Pure Dog Talk

Richard Reynolds on Foxhounds and Favors

[caption id="attachment_8383" align="alignleft" width="300"] "Westminster 1977. BoV under Peter Knoop was 13" Ch. Englandale's Crestwood Star. I sold her as a pet, but her owner believed that she could do anything and pushed me to show her. She not only finished her title, and won the variety at "the World Series of Dogdom", she also had several obedience titles."[/caption]

Richard Reynolds is joining us today. This is the first part of a two-part episode. We're going to talk about rat hunting and foxhounds and all kinds of fabulous historical stuff, because he is a brain trust of all things history in purebred dogs.

Reynolds said his involvement in purebred dogs “started from a National Geographic magazine. I was a young lad in his early teens and I came upon a National Geographic magazine that had an article Westminster, the World Series of Dogs” circa 1949.

“All of my colleagues had Playboy magazine hidden under their mattresses and I had National Geographic,” Reynolds said, “not for the same purpose of course.”

Reynolds said he acquired his first Beagle “for the princely sum of $35 from a gentleman who hunted them and, as they say, the rest was history.

[caption id="attachment_8387" align="alignright" width="300"] "The hound was Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Federal, a gift to me from Nancy Penn Smith Hannum, MFH. There weren't any other AKC English Foxhounds around, so we finished him the hard way...by winning groups. I believe he was the second AKC Ch. English Foxhound."[/caption]

“The first Beagle fell somewhat short of being a show dog, but the next one was a show dog. It cost a great deal more than $35, although I'm not sure it was worth much more. That kind of got me started with the dog showing thing.”

Reynolds' focus has always been on preserving breed type through concentration on performance ability. He was a Master of Foxhounds with the only dual registry recognized hunting pack. His Old English hounds won a group at Westminster, many Bests in Show, many Large Pack classes at hound shows and the occasional Grand Championship.

[caption id="attachment_8384" align="alignleft" width="300"] "These were my hounds in the Five Couple class at the Virginia Hound Show some years ago," Renolds noted on social media.[/caption]

Most important, Reynolds noted, each hound hunted a regular three day a week schedule.

Comparing the English and American Foxhounds, Reynolds notes, “The old English Foxhound is heavier, larger. Level top line. Picture, if you will, a bulldozer on feet. The American foxhound is lighter, leggier, has a slight rise over the loin to give it speed. It's of course descended from the English Foxhound, but it's not exactly the same.

[caption id="attachment_8386" align="alignright" width="300"] "When one is a visitor, hunting with another recognized pack, it is courteous to wear a black coat rather than scarlet with your home hunt colors. This was on such an occasion with my ex-three day eventer, Eastwick."[/caption]

"They both have their purposes and, like all of the hounds and terriers, that purpose is directly related to the country, the land where the dog hunts and works. American foxhounds are suited to the wide open spaces in the United States and the English are suited to the Gorse hedges and stone walls and whatever of England. We found them very useful in Pennsylvania where I'm at because we have a wonderful agricultural phenomenon known as the multiflora rose.”

[caption id="attachment_8385" align="alignleft" width="300"] Ch. Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Winslow. In 1983 Winslow was number one amongst all hound breeds and in 1984 won the hound group at Westminster.[/caption]

Reynolds’ most famous dog was Ch. Mr Stewart's Cheshire Winslow.

“He hunted pretty good and he was a reasonably good stud dog,” Reynolds quipped, “but he was a really good show dog. He was the top of all hound breeds in 1983, won the Quaker oats award for the top winning hound, and then he kind of walked out of Westminster in 1984 with the hound group. So having done that, we figured that we were duty bound to get him back to the hunt field the following morning. So he won the group at Westminster on Tuesday night, and hunted Fox from horseback on Wednesday morning.”

Reynold’s wry, self-deprecating humor is a treasure to the dog community. Enjoy this episode and join us next week for our conversation on terriers.

Bill McFadden on Dog Shows During COVID: Safety First and Other Observations

Professional handler Bill McFadden has attended shows across the country in the four months since the “Learning Cluster” in Oklahoma. A two-time Westminster Kennel Club BIS winning handler, lifetime participant in the sport and all-around good guy, McFadden’s observations, notes on what worked and self-appointed “bathroom police” stories provide a glimpse into this unprecedented time in American history.

“My overview would be that I am proud of our community,” McFadden said. “I think that they've stepped up and either endured or participated in whatever protocol was established for each show. I hope it continues that way. I hope that we continue to be safe. I hope we get through this and maybe learn a few things about ourselves and our sport in the process.”

Host Laura Reeves commented that the silver lining of the year’s trying times is that we can “apply lessons from what we’re provided by the universe. You don't get to pick (the circumstances) but you can pick how you respond to it.”

“Everybody just be safe and set your own limits for what you will or will not tolerate and stick to it,” McFadden added. “I actually have been impressed by people that step outside their comfort zone and say ‘you know, you're standing too close.’ Some of the shows, the stewards actually will come up and say ‘could you guys spread out,’ 'cause we all kind of congregate during the groups. You kind of hang out while everybody else is being gone over. Old habits die hard. It wasn’t being defiant, it's just you need someone to remind you.

"So, I've been really impressed by those actions by individuals and by clubs. Some of them do it in the most unbelievably gentle and kind way where you're just like ‘oh gosh I'm so sorry’ … every once in a while there will be someone that's a little snarky, but for the most part I think people have been doing a really good job.

“I will admit that I was nervous as I drove 24 hours to Oklahoma … I think everybody was. I know my assistant was. I was pleasantly surprised. Personally, I just thought that there might be a few resistant people that wouldn't want to follow the rules that were set up. I was super impressed. I thought everybody complied. It's definitely different showing with a mask on.

“…(P)articularly in the beginning, with the first few shows, we were just so happy to see each other. A lot of us hadn’t communicated so we weren't really sure how our lives had gone and how are you surviving … initially I think there was a lot of that. I mean it was like going to a family reunion. We were just was so happy to see people … as it's progressed, there's people that we've seen several times, so it doesn't feel like you've been away for so long.

"But I really think most people are just… we're all in it together. We're enduring it. We know we're going to get through it and we're helping each other out as much as we can. If there is one downfall, it's really hard to control the social distancing after the show…”

Listen in as McFadden covers hotels, airplanes, COVID testing and more.

 

Product Review: Summit Joint Performance Brings Fast Results

Host Laura Reeves visits with Dorian Farmer and Rhonda Arza talk about Summit Joint Performance. This is a chondroitin product, used for years in Olympic horse circles, but now available for dogs and, hopefully, humans in the near future.

“This particular product was actually made to go into eyes, human eyes, during corneal lens transplant surgeries as an anti-inflammatory,” Summit Joint Performance founder Farmer said.

From the Summit Joint Performance website:

What is Summit?

1. Summit is simply chondroitin 4 sulfate (C4S), suspended in sterile water. Summit was originally developed to use in human ocular lens transplant surgeries. Summit is the purest form of C4S available. Unlike other products, it has had all heparins and other potentially damaging molecules removed from the single C4S molecule. Summit is an all-natural product, not a synthetic created in the lab, nor polysulfated. Summit has an incredibly low molecular weight, and its small size allows it to penetrate barriers in the body, like joint capsules, much easier than other products. A large percentage of the molecules that make up tissues in the joints is C4S. Replenishing these structures with nature’s version of this important molecule, instead of synthetic lab creations that are over 100x the molecular weight, is of great benefit.

[caption id="attachment_8363" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dorian Farmer and the SJP team.[/caption]

Farmer’s story of testing Summit on his personal “guinea pig” animals is inspiring.

“We injected Ultra on a Wednesday evening. At that point in time she couldn't get up off the ground. By Thursday morning when we woke up, she was standing in our bedroom wagging her tail looking at me. She had got up off the ground by herself, into the bedroom and was waking us up. She could walk around the house. She could sit down. She could lay down and she could get back up. That was within 12 hours. By the following day she was trotting around the house and actually playing with me.

“(A couple days later I got a video of) Ultra chasing the golf cart at a dead run from the back pasture to the front pasture. It's about 900 yards from one to the other. She lived for another year pain free because of it. That truly was the point where I knew that we had something that was incredible. She had been on all the pain relievers and all the other arthritic medication and everything else and nothing was touching it. One shot of this new product and saved her life. I mean, we were going to euthanize her….”

[caption id="attachment_8362" align="alignright" width="300"] Rhonda Arza, SJP Vice President[/caption]

Arza, Summit Joint Performance Vice President, shared her similar experience.

“I was a horse trainer for 28 years and one of the things that I knew was that I didn't want to be a horse trainer for 29 years. So, I needed an exit strategy. Summit last November became a direct sales company. I had experience in the field, so I knew that direct sales was a way to make significant income and create an exit strategy not only for myself, but for other trainers who were looking to retire, get out, whatever they needed to do.

“When this came along, because of the level of sponsored riders that this company already had in place, like people were putting it in their $10,000,000 Olympic level horses, we had guys like McLain Ward (using the product), I knew that we had a product that was definitely something that I could talk about.

“I put it into my 20-year-old jumper and he just

Infertility Issues: Regular, Random and Rare Causes

Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a wide-ranging conversation on the causes of infertility in our breeding bitches. From split seasons, ovarian and uterine cysts, to semen allergy and genetic incompatibility, we cover a lot of ground.

Marty was kind enough to provide the following "check list" of fertility issues to share with our listeners. Links to previous Pure Dog Talk podcasts on the topics noted are included in the underlined areas.

Why isn't my female pregnant? What can I do about it?

by Dr. Marty Greer, DVM

You did your homework – and have the perfect bitch, in her best condition and found the ideal male to mate her to. Both of them have passed all of the health clearances recommended for your breed. They have the temperaments you are looking for and their traits are complimentary to one another.

You know the most common causes of apparent or actual pregnancy failure are:

Poorly timed breedings

Poor semen quality and/or quantity.

Failure to maintain a pregnancy

Timing the breeding:

The timing of the breeding, based on progesterone levels (bred 2 to 3 days post-ovulation depending on semen type used), was just right. Most veterinarians recommend breeding 2 days after ovulation with fresh and fresh chilled shipped semen and 3 days with frozen semen. Ovulation is assumed to occur when the progesterone reaches 5 ng/dl (different units are used in other countries) with a range of 4 to 10 ng/dl. LH testing is also done in some clinics. LH, Luteinizing hormone, directly indicates ovulation, while progesterone is an estimation of ovulation. Progesterone is easier to measure and test as it can be done every few days, using human technology. LH requires daily testing and is canine specific.

Semen quality and quantity:

You know the stud dog had good quality and quantity semen – there was a semen analysis completed prior to shipping the semen. Your vet looked at it prior to inseminating your bitch and said the semen looked great, based on the sperm count (for a Bernese Mountain dog, the count should be 1 billion total), the morphology (shape and appearance of each sperm cell) and motility (how active and progressively motile it was on a microscopic evaluation).

Yet, she is not pregnant. Why? And if you try to breed her again, what can you do differently to improve the chances she will carry a litter to term?

First, we need to determine if she failed to conceive, failed to achieve fetal/placental implantation, or conceived and lost the litter. If you don't have her ultrasounded, you won't know if she failed to conceive or failed to maintain the pregnancy. A relaxin test or palpation is not adequate – these do not assess for fetal viability. This information is big piece of the puzzle.  When you are trying to justify the decision to do an ultrasound, this is the best reason to do so – this is not the place to scrimp.

If the ultrasound shows no pregnancy, and the semen and timing were good, then causes for failure to conceive or failure for fetuses to implant should be explored. These include:

Was there a Semen quality assessment?

Was the sperm count low?

Was there abnormal semen...

Dalmatians: the “Brilliant, Spotted, Energized” Dogs of Croatia

Dalmatians are our Love the Breeds topic today with enthusiasts Meg Callea, Molly Spengler and Stephanie Podejko joining host Laura Reeves for a timely conversation ahead of the release of the “101 Dalmatians” remake.

History

[caption id="attachment_8353" align="alignleft" width="225"] Historic illustrations of Dalmatians accompanying coaches.[/caption]

“Dalmatians have kind of … a mixed historical background,” Callea noted. “There are spotted dogs on tombs in Egypt, on frescoes in Italy… theoretically they were started in Dalmatia … which is a historic province of Croatia. They were developed to be basically a dog to go with horses and a guard dog. They were to guard the horses and guard the stables. While they were in the stables, (a) desired trait was to kill vermin. So they do that really well. They have a lot of prey drive, some of them have a lot more than they need, which is why they do really well at some of the other performance events.

[caption id="attachment_8352" align="alignright" width="300"] Dalmatian competing in tracking event.[/caption]

“There are illustrations of Dalmatians as far back as the 1600s. They were brought into being a breed more in the early 1800s, during the Regency period, where they were bred for their markings to look real fancy with the carriages and coaches. They were bred to run around and go with the carriage all day long, so that’s somewhere between 25 to 40 miles a day. Their job was to alert the carriage people if there was a bad guy around, to chase off rogue dogs or Wolves, and to protect the carriage and its contents. And to keep the horses company, because the horses that ran were pretty high strung. Which is how they came into being with the fire Department.

[caption id="attachment_8350" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dalmatians are iconic symbols for fire departments world wide.[/caption]

“The fire Department used to have carriages that were horse drawn. The horses that drew those things were really high spirited, so the dogs kept them company while they were sitting around waiting for something to happen. When something happened, they ran with the horses, they broke up the traffic in front of them. They also kept the horses calm at the fire because horses do not like fire. They also protected the water spigot. Potable, drinkable water was hard to come by, so while the guys were fighting a fire somebody would come in to disconnect their hose and steal the water.”

Coaching Competition and Performance Events

[caption id="attachment_8351" align="alignright" width="300"] Dalmatians excel in all performance events, according to our panelists.[/caption]

“This is a breed that can do it all,” Podejko said. “There isn't a sport out there that I have found, a performance sport, that Dalmatians don't excel at. They're just a brilliant breed.”

The Dalmatian Club of America features a breed specific test and competition called a Road Trial. The most advanced level requires the dogs, horses and riders to cover 25 miles in an endurance competition. According to Podejko, “A Dalmatian Road Trial is a performance event and test in the field designed to evaluate the Dalmatian’s ability to “coach,” or follow the horses. Exhibitors compete as handler on horseback or in a horse-drawn cart or carriage, with dog(s) off-leash. The Dalmatian Standard of