The next breed we tackle in my ongoing series of inter- views with breed experts is the Ibizan Hound. Anyone who has interacted with an Ibizan Hound knows they are described as “a bit aloof, but a sweet-natured, family-oriented housemate… These dogs are very active; World-class sprinters and leapers, Beezers need ample, secure space to air out their engines”.
A few months ago we attended Crufts with our Dachshund, Otto. Whilst Marc was stressing out, getting our boy ready for his big moment in the ring, I ambled off to ‘Discover Dogs’ which is the equivalent to the American ‘Meet the Breeds’. Between you and me, the Americans definitely have the better choice of name for this event!
Edwin Megargee ranks among the twentieth century’s most prolific and versatile artists. He was also among the lucky few to reap substantial financial rewards and public acclaim during his lifetime. Good fortune is more than a matter of luck. Being in the right place at the right time requires good intuition. Capitalizing on the resulting opportunities requires skill and dedication.
The Lhasa Apso is one of four AKC-recognized breeds originating in Tibet, the others being the Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel, and the Tibetan Terrier. All have a heavy coat and carry the tail over the back. The Lhasa is named after the capitol city of Tibet (Lhasa) with “Apso” meaning bearded or goatee. It is one of the oldest breeds, over a thousand years old. It served as the inside dog in the Buddhist monasteries as a sentinel to let the monks know of new arrivals. Originally, they were called the Lhasa Terrier and put in the AKC terrier group in 1935. Later the name was changed, and they moved to the Non-Sporting group in 1959.
Thanks to Lee Connor for sharing this beautiful photo of Pebbles the Boston Terrier from the UK. Lee’s little girl is in whelp and wanted to take a moment to peruse the pages of The Canine Chronicle and dream of the great accomplishments her puppies may have in the coming years. If you have […]
I just celebrated my 45th birthday (I know, it’s something people always find hard to believe, looking at my glowing ever-youthful complexion!) however it’s an inescapable fact that I was indeed born in 1972.
This month I have chosen a breed near and dear to me. Those I asked all have at least a half-century each of actively breeding Afghan Hounds.
And herein lies one problem with genetic testing: dog owners, and even dog breeders, too often don’t know what it means. And it’s not really their fault. Thirty years ago all we had to know was the difference between genotype and phenotype, and dominant and recessive. We thought that if we could identify every carrier through test breedings, and remove them from the gene pool, we could purge our dogs of hereditary illness. We fantasized about DNA tests that might one day allow us to actually “see” a dog’s recessive genes. And when that first test happened, and then another, and another, breeders set out to do just that. They removed every carrier they could identify, and in so doing created a genetic bottleneck that reduce their breed’s genetic diversity and allowed other heretofore unknown or insignificant diseases to come to the forefront. With more knowledge of our dog’s genes came the need for more knowledge on how to use this knowledge.
History is full of examples that demonstrate the importance of early life. Most focused on the kinds of experiences thought to affect early behavior and influence later development. The first year of life for a canine can be divided into three important time sensitive periods that overlap each other.
They’ve experimented with different breeds: English Springers, German Shorthairs, and German Shepherds, to name a few. In some cases, the breeds simply couldn’t acclimate to the African climate or work effectively in intense heat. Far more often, the handlers were the main problem. Few had any experience with dogs, and none at all with highly-trained detection dogs.
