Stages & Ages

by Dr. Al Grossman

A number of years ago Mary Roslin Williams of English Labrador fame wrote in her book Advanced Labrador Breeding about the seven ages of a breeder. This was further defined in the American version of the book titled Reaching For The Stars.

American breeders need to pay heed to this information to really understand the great American dog show game. First and foremost is that we are not really all equal in this sport. Some are very successful, some are moderately successful and the vast majority is along for the ride. While I am going to list the seven ages as described by Williams, there are a number of salient factors that need to be addressed and that pretty much govern the rules of the game. First off is money. As most of us learn, this is not an inexpensive sport. You do not reach the top without the expenditure of lots of greenbacks. Campaigning a winning Specials dog today often requires the resources of a number of people. Second is the important role the American handler plays. In Mrs. Williams’ England there were no handlers as we know the profession today. The licensed professional handler is an American creation. Third is the role and function of the American Kennel Club; a monolithic, remote organization that truly runs the dog show game. It has its adherents and its detractors, but it has the final word.

The exhibitor/breeder is the key to understanding the whole scheme of things and the judges derived from this pool. It is the interplay between the AKC, judges, handlers and exhibitors that make up the tapestry of the game.  Originally established to compare livestock and perpetuate successful bloodlines, it has become a contest of winning at almost any cost. This has led beyond spirited competition into almost constant rivalry/hostility between exhibitors, between handlers, and between entities devoted to dogs. The novice exhibitor or even spectator feels like they have walked into a buzz saw. The bonhomie and goodwill that was a hallmark of the early days has vanished as big money, greed and just plain desire to win at any cost has colored the competition.

With these caveats let us explore Mrs. Williams’ seven ages.

“First the Beginner, doing everything wrong, thinking wrong, buying wrong, feeding wrong. Next the Learner who now realizes he has started badly and while keeping his initial mistake, often a very big unruly and untrained dog, has now learned better and is doing his best to set out on the right path. Third is the Novice who has now righted himself and has bought a decent bitch. Has bred his first litter or two, is starting to win and is beginning to be known and recognized by other breeders and exhibitors.

“Fourth, is the everlasting Novice, probably the happiest category of all. They are always such nice people, with an equally charming dog, well-liked by all. They have no ambition, no opportunity to keep more than an odd dog or two, practically never breed a litter and, if they do, use the nearest, handiest stud-dog dog. They go to some local shows and are known by everybody and never get anywhere, being perfectly happy to dabble along just as a pleasant and interesting hobby. They are our point makers.

“Now we come to the fifth stage, the Middle-Range breeder; by far the largest section of them all. This is the average dog breeder who is definitely “one of us,” recognized as reliable, and breeding decent litters. They rear their puppies properly, with a good eye for a dog and the facility to keep the odd stud dog and a nice bitch or two. They go to most of the shows and have a kennel prefix and have a chance of being in the ribbons at most local shows. They are the backbone of any breed and they are indispensable as they supply most of the average puppies for sale. They serve their own area with a decent stud dog and form the mass of ringsiders. They are in the various breed clubs and support all the activities. Being keen exhibitors, trying their very best to be an asset and a credit to their breed.

“Leading on from them is the Good Breeder, rather a rarer category because they have realized there is a definite thing called a “good dog” and that the decent dog is not quite good enough. Once the middle-range breeder realizes this, he graduates into a better standard of dog and will never again be satisfied with a slightly mediocre though typical and pleasing dog for his breed. He has realized that the middle ranges are not for him and has probably cut his losses and generally raised his ideals.

“The Good Breeder is always ready to learn and has taken the trouble to learn most of the advanced points such as what constitutes a good shoulder or hock and where other virtues may be found. He has some nice stock and has learned how to use it to the best advantage. He still may depend on other people’s champions to try to improve his puppies, but has learned that the title of champion does not automatically mean that the dog carrying it is the best for this purpose. The good breeder is trying to improve all the time and will sell a decent specimen that the middle-ranger would have kept. The Good Breeder realizes that either he has a better one in his kennel or that the good one is not quite good enough. He supplies the middle-rangers with better stock when they themselves wish to raise their standards.

“Lastly we come to the seventh and last category, the Top Breeder. This is a difficult category to define, although we all know them. There will only be a few of them at a time in each breed, and they seemigly go on forever. They are always able to produce a good one and always have a decent one coming on the scene. They always have quality, “finishable” stuff; these usually having their failings rather than faults and giving nothing away in type, style or make and shape. They will always have a good one in the Open class, a decent one coming up in one of the other classes and a promising puppy to follow the decent one up in due course.

“Usually, they have been at the top for many years and have a bloodline of their own, readily recognized as being a distinct and individual type. They never seem to disappear and very few breeders join their ranks. If we get two new top breeders every ten years who are really going to last and have an influence of their own on their breed then we are lucky.”

My own insights after 24 years of successful breeding, 34 years as a judge, and almost 40 years of writing about the dog show game is that the middle-ranger is the backbone of any breed. A drawback to that is that the majority of our judging pool comes from those who have done an acceptable job as a breeder/exhibitor and not from those who are from the Good or Top rated group. Food for thought!

Al Grossman, a successful Cocker breeder for over twenty years, bred 25 champions in 24 litters. His dogs were top producers as well as top winners. His books and articles have garnered many awards here and abroad.

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Posted by admin on May 14 2012. Filed under Current Articles, The Buzz, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.