“Author Archive”
Stories written by AnthonyA
Every once in awhile, thanks to fate or faultless timing, a book arrives at an almost prescient moment, when everyone seems to be seeking expert guidance to light the way forward. Ann Seranne’s classic, The Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog, was one of those books. The title certainly sets the timeline, but, at least in this quadrant of the universe, sex wasn’t the only big discovery going on at that moment. The sport was riding an unprecedented and seemingly endless crest of popularity. Those spiking numbers represented legions of fanatical novices entering the game. They provided energy and enthusiasm that would power the sport to previously unimaginable heights. Annual registrations topping a million; shows topping 5,000 entries. New, wildly successful kennels sprouted like weeds in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Many spawned bloodlines that endure to this day.
August 31st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
It is nearly as certain as death and taxes that if you do enough performance or field activities with enough dogs, sooner or later you will have a dog that seemingly has developed an unsolvable problem in that sport. Sometimes that issue will be so serious as to cause the dog to be unsuccessful in that activity. When that happens, if the dog is willing to keep trying, it is important to not give up on the dog because somewhere, somehow there may be something that will enable you and the dog to overcome that obstacle and succeed.
August 30th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Ireland is the home of many wonderful and beautiful breeds. For many years the sporting and hunting dogs were reserved for the upper classes. Several terriers were used as general purpose farm dogs, including the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, the Kerry Blue Terrier, and the Irish Terrier. The Wheaten is distinguished by his coat – wheaten colored, soft, silky, and wavy. Temperamentally, they are also less feisty than some other terriers. Wheatens are currently the second most popular terrier based on 2019 AKC registration statistics.
August 29th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Americans are sometimes, quite wrongly in my opinion, accused of being rather boastful folk, bragging that they have the ‘biggest this’ and the ‘very best of that’. However, if any American were to claim that their nation was responsible for creating the best breed of dog in the world, I as a proud Englishman would have to humbly concur.
August 27th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
This is possibly not the best time to focus on government ability to handle complicated issues. But that’s never stopped them from trying. Getting to the point, a couple of weeks back the Raad van Beheer (Dutch Kennel Club), issued a somewhat militant statement reiterating their stance on dog breeding health and welfare. This is not new. Many European breeders face restrictions and scrutiny that would be unimaginable here. (Think about that the next time you wanna slam AKC). Simply owning a dog requires some scrupulous vetting, never mind breeding or exhibiting.
August 23rd, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
It’s no secret that Terrier popularity has taken a nosedive in recent years. In truth, this downward trend has gone on for decades. As expected, there’s a gazillion theories to explain it. Here’s what I think. First off, I’m looking at this from the perspective of a diehard purebred lover, and therefore discount those “adopted” pseudo- terriers paraded around by “woke” dog lovers every weekend. I am referring strictly to the genuine article, the kind of Terrier that’s built for business, so you better enjoy that. And there was a time when breeds like that ruled America. Airedales, Wires, Scotties, Irish, those were THE most popular breeds for decades.
August 21st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
There’s a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It’s a common phrase that means it is challenging to teach something or someone something new if that person or animal has been doing things a certain way for so long that they’re too stubborn to learn how to do it differently. While that’s not exactly true of old dogs, it can be a bit more difficult and take more patience to teach an old dog something new. But it’s even more difficult and time consuming when the “old dog” is actually the dog’s owner or his professional trainer, Craig Klein, who isn’t old but like me is accustomed to training dogs a certain way, and the result was that both of us have had to learn a bunch of “new tricks.”
August 19th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” said Benjamin Franklin, in a letter he penned to Jean-Baptist Leroy in 1789. It has been my experience, more often than not, that when the “Grim Reaper” comes calling, we see that the tax man follows. It should be remembered that on the federal level and in the vast majority of states, dogs are considered livestock and may be taxed as such.
August 17th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Late that hot, humid, Wisconsin July afternoon, the massive, powerful, Alaskan Malamute in full coat, was on the start line of the Fast CAT track. On signal, with his handler still dressed in glimmering show finery, those first few steps responded to the moving lure with the muscle, bone, and impressive working function required of a sled dog, transitioning rapidly into speed. Earlier that day, at the specialty, he was select dog from the Veterans class, with many exhibitors and spectators watching in a central location on the grounds. The show catalog carefully noted his full AKC name, titles and proud owners’ names. When he responded to the lure, there was no means to communicate to other exhibitors and spectators that this strong example of his breed could do more than look pretty. At the Fast CAT track, hidden on the back far edge of the show grounds, with no spectators, his name and titles were anonymous. His magnificent run went otherwise unnoticed.
August 17th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Traditional research has always been considered the purview of the university and the research laboratory. This belief has effectively ruled out other kinds of good science and took away the motivation of others to become involved. However, following the events of 9/11, Brussels, Boston, Las Vegas, New York and London, the need to move the psychological machinery of research in a new direction became a compelling issue.
August 15th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
