[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Why did my dog lose? Long
- From: InquestGSD@xxxxxxx
- To: pamb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 09:23:27 EDT
Thank You Pam, this is the most candid post I have ever read on this list. I
loved it.
It is so good to see people like Pam, taking the time to learn what it is
that makes a dog. I wish more people had access to classes and teachers like
the one she has. You may not realize it now, but that is an advantage many
people don't have.
I think you are on the right path.
As far as critiquing your dog, let me share my experience with you.
I was told to go about it this way: Ask people whose dogs you like, and then
ask a couple of people whose dogs you don't care for as much. Then ask
someone else. You may get 3 different opinions. NOW: compare their
evaluations
of your dogs with your own. See if you agree, if you missed something, if
they missed something. Ultimately, it is your decision to make, but make an
educated one.
On the grooming part, please don't discount a GSD as only a wash and wear
dog. The teeth cleaning, for example, it is not only a grooming issue, it is
also a healthy issue. The bacteria that accumulates in their teeth and gum is
harmful to their organs. Do you have to bathe them weekly? No, you could,
but you don't have to. To me that's an issue of preference. But I agree with
you, no enhancements are needed. They are always left out of the gene
pool....<G>
If you want to talk more, email me privately. I love to talk dogs.
Take care and good luck.
Ileana
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I wish I had a mentor. I have not had the privilege of having someone
critique my dogs or my breeding program. My learning curve has been very
slow, dog by dog, show by show. I started out seriously showing looking at
color. I could not understand why the dog with the prettiest color did not
win. A handler standing ringside said, "I never see color, I see structure,"
and I didn't know what she was talking about so I started by asking my
all-breed handler what was meant. My handler invited me to attend her
conformation classes. She gave real classes with lectures as well as ring
training and critiquing. We went to her home where she showed us Page
Elliot's "Dog Steps." I bought that video and have studied it trying to see
what it was that made the difference in the movement of the dogs. I watched
the herding group at ringside but when it came time for the GSDs I simply
went into high stress level because one of my dogs would be competing. (Not
a good time to learn anything.) But slowly I came to see the difference in
movement on the going round and the down and back (much easier to see). I
found I was paying less attention to color and more attention to the stack
to give me an idea of the structure the judge would be feeling. I began to
notice the difference between a low stationed dog (my preference) and ones I
thought of as "leggy," with more air under their chests. I am beginning to
see reach and drive and that dogs that have both. I still cannot see
shoulder conformation differences, nor the "open up" on the go round. I can
see a smooth easy trot but I cannot see a "flying trot" but that is probably
because we only have one specialty a year compared to numerous all breed
shows where the rings are small. I am still watching at ring side and hoping
to understand what it is that makes my dogs lose, when they lose and why
they won when they won.
An example of how I learn. I was recently competing with my specials bitch
under a judge that had not put her up when he had seen her before. I did
not know why and did not ask. There was a male puppy who looked IMO like a
Malamute GSD cross he was so big boned and had so much hair. He was
misbehaved in the ring and was obviously hard to control. But boy when he
finally settled down he moved beautifully. The judge gave him the breed. I
now know, that for this judge, movement is everything. Nothing else counts.
The next time I will bring him a Springer Spaniel. LOL I am able to see
that there is a subtle difference between that puppy's movement and my
bitch's but I have no idea what it was or how the dog was constructed that
created that movement.
I would like to be able to breed a dog with that kind of movement without
sacrificing everything else. I still want a dog that looks like a
working/herding dog-one that is clean, well balanced, well boned but not
overdone, good musculature, with a nice head and ear set (though this
doesn't change the movement at all) and a great temperament. And then, if
we could throw in a grey sable coat to go along with it I would die happy --
but it is not a requirement.
Since I want an opinion of my dog - as is - I do not dye my dogs or use
spray to shine their coats. I do not go to the vet to have their teeth
cleaned. For me, the GSD is a wash and wear dog and should be presented
without all those enhancements. JMO
I am still willing to hear an honest critique of my dog. I want to improve
my breeding program, given my end goals.
Pam Brink
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