by KENNY SASTRO Judged by CATALAN LOUIS (PT)

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 CINECITTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SAGRO GRA Maltese Owned by PROSPERI FRANCO Judged by UREK TATJANA (SI)

GROUP 10 KARISHMA DELLA BASSA PAVESE Levriero Irlandese Owned by TURINI ANTONIA Judged by MAHONEN MARKKU (FI)

BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R EPITHELIUM DINAMO

Spinone Italiano Owned by ZEMTSOVA IRINA Judged by MARTINEZ MIGUEL ANGEL (ARGENTINA)

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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 BOTTOM SHAKER ZÉPHYR DREAMS

OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG

OWNED BY KOROKNAI JÓZSEF JUDGED BY VIKTOR LOBAKIN, AZ

GROUP 2 ATLANTIC EUROPICA VARIETAS BLACK RUSSIAN TERRIER

OWNED BY BOCSKORÁS PAVOL JUDGED BY CARSTEN BIRK, DK

GROUP 3 SUPER SNOOPY BOHEMIA PLATINA YORKSHIRE TERRIER

OWNED BY DEDKOVÁ INGRID JUDGED BY CHARLOTTA MELLIN, SE

GROUP 4 JULIANA TINTO DA CASA AMARELA

DACHSHUND STANDARD MINIATURE WIRE

OWNED BY SALETTI ANNALUCE JUDGED BY RICCARDO DI CARLO, IT

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 UPSTART FORA SO OBSESSED ZWERGSPITZ (POMERANIAN) ALL COLOURS

OWNED BY EMELIANOVA L. & TITARENKO M. JUDGED BY MONIKA BLAHA, AT

GROUP 6 JELANY RED IFA TIFFANI RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK

OWNED BY KAMLE ELENA JUDGED BY JOZEF JURSA, SK

GROUP 7 CEDRIC Z HOLUBICKÉ STRÁN GORDON SETTER O WNED BY DOLEZAL JAKUB

JUDGED BY GYÖRGY TESICS, HU

GROUP 8 FORT MADISON MOSER DOG AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL

OWNED BY CAISOVA SILVIA JUDGED BY KARI JÄRVINEN, FI

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 NICE STEPS FOR ME ONLY MEDIUM POODLE, BLACK

OWNED BY NAD JULIA JUDGED BY BRUNO NODALLI, IT

GROUP 10 DAMASK RAINDOGS DAKOTA IRISH WOLFHOUND

OWNED BY ALLEVAMENTO SOBERS JUDGED BY RÓBERT KOTLÁR, HU

BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R BOTTOM SHAKER ZÉPHYR DREAMS

OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG

OWNED BY KOROKNAI JÓZSEF JUDGED BY JEAN-FRANCOIS VANAKEN, BE

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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 GREY TETIS MILLI MAJESTIC BOUVIER DES FLANDRES

OWNED BY KALINICHENKO GALYNA JUDGED BY CARSTEN BIRK, DK

GROUP 2 ATLANTIC EUROPICA VARIETAS BACK RUSSIAN TERRIER

OWNED BY BOCSKORÁS PAVOL JUDGED BY JAROSLAV MATYÁŠ, SK

GROUP 3 NOW LOOK AT ME TECONO SCOTTISH TERRIER

OWNED BY WINOWICZ WIKTORIA JUDGED BY GERARD COX, IE

GROUP 4 DON CORLEONE OF ROSMERY DEL WANHELSING DACHSHUND STANDARD MINIATURE WIRE

OWNED BY KAŠPAR MILOŠ JUDGED BY LENKA FAIRAISLOVÁ, CZ

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 DOUBLE AGENT SPEIGAS

SIBERIAN HUSKY OWNED BY LOBOYCHENKO A. & DOTSENKO A. JUDGED BY BRUNO NODALLI, IT

GROUP 6 RED AMERICANA LITTLE STORM IN A TEACUP BEAGLE

OWNED BY KALIMULLINA ZULFIYA JUDGED BY EKATERINA SENASHENKO, RU

GROUP 7 EARL GREY SILVER SFINX

WEIMARANER O WNED BY SANTARIUS J. & SANTARIOVÁ M.

JUDGED BY DOROTA WITKOWSKA, PL

GROUP 8 ENERGIC SPIRIT JEMALLE

CAO DE AQUA PORTUGUÉS OWNED BY MARKOVICOVÁ LENKA JUDGED BY RICCARDO DI CARLO, IT

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 AMESEN ALL ABOUT ME LHASA APSO

OWNED BY PAOLANTONI S. & MIELE L. JUDGED BY JEAN-FRANCOIS VANAKEN, BE

GROUP 10 HARRY POTTER MATUSALEM IRISH WOLFHOUND

OWNED BY LANDLOVÁ JANA JUDGED BY JOSÉ HOMEM DE MELLO, PT

BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R AMESEN ALL ABOUT ME LHASA APSO

OWNED BY PAOLANTONI S. & MIELE L. JUDGED BY KARI JÄRVINEN, FI

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GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 1 MARKÝZ SRDCOVÉ ESO AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD

OWNED BY HODOVA L. & Z. JUDGED BY GERARD COX, IE

GROUP 2 POINT DEXTER V. TANI KAZARI AFFENPINSCHER

OWNED BY SZREDER - SZLACHECKA & SZREDERJUDGED BY EKATERINA SENASHENKO, RU

GROUP 3 ORIGINAL MASTER´S VOICE LOVESONG RNB JACK RUSSELL TERRIER

OWNED BY JOZSEF FARADI JUDGED BY KARI JÄRVINEN, FI

GROUP 4 JULIANA TINTO DA CASA AMARELA

DACHSHUND STANDARD MINIATURE WIRE

OWNED BY SALETTI ANNALUCE JUDGED BY LUDMILA FINTOROVÁ, SK

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 5 UPSTART FORA SO OBSESSED ZWERGSPITZ (POMERANIAN) ALL COLOURS

OWNED BY TEMELIANOVA L. & TITARENKO M. JUDGED BY GYÖRGY TESICS, HU

GROUP 6 DALMINO VOODOO VISION DALMATIAN DOG

OWNED BY HALPER-DRAZIC ZELJKA JUDGED BY MONIKA BLAHA, AT

GROUP 7 SOLIVIA´S WELL WELL WELL ENGLISH POINTER O WNED BY MAROSZCZYKOVÁ IRENA

JUDGED BY MAGDALENA SWIETON, PL

GROUP 8 LAYTON ZERO HOUR MOSER DOG AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL

OWNED BY VOLARIK RICHARD JUDGED BY VICTOR LOBAKIN, AZ

GROUP W I N N E R S GROUP 9 BLACK MOON RISING DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE STANDARD POODLE, BLACK

OWNED BY KOSTAKI L. & GIKA F. JUDGED BY IVETA VOJTEKOVÁ, SK

GROUP 10 MONANNA REPUBLIC GRACIOUS MOUCHE NOIRE ITALIAN GREYHOUND

OWNED BY NOWAK MONIKA JUDGED BY BRUNO NODALLI, IT

BEST IN SHOW W I N N E R POINT DEXTER V. TANI KAZARI AFFENPINSCHER

OWNED BY SZREDER-SZLACHECKA JUDGED BY JOSÉ HOMEM DE MELLO, PT

Felix Duque Cordoba Professional Handler Interviewed by Milla Kaninen

BIS: Thank you for your time for answering our interview. To start with, could you tell us how you started in the dog world? F.D.C.: I started about 24 years ago, in 1994, in the dog world. I had always owned dogs with my family, we had German Shepherd dogs since I was a young boy, so I had always felt a special connection with dogs. My family lived in a farm, so I grew up surrounded by different animals, until one day I got the opportunity to get to know the dog world, which I had no idea existd. I had no idea of what a dog show was, a pedigree, or anything related to this. I got into it bit by bit and finally ended up leaving my daily job and leaving my old life, and starting to dedicate my whole life to this world that I felt passionate about. But things have to be done right, the building must start with the basement, not with the roof, so my first step was to go to Paris, to the house of Marc Mansuet, and learn the grooming of Yorkshire Terriers. I wanted to dedicate my time to grooming and preparing them for the shows. At Marcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, in the few months that I spent there, I woke up at 6 in the morning and went to

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bed at midnight, spending the whole day grooming and training dogs, learning all that I could from him. That showed me that achieving a good result at the show is a result of very hard daily work. He showed me what hard work was. After Paris, I started to work with other breeds at home, with the help of many breeders. My biggest advantage was that I got to do this all with Philippe Gallardo, who had already dedicated many years to the dog world. Apart from the help and advice I got from other breeders and handlers here, I was obsessed with the type of handling in the USA and South America, and I would buy magazines and study all the photos in them to learn. This was before we got internet. I would just stare at the photos of the winners and try to understand why they are winning. I started with hard work, education, sacrifices and respect, the basics of the dog world, perhaps they have been lost now...

Photo 1 â&#x20AC;¢ Multi BIS Ch Aiola vd Schoenen Bergen at Montgomery 2015

BIS: Do you remember which was your first dog show? Who was your mentor in the beginning, if you had one? F.D.C.: My first dog show was in Luxembourg, I remember we went there to show an Afghan Hound, and I was highly impressed by seeing so many Afghans together. I think there were over 100 Afghans because back then, it was a very important breed. There were many professionals there and people with a dedication to the breed that has been now lost. I saw honesty, professionalism, and respect, things that are not present at the dog shows anymore. I had been working at home preparing the dogs and grooming them for some time, and I loved to see the results of my work in the ring, and that is what got me started at the dog shows. My mentor was Philippe Gallardo, he was the one who introduced me to the dog world. He was already breeding Afgan Hounds when I met him, so I got into the breed very quickly, but he also taught me about all the other breeds, about their morphology, about type, about their grooming and how they should be shown, explaining WHY each of the things had to be done. I really appreciate that he taught me in that way, because now I can say I understand why each thing is done how it should be, not just how to do it. Of course, other people have also helped me, breeders such as Marc Mansuet, Adolfo Spector, Carlos Fernández de Renau, or other handlers such as Flavio Werneck, Daniel Beloff... I don’t believe anyone has just one mentor, we are all introduced into this world by one person, but then it depends on us if we want to keep learning and keep improving ourselves. BIS: When did you win your first BIS and how did it feel? F.D.C.: I don’t remember when I won my first Best In Show. I remember a few of them that felt special to me and I can tell a little about them. The first Best In Show I remember was won together with Philippe Gallardo, in the beginning. I was the one who prepared and trained the dogs and he showed most of the dogs, because I really panicked about going in the ring and showing, I was embarrassed going in the ring in front of people. The first Best In Show with 130

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Photo 1 • Felix with Shih Tzu “Teresa” at Budapest European Dog Show Photo 2 • Felix and American Cocker Spaniel “Kimi” winning Best in Show at Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2008

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Philippe was in 1996 if I remember correctly, at the Milan Dog Show, I cried from the emotion. Another Best In Show that I remember well was with Doña Ines de la Gran Aldea, an American Cocker, at the Madrid Mandatory Point. She had a great career already, but that day she showed great for me, she flew in the ring and made me proud. When they announced the winner, I could finally relax after so many hours of training and grooming and so much work I had put into her. That feeling is what has always kept me going on in the dog world. With hard work, you can reach any goals. BIS: What do you consider your biggest achievement in the dog show world? F.D.C.: I have achieved many important things in the dog show world. I think as a breeder, the most important achievement is to create your own type of dog that can be recognized as your breeding all over the world. As a handler, in my breed, which is Afgan Hounds, winning the National Specialty in the USA was probably the greatest achievement as the handler of my own breed. It is the greatest thing to reach the type that is looked for with your homebred dogs. As a professional handler, I think I have reached all the goals I have proposed myself. What I really enjoyed was taking breeds that are not so popular, and making them win great things, such as Norfolk Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Chinese Crested... They are breeds that are not usually winning the groups or getting placed in Best In Shows. At a personal goal, for me it has been really important to be able to create a connection with the dog that I am showing, understanding the dog, the breed it belongs to, the grooming it needs and transform the dog... Making the dog important in the dog world, making his pet name famous among the people is the most important sign that you have done your job correctly. I could name World Winner titles, European Winner Titles, Best In Show wins... but that is boring and I think it has never been the most important achievement for me. Photo 3 • Porto Winner 2015, Portugal, “Mei” winning Best of Group both days Photo 4 • Sunjoy’s Satisfaction “Sofia”, BOB & BOG#1 European Dog Show Slovenia 2010

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BIS: Have you bred any breed? F.D.C.: I have bred Afghan Hounds and American Cockers, with the affix Khafka. In Afgan Hounds, I bred many generations of World Winners, European

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Photo 5 • American Cocker Spaniel “Cris” winning Best In Show at Arad, Israel, in 2012

Winners, National Specialty Winners. It is a breed I feel very passionate about, and I am very proud that my dogs are in the pedigrees of many of the Afghans that are competing and winning nowadays. In American Cockers, I only bred a few litters, but produced some very successful dogs. I was lucky to start with the help of my friend Adolfo Spector, who was my mentor in the breed. BIS: How did you start with grooming? When did you start competing in grooming competitions? F.D.C.: I started with grooming when I started to handle dogs 24 years ago, because it is all related. I started as a competitor in grooming competitions with the help of Judith Camarasa, who was the one who got me started. I first competed at a grooming competition of Artero in Barcelona. Artero saw my talent and asked me to join their Creative Team of groomers, and I started to travel with them all over the world competing in grooming competitions and giving seminars to people. This was quite a few years ago, maybe around 2008 or so.

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However, as I said before, grooming is related to handling so I did start a lot earlier. All handlers should be able to do grooming or they are not good handlers. Grooming at grooming shows is different from grooming at the dog shows, but if you are a good groomer you can dedicate yourself to both. For the dog show grooming, you must understand the morphology of the dog better in order to give him the shape that is looked for, depending on the breed. I think anyone is able to learn and reach their goals, with hard work anything is possible. BIS: What do you consider your biggest achievement in the grooming world? F.D.C.: Best in Show at Ciseaux d’Or, which is a grooming competition of excellence. At the Spanish Championship, winning 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal, which means winning in all the categories at the same competition. Becoming a Spanish Champion. Winning a silver medal at the Oster Championship for Champions. I think these have been the biggest achievements at a personal level. Apart

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from this, with the Artero Creative Team we have won many competitions in Belgium, Italy, France, and have been recognized worldwide. Now I form part of the Artero Creative World Team, which is a team of the 15 best groomers in the world, and I am lucky enough to be one of them despite the hard time that I am going through. All this thanks to the Artero family. BIS: We all know you have had to retire from the dog shows and grooming and that you talk openly about what has happened to you. Please tell us about this. F.D.C.: My life changed completely. At the end of 2016, I had a lot of pain in my left arm, things dropped out of my hands, I had no strength... I went to the doctor and they started to do exams until they discoved what I had - ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Scelerosis. Basically it is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, that affects the nerve cells in your brains and spine. These nerve cells are the ones that help you make voluntary and involuntary movements, so each time you become more rigid. No one knows how this illness starts or where it comes from. It has no treatment or cure. It just makes you freeze. All we know is that your arms, your legs, your body stops responding, even breathing gets more difficult. But the brain is intact, and that is what makes this illness so difficult. I ask myself each day, why me, why I need to go through this, why there are so many other young people suffering from the same illness. I think it is one of the most cruel illnesses I have seen, because you can not even manage your daily life. You can not eat, because you can not lift the fork, you can’t go to have a shower, you can’t get dressed alone... And that is what makes you appreciate the small things in life. I try to enjoy each sunrise, each smile, each step I take as long as I can walk. I decided to adopt the same attitude as with the dog world when I started. I need to find solutions to each problem this illness causes me. But it does not depress me, it makes me happy. Since I was diagnosed, I have more free time to dedicate to my friends and family. Before I used to dedicate all my time to my career. When I restructured my whole life, it was very hard, because I had to stop

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Photo 6 • Del Zarzoso Manolo “Manolito”, winning Best of Breed at European Dog Show Dublín 2009 Photo 7 • “Benito” winning Best in Group at Valencia, Spain, 2013

working and I had to leave my grooming salon. I had to find a way to pay for all the material that I need at home, I had to find a way to pay for a nurse to help me in my daily life, all this without any help from the Government. So, once I figured out how to manage my life, I felt the need to help others who are suffering. Every year there are 1000 new people diagnosed with ALS, but at the same time 1000 die of the same illness, so there are never many of us. Normally we are given from 3 to 5 years of life expectancy, so I know I don’t have many years left in this world, but what I know is that I want to do all that I can to help raise funds for the professionals who are investigating the disease. I am doing campaigns together with a friend who is suffering from the same illness, Jordi Sabate, and all the funds we raise go to the investigation of ALS. It is hard to change your life, from a groomer and handler to owning just one Chihuahua. Each day is a new challenge. I am happy that all the hard work I am doing for ALS is paying off, Artero has helped a lot creating a pair of sheers to raise funds for the research, and they have my name on them... I am organizing events and fighting hard to win yet another battle in my life, because I believe Felix Duque has still many years ahead of him.... BIS: Which of the dogs that you have showed was the most special to you? And which was the most successful one? F.D.C.: I have showed many special ones, Tedy, Pablo and Antonia, Afghan hounds that I won a lot with, Ines, my American Cocker, who was a big winner also, Bertie, a Norfolk Terrier, Sofia, a Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Rocky the Chinese Crested, Fendi the Maltese, Louis the Lion Dog... There have been so many dogs that I remember with a lot of love. All these have been really special to me. Some of them have won even at the World Dog Shows, European Dog Shows, Best in Shows all over the world. I think probably the most winning ones were Pablo, Antonia and Ines. They were the most successful ones I have shown. Photo 8 • WW & EW “Bertie” winning the Group at Madrid Mandatory Point, 2014 Photo 9 • “Blade” Lisbon Winner 2015

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BIS: What do you miss the most? And what don’t you miss at all? F.D.C.: What I miss the most is being able to show a dog, being able to run around the ring, especially at the outdoor shows on the grass. Being able to groom a dog and transform a dog into a perfect one with grooming. I miss this is a lot because it was my whole life and my passion, and not being able to use my arms makes me unable to do it, although I can perfectly see it and imagine it. I miss seeing my colleagues and friends at the shows in different parts of the world, because I don’t just have friends in my own country, after dedicating more than 20 years to this world I have friends all over and I do miss seeing them from show to show. I miss talking to important people in the dog and grooming world, talking about the dogs. Since I am now in a new phase of my life, I try to substitute these things from the dog world with other things, but it is difficult because I can never completely forget the dog world. What I don’t miss at all is a bit contradictory but it is also the dog shows. What they have become nowadays is not what I like at all. I see that there is no professionalism, no honesty, no respect and that hurts me a lot. I think people should be more honest and more professional. I don’t miss loading and unloading my truck each weekend for each show, I hated that. When I see someone new starting their career, working hard to reach their goals, they remind me of when I started and they give me some hope that there are still some good hard working people in there, who don’t just go there for the photos . BIS: Do you remember being through a crisis during your career and thinking of leaving it all? Why did you continue? F.D.C.: If I say no, I would be lying, because of course all of us have been through crisis. As I have already said many times during the interview, this is a hard job that requires your dedication 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes after all the hard work, not achieving your goal because there is favoritism towards someone else, or interests, makes you wonder if you should really continue with this or just leave it. But giving up is for cowards, leaving it all 138

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is not a solution. If you have a dream, I can tell you that dreams can come true. My dream came true, I have reached all the goals I set for myself. I have always looked forward, never backward, and that is the attitude I have had with my job and I am now having with this illness, continuing forward with new goals and new ideas. So there are no crisis in a way, you just have to struggle forward towards your goal and try to make your dreams come true BIS: What do you dedicate your time to now? F.D.C.: Like I said before, now I dedicate all my time to this illness, I try to raise funds for the research on ALS, so that they could find a reason and a cure for this. All the time, my brain is trying to think of different ways to earn donations that are needed for the investigation. I also try to spend more time with my family, with my husband who is taking care of me, my friends who are close to me. I try to enjoy my time having coffee or a beer with them. Well, not having it myself, they need to give it to me, because I cannot hold it in my hand, but I still try to enjoy my life, enjoy these precious moments, live and be happy, and dream of a cure for this illness. BIS: What is your biggest dream or wish in life? F.D.C.: My biggest dream in life can be resumed in one word: happiness. I want to be happy. I would like to find a solution to this horrible illness that I am suffering from, although it does not depend on me, that is what we have specialists for. But I feel so sorry for all the families who are suffering from this, because when one is diagnosed with this illness, it destroys the whole family and it is so unfair. So, I would say that my biggest dream is to find a cure for ALS, to live and to be happy. As to the dog world, I dream of people being more educated and more honest. BIS: Could you name two people whose talent you admire in the dog world? F.D.C.: At the moment, there are many people I admire in the dog world. First of all, Javier Gonzalez Mendikote, “El Kiri”, he is my little brother, and years ago we used to work together and I appreciate him a lot. He is very talented, he is hard working, he marks goals for himself and works very hard to

Photo 9 â&#x20AC;˘ Multi BIS Multi CH WW â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fendiâ&#x20AC;? BOB at World Dog Show Austria 2012

achieve them. He is very competitive, He is educated and honest, and with all these qualities, he has reached a very high level. I admire him as a professional, although I think he should listen a bit more to the advice from the people he has around who really love him. Other handlers that I admire: Daniel Beloff, Mia Ejerstad, Richard Hellman, they are handlers that I respect and admire a lot. I could mention some more, but I think these are, at the moment, the most important ones. BIS: How would you describe a professional handler? What abilities does one need? F.D.C.: A professional handler is a person who dedicates themselves to training and preparing a dog for a dog show. It does not mean that the handler takes a dog at the ring side to take him into the ring, no, that is only a 10% of all the job. A professional handler has trained the dog, needs to know

enough grooming to be able to prepare the dog and have him in a good coat condition, take care of his health and cleaning, giving him enough exercise, preparing him 24 hours a day physically and mentally for the dog show, which is the top of it all. At the show, we can demonstrate all the work that is behind that dog. For me, that is a real professional handler. The handler needs to be sensitive enough to create an emotional connection with the dog. He needs to know about different breeds, know their standards, know about type, know about grooming and know how to handle the dog, always looking for something exceptional which will make the dog stand out from the rest. Hard work and effort, respect and education. BIS: What is your opinion about junior handling? Do you think professional handlers should be more involved in it? F.D.C.: For me, junior handling is something very, Best in Show Magazine

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ing this interview, we need more respect, honesty and education in this world and this also applies to the future of the junior handlers.

Photo 10 • 20 years ago BIS at Estoril, Portugal, Khafka’s Son Son Blue

very important, because they are our future. The handlers get older, and they need to retire, and we need young people who like the profession to continue with this job, but that requires a lot of education with the handler. They should learn from professional handlers, but I mean handlers that are really professionals. A junior handler can not learn just at the dog shows, they should also go to the kennels, the handler’s house where they train and prepare the dogs, to learn how to show their virtues and hide their defects, and then do the same at the dog shows. So yes, I think that junior handling is very important, but I think they need to understand that we all start from the bottom, learning about the structure of the dog, the standards, and training, and at the end of all this it all comes down to how to show the dog in the ring. They should have more theoretical classes and seminars, they should learn that this is not an easy job and they should learn that this job needs to be paid for better than it is now, because right now I think handling is not well paid. Thanks to a few who don´t value their job and ask for lower prices. As I have been repeating dur140

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BIS: If you could change something in the dog world, what would it be? F.D.C.: I would change so many things in the dog world. I would make everything so much more professional. I would love to make handling a profession, just like a breeder is a profession or a groomer has his profession, I think the handlers also have their profession, but they are not recognized as such. Nowadays we think that anyone can be a handler if they are able to show a dog, anyone can be a breeder by mating X and Y together, anyone can be a groomer. This is all a result of lack of interest, a lack of education and a lack of respect. People are not honest and think that it is fine. Many people think that the dogs win often because of the handler, but it is not like that. First, you must analyze the structure of the dog, the condition he is in, the career he has behind him, and then you could maybe understand all the hard work behind that dog. Maybe there is a lack of honesty and at some particular show in which dog has won because the judge knew the handler, of course this can happen sometimes, but it is not always the case. I think many of the new handlers think that that is the way to the top, and they are so wrong. So, I would change plenty of things about the judges, the handlers and the breeders, but that is out of my control. BIS: Thank you again for your time, Felix. You can send a message to all our readers around the world. F.D.C.: I want to thank the Best In Show magazine for offering me the chance to do this interview, which I hope has served me as a way of telling people about this horrible illness, that could affect any of us. It could be any of you, although now it was my turn to suffer it. Thank you for your interest in my life, in my career, which has been very long and successful, thank you to all those people who make me feel very lucky and happy with all the support they offer me during these difficult moments. Simply thank you, thank you, thank you to all. Be happy and receive my kindest Greetings.

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FCI GROUP 2

Judged by Mr. Christian Stefanescu (Romania)

Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs

1place th SEVENTY SEVEN PRIME MINISTER Australian Sheepdog

1place th

IMIR FIT DU DOMAINE DE TOUNDRA Tibetan Mastiff

Owned by A. Ploshko

Owned by O. Bopohoba

Sheepdogs and Cattledogs

Judged by Mr. Andreas Savva (Cyprus)

FCI GROUP 1

2place nd

DANNIDAKS RINNON ENIYA Welsh Corgi Cardigan

2place nd

RETRO ROCHE VEZUVIY Cane Corso

Owned by B. C. Arhangelska

Owned by E. Hop

3place rd

KIARA SILVER SPOT Shetland Sheepdog

3place rd

AMICUS LEO VOM ZARENDORF Leonberger

Owned by E. Potapova

Owned by A. Mikhaleva

Terriers

FCI GROUP 3

Judged by Mrs. Monique van Brempt (Belgium) Judged by Mrs. Helen Tonkson-Koit (Estonia)

HUNDERWOOD HERITAGE Yorkshire Terrier

1place th

FORMULA USPEHA TOP GEAR Miniature Dachshund Smooth Haired

Owned by N. Tansacha

Dachshunds

FCI GROUP 4

1place th

Owned by I. Y. Khapaeva

2place nd

ATTACKS OF LOVE S PLANETY ZVEZD rd American Staffordshire Terrier place

2place nd

KINDERTECKEL’S QUEST OF PALOMYDES

Owned by A. V. Popov

Standard Dachshund Smooth Haired

Owned by I. Ranzina

3place rd

L’END SHOW METTI SURPRISE AT GLARE Bedlington Terrier

Owned by E. Pykhtar

GUDWIL’S KRISPY KREME KAMILLA Miniature Dachshund WIre Haired

Owned by V. F. Gubina

Judged by Mr. Luis Catalan (Portugal)

Scent hounds and related breeds

FCI GROUP 6

1place th CHUDNI MEDVEZHONOK RUNNING TO WIN

1place th

ALDIA AMBER SUN Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen Siberian Husky

Owned by E. Vlasyuk

Owned by I. Antipova

Spitz and Primitive types

Judged by Mr. Jorge Hindse (Denmark)

FCI GROUP 5

2place nd

YUKASI SABURO-SANZO Shiba

2place nd

ASTRAVEGAS KIM Beagle

Owned by M. V. Yubina

Owned by N. A. Solodkova

3place rd

THAI SILK GOLDEN LEGEND Pomeranian

3place rd

GWYNMOR HITCH HIKER Dalmatian

Owned by S. Mironenko

Owned by T. Tarasenko & I. Abrosimova

Pointing dogs

Judged by Mr. Yochai Barak (Israel)

FCI GROUP 7

OCEANA COMPATRIOTA DI BONFINI Bracco Italiano

1place th

BALINOR BAND HAN VIKTOR INKREDIBLE Labrador Retriever

Owned by A. Polukova

Judged by Mr. Yochai Barak (Israel)

Retrievers, Flushing dogs and Water dogs

FCI GROUP 8

1place th

Owned by S. Tretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aykova

2place nd

APPLEGROVE BECHAMEL Irish Red Setter

Owned by I. Trusov

ZORRAZO DO I SMELL VICTORY Spanish Waterdog

Owned by N. Tansacha

3place rd

TIMBER KAJMINA

3place rd

RADOST IS ISTRY BLACK RUSSIAN Flat Coated Retriever

German Short-haired Pointer

Owned by I. Ivanchev

Owned by A. Gorbylev

Companion and Toy dogs

FCI GROUP 9

Judged by Mr. Ferdinando Asnaghi (Italy) Judged by Mrs. Elzbieta Augustyniak (Poland)

VANDERFUL PLEIS MASTERPIECE Poodle Toy - Black

1place th

SHOU GERAT GIPNOZ Afghan Hound

Owned by D. Vozcikova

Sighthounds

FCI GROUP 10

1place th

Owned by A. I. Bjeljajevskaja & I. V. Osipova

2place nd

Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SUNN DELION OF WHITE DRAMA Maltese

2place nd

TSARSKAJA PRIHOT NIGHT KNIGHT NORRINGTON Irish Wolfhound

Owned by L. Zakharchenko

Owned by N. Beresneva & O. Guskova

3place rd

MY VANITY FAIR FAIR NETTI MATHEW Chinese Crested Dog

3place rd

STONEVILLE MINDS EYE Polish Greyhound

Owned by L.. I. Kostromina

Owned by K. A. Grushina

Judged by Mr. Fabio Moreira Amorim (Brasil)

Junior BEST IN SHOW

RADOST ZHIZNI CHOSEN ONE PORTO BLANC

1place th

SHOU GERAT GIPNOZ Afghan Hound

Samoyed

Owned by C. Porto

BEST IN SHOW

Judged by Mr. Kari Jarvinen (Finland)

1place th

Owned by A. I. Bjeljajevskaja & I. V. Osipova

2pl

2place nd

EVAKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEVER MIND Toy Poodle Silver Owned by E. Smirnova E. & N. Mankova

3place rd

ZOLOTOY VETER UDJIN SUN Tibetan Mastiff

2lace nd

CHUDNI MEDVEZHONOK RUNNING TO WIN

3place rd

SEVENTY SEVEN PRIME MINISTER Australian Sheepdog

Siberian Husky

Owned by E. Vlasyuk

Owned by Kuznetsova & Rogulin

Owned by A. Ploshko

FCI GROUP 2

Judged by Mrs. Ramune Kazlauskaite (Lithuania)

Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoids and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs

1place th AMBERYNLEA CRACKERJACK Welsh Corgi Pembroke

1place th

BRIGHTSTAR EMPIRE WELL DONE Cane Corso

Owned by S. Saljnikov

Owned by E. Barykina

Sheepdogs and Cattledogs

Judged by Mr. John R Walsh (Ireland)

FCI GROUP 1

2place nd

SEVENTY SEVEN IDEAL OR LIFE Australian Shepherd

Owned by N. Seinina

DREAMKISS BONUS Miniature Schnauzer Black

Owned by I. D. Buhin

3place rd

PUGBULLY MR FLYER

3place rd

GENTLY BORN CHAMPION

Old English Sheepdog

Owned by Freudenberg Judith

Giant Schnauzer Black

Owned by A. Blasova

Terriers

FCI GROUP 3

Judged by Mr. Adrian Landarte (Uruguay) Judged by Mrs. Jadranka Mijatovic (Croatia)

FILISITE BRASH BEAUTY NEVER LIES Scttish Terrier

1place th

FORMULA USPEHA TOP GEAR Miniature Dachshund Smooth Haired

Owned by V. Popova

Dachshunds

FCI GROUP 4

1place th

Owned by I. Y. Khapaeva

2place nd

DARIANT MADRID Dandie Dinmont Terrier

2place nd

SNOW SHINE INTRIGUE Rabbit Size Dachshund Wire Haired

Owned by N. Tansacha

Owned by M. M. Moiseeva

3place rd

MECHTA NATALY ENCORE West Highland White Terrier

3place rd

HEART STEALERS MY ALTER EGO Standard Dachshund Long Haired

Owned by O. V. Pavlyuk

Owned by A. V. Larionova

Judged by Mr. Karl Reisinger (Austria)

Scent hounds and related breeds

FCI GROUP 6 Spitz and Primitive types

FCI GROUP 5 Judged by Mr. Augusto Benedicto Santos III (Philippines)

1place th ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY STELLWINS Siberian Husky

1place th

ALDIA BILLI BOM Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

Owned by V. Rozanova

Owned by I. Antipova

2place nd

GLO-STARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RED RUBY MELIN Thai Ridgeback Dog

2place nd

VEZUVII ASSUMPTA Basset Hound

Owned by I. Sinegubko

Owned by V. V. Zueva

3place rd

REEDLY ROAD OLL KORRECT Pharaoh Hound

3place rd

JELANY RED REYA Rhodesian Ridgeback

Owned by N. Smirnova

Owned by A. Belova & E. Kamle

Judged by Mrs. Monika Blaha (Austria)

Retrievers, Flushing dogs and Water dogs

FCI GROUP 8

1place th ORO D’ETNA OPTIMUS PRIME Weimaraner

1place th

RUS YUDZHIN’S DESIGN FASHION English Cocker Spaniel

Owned by A. Liavonava

Owned by A. Vladimirovna

Pointing dogs

Judged by Mr. Horst Kliebenstein (Germany)

FCI GROUP 7

2place nd

TIMBER KAJMINA German Short-Haired Pointer

2place nd

LORIS AZZARO MOE SOKROVISCHE Golden Retriever

Owned by I. Ivanichev

Owned by M. Khmialnitski

3place rd

AMBRAVITTORIYA AMADEUS Hungarian Viszla

3place rd

ADMIRAL’S SHOU N’POVILAKS TEDDY BEAR

Owned by E. Morunova

American Cocker Spaniel

Owned by V. B. Potapova

Judged by Mrs. Lisbeth Mach (Switzerland)

Sighthounds

FCI GROUP 10 Companion and Toy dogs

FCI GROUP 9 Judged by Mr. Svein Bjarne Helgesen (Norway)

1place th LUXURY LOVE INSTAGRAM Bichon Frise

1place th

SHOU GERAT GIPNOZ Afghan Hound

Owned by I. Smirnovna

Owned by A. I. Beleskaja & I Osipova

2place nd

VALENCIA VESELIY GREMLIN Shih Tzu

Owned by T. A. Ausianskaya

BONITAS SPIRIT BACK BLADE Italian Greyhound

Owned by N. B. Nogotkova

3place rd

SMART STYLE BANDEROS DLJA SNOW MIRACLE Russian Toy Smooth Coated

Owned by Misheneva

3place rd

AMULET MOI BRAVO BARONESSA Borzoi

Owned by E. Balakireva

Judged by Mrs. Tamara Sarmont (Belarus)

Junior BEST IN SHOW

1place th

GRILAND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Old English Sheepdog

1place th

CHUDNI MEDVEZHONOK RUNNING TO WIN

BEST IN SHOW

Judged by Mr. Oleg Yanchev (Russia)

Owned by K. Grigorian

Siberian Husky

Owned by E. Vlasyuk

2pl

2place nd

MEINGRET KARMEN ICE-LADY Siberian Husky Owned by A. Karmanov

3place rd

SENNENHUND ROSSII TSAR BOSTON Bernese Mountain Dog

2lace nd

SHOU GERAT GIPNOZ Afghan Hound

3place rd

ORO Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ETNA OPTIMUS PRIME Weimaraner

Owned by A. I. Bjeljajevskaja & I. V. Osipova

Owned by A. Novickova

Owned by A. Liavonova

The Reason why breeds change Written by Andrew Brace

I wonder how often we – as breeders, exhibitors or judges – stop to consider how easily we become accustomed to changes within a breed? In some cases these changes can actually become so engrained in a breed that they are elevated to the level of desired characteristics, even though they might be quite alien to typical and necessary. It is generally the case that such changes begin with dogs shown by well-known exhibitors or handlers, as these so often set the benchmark that others gladly follow. How do changes come about? They begin with the breeder who produces a litter that gets to an age where the puppies need to be evaluated. The breeder who fully understands his breed is looking at every puppy in terms of the breed standard and what is correct for the breed. In most breeds “moderation” is a requirement that is desirable in hmany aspects, and it is the consistency of moderation throughout any animal that will contribute significantly to its balance, and the impression that everything fits. However, occasionally there will be a puppy who has something about it that always catches the eye, and invariably that “something” tends to be an exaggeration of some kind or another … too long a neck, too refined a head, excessive rear angulation 180

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… and here is where the danger lies. The totally steeped-in-the-breed breeder will see exaggeration for what it is and will discard the guilty puppy as being alien to correct type. Many others, however, will be realistic enough to acknowledge that the exaggeration, which is constantly catching his eye, will also catch the eye of the judge when the dog hits the show ring. And so the puppy is kept, nurtured, schooled and groomed. As soon as a dog whose type deviates from correct starts winning, the ball is rolling. That dog appears in the big ring and other judges comment on its great bone, long neck, fabulous angulation, ultra-short back, high tailset, great open side-gait or whatever, even when these may not be breed-specific attributes. They reward it when they get it, and others follow suit. In due course breeders see this dog and all the winning it is doing, and they think that they had better start breeding something like it. They rush off to use said dog, and within a matter of years the rather deviant type has got a foothold in the breed. It takes a little time, but soon judges arrive at a situation where they get a class of six dogs – five of them are of the “new” rather off-beat type, one is completely correct. The knowledgeable and constructive judge will

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know enough about the breed to be able to say with conviction “This one is right – the others are wrong” and judge accordingly. Many other judges, however, perhaps lacking depth of knowledge of that breed, will take the easy option, assume that the five must be right as they form the majority, and the sixth dogs gets left out of the awards. This particularly applies to size in a breed. So many of our breeds have, over the years, got bigger, maybe because of improved nutrition, and very gradually size has crept up. As we only measure or weigh a handful of breeds that have more than one variety determined by size this increase is barely noticed. However, when some dedicated breeder puts in the ring a dog that is of absolutely correct size in terms of its Breed Standard it is criticised by other exhibitors for being small. In truth, this is the correct sized dog, it’s just that the others are over size. At this juncture the dedicated breeder who has been intent on maintaining type and simply intensifying quality begins to get, understandably, frustrated. He knows what he is breeding is correct, but the numbers of those who are drifting away from type are such that other breeders, exhibitors and judges seem to be going with the flow, and he is left swimming upstream. This has happened in several breeds in Britain and beyond, and I have seen many “old time” breeders reduce their exhibiting activities dramatically, simply because they feel it is pointless showing dogs under judges who just don’t understand breed priorities. But these are the very breeders who SHOULD have stock in the ring, so that those who do have independent minds can see and appreciate it. When dogs with major faults – usually of the “attractive” kind – continue to win and be bred from, newer breeders will see no reason to cor182

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rect and improve. Why should they? These dogs are winning. Those who own the “modern” dogs can usually talk the talk, and provide convincing arguments as to natural evolution and obvious improvement. In some cases strong-minded individuals can actually be instrumental in persuading breed clubs to change the breed standard to fit these new dogs … a heinous crime in anyone’s book. And then of course there is the power of advertising! Sadly many of the breed changes we have witnessed are pleasing to the average eye – so what if a dog is too necky, too hairy, too upright, too short, too long? It looks pretty and the judges like the look! Although showing dogs is today, in truth, more about chasing Challenge Certificates, ribbons and points than it is about preserving breeds, the show ring should remain the breeders’ shop window. It would be sad to think that genuine breeders who are keen to maintain true breed type could not find the dogs necessary to perpetuate correctness in the next generation.

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Eugene Blake About Sighthounds, Shows, Judging and life Few people have a longer experience of the dog world than Eugene Blake. He started in dogs in the 1950s and has been successful as a professional handler, judge, breeder and owner-handler — always with Sighthounds as his primary focus . Sighthound Review’s publisher BO BENGTSON interviewed Gene via direct conversation and email …

Q: Lets start with the basics. A lot of people know just that you are very successful showing Salukis and that you judge Sighthounds a lot. I want to know how you got started in dogs. Where were you born? A: I was born in Louisiana. My parents moved to Houston, Texas, when I was a kid in 1941. I was born in 1936, so I turned 80 years old in September.

Q: So there was some interest in dogs even then? A: Oh, yeah, my father was an outdoors man and trained gundogs for a lot of rich people in the area in those days. Mostly he trained Pointers, because that’s what they had for quail down there. He trained some English Setters, but he wouldn’t train any Irish, because he said they didn’t have any brains …

Q: Wow, that’s difficult to believe! A: We stayed in Houston until 1945, when the war was over. The housing that we lived in was given by the government to the G.I.s, and my father couldn’t find a place to live in, so we moved back to Louisiana and the farm where my father grew up. My father was a sharecropper and he used to train gundogs …

Q: Isn’t it true also that Pointers and English Setters were a lot more popular in those days? A: Yes, much more popular, but some of the rich people liked Irish Setters because they were the glamour dogs even then. Anyway, we used to hunt quail on horseback in those days, and I always went with out him. I was

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DO YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT SIGHTHOUNDS? The best articles by the best writers anywhere … — hundreds of photographs of the world’s most beautiful dogs! International subscriptions $100/year — go to www.sighthoundreview.com Contact us for sample issues: we offer a club discount for multiple copies A full page color ad costs $250, including personalized, beautiful layout, proof approval and a complimentary copy of the magazine. Hundreds of international Sighthound judges and thousands of Sighthound fanciers worldwide read every issue of the magazine!

Sighthound Review Bo Bengtson, Editor & Publisher • P.O. Box 10, Ojai • CA 93024 • USA sighthoundreview@impulse.net • www.sighthoundreview.com

very much my father’s kid. I’m from a big family; I was the oldest boy and my father taught me a lot about wildlife. Back in those days we lived in the country, and we grew or bred or hunted everything we ate — chickens, game, whatever. About the only thing we bought was flour for baking. We milked our own cows; I was a real farm boy. We stayed in Louisiana, but my father eventually realized he couldn’t make enough of a living to support the family this way, so he went to work for a pipe-laying company. He was on the road a lot and didn’t like that too well. In 1950, when I was 14, my mom and dad got a divorce and I moved with my father back to Houston. He became a longshoreman and eventually also worked as a gourmet cook. I lost my father in 1964. He was a good father. My mother was pregnant 18 times — she had 15 kids, but lots of them didn’t make it, as was common in those days. At one time there were 12 of us. There are five of us still living now. I went to school in Houston, but in the summers I went back to the farm life in Louisiana: baling hay, driving the tractor … I really enjoyed country life; I was not a city kid at all. For my first job at 17 I went to work for a construction company. I worked on Highway 45 between Galveston and Houston, but I realized pretty soon that wasn’t for me … I didn’t finish high school, but I worked at a gas station pumping gas and also went to work for a drugstore. Then a friend of mine asked me if I wanted a part-time job. He said this woman needed someone to help her bathe dogs, and all you needed to do was pretend you liked dogs … Well, I really liked dogs, but I was used to country dogs that slept outside and were never on a leash. Anyway, I went to the French Poodle Shop and applied for the job …

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Photo 1 • Gene winning with a Standard Poodle, circa 1960. “I think he still has that jacket in his closet,” according to Julie Mueller. “The judge was the one and only Dorothy Nickles.” Photo Twomey. Photo 2 • Gene handling as a Cocker Spaniel in the 1960s. The judge was Langdon Skarda. Most details are unavailable, but judging by the ribbons it looks like Gene’s Parti-Color got Group 2nd; the Black is handled by Lee Wendelton, the ASCOB probably by Mike Bade. Photo Petrulis.

Q: That sounds rather different from what you were used to … A: Of course Poodles were becoming the big thing then. I got the job. The woman’s name

“Well, I really liked dogs, but I was used to country dogs that slept outside …””

Photo 3 • Whippet Ch. Whipoo’s Cheesta, handled by Frank Sabella in the mid-1960s. Cheesta was owned by Bette Kirksey Scott, for whose Dogpatch/San Saba kennel Gene worked at the time. Gene also showed Whippets and co-bred a Whippet litter.

was Hazel Hamm; I call her “my white mother in dogs,” because she really took me under her wing. I worked there from 8 to 12 five days a week and at the drugstore from 2 to 10. Back in those days we didn’t have the equipment that we have now. We had little bitty handdryers that we dried the dogs with. Mom and Pop Hamm lived behind the grooming shop … I would bathe the dogs and Pop would dry them, so I never saw them when they were looking good. I saw them when they came in, matted and dirty, but every time I could I would go by the shop and see what the dogs looked like when they were all done. There was a big difference! There’s one other person who helped me a lot, and that was Jimmy Andrews, who really taught me how to groom dogs. He was a fantastic groomer. He was in high school, younger than I was. He would get out of school at 2 o’clock and get into the shop to do the finishing work on whatever dog that Hazel had

started grooming … Jimmy was a handler as well for a while. We lost him at a young age; I think he was 40 or 42. He had a really bad heart. Anyway, Hazel saw how interested I was when I’d come by to watch the dogs and asked if I could do some clipping. I said I thought I could, and she let me work on a Standard Poodle. I still remember him; his name was Pierre. I did his feet and did a pretty decent job; I’m pretty good at doing things if I can watch how it’s done, better than if you tell me. I have that kind of vision … It bothers me sometimes. I have this detailed memory of things that I can’t explain. It happens that exhibitors come up to me at a show now and tell me about a dog they showed under me long ago, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. It happened to me again this weekend … Anyway, I did Pierre’s feet and Hazel told me next time I could do a little more. Next time was Fifi, a Miniature Poodle, so I trimmed her feet and then I was going to do her ears. In those days Poodles often had tassels on their ears, like a Bedlington Terrier. I had seen Hazel do the ears, and I wanted to do it a little better than she did, and I nicked Fifi’s ear … Well, I was screaming! I was 19 years old! Hazel said “What’s wrong, Gene?”, and I thought I had cut this dog’s ear off. It wasn’t that bad, Hazel took a piece of ice and put on the ear to stop the bleeding — we didn’t have QuickStop in those days. Hazel said, “Gene, it’s fine, we’ve stopped the bleeding, don’t worry!” — but I got Best in Show Magazine

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Jimmy asked if I’d come back and groom dogs again. I said I just couldn’t, but he insisted — he and Hazel had talked about it and thought I could do it: “We think you have potential!” The guy who owned the drugstore was a friend of Hazel’s and had a pet Cocker that was sired by Ch. Carmor’s Rise and Shine, who had won BIS at the Garden in 1954. He talked to me too and said I should do it, and Hazel talked to my father and got him to tell me I should do it too … So I finally decided to get back to it! Q: That’s really cool that several people obviously went out of their way to tell you that you should work with dogs. They must have seen something in you! A: Maybe they did. I’m not a fly-by-night person. What I do I try to do well. I take a lot of pride in what I do. That includes judging dogs. I can get quite emotional sometimes when I am judging dogs … Anyway, I gave two weeks’ notice at the drugstore and started working at the French Poodle Shop again on January 4, 1965. I even remember the date!

Photo 4 • Gene winning the Hound Group at Westminster in 1973 with the Afghan Hound Ch. Khayam’s Apollo. The judge was Joe Tacker. Photo Gilbert. Photo 5 • Gene and Apollo in the ring.

out my old car and took the dog to the vet. It wasn’t bad, but I was so upset I just quit … I couldn’t work there anymore; I was afraid I’d do something like that again. This was about September. By November, Thanksgiving weekend, Hazel and Jimmy came by the drugstore for lunch, and 190

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Q: By the time this interview is published that will be 52 years ago. How much did you know about dog shows at this point? Had you even heard of them? A: No, I didn’t know anything about dog shows. I had gone to one in Houston in March, 1955. Hazel, my white mother, and Jimmy took me there. It blew my mind to see all these purebred dogs. The first time I saw a show Poodle it really was something. But it was tough, too, because of all those dogs in crates … It bothered me that those dogs were “in jail.” Sure, they were taken care of, but I was used to dogs running loose. I stayed all day, all the way through Best in Show at the end, and the other thing that was very confusing to me was that this one

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pedigrees like you wouldn’t believe. I used to really know pedigrees up one side and down the other for Poodles and Cockers. It went really fast from something that felt like a foreign country to something that really grabbed me.

Photo 6 • Karim in 1987, winning one of his three SCOA national specialties, handled by Gene, this one under Dr. Gerda Kennedy. Photo Alverson. Photo 7 • The Saluki Ch. Karim Zahab al Bokay with Gene, Julie, judge Robert Waters from Canada and club officials after winning BIS at the Louisville Centennial Show in 1986, one of the largest AKC all-breed shows ever. Photo Kim Booth.

person could stand in the middle of the ring and say that this dog would be the best in the show! How could anyone do that?!? After that I started learning about dogs, about the breeds, and I started studying 192

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Q: What do you think it was that fascinated you? A: The dogs! The personality of the dogs and the different looks. The Terriers used to just fascinate me — we don’t have Terrier judges now like they did in those days. When they took those dogs out into the ring and sparred them against each other, it really was amazing … Hazel showed Poodles and Jimmy handled them for her. He was probably a better groomer than handler. There was an old picture of Jimmy in Poodle Variety recently with a white Toy Poodle that looked like a little frog, like they did in those days … One important person I met at the dog shows was Norman Austin, who was a really good friend of Hazel’s. He was a top Cocker breeder and professional handler, and although he’s gone now his widow, Jeanie Austin, is still involved in Santa Barbara Kennel Club. Norman was not, in my opinion, a great groomer, but he was a great breeder and a great handler. His Baliwick Cockers were famous all over America. I used to travel to shows with Norman. In 1960 I went to work at Dogpatch Kennels in Harlingen, Texas — the only kennel I ever worked for. It was owned by Bette Kirksey Scott, who had made a lot of money as a stockbroker. It was a beautiful kennel. She had Poodles and Shepherds, Whippets, Pekingese and Yorkies. There were 36 runs and a soundproof German Shepherd kennel. She had some of the top handlers work for her. Frank Sabella showed some Afghans and Poodles for her,

Jane Forsyth showed for her. I remember that Wanda Brown, who worked for Bette, went to England and brought back 33 Pekingese and two Yorkies for her. At that time I already had clients’ dogs, including some Poodles. When Frank Sabella had Ch. Estid Ballet Dancer I had Ch. Shirbet’s Bali Dancer. She was my first BIS dog at Beaumont Kennel Club in 1967. I had cobred her with Bettye K. Scott and she was a double granddaughter of the great Miniature stud dog Ch. Summercourt Square Dancer of Fircot. Q: What was your first memory of a Sighthound? A: When I first started showing dogs, everybody flocked to me asking me to show their dogs. I don’t know what they saw in me, but they saw something. This young lady, I don’t remember her name or her dog’s name, but I remember the dog. It was a black and silver Saluki bitch, an English import. I showed her in 1958. This bitch didn’t want the judge to touch her, and of course I didn’t know how to show a dog in those days, so she was hiding behind my legs. It was probably one of the first dogs I showed. But the judge gave her Winners Bitch… From there I went on to show some Whippets. Bette Scott bred some Whippet litters under the San Saba prefix, including a few well-known champions of mostly Whipoo and Humble Acre breeding. Frank Sabella showed some of them. I had a Whippet client who lived in New Jersey, a heavy-set guy named David Harmon, who had several nice Harmony champions. He became an AKC judge later. That was quite a way from Texas, but we co-bred some Whippets.

Photo 8 & 9 • Two top winning Afghan Hounds that Gene showed, also successful sires, each pictured with his breeder: photo 1, Ch. Jorogz’ Heart Breaker (“Killer”) with John Roger Morton; photo 2, Ch. Elmo’s Tutankhamun with Peter Belmont.

Q: I didn’t know you bred any Whippets. A: Well, just the one litter. I moved back to HousBest in Show Magazine

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ton and opened up my own grooming shop with a person I met through Hazel, Dorothy Scarsboro. The first litter I bred were Poodles. This was from a bitch that Dorothy was planning to have spayed. I thought she was pretty, so instead we bred her and she had two puppies: one black and one white. Eventually we became a kennel — DorJean. Q: How did you get involved in Afghan Hounds? A: I was showing an Italian Greyhound for Charlotte Brown, and when I was visiting her I saw this dog in her backyard, and when I asked what it was she said it was an Afghan Hound called Calico that she got from Sue and Ned Kauffman … Q: The Kauffmans? Of the Holly Hill Afghans? They were big-time breeders and judges. A: Right. I had shown some Afghans before, and I really liked that dog. He turned out to be Ch. Holly Hill Black Magic. Q: He was a big winner! A: Tell me about it — but he wasn’t as yet then. He was overweight, and he had little white spots on the eyes, which is why they called him Calico … Some of the Holly Hill dogs had that. Q: You mean white spots around the eyes? A: No, on the eyes, on the iris. I showed a lot of Holly Hill dogs. I took some weight off that dog and showed him on the Texas circuit, put seven points on him. Anyway, Charlotte sent the dog back to Ned Kauffman, and he showed him at the Midwest Afghan Hound Club specialty. I don’t know how true it is, but I was told that Gini Withington, Sandy Frei’s mother, had made a statement that any male that beat her Ch. Pandora of Stormhill at a specialty she would breed to … Ned Kauffman won the Breed from the classes with Calico and Pandora was Best 194

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Photo 10 • Irish Wolfhound Can. Am. Ch. Starkeeper Coolahbah Jezebel, BOB at the Ontario Sighthound Association in 1995 with judge Eugene Blake and owner-breeder handler Jocelyne Gagné. Photo Alex Smith.

Opposite, and Gini did breed her to him! That’s where Ch. Panjhet of Stormhill came from, who did some big winning, and Ch. Panameric, who went to Finland. Ned kept showing Calico for a while. I was showing a bitch out of Ch. Tajmir Gunsmoke of Mecca, and I bred her to Calico — that’s where my first Afghan Hound litter came from. Johanna Tanner’s foundation bitch at Xanadu came from that litter. I kept Ch. Gemel’s Shadrach of PoodAf and did a lot of Group winning with him, although brindles weren’t winning a lot in those days. This was before the big boom in Afghan Hounds. Most Afghans then were black-masked silver or red. When Richard Souza and the Coastwinds came along, and Fred Alderman’s Dynasty dogs, there were all these oyster brindles — Fred was big on colors! Anyway, then I started showing dogs for other people. I became one of the last people who was licensed as a handler for all breeds by AKC, before they stopped doing that. That’s why I got the Hound Group as a judge when I applied, because they gave

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Photo 11 • Gene awarding all-breed BIS in 1999 to the Saluki Ch. Sundown Alabaster Treasure, owner-handled by Karen Black. Photo Booth. Photo 12 • Gene awarding BIS at Chattanooga KC on Sept. 11, 2004, to the Wirehaired Ibizan Hound bitch Ch. Gryphons Stellar Eminence, JC. Photo Wilcox.

a Group to anyone who was an all-breed licensed handler. Actually, the first time I applied for my handling license they gave me six breeds, and Italian Greyhounds were not one of them. I wanted to be able to show IGs, so I traded them for something else. Let me back up a little bit, because I’m 196

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missing out on the Basenjis. Barbara Shearer, who had the Orion kennel name, imported Glamour Girl of the Congo and Fula Faun of the Congo in 1959 and had nobody to show them, so between Maxine Beam and I we finished both of them. Glamour Girl was one of the first Basenjis to be shown in Texas in the 1950s and won several Hound Groups; she was born in 1963. Then Barbara imported Fula Faun, also from Veronica Tudor-Williams in England. In fact, I got in trouble because a lot of people complained about my showing Fula Fawn without being a licensed handler. I even got a telegram from Veronica Tudor-Williams telling me that if they didn’t want me to show dogs in America I could come and show dogs in England … Barbara lived about five houses from the French Poodle Shop — that’s how I got to know the Basenjis. Glamour Girl was a gorgeous bitch, gorgeous skin, but she had bad feet and a loose tail, like a lot of them had in those days. I know Basenjis didn’t have a reputation for good temperaments in those days, but she was very friendly. Fula Faun was a little bit off; he was afraid of the camera, so we never got any good pictures of him. There were so many strong personalities in Texas then. Jim Hutchinson in San Antonio had Whippets and Italian Greyhounds. I had a son of his Italian Greyhound Ch. Uno of Kashan, who won a lot — they were solid color with white collar, like most of them in those days. I remember Jim showed my puppy to BOB over Cynthia Guzevich’s beautiful Swedish bitch to place in the Group under Ramona Van Court, because he didn’t see eye to eye with her, and of course she thought it was Uno that she had “only” placed third in the Group — until he told her it was his son … There were Forrest Hall and Jack Potts, Sid Sims, Lee Murray and Herman Cox. It used to be said that you needed to have

a passport if you wanted to come to Texas and win! Back to Afghans … I never bred more than three litters in any breed, except Salukis. I whelped a lot of puppies for other people. Hazel had taught me how to do that for customers. I used to go to people’s houses and spend the night to whelp a littler of puppies. I enjoyed that a lot. The Afghans were a breed where my clients bred a lot of litters. On paper I didn’t breed much, but in practice I did. Q: That’s like a lot of handlers, isn’t it, in that you did the work but didn’t get the credit on paper? A: Yes, it is. Then I got into Salukis. I showed the No. 1 Saluki dog in 1971, Ch. Srinagar Anagha Faridun. He was owned by Paula Bockman-Chato, who came to me in 1965 or 1966 to learn how to handle. She was probably only 18 or 19 and was married to her first husband back then. Paula’s mother and father had Borzoi and already bred Salukis under the Baghdad prefix. Paula didn’t work for me, she worked with me, helped me at the shows. It was kind of scary in a way, because there I was, down South traveling with this white girl, but I was helping her get her handler’s licence. Faridun was no. 1 Saluki male when Frank Sabella was showing Kitten, Ch. Jen Araby Mumtaz Mahal. When I judged Sydney Royal show in Australia last year Paula put a picture of me showing Faridun in some publication over there … Paula was getting a bitch from Wayne Jensen to start her own breeding program and couldn’t make up her mind between these two litter sisters. She called Betty, her mother, and both she and I came to California to look at these two Jen Araby sisters. She liked one of them, her mother and I liked the other one, and that’s the one she got — that was Ch. Jen

Photo 13 • Judging the Afghan Hound Club of America’s national specialty in 2003. BOB was Ch. Polo’s In The Air Tonite, owner-breeder handled by Lorianne Amadeo, Canada.

Araby Rebecca of Baghdad, who’s behind everything Paula has bred ever since. Today, of course, Paula lives in Australia and her Baghdad Salukis are winning all over the world. Now, I’ve got to tell you about Karim, alias Ch. Karim Zahab al Bokay, who was the top-winning Saluki for many years. I was lure coursing in 1979, and this guy came up to me and asked if I’d like to show his Saluki when the dog “grew up” … I was showing the top Saluki bitch at the time for a doctor in Houston. Anyway, that dog was only nine months old and that was Karim. I looked at him and thought he was pretty awesome, but that was it for then. This was in September; two months later I was at a show with Langdon Skarda judging and

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“We did a lot of road work, up to four miles a day, two in the morning and two at night.” this 11-month-old youngster won BOB from the classes over my special … I was ready to go on the Florida circuit in January 1980, and the guy who had Karim, Jeff Winford, son-in-law of Bob and Cathy Clemenson who had bred him, asked me if I knew anyone who would want to buy Karim. He had family commitments, a couple of kids, so he couldn’t focus so much on the dog. I said “If you want to sell him, I’ll see who I can find when I get back from Florida” — and when I got back from the circuit I bought him myself for $350 and a free stud service! Karim was never registered in my name; I kept shopping around for people who might want to promote him. The trouble was anyone who wanted to promote him also wanted their own handler to show him, and that wasn’t going to happen! I got Karim in late January, showed him on the Texas circuit and finished him right away. Betty Stites, who gave him one of his three national-specialty wins later on, made a statement about him early on in some article. She said he was like a “raw-boned athlete.” Julie will be able to tell you exactly which article that was — she has stacks of cut-outs and files of everything ever written about Karim … Q: How did you meet Julie Mueller? A: I had met Julie at a dog show in 1976. She knew who I was from Michael Dachel; they grew up together in dogs and were like 198

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Photo 14 • Gene awarding a Hound Group 1st in April 2016 to the Saluki, GCh. Starlite’s It’s Happy Hour Somewhere, JC, handled by owner-breeder Tina Turley-Kocab. Photo Kurtis. Photo 15 • BOB at the Lone Star Borzoi Club specialy in 2014, GCh. Raynbo’s Foolish Pleasure, RN, SC, not yet two years old, owner-handled by Stuart McGraw.

brother and sister. Michael worked for Tommy Glasford and then Bill Trainor. He saw me with Apollo when I showed him on the East Coast. Julie also read Kennel Review from cover to cover every month and had seen my photos with Apollo and Hum Dinger [the multiple BIS

Shih Tzu Ch. Jaisu Hum Dinger of Loriel - Ed.]. When Joyce Bachner, the Poodle breeder, and her husband moved to Wisconsin from Texas, Joyce called Julie and asked if she would like to travel to some shows with her. I had known Joyce when she lived in Texas, and she had told Julie on the trip down that she hoped I would be at these shows so she could see me again. Julie saw me at the show, told Joyce I was there, we were introduced and the rest is history. That was on October 15, 1976. Q: The exact date, even! Was it obvious right away that you would stay together? A: Yes and no. I was with someone else at the time, but Julie and I hit it off right away. We had the Poodles in common. Her mother, Arlene, had started in Poodles much earlier; actually, she first had Boxers — Aurora kennels was Boxers at first, but they bred some really nice Poodles. Julie is a real workaholic and a great handler. She got out of school at 2 o’clock and was at the kennel grooming dogs until late at night. She’s still a workaholic today! Her mother has a grooming shop and boarding kennel in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is not unusual for Julie to be at the kennel from 5:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night. There are handlers who want to take our Salukis out and special them, but that isn’t going to happen, because our Salukis are our pets. They are our kids! Julie had been in a horrendous car accident in 1979 and in January of 1980 I gave Karim to Julie as a gift when she got out of the hospital. She was in horrible shape, had lost something like 35 pounds. The first time she saw Karim was at a dog show when he went Best in Show! The rest is history. They became inseparable, as one. Q: Did you know that I judged Karim in Canada in 1980? Of course I didn’t know it was

Photo 16 • Judging the 2016 Italian Greyhound Club of America Western regional specialty in Ventura, California, with BOB going to the 11 1/2-yearold veteran GCh. Uwharrie So Damn Hot, owner-handled by Darcy Della Flora. Photo Holloway. Photo 17 • Judging the Whippet GCh. Windborn Starline Heiress in 2016, handled by Lori Wilson. Photo Julie Mueller.

“He said how proud he was to award me the Group, being as that was a time of turbulent racial unrest …” Best in Show Magazine

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Karim then. A: Yes, I showed Karim to you at the Ontario Sighthound Association. That was the first time we took Karim to Canada, specifically because you and Hans Brunotte were judging, and Karim was a class dog. Alan Ewles won Best in Show at OSA with his black-and-tan dog, Ch. Karima’s Pluto of Afking. Karim was Best of Winners under you, and then he won BOB at the Saluki specialty the next day under Hans Brunotte. Karim was among the top Hounds in the U.S. for three years running, 1982 through 1984. He was no. 2 Hound to Pepsi, the Afghan Hound Ch. Kabik’s The Challenger, in 1982, and no. 2 Hound again the following year, less than 100 points behind a Foxhound. In 1986, when Karim was nearly eight years old, he was again one of the top Hounds in the country. He won 30 BIS, nearly 200 Hound Groups and more than 500 Best of Breeds. Karim was the first Saluki to ever be ranked among the Top 10 of all breeds for Dog of the Year. He was Best in Show at the Louisville Kennel Club Centennial, which was one of the largest all-breed dog shows of record in the U.S. Q: Karim held the all-time breed record for BIS for a long time. But we’ve gotten way ahead of ourselves, timewise, because we skipped one of your most important earlier dogs — Ch. Khayam’s Apollo … A: Yes, I got him before I got Karim. After I had been showing my own Afghan, Wally Pedé was always one of my big supporters. He really thought I was a great Afghan handler. Q: If I remember correctly it was Wally who introduced you to me at Westminster the year you won the Group there. A: Yes, that was in 1973. Dr. Rogers, who bred Apollo, got his bitch, Ch. Khayam’s 200

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Photo 18 • Judging the Sighthound Spectacular at Santa Barbara Kennel Club in 2016. Photo Julie Mueller.

Kism of Scheherezade, from Wally, and he got me as a handler for another dog he had, Ch. Le Sabre of Scheherezade, a kind of low-legged dog, because he was a competitive guy and didn’t want his handler to beat him … Anyway, he bred Kissy to Ch. Ammon Hall Nomad, a big-winning dog that Jay Ammon had bred. From that litter he got Apollo and his brother Ares, both of whom were multiple BIS winners. Apollo was finished by Dr. Rogers himself at 17 months; then he wanted me to show him as a special, but I told him Apollo wasn’t ready. I

“I can honestly say that each one of these dogs has left an everlasting impression upon me …”” suggested he should get Rosemary Crandahl to show him at the national specialty — he was only 22 months old. Gini Withington was judging, and Apollo won the Breed! I showed his sister, Athena, who was Winners Bitch. After the national, Rosemary took Apollo up on the East Coast, and he kept being beaten by class

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dogs. Dr. Rogers couldn’t handle this and wanted me to take over. I told him I wanted to see the dog first, so he brought him back to Texas in 1971. Well, Apollo had what I’d call a “relaxing topline.” The dog had a basically good topline, but when he relaxed that would ruin his topline. To me, if a dog has a bad topline you can’t make them have a good topline, but with this dog you could … Q: So he sometimes had a good topline and sometimes a bad one? A: To me, it wasn’t a bad topline; I’d call it a relaxed topline. It’s the muscles in the topline that make the topline strong — you can’t take a dog with a bad topline and poke him in the gut, because that’s not going to help any. Rosemary, living in Ohio, couldn’t condition the dog the way he should have been — she put him on a Jog-A-Dog. To me, that’s no way to condition a dog. The dog is running uphill, so I don’t think you teach the dog to balance himself. I think the dog is much better off being exercised on a level surface. Anyway, I took the dog and started working with him until he was in good condition. We did a lot of road work, up to four miles a day, two in the morning and two at night. We’d go out at five in the morning and at ten at night, so it wouldn’t be too hot. Dr. Rogers would sit in his Mercedes and I’d be on a bike with Apollo. It worked! When I was campaigning him we went up on the East Coast a lot, because Dr. Rogers wanted to prove to people there that he had a good dog, because he had been beaten there a lot early on. Apollo was No. 1 Afghan Hound in 1972, we won the Group at the Garden in 1973, and he was among the top Hounds in the country both years. Then he was sold to Allen and Betsey Tully … There was this woman from Venezu202

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ela, I don’t know her name, who was craving this dog. She asked through her interpreter if she could touch Apollo, I said “Of course,” and she sat there stroking the dog and told me she would like to buy him. I said he’s just been sold for $5,000 to Allen Tully, and she said would give him a blank check for the dog. I told Allen Tully about this later, and he said he would certainly have sold her the dog if he had known about it, but he wasn’t there at the time; only his wife Betsey was there and she didn’t agree to it. Apollo was bred 65 times and produced very little; a few champions, but percentage wise it wasn’t very impressive. If you look at a dog like Ch. Mecca’s Falstaff, who produced fewer litters and many more champions, there was no comparison. To me, Falstaff is the foundation of the breed. He put what an Afghans need on the breed — the leg, the upright carriage. Falstaff himself wasn’t that great a dog; he beat Apollo once under Gerda Kennedy, one of the very few times he did that. Apollo was in trouble if he slipped … he wouldn’t move afterward. But I was quite amazed by the quality of Falstaff’s offspring. His own brisket was inches above his elbows, but he didn’t produce that at all. He didn’t have a famous owner and he didn’t have a big show record, but the breeders saw what he could produce, so he had a big record as a sire anyway. There are certain dogs that were real powerhouses as producers, and Falstaff was number one to me. Two others were Ch. Elmo’s Tutankhamun, and Killer, Ch. Jorogz’ Heartbreaker, and I’m not saying that because I showed them. Another one was Buster, Judy Bloom’s Ch. Coastwind Jubilan Osiris. Those four dogs were all really good producers. There were others, but to my mind these were the best.

Q: Getting away from the dogs for a minute, you mentioned a racist incidence at a dog show earlier. We need to include something about that. A: In 1964 I went to a show in New Orleans with Marie and Otto Walzel, who bred Cocker Spaniels and had the Loch Lane Kennels. I was showing my Miniature Poodle, had gone Winners Dog and had gone back in the ring to compete for Best of Winners — back then, Best of Winners was judged before Best of Breed. As I was coming out of the ring, the AKC rep, Billy Lang, and Tom Crowe from the superintendent’s office, were standing there along with several uniformed police officers. There had been a complaint filed against me for showing my dog. The law then was that it was against the law for any person of color to compete in a sporting event with any white person. The person who had filed the complaint was also standing there; he showed Dobermans. He made a remark and called me the “N-word.” Billy Lang suspended him for the use of language. We went to the superintendent’s desk and Billy Lang asked if I had any more dogs to show and could anyone else show them for me that day? I told him, yes, I had more dogs, but, no, I would not let anyone else show my dogs. When Marie and Otto arrived and found out what was going on, Marie became extremely upset, fearing that they were going to hang me … They wanted to leave the show immediately, and without them even having shown their own dog we left quickly and drove 12 hours back to Houston, Texas. I did return to those shows four years later. In those days, professional handlers judged junior showmanship and showed on the same day, and regular Groups judging could start without all of the breeds present. I had won Best of Breed with my Afghan Hound,

“Shad,” but had also been asked to judge junior showmanship that day. I was judging juniors when the Hound group started, but as soon as I finished judging juniors I rushed over to show in the Hound Group. Upon my entrance into the Group with “Shad,” I received a standing ovation from the audience. This was quite a contrast from the last time I attended this show! Q: I remember Paul interviewed Reigh Abrams of the Dureigh Afghan Hound fame for The Afghan Hound Review early on and they told some stories about what it could be like to be black and show dogs in America in the 1950s and ‘60… Did you know them? A: Yes, I did know Reigh and Dewey Abrams. They were very respectable breeders, well liked and thought of by the Afghan Hound community. Their dogs were easily distinguishable and are seen still today in some pedigrees. We were friends but never discussed any racial issues. Q: You were probably the first black person winning a Group at Westminster? Or was there anyone else? A: To my knowledge, I was the first person of color to win a group at Westminster Kennel Club. And I also believe I was the third person of color to become an AKC licensed professional handler. I believe Jim Bennett was the first. Incidentally, Julie spoke with Joe Tacker several years ago at a show. The conversation lead to him reminiscing about awarding Apollo and me the Hound Group at Westminster. He said how proud he was to award me the Group, being as that was a time of turbulent racial unrest, and he knew some may not like for him to put up a black man with his dog. He felt is was important to reward a team based on quality and not prejudices. Julie told him I credit him with really launching my handling Best in Show Magazine

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career with that win, and that I was eternally grateful. He smiled, and Julie said she could see he was very touched by those thoughts, and he said, “He deserved it.” Q: Back to dogs … We were discussing the leading Afghan Hound sires. That would lead up to the other Afghans you specialed after Apollo. Who were the most memorable? In what areas were they particularly outstanding? A: I specialed quite a few Afghans after Apollo. Each and everyone was unique and different. Just to name a few, Ch. Zebec Bird of Paradise (Fancy), Ch. Azari’s Snow Owl of Shandi-Gar (Hoot), Ch. Shangrila Pharaoh Tutenkyhor (owned by Dr. Thomas and Marion Burger), Ch. Jorogz’ Heart Breaker (Killer), Ch. Elmo’s Tutankhamun and Ch. Jubilan’s Ocelot (OC). I accepted an Afghan to special based on quality first, meaning if I thought this was an outstanding Afghan Hound. There were two, Hoot and Tutenkhyor, who did not like to show. It was a shame, because they both were excellent examples of the breed. Tutenkyhor was absolutely gorgeous but cared nothing about showing. We won one specialty under Edna Martin in Minneapolis, and although he never got his tail up, she would not deny his quality. Of course she is a true Hound person. On the flip side, Fancy and Ch. Abashagh Antares of Dayspring had super personalities and really enjoyed the show ring, and this, coupled with their great quality, meant they both did very well. Killer and Ocelot were real Afghans; they had people they liked and people they did not like. I respected them both for their brains and beauty. I can honestly say that each one of these dogs has left an everlasting impression upon me, and I was honored to be able to have them in my life. Q: What about the Salukis after Karim? A: After Karim in the ‘80s I did not show any 204

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Salukis until I had a litter born on June 7, 1994. I showed two of the puppies on the Florida circuit on Jan 10, 1995, finished the male in three shows and the bitch in five shows — I believe they are the youngest Salukis to finish their AKC championships. The dam was Ch. Aurora’s Miss Kitty, a Karim granddaughter; her sire was Karim’s top-winning son Ch. Zahir’s Zanzibar, owned by Chris and Charlie McIntyre. Then on April 23, 2006, “Tyler Joe” was born, GCh. Aurora’s Walk This Way, THDX, CGC. This was a puppy produced from 22-year-old frozen semen by Karim. I had approached Nan Bodine at a dog show after seeing her beautiful bitch “Amber,” Ch. Shahtani Blonde Ambishahn, about breeding her to Karim, which is how Tyler Joe came about. He was an only puppy, and he came home to live with us when he was six weeks old. Q: Karim only sired something like nine litters total, right? A: Tyler Joe was litter number 10 for Karim, and litter number 11 is our “Marlene D,” Ch. Aurorora’s Falling In Love Again, also an only puppy. She is from 26-year-old frozen semen by Karim, and her dam is Ch. Aurora’s What’s Love Got To Do With It, a Tyler Joe daughter. Karim was bred very selectively, and all of his litters were very successful, most notably his son Ch. Zahir’s Zanzibar, who won the National Specialty and was #1 Saluki in the early 1990s. Tyler Joe has proved to be an outstanding producer, as has his son “Sammy D,” GCh. Aurora’s The Song And Dance Man. Q: What about the other Sighthound breeds: Any memorable dogs you have shown of the other Sighthounds? A: I have finished other Sighthound breeds, but none that I specialed.

Q: When did you become a judge? Why did you want to become a judge? Has it been what you expected? Please mention some of the most exciting/interesting judging assignments you have had. What about judging overseas? A: I was licensed on April 1, 1990, and I became a judge as a natural progression in my handling career. In 1986 I started thinking about retiring from showing dogs after I stopped showing Ocelot. In 1988 and 1989 I took all the required tests for judging all of the Hound breeds and was approved for the Hound group. My greatest desire is to hopefully contribute and support the sport of purebred dog shows. My greatest joy comes from helping a newcomer in the sport and encouraging them to continue to improve their skills and breeding program. Judging has been everything, and more than I ever expected! I would never had dreamed in a million years that I would have been given the opportunities to travel the world to so many countries, meet so many amazing breeders, exhibitors and people. As far as the most interesting and exciting assignments, regardless of where I am judging, I just love judging dogs! I just got back from judging in Japan, which was fantastic, and is now a great memory. But I am looking forward to my next assignment and the dogs that are waiting for me. Q: Could you please go through the Sighthound breeds one by one and say something about each of them for the benefit of the readers … What’s the particular qualities you appreciate of each one? What are the weak traits? A: Sure. Here we go … Afghan Hounds: In the past this was the strongest competitor in the Hound Group; now is one of the weakest. Why? Because the numbers have diminished so greatly, mainly be206

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Photo 19 • Gene and Julie, 2016.

cause the breeders are no longer active. We do have some of our great breeders left, but nowhere near to the extent that we had in the past. Entries used to be average 50 to 80 at an all-breed show, and now we are lucky to get 10. Salukis: Weak traits to me are lack of forechest, short and straight upper arm, which tends to make dogs weave or cross over in the front when moving. The quality of balance is what I appreciate about a Saluki the most. A short-legged, long-backed Saluki is a no-no to me — in any Sighthound, for that matter. Borzoi: The breed on a whole is average in quality, not one of the strongest Sighthounds in the Hound group. The weakness I find judging is lack of balance, too short body, too flat or too humped-backed and too shortlegged. Greyhounds: This breed is very steady on a whole. I have found this breed to have pretty much held its own and been consistent. Ibizan Hounds: This breed has come up quite a bit from the past and has become much more uniform in type. Their movement is quite different than the other Sighthounds, as well as their ability and technique while hunting. They can stand flat-footed and jump eight

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feet straight up in the air! It’s a very interesting breed. Pharaoh Hounds: Great improvement over the years, and I think the Swedish breeders have had a great influence on the improvement. I find two styles when I judge this breed, one more square and the other slightly longer. Irish Wolfhounds: A very consistent breed over the years. Like most breeds the numbers have declined, yet the quality has remained steady. Scottish Deerhounds: So very few being shown, a very lovable breed and I find the quality to be very steady. Whippets: A breed that has continued to improve over the past years. A very strong contender in the Hound Group. The weakness I find to be lack of balance, too short on leg, too short in loin or conversely you will find one with a good length of loin but a hump in the back rather than a gentle curve. Movement has improved, too; you don’t see as many hackney movers as in the past. Q: What about Italian Greyhounds? Do you feel they are Sighthounds? A: Yes. I co-bred one litter of Italian Greyhounds with Charlotte Brown in the early ‘60s. The sire of that litter was Ch. Uno of Kashan, owned by John Hutchinson. Back then many IG’s were not as balanced and sound as the dogs of today. The main point I would like to make is that the bone on IG’s is so much better today. I had an IG that was playing in my grooming shop and ran around a corner and broke his leg! You see more IG’s coursing these days, which is something you seldom saw years ago. The quality overall is so much higher today, with them being more uniform as well. I have also judged IG’s in different parts of the world. In Sweden, Finland and Australia, just to name a few countries, their IG’s are more “Whippet-like,” with 208

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more leg and a different style. You may find some American looking IG’s in these countries, but very seldom do we see the look from other countries here in the USA. Q: What about Rhodesian Ridgebacks? A: No, they are pack dogs. Q: Basenjis? A: Yes, but still a pack hounds. Q: Podengo Portuguese Pequeno? A: I truthfully do not know about the breed; have never lived with one. Q: What are your particular experiences of Sloughis and Azawakhs? A: I have judged very few abroad and fewer in the USA. They are two breeds with very small entries. Q: What about the handler/judge controversy? Do you feel it is difficult to be actively showing dogs at the same time as you are judging? A: I think a breeder-judge SHOULD breed and show their own dogs! If they are unable to show their dogs, then a handler should be hired. However, personally I think it is a “gray area” if a dog is campaigned, whether the breeder-judge shows the dog or a handler. The definition of campaign to me is a dog that is shown every weekend, promoted through advertising and chasing top rankings. Q: Has AKC tried to put some kind of limit on this? A: No, none that I am aware of. Q: Do you feel there has been unfair criticism from some competitors? A: Yes, there have been some unsportsmanlike remarks made by competitors who lost in the

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ring. However, I actually think some judges are more critical of our dogs because I am a judge. Anyway, Julie shows our dogs as much as I do, if not more, and she is not a judge. People say the same thing about handlers winning: If they lose to a handler, it’s because of the handler, not because they have the better dog. Q: How do you keep your dogs? A: Julie moved to Tulsa in 1980 to be with me, and from then on she has taken over the conditioning and care of all of the dogs we show and our own personal dogs. Julie was already a handler when I met her; she had an extensive background in coated breeds, and both she and her mother have the highest of standards in care and conditioning. And of course, we both are perfectionists, which most of the time is great but sometimes can be bad! Q: How many do you have? Where do they live? A: Right now we have eight Salukis and, in addition, Julie usually has a couple of dogs that people don’t want anymore. Our dogs spend the majority of their time outside, weather permitting, running, playing or just laying in the sun. While Salukis are a breed that love to spend time on the couch, we believe in lots of free running and exercise. They have cushions outside for lounging and sleep on comforters in the kennel. Tyler Joe is the only dog that goes everywhere with Julie, for a number of reasons. First, he is “The Prince” and has to be the center of attention, and second, he and Julie do an extraordinary amount of therapy-dog work. Q: What’s the daily routine with exercise, feeding, grooming, etc.? A: All of our dogs are bathed weekly, teeth brushed daily, their diet is holistic and/or all natural (not raw), and after the initial vaccine 210

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Photo 20 • Julie showing Tyler Joe in the Veterans class at the Saluki Club of America national specialty 2016.

schedule is completed for our puppies and a booster one year later, they never receive any more vaccines, but are titer tested annually. The same for rabies vaccine. Julie has adhered to this vaccine protocol as long as I have known her, but it is just in the last couple of years that titer testing has been readily available. Q: How do you train them for showing? What are your feelings on socializing Saluki puppies? A: Our puppies are exposed to quite a bit of coming and going at the kennel, since it is a boarding and grooming shop, and we like to start lead-training them early, taking them for car rides, to training classes, etc. It is very important to start socializing Saluki puppies when they are young, just making sure that their immunity is in place first. Q: Any advice for those who want to campaign their dogs as owner-handlers? A: My advice to anyone wanting to start out showing dogs is to find themselves a mentor, an experienced, successful breeder and/or handler. You should know the AKC standard for your breed and purchase several books to educate yourself on purebred dogs. Of course,

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for me, I want to know about ALL breeds, but whatever breed you have selected, read everything you can get your hands on, and you can never ask too many questions. Q: Could you please mention a few Sighthounds, here or abroad, that you have particularly admired over the years, in addition to your own dogs. A: The black-and-tan Saluki bitch that Frank Sabella showed for Cynthia Woods, Ch. Jen Araby Mumtaz Mahal (“Kitten”), and the cream Ch. Sundown Alabaster Treasure. The Afghan Hounds Ch. Coastwind Abraxas, Ch. Akaba’s Sterling Silver, Ch. Regency (David Osuna showed him but mostly he belonged to Juan Miranda), Ch. Kabik’s The Challenger (“Pepsi”). The Whippets Ch. Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth, Ch. Starline’s Claim To Fame, Ch. Brushwood’s Moxi of Endeavor and Ch. Bohem C’est la Vie (your beauty!). Another Afghan Hound, Ch. Shirkhan of Grandeur. Richard Meen’s Borzoi Ch. Kishniga’s Desert Song (“Moustache”). Two more Afghan Hounds, Ch. Mecca’s Falstaff and Ch. Tryst of Grandeur. Damara Bolte’s Basenji Ch. Reveille Re-Up. The Ibizan Hound Ch. Luxor’s Playmate of the Year (“Bunny”) and the Scottish Deerhound that went BIS at the Garden that Anglea Lloyd showed, Ch. Foxcliffe Hickory Wind. Ch. Cani’ Summer Breeze, Hank and Lou Guerrero’s Afghan bitch. The Greyhound that Rindi Gaudet showed before Freckles, Ch. GrandCru Clos Erasmus; she died unexpectedly, owned by Melanie Steele — Clint Livingston co-bred her. More Afghan Hounds: Ch. Shangrila Pharahna Phaedra, Gerda Kennedy’s bitch; Ch. Pahlavi Puttin’ On The Ritz (“Taco”), Karen Wagner’s dog, and “Gorilla,” Israel Garcia and Don Davidson’s Ch. Jonathan L. Seagull Jedashi. Dogs I have shown: Ch. Khayam’s Apollo, Ch. Khayam’s Ares (Apollo’s brother), 212

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Photo 21 • Top Dog of all breeds in the U.S. in 2016 was the Puli, GCh. Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, with handler Linda Pitts holding the BIS rosette … and judge Gene Blake taking over the winner’s leash. Photo Jeffrey Hanlin.

Ch. Jubilan’s Ocelot, Ch. Jorogz’ Heart Breaker and Ch. Elmo’s Tutankhamun — all Afghan Hounds. Dogs that I own: Our Best in Show winning Salukis Tyler Joe and Sammy D, and our promising youngster, Stewart. And of course Karim — he was a once-in-a-lifetime dog. Q: Any special wishes for the future? A: I am 80 years young and wish to continue judging and occasionally showing as long as I am physically able and sound of mind. I want to enjoy my life, golfing, fishing, taking my Beagles hunting and with Julie and our Salukis.

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GUNDOG GROUP JUDGED BY MR FRANK KANE ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

LINIRGOR PIED PIPER AT MEIEPERE GOLDEN RETRIEVER

OWNED BY MISS & MRS SAARNIIT

HOUND GROUP JUDGED BY MISS JENNY DOVE ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

SOLETRADER MAGIC MIKE PETIT BASSET GRIFFON VENDEEN OWNED BY MRS S. ROBERTSON & MRS W. DOHERTY

TOY GROUP JUDGED BY MR BRIAN RIX ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

CHRISFORD GOLDEN SHOWERS ITALIAN GREYHOUND

OWNED BY MRS K. RUTTER & MR R. WHEELER

TERRIER GROUP JUDGED BY MISS ANN BRADLEY ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

BALBOA NEMBO KID KERRY BLUE TERRIER

OWNED BY MR R. TASSELLI

UTILITY GROUP JUDGED BY M R DA V I D RO B E RT S ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

CHELMBULL THE AVIATOR FRENCH BULLDOG

OWNED BY MR D. CUND & MR & MRS HARROP

WORKING GROUP JUDGED BY MRS BRIDGETTE BODLE ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

SIBERIADRIFT KEEP THE LOVE FOR ZIMAVOLK SIBERIAN HUSKY

OWNED BY MISS J. ALLEN

PASTORAL GROUP JUDGED BY M R RO B I N N E W H OU S E ( U N I T E D K I NG D O M )

GROUP WINNER

OREGONIAN SNOW TIGER WELSH CORGI PEMBROKE

OWNED BY MRS D. KING & MISS S. TAYLOR

Best in Show

J U D G E D B Y M R RO B I N N E W H OU S E

SIBERIADRIFT KEEP THE LOVE FOR ZIMAVOLK SIBERIAN HUSKY OWNED BY MISS J. ALLEN

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J U D G E D B Y M R RO B I N N E W H OU S E

SOLETRADER MAGIC MIKE P E T I T B A S S E T GR I F F O N V E N DE E N OWNED BY MRS S. ROBERTSON & MRS W. DOHERTY

The Literary Dog “JEAN DONALDSON” Written by Anne Tureen

In many countries of the world, dog related professions and dog sports are on the rise. More people are keeping pets and a significant percentage of these people enjoy spending their free time in activities with their dogs such as obedience training, sports or trial work. That means there are job openings in dog-related areas, especially basic pet training courses and individual consultation. Awareness of the advantages of a well-trained dog among the general public was significantly heightened in the USA through the National Geographic series called The Dog Whisperer (coined from the bestselling book The horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans, Delacorte press 1995) later made into a film. Cesar Milan, a very personable self-proclaimed dog expert from South America, presented this series, which ran from 2004 to 2012. Mr. Milan focused on ‘dangerous’ breed problems and extreme cases of animals showing aggression. Colleagues of Mr. Milan were dismayed to find that Mr. Milan’s approach to dog train-

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ing, which was widely televised, was based on the very human concept of domination. In this outdated version of dog training, desirable behavior in dogs is obtained by making certain that the dog feels that you are dominant over him, a concept presented as ‘being the pack leader’. This human dominance was expressed in psychological and physical subjection and coercion of the dog. Mr. Milan is not the only person out there who maintains that dogs need to be dominated, and to behave as we wish simply because we require them to do so. Varying shades of this philosophy can be found across the board, from owners who insist that the dog pass through the door AFTER the human to many of us show people who give whiplashes on the lead to ‘get the dog in line’. Fortunately for dogs, research into the evolution of dogs, genetics, wolf and dog behavior and psychology, and studies of man’s relationship with dogs is also on the rise. In fact, it is booming. So many advances are being made in dog-related research that dog food and dog merchandise companies are having a hard time getting their updated products available to the public fast enough to meet the requests of an ever more knowledgeable public. It is an exciting time to be part of the dog world. Most kennel clubs are evolving quickly to keep up, providing updated training to judges, handlers and their members as well as related legislation and advice. The newest research applied to dog training produces a joyful dog who is excited to be in the ring who is not aggressive to any other dog or person, and who exudes wellbeing and balance. That is a winner. No one can speak about Dog Training the way Jean Donaldson can, her mastery of her subject is rivalled by the humor and creative force of her presentation. Here is a brief passage from her book ‘The Culture Clash’ in which she invites us to see things from the dog’s prospective:

Photo 1 & 2 • Jean’s show photos from the 1980’s

‘Imagine you live on a planet where the dominant species is far more intellectually sophisticated than human beings but often keep humans as companion animals. They are called the Gorns. They communicate with each other via a combination of telepathy, eye movements and high-pitched squeaks, unintelligible and unlearnable by humans, whose brains are Best in Show Magazine

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prepared for verbal language acquisition only. What humans sometimes learn is the meaning of individual sounds by repeated association with things of relevance to them. The Gorns and humans bond strongly but there are many Gorn rules that humans must try to assimilate with limited information and usually high stakes. You are one of the lucky humans who lives with the Gorns in their dwelling. Many other humans are chained to small cabanas in the yard or kept in outdoor pens of varying size. They have become so socially starved that they cannot control their emotions when a Gorn goes near them. Because of this behaviour, the Gorns agree that they could never be house humans. They are too excitable. The dwelling you share with your Gorn family is fitted with numerous water-filled porcelain bowls, complete with flushers. Every time you try to urinate in one, though, any nearby Gorn attacks you. You learn to only use the toilet when there are no Gorns present. Sometimes they come home and stuff your head down the toilet for no apparent reason. You hate this and start sucking up to the Gorns when they come home to try and stave this off but they view this as increasing evidence of your guilt. You are also punished for watching videos, reading certain books, talking to other human beings, eating pizza or cheesecake, and writing letters. These are all considered behaviour problems by the Gorns. To avoid going crazy, once again you wait until they are not around to try doing anything you with to do. While they are around, you sit quietly, staring straight ahead. Because they witness this good behaviour you are so obviously capable of, they attribute to “spite” the video watching and other transgressions that occur when you are alone. Obviously you resent being left alone, they figure. You are walked several times a day and left crossword-puzzle books to do. You have 244

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Photo 3 • Academy Graduate Samantha Teich, me, Academy Graduate Todd Sokol and Academy Staffer Lori Nanan Photo 4 • Jean with her Chow Buffy

never used them because you hate crosswords; the Gorns think you’re ignoring them out of revenge. Worst of all, you like them. They are, after all, often nice to you. But when you smile at them, they punish you, likewise for shaking hands. If you apologize, they punish you again. You have not seen another human since you were a small child. When you see one on the street you are curious, excited and sometimes afraid. You really don’t know how to act. So, the Gorn you live with keeps you away from other humans. Your social skills never develop. Top Ten Behaviour Problems of Pet Humans on Planet Gorn

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Photo 5 • Academy Staffer Sarah Pennington, Academy Graduate Kristy Francis and Jean

• Watching TV • Use of water-filled porcelain bowls as elimination sites • Listening to music other than Country & Western • Talking to other humans • Smoking • Sitting on chairs (“How can I get him to stop sitting on CHAIRS?!”) • Toothbrushing • Eating anything but (nutritionally balanced) Human Chow • Shaking hands to greet • Smiling Finally, you are brought to training school. A large part of the training consists of having your air briefly cut off by a metal chain around your neck. They are sure you understand every squeak and telepathic communication they make because you sometimes get it right. You are guessing and hate the training. You feel stressed out a lot of the time. One day, you see a Gorn approaching with the training collar in hand. You have PMS, a sore neck and you just don’t feel up to the baffling coercion about to ensue. You tell them in your sternest voice to please leave you alone and go away. The Gorns are shocked by this unprovoked aggres246

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sive behaviour. They thought you had a good temperament. They put you in one of their vehicles and take you for a drive. You watch the attractive planetary landscape going by and wonder where you are going. The vehicle stops and you are led into a building filled with the smell of human sweat and excrement. Humans are everywhere in small cages. Some are nervous, some depressed, most watch the goings on from their prisons. Your Gorns, with whom you have lived your entire life, hand you over to strangers who drag you to a small room. You are terrified and yell for your Gorn family to help you. They turn and walk out the door of the building. You are held down and given a lethal injection. It is, after all, the humane way to do it. This nightmarish world is the one inhabited by many domestic dogs all the time. Virtaully all natural dog behaviours – chewing, barking, rough play, chasing moving objects, eating food items within reach, jumping up to access faces, settling disputes with threat displays, establishing contact with strange dogs, guarding resources, leaning into steady pressure against their necks, urinating on porous surfaces like carpets, defending themselves from perceived threat – are considered by humans to be behaviour problems. The rules that seem so obvious to us make absolutely no sense to dogs. They are not humans in dog suits… It is as inherently obvious to dogs that furniture, clothing and car interiors are good for chewing as it is inherently obvious to you that TV sets are good for watching. If I reprimand you for watching the TV, your most likely course of action is to simply watch TV when I’m not around… Housetraining is another classic example… Owners interpret dogs who “refuse” to eliminate on walks and then go on the carpet when the owner leaves the room to answer the phone as “getting back at them”. Absolutely not so. The dog

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has simply learned to go to the bathroom on an obvious toilet – the carpet – when the attacker is not present. He behaves obsequiously on the owner’s return to try and turn off the punishment that inevitably occurs when certain context cues (owner plus poop on rug) are present. It is clear from his terrified, submissive posture that the dog would dearly love to avoid that punishment if only he knew how. If someone punished you in a certain circumstance, you would beg for mercy too, regardless of whether you had any clue as to why they were about to punish you. It’s Orwellian what we do to dogs.’ Ms. Donaldson is a Canadian native, she has a degree in Comparative Psychology. She founded the Academy of Dog Trainers in 1999, an institution that is currently considered a world leader in preparing effective and ethical dog trainers. Ms. Donadlson has written eight books to date, her latest work, Dog Training 101 (2018, by the Teaching Company, Great Courses) consists of a series of 24 videos and a complete companion manual, which are designed to provide a DIY training course for pet owners. LD Thanks for this interview Jean, you have a lot much on your plate right now, so I am especially honored to have a few minutes with you! JD Thanks for having me! LD I suppose at the heart of recent debate is the question of dominance: dominance in training as opposed to dog-dog dominance. Can you give us a brief sketch of this concept and some of the latest theories? JD Dominance in animals is a way of obtaining and retaining resources. It evolved as a way to avoid fighting every single battle. So if we have a social group of wolves, and the scarce resources are: food, reproductiveopportunities, and key locations, they can fight it out once, and establish a hierarchy. This avoids the 248

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high expense of having a fight each time the resources are contended. In a fight, even the winner may sustain injury, which weakens the pack as a whole. In the case of wolves, and in other species, there can be a contest in which no fighting is involved. Deer for example, eyeball each other evaluating the size of their antlers, the depth of chest and how deep the roar of the adversary is. These values indicate who would win if the individuals fought, and this can be followed by what we call ‘individual recognition’ in which those same individuals continue in repeated circumstance to remember their agreement rather than having to decide who wins over and over again. That is the function of social dominance. There is actually no evidence that social dominance exists among dogs. In the famous silver fox experiment by Dmitri Belyayev, the selected individuals evolve psychologically and physically very far from the control group in just a few generations. Wild foxes do not wag their tails, seek petting from humans, or bark, but the new selected generations did. They also have different tail carriage, coat markings and colors and even differently shaped craniums as a direct result of behavioral selection. So many wild behavior patterns change with domestication. For example, village dogs, which are one of the groups of dogs most comparable to wild wolves because they have a self determining social structure, do not form packs. They tend to live individually only occasionally forming loose social groups. It has not been proven, but it follows that dogs, like many other species, do not contend for dominance. 2. If our dog is not contending with us for dominance, we are free from the need to assert our position. What then becomes the basis for ‘enlightened’ training programs? Dogs may not be interested in dominance, but humans definitely are. Moreover, this is intrinsic

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in specifically human male behavior. Women instinctually advertise their fertility, we are attractive to the other sex when we are in our fertile years so we imitate it by maintaining our physical condition, hair color, our caring nature etc, but males need to prove that they can provide their mate with resources. They show this with their car, their earing ability, and other displays of force and power including a general sense of dominance over their immediate environment. Unfortunately this includes their dog, and if they are involved in training, it includes my dog, your dog and on down the line. Now for many years past it has been proven that we can quickly and efficiently train dogs without hurting or bullying them. It sounds odd if someone says ‘Yeah, I know I can train using treats and toys but I prefer strangling them or pinning them down to the ground’. That doesn’t jive with modern sensibilities. Forcing a dog to bend to your will using gradations of violence ranging from shouting to coercion to hands on hitting or even much more severe forms of corporal punishment and restriction is therefore presented as a need to demonstrate ‘dominance’ because dogs are wolves, they are pack animals and need to recognize the human as the ‘pack leader’. That sort of approach is now generally recognized as wrong. Dogs are not wolves, they are not pack animals and in any case, a pack leader assures the safety of the pack, it doesn’t fight with them. Let me speak from personal experience. In the 1980’s I began training with positive reinforcement. I initially took the position that positive reinforcement works, though in some cases negative reinforcement is necessary. However, the more I worked and the more I learned, the more I was able to resolve every single case using positive reinforcement. Today, based on my own years of training, the work of my colleagues at the Academy and that of all of our 250

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students who have studied with us since 1999, I can confirm that in thousands of cases, all types of dogs from all backgrounds, all types of owners, and individual circumstances, positive reinforcement has got the job done 100%. You don’t need to hurt your dog, in fact, he can love his training. LD When did trainers first begin to understand that positive reinforcement works? JD It started back in the 40’s and 50’s when B.F. Skinner was in the laboratory with rats and pigeons. He noticed that in a controlled setting he could obtain a considerable amount of behavior correctly applying positive reinforcement. His immediate successors were Marion and Keller Broland. They said: right, this may work in a laboratory setting, but what about the messy reality of the real world? They started training scores of species, and they organized demonstrations in public and on television, and for the U.S. military. Their descendants are people like Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryer, and we are the next generation. 3. What I most appreciated in the 101 course is your amazing erudition, and the ability you have of clearly and succinctly presenting complex material. This apparent simplicity is the sign of a great mind because the disciplines of dog sports and consequently of dog training have exploded in recent years and there are so many currents of thought to wade through. Can you speak a moment about colleagues of yours and what sort of research and theories they are pursuing? JD There has been an explosion of research into the negative effects of dominance based training, Zazzy Todd is involved in this and her articles bring the research to the general public in her blog called animal companion psychology. Some new research is being done into the various forms of positive reinforcement,

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shaping, prompting, luring, the questions posed are: which is better, which is faster, are there any detriments involved? These are studies that the Academy follows very closely because we want to know the answers. Dunbar may claim that the most efficient training is achieved by using lures and then fading them while Pryer may sustain that shaping is the only true path to effective training in fact luring is dangerous. These are two huge names diametrically opposing each other. Only good research is going to give us the answers. LD Through your writing and the incredible success of the Academy (now available to qualified applicants in an online course format) you have become one of the most visible proponents of positive reinforcement dog training. How does that develop in areas that go beyond pet behavior such as sit and stay? JD A great example is the current trend of husbandry training, teaching dogs to be active participants in their veterinary care and grooming. There is the fear free movement among veterinarians who take into account the mental wellbeing of their patients rather than just forcing them to undergo exams and procedures. This is actually a big thing in the Americas right now and veterinarians advertise their office as a fear free practice. The Academy is coming at this from the dog owner’s point of view where we teach the dog to like tooth brushing, to lay down for an exam such as an x ray, to allow manipulation of a foot and so on. I think the next five or so years are going to show a revolution in preventive home care and veterinary care. 5. Do you think it is possible to train a young showdog all of these useful behaviors (sit down, stay, husbandry) without the dog proposing to ‘sit’ or ‘down’ in the show ring? JD Yes that is actually not difficult at all. Basic sit and down and stand can be assigned a cue, so the dog only offers that behavior on 252

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cue. Moreover, we can take advantage of a broader cue which is the context. For example, whenever we are facing each other on carpeting, you are to stand, you never do this other stuff that we work on elsewhere. Dogs are really good at context discrimination. They know they can jump on the sofa when one person is in the room rather than another person! They can easily learn that the one thing you never do in a ring is to sit. LD Most showdogs are groomed from a very young age. The young dogs do not like feeling the restraint of the grooming table, especially since some of the procedures can be genuinely annoying for them; working between the toes, stripping the hair off the inner ears and the tip of the tail cleaning teeth and cutting nails. Much of the early bad behavior in grooming is just ‘wild colt’ kind behavior, but there are moments when something actually does hurt even if only for a moment. Can we ethically train our dog for grooming and is it right to do so knowing there will be a pinch here or there? JD That’s a good question because where there is no pain involved dogs can be trained to tolerate and even enjoy grooming. Step by step, we can teach the dog to hold still and gradually amp up the level of brushing blow drying etc. When pain is involved, when no matter how carefully you go, it is going to hurt, the best approach is not to lie to the dog. Don’t tell him it’s going to be OK, instead, signal to the dog that ‘this is going to hurt’. You can compartmentalize for the dog, in a separate context he knows that ‘that there is no way around this, -here it comes’, and keep it separate from the fun stuff where he gets treats and it never hurts. The point of compartmentalizing is that you avoid having a dog standing there on the table waiting for the bad stuff, anticipating the pain, basically, asking himself ‘when is it going to come’?

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If the bad stuff is a separate moment, say a change of place, even just a change of the mat he is standing on or the clear introduction of something such as the nail clippers, he can relax completely during all the other procedures because you are not going to surprise him with pain. LD Breeding and dog shows get a bad rap in the press and from the general public (just Google ‘dog shows should be banned’) Do they get a negative mark in your book as well? JD I do not feel critical of the show world, perhaps because I came from conformation showing myself, as well as some other dog sports, and I feel affection for it. I enjoy dog shows. At the same time, I have two issues. The first is some of the parameters written into standards such as those of the brachycephalic breeds where we dogs with shorter and shorter muzzles are being selected by breeders and judges. There is a welfare issue there. I’m not saying ‘ban Frenchies!’, I’m saying, let’s give Frenchies a reasonable ability to breathe. Another example is the German shepherd where movement requires that the dog bear weight on the entire hock. I wish people would not go overboard by replying that people want to ban breeds or whatever, can we be moderate and just say, let’s modify those individual points that compromise the wellbeing of our dogs? My second issue with shows is that in some cases the dogs do not have quality of life. A single person is simply caring for too many animals and they suffer. Fortunately, I believe this is the exception rather than the rule in the show world. Most showdogs enjoy their lives, they are on the road, doing interesting things, they are properly groomed. I really have an issue with pets who are poorly groomed. Good grooming is not an optional it is part of the dog’s comfort and wellbeing. I also feel strongly about distinguishing breed254

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ers who are producing a limited amount of animals with an aim to improving the breed as compared to puppy mills. Fortunately, I think that battle is being won. LD Which areas of your particular field need urgent attention in your view, and can you share with us some of your plans for the future? JD I think that the area that needs addressing most is the licensing of applied behavior professionals. At the moment, anybody at all can advertise on a fancy website and take your money. In some cases, this is making a terrible mess, getting people bitten, there is aggression to children, it is destroying lives. There is no consumer protection, there are no ramifications in cases of malpractice. Can you imagine if agents of the food industry or dentists or any other professional went entirely unregulated. There is a lot of trepidation about who will do the regulating and what will be decided, but it has to happen. As for future plans, I and others at the Academy are dedicating all of our energy and resources to preparing fully trained professionals across the world. We also underwrite research, and are developing the husbandry project. Our primary mission is to produce ethical trainers who are transparent about their methods. Jean Donaldson Books by Dogwise 1996 The Culture Clash. 2 editions 1998 Dogs are from Neptune 2001 The Power of Positive Dog Training 2002 Mine! 2004 Fight! 2008 Oh Behave! 2010 Train Your Dog Like a Pro! 2018 Dog Training 101

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