THE LONG COATED SHEPHERD DISQUALIFIED OR A WINNER?

I appreciate all of those who read my blogs and e-mail me with suggestions for topics to write about. This article was suggested to me by a top winning kennel whose dogs you might see in the show ring most week ends. She wanted to know what people think about a long coated German Shepherd winning in the ring. As she said, it’s only a minor fault. I just looked at the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s new and improved website under the breed standard. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I once read that the long coated shepherd is considered a minor fault. Now I read that it classifies it as a fault in coat. Perhaps it’s just a difference in wording.

The above picture is of a dog that I bred MANY YEARS AGO with Marge Dolan of Dolmar German Shepherds. He was a coated puppy. However, his coat wasn’t very long at all on his body. Mainly the long hair was on his head around his ears. I showed him twice and both times he took Best Puppy under specialty judges. He was exceptionally well bred with a magnificent side gait, having both front and rear angulation. His bone was oval, his head masculine, tight feet and a temperament to die for. I mean he had no other faults beside the coat. Because I was relatively new in the breed, I decided instead of trimming his ears, I would sell him into a pet home. If I had to do it over again, I don’t think I would have made that same decision. He was a product of the best of the Doppelt Tay lines (#2 Select Gilda’s son Steel Curtain bred to the famous Reno/Rhyme bloodlines).

Many a time in a breeders litter, the long coated puppy is the best in conformation and temperament. I wonder why that is. The long coated puppy is generally very easy to sell into a pet home. Some coats are indeed, very long. Others like mine, might just have the tell tale sign of being a coat around the ears….sometimes between the toes as well.

For those readers not familiar with the coat of the German Shepherd Dog, the breed has a double coat which is medium in length. His undercoat insulates for warmth and protection from the elements. The long coat doesn’t offer him this same protection. It is a softer coat in texture and gets wet quicker than the double layered coat.

So what does a breeder do when faced with a long coated puppy of superior conformation and movement? Many breeders will keep this type of puppy for breeding purposes and breed her to a stud that doesn’t carry the long coat gene. Then there are some who will trim the dog and show them anyway. The long coat is not considered a disqualification.

In my opinion, there a many more things to worry about in the breed than a long coated German Shepherd. Temperament should be the first thing we look for in a good quality dog followed by a sound functional body. I know some people will think, let the long coated dogs win and next we’ll see the livers and blues winning. We over look one thing and then where does it end? This is why we have a standard to base our breeding program on.

Faults of gait are considered very serious faults, and yet I’ll see dogs that kick up in the rear, those who lift from the elbow, dogs who are sloppy going away and they’re winners; many of them are champions. Surely if the faulty gaits are judged and overlooked then a minor fault like a coat shouldn’t be eliminated. Ideally, we would like to see all winning dogs be faultless. It’s not going to happen. The perfect dog hasn’t been bred. Genetics being what it is hasn’t produced the perfect specimen yet. We as breeders can only hope to show the best of our litters and come as close to the standard as possible.

So what do you think? Would you keep and show a long coated dog who had everything else going for him or sell him into a pet home?

My rating on a long coated dog being shown and finished: Only is it’s superior to all the others in the ring: (4), use for breeding: (4)

THE BOOSTER BATH

If you’re like me, bathing a dog especially the size of our German Shepherds is not high on my list of things I enjoy doing. After having a car accident, bathing a dog has slipped far down on my “things to do list.” Even under the best of circumstances, bathing a dog is no easy task. So what do you do when your dog is in need of a bath? You can bathe him in the bath tub or take him outside and use the hose. And then there is a third option and that is the ‘Booster Bath.”

Getting your dog used to the Booster Bath is similar to getting him used to the grooming table. It’s always a good idea to start them young so they become familiar with these grooming devices. Once your dog is taught to jump up on a grooming table, you’ll have no problem getting him into the Booster Bath.

The good thing about the Booster Bath is that you have full access to getting around your dog while bathing him, unlike if he were in the bath tub. It is elevated off the ground so you don’t have to bend over him. It has a three point restraint system with an adjustable collar for the comfort of your dog while preventing him from jumping out. Once the dog gets used to the Booster Bath, many times you won’t even need the collar. The bottom of the tub has a rubberized non-slip mat to prevent slipping and sliding and falls. It contains a five foot drain hose so you can wash in one area and drain in another. There’s a place for shampoo and it comes with a fan nozzle that you can attach to a hose. There is a rubber bottom on the legs of the tub to keep in stationary and help prevent it from slipping. Although it is built sturdy and strong, it is lightweight and portable. You can easily disassemble the tub for storage. The Booster Bath can be used indoors (cellar or garage) or outdoors.

The spray nozzle has an on/off switch so you can control the water flow, using the gentle flow for the face and head or the heavy flow for the rest of the body. Then when you're finished, you can hook the nozzle to the side of the tub.

The Booster Bath comes with a 5 year limited warranty. The company also makes a “Groomers Edition” of the Booster Bath. This has a built in ramp for your dog to climb into the tub rather than jumping up into it. It can adjust to accommodate the smaller dog as well. It has a dual fan nozzle hose system. This one also is lightweight and portable. This also comes with a five year warranty.

You can purchase the companies “Tropic Shower” system. It is made so you can have access to warm water with good pressure. It works with your washing machine valves and garden hose. This has a two year warranty.

The prices for the Booster Bath products are: Booster Bath - $179.95, Groomer’s Edition - $369.00, and the Tropic Shower - $49.95.

I feel that for most people’s purposes, the regular Booster Bath is all they need. The Groomer’s Edition is quite a bit more expensive and I don’t know that it is that much more different than their original bath. Unless the dog is old and has a hard time jumping, I really don’t see the need to spend a lot more money for a bath with a ramp.

To see pictures and videos of the Booster Bath, check them out by doing a search on Google with the words: Booster Bath. Also sometimes you can get a better price when someone is selling it on e-bay. I’ve seen them on Amazon as well starting at $149.00. So check around to get your best price. Watch out for the shipping.

My rating: quality: (4), durability: (4), ease of use: (4), value: (4)

PROFESSIONAL SHOW DOG HANDLERS - ARE THEY REALLY NECESSARY?

Showing dogs is a competitive sport. Sometimes having a good dog isn’t enough. Sometimes you need that something extra.

With today’s economy, showing dogs has become a luxury that many people can no longer afford. But if you breed and show dogs, the call of the competition ring is calling to you so you may have to ask yourself can I win showing my own dog? The answer is of course you can! Then the next question you should ask yourself is, are you up for the challenge? Are you in good enough shape to run around the ring several times? Will your dog perform for you or will he just run by your side? Will he set up for you and look noble and alert in the ring or will he be trying to turn around to lick your face? Can you take losing to a professional handler many more times than you would like? Can you be a good sport and come back and hope to win the next day and the next until you finish his championship?

Naturally you can train your dog to bait for you when you set him up by waving a piece of liver in his face while telling him to stay. But how do you get him to pull out for you? Showing a dog yourself in an all-breed show is easier because of the size of the smaller ring. Baiting a dog is a very accepted practice in the all breed shows and many times you’ll see it in the larger specialty rings as well.

Showing and winning with your dog can be a very rewarding experience. However, statistics will prove that more dogs finish their championships with a professional handler showing them. Should you give up then? Not if you truly enjoy showing your own dogs and find it a fun thing to do. There’s nothing more marvelous than finishing you own dog, I would assume. I don’t know. I never did it myself. Just know that when you step inside that ring, you will be rubbing elbows with some of the top professionals in the breed. Watch and learn from them. Some of them are even friendly enough to give you a few tips, but remember they are being paid to win and they might help you some, but their there to beat you.

I have always used professional handlers to show my dogs. I’ve probably hired most of the top handlers on the east coast at one time or another. For those who are new to the show world, you might ask, just what is it that a professional handler does? For many years, most of the time the owner of the dog would bring the animal to the show and the handler would take him into the ring and show him. Some of the better handlers would even help you groom the dogs. Now days, some of the handlers have facilities to train and board your dog to prepare him for the show ring. You pay him normally a monthly fee to board and train the dog. Many owners will send their dogs out with a handler when they can’t go to a show themselves but want to show under certain judges. Then they wait for the handler to call them with the show results.

You hire a professional handler to do what you can’t or don’t want to do. The handler will show your dog according to that dogs best qualities. Normally the handler has an eye for a good dog. He knows the best of your dog and also his minor faults. It is up to the handler to bring out the best and hide the rest. Example: your dog is a beautiful standing dog when he's in a stacked show stance, but his croup is a little flat. The handler will know how to groom the croup to make it look less flat.

A good professional handler will be honest with his client. If a dog is not of the best quality to be competitive in the ring, then he should tell you so. A good handler knows what type of dog wins in the show ring. You are paying him to be honest with you and to let you know if you have that kind of dog. You’re not only paying him for his expertise in the ring, but also his knowledge of the breed and knowledge of what the judge likes. Remember he wants to win almost as much as you do. Also you should know, just because you think “Rover” is the best thing on the planet, doesn’t mean he has what it takes to be a winning show dog. Take him home and love him anyway.

Many times you will see today’s handlers grooming your dogs for you before he goes into the ring. This is an added bonus of hiring a good handler. Also he might take the dog out into the field to work with him ahead of time especially if it’s a new dog that he hasn’t shown before. This gives the handler and dog some time to get familiar with one another. This gives your handler a “feel” for your dog. Sometimes the handler will advise you what type of collar they like to use and what length leash would be best to show your dog with.

How do you find and decide who to hire to show your dog? The best advice I would say is to go to the shows and watch the handler’s performance in the ring. Watch how they handle the dog. Talk to the people who sit at ringside and ask their opinions about different handlers. Word of mouth is probably the best advertisement when choosing a handler. If they have a website, go on it to look and read about their accomplishments. If you ever decide you want to send your dogs for training visit their kennels and look for cleanliness of the place and most of all look at the condition of the dogs they have there already. Also, how does your dog react to this person? Does he like them? Does the handler show a genuine interest in your dog? Ask other people if they have sent their dogs to this person’s kennel.

Professional handlers can be expensive. You will not only pay for their handling of your dog, but you’ll also help pay for their traveling expenses to get to and from the show. You’ll help pay for their meals and hotel if they are staying over night to show your dog. Besides the handlers fee of showing your dog in a class, if he wins and has to go back in to the Winners class, you might get charged again for that class. If he wins that class and goes back in for Best of Breed, you might get charged for that class as well. Check with your handler BEFORE you show to know what his expenses and fees will be. If the handler is showing more than just your dog, he usually divides his traveling and expenses among his clients. Again check with him BEFORE you commit to him.

Realize that there are good handlers and not so good handlers. A good handler is one who is knowledgeable about the breed and the judges (their likes and dislikes), who has a love for the breed, who has a good way of interacting with the dogs, who shows the dog to the best of his ability, and one who has a connection with your dog and who will do his best to bring out your dogs best! Most of all a good handler loves what he’s doing and that love extends right on down through the leash to the dog that he’s handling. Your dog should not be intimidated by the handler – respect him (yes), but not intimidated by him. If it’s not fun for your dog, then he’s not going to show well and won’t be a winning dog.

No matter which way you choose to show your dog – either by a professional or yourself, it should always be fun for you and your dog. If it isn’t then you need to address why that is. There is nothing more rewarding then showing and winning with your dog and when he finishes his championship, the pride you’ll feel – well there’s nothing quite equal it in the dog world.

I am all for the professional dog handler. I have NEVER had a problem with any of them and as I’ve said, I’ve hired the best of them. I would recommend them over and over again.

Professional handler rates: this will vary greatly by each individual many times according to his years of experience and expertise in winning - $45 a class and up. Special fees for winners and Best of Breed you should be aware of ahead of time. Traveling and expenses will vary. Also remember many clients will give a bonus to a professional handler if they win the points or take Best of Breed at the show that day. A bonus is just that – a bonus. It should be something that the client gives as an extra special way of saying “thank you.” It should not be a given nor should a handler tack it on to your bill and expect you to pay it.

My rating: expertise: (4), professionalism: (4), knowledge: (4), value: (4)