Seasyde Pointers, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
|Spring 2013 |
|Puppy Evaluation: A Breeders’ Roundtable (Part Two) |
|by Arliss Paddock |
|[pic] |
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|Helyne Medeiros with two Pointers she bred — two of the four all-breed Best in Show winners in their litter. |
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|Photo Credit: Courtesy of Helyne Medeiros |
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|Once the puppies in a litter are a few months old, it is time to decide which ones should go to homes where they'll strictly be beloved |
|companions, and which are conformation or performance prospects. It can be difficult, however, to look at those youngsters and guess at how each|
|might turn out. Some traits can improve, while others are less likely to; a pup who looks awkward at a certain age might be beautifully balanced|
|later on, and vice versa. |
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|The ability to see the adult dog in the youngster is a skill whose nuances can take years, even decades, to develop. The trained eye of |
|experience can hold great sway in puppy evaluation, which is an area where the novice breeder can particularly benefit from the mentorship of |
|others. |
| |
|Recently AKC Breeder interviewed several longtime breeders about their puppy-evaluation methods so as to share their valuable insights, and we |
|presented Part One of these interviews our Winter 2012 issue. Here in Part Two we are privileged to share further advice from two more |
|outstanding breeders. |
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|In this issue we hear from Pointer breeder Helyne Medeiros, of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Helyne has been in love with dogs since childhood and by|
|age 8 was showing in conformation, obedience, Junior Showmanship, and 4-H. Her first big win was when as a young girl she showed her English |
|Setter, Meg, to Best in Sweepstakes, Best of Winners, and Best of Opposite Sex against tough competition at a specialty. Over the years Helyne |
|has carefully developed a very successful breeding program, and her Seasyde Pointers have included national-specialty Best of Breed winners, |
|multiple all-breed Best in Show winners, and all-time top winners in the breed. She has been involved with many dog organizations and has served|
|on the boards of the American Pointer Club and the Cape Cod Kennel Club, representing the latter club as an AKC Delegate. She exhibits her dogs |
|in conformation, hunt tests, and field trials. She is also an award-winning groomer and photographer and has lectured on grooming, conditioning,|
|and handling show dogs. |
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|We also interviewed Pharaoh Hound breeder Rita Laventhall Sacks, of Leesburg, Florida. Rita imported her first Pharaoh Hound in 1969 and is the |
|person most instrumental in introducing the breed to the U.S. Her Beltara Kennels, Reg. is regarded as the breed's foundation kennel in this |
|country. She helped establish the Pharaoh Hound Club of America and later set up the breed's registry and stud book, which she maintained with |
|her daughter, Laurie C. Laventhall, until breed recognition, at which time the records were turned over to the AKC. Rita has served on the |
|PHCA's board of directors since the club's inception and serves as the club's corresponding secretary as well as its judges' education |
|coordinator. She writes the Pharaoh Hound column for the AKC Gazette and is co-author of The Pharaoh Hound, a book widely used by judges and |
|fanciers alike as a reference for the breed. With Rita's selective breeding program in place, Beltara Kennels continues to produce champion |
|Pharaoh Hounds every year. |
|At what age(s) do you ideally like to evaluate puppies for show/breeding potential? |
|Medeiros: "I start to evaluate the puppies from birth on, but between 7 and 8 weeks is when I make my final decisions as to where each puppy |
|will be best suited and who I will be running on myself. I typically run on one or two myself, but then I reevaluate them at 6 months to make an|
|ultimate decision regarding who stays and who goes." |
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|Sacks: "Although I watch my puppies constantly and carefully, I try not to actually evaluate them until they are at least 12 weeks old. At that |
|time there is more development but they have not yet reached that awkward puppy stage where they seem to grow in different directions." |
|Many breeders evaluate puppies using approaches such as table-stacking, observing the pups at liberty, and looking at photos or videos. What are|
|your preferred evaluation methods? |
|Medeiros: "All of the above. However, observing puppies on the ground is how I make my final decision. Stacking them on the table allows me to |
|actually feel the parts. Still photos allow me to see the overall outline, and videos 'show the truth' as to how each puppy moves, how he |
|carries his tail, and how he presents himself overall. I've even been known to spend hours slowing down videos frame by frame, step by step." |
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|Sacks: "I prefer to watch them at play. I also like to put them out in my long dog runs next to each other and watch them move up and down. I do|
|most of my evaluation this way. I watch them every day until I am satisfied that I have graded the puppies correctly. |
| |
|"I have put them on the table to stack them, but I've never really been totally satisfied with this method. I prefer to observe them moving |
|freely." |
|What do you consider to be the basics or "must-haves" that you look for first in selecting the show/breeding prospect? |
|Medeiros: "The one who has the closest to the 'all-over package' is the keeper. They must first have the correct Pointer outline, both standing |
|and moving. Correct carriage is also important, because it is part of the breed characteristics. Then, the charisma is the icing on the cake!" |
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|Sacks: "Shoulders and hindquarters must be in balance. The importance of properly angulated shoulders is reflected in the dog's gait. |
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|"I look for the shoulder blade and upper arm joining at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. Slightly more would be acceptable, but not an |
|angle of 110 degrees, which is an extremely straight or upright shoulder and is incorrect. |
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|"Hindquarters should be in balance with the shoulders. Correct construction of the hindquarters is where the pelvis and upper shank meet at a |
|right angle (90 degrees), and the upper and lower shanks, which are of equal length, meet at an approximate right angle of slightly more than 90|
|degrees. It is important even at this young age that forequarters and hindquarters be in balance. |
| |
|"Since there are so many people who do not have a clue as to how to envision these angles, the quick and easy check for rear overangulation in |
|Pharaoh Hounds is to use the 'rule of plumb': Imagine a plumb line from the base of the tail to the ground; correct Pharaoh Hound rear |
|angulation should have that plumb line fall to where it is just touching the dog's rear toes when the hind foot is set with the hock |
|perpendicular to the ground. If the toes are behind that plumb line by an inch or more, then the dog is overangulated in the rear. |
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|"Another 'must have' is correct tail-set, which is neither high nor low, but medium." |
|How and when do you assess puppy temperament and personality, and how significant a role does temperament play in your overall evaluation? |
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|Photo Credit: © AKC |
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|Medeiros: "I start to notice temperaments as soon as they are up on their feet and motoring around. Because they are first and foremost sporting|
|dogs who are bred to hunt, I feel that it is very important not to keep one who is shy, noise-sensitive, or easily spooked. Those who fall into |
|that category, regardless of their beauty, are immediately removed from my breeding program. Ultimately we have to live with them as family |
|companions!" |
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|Sacks: "I assess puppy temperament and personality from the very beginning, and with good reason. The first Pharaoh Hounds to come to the U.S. |
|were very diffident with people. The breed had more or less been on its own, with minimum human interference for centuries. The Maltese farmers |
|who kept them used them for hunting and not as pets, placing emphasis on the natural instincts of the breed, leaving them barely domesticated. |
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|"Forty years ago, our first Pharaoh Hound puppies, starting as young as 6 weeks of age, would begin to resist being held closely, even |
|panicking. It is the only feature of the breed that we deliberately set out to change. Many an outstanding show-quality Pharaoh was never bred |
|because of a reticent personality. We felt that the foundation dogs had to have dependable temperament that would interact with the modern world|
|if the breed was to succeed in this country and eventually become recognized and enter the Hound Group." |
|What flaws do you consider to be possibly "forgivable" in puppies of your line or breed? Conversely, which do you deem so serious as to |
|eliminate a puppy from consideration as a show/breeding prospect? |
|Medeiros: "I am very critical when selecting puppies. I eliminate straight fronts, the wrong outline, unsoundness, and a really bad head or |
|tail. However, there are some faults that I can forgive if the puppy possesses the characteristics that define the reason why I did the breeding|
|in the first place, thus taking a step forward. I am also careful not to choose puppies who have qualities that are 'the drag of the breed.' I |
|personally prefer extreme over common and mediocre." |
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|Sacks: "A soft topline in a puppy is forgivable in Pharaoh Hounds, as is toeing-out of the front feet. These often change with maturity. Some PH|
|puppies have a somewhat tightly curled tail which, as the puppy matures, can relax and become correct—a good reason for not letting my puppies |
|leave before 12 weeks of age. |
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|"Lack of balance front and rear will not change, and I would never offer such a puppy as a show or breeding prospect." |
|From your observations in your own breed/bloodline, which conformation flaws do you feel can improve with maturity — and which have you found to|
|rarely or never improve? |
|Medeiros: "The chiseling on heads can improve with maturity; however, a truly plain-looking head at 8 weeks will most likely always remain |
|plain, and a fancy head will not end up plain. A puppy with extra skin, or even one who rolls, will typically grow into his skin. Also, a puppy |
|who is not as coordinated because he has more angles will find his legs at a later age but will have a better scope once matured. The |
|less-angled pups tend to be more coordinated early on but also will be restricted in movement." |
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|Sacks: "Although heads can change, such as the foreface growing, lack of parallel planes will not correct with time. High or low tail-sets do |
|not change, but toplines frequently do. Toeing-in with elbows out does not change, but toeing-out can correct with maturity. Front and rear |
|angulation do not change." |
|Are there any further insights on puppy evaluation you'd like to add? |
|Medeiros: "My goal as a breeder is to be forward thinking and to look at dogs who can offer our breed what it needs now and in the future. If we|
|are not improving our lines with each breeding, then the breed will possess more mediocrity than quality. Thinking out of the box, adding an |
|extreme dog, and taking risks—this is what brings us to the next level. I truly believe the open-minded breeder has more success than the one |
|who will only breed to her line or will not make her stud dogs available to others because she fears someone else will get something even better|
|than she has. Instead, think how they could get something that you could eventually incorporate back into your own line, while bringing in new |
|blood. This is called bettering the breed. Success comes to those who really care about where the breed is going, while understanding how it |
|evolved and the purpose." |
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|Sacks: "Above all, resist the temptation to be kennel blind. Acknowledge the faults that you see, try to identify their origin in the pedigree, |
|and adjust your breeding program accordingly. Always try to improve. Do not base your breeding program on the winningest dog but on the most |
|correct one. They are not always the same." |
|Rita and Helyne, thank you very much for so generously sharing your invaluable insights and advice. |
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