MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE

Although a well bred German Shepherd dog can be very pleasing to the eye and a properly structured dog can take your breath away when he gaits, make no mistake about it, this breed was bred for his working and herding abilities. With today’s compromised economy, just think if you were able to send your German Shepherd out to work how he could contribute to the household! No, I’m not kidding, if you live with a German Shepherd dog you’re living with one of the smartest and easiest to train dogs on the planet. Just how many of them ever attain all that they could? Once this dog is taught something, it amazes me how they still remember it even if you don’t often ask it of them.

Having a well trained dog is a delight to live with. I truly admire those in the breed who see fit to not only show their dogs to their conformation titles, but also have obedience titles on their dogs as well. Bravo! A pretty face is nice, but one with brains is even better! Oh, the German Shepherd has the brains alright, it’s just that many of them are not being developed and nurtured to their full potential. This breed loves to please their masters. A German Shepherd needs a job to do or they become very restless. They’re no different from a kid. Don’t teach a child anything. Don’t play with him. Don’t let him have exercise and then see how wonderful they are to live with! Anything with any amount of intelligence can never be happy living a dull and unchallenged life!

There are many jobs that the German Shepherd dog does. Everyone is familiar with the war dog stories and the police dog stories. This is a loyal, intelligent, bold and eager to please type of dog. Utilizing these dogs’ abilities is probably one of the most rewarding expererinces an owner can have. Talk about being proud!

When used as war dogs they were used as messengers, rescuers, sentries, and personal guard dogs. Because of their use in the wars, this dog became very popular when our service men came home.

Here are a couple of stories I came up with when researching about this subject. There was a farmer who lived in Canada who became trapped under his tractor when it fell on him. He had his German Shepherd out in the fields with him. Obviously the tractor was too big and heavy for the dog to move it off of the man. The farmer and his dog were about two miles away from his home when this happened. The farmer ripped off a piece of his shirt and tied it onto the dog’s collar. The dog ran home to the farmer’s wife who alerted the police.

The German Shepherd dog is a breed that is used as an assistance dog. They guide the blind, alert the hearing-impaired to noises and alarms, they pull wheelchairs, open cupboard doors, and pick up dropped items. The first guide dog in the United States was a German Shepherd named Buddy. He guided a blind teenager named Frank. The two campaigned tirelessly for better medical care for service dogs for the rest of their lives.

An 8 year old boy by the name of Alex from Kentucky has severe epilepsy. His assistance dog, Lady, presses an alarm device to alert Alex' parents when he is having a seizure. The body releases chemicals a dog can smell. These chemicals change just before a seizure, alerting the dog that a seizure is imminent. In addition to helping Alex, Lady has traveled to Washington, D.C. to encourage lawmakers to provide funding for assistance dogs through the Medicaid program. Lady came from an Ohio-based non-profit organization called 4 Paws for Ability which cost nearly $10,000, raised by Alex' family and friends.

One time an article in the Tampa Tribune (and I quote) related a story about a special dog named Nubs and a U.S. Marine Major Brian Dennis who had recently returned from Iraq. Major Dennis' Border Transition Team found Nubs near the Syrian border; his ears hacked off and left to die after being stabbed with a screwdriver. The Marines carried the dog to their base and nursed him back to health. Soon after, they left for the al-Anbar province. Imagine their surprise when Nubs showed up at their combat outpost after tracking them for 70 miles! After learning it was against military regulations to keep a pet in a war zone, Major Dennis began an e-mail campaign to raise the $3,500 it would cost to ship Nubs back to California. Marine buddies kept Nubs until Major Dennis shipped home from his second tour of duty in March for a happy reunion on the tarmac at Fort Pendleton. An excellent example of man giving back to a loyal companion!

German Shepherds make excellent therapy dogs, visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and childcare centers. They provide affection to the lonely and depressed. The dog seems to be able to sense what is needed and provides companionship to those who feel alone and need it the most.

Due to the breeds’ excellent sense of smell, they make wonderful search and rescue dogs as well as narcotic dogs. That’s why the police department has used these dogs for years recognizing the exceptional intelligence of this breed.

It is important for the German Shepherd owner or someone who is considering owning one of these marvelous dogs to know that this dog has an overwhelming need to work. If you live a sedentary life or leave your dog home much of the time, this might not be the best breed for you. He needs daily exercise and a sense of purpose. If he is not given a purpose in life, you might find yourself with a destructive dog on your hands. One of the top reasons a person puts a dog to sleep is because the dog was destructive. If only they would have put the time into training and working with their dog, the dog would prove to be an important part of their lives. This is not a breed of dog that you buy and ask him to lie around the house and be happy all day. It is not part of this dog’s character. He’s too smart for that. He will grow restless. This is a breed of dog to enjoy and do things with. We miss out the fun that these dogs can be and the joy that they can bring to our lives by locking them up in a kennel and just taking them out when they go to a show. How wonderful that this dog is a dog that can do it all. Look gorgeous and serve a purpose. If we own this breed, it is our responsibility to make sure this dog is not only trained for the show ring, but also to train his mind. He’s not just another pretty face!

My rating: the German Shepherd dog’s intelligence: (4), working ability: (4), untrained GS: (1)

IT'S A FIRST....STREAMING VIDEO OF THE NATIONAL SPECIALTY SHOW!

Well I got absolutely nothing done today. I always do my blog in the morning, but me along with over 200 other people were watching a streaming video offered by The German Shepherd Dog Club of America. We were all watching the specialty show before the National begins tomorrow. I was watching the show from 10 am this morning until roughly around 4 pm this afternoon. As I said, nothing got done around here and I admit, I didn’t get out of my p.j.’s until noon time when I had my lunch. Lazy, no good for nothing that I am! About the only thing that got done this morning were the dogs feeding and watering.

The streaming video is a first for The German Shepherd Dog Club of America. Thanks to some very unselfish people who donated their time to this effort, the rest of us got entertained for nothing! For a list of all who were involved with this project, you can check it out on the streaming video’s website under show catalog. From what I heard Lanalee Jorgensen – Law say on the video, Mr. Lew Bunch was instrumental in getting Purina to sponsor this streaming video. Bob Braue did the camera work to bring it all into our living rooms. Lanalee was the commentator for the length of the show. There was only sound when Lanalee came on to announce what dog it was that we were watching or to comment on the candid shots of people in the audience. I tried to think of whether I would have preferred having constant audio so I could hear the applause and chit chat or if I liked it better with silence as my friend until Lanalee interrupted with her occasional sense of humor. Sometimes I think I would like to hear the excitement in the arena especially for Saturday and the specials class, but then I wonder if all that noise would give me a headache and I should count my blessings.

I won’t name the names of the dogs who won. That’s already been written about through Evan Ginsberg’s blog and commentary. Also you can view the name of the dogs that were entered in the catalog on the streaming videos website. I will however, comment on the judging and as always this is just my opinion. The males were judged by Mr. Robert Drescher and the females were judged by Ms. Vicki Roye. I’ve seen Bob judge before, but I’ve never seen Ms. Roye judge. I would have preferred to have seen one judge, rather than both of them. I like to follow what one judge does and likes rather than switching over to a different judge half way through the show.

I thought the quality was for the most part very good. I saw nice breed type more so on the bitches than the males. But the males, I’m happy to saw had good secondary sex characteristics along with good bone. I thought that Mr. Drescher did a very good job. I could follow what he was doing and what he liked. He unfortunately had to deal with some bad temperament problems, but dealt with it very professionally. One young dog appeared to have snapped at him. It happened so quickly, but next thing I knew he excused the dog. Another dog that had gorgeous breed type and pigment also displayed poor temperament, but did not try to bite the judge. You could tell Bob really liked this dog, but he gave him a chance and went back to the dog. The dog shied away again and was put to the end of the line. Over all the rest of the male classes exhibited good temperaments. He found his better movers and rewarded them with the win or class placements.

The bitches, in my opinion, showed better overall temperaments. I don’t recall any temperament problems in the classes. Ms. Roye was a little harder for me to follow. Some times she had breed type in front and other times a better mover. Naturally being a chair side judge like I am, I didn’t have the view of the dog’s mouth, so this too would have helped being a deciding factor in some of the placements. However, I thought she was more inconsistent in her choices. Where I could follow what Bob was doing, I couldn’t say the same for the bitch classes. I thought some of the good ones got away. But that’s just me.

The Best of Breed classes got a very large entry and I was happy to see some champions that I’ve never seen before. I really liked the Best Opposite Sex champion winner. She had the side gait and the breed type that I favor. I did get away from the video a couple of times, but correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that Kent Boyles won Winners Dog, Winners Bitch and Best of Breed. I could be wrong and I’m sure if I am, someone will write to tell me so.

I along with many others am most appreciative for the hard word that the many volunteers and the parent club have done to bring us this wonderful entertainment. It isn’t perfect and they are still feeling their way around it, but boy, we’ve come a long way since last year and the years before. Improvements that are needed and I’m sure will change as the time goes by is the need for zooming in on the dogs for close up shots especially when they are gaiting. Right now it’s hard to truly evaluate their side gaits from a distance. In an ideal world, if we had the capabilities that we do when we watch a video on the television and have the option of slowing it down to watch each step the dog takes, then we would all be very happy. But for now, I think this was a great way to spend my day. It didn’t cost me anything and it was very enjoyable. I also would like it if the commentator would say who we are looking at while the camera man is zooming around taking pictures of some unsuspecting audience members. Sometimes Lanalee would mention a few, but it would be so great to know who we are looking at because most of us know what Jimmy Moses or Fran Ford looks like, but what fun to put a name to a face to someone we correspond with on the show dog lists. Just a suggestion. Thank you one and all for all that you do! I can’t wait for the National that starts tomorrow.

I will not be blogging a great deal this week because I will be watching the show with the rest of you. If I blog at all, it might just be a short one. More than likely, I’ll wait until it’s all over to start the blog again. Have fun everyone!

My rating: video: (4), volunteers: (4), Show List & Evan’s blog: (4)

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREEDER, THE HANDLER & THE JUDGE

The three most important people in the show dog world are the breeder, handler and the judge. In this chosen sport of ours, they all play an important part in the future of the breed.

With much dedication and hard work, a breeder can hope to realize his dreams of producing the best representative of the German Shepherd Dog. Although some people are talented enough to show their own dogs, most don’t. For these people, paying for the services of a professional handler who knows the breed standard is the only way to go. Then there is the judge who hopefully has had many years of breeding and showing of the German Shepherd to be the best judge possible. Let’s take a look at just what it is that each of these groups of people does.

The breeder is the person who through much research and investigation decides to breed the best two dogs he can afford hoping to produce the dog closest to the breed standard. He knows which bloodlines are known to produce certain traits in the dog. He’ll know which dogs are known to produce good shoulders, good hindquarters and breed type. He’ll also pay attention to dogs that may have genetic health problems in their pedigrees. He will talk to other breeders who may have bred to the same bloodlines to find out what they got in their litters. He’ll be aware of the dominate genes as well as the recessive genes. He’ll inquire if the dog’s carry the coat gene, or the gene to produce blacks. Does the line carry the blue gene? Are there ear problems in this line? Is this a good bloodline for sound temperament? Is the dog that he breeds to dominate for producing his phenotype (what he looks like) or his genotype (what’s behind him in his pedigree)? And then even after all the breeders research on the prospective breeding he has planned, he might get something totally different than he expected from this combination. That’s the wonder and the mystery of breeding dogs. You plan on one thing and the genetics of the dog dictates something totally different. Breeding is never an exact science. It looks great on paper. The two dogs are superior representatives of the breed but the genes of the two might have something totally different in store. The breeder may decide to line breed the dogs (common ancestors in their pedigree). They may inbreed (father/daughter, mother/son), etc. Or they can do an out cross breeding where there are no common lines in their pedigrees at all. What ever the breeder decides to do, hopefully they have done their homework and will produce the best combination of blood lines that they possibly can. Being a breeder is expensive if the best possible food is fed to their dogs, the best veterinarian care is utilized and the general well being of their dogs is of the utmost importance.

The professional handler has come a long way from years before. Years ago, the professional handler was just that…..a dog handler. Most of the time, he had another full time job and showing dogs was something that he/she did on the week-ends. Now days, MANY of the top handlers not only show dogs, they breed them as well and some even have kennels where they train and teach their clients dogs how to be show dogs! It is the handler’s job to take an assignment to handle a client’s dog and show him to the best of his ability. If he is a top handler, not only does he show the dog to the best of his ability, but he shows the dog to the best of the dog’s capabilities. What this means is that a good handler knows the dog’s good points as well as his bad points. It is up to the smart handler to emphasize the one while diminishing the other. I know I talk quite a bit about the late, great handler, LaMar Kuhns. It’s because he was a showman! This man would make eye contact (like most good handlers do) with the judge. If he had a dog whose strength was his exceptional shoulder, LaMar made sure the judge knew it. He’d set that dog up and actually stroke and outline the dogs’ fore assembly while stacking him. It was like he was saying to the judge: "I know you like good shoulders, so look here what I brought to you." He was challenging them to deny him. If the dog was a beautiful dog standing, he would set the dog up to perfection. Then he would lean on one leg with the other stretched out before him and sit back on the back leg and let the audience “oooo and ahhh over the dogs’ extraordinary top line. This is what you pay a top handler for……to showcase your dog. Some handlers like Leslie or Kent excel at moving a dog. The dog is usually on a very long leash and they are using all of it. In my opinion, it is VERY IMPORTANT for the handler to like your dog…..even better if it loves your dog. The handler is there for one reason only and that is to win! He must feel that the dog he takes into the ring is one that he can win with. If you feel that he is using your dog as a filler (to load up an entry), it’s time to change handlers. Also important to note……..take a look at the handlers winning record. See who he wins under. Is he a specialty handler or does he do more winning in the all breed rings? Also each handler has their own style of showing a dog. Some are known to be great at stacking your dog. Some are known to know how to move your dog to the best of his advantage. Get to know the handler’s style of showing dogs.

Then there is the all important judge. Like in everything else (breeders and handlers included), there are good judges and there are bad judges. There are knowledgeable judges and one’s you might scratch your head wondering how they ever got their judges license to begin with. Again, it is up to you to do your homework when choosing a judge to show your dog to. Remember you are asking this judge when your dog steps into the ring to give your animal a fair evaluation. As I said before, hopefully this judge has many years of breeding, studying and knowing the breed inside and out! Hopefully, you as the breeder/owner are bringing the best of your bloodlines for the judge to evaluate. Remember if you belong to a breed club and especially belonging to the parent club, The German Shepherd Dog Club of America, you are afforded the opportunity to vote for the judges that officiate at the dog shows. Don’t whine and cry that the judge is a crook, if you didn’t vote in your club for the judges that you want. Are there crooked judges? It’s almost like asking, are there crooked politicians. Yes to both of these questions. (Again, this writer’s opinion). MOST judges can’t be bought, bullied or convinced to put up someone’s dog that is not the best in his ring! The judge loves what he is doing. It is a privilege to be asked to judge someone’s show. Most have good reputations and want to do the best job that they have been asked to do. You bring an educated judge a great dog and he’s going to find it. If you think that you haven’t been given a fair chance or you suspect that something is just not right with this judge, then get the message across to them by not giving him another entry. Better yet, make sure you vote for a better judge next time at your club. There are many good judges that we are blessed with in our breed. All too many times, the same people get asked to judge because of their name or position in the breed. This happens time and again at the National level and with the futurity/maturity shows. The argument for this would be that these are the people who know the breed best and therefore, these are the people best qualified to do the best judging.

Breeder, handler and judge……they all go hand in hand in importance to the relationship of the show dog. The handler can’t get a job without the breeder; most breeders can’t or won’t show their own dogs, so they can’t show without the handler. And then the judge can’t get any assignments if there weren’t any breeders to produce dogs and there were no handlers to show them. So they all need one another. Who do you think has the most control over the direction of the breed’s future? I would say that the most important of these three is the breeder (#1) and the judge. The breeder produces the quality or lack of and the judge decides if it meets the breed standard. The breeder may produce championship quality dogs, but he can’t hope to realize this without the judge’s approval of what he brings to him in the ring. So we as breeders need to know our breed standard and strive to produce it. If we can’t do it ourselves, hire the best handler to showcase our dogs. Then get to know what the judges like. Watch what they put up. Decide if you like what the judge does and then either vote for him or someone else to show under.

My rating: importance of a good breeder: (4), importance of a good handler: (4), importance of a good judge: (4) and MOST IMPORTANT is educating yourself on the breed standard and knowing which judges judge according to that standard: (4)

THE WILL TO WIN

I remember we had the late great LaMar Kuhns (German Shepherd Dog handler extraordinaire) over for supper at our house one time. He was going to be giving a speech at our club, The GSDC of Greater New Haven. Anyone who knew LaMar could expect anything and everything out of this colorful man’s mouth. He was quick with a comeback and had an answer for everything concerning the breed. He knew what it took to win which was evident in his show record.

So we’re sitting at the dinner table with LaMar and we’re talking about which dogs were winning at the time. All of a sudden, he comes out with “Give me the spook any day, because you know they’re going to be moving around the ring.” Was he promoting the spooky dog? No, but just stating a fact that some dogs can be too sound and find the show ring a boring place to be. Years ago, temperament wasn’t pushed as much as it in the show rings today. It would be harder to get the “spook” past the discerning eye of today's judges. Oh, some of the very well trained ones still get through, but today’s judges are more on the look out for disagreeable temperaments.

I have a friend who owns a champion group winning dog and she and I were talking about this very subject the other day. After a couple of days of showing, her dog becomes bored with it and is not enthusiastic about running around in circles anymore. Her dog has a marvelous temperament, but showing has never been high on his list of fun things to do.

I believe we can train dogs to be show dogs, but I don’t believe we can train all of them to be ‘exciting’ show dogs. There are show dogs and then there are “special” show dogs. What makes them special is their will to win. They have that “look at me, aren’t I special” kind of attitude. They ask for the win, and unless they ask for the win, they won’t be garnering any Select or Best in Show accomplishments. This is what makes them stand out from the rest. The other dog might even be the better dog, but unless he makes the judge take another look, he’ll get run over by the one who is asking for it.

Is this “will to win” type of personality born or made? I believe that they are born. In every litter, there are a few who stand out above all the rest in personality. These are the rascals in the litter. They’re lively and spunky and are usually the ones who are getting into trouble. They’re mischievous and full of life wanting to know about the world around them. They’re inquisitive and usually very smart. They have a will to please their master. Many times they are the alpha of the litter and are jealous and possessive for the owner’s affection. They are the ones that if they could talk would be saying, “Look at me, look at me.” They have that, “Well (ain’t) I somethin’ written all over them!”

Once you know that this is the one, the wise breeder starts teaching the puppy how to “double handle” by playing hide and seek with him. He teaches the puppy to seek him out; to look for him. He rewards him with treats and lots of love and affection and affirmations about how wonderful he is. This is the type of puppy that eats this stuff up. His main purpose in life is to please you.

To be a winner, the dog should be sound in temperament, but also have a lively happy kind of personality. I’ve pulled dogs from continuing their show career because they weren’t fond of the show ring. Two come to my mind. One was a drop dead gorgeous looking dog that would always attract the judges and crowds eye as soon as he stepped into the ring. Jimmy was showing him and told me he’d have no problem finishing him. Only thing is my dog had other ideas. A couple of times around the ring, and then he would no longer put out and instead of pulling out on the lead, decided running next to his handler was all he was going to do. Gorgeous dog…..awful show dog! Then I had a bitch that would rather run up to the judge, tail never stopped wagging as she greeted everyone, but a couple of times around the ring and she too stayed along side the handler rather than pull out in front of her. Both lovely animals but it wasn’t worth the aggravation for me to show them. Both good temperaments, but they would rather be home lying in front of the fireplace.

My rating: the dogs with the attitude: (4), sound dog, but no attitude: (2)

THE MARTINGALE DOG COLLAR

Most people have a few different types of collars that they use for their dogs. They all serve a different purpose for different stages and times in a dog’s life.

The basic types of dog collars are: the traditional buckle type collar made of cloth or leather. These are the type of collars that you might see the pet dog owner use. They like the variety of fabrics to choose from. Then there’s the choker chain collar that trainers and show people use. And then there is the Martingale dog collar. It’s a restrain collar like the choker, but it’s a gentler collar so it doesn’t choke the dog.

I love using the Martingale collar on puppies when I am first trying to get them used to having something around their necks. It’s more gentle and kinder to use than the choke collar.

What is a Martingale collar? The Martingale collar used to be called the Greyhound dog collar. These dogs needed a special type of collar because their neck is bigger than their heads. Now it’s become a popular collar for many show dog people of different breeds as well. It is a collar that helps keep the dog comfortable while restraining him on the leash. Looking at this collar, you will see that there are two loops; a large one and a smaller one. The large loop slips over the dog’s neck. The smaller loop has a ring attached to it. This is where the leash clips onto the collar. It is the smaller loop that tightens the larger loop if the dog should try to pull out of it.

The Martingale collar comes in a few different choices. You can get the all chain type, the fabric type or a leather chain combination. A couple of years ago, I had a Martingale collar custom made for one of my dogs that I was showing. It was the leather chain combination. The leather part went around the dog’s neck and the smaller loop was made of the chain. I used to show some of my dogs with a martingale collar years ago and figured I would do it now as well.

The day of the dog show arrived and I put my bitch in the Martingale collar. I groomed her and took her to the ready ring for my handler to take her. She took my girl one time around the ring and as I’m watching her, she removed the Martingale collar and replaced it with a CHOKE collar only she didn’t put her on the choke. She just clipped the two rings together and that’s how she showed her.

Most professional dog handlers have a preference for what type of collar they want to use on the dogs that they’re showing. Sometimes it will depend on the dog as to what type of collar they will use. Check with your handler as to what type of collar they prefer.

As with any collar, never leave it on your dog. Although this is a safer collar to use, remove it when you’re not using it with a leash. Like other collars, it can still get hooked to something and choke your dog.

I find that the Martingale collar along with being gentler on the dog’s neck is also kinder to his fur. There are many places that you can buy a Martingale collar. There’s a gazillion web stores that sell them and many pet stores as well.

Prices will vary as to the type of material used for the Martingale collar (chain, fabric, or combination leather/chain): $10 right on up over $30.

My rating: construction: (4), durability: (4), safety: (4), value: (4)