It seemingly began as an isolated outbreak of an unidentified respiratory disease among Greyhounds in January 2004. Ground zero was a racetrack in Florida. In the twenty years since, the virus has spread to at least 36 other states (and very likely more) and shows no signs of abating.
When trying to understand the ever increasing shift in what it takes to win at American dog shows, I keep coming back to the same bunch of questions. If dog shows are about evaluating breeding stock, why must a dog “nail the free stack” from 10 feet away, regardless of the breed? Why must a dog lead it’s handler by 10 feet going around the ring, regardless of the breed? In breeds where markings do not matter, why do they? If a breed requires a dense, water resistant coat, why do they have to be blown dry backwards and covered in mousse? Do we underestimate the ability of judges to find good breeding stock based on breed type and merit alone?
Will Alexander Drops Some Knowledge About What’s Happening in the Sport of Dogs. It’s Deep… It’s Humorous… It’s Provocative… It’s Will Unfiltered! Will Alexander has an in-depth conversation with George Alston. Click here to watch on Canine Chronicle TV!
It’s no secret that German Shepherds have made news over the past year, and not the good kind. The overtone of these stories invariably leans towards vicious, terrifying, aggressive, dangerous…blah, blah. blah. There is no question that dog bites are a serious issue, but it is also impossible to deny the sensational element of these reports. Let’s drop that stuff and consider the damage it’s doing to the breed because news like this instantly transcends the case in question. So many breeds have been harmed by this media cash grab and the scope of that wreckage is almost incomprehensible.
Click here to read the complete article 392 – November/December, 2024 Click here to read the complete article 392 – November/December, 2024
To see the future, it is a worthy task to reflect upon the past. Examining the past offers a road map of the present and a peek into the future. These markers braid themselves into a continuum of what has been, what is, and what could be. It is an assessment which offers a view into what works well, what does not, and what can be tweaked with a myriad of improvements. Time, contemplation, and momentum are the tools for making these adjustments. From there, the next path to follow becomes clearer.
The breed judges for the 2025 Morris & Essex Kennel Club are as follows:
Back in 1983 the Herding Group was the culmination of decades of controversy. AKC is notoriously resistant to change. And their longstanding approach of admitting breeds rarely and reluctantly was clearly not a permanent solution. The Working Group, created to alleviate this rising tide back in 1923, inevitably became overstuffed with some of the sport’s most popular breeds. The abrupt and enormous popularity of breeds like Collies and German Shepherds was, likewise, something AKC did not anticipate. However, those floodgates truly opened after World War II when Americans fell in love with so many of the breeds that comprised Europe’s traditional canine workforce.
Thanksgiving day, peak dog show season. #showitlikeadoberman #caninechronicle #saintbernard #handler #dogtrainer #breeder #judge Click here to watch on Canine Chronicle TV!
