Pure Dog Talk

Elliott Weiss is Looking for the Dog that Makes the Picture

In 1956, Elliott Weiss attended his very first dog show, Westminster Kennel Club, as part of an art class project.

Weiss spent 24 years as a top professional handler from 1969 through 1993. Among his big accomplishments, he handled the Irish Setter, Ch. Meadowlark’s Anticipation, to a Sporting Group win at Westminster in 1984. He started judging in 1994 and has judged all over the world. A native New Yorker, he now lives in Eagle, Idaho. His initial breed was Cocker Spaniels.

Make the Picture

“I want to please my eye,” Weiss said. “The first thing I’m looking for is a picture. I have a picture in my mind of every breed I judge.”

Weiss also noted that too many people bait the dog in such a way that their hands are in the way of the judge seeing the dog’s expression.

Amateur vs Professional

The Owner Handler-Professional Handler battle is nothing new, Weiss observed, it has been a big thing forever. “If you look back, there are always top winning owner handlers. The cream always comes to the top,” he said. “I think of Walter Goodman, Pat Craige (Trotter)… Sunny Shay.”

Mentor the Future

“I think we don’t do enough for junior handlers,” Weiss said. “We need to teach them conformation, have them join clubs, offer Junior workshops. I think we should start thinking how we can increase the sport in 5-10 years, not tomorrow.”

That ONE Dog

After 60 plus years in the sport, the dog who stands out, to this day, in Weiss’ mind is George Alston’s English Foxhound, Winslow (Ch Mr Stewar’s Cheshire Winslow, hound group winner in 1984). “I watched this dog walk into the ring and I froze. I put down my brush and just looked at him. Everything flowed into the next piece.”

Watch Weiss judge Best in Show at the nation’s largest dog show on national television. AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin will be broadcast New Year’s Day, at 6 p.m. ET/PT on Animal Planet.

Learn more:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/meet-the-best-in-show-judge-for-the-2018-akc-national-championship/

Commonalities and Differences in Sighthounds

Live from the Harvest Moon Cluster, your host Laura Reeves talks sighthounds. The seminar was sponsored by the Saluki Club of Greater San Francisco. Watch and listen to the entire seminar here.

Temperament and showmanship are part of breed type. Our job as handlers is to showcase our breed’s character and personality accurately, not make our Wolfhound show like a Doberman. For breeds with less “flash” that might be overlooked in group competition, it is incumbent on us as handlers to provide an engaging, effortless back drop.

Pretty Hands

Our hands tell a story in the show ring. How and where we place our hands on the dog is part of the presentation. Sighthounds specifically call for soft, quiet, elegant hands. Holding the collar, placing the feet, should be done gracefully. Quietly drawing the judge’s eye to our dog’s finest features while using our hands as a “frame,” we actually can “talk with our hands” and subtly communicate with the judge.

Dog handling in general is best done when we are judicious and smooth with our hands. The unique nature of sighthounds means than keeping your hands on the dog at all times will help steady the dog and allow him to be balanced on his own feet.

While showcasing our dogs involves a bit of “sleight of hand” in terms of maintaining emphasis on the good and not the faults, Laura shares her 1-2-3-4-5 hand stacking method as a refresher course. Hear more in depth discussion on this topic in episode 2, “How to Stack Your Dog” or in our new audio book, debuting in January.

Give Your Dog What it Needs: Confidence and Focus

All dogs take their cues from us as the handlers. Sighthounds are particularly in tune with their people and draw their confidence from us. Be sure you are relaxed and enjoying spending time with your dog for your best result.

Moving Gracefully – Float with Your Dog

Drive from the hip and a gradual and collected acceleration are keys to showing the judge your dog’s best movement. Don’t let your dog look like “an octopus on speed” by following these suggestions. More discussion in episode 3 and in the audio book.

Ears and Tails

Each of the sighthounds, and really all dogs, have a correct ear and tail carriage to “make the picture” for the judge. Learn how to work with your dog’s attitude to get the best results.

Christmas Dinner and How that Applies to Dog Shows

Now that most of us are home for a couple blessed weekends, we can all, even the most diehard of competitors, relax, restore, rest and recharge. The Christmas and New Year’s holidays give us a chance to take stock of the year past and plan for the one upcoming.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are my very favorite holidays of the year. To me it is all about the food and the family and friends who become family. Which, of course, includes our dogs, usually a plethora of them underfoot while cooking and eating. We exchange a few small gifts at Christmas, but mostly we hang out and eat good food.

JUST like dog shows, the profusion of cable cooking shows, and dog shows, have turned chefs and dog handlers into celebrities, but the reality is, ANYONE can do this!!! Just to give you encouragement in this area, I’ll give you a brief tour of my own “cooking history.” I have many friends and family who are trained professional chefs. I, on the other hand, learned at the school of “well, hell, the dog won’t eat it either”….

Growing up in Southern Oregon in the ’70s and ’80s in a one-earner household of four, meant Mom had to be very creative in her food budget. I was raised on home-cooking, home-canning, wild game and garden produce. Chicken, from the store, was a special treat. Lamb chops were a once a year birthday dinner. Mom and Gramma were the cooks. I was shooed out of the kitchen.

Milk came from a friend down the road in gallon glass jars with three inches of heavy cream on top. My kitchen skill was to “skim the cream” from the milk using my tin baby cup. Mom used the cream to make butter as well as the richest, most amazing sauces you have ever tasted. I was proud of my ability to get all the chunks of cream, leaving just the whole milk for drinking with dinner.

Mom was ridiculously good at this sort of pioneer lifestyle, particularly considering she’d been raised in a very urban setting. She also made her own soap from rendered lard and lye; butchered, trimmed and cut all our wild game meats; made Chinese food, including homemade egg rolls; taught us how to use chopsticks, even before a fork; and, canned anything that you could name. But that’s another topic for another day.

Fast-forward to life right after college. My refrigerator typically contained pickles, ketchup and beer. Maybe peanut butter and bread. I was working for a weekly newspaper as a reporter. My before-tax income was $1000 a month. My father literally laughed at me. He said a college education meant I was supposed to be able to eat something other than PBJ…. Hah! That was all I knew how to cook!

As life trundled on, I had more money and less money at times. I ate out, ate in. Mastered scrambled eggs. And tuna salad sandwiches. I learned to cook by doing it. I had a definite ace in the hole, though, since I could call Mom anytime and ask her what to do.

One of my most treasured possessions is a cookbook of her old recipes, food I grew up eating. Mom hand-wrote each of these recipes. I’ve added to it over the years with recipes cut out or printed out or made up. I would rescue that book from a house fire.

During the “lost years” spent in Nebraska, where good meals at restaurants were both very difficult to find and impossible to afford, I did a LOT of cooking. It was during this time that most of my trial and (lots of) error occurred… I’ll never forget the carrot cake that had baking soda instead of baking powder…. Oh, dear Lord…

At any rate, the point I’m rambling toward here is that *anyone* can learn to make simple, healthy, fresh, whole food meals. Literally, if I can do it, YOU can do it!! AND you can learn to show your dog!

While we’re on the topic of learning, here’s your “this podcast is about dogs moment”…. As dog handlers go,

Meet the Researcher Who Discovered the MDR1 Gene

Herding dog owners everywhere should know their dogs may be sensitive to ivermectin, the powerful antiparasitic drug common in most worming medication. Now you can hear directly from the researcher who discovered the MDR1 gene mutation that causes this reaction.

Washington State University’s Dr. Katrina Mealey, Ph.D., DVM discovered the gene literally by serendipity. While studying for her advanced degree, she encountered a journal article from the Netherlands. The article discussed treatment of a routine case of mites in laboratory mice, some of which had been engineered to remove the MDR1 gene. All of the mice who were missing the gene died from the treatment.

This caused Mealey to begin research to locate the gene in dogs.

From the WSU Foundation: “Mealey had barely graduated from high school when the antiparastic drug ivermectin came on the market, which quickly became known as a super-weapon for animals and humans against parasites, such as mites, heartworms, and lice. In a small percentage of certain dog breeds, however, veterinarians found an ivermectin treatment could prove fatal. While the antiparastic could cure a poodle, it might kill a collie. Based on those results, veterinarians followed the guideline, ‘White feet; don’t treat.’ But, no one really understood the why behind the differing responses.”

Mealey also invented the cheek swab that tests whether dogs carry the MDR1 gene mutation or not.

“Seventy five percent of Collies have the MDR1 gene mutation that makes them susceptible to fatal reaction to antiparasitic drugs like ivermectin,” Mealey said. “Whereas, Shelties only have 10 percent of the population affected.”

Dominant mutation

The MDR1 mutation is a dominant trait, Mealey added. If a dog has one copy of the gene, it will have drug sensitivity. If it has two copies, it will have more severe sensitivity.

Mealey’s ongoing research has indicated that dosage is the critical component to sensitivity. The low-level dosage of ivermectin contained in heartworm treatment is generally safe, she said, but the super high doses required to treat mange, for example, can be deadly.

Mealey has found the mutation in Silken Windhounds and even a very small number of Boxers.

Early effect of popular sire syndrome

According to extensive research at UC-Davis, Mealey said they have concluded that the MDR1  mutation originated in a herding dog before specific breeds were established.

“They theorize this was a dog particularly good at herding sheep, that became a popular sire. By the time breeds were established in the British Isles, they all carried this mutation,” Mealey said.

Researchers have not identified the mutation in herding breeds that originated in other parts of the world. It is seen primarily in Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, Old English Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds, etc.

For more information on Mealey’s work, check out: https://foundation.wsu.edu/2018/04/03/dogs-best-friend/

Saturday Symposium: Words of Wisdom from Judges Panel

Judges Stacey Davis, Fred Bassett, Darryl Vice and Doug McFarlane joined our panel at the Southern Oregon Kennel Club shows for a PureDogTalk Saturday Symposium discussion on mentoring the future.

Each of the judges shared their history in purebred dogs. From Davis who was born into the world of purebred dogs, to McFarlane who began his passion later in life, each laid out their own paths to help exhibitors understand they “weren’t hatched from an egg.”

Amongst the topics of discussion on the evening were match shows, 4-6 months puppy competition, junior showmanship and encouraging junior membership in kennel clubs.

Other important ideas included:

* Community outreach to public school students,

* encouraging exhibitors to consider performance and companion events

* dog shows that offer a fun atmosphere and variety of participation options

Join us for this great, moderated discussion, audience questions and encouragement for the future of the sport.

Hemangiosarcoma Strikes Quickly and With No Warning

Canine Health Foundation (CHF) CEO Dr. Diane Brown talks with me about the most current research into hemangiosarcoma. CHF is funding a major initiative dedicated to moving the needle on this deadly disease.

Hemangiosarcoma is an aggressive, silent killer, Brown said. This particular cancer is specific to dogs and originates in blood vessels. Primary sites in which hemangio will present are the spleen and heart, Brown noted, owing to the abundance of blood vessels in those organs.

“These cancers grow quickly and quietly,” Brown said. “Once people know the dog has hemangio, generally the tumor has ruptured and the dogs bleed internally.”

No definitive genetic connection

Removing the cancer doesn’t cure the disease, Brown said. She added that all of the treatments tried over time have not improved overall survival time. Hemangio is a cancer seen often in large breed dogs, but Brown noted veterinarians are seeing it more and more frequently in all sizes and mixed breed dogs as well.

“There are higher risk breeds,” Brown said “but there is no direct, definitive genetic connection.” She added that research has so far not been able to identify a “hemangiosarcoma gene.”

“What we really need is a way to do an earlier diagnosis,” Brown noted.

To that end, CHF is spending resources investigating early diagnosis options — whether a blood test, liquid biopsy, genetic test. They are trying to find a way to diagnose the disease when it is at a “low cellularity.”

A major matching grant from AKC for $250,000 last year has been met with additional funds from the Golden Retriever Foundation, Flat Coated Retriever Foundation, American German Shepherd Dog Charitable Foundation and more.

Study participation opportunities

Owners and breeders who are interested in participating in various CHF studies are encouraged to visit the website and peruse the active studies currently seeking participation.

Join CHF in supporting these important research initiatives by attending Canines and Cocktails Thursday, 12/13 at the Rosen Center hotel in Orlando, FL. Tickets available at the CHF booth at the dog show.

Listen to previous episodes with Dr. Brown on epilepsy, tick borne diseases and theriogenology residencies

Import/export tips and tools for success

Marlene Weiss is a “pet escort” who flies with dogs internationally, for a fee, to ensure the dogs’ safe transport. This is a listener requested topic on the question of import/export recommendations.

Weiss said one of the most important points is to start the import/export process as early as possible. In most cases, the earliest you can transport a dog is four months of age, at which point they need an international (ISO) microchip and a rabies vaccination.

“International travel is pricey,” Weiss said. There is no easy way around that. Dogs coming from Europe must have a European “pet passport” which is the equivalent of a shot record.

Dogs traveling internationally can go in the cargo hold or in a carrier on the plane, size dependent, just like flying domestically. It will cost twice as much to have Weiss or another “escort” travel with the dog. But the price ensures a designated individual is keeping track of the dog, managing any flight changes, travel delays, etc.

Weiss strongly recommends shipping to and from major airports. Part of her service is to know which airlines and locations will best serve her clients’ needs.

“You cannot take every airline for every breed, or every airport,” Weiss said.

Do’s/don’ts

* Don’t feed dog right before you ship it. They’ll be ok for eight hours without food…

* Have them used to a crate…

* Make sure they are well exercised and pottied

* Check references of potential escorts

* Communicate, communicate, communicate

“I get it. People want a bargain. But this is an instance that you don’t want to go cheap,” Weiss said. “Demand is high and there are a lot of scams out there.”

Red flags

* Lack of communication

* Asking for money without a contract

* No purchase contract

Contact Weiss for more information at: [email protected]

Stick around for Allison Foley, from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy as she joins us to talk about pretty feet!

K9 Flu Is Serious Risk Because Dogs Have No Natural Immunity

Dr. Marty Greer takes us through the outbreaks of Canine Influenza (K9 Flu) in the United States. She also offers recommended vaccination protocols for adults and puppies.

Outbreaks of two different strains of Canine Influenza have left U.S. dog owners struggling with if and when to vaccinate against this virus. Greer advocates strongly for “yes” and “annually.”

K9 Flu causes pneumonia

“No dogs have natural immunity to the disease,” Greer said. “Unless vaccinated, dogs are at serious risk. I have my personal dogs on a three-year protocol, but even Dr. Ronald Schultz is advocating that owners vaccinate for influenza in ALL dogs.”

Greer notes that the 2015 virus outbreak came with Korean meat dog “rescue” imports and spread rapidly. Dogs traveling for competition at the highest risk of contact.

Influenza in the dog causes pneumonia, Greer said. The symptoms look like kennel cough to start, but progress rapidly to pneumonia, including a hemorrhagic variant.

“Eight percent of infected dogs die,” Greer said. “This really is a big deal.”

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Treatment with two weeks of antibiotics, iv fluids, possibly even oxygen, is common Greer said. Follow up xrays to confirm the pneumonia is controlled are required. Even dogs less severely affected are infectious for up to 3 weeks.

Two vaccine companies offer products which cover both strains of the disease and are readily available, Greer said. The vaccinations require two injections, two-four weeks apart, with an annual booster. Since the vaccines have only been available since 2016, there isn’t sufficient data to determine if they are effective longer than that.

Impacts on puppy vaccination protocols

Adding the K9 Flu vaccine into a puppy vaccination protocol can be a challenge, but Greer said the vaccine can be given as young as seven weeks of age. She recommends inoculating on a staggered schedule. She also strongly recommends the nomograph system of establishing vaccination timing for puppies. Her recommendation is to pull blood on the dam at the same appointment in which ultrasound confirms pregnancy. This blood is shipped off to a laboratory that measures the bitch’s immunity levels to disease and pinpoints exactly what date the puppies should be vaccinated.

Canine Nomograph – What is it?

A nomograph is an estimate of the amount of antibody passed to a litter of pups from the mother via her colostrum.  During the puppy’s first hours of life, its intestinal tract is able to allow colostral antibody to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  This passive antibody helps to protect the newborn from all the diseases that the mother is protected from.  As the puppy grows up, maternal antibody breaks down in approximately 2 week “half lives” until it is no longer present in the pup.  While this antibody is at higher levels, it is able to neutralize viruses such as canine parvovirus and canine distemper virus.  Because of this neutralization, puppy vaccine can be blocked.  Maternal antibody interference is one of the most common causes of vaccine failure to immunize!  The reason that puppies are given multiple doses of vaccine is because most of the time we don’t know what their maternal antibody titers are, and so don’t know when the vaccine will be effective.   Nomograph testing helps us understand the best timing of vaccination to assure a litter will be effectively immunized. Because the nomograph is limited by the ability of the dam to make colostrum and for the pups to receive it, nomograph results should not be used as a definitive indication of protection from disease.  If you are a breeder who is experiencing a disease outbreak, please contact us prior to submitting a nomograph.

Southern Handlers Charity League: It’s All in the Family

Jill Bell, former professional handler, now working as a superintendent with Onofrio, joins me to talk about the good work of the Southern Handlers Charity League.

Created in 2001 by a group of handlers in response to a death in the dog show family, Southern Handlers Charity League (SHCL) raised money to help with funeral costs. In the intervening 17 years, the non-profit has helped all kinds of people in the purebred dog community, Bell said.

Potlucks and raffles

Owner handlers, photographers, judges, anyone in the sport, Bell said, have been assisted by the organization. The group raises funds through potlucks, raffles, and creative events like the “Butcher the Beard” contest in which Onofrio’s own Tim James agreed to shave his renowned beard for charity.

“If there is a need, we help out,” Bell said. They have donated to hurricane victims from Katrina through Harvey. “We ask nothing in return. Every single penny goes to charity.”

Centered in Texas and the southern region, SHCL is proudly supported by the dog show superintendents, professional handlers and vendors.

“Dog show people are the most dysfunctional family you’ll ever belong to,” Bell said. “We fight amongst ourselves, but let somebody need something, it’s like a pack of bees… It’s what we do.”

Funding the Future

Their current undertaking is massive. They have joined forces with Florida handlers and are sponsoring three different huge projects in Orlando, Fla. during the week of the AKC National Championship.

* A clothing exchange and shopping spree opportunity specifically for junior handlers, with clothing available to all exhibitors for purchase. A donation fund has been established to provide juniors with coupons to shop free if they need assistance. This massive shopping opportunity will be staged at the Juniors Benching area, courtesy of AKC and Michael Canalizo. Clothing will be available from Tuesday to Saturday, with new items arriving daily. Proceeds will be divided between two different junior showmanship scholarship funds.

* A “chuck a duck” 50/50 competition to benefit the Onofrio Junior Achievement Challenge Scholarship on Friday.

* An enormous raffle, with the drawing on Saturday.

“This is an opportunity for everybody to work together for the betterment of the kids and the fancy,” Bell said.

Visit SHCL facebook page for more information and to purchase raffle tickets online: https://www.facebook.com/Southernhandlers

Tip of the Week:

Remember to listen for Allison Foley from the Leading Edge Dog Show Academy on how to “carve the picture” of the ideal dog while trimming.

Human-animal bond will save your life

The human-animal bond developed over the course of 30,000 years in which people and dogs co-evolved, according to Steve Feldman, executive director of HABRI.

The Pet Effect Campaign, led by HABRI-founder Zoetis, is a multi-pronged campaign aimed to introduce pet owners to the health benefits of the human-animal bond, and to understand how important their veterinarians are for happy, healthy pets.

HABRI has assembled scientific evidence that demonstrates how pets improve heart health; alleviate depression; increase well-being; support child health and development; and contribute to healthy aging. In addition, companion animals can assist in the treatment of a broad range of conditions from post-traumatic stress to Alzheimer’s disease to autism spectrum disorder.

From therapy dogs for autistic children to service dogs for PTSD veterans, research is proving that dogs lower people’s bad neurochemicals and increase their good ones, Feldman added.

Pets are the fountain of youth

Dog people have always known dogs are the fountain of youth, but Feldman cited a study from Sweden that looked at three million people over the course of 12 years. It showed that people who own pets live longer. To the point that doctors are beginning to actually *prescribe* getting a pet to improve a patient’s health.

“Breeders are responsible for healthy dogs, but they are also responsible for healthy people, families and even a healthier society,” Feldman said.

One of HABRI’s current studies is examining the potential role of pets in preventing teen suicide. As Feldman said, what the dog community knows anecdotally, they are working on proving empirically.

HABRI, which was founded by Zoetis, has created a promotional campaign to talk about this called The Pet Effect. The shareable videos and graphics are powerful outreach to the public about the importance of our pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXwt62moB7w#action=share