Our Beginning......
Our Beginning......
“WRITTEN
IN 1984”
We
got our start into German Shepherds in 1971.
When
we first started in the breed, we did do some obedience; however, I
personally prefer conformation, and didn't get a lot of satisfaction
from obedience. I still do some training of obedience for other people
from time to time.
We
bought our first dog from a local breeder. It was a male puppy from the
Yoncalla's Mike lines. The puppy was a birthday present for Ken. We only
had him for a few months, when he developed torsion and died.
Of
course, we went to the same breeder and bought another dog, this time a
bitch puppy, out of the Harrigan line. Of course the natural thing you
do with a bitch is to breed her and have puppies. When she was old
enough, we did breed her. We had a litter of eight puppies. We sold the
entire litter, except for a cute little sable bitch.
A
couple of months after having the litter, the Harrigan daughter
developed pyometria and we had to have her spayed. We sold her to a
relative as a pet. (I might add that she is still living, at the age of
13.)
We
began to show the cute little sable that we kept from the litter at fun
matches and she always took first place in her class. We really began to
like this showing and thought it was lots of fun. At 10 months of age,
we noticed that she began limping in the rear, so we took her to the
veterinarian to have her x-rayed. She was dysplastic, so we had her put
down.
We
then began looking for another Shepherd. Two days later Ken came home
with this cute little black and tan girl. I was still so upset over the
loss of our previous bitch that I didn't even look at the new puppy for
three days. Ken did everything for her.
Once
I did go out to see her, she grew on me, and everyone in the family,
very fast. This little girl is now an ROM, our Zeus daughter, Empress
Hera of Nordlicht. She is now ten years old and going strong.
This
is where our real start began. Being in the breed for the amount of time
that we have, we feel that we are very fortunate to have the animals we
have. We do have some animals that we are proud of, and feel they have
had significance on our breeding program and the breed. Our #1 here at
Ken-Delaine would have to be our Zeus daughter, our ROM bitch Empress
Hera of Nordlicht. It takes time and many other factors to have an ROM,
and not many people will ever have an ROM. This is why we think so much
of her. She truly stamps her progeny with certain type. She has
excellent OFA hips, and her progeny also have had good hips. They all
have her rich dark pigment, very dark eyes, strong ears, and proud
"look of eagles" appearance.
Empress
has produced four champions from four different breedings. She was bred
twice to Sel. Ch. Ravenhaus Noah, and there was a champion in each
litter. The first was Am/Can/Int'l.CACIB/Puerto Rican/Col/Ven/Dominican
Ch. Solomon Beau Enki (I believe this to be the most titles by a
Shepherd male in history). The second by Noah was Am/Can. Ch.
Ken-Delaine's Leia. Empress
was then bred to Sel. Ch. Cobert's Reno of Lakeside ROM. There was only
one puppy from this breeding, but she became a champion Am/Can. Ch.
Ken-Delaine's Tania.
The
next breeding was to Am/Can. Ch. Enderhaus Commotion, there was a
Champion in this litter, Am/Can. Ch. Ken-Delaine's Stuart W.
Empress
is now past her time to be bred anymore, but she has proven to be a real
producer, no matter who she was bred to. She has always had quality in
her litters. She is not pretty herself, but she certainly produced
better than herself. That
is the name of the breeding game!
The
second dog we feel has been of importance to the breed is a bitch that
we bought from California. She is a GV Ch. Schokrest on Parade daughter.
Select Am/Can. Ch. Shandee's Primrose Lady. Her call name is
"June." June is not an extreme dog in structure, but she is
what the breed should be - CORRECT. She IS extreme in personality and
temperament. She is very outgoing. This was quite evident at the 1982
national under Mr. Loeb, where she went Select. As Mr. Loeb approached
her, it was if she was saying, "Please pet me." She never quit
wagging her tail. She was a crowd pleaser. June would truly win your
heart.
In
preparation for dog shows, we conditioned June 1 1/2 to 2 miles a day.
When you work for the national, the work becomes more extensive. We
started out about 2 miles a day. Six weeks before the national she was
road working 5 miles a day, every day. June had the devotion and the
true desire to "want to please," so she would go forever. The
sign of a true working dog. By the time of the national she was very fit
and Mr. Loeb said it in his critique, "She was in hard physical
condition."
June
placed 4th Select, and it is because of her tremendous joy for life and
her correct structure, that I believe she will produce like herself and
will leave a stamp on the breed. She has been a pleasure to own. Having
her go high Select has been a beautiful dream come true for us, and is
an accomplishment for any owner, or dog.
We
get a great deal of pleasure exhibiting dogs that we have bred, studying
type and pedigrees to come up with dogs we have bred not only for
structure, but for a beautiful appearance, something for a breeder to be
proud of. We
based our breedings on some of the old bloodlines of longevity, such as
Reno, Zeus, and Noah. It is a good feeling to know that your dogs will
be with you a while. We
feel that these bloodlines have also made a mark on the breed in many
ways.
Our
goal is to produce sound animals, dogs with longevity, intelligence and
to honestly feel that we did our best to breed animals that will further
the breed, and always strive to bring quality into our program and into
the breed in general. We would like to think that we helped the breed,
at least in our area. Also, that we can work towards the goal of having
done our best to bring the best possible bloodlines into this area.
Considering
that we have mainly had bitches, this means we have to ship them around
the country to have them bred. If you are a truly good breeder, this is
the price you pay to have quality animals and bloodlines. The most
important thing that we have worked for over all the years in the breed
is honesty. Honesty about the breedings we have done. They can't all be
great, they can't all have show quality in them. We try to keep an open
mind and be critical enough and not be kennel blind. At the same time
you must be proud of the good ones, and realize that it took a long time
in the breed to recognize a good one. Structure and movement take a
great deal of time to understand. If you are able to pick a good one
from a litter, you are to be commended.
We
are proud of all of our champions, and the bitches and sires that
produced them. But it is because of a lot listening to other breeders,
asking a lot of questions, and studying; that we feel very confident now
choosing a dog for the show ring.
The
next goal that we set for ourselves and have kept, is honesty with
people. This includes people we sell dogs to, other breeders and to
anyone wanting to know about our dogs or anything to do with our
breeding program.
The
only time that people hide things from someone is when they have
something to be ashamed about, or they are not telling the truth. We
stand behind every dog that we sell, and deal fairly and openly in all
situations. To misrepresent an animal in any way is wrong.
I
believe we have met many goals, but we are always striving for higher
goals, which makes this not only an exciting sport, but in this breed, a
very exciting and real possibility for all things one has dreamed of to
happen.
We
did not "fall" into our champions, our ROM, and our Select, it
took work, dedication and determination, along with a lot of heartbreak.
We were in the breed ten years before we had a champion. Within the last
three years we have had five champions, four of which we are the
breeders of and one that we bought at a young age, a select bitch and an
ROM. Three of our champions we still own, and of course the Select and
the ROM. The
first eight years were a great deal of learning.
It
is only in the past five years we feel that we have graduated from
novices, to knowledgeable breeders. One can never learn enough about the
breed. I guess that we just feel more confident in our choice, and in
what we are breeding and passing along to the newcomers to the breed.
We went for years to fun matches when we started. Never won a Best in
Match. Maybe a first place ribbon, but we were content-not happy, but
content. We went to shows but didn't take points. I guess this was the
"paying the dues"' years, as I've heard it said. There were a
lot of slack years when we didn't have anything to show. We went to the
shows and watched. We went to ALL the local shows. We read books and
tried to learn everything we could about the breed and exhibiting. All
of it did pay off because when our time came, we felt ready.
We
are very fortunate that both of us are into Shepherds equally. We both
love the breed and showing. It is difficult when only one party is into
dogs. We work together on the showing, breeding and the care of our
dogs. We
have a "private kennel." We keep about seven to twelve dogs
usually, mostly bitches.
Since
bitches are the real foundation of a good breeding program, we try to
keep the top bloodlines in our kennel. We keep one or two males here for
breeding, but we ship most of our bitches out for breeding to top studs
around the country. We own 11 acres of land, one acre
completely fenced.
Each
dog has his or her "time out" to run the property every day.
In this way, they each get personal contact with us each and every day,
rather than living as "kennel dogs." We believe this is what
gives them their great show attitude. They truly love us individually.
The
one thing that is important to every “breeder-show person” is the
fact that
"You
get out of your dogs what you put into them."
After hundreds of miles of roadwork we've done, the endless hours of researching pedigrees and the thought and planning put into breeding, and the worry over them, the proof is here in our backyard in the champions, the ROM, and the Select we have. All in all, I'd say it was worth it! INTERVIEW FOR THE REDBOOK
1.) How did you get into GSDs and why did you choose GSDs? Was the GSD the first purebred breed you owned? Ken & I got into GSDs in 1971 when l bought a male GSD puppy for Ken for his birthday. Unfortunately, this one died a few months later, so naturally we went right out and got another GSD, this time a sable female puppy. We had always wanted a purebred Shepherd, and earlier in our marriage we had a Shepherd male but who knows if he was purebred. He was a free one out of the newspaper. One day he just disappeared (someone stole him from our backyard). The reason we chose GSDs is that we both admired them and also maybe a small influence was that Ken’s sister and brother-in-law had one: an import from Germany (Panzer) and our brother-in-law was in the Army and got him direct from Germany. He was a tough male – but we eventually took him here in his old age until he died. We lived in the country and I needed protection and Shepherds were our first choice, although for a couple of years in the 70s we had a Doberman and a litter of pups. But she was just too nervous and needed heated facilities. So we had to make a choice of which breed we would keep, and as you can see GSDs won. Our first litter of quality that we felt showable (out of our first bitch – the sable I mentioned) had 7 pups, of which we kept 1 female, and we started going to fun matches to see what this whole show world was about. She always won her class, and a few Best of Breed wins. Well, to say the least, "we were hooked" Although in the end this girl didn't work out, we went on to yet another female.
2.) When did you first start showing GSDs? When we got another female, it was because our sable had X-rayed dysplastic in one rear leg. We gave her to my aunt and uncle who had her operated on. She lived for 15 years. We got another female, this time a black and tan Zeus daughter who was about 4 Months old when we got her. Her name was Empress Hera of Nordlicht – lovely girl but not quite good enough to show. So, what do you do then? Try breeding her, and we did. We bred her to Ch Ravenhaus Noah. This litter produced gorgeous puppies: 2 champions came from that breeding. So we of course repeated it – twice. Empress gave us 4 champions and many other qualifiers, so she attained the coveted ROM title! And she was OFA good on both ends. We had her put down at nearly l4 years of age as senility set in. It was a sad day here. So to ask when we actually started showing GSDs, it was about 1972 for point shows, but we attended many shows and matches before that just to learn and listen.., and I read and read and read anything I got my hands on about GSDs.
3.) When did you breed your first homebred champion and who was it? I think I just answered this question. The year was 1979 and the dog was American, Canadian ,Dominican, Puerto Rican, Philippine, International, Bermuda, Champion Solomon Beau Enki (we believe this is the most titles for a male GSD in history and he may have more). His sire was Ch. Ravenhaus Noah and his dam was our Empress Hera of Nordlicht ROM.
4.) Of all your many wins, which one had the greatest meaning to you? It's hard to say which of the many wins had the greatest meaning to us. That's a tough one! I guess the year that Avia went Sel #3, and her litter sister Prima (at the same National) went Winners Bitch, Best of Winners and Select #4 right behind her. That was a high! That National is replayed in our minds. It's a breeder's dream!
5.) Who has had the greatest influence an you with regard to breeding and showing? I guess the greatest influence on us in regard to the "breeding and showing of GSDs" aspect goes, is a combination of people and top dogs bloodlines We don't mean to leave anyone or dog out, but few names would be the dogs, Hawkeye, Trollstigen, Aspen, Mannix of Fran–Jo, Andretti , Allways A Lady, and Stockbroker. I loved their type and great movement. And as far as people (or kennels) we tried to have dogs like, they would be: Amber’s (Barbara Amidon), Fran-Jo (Fran & Joan Ford), Cobert’s (Ted & Connie Beckhardt), Covy-Tucker Hill (Cappy Pottle & Gloria Birch), and the original Clayfield (Alice Likens & Sharon Earl). We believed these all produced dogs of character, type, movement, quality and good minds. It's hard to get all this in one package, but these are just some names, to mention a few. As we said, we don't mean to leave anyone or dog out.
6.) Which of your dogs had the greatest impact an you? This is another tough question. As far as what we are today. we'd have to give that title to our great girl 2x Sel. Ch. Ken-Delaine’s Avia ROM. You can still see her in her grand kids. We cannot leave out her mother, Ch. Janry’s Givency ROM (new ROM), who gave us Avia, along with the great litter that Avia came from: Avia, Prima, Puma, Primero and several great others. Avia and Givency just received their ROMs! We are so proud of them! Thanks to Henry and Jane Dancosse for selling us "Gia" (Givency).
7.) Other than one of your own dogs, has there been a GSD that had impact you? There are several dogs that have had impact on us, but to narrow it down to one seems unfair to the others. It's a large genetic pool. But, we again were impacted (in our breedings) by dogs such as Hawkeye (we’ve line bred on him), Aspen, Lance, but the Hawkeye line.
8.) What differences can you see between, the GSDs of today and those you first started out with? This is an easier question. Our dogs of today are definitely different, more e1egant, angulated, better fronts (so hard to get today), and rear to match. They are prettier today, more athletic. All and all, better movers. The ones in our beginning were more "boxy," not elegant, and didn’t have the top line or underline of what we have today.
9) Do you feel the breed has improved or deteriorated? Why? On the overall, we think the breed has improved. It’s a more beautiful breed now, more athletic. More conscious about good X-rays (hips and elbows). Our National, Futurities and Specialties now certainly tell us that you better have a super one to win, at least at Specialties and Futurities (in most cases). So we feel most of us breeders of today are striving to leave this breed better than we found it. It has improved, that is our opinion.
10.) What do you, see as the greatest attribute in GSDs today? The greatest attribute? This is a complex question. I think its character. Our (the country’s) dogs show with pride (in most dogs) and athleticism. We work our dogs so they can have lots of endurance. So the character and movement (fronts) are the attributes. Our breed has to be one of proud character and nobility. This comes from good minds, self-confidence, attitude, and total fitness and soundness.
11.) What you see as the most serious problem in GSDs today? Where do we start? First, we guess it would be that the breed is losing its good shoulder, no openings, loss of front reach - it is hard to attain, but easy to lose if you choose the wrong breeding. Balance to cover ground with the fewest steps. Next, follow-through. We hate the "new fad" statement "locked hocks." This is pure and simple no follow-through! Most of all, we need more good males to breed to. There are far too few, and the fact that sizes are out of hand on males. What happened to the standard? If a dog is a good one, and in standard size, use him. Keep your good movement and minds. We are not breeding Great Danes or Horses, they are GSDs. Look at the Standard, not only breeders, but judges. Minds are important too. They can’t all be show dogs, so the pet buyers should be considered when breeding too. They must have good minds in all aspects. Even though every dog can get his (bad) day in the ring, show dogs live a stress filled life. Remember that! We’ve all had those bad days. Be honest (about temperament), we have!
12.) What diet tips can you give? We feed lamb and rice food. Try to stay away from high fat diets, not good for GSDs. Also our studs, show and brood stock, especially studs and show dogs, get Vitamin B Stress Tabs daily, mix a good daily Vitamin with their food. We feed our adults two times daily; puppies always have dry kibble available, but get two moist meals a day. Our adults always get moist meals, and lots of dog cookies and biscuits – they love ’em! Keeps teeth cleaner too. We don’t feed pups high protein can cause problems. By 2 ½ months, they are on no higher then 21% and adults no more than 23%, all lamb or turkey and rice. We also cook rice and mix moist meals makes it more digestible.
13.) What grooming tips can you give? Give out trade secrets? Ha! Lots of combing (no slicker brushes as they break hair), so we use a metal comb. When the dogs are shedding, we strip out with a horse stripper and metal comb. Then we bathe with an oatmeal shampoo and oatmeal crème rinse or conditioner. Blow drying can be an art depending on how much coat they have. This also takes out dead undercoat once they start to blow coat. Two or three warm baths should get rid of dead hair, and lots of combing! We don’t use a lot of grooming spray before they’re to go in the ring, and if we use it, it's only minutes before they enter the ring so they sparkle. Clean ears and short toenails are very important. Toenails are hard to keep up on, but if you do it every week and a half, it keeps it under control. Good nutrition and combing makes the job easier when its show time. Lots of creme rinse (even the cheap stuff) makes hair comes out easier when it’s dried (leave creme rime on 5-10 minutes).
14.) Fifty years from now, what would you like to be remembered for?? Years from now we would hope that people remember our names for having left the breed better than when we came in. That we had a certain goal in mind and we met that goal, trying to achieve a certain type, movement, improving fronts and rears, and most of all, that we did it with lots of hard work, dedication, and along the way, heartbreak, but also lots of joy!
15.) If you could do it all again, what would you do differently? Why?? We’d probably take a shorter road to success - - Ha! We’d probably start with the best bitch we could afford, and hire a top handler (like Ken Tank). And we did eventually (get that compliment, Mr. Tank?). Anid we did have lots of success with Ken Tank and still are, and I hope he feels the same in that department. It’s been a good working relationship. We’d hope someone would trust a new comer with a "good one" as we’ve done with some of our good animals, and hope they’d take some time to try to teach us the breed, not just there for the dollar signs.
16.) What single piece of advice would you give to the novice today? Our advice would be: never start out with a male they're few and far between to get a good one (one that people will use), and the promotion of a male is expensive, and breedings are hard work. It takes more input than a novice can imagine. So our piece of advice is this... start with the best bitch your money can buy, whether you lease one, or buy a topnotch brood bitch. Bitches (good ones) are the foundation of any great breeding kennel. Then read, read, read. From there, believe in the breeder of the bitch for advice of breeding her to a producing male- one that has already produced good offspring. NO male can put out good puppies without being bred to a good bitch, yet the male gets the blame for faults. Unfortunately, he also gets credit for the good offspring too, but you will be the breeder. This will put you ahead from the beginning. Bottom line it START WITH A GOOD BITCH OR BITCHES!, and listen.
To some of us breeder/exhibitors this is how it sounds lately from our board. It seems our board of directors cannot get enough of telling us all that we cannot earn a Select Title unless all sorts of criteria are met. Don’t get me wrong. I like OFA numbers as much as everyone else does. But why is it that the VERY people dictating our prerequisites for Select Titles, R.O.M.’s and also the number of Selects allowed at Nationals have had (in some cases several) Selects, R.O.M.’s, Grand Victors, Grand Victrixes—(or NONE)—when the system seemed so simple or easier.. .or at least more simple than they are making it for ALL OF US. They want us to "CLEAN UP THE BREED", so to speak. In fact in a lot of cases, I believe we wouldn’t have all the problems with hips, elbows, temperament, etc., if our "forefathers" had been more UPFRONT and taken more precautions in their breedings and some of the problems we see today. Yet here we are today paying for the past.
I believe every breeder/exhibitor can police
themselves. If a stud dog isn’t OFA’d, don’t use him! If a bitch
isn’t, don’t buy her pups! lt’s that simple. Go forward with your eyes
open. Don’t forget the statement printed in each Review by the parent club regarding
"concentration on any one facet may achieve it’s effect at the expense of other
attributes. OFA #‘s have nothing to do with a dog’s productivity for
R.O.M.’s, etc.
Most of the people on the board who made all of these recent rules for Selects and
ROM’s are no longer breeding or showing dogs, only judging or on the board. Some have
several R.O.M.’s, Selects., etc., from when the whole thing was SO easy...and
some have never bred anything!!
Another point is about the number of Selects allowed. How can anyone tell a judge how many of the Breed Specials are of equal quality to the Grand Victor or Victrix? I find that to be also dictatorial. If it’s a problem of cost for rosettes, charge more for specials class. We’d all gladly pay it to cover costs just to get the honor to go Select, even if is Number 15 Select. It’s ONE person’s opinion (the person in the middle of the ring) on that day. Let them choose, not the board.
Don’t make it HARDER FOR US than it was for our "forefathers". It doesn’t seem fair! We all work hard—why can’t we earn our DUE recognition?
I thought we lived in a democracy, not a dictatorship—we should have a say in this and many, many other issues... I know I’m not alone in my opinions or feelings.
If we are going to make it more difficult to attain an R.O.M. now then let’s go back in the pedigrees and remove all of those R.O.M.’s who don’t meet the requirements, and not have them allowed. The same goes for all of the Past G.V.’s and Selects. What is this! I think the old-timers would be as upset as we are if we removed all of these titles ( R.O.M., Select, or G.V.) from their dogs— which appear in most of our pedigrees. Let’s just be fair—can we all come to some kind of fairness and understanding?
Leave our systems alone—the RO.M., the Selects, and our Futurities! We, the breeders, are the backbone (not the demise) of our beautiful breed. In no way are we trying to destroy it as the board seems to imply as if we are incapable without their input... I think not. We are always striving for better!
Leave the futurities to the regional clubs. Let them choose who they want to judge them (just as we do for sanction matches). Futurities are considered no more than a match by the AKC. Our regional clubs are capable and it seems more fair than the "blind judge" draw-the-name-out-of-a-bowl system. Otherwise, why do regional clubs even bother nominating futurity judges when several others can be submitted by people who may not even be members of any local (regional) club. Regional clubs choose their own specialty judges—why aren’t they considered capable of doing the same for futurities. We all choose the futurities anyway that will be best for our dogs.
If we can change our voting for futurity judges, then there needs to be a change on how we choose our National judges which would be more FAIR There has to be a way—vote at the National, and accept absentee ballots from members that can’t attend the National. (I’m sure we could get some people to count ballots). Our system now seems somehow to be a bit political and crooked— Vote at the National over the three days. Have a place for people to drop their vote in, and give the membership enough notice to send in absentee ballots. I know that is legal, feasible and possible, and it would stop the ‘blocks of votes" submitted by certain people (judges).
Please listen to our concerns. Without US, the MEMBERS, there is no Parent Club. As last year, we CAN make changes and a difference. We need a breeder/exhibitors committee to help advise the board on ideas, changes—before all hell breaks loose as in the Arizona-1993 annual meeting!!
We’d all like to help make this club run more smoothly and are willing to help.
We’re not working against "our club"!
GENDER PREJUDICE????
An Original Article By
Delaine Thomson
I think we need to ponder the question of gender prejudice, especially when it comes to Best of Breed Competition, whether it be at All Breed or Specialty shows.As has been the case for years, most of the bitches, both in the classes or Best of Breed competition, are of superior quality; in movement, they are more effortless in their gait as they have less to carry around the ring. Overall, bitches have always been of better quality than males - and I think I speak for almost everyone as we, Ken-Delaine Shepherds, have now had both females and males in competition ourselves.
Our "National" specialty show is only one example. We go to specialty shows with these same gorgeous, moving bitches and try to compete for Best of Breed. Even when your bitch out moves and out classes the male, chances are she will go "Best Opposite Sex". It’s just a practice and a precedent that has been set. But, it’s not right!
I believe that it is pretty sad; an inferior male goes Breed and a superior bitch goes Best Opposite. Where are the guts behind our judges (and God forbid if a judge owns the male animal) - that the bitch, in most cases, may be better IS going Best Opposite! We all know that "going Best Opposite" is like kissing your sister.
We (the country) have some gorgeous bitches, but the percentage of Breed wins over the males is small - why is that?
We (the bitch owners) feel prostituted when a judge runs the bitch up front and then points at the male and it happens many times. The term "Best of Breed" means just that; BEST ON THAT DAY no matter specialty or all breed.
Why don’t more judges go with their hearts instead of bowing to the pressure of another judge outside the ring? Judges need to be able to sleep well that night after the decision they made that day. JUDGE DOGS, NOT PEOPLE. Most of all. judges, BE FAIR.
We all complain that women do not get pay or treatment equal to men. Well, neither do the bitches in our breed. A good male will get bred to without Breed wins if he’s a good producer as evidenced by his puppies.
The bottom line is this: in general, bitches are and have been of better quality than the males. A Best Opposite is like a pacifier it shuts us up but doesn’t satisfy. If the girl is better, then give her the Breed, whether it be from specials or from the classes. At times, it’s so obvious to the ringside that the male is going Breed because he’s a male, NOT because he’s a better dog. Judges don’t get more assignments when they go a bit sideways, if you know what I mean; they get fewer assignments. It’s a proven fact in years past.
Bitches have been the backbone of our breed and I believe they deserve some credit. It’s due time.
Let’s correct this Gender Prejudice.
Style
"Magazine" Interview
Simple Style Sharing knowledge learned through years of trial and error and experience is an age-old tradition. We now bring this tradition back to the German Shepherd world, experience, success and love for their dogs have shaped the lives of the breeders that will be featured in this series, these breeders are kind enough to share with us how they care for their dogs. in this issue, Ken & Delaine Thomson, of Ken-Delaine’s Kennels, welcome you into their lives.
The way we feed
We feed Nutra Nuggets, mainly lamb and rice, as it is very easily digestible. We also feed a mix of lamb and rice, as well as chicken and rice to some of our dogs. We don’t like feeding more than 23 - 26% protein as that is too high for adults and can produce problems such as hot spots. We feed vitamins, and add garlic powder to the food. We always feed it moist, soaking it at least one-half hour, and, we don’t add any additives such as canned food or meat. We also don’t feed eggs or poultry items as they can cause severe allergic reactions. There is a difference in what we feed our show dogs and non-show dogs. The show dogs have mostly lamb and rice meal with vitamin B stress formula and regular vitamins. Our non-show dogs, who aren’t as stressed as the ones that fly or go to dog shows, get a mix of the two types of food named above. In the past, we have tried several different dog foods, but we like what we are on now. We have good stools and good weight on Nutra nuggets. We have tried Field and Farm, Dealers Pride, Handlers Choice and other name brands, but we are staying with the Nutra nuggets because of the lamb and rice digestibility
The way we house
We have a combination of inside and outside runs. Our kennel building isn’t heated, as we have pretty mild winters, with the average temperatures 40-50 degrees. We do not have air-conditioning either because the average summer isn’t that outrageously hot, with most days about 70-85 degrees. We use cedar sawdust in the sleeping areas (most of them). The ones off the kennel building have wood floors that are removable pieces, easy to sterilize and clean regularly. Our surfaces in our kennels are mainly patio blocks covered by cedar sawdust. A couple of the runs are solid cement covered with cedar sawdust. We have tried cement runs, but find that it is smelly, doesn’t drain well and dogs get sore feet or bad feet (which we don’t have). We also don’t use fir or any other kind of sawdust as it doesn’t cut down on smells, or help with any flea problems like cedar does. We rarely have flea problems here now. We do have to add some fresh sawdust daily, and completely change it bi-weekly. This means truckloads brought in and put into the building where we store it, and we then haul buckets of it to the runs. Although this is a drawback, it’s still the best surface as far as we are concerned. We have a regular schedule for cleaning, two times a day (9 am and 5:30 pm), and we disinfect all runs weekly or more if needed.
The Way We Groom
We wash or bathe our dogs that are being shown a couple of times a month if they are actively showing (sometimes they are being shown weekly). When we are not showing them we don’t bathe as often. The dogs that are not showing get baths when needed, and when they are blowing coat, or getting ready to have a litter. We do use conditioner on our dogs. I especially like the John Sebestian Leave-in (but I do wash it out). It makes their coat feel like mink. We’re not partial to any one brand of shampoo, but Prell shampoo for humans works great! We blow dry the dogs that are showing and those that are shedding. It helps to get the old coat out, so the new can come in. We do not use heated blow dryers, only the forced air dryers. We have used so many shampoos and conditioners over the years, we can’t remember them all, but whatever works good for you is what you should stay with. We must have changed because we didn’t like the results of the shampoos or conditioners we were using, but we like what we are using now. We only use good metal combs on our dogs’ coats, even when they are blowing coats. Slicker brushes can break the hair. If a dog is blowing heavily and we need the coat out ASAP, we use a metal horse stripper. We only use this with the grain of the coat, not against it. Our main recommendation for grooming is to only use a good wire comb (like the Greyhound brand. If your handler doesn’t steal it every time he sees it and claim is his or hers). The wire comb works the best and does a clean job.
The Way We Teach
We do lots of training for the ring. We go to classes, talk to them (like nuts), and play lots of hide and seek which teaches them to double-handle very well. We hide, then make sounds, say "cookie" and their name, and when they find us they get lots of affection and the "cookie" that was promised. We play this game on a long leash, with the person holding the leash encouraging the dog to find the person who is hiding. In the yard playing, we say their name, "cookie" and ring the doubling bell at the same time, so they associate it all together. We teach our dogs to double from the time they are young puppies by playing hide anid seek. Another game we play with youngsters is one of us running ahead of them while someone handles them on a leash. They learn to pull into the lead this way. We do work on consistency of gait at classes or matches, so they will take the whole ring. We teach them to corner by one of us at opposite corners of the ring at classes or matches and call them when they are about halfway down the side opposite us. We only do these things in moderation when they are young, and we don’t encourage showing a puppy frequently, as they get bored with the whole thing real fast. There aren’t that many pups that are "Best Puppy" material in the breeding programs of most breeders, if they are truthful about it, so why flush good money and waste a good dog? Building attitude is a real task. You must do lots…of praise, lots of talking to them like nuts baby talk, and pounds of cookies with the bell or whatever sound we will use. We also give them a body massage.. .they love it! We haven’t had to build attitude into our dogs too much, because it is most certainly born into them. We do show them special attention, and this shows in the ring. But mainly, they come out of those birth sacks with it.. .Thank God! There is nothing worse then having a beautiful dog with no attitude. Lots of times in the ring an inferior one will win because of that attitude (although I’m not saying our dogs are inferior!). You must have that attitude to compete at least at specialties, and we have it naturally in our lines.
The Way We Work
We do have an exercise program for our dogs. We start them at about 8-12 months of age. Every dog gets daily exercise, whether it’s in the backyard playing the cookie game, out to classes weekly, or out to fun matches. We don’t start roadwork type conditioning until they are one to one and a half; they are on a grassy surface. When we roadwork it is on blacktop. We roadwork them at 8-11 miles an hour, five days a week. The schedule is three days on, one day off, then two days on and one day off and we repeat that program. On the days off they get yard time to run and play, and lots of doubling. We use our small truck to road-work, behind the tailgate. We don’t let them come up beside it, and the one on the tailgate sitting with the dog leash rings the bells and talks to the dog. The driver (that’s me, Delaine) also calls them and rings the bells, and this makes them pull better. We do not use any devices for strengthening or endurance as the roadwork does that as well as giving them a conditioned and consistent gait. Each dog really has its own speed of roadwork, but we don’t go more than a mile because it builds too much muscle and they aren’t as free moving. Please don’t think you have to go five miles for six months. We roadwork before showing about 3-4 weeks and for the futurities and the National about 6-7 weeks.
The Family Way
Our bitches that are going to have puppies get Pet-Tab vitamins, calcium until about a month after they whelp, and some raspberry tea leaves which are supposed to make whelping easier We start this at the time of the breeding. We don’t have any special exercise for the moms because we think keeping them settled down is the best you can do for them. They do get in the yard daily for a while. After they whelp, we give our bitches am food for lots of milk (actually we have doubled their food by the time they are 5 to 6 weeks in whelp). We feed them extra until the time we are ready to start weaning. Then we cut back. It takes about a week to wean a litter. We begin weaning at three weeks old, starting them on ground beef after a week or so, we mix in some soaked puppy chow. After weaning, they mainly get soaked puppy chow two to three times a day. We have switched them to dog food only by 8-10 weeks old, and adult food at about 5 months. We do add some powder vitamins, garlic powder or Pet-Tab vitamins if it’s only a small litter. Our whelping room is located in our kennel building. We have the puppies on carpet for bedding, with newspapers under it for insulation. The newspapers absorb the urine and we change it all weekly, or sooner if needed. As they get older, they are on newspaper, and as they learn to go outside to potty they are mainly on the wood floor with a small piece of carpet to sleep on. We move them outside at about 8-9 weeks old to a puppy pen that is about 40x50, sometimes sooner depending on the weather. We have a 5x15 "holding pen" with a gate that attaches to the puppy pen so when we are cleaning we can put them in there and they are not under foot.
They Way We Look
We live on nearly 11 acres on the country side of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Washington State
We have 7 show dog runs", five that are 5 x l5, two are 5x20, and all are covered with either metal corrugated or fiberglass roofing. The whelping room in the kennel building has a swinging magnadoor which leads out to a 12x16 run area for the mom of the pups. This has a ramp to go in and out of the whelping area where they usually sleep. We have three brood bitch runs off the kennel building also covered with fiberglass or corrugated roofing. We have one security run for bitches that are in for breeding that has a chain link top, fiberglass roofing, and a floor of solid cement covered with cedar sawdust. We hate the cement runs that we have, and are going to replace them with patio blocks for better drainage and no smell. As far as roofing, we can’t believe that all kennels across the country don’t have covered runs. You can build them sturdily and at a slope so they are easy to clean, and your dogs can get out in the winter and the summer.
The Way We Are
We have had many experiences in the German Shepherd world, so many that I could write a book.. . which I probably have done here. From the pet puppy buyer to the show dog buyer - to breeding our stud dogs, to whelping a lot of litters (and each one is a new experience), to the problem solving, listening to ridiculous and honest complaints, to replacing animals we don’t really have to replace just to make people happy. We have always tried our best to be up front, honest, helpful and to get along with people. (Which in some cases is impossible, i.e., You could sell them a Grand Victor or Victrix for $150, or even free, and they’d never be happy). But most are very good to deal with and work with and appreciate our input and advice. We still learn something new every day, and we never stop growing and learning more. We think we have been fair in all our dealings, sales, breedings and co-ownerships. Our accomplishments are many, and we are most happy and grateful for each and every one of them. Futurity and Maturity winners, lots of champions and Eleven Selects. We’ve run for Grand Victrix four times, but haven’t as of yet got the big title. Oh well, someday. That can be maddening and disheartening, but we are proud of all of our dogs and our achievements: the Selects, and the progeny of our animals that are Champions, Futurity/Maturity winners and placers and the Select offspring. We’ve had a Maturity Victor (Mastercharge), several ROM’s (which mean more than championships-they are work and are hard to attain) we treasure them. A great many OFA’s in our breeding program is also a great attribute to our breed. We have conditioned some very well known dogs to their championships, several of them not of our breeding. We conditioned Mystique for a year and got her first Select on her. It made us happy to make the owners happy of these dogs.
We’ve had so many accomplishments, but along with the good comes the bad, and we’ve had to weather both. It takes lots of hard work, dedication and yes.. heartaches along the way.
Thank you for asking us to be your first feature interview ... lastly, we’d like to add this one comment. If we do no more in dogs (German Shepherds, of course), we’ve done more than we ever dreamed we would do. We love the breed, and we’ll still be out there.
Puppy Selection
Picking and grading puppies is one of timing and knowledge of the bloodlines.
First, you must know what is the best "time" (meaning age wise) as to which are the "show", "companion" and "breedable bitches " and those boys that are the quality needed to be a good, top quality Show ,Stud Dogs (these seem to be few and far between in the past few years - unfortunately).
Knowing the bloodlines is a MUST, in order to know how they grow and at what ages, they have their growth spurts. Puppies grow at different growth rates. Certain bloodlines look great at one age, while others take a younger or older age when they look their best or worst.
My own personal thoughts on how we choose our "show" quality, is that we watch them at about 6 weeks of age and there are always those that "stand-out ". If the overall litter looks good, but your eye tends to go to a certain one or two, it is pretty ascertain that those will be most likely the ones we are going to hold.
In NO way do we choose at 6 weeks, we watch about every other week after that, changes seem to really take place at two week intervals. Sometimes, those ones that "stood-out", have been joined by maybe one or more puppies, to be an: "eye catcher ". Sometimes, again, those from 6 weeks that caught your eye, are still catching your eye! We really don't get serious about who will be chosen (that we think at that time) until around 9 weeks of age. As I said, every bloodline has its differences in growth. Our bloodlines definitely have those times.
It seems to be a slow growing, maturing bloodline. Meaning, again that as time goes by, they just get better, if they started out good; or some that you may have thought "weren't all that " seem to "come-on" at about 9 - 10 weeks of age.This can only make it more difficult to choose as more have joined the "show" "keepers" group.
Any male puppies that don't have both testicles by 9 weeks are sold into "companion" homes on a neuter contract. As we have been told and also experienced - in the monorchids that we have had (which I will add are few! Very -few). IF they don't have both down and descended into the scrotum at that age, it is VERY rare that they will ever be there.
The age of 10 weeks NO one leaves as in the behavior readings - this is a very traumatic age for puppies to be moved, into any different surroundings, and this is the age when they really need the security. Seems that after that week and at 16 weeks again - another trauma time for behavior.
So, our rule of thumb is, we do not send out any show prospects "before" the age of 16 weeks and 20 weeks.
We make out final decisions at 15 weeks of age. This has proven to be the best age to finally point and say which category each one belongs in, according to past breedings, and the bloodlines involved.At this age of 15 -16 weeks of age, you can see the movement, the temperament, and what sort of personality each one has, along with strong points, and weak points (that needs to be worked on). Also, at this age, puppies have been thru their series of the most needed vaccinations, and wormings, the crucial ones before they are placed into their *new* homes. Thereby having the antibodies needed in their systems.
It is also a good time to be sure to check for correct bites, or what the condition of the bite is at that age .
Angulation , and movement, character and personality, along with temperaments should be very apparent at this age .
Our words to prospective "show" puppies, "we do not sell any of those until and between the ages of 16 to 20 weeks of age ". This way we know for sure (well in many areas for sure) the quality of the puppy, and it is also old enough to get an idea of the hip and elbow status as well by having them prelimbed.
On all of our litters , we plan to keep only one for ourselves, however there have been times when we have kept two, just because it's hard to get the good ones. If we decide to keep two in a litter, a lot of times it is because the bloodlines are so good, and we keep maybe one bitch to show and the other to breed. This way when the show bitch finishes her Championship (hopefully), the other sister already is well on the way to producing puppies to try to achieve an ROM. As most show bitches don't even get bred until the age of three (3), because of being in the show ring, and waiting for them to mature.
Training Your Puppy
Original Article Written by Delaine Thomson 10-25-2005
There is a lot of time, patience and work that go into training a puppy. Whether it is for leash training, house training or any other kind, such as obedience, etc. Hopefully, this article will give you some insight into a few areas and ways of doing some things that have seemed to work for us, in the past and in the present, and will possibly help you with that “new” puppy.
Each puppy has not only its own personality, but its ability to learn new, necessary things it’s all the same. Although some may be more “want” to learn and then some that are “stubborn” to learn or teach, they all have the same ability and intelligence. When it comes to teaching and learning the basics, it’s sort of like children; each has its own way, and personality.
Remember, that with things such as housetraining, potty training, it’s YOUR responsibility to see that they go out several times a day, and make a plan or schedule for them. Also, stay outside with them until they do go (usually after a meal, give it 5 to 10 minutes, and take them out for a potty. If they go potty, LOTS of praise! It is up to you, not the puppy to become house-potty trained. They are like children and only learn from you.
We all want to live with a puppy that is easy to “live with” and so it takes “us,” the humans, to teach them what we expect of them, and how they are to behave from early on. It seems the earlier you start the “training” of any sort, the easier they learn, although I don’t recommend stringent obedience training until a minimum age of between 6 to 8 months of age, as their attention span at such a young age isn’t very long, and all will be lost if you expect to train novice obedience at an earlier age. Sure, they may respond to your simple commands, and simple things that you have taught them, the basics that is. But, no real structured type of classes or individual training until I would say, 8 months of age. You can teach them some key words for them to learn before that age.
Depending on whether your dog is to live inside or outside may make a difference, but when you are around them, if they live outdoors, you will still have the chance to make the training happen, doing it in a proper manner.
When it comes to a puppy and it’s chewing, puppies need things to chew on for their teeth. I would recommend toys they can’t chew apart, as this may get into the intestinal track, and really raise medical problems. NO rawhide! It’s been proven that rawhide is not good for puppies (or dogs for that matter) in a lot of ways. They can become logged in the throat, or enter the intestinal system, causing problems needing veterinary care. Give them knuckle bones to chew, they are good for them to chew, as they have calcium which is needed for the teeth, ears and bones with growth. NO chicken bones, as they can break and really cause problems.
Toys should also be things they can’t rip apart, and ingest. Tennis balls are off limits as they can chew them up, in pieces and they become wedged in the intestinal tract and could cause problems or even death so, no tennis balls unless you are right there to watch them and put up when you are not there to watch them. Tennis balls are dangerous, as I had a friend loose and adult to chewing one up and they couldn’t save her, even at the vets’ clinic. DO NOT leave tennis balls lying around. This is a precaution to you, better safe than sorry.
Another tip here is this, IF you leave shoes or other items laying around that they can get hold of to chew on or chew up, don’t blame the puppy, blame yourself, for leaving them where the puppy can get at them. This may mean closing all closet doors or perhaps all doors to rooms in the house, just to be safe.
As in all training of any dog or young puppy, tone of voice is everything. If they do something well, then a sweet, rather “baby talk” tone of voice, is really good for their mental ability to do the same good deed again. Reward for good behavior, with lots of fun baby talk and petting and scratching them has always worked well for us. Remember all training is done by “Tone of Voice” Good or Bad behavior responds to these two responses 100% of the time. Whether it is a good deed (sweet tone of voice and praise) and bad behavior and a simple “NO” with the right tone of voice, as if you really mean it, works well. Do these commands immediately as they do good or bad things.
Dogs don’t understand conversations, they only understand tone of voice, and reward for good and discipline for bad. I don’t mean by discipline in any way to hit, touch the dog or puppy, rather petting for good behavior and one or two word commands for bad behavior. NO HITTING!
I also don’t recommend any treats for good behavior and certainly not for bad behavior, and I will tell you why?
If you are somewhere other than near a doggy cookie or treat, what would happen?
They would expect a treat, and YOU don’t have one. Therefore, petting and scratching and “good puppy baby talk” works wonders. NO food for rewards.
That’s been my rule of thumb, and it works. Baby talk and petting works much better or good words of praise are the best tools to use.
If a dog does something wrong, then a strong command of “NO” or their name then followed by “NO” works really well, as dogs only understand a couple of words, NOT a whole sentence. To “read the dog or puppy off”-that just doesn’t work! One or two word commands are the best way. Either just the command, No, Stay, Come etc, or use their name first and then one of the commands.
If the puppy goes potty on the floor and you don’t see it, then you can’t reprimand them, just take them outside and see if they want to go again, but no discipline. They have no idea of why or what they are getting yelled at or disciplined. If however, you catch them in the act of going potty on the floor, then you can discipline with tone of voice, no other method. NO touching, such as hitting out of rage or unhappiness to the puppy at all, out of anger whatsoever.
Simply said, that is just not good pet ownership behavior for YOU. You get out of your puppy what “you” put into it; they can only learn their behavior from you, so in essence you “take the blame or fame of what you created in your dog”. The same principles apply as with your children. They are what you teach them, and how they are to behave, there are NO stupid puppies or children.
It is totally up to you to make a schedule when the puppy goes outside to do their business. It may take a while at first, but sooner or later they will go potty when they are out there. Take them out within 5-10 minutes of them eating a meal, and always be sure they go out before bedtime, and as soon as they wake up, or when you get up, take puppy out and stay out with them until they do their business. Then lots of praise! Make a schedule and stick to it.
The puppy is just a young baby and doesn’t know schedules and you are the grown up, and it is your responsibility to make sure they stay on schedule and soon they will let you know when they have to go.
This will all have been worth it and have a puppy that gets easier each day to live with, but it really is all up to you to train them correctly.
As I said above and will repeat here, once the puppy has done the command you asked for, give lots and lots of praise, hugs or pets and use really nice (baby type) talk to encourage them on what a good job they did!
No treats, just hugs and good talk to them, the puppy may be disappointed if you start with treats, then when training properly there are none (treats), you may have to start over, and that will be more difficult than it’s worth, than to just start out right from the beginning.
I am not against treats; we feed lots of doggies’ cookies here, but only when they do good things on their own. Trust me; we go thru a lot of doggie cookies!
The same rules apply here to leash training in a lot of ways. You must start slowly with this, and have patience and don’t be in a rush to get this done. Take the time and patience it takes to be sure the puppy will eventually enjoy the collar and leash. It takes more than a few days to get them comfortable with the idea of being on a collar and leash, so the best answer is, it to go slowly, and don’t expect instant results.
If you remember that patience is a virtue for you and the puppy, you will both have a lot more fun, and not become irritated and disappointed along with frustrated. The results will be worth both of your patience.
You will first start out with a nylon type collar for the puppy. Put the collar on the puppy and let it walk around with it on with no leash attached. They will want to scratch at their neck as this is an unusual feeling for them. Soon they will be used to the feeling. I recommend trying this about 3 times a day, for about 15 minutes at a time, (never do this when the puppy is unattended, as you don’t want the collar to get caught on anything and may cause damage to them-choking) then, try again in a few hours. Praising them for each time you put it on them (again never when unattended) they will get very used to the feeling.
Once they get used to the collar, which will usually be about a week or so, start attaching a leash to it and just letting them drag the leash around. DO both of these steps ONLY when you are right there with them. NEVER when they are alone, so that you know that the leash doesn’t get caught on something or the leash as well. After about 10 minutes, take the leash and collar off the puppy and lots of rewarding words.
After about a week of this, take the leash and follow them instead of trying to “lead” them where you want to go, go where they want to go, saying good puppy or kind words, (always talking to the puppy with praise, such as good boy (or girl). Lots of praise!!
I hope this helps you out in having a dog that you live with, and all your patience and work will have been worth it, and now you have a happy dog and one that you can live with happily.
IF you have problems with these methods, call the breeder, or a breeder for advice, so that you can explain the situation and get some advice, rather than getting frustrated, get happy for your efforts that paid off in the end, and for the life of the dog.
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