[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Coated Herding Dogs
- From: Ruth Scheubler <rightdogphoto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: DaList <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:28:35 -0700 (PDT)
The Wheaten is not really a herding dog - it is a multi-purpose farm dog who
has
to sometimes handle stock as part of his duties. That is very different from
the
fetching dogs (think BC) or tending dogs (upright dogs like GSD, Briard,
Belgians) who spend hours out working the sheep in all kinds of weather.
We have several Giant Schnauzers up here who are working on their Herding
Championships on C course. I enjoy watching the different breeds and their
different styles of work.
Ruth
________________________________
From: Kay Springer <showgsd@xxxxxxx>
To: Peggy Mickelson <pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx>; showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, August 14, 2010 6:40:06 PM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Coated Herding Dogs
Peggy, you make some excellent points but there is soon will be one
breed that will be allowed to enter AKC herding trials next year that
definitely has a soft coat. And that is the Soft Coated Wheaten
Terrier so I think you will agree that a proper Wheaten does have a
soft coat. LOL
Speaking of herding, I just got back from working the herding test
and trial, sheep and ducks, sponsored by one of the local GSD clubs I
belong to. We had a great combination of breeds....of course there
were the expected herding breeds, but also a Standard Schnauzer and a
Swiss Mountain Dog. But my heart was stolen by a wonderful and
beautiful Belgian Malinois who I believe went High In Trial from the
Started class. Lots of champions of all breeds were well
represented....a long but fun day in the sun.
Kay Springer
www.showboatgsd.com
Home of Multi BISS & Multi Group Winning
Ch. Rohan's Reward TC,CGC,HT,CD,RE,CHIC
"Strider" 75 BOBs - #5 & #6 GSD 2009--- who is now retired and not
happy about it!!
On Aug 14, 2010, at 6:16 AM, Peggy Mickelson wrote:
> I know Kay knows the difference...but, ..there is a difference
> between a long coat and a soft coat.
> Off hand, I can't think of a single herding/working breed that
> should have a soft coat.
>
> A herding or working dog with a SOFT coat is at a terrible
> disadvantage over a dog
> with a hard or rough coat, no matter the length. If the long coat
> is of correct texture there's really no problem...
> the problem is that most of what we call long coats are soft as
> well, with too much undercoat
> and insufficient hard topcoat to keep the dog a working animal..
>
> The problems Pam mentioned can be attributed to soft coats more than
> to coats are simply long.
> Yes, soft coats get waterlogged, for one thing...as opposed to coats
> of the correct texture,
> which will repel water and not usually allow the dog to get soaked
> to the skin. The biggest disadvantage
> to a long coat is that it picks up more dirt and trash (leaves,
> sticks, etc)...when you think about the development
> of these breeds, however, you recognize that most of them weren't
> meant to be house dogs...so
> the dirt didn't matter too much. This isn't to say that no one
> ever allowed their Komondor in the
> house, etc., but the purpose of the dog was to work, not to be a
> fireside companion, regardless of all
> the Lassie stories. Ask some of the Puli people about the trash
> they find in their dogs' coats when
> they've been out running in the field. They make great jokes about
> it.
>
> The upshot of this is that a herding/working dog may have a long
> coat because the length
> won't keep the dog from working...but a soft coat gets wet and
> waterlogged....thereby
> making the dog susceptible to chilling as well as giving him more
> weight to carry around in the form of
> soaking wet hair and maybe ice as well..
>
> Go and touch a correctly coated Collie, Old English, or
> Briard...and discover what a harsh coat feels like.....even if
> Briards today are groomed to look pretty silky, the correct coat is
> hard.........very different from a soft coat. Soft
> coats feel pretty much like undercoat..... when you brush/comb out a
> shedding GSD and find yourself with bags of
> undercoat, that's soft coat, and not the kind of coat you want on a
> working dog.
>
> It is true, sadly, that today many breeds of dog are shown in
> incorrect coat because their handlers have stripped
> out the good coat while getting rid of dead hair...leaving Bouviers,
> OES, and others in pretty, fluffy, poufy coats
> that are totally incorrect. Judges who don't know the difference
> make it worse by putting these dogs up.
>
> Peggy
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kay Springer" <showgsd@xxxxxxx>
>
>
>>>> I really don't think this is correct. Look at the herding group, I
>>>> would say that over half of the herding breeds have long coats and
>>>> after seeing them herd it does not present a problem....a grooming
>>>> problem for the owners but not a working problem. And most dogs
>>>> that are herding on a continuing basis have very tough pads that do
>>>> not get cut up. JMHO
> ==========================================================
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POST is Copyrighted 2010. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its
administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in
any post.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org
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