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CONTENT 20 let’s talk
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20 let’s talk INTERVIEW
with chad howard, akc judge and boston terrier breeder (chaseland bostons)
42 let’s talk REPRO
MAN ABOUT TOWN: THE STUD DOG’S SIDE OF THE STORY BY DR. LORI HUNT, DVM
68 let’s talk TREASURES
hand picked for bostons and boston lovers!
34 let’s talk DETAILS
cryptorchidism in the dog by dr cheryl loyate, ms, dvm
54 let’s talk POINT OF VIEW one questions, many answers. where do you stand?
let’s talk
INTRODUCTIONS Welcome to the newest edition of Let’s Talk Bostons, your number one international Boston Terrier print and online magazine, where we celebrate all things Boston! We are excited to share this very special pre BTCA national specialty edition.
We kick things off with this issue’s interview: Chad Howard, breeder judge, breeding and exhibiting under the kennel name Chaseland. Read on to find health articles by Dr. Lori Hunt DVM and also Pamela Preston, Boston Terrier breeder and exhibitor. Our cover Boston is the awesome Chilli, who is titled in multiple countries and continents. Definitely a worldwide Boston, we are so excited to have such an amazing example of the breed as our cover dog, showing the world that a good Boston is good no matter where he is!
release a new edition and also will be able to participate in different drawings and giveaways! So make sure you are subscribed to our online mailing list and that you have LIKED our Facebook fan page at Facebook.com/LetsTalkBostons for the latest announcements and news regarding our publication. You will also find great local show coverage on our fan page, which is not to be missed! Our upcoming issue will be the 2015 BTCA Post National edition, where you can brag about your national wins. Don’t forget to reserve your ad space with us writing to ads@LetsTalkBostons.com See you at the national, and let’s talk Bostons!
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S i n c e r e a p p r e c i a t i o n t o j u d g e s J e n n i f e r C o o k , E l l e n K e n n e d y, L l o y d A m o d e i & C i n d y P a g u r s k i Owned by Andy & Jack McIlwaine | Bred and co-owned by Brook Ber th
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M u l t i p l e a l l - b re e d B e s t i n S h o w | N a t i o n a l s p e c i a l t y s h o w w i n n e r | B TC A B o s t o n Te r r i e r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 1 2 & 2 0 1 4 | B TC A G r a n d Fu t u r i t y
Boston terrier of the Year 2014 PeoPle’s choice 2014
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Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
How did your history with Boston Terriers start?
I grew up in a house with dogs, both my parent’s childhood pets were Boston Terriers. My first dog was a great danes but dogs were a very large part of my upbring. My personal house pet a Minature Schnazer was the first canine to take me to a dog show. While this dog was most definently a pet, this outing created my love of the dog show game. I did all the usual kid things, working in a grooming shop, walking dogs in the neighborhood and working in kennels.
Did you work at anyone’s kennels that we would know today?
I don’t know if anyone would recognize them today, but as fortune would have it many of them were prominent kennels run by serious dog people. I worked at Cliffs Pride Toy Poodles. Then I worked for a kennel called Hay-ron Great Danes where she had many famous Great Danes. This is where i really learned how to show dogs. This operation was years ahead of its time. This training facility had mats on the floor, just like at a dog show with mirrors around where we practiced. The proportior, Marion Rahn would have people come in and teach how to show dogs. I showed dogs for her and we went to a lot of dog shows together. My entry into Boston Terriers was Colleen Brossard, Brookwood Boston Terriers. I was at a show and Colleen came to me and said, “Excuse me, can you show my dog?” and the rest is history.
How old were you then, were you a teenager?
Well, I didn’t drive yet. I showed her dog and won, it also finished that day. This was the beginning of a lifelong partnership. This is the beginning of Chaseland. Colleen and I have been friends and breeding dogs since that day forward. We’ve maintained a great friendship. She taught me all the nuances of the Boston. If you have ever watched her judge or had the privilege to discuss the breed with her you will truly learn what a mentor should be. When it was time for me to go off to college she sent me off with a great little dog, Chase, whom I named my kennel after.
So your prefix has the same heritage as he?
let’s talk
INTERVIEW
Interview with Chad Howard Chaseland Bostons, USA
PHOTOS AND ARTICLE COURTESY OF CHAD HOWARD FROM HIS PERSONAL ARCHIVE - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED WITHOUT HIS CONSENT
This edition, we get to hear more from Chad Howard, the Boston Terrier breeder, exhibitor and AKC Judge. He breeds under the kennel name Chaseland and has had a lot of success with his Boston Terriers. Now you have the chance to know some of his thoughts on our loved breed. 20 - LetsTalkBostons.com
Absolutely. Everything that we breed comes from Brookwood and from Toy Town, which was really where Brookwood started, John Loporto. He’s still around. He lives in Illinois. He’s a great guy and very knowledgeable about the breed.
What were the Brookwood dogs known for and were they all the same going back to Toy Town?
They were known for style and breed type. Type is the most important thing to me and our dogs have a recognizable style (emphasizing breed type) that we have worked long and hard to maintain.
How would you describe that style?
I would say very correct heads, properly square bodies, correct toplines, refinement and elegance but always correct Boston Breed type.
Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
In this line that you’re working with, are you mostly head hunters? That’s overly simplifying. The Boston Terrier has many more components than a head. I would say, for me, however, without a beautiful head and a gorgeous eye, this specimen holds no interest. I do have some that I think the head quality is better than average, but not great and I will sometimes breed those, but I don’t exhibit those. Today, the main thing we’re lacking is that beautiful, gorgeous, round eye, that God-love-it expression used by people who are older than I am in the breed, that was an expression that they used to use when I was a kid, they still use it today. This expression translates to me as that big, round, black, liquidly eye that you can just dive into. You know it when you see it, it’s so beautiful, it takes my breath away. The squareness of the head and the squareness of the muzzle, are also very important things to me and part of this expression.
When you’re picking a pairing, how often is it that you get 50% or more of what you are looking for?
It is difficult to discuss percentages, breeding dogs is challenging. I think when you’re looking at pairing up dogs, it is important to consider what each animal brings to the equation keeping in mind the total package and not getting hung up on vary specific issues, like fault judging.
It seems like you make a lot of your decisions based on phenotype. Is that correct?
I do. I look at the pedigrees, it’s important , but I really say to myself, “That dog goes with that bitch, let’s do it.” For me, I have to love both dogs. To me, the only reason I do this, is I just like to look at my dogs. Winning at a dog show is fun. I like to look at them, I think if there are two great dogs, I put them together and hopefully they produce better quality puppies.
This is not the easiest breed to breed.
No, it’s not an easy breed to breed. Number one, most dogs don’t whelp naturally, so you have a c section, and the timing is important with sections, you have to be there and know what’s going on and take care of your puppies and be able to take care of your bitches after the section. Once you get your puppies, markings are important to some people, so if you want to show a puppy, it has to have the required markings. If it doesn’t have the required markings, it doesn’t matter. You can still breed it, however, if it doesn’t have the required markings, you can’t exhibit it. That eliminates some of your puppies. Once you get narrowed down to what you have left, you have to pick the best one of those.
BIS, National Specialty and dogs who were number on in their breed in the following breeds; Smooth Fox Terriers, English Toy Spaniels, Japanese Chin, and Toy Fox Terriers. The dog game has been good to me.
What do you attribute that to?
My obsession and my ability to fairly evaluate my own dogs and my eye... That’s why I think that people ask me to evaluate their litters and evaluate their dogs and what breedings would go together. I see it my way.
But for you to have such success in so many different breeds, it must be more than having a good eye.
I study the dogs and pedigrees and I have books on the history of all kinds of breeds in my house and I go to shows everywhere, just to grow my knowledge of dogs in general. I think that to some people, it’s just their hobby, for me it’s my passion.
In terms of the scope of your breeding program with Colleen, how many litters do you think you’ve bred?
We haven’t really bred that many litters. We breed a couple litters a year. She lives in Florida and I live in maryland so we’re a far distance apart. I keep everything going. She has a few dogs down there; Colleen’s interest in judging has taken priority over her hands-on participation in our breeding program. That said our successful partnership is stronger than ever.
Have you had any real stand-out litters that come to mind?
Yes and they fortunately they keep getting better. That is what keeps us going! We have had many group winners and many that have placed in groups, and done well at many specialties. The exhibiting is not the most important thing. While I love to exhibit them, and show them, I am not interested in campaign them anymore. I get such pleasure out of just looking at them. Its just not that important to me.
Do you do most of your own handling? Yes, I show them all myself.
How would you rate yourself as a handler? I get the job done and the price is right.
They have tiny litters.
Bostons have small litters compared to other breeds. You know at birth if your puppy has required markings or is overly marked which limits the ones possibly you may exhibit.
Have you ever counted up your champions?
What other breeds do you breed? Are Bostons the most difficult breed you deal with?
Is it in the hundreds? Can you ballpark it?
I think Bostons are the most difficult breed that I breed. They’re the most challenging and at once the most rewarding I have bred
Are you kidding? I couldn’t even tell you how many. I have no idea.
If you add up all of them, there’s over a hundred for sure. But I don’t really know. I have no idea.
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Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
Do you also like horses?
I do like horses, all kinds of animals and each animal teaches us about a unique running gear.
The best dog you ever owned or bred, who would that be?
Wellona, Bernice Bullard and Parrisan Charm are very special to me. Those three bitches I really love. They represent the breed well. The one thing that give me great pride is that my dogs are very recognizable.
Do you think that perhaps 90 per cent of the other breeders are not as concerned with the head? I can only tell you how important it is to me.
Maybe what sets yours apart is your strict attention to the head. Partially, but what is so distinguishable is the total package.
But do you think that the other breeders maybe just don’t understand what they’re supposed to be looking at or they don’t have access to it? I can’t answer that question. I think that everybody has their own interpretation of what’s important.
At this point are you doing a linebreeding with an occasional outcross to the same family of dogs? a distinguished line look?
Most people could recognize my dogs if I wasn’t on the end of the lead, they would say, “That’s a Chaseland dog”.
So you are producing a very stamped look?
Yes, they are uniquely different, but they do look like they’re in the same family. I have a picture of my three brothers that I can give you with my mom. We are the same family. We’re different, but we’re family. My dogs resemble one another.
Camp when I was in college. Michael Wolfe had a bitch named Abigail, I loved that bitch. She was a beautiful bitch those are two dogs that I really loved a lot, that people would know.
Do any of your dogs go back to any of those families?
Not as much to those families, some to Billy Nygenfind, some from the B & B Bostons go way back, because that’s where John Loporto got his start, from some of those from Billy’s dogs.
Do they resemble your dogs?
I would like to think so, I look at those pictures all the time. Some of those dogs had a very similar look to some of the dogs that we’re trying to produce today. I have it in my mind exactly what it’s supposed to look like.
Did you ever get to meet some of those people?
I was able to meet Marie Ferguson many times. I was able to meet Billy Nygenfind. I was able to meet people like Frank Gimple and people like John Loporto and all the people from the Chicagoland area when I was a kid. . I just watched what they did and learned from them a little bit. But the most important person who helped me the most was Colleen.
What other families of dogs have you liked past or present?
In history, there are many families of dogs that I love. Like Mrs. Dancer, Iowanna Boston Terriers, I love to look at those dogs, that she exhibited. Some of the dogs that Billy Nygenfind showed and Marie Ferguson, I love those dogs. Some of the dogs that the Klaussens’ had, those dogs are beautiful and Mrs Parker Grants Command line. Those are families of dogs that were just magnificent. Those were dogs that I really loved and admired. When I was in college I met a gentleman named Bob Rem and he had many dogs that I loved. One dog he had that I loved is a dog named Tony. Also while in college, I met a lady named Juanita Camp. She bred Tony and she lived just a few blocks from where I went to college. I was always going over to her house to learn more about dogs and how she came up with her Zodiac Dogs and Bob Brem’s dogs were called Bar-None and I just loved those dogs. I learned a lot from them and living out there, it was great to be there and I showed dogs for Juanita
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What are you absorbing, tiny details?
Correct but more important than that the nuances. I’m always trying to learn every day from somebody I am a student.
What is your ideal conformation? Describe your perfect specimen of the breed.
Square, Square, Square, the Boston Terrier has to have a magnificent square head, which is uniquely its own, well-balanced and it has to be sound. I’m looking at a multiple of squares that make up the Boston Terrier’s head planes. The muzzle is square, the top of the head itself is square, the jaw is square. Everything about a Boston Terrier’s head is square except the eyes which are completely round.
Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
Why a round eye?
Because that’s what the standard says and it gives it that beguiling soft expression. We want a round eye that is dark and liquidy. When you see the correct Boston Terrier eye, you can see yourself in it, it’s so beautiful and reflective that you want to just dive into it like a black pool. It’s gorgeous. You don’t see it that often, but when you see it, you’ll never forget it. Round as a circle. No oval, almond, no other shape. Never bug-eyed, not protruding. It’s a large, round eye, but it doesn’t protrude at all. You want to look at it and you want to see those expressive eyes that are dark and wide-set. As I have said before you know it when you see it. It really is an “ah ha” moment. When you’re looking at a Boston Terrier, we talk about so many squares. The dog is square. The body of the dog appears square, the head is square, so it’s made up of squares and that’s a Boston Terrier. They must have a level topline with a rump that curves slightly to the set on and maintains this while moving.
make some tremendous mistakes because you might have a beautiful dog that has complete black legs and a black body and have just the required markings and that’s your best dog. But because you don’t see that that’s your best dog, because you see the one that’s just perfectly hand-painted, you keep that one. That’s one mistake I think some breeders do make. I finished a beautiful, magnificent bitch, I didn’t own her, but she was dark, I mean dark. She was so magnificent and either she won the Breed or she didn’t place in the class. Structurally beautiful, everything was beautiful about her, but she just had required markings. As long as a Boston Terrier has the required markings, everything else is equal. But when you have one with a beautiful shawl collar, and beautiful white front, and gorgeous marked face, you have to really know what you’re doing to overlook that dog of probably not as good of type over the one who has a better type that’s all black, or not all black, but black with the required markings or brindle with the required markings, you have to really know what you’re doing to say that that’s a better dog.
What about the neck?
Nice arch of neck, beautiful shoulders. You want that straight front. Not straight front as in angles, not straight shoulders, you want straight front legs that come down to beautiful, compact feet. They’re supposed to have really compact feet. Many of our dogs today don’t have that compact foot. It’s really important. When you’re looking at a Boston Terrier, that’s what you need to look at. All sizes are okay, as long as they’re all square and they have the proper balance. As long as they fit within the standard, you don’t have an opportunity to have an opinion. They’re not too small, and they’re not too big. Then you have to go with the breed priorities.
What is proper movement?
You want them to be clean down and back. And you want the movement to be free flowing. You want beautiful reach without lift, and hopefully no crossing over. They have good drive that is balenced.
Breeding a dog with magnificent markings, how often does it come through?
It doesn’t. You can breed a dog that has great markings to a dog that has great markings and you might get too many markings, or excessive white. You can breed an undermarked dog to an undermarked dog and you can get perfectly marked dogs.
Everyone must know that, right?
You’d hope they know it. If they ever had a litter, they would know it. You try to do the right thing, I wouldn’t take a complete mismarked dog and breed it, that’s just not what’s important to me. However some people did do it and they used to do it all the time, the older breeders used to do it a lot. Because two perfectly marked dogs make mismarks.
Let’s talk about temperament. Is it easy for most people to see?
Movement is easier to see than type. It must be a package that holds together the most. That clean down and back can be seen in almost any generic mutt. If a judge finds it necessary to move you down and back more then once cross them off the prefered list.
Temperament is extremely important. I’ve got to love to be around my dogs, play with them, and they’ve got to be good dogs. Sweet and loving, because I can’t keep all the dogs that I produce, so they have to go to great pet homes, and my dogs are well-adapted to the families that they go to, whatever that family dynamic looks like, it’s important to me that they can fit in and that they’re great pets for a long time. I love for families that have kids to have my dogs because I remember when I was a kid and I had a dog, so it was really important to me.
Is it most important to the breed?
It’s important to the breed. But if you asked me would I want one that was a great walker, a clean down and back dog with no breed type, I would never want it. Not interested in it.
What faults will you forgive, and what least disturbs you? I could forgive the down and back, it’s not a priority. You want them to be able to go down and back. But the go around is important to me, this is where you can see the balance, and the carrage of the topline It’s all about breed type.
Do you have any color preference?
I like them all. I love the mahogany brindles that you don’t see very much of anymore. I don’t have a marking preference either. As long as it has the required markings. So many times as breeders, we get hung up, we evaluate the puppies on the day they’re born based on their markings. Then that’s where you
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Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
What do you think are the most serious faults in the breed today and what are the most common ones?
The most common faults that we have in the breed, we have poor toplines, poor rear structure and we have lack of proper type. Those are the most common. Breeders are trying to get much better. I think everybody is working diligently to make all those problems go away. But we all have to move in the right direction.
Do you see a fault of that magnitude in 90 percent of the dogs in the show ring?
I would say that you can see poor rear structure and poor toplines in many of the dogs exhibited in the ring.
How do you get a good topline? How hard is it?
It’s hard. A good topline is the sum of all the parts and they must fit together. There are dogs out there with good toplines. We do have good dogs with good toplines, yes we do. But I would say that when you’re looking at the average dog show, you would say what are the faults? The faults are, poor toplines, poor rear structure, lack of type, in any given dog show. But you’re going to have good dogs within the specials ring that are going to be more sound, level topline.
The fronts are fine?
The fronts are pretty good. I think the fronts are pretty good in our breed. It’s mostly with the rears and it’s mostly with the lack of angulation and we have poor angulation in the rear, it leads to poor rears.
Is the standard a good one?
I think the standard is great. I really like it. People think it needs to be changed, people think things need to be different, I think the standard is good.
Is it hardest for people to grasp type?
Correct. I think it’s hard for people to grasp the type period. You get all hung up on markings and sometimes when you see one that’s marked right, you can forgive, like sometimes the judges forgive versus one that has the required markings that is a better quality dog. The people who are judging today haven’t spent 30-some years studying the breed. They’ve spent 30-some minutes studying the breed. I’m not saying negative things about the judges because that’s the way the judging goes for every breed, but the breeders, the true breeders, the people who know, who have a good understanding of it, those are the people who you really care what their opinion is. The other people just give you the fifteen points so you can get your certificate or be Number One or whatever you want to do. We need all those people. But when you’re talking about evaluating your dogs and evaluating Boston Terriers, there’s not that many of them that you would go running to.
How important is it for you to preserve your line and to preserve the breed?
It’s important to me that the breed is preserved, that the correct type is preserved.
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Was there anything early on you wanted to accomplish, but now you feel differently? Yes, it’s an evolution.. In the beginning, it was so important to me to run to the dog show every weekend and exhibit my dogs. And now, it’s important to me, but it’s not the most important thing to me. I just really enjoy where I’m at right now. I go to the dog show, enjoy myself, I have a lot of fun at the show. I love talking to people, my fellow exhibitors, I love it. I love going to their houses and looking at their puppies and evaluating their dogs and talking to them about dogs. That’s where I’m at.
Do you do any training?
Training, what’s that? One of mine that I bred has obedience titles and agility titles and he’s being shown right now. His name is Tux, I think it’s very cool. Mine go to the show, they get trained at the dog show. I take them there, I enter them, I put them on a lead and I say, “I hope you’re going to walk, because I know you’ll stand pretty.” (laughter) I like to see the dog, when it’s being shown, I like to see it stand out on its own and just look at something. I want to see how it stands on its own. Anybody can put their legs all where they need to be, make them look as good as they want them to, I want to see how it looks standing on its own out there. Just stand out there, let’s look at it.
Do you do anything differently as far as picking your puppies?
I would hope that I do the exact same thing as other people do. Or that they do the same things that I do. When those puppies come out, I’m with all my bitches when they have their section, I’m right in the vet office, my vet lives very close to me, I go pick her up and we got to the clinic. We’re evaluating the minute they come out.
How valid is that, though?
Very valid. When they come out, if that underjaw looks like a V, it’s never going to be right. If it looks like a U, it’s going to be right. Then you can look at the balance...
Who told you that? Did you come up with that on your own?
No. When I was little, I remember being at Colleen’s house, we’d turn the puppies over and look at the underjaw, and see how it was and if it looked like a V, that’s not right, but if it looked like a U, that would be right. That’s how we always looked at them. Then you hold them up for the balance, and you look at the balance and I do that the day they’re born.
How often do your later opinions coincide with your first day opinions? Pretty much most of the time.
Some people say, “Oh they can’t see that.”
You can see it, if you can’t see it then I wish you luck. Sometimes the dogs can mature differently. But the stuff never goes away.
Let’s Talk INTERVIEW - Chad Howard
Let’s talk about health and nutrition. I’m sure you’ve seen everything.
I’ve been clear of some things and not had any problems. But I think talking about health in general and things that are important when you’re breeding your dogs. Cataracts are a big thing in Boston Terriers. We have a marker now for juvenile cataracts, but that is only a marker for juvenile cataracts it’s not a marker for late-onset cataracts which come right after juvenile cataracts, so you just have to continue to test your dogs. We have a clinic which is either at the Boston Terrier Club of Maryland or there’s a clinic that’s right about a quarter of a mile from where I live that she has twice a year, so we can just take our dogs over and have their eyes tested there to see when cataracts do start to come or what the cataracts look like or how they develop and the fast pace that they develop at. I think that’s important for any breeder to know that. Also to test for hearing, to know that your dog can hear out of both ears. Other things that are in the breed, epilepsy and seizures. So far we’ve been good with that, knock on wood. But you never know when it’s going to be your turn. Those are the things outside of the structure of the animal that you have to be aware of as well. With structure, we have to have good patellas and good stifles because you can’t have a dog that can’t walk or that’s always hopping or limping and you can’t have a dog go to a home where kids want to play with it and it wants to chase a ball and it can’t do it. You have to know those structural things.. You want it to be able to hear, and those are things that every breeder should be aware of and you should do your own testing within your own breeding program.
What do you feed? Do you do any supplements?
I feed a dry kibble. Right now I’m feeding them Diamond Natural. I do give them supplements as puppies. I do give them supplements as adults depending on what their needs are. But I don’t give supplements on a regular basis.
How is your kennel set up at home?
I live in a very old house. It’s built on a hill, so the first floor is all open to the back and so that’s where the dogs are on a regular basis. We have stainless steel pens for them during the day and then there are paddocks outside for them to run around in.
So they’re mostly outdoors?
No, no, no, they’re indoors. They don’t even like to go outside that much. (laughter) That’s how it works.
Do you have to watch out for anything, like in Connecticut they have lyme?
I do live in the country so you can see any kind of animal you want to, we watch out for those. Foxes, the occasional cow running through the yard, but other than that, not so much.
Is there anything left for you to accomplish? Is there anything you would change?
I wouldn’t change anything that I’ve done so far. It’s been a good life, I love the dogs, it’s been great, I’ve met a lot of great friends, so I wouldn’t change anything. There are many things we could accomplish.
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Let’s Talk DETAILS - Cryptorchidism in the Dog
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DETAILS
Cryptorchidism in the Dog - How it happens, How to diagnose, Whether to Treat by Cheryl Lopate, MS, DVM & credits Pamela Preston
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ROSA PAHOR PHOTOGRAPHY
n order to understand how cryptorchidism develops, one must have a clear understanding of sexual differentiation and development. Normal sexual development in the dog is dependent upon 3 factors: 1) the sex chromosomes; 2) normal development of the ovaries or testicles; 3) normal development of the external genitalia (vulva, prepuce) and the effects of the sex steroid hormones on physical appearance (i.e. large jowls and increased size and muscling in males and finer facial features and smaller stature in females). There is a sex-determining gene, called SRY, which is present only on the Y chromosome. In its presence, testicles will develop and the fetus will be male, while in its absence,
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ovaries will develop and the fetus will be female. Since spermatozoa carry either one X (female) or one Y (male) chromosome, the sex of the embryo is determined at the time of fertilization by the spermatozoa that fertilizes each egg. All eggs carry one X chromosome. The sex of the embryo is not distinguishable until after day 30 of gestation when the ovaries and testes can first be differentiated from each other. Initially, sex cords develop in the area of the kidneys and will eventually differentiate into either ovaries or testes. Furthermore, there are 2 sets of tubules that develop in each embryo initially. If the fetus develops into a male, the tubules that persist are the mesonephric or Wolffian ducts; and if the fetus develops into a female, the tubules that persist are the paramesonephric or Müllerian ducts. The ductular system that does not develop eventually regresses. Until sexual differentiation begins each embryo is uncommitted sexually and has sexual bipotentiality. The substance that determines the progression toward either male or female development is called testis determining factor (TDF) and is controlled only by the Y chromosome. Testicular differentiation occurs by 36 days of gestation. The first hormone produced by the embryonic testis is Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS) (or antiMüllerian hormone or Müllerian regression factor) and is produced by the cells that line the testicular tubules. In a male fetus, MIS causes regression of the female tubular system between days 36 and 46 of gestation. The second hormone produced by the embryonic testis is testosterone (T). Testosterone is converted to an active metabolite (di-hydro testosterone or DHT) which then promotes development of the remaining
male tubular tract, the prostate gland, penis, and the external genitalia. Normal testicular descent in the dog occurs in three steps: 1) movement through the abdominal cavity into the internal inguinal ring; 2) movement through and out of the inguinal canal; and 3) movement from the inguinal canal to the scrotum. Descent may fail at any point in any one of these 3 stages. Initially the testes lie near the kidneys in the abdominal cavity. There is a ligamentous cord called the gubernaculum which attaches to the end of the testis and then runs through the inguinal canal and attaches at the far end to the scrotum. The gubernaculum enlarges under stimulation of certain protein hormones to anchor the testis in place during testicular descent. Testosterone stimulates development of the genitofemoral nerve which is required for normal testicular descent to begin. An outpouching of the abdominal lining (the peritoneum) called the vaginal process, grows into the gubernaculum in dogs at about 36 days of gestation. The gubernaculum continues to grow both in length and width which causes expansion of the inguinal canal and pulls the testis and epididymis toward the scrotum as it grows. Once the testicle has moved through the
inguinal ring or if its descent is slowed, it may be retained abdominally. If it begins to enlarge after entering the internal ring but before leaving the external ring or if normal testicular descent through the inguinal canal is altered or stopped, the animal may become an inguinal cryptorchid. The right testicle is retained more commonly than the left due to its more forward starting position in the abdomen. Retained testicles are smaller than scrotal testes, and the location of retention is positively correlated with size.Abdominally retained testes are smaller than inguinally retained testes, which are in turn smaller than testes outside the external inguinal ring but not yet in the scrotum. The reduction in sperm production (spermatogenesis) in retained testicles also worsens with the degree of retention. Even though spermatogenesis does not progress normally in retained testes, steroidogenesis does, so libido is unaffected by this condition. Thus, while cryptorchid dogs may show interest in and breed bitches, unless they have one descended testicle, they will most likely be sterile or at a minimum, infertile. In cases of inguinal retention, dogs may have lower than normal numbers of spermatozoa/ejaculate and increased abnormal forms. Retained testicles are predisposed
Cryptorchidism is considered to be hereditary and an autosomal recessive trait. This means it is carried by both dam and sire lines. inguinal canal, the gubernaculum begins to shrink, thereby pulling the testicles into their final scrotal position. Testosterone is particularly important in the descent of the testes from the external inguinal ring to the scrotum. The testes pass through the inguinal canal three to four days after birth and reach their final scrotal position by 14 - 35 days of age. Neither lack nor excess of hormones (testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone or estrogen) are likely to contribute to cryptorchidism. This is proven by the fact that cryptorchid animals do not have different levels of these hormones compared to normal males, and that treatment with stimulating medications (GnRH, gonadotropin releasing hormone or hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin) does not successfully resolve the condition regardless of the age administered.
to neoplasia (9 – 14x higher than normal) and testicular torsion. Lack of 2 testicles in the scrotum by 8 weeks of age is considered to be suspicious for cryptorchidism. Classically, it has been accepted by the time an animal reaches 6 months of age, if it does not have 2 scrotal testicles, it is considered a cryptorchid. But realistically, with the vast differences in age at puberty between breeds this is probably not a reasonable expectation. Based on the average age at puberty for any given breed, one would expect to have both testes in the scrotum within 2 months of attaining puberty to be considered normal. This
Cryptorchidism is considered to be hereditary and an autosomal recessive trait. This means it is carried by both dam and sire lines. It is difficult to determine if a bitch is a carrier of the cryptorchid gene due to the high numbers of male puppies required to all have 2 scrotal testes by 6 months of age (at least 40 normal male puppies). There are a number of breeds at risk for cryptorchidism including the Boxer, English Bulldog, Cairn terrier, Chihuahua, Miniature Dachshund, Maltese, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Toy, Miniature and Standard Poodle, Miniature Schnauzer, Old English Sheepdog, Shetland Sheepdog, Siberian Husky, and Yorkshire Terrier. Other inherited conditions associated with cryptorchidism include inguinal and umbilical hernia, hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, and penile and/or preputial defects. If the testicle begins to enlarge prior to its entry into the internal
CRYPTORCHID (ONLY ONE DESCENDED TESTICLE)
LetsTalkBostons.com | April 2015
Let’s Talk DETAILS - Cryptorchidism in the Dog means that for large and giant breed dogs, testicular descent may not be complete until well over a year of age. Small and medium breed dogs should still be considered cryptorchid if 2 testes are not in the scrotum by 6 - 8 months of age. When trying to determine the location of a retained testicle, careful palpation of the inguinal region and the area just lateral to the penis and prepuce should be performed. Lymph nodes and fat are commonly mistaken for testes, as is the gubernacular outgrowth within the scrotum. Testicles should be freely movable and have an attached epididymis. Ultrasonography may be attempted to locate a cryptorchid testicle and is more successful in locating inguinal rather than abdominal testes. This is due to the smaller size of the abdominal testes and the fact that they may be located anywhere in the abdominal cavity (although they tend to lie along a line drawn from the end of the kidney to the opening of the external inguinal ring). Abdominal testes appear to have the same structure as scrotal testes on ultrasound examination. However, if an abdominal testis is neoplastic, it may be larger and have an abnormal appearance. In cases where there is no history of neutering but there are no testicles palpable, an hCG or GnRH stimulation test can be performed to determine if testicular tissue is still present. A baseline testosterone is obtained. A stimulating hormone is administered and testosterone concentrations are obtained at 1 and 4 hours post injection. The baseline concentration should more than double if testicular tissue is present. Cryptorchid males do tend to have less marked response to GnRH stimulation testing than their intact counterparts. Use of serum LH testing is not accurate for diagnosis of castrated males due to overlap of resting ranges of cryptorchid and neutered males. Typically, no treatment is recommended for cryptorchidism beyond castration. If an animal does not have 2 scrotal testes by the time 2 months beyond puberty, the individual should be neutered and not used in any breeding program due to the hereditary nature of the disease and the other associated heritable conditions. There are a number of published and anecdotal protocols involving multiple injections of either hCG or GnRH to stimulate precocious puberty and encourage testicular growth and descent, but there is no strong scientific evidence that any of them is consistently effective. Various degrees of success are associated with these treatments proving the multifactorial and polygenetic nature of the disease. Further anectodal reports of massaging the inguinally retained testes towards the scrotum to hasten its descent are unlikely to be the case except in the shy individual who is retracting the testes towards the body when touched. Daily manipulation of the scrotum and perineal area, may make these individuals more relaxed when the scrotum is palpated, thus allowing the testes to remain in their scrotal position. In humans, where the basis for medical treatment was derived, treatment is actually both medical and surgical. Because of the increased risk of testicular cancer in cryptorchid men at middle age, doctors treat cryptorchids aggressively. Young boys (prepubertal) who are found to be cryptorchids first have surgery to locate the testicle and then the testicle is sutured to the scrotum with a heavy suture. The goal of the suture is to put tension on the testicle to pull it towards the scrotum as the gubernaculum
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should have. Once the testicle is in the scrotum, the suture material hopefully creates scar tissue causing the testicle to adhere there. After surgery the boys are treated with stimulating hormones to induce precocious puberty and thus stimulate testicular and gubernacular enlargement. Therapeutically, the combination of hormone therapy and surgery result in testicular descent in about 2/3 of the patients who have inguinal or lower cryptorchidism. Success with abdominal cryptorchids is very low. Of those that descend a large proportion (about 30 - 50%) will relapse once the suture breaks down and hormone therapy has been stopped. In humans, doctors are not concerned about male fertility when considering medical and surgical therapy for cryptorchidism. There are so many advanced techniques available for subfertile men nowadays, that this problem can be overcome using in vitro fertilization(IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or other advanced reproductive techniques. Nor are doctors concerned about a patient passing on this potentially heritable condition to their male offspring. Because most families have only 1 – 3 children, the chance of a male offspring having the condition is low. Human doctors are mainly concerned about decreasing the risk of testicular neoplasia in middle age. So while in animals reducing the risk of neoplasia is also a concern, we are also very concerned with passing heritable defects through lines and the ability of the male to be fertile without expensive reproductive interventions. Since most dogs only live to be between 10 and 14 years of age, the numbers of testicular tumors found in intact males who are cryptorchid is much lower than the incidence in humans because the human lifespan is so much longer. Furthermore, successful medical treatment of cryptorchids may increase the fertility in an affected dog, thereby perpetuating the trait in his offspring. Additionally, the increased risk of neoplasia remains whether the testes descend or not, so in a successfully treated animal, failure to neuter at a young age increases his risk for neoplasia later in life. Since cryptorchidism is associated with other heritable defects, (hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, inguinal hernia etc.) which can affect quality of life for our pets, breeding these individuals is strongly discouraged. Removal of all affected males, their offspring and their parents from the breeding program is the recommended course. Waiting until puberty is fully attained is recommended before deeming any individual a cryptorchid. Cheryl Lopate, MS, DVM Diplomat, American College of Theriogenologists (Board Certified in Reproduction) lopatec1@gmail.com
If you found this article interesting, please feel free to read some of Cheryl’s other articles located online at www.reproductiverevolutions.com/rr_c_ articles.html, which are equally informative. This article was reprinted with permission from Dr. Lopate. Reprinting or reproduction is strictly prohibited without written authorization. Thank you Dr. Lopate!
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REPRO
Man About Town - The Stud Dog’s Side of the Story by Dr. Lori Hunt, DVM
ROSA PAHOR PHOTOGRAPHY
A
nyone in dogs knows the value of a great stud dog. You may not own one, but you know them... You need them to keep your lines going, or for that special outcross, or to introduce that trait your bitch may lack... They are important to each breeder for various reasons at different times in their breeding career and their health as a stud dog is of great import to the breed at large. If you stand a dog at stud, you have a huge responsibility on several levels. You are accountable to the breed in many ways, which includes the breedings you accept. A good stud dog owner will only allow a breeding which will better the breed, and they do this by only accepting bitches of good health, temperament and breed type, and being cognizant of the kinds of homes resulting puppies receive. But we mustn’t forget that a part of that responsibility lies in the health of the male, overall and reproductively, which is the focus of this article.
COUNTING THE SWIMMERS... Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of owning a stud dog... Obviously, the dog has achieved a Championship, has the pedigree to back it up, has been health screened, and has tested negative on his brucella canis screening. Now he is ready to be a “man about town” and entertain the ladies... Lucky Guy! As with bitches, optimum breeding time for males is 2-5 years of age. This is the time in his life in which his fertility (semen concentration, morphology and motility) will be at its peak. Before and after this time frame, conception can and does occur, but his fertility is less than perfect. A normal stud dog in his prime should have total semen counts of 300 million - 2 billion sperm. For our small dogs, this is usually on the lower end. A very rough guideline is 1 million sperm per pound body weight, so our average 15-pound male should have at least 150 million sperm per collection, but usually Boston boys well exceed this. Of these sperm, a normal dog has at least 70% normal morphology and at least 70% normal motility. Morphology is the shape and structure of each individual sperm. This can be checked under a microscope by checking 200 or so individual sperm on high magnification
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(40X or higher), counting normal vs. abnormal, then calculating a percentage. This should be done by a veterinarian with a reproduction background. Motility is defined as how many of the sperm in the ejaculate are moving in a rapid forward direction. Sperm going in circles, or backwards, or meandering forward at a lazy pace are not considered to have normal motility. Again, this should be done on high magnification and a percentage should be calculated. Once morphology and motility have been determined, we can now calculate the number of sperm that are capable of fertilizing an egg. This is a simple multiplication of total count (TC) multiplied by % normal morphology multiplied by % normal motility. An example: Total count 500 million sperm X 75% normal morphology X 75% normal motility = 281 million normal sperm which are capable of fertilization. This is especially important as the dog ages, as we see a decline in total count and an increase in abnormal sperm due to testicular degeneration and/or prostatic disease. A dog can have a total count of 300 million but if only 50% are normal morphology and 50% motility, then you are only dealing with 75 million normal sperm, which is unlikely to get a bitch pregnant. On average, it takes 1-200 million normal motile sperm introduced during a bitch’s fertile period to impregnate her. So don’t be satisfied with a semen examination that just says excellent or good quality... You want to know quality AND quantity!
SWIMMERS ON THE GO Now that you know your boy is virile, you would like to see him have some puppies on the ground. A lovely cross-country girl has asked for his hand in marriage... What should you do to insure that his boys make the journey in good shape? Hopefully, when you had his semen evaluated, you had a good reproductive veterinarian who offered to “test” chill his semen for you. This is a great way to see if your boy’s sperm will extend well enough to ship. More often than not, semen and extenders mix just fine, but once in a while, an extender won’t be the best fit for your boy... and it is awful to find that out on the receiving end of shipped semen, so find it out before hand. If you decide that he will be available via chilled semen, then you first need to make an appointment to have him collected and a practice chilling done. Chilling semen will decrease its motility and may result in an increase in abnormalities, so you need to be sure that when it is rewarmed it will have enough motile sperm to allow a pregnancy.
FROZEN SEMEN Freezing semen is a huge advancement in Canine Reproduction, and an excellent tool for all breeders. It allows us to have litters sired by dogs long after they are gone or are neutered. It is best done during a stud dog’s prime fertility, which as we discussed earlier, is ages 2-5 years. The mistake most often made by breeders is that they have a phenomenal stud dog and they wait until he is 7, 8, or 10 years old to try and freeze semen... Now I said earlier that chilling semen decreases its potency slightly, but freezing really does some damage... So if you wait until a dog is 8 years old and he is already a victim of testicular degeneration
and/or prostate disease and his count is down, etc. You have even less normal sperm to start with, and you may not be able to freeze anything worth saving... So if you think you have that next great stud dog, freeze him while he is young, most likely BEFORE you even know he is a great one!
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF THE STUD DOG I have mentioned testicular degeneration and prostatic disease in the previous sections. how can we know whether these things are occurring and what can we do to prevent them? The simple answer is to have your male dog checked periodically, which translates to at least every 6 months. He should have a full physical exam, including palpation of his prostate, and testicles, and if you intend to use him for breeding, then he should be collected and have a full semen evaluation. This is especially important for male dogs over 5 years of age. At this point, virtually all dogs will begin testicular degeneration. This is seen on physical exam as a softer, possibly smaller testicle, which is responsible for a decline in its ability to produce normal sperm. There is no magic drug to stop this, but you will know if the dog is still capable of siring litters. Also, if you start to see significant decline in fertility, you may decide to have him frozen, if you haven’t already done so (and if you haven’t, shame on you! I told you to do it while he was young!) Postate disease also begins to occur at 4-5 years old. Some reports describe more than 60% of males over the age of 4 years old have some form of prostate disease. Many possible problems of the prostate exist, but the two most common causes are prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). These 2 diseases account for 90% of prostatic problems. Postatitis can be acute or chronic and is by definition an inflammation/infection of the prostate gland. Often times, we see prostatitis secondary to BPH. BPH is a hormonal influence of the prostate’s growth, resulting in a prostate that is larger than it should be, often 2-3 times normal. Both are treatable, at least temporarily. The most effective treatment for reduction of prostate size is neutering (up to 50% in 3 weeks) post castration. Obviously in a breeding male, this is not our first choice... There are medical treatments that will help reduce the size of the prostate and help increase fertility temporarily. You can treat it and breed him, get those last litters out of him, and then the best thing for our trusted companion is to neuter him.
GO FORTH YOUNG MAN... Now that you know how to preserve your stud dog’s reproductive health and how to be sure he is potent enough to get those girls bred, it is time to let those boys shine... May he be stud dog of the year!
Dr. Hunt lives in Ohio with her French Bulldogs. She has a special interest in canine reproduction and brachycephalic breeds, and regularly writes for the quarterly French Bulldog magazine The Frenchie Fancy. You can meet her and her Frenchies at www.assisifrenchbulldogs.com
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POINT OF VIEW
Considering type, health, showing and testing, what would be the youngest age of a Boston Terrier male for you to consider breeding to him? My preferred minimum age for males is 2 years as I like a male to be FULLY health tested including hips, which cannot be done until 2 years of age. However, if he comes from a line health tested dogs and there are extenuating circumstances, I might make an exception and use a male over 1 year of age that has been BAER, CERF, & patella tested (at a minimum, but still prefer a male that has been cardiac tested with JC DNA).
Pamela Preston - California, USA CHRIMASO BOSTONS
I would say a year and only after a semen evaluation, before breeding him for the first time.
Elaine Mauldin - North Carolina, USA MAULDIN BOSTONS
For me minimum 2 years old after hips, spine, and trac are done as well as the other minimum requirements by offa. I however prefer an older male in fact the older the better, that is still holding it together conformationally and passing all health clearances. I think if I had an established line with many generations of clear health testing behind them I may be willing to differ and take a chance and breed a male at a younger age. However as I am still very much at the beginning of my program and attempting to create my own line health testing is number one for me to ensure I am starting and continuing on the best path possible.
Danita Gilmour - Canada DANBRO BOSTONS 54 - LetsTalkBostons.com
1 year would be my minimum. Generally type holds true. If they have good type at a year it will stay. If a dog takes longer to pull together I wouldn’t want to use him until he proves he will. Showing isn’t the know-all, end-all of a breeding program. Finished or started is nice but not a requirement if I really like the dog. Health/testing of the “golden three” (knees, eyes, ears) can be completed at that point as well so it’s a good baseline age.
Patricia Alleman - Pennsylvania, USA TALAVERA SHOW DOGS
An interesting question... I hadn’t thought about it in terms of age requirements before. We are actively looking at potential studs for our Rebel next winter. “Window shopping” for now, but in addition to health and health testing, temperament and breed type, we’re also looking at what kind of puppies the dog has produced -- especially with dams similar to our girl. We’ve got a few boys we’re looking at right now, and with one veteran outlier, they will all be between the ages of 3 and 5 when she comes into season next February.
Dolores Ferrero - California, USA DELPHI BOSTONS
As a general rule, around 15-18 months. If I were very familiar with the lines, slightly earlier would be ok. But generally I like to give the dog a chance to mature out a bit and have a better idea of what I am getting into.
Jason Luciano - Massachusetts, USA SELLANO BOSTON TERRIERS
Not before 15 months, for me. I will take the example of one of my males, HessenVilla’s Quarterback, who at 15 months old has been shown many times, has passed his character test, all his health tests and has started being shown in adult class which has allowed him to become recommended by the French Boston terrier club which is not possible before that age. Indeed, recommendation which is the highest qualification in France for a dog who has not been bred yet requires excellent results in open class, so a minimum age of 15 months.
Fred Villaume - France DU ROCHER DES DUCS BOSTONS
Personally if I bred him myself and know his line because it would be my line I would say 18 months... With a history of all health testing clear... If I was hiring a stud I would breed to a dog that was at least five years old... And that would be because of the health issues in today’s breed... But here’s a thought if you like a dog out there and want to breed to it go to its father (who should be at least give years old) !
Alison Allison - New Jersey, USA BROOKSTREET BOSTONS
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