Jere Marder was a high school teacher when her husband brought her an OES puppy as a Christmas present. Her world-renowned Lambluv Old English Sheepdogs are the result of a gift that has kept on giving for more than 40 years. She managed a successful breeding and show program for much of that time from a condo near Chicago.

But before that, she choreographed school musicals and taught at her own dance studio in the city. Lambluv dogs have reached #1 in both the Working group and since it was split in the Herding group. The first few were shown by a local professional handler, Jack Funk, but since then, Jere has taken over the leash and her top specials are exclusively breeder-owner handled.

WKC BIS with the Lakeland

Spot On vs Dominator and other great battles

A lifetime in dogs

Breeding, handling, judging

“I still hand-write pedigrees,” Hutchinson said. “I know it’s old-fashioned, but it helps solidify the pedigree in my mind.”

“There is not a dog show I go to that I don’t learn something,” Hutchinson said. “Using your eyes, asking questions of knowledgeable people, you’ll learn.”

Make the Picture

Amateur vs Professional

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

Jackie Stacy winning the national specialty with Ch. Yarrow’s Lucy in the Sky, the top winning bitch in breed history

Monkey Dogs

Breeding for the Future

Stay Involved

“It keeps you grounded,” Jackie said. “I think it makes us better judges because we know firsthand what it takes to get a dog on the ground and in the ring.”

“I think when I judge dogs, I’m very much a purist,” Hoke said. “I think handlers revert back to being even harder and more like a breeder judge. Because we were handlers, we know the value of showmanship, but also realize flash and dash doesn’t make a good dog.

Breeder judges and handler judges

Pet peeves

Encourage new people

Since I started as an owner handler I think the biggest suggestion is first to study the breed. Learn the Trends and Lines. Then while you are in the ring and outside, observe all the dogs. Be objective and try to see where your dog falls in the mix. Be fair when thinking about your own dog. Know it’s strong points and it’s weaknesses as well. Always try to accentuate the positive of your dog. Listen to others for tips as well. Most people will try to give you constructive advice. Mentors in the breed are invaluable from a breeding and a handling standpoint. Practice handing and go to handling classes. I used to go to classes 2 times a week for years. It’s a great training tool for your dog as well as yourself.

No Gypsy Caravan

“It was held over my head when I was growing up, if I didn’t maintain my grades, I didn’t play,” O’Neill said. That upbringing is what shapes the requirements of today’s Junior Showmanship contestants at AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin.

Chipping Away at the Iceberg

“We need to wake up and smell the coffee,” O’Neill said. “This ain’t my father’s AKC anymore. We have a lot more events, a whole different society to address. In many cases people love dogs but they’ve never been around them.”

Carving the picture

Will Alexander grew up with Irish Setters and learned from George Alston, over the phone, how to trim them.

Attention to detail

Tips of the trade

• Think in slow motion. In real time you’re doing exactly the right speed.

• Attention to detail.

• “Old fashioned” isn’t bad

Dream Best in Show Lineup

• English Springer Spaniel Ch. Salilyn’s Condor
• Borzoi Ch. Kishniga’s Desert Song
• Doberman Pinscher Ch. Brunswig’s Cryptonite
• Wire Fox Terrer ch galsul excellence
• Pekingese Ch. Wendessa Crown Prince
• Standard Poodle Ch. Rimskittle Ruffian
• German Shepherd Dog Ch Altana’s Mystique

Dual Champion Does it All

“Back in the day (as the breed was developed in the 1800s) the best wires were standard longhairs bred to Dandie Dinmonts,” Puig said. “Which is why you still see lighter color hair on the heads of some Wire Dachshunds.”

Dog Handler as “Jazz Pianist”

“I learned to communicate with dogs before I learned to communicate with people,” Puig said. “I am grateful to the dogs…. they literally saved my life. I feed off the dog’s personality. You gotta get in their heads. I hate the robot dogs. There are never two dogs that are exactly alike. If you can’t pick up on that, you’ll get nowhere. I’m fortunate I started with Dachshunds, because I had to convince them they were doing what they wanted to do, not what I was making them do.”

“Speak to anyone who is remotely involved with the Pekingese breed and the mention of David Fitzpatrick’s name will result in a degree of awe and reverence, for this American gentleman is acknowledged as being as fine a handler and presenter of a Pekingese as has ever been seen,” says noted British author Andrew Brace.

What is it about Pekingese?

“Their true temperament is snooty,” Fitzpatrick said. “They were developed as palace dogs in China. They were royalty and had their own servants. They are generally waiting for you to do for them. It’s not a breed that really wants to please their humans.”

Pekes as pets

Breed specific presentation

“You have to watch them work”

Ch Pepperhill East Point Airily, BOB at the 1984 Golden National and a multiple BIS winner. She was owned by Dan Flavin and Helene Geary.

Grooming to meet the standard

“When you over-neaten these dogs, you take away basic characteristics of the breeds,” Pepper said.

A PBGV Pepper whelped in the late ’90s.

And while he doesn’t recommend not grooming at all, he advised exhibitors to understand they are not supposed to pull all of the coat off the PBGV or the GBGV. “They are not scissored. Don’t pull too much out, it doesn’t come back quickly. The hole will be there a while. Trim in front of a mirror. The dogs should be neat but not overly neat. A little unevenness. A little rustic,” Pepper said.

History of the rough coated French Hounds

An avid amateur photographer, Pepper travels to Africa regularly.

Bruce and Canalizo in competition with Ch. Tryst of Grandeur and Ch. Yours Truly of Grandeur.

Allowed to Brush

Pam Bruce showing Ch. Yours Truly of Grandeur to Best in Show.

“One thing I learned,” Bruce said. “I don’t remember a bad word being said about anyone or their dogs. Everybody has a talent and something to bring to the table. You should never ever speak of anyone poorly because together we make up what is this passion for all of us, which is this sport.”

Teamwork to keep breeding dogs

Pam Bruce with her homebred Airedale.

“Breeding is about the artform, the intrinsic qualities of the breeds,” Bruce said. “The best indicator of what you’re going to get is what you’ve had. Quality begets quality. You need to have foresight. I’m always breeding three generations ahead.”

Dog people are fascinating

“When I first came on (police work), there was a horse and a woman assigned to every platoon,” Bruce said. “Women were assigned to strip searches, sex assault and child abuse cases. They gave us the janitor’s closet to change in.”

Do the research

Don’t be a drive-by dog enthusiast

Education is the key

“I want everybody who walks out of my ring to say, I didn’t win, but it’s ok, I had a good time” Katona said.

Tips for Owner Handlers

• New people in the ring: Stand up straight, take a deep breath, and realize every person in this ring has been in your place.
• In the group – take care of your dog, play with your dog, have fun, don’t just stand there with the dog on the end of the lead and hand on your hip
• Take a couple seconds, go to corner of ring and then go around after the down and back. You’re cheating yourselves out of 30-50 feet of the dog being seen. And judges need to see how do the dogs take off and how they get their feet under them.
• Owner handlers can be competitive if they take the time to train the dog.
• Most important thing an owner handler can own, other than their dog, is a mirror… buy a full length mirror, put it on the wall horizontally at the level of your dog’s height, watch the dog in a free stack.
• People with table breeds, work with them, let them walk forward, don’t just pick them up and plop them down. Not judging dogs on the table, just examining.
• Don’t suffocate your dogs by stacking and leaning over them. Hand stack, stand back, don’t bend over the dog.
• Do you want the truth? A lot of people don’t want to hear the truth because their ego is attached to that dog.

Hair, not fur

*Leave the sport/breed no worse than you found it

*The number of champions finished/ribbons earned is not the measure of a breeder

*Learn to read a pedigree

*Look to the grandparents

*You can never outrun a problem

*Learn to see quality in other people’s dogs

*Attend national to see dogs that you wouldn’t see any other time

“If it’s all statistics and numbers and cut and dried, I think you burn out,” Buddie said.

Outcrosses

Selection, selection, selection

• Take time to really observe and evaluate puppies at various ages.
• Don’t get rid of a puppy too early or too late.
• Good, but not good enough. Is it the best of the best or the best of what you have?
• Make a list of virtues of sire/dam… Identify what you most want to keep a puppy for from the litter.
• Watch puppies in a pen. Too many folks want to just pick up and look at profile.
• I take my time when evaluating puppies. People rush to judgement.
• Photos give you a static picture and can be inaccurate based on how legs are placed.
• More important to see in a natural position.

“I’m afraid too many people are just getting the points, not really appreciating the dog show itself, the evaluation process, who you showed to and what a difference it made. “Be stimulated by being inspired. Just make sure you’re inspired by the right person who really believes in the sanctity of the breed and the sport,” Buddie said.

Primarily a hunting dog

“Yellow Wavy Coated Retrievers”

Moderation in all things

Gentleman’s gun dog

Secrets to Success

1. Imprint
2. Experience, mentors
3. Foundation stock
4. Dedication and commitment
5. Breeding plan
6. Presentation
7. Sharpen the Saw

“Breeders need to encourage pet people to show dogs,” Ray said. “We need breeders to tell folks, ‘that’s a heck of a dog I sold you, let’s try this, let’s go to this show, don’t waste those genes.”

“The difference is, as a breeder, you are doing it for the love of the breed,” Jana said. “You are trying to maintain the breed in the best way you can. All these other events are nice, they are fun, but they are not about preserving or maintaining your breed.”

Form IS Function

Breed standards were written to describe the dogs that were best at their job. “We have to rely on that written word and be careful when you read it. That scares me about the generic show dog judging … the race to get more breeds makes me uncomfortable,” Jana said.

Best advice

Top dogs

Run!

“Sometimes the dog with heart will beat a dog that is *technically* better simply because it will always perform, no matter the conditions,” Sommer said.

Have a goal

Handlers compete with the best to improve

“Owner Handled allows them to compete against one another. I’m not opposed, but I think it separates the whole dog show world,” Sommer observed. “It takes away from people’s ability to learn. You have to compete with the better (competitor) to make your dog better. It makes a difference.

Still learning after all this time

“It’s horrible,” Sommer said. “The hardest thing in the world for me to get right was the neck in to shoulder. The best thing you can do is never touch the head and neck until a day after they are bathed. You can trim the body. But if you trim (the head/neck of a Bichon Frise) right after you dry, there’ll be no hair left. It needs at least a day.”

“You can raise dogs successfully on a profitable basis with integrity. This is an achievable goal. You don’t have to be a martyr. Use the tools we have today,” Martenson said.

Advice from Touche

“One thing I love about our sport is anybody can come in and compete at any level. You don’t have to be of a high finance. It can be your own dog you raised if you do the equal work. You also have the advantage of knowing your animal more intimately,” Martenson said.

"Breeding is Like a Recipe, You Need All the Ingredients On Hand"

Starting Young

“Today it is a little over-done,” Vergnetti said. “They are almost a caricature, way over the top. Hairspray and excessive presentation has taken over. In a way, I think poodles are a victim of their own beauty. There is a normal dog (construction) under all the hair. That’s very important.”

Differences in varieties

Breeding planning

Richard Reynolds joins me for part two of our conversation. This time we’re talking rat hunting with Terriers in New York City.

[caption id="attachment_8391" align="alignleft" width="224"] Richard Reynolds with a Jagd Terrier, shown in FSS at Open Shows.[/caption]

“Quite fairly there was never a transition (from hounds to terriers),” Reynolds said. “I was always interested in hunting the terriers. We don't have as many Fox in the United States as they do in England … and you had to work a little harder. Bringing up the terriers and putting the terriers to ground was always a part of our Fox hunt.

“When I left the pack, I wanted a purebred terrier that I could show. Somebody slipped me into a low mileage used Norfolk terrier and that suited me pretty good. But I didn't know whether it could hunt or not. A few years later and a little experience and a few Norfolks later, we proved they were damn good hunters. In fact, the best terrier that I've ever had to this day remains one particular Norfolk.”

Reynolds’ rise to fame as the Rat Hunter of Manhattan started at a dog show in Liberty Park at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Rats had overrun one of the handlers’ setups and he turned his Norfolk loose to do its job. The park superintendent happened to see this feat. The rest, as they say, is history.

[caption id="attachment_8390" align="alignright" width="240"] Jagd Terrier with Reynolds and one less rat on the streets of Manhattan.[/caption]

“If I tell you that my dog is a good rat catcher, you won't care,” Reynolds opined. “If a rat is headed to run up your pant leg and my dog stops it, you'll have a lot of respect for that fuzzy little critter down there. So that's exactly the way we're trying to make our point.

“We’re all about an idea. That idea is preserving breed type through maintaining the actual function of the dog. You can simulate all these things but you can't replicate the actual deed of hunting or ratting or whatever. It's different. It's about the dogs but don't tell anybody because we get an awful lot of good press on the fact that we're killing rats.

“We can't show purebred dogs to the media. They don't care. Dead rats are a big seller. We have media with us (nearly) every night that we go out. We've had a lot of media. But that's our little way of selling purebred dogs to the public.

“We're doing it for the sake of the dogs. There's no money here. All sport is ruined as soon as you monetize it. So we don't charge to hunt. Our members occasionally cough up $5 each time they hunt, but more often than not they forget to pay it and we forget to collect it. So it's kind of a thing for the dogs, by the dogs and of the dogs. A good night is when the dogs work well together. A bad night is when we don't get anything.”

Reynolds has been instrumental in setting up a training ground in southern New Jersey. The primary purpose of which is running AKC earthdog tests.

“We use it as a basic training ground for terriers and dachshunds,” Reynolds noted. “It's not the same thing (as street hunting). Once they get through the earth dog program there's a lot of on the job training but it's a starting point. The sport of AKC earthdog or den trials or Jack Russell terrier Association go to ground is kind of diminished in recent years. We use it for training Street dogs but really what we're trying to do is rejuvenate this sport in and of itself of earth dogs and den trials.”

Linda Riedel, AKC judge and breeder of Ramblewood English Springer Spaniels, joins host Laura Reeves for a free-wheeling conversation about IABCA dog shows and her journey to 180 champions.

A few excerpts follow below.

On International dog shows

I really like that it in this Covid time, (IABCA) shows have been great for people to get their dogs out, which they haven't been able to do. We used to have all-breed matches that were huge. I can remember in California they’d get up to 2,000 dogs in a match. That's where you’d train your dog. Well that doesn't happen anymore, so these International shows are very good for the beginning person, for people who need to get their dogs trained and out and exposed to all kinds of people and other dogs. So, it works out well.

I mean there were people that were at matches all the time. It was like a professional match circuit. We don't have those anymore and it's a great loss. And that's where I see something like this sort of filling in.

In terms of getting your dog in the ring, getting yourself in the ring, if you're just learning how to show your dog, you have so many chances. You could be in the ring 6 or 8 times in one day.

(Exhibitors) find out we (judges) are humans, just like them, and can carry on a conversation. They get a lot more relaxed and enjoy their day and enjoy their dogs.

(Writing and receiving critiques of the dogs) helps people breed better dogs and educate better judging.

It's a two way street, both for the exhibitor and the judge. You know too many exhibitors are too terrified with all the time (constraints) and everything else, they say to the judge ‘why did I not win today’ and the judge pops out and says ‘well I like the other dog better.’ That is not a reason.

411...

Reidel started in dogs working for the famous Akita Tani kennel winding up as a teenaged advisor to the stars helping train Akitas purchased by Hollywood’s glitterati.

On 50 years of breeding

• Never kept more than 8 dogs at a time.
• Nobody’s more critical of my dogs than I am. I'm not taken in by their cuteness.
• Line breed heavily to set type.
• Retirement homes -- Time for them to find a couch they can sit for the rest of their lives.
• Breeder of the most titled dog in the history of the breed and the top performance dog of the year.

Hear ALL of this fabulous conversation by clicking the "play" arrow on the podcast bar above.

Bryan Martin, retired professional handler, former AKC executive field representative and new judge of the hound group joins host Laura Reeves for part one of a wide ranging, fascinating conversation.

World famous for his work with Basset Hounds, Martin shares his early history growing up in the sport with his family and early mentors.

“I was six years old in 1960 when we went to a fun match for the Fort Dearborn Basset Hound club,” Martin said. His mother had saved up her grocery money to purchase a Basset Hound bitch who was bred to a local stud dog. They brought the puppies to the match and didn’t win anything. A club member after watching the family, approached his father with an offer he couldn’t resist.

[caption id="attachment_8558" align="alignright" width="300"] "My Three Sons" taken at the 2006 BHCA Nationals. The ONLY time the top three, all-time Best in Show winning Basset Hounds competed at the same show! L-R Ch Deerhill's Great Gatsby, 52 all-breed bests, Ch Topsfield Bumper Cars, 45 all-breed bests and Ch Topsfield Beethoven, 34 all-breed bests, 131 in total! -- Bryan Martin[/caption]

“She said, ‘You know, your puppies, they're not good. If you like to do this, I suggest you just sell the whole lot and come out to my kennel and I'll take care of you.’ So, we did. We went out to this kennel and she said, ‘I think this is a good bitch for you. This will be a good foundation bitch for you and I'll give you a buddy for her and the kids can work on that one.’

“We bred a litter about every year and so I got to show all the class dogs. My brother, Peter, was the Prince and he always got the specials dogs. He didn't mess with the class dogs. But that was to my advantage, because I got to learn that you never show two dogs the same way. Like people, they all have a different personality and they all respond differently to what you do and so you work on adjustments.

“The living room (in our house) was big enough that we could move all the furniture to the side and put the couch in the middle and we had a dog show ring. We would practice dog shows. My father would either sit in the corner or on the couch in the middle. We put a mirror on the floor against the couch and we'd learn to set up our dogs in front of the mirror, to see what the judge was seeing. So if you had to poke him in the top line or to hold the tail different or whatever you could see it and that was my learning on how to show the breed."

From secretary for horse shows just out of college to marrying Nancy, through showing record-breaking dogs for Claudia Orlandi, Martin’s journey through the sport of dogs and his nuggets of knowledge are priceless.

Listen to part one here and join us next week for part two.

Bryan Martin, retired professional handler, former AKC executive field representative and newly minted Hound group judge joins host Laura Reeves for part two of his amazing stories and advice for exhibitors.

“My family would have dinner (and) during dessert, the book of standards came on the table. We had weekly discussions. ‘OK let's talk about heads tonight.’ We'd go round the table and everyone would say something and ‘OK who do you think has a good head? Who do you think has a bad head? Do you have a picture? Go get a picture.’ One night we’d talk about shoulders and why the shoulder needs to be a wrap-around, why the shoulder needs to be well laid back, why the shoulder blade and the upper arm have to be the same length, to make it a proper working hound, how the back end has to match the front end… How the pieces fit. It's form and function, which has stuck with me forever, and that's my basis is form and function judging.

“It's amazing how many people in AKC, UKC … have no understanding how to read a standard. How to interpret a standard and how to go to somebody and talk to somebody about the standard. The how’s why’s and wherefores of studying standards. At the International show where we had to write a critique, we had to know the standards. What I ended up doing was showing people what the standard says about their dog. And they say ‘oh, I didn't know that’ and it's a whole educational program that is missed.”

In the “Dream Best In Show Lineup” game, Martin’s choices were:

Sporting – English Springer Spaniel, Ch Salilyn's Aristocrat

Hound – Afghan Hound, Ch Triumph Of Grandeur

Working – Doberman Pinscher, Ch. Brunswig's Cryptonite

Terrier – Scottish Terrier, Ch. Braeburn's Close Encounter

Toy – Japanese Chin, GCh. Pem We-Syng Lucky MI

Non-Sporting – Dalmatian, Ch. Spotlight’s Spectacular

Herding – German Shepherd Dog, GCh. Altana's Mystique

Finally, Best in Show in this mythical lineup??

Shannon, the Scottish Terrier, shown by George Ward.

Listen above to hear all of this and more.

AKC judge and Irish Setter breeder Lorraine Bisso shares her passion for the breed with host Laura Reeves.

“The standard tells you that it's termed by artists, the most beautiful of all dogs,” Bisso said. “I tell people when I do judge’s education, when the dog walks in the ring, if your heart doesn't skip a beat by the beautiful color, the symmetry, the silhouette, before you even get to know the dog, then something is missing. In this beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous dog beats a soul not to be matched. He would give his life for you. He also cheats at cards.”

Bisso has been involved with Irish Setters for more than 50 years and brings us a little myth busting.

“They are smart,” Bisso said. “That's something that's very misunderstood in this breed. They earned a reputation at one point for not being smart… they are very creative and often the problem is that they are one step ahead of their owners.

"Irish setters do not like to do things over and over and over again. They will go from point A to point B quite willingly several times. Then they will decide to take the scenic route. When they get to point B, they're really mystified as to why you are upset. They got there, they just took the scenic route. It's a charming part of the breed.

“The standard describes a hunting dog. When you judge them, you should keep in mind that singular point. They are the most beautiful of all dogs and they are bred to hunt. Everything in the standard relates to those twin elements of type, shall we say. They have to be beautiful, but they also must be the active gundog that the standard talks about. That's the reason for the feet, the tail set, the proportions. the bite, the head, the eye. Everything in that standard is about a working gun dog and as you judge the breed, you should keep that in mind.

“Irish Setters are a single coated breed. Their coat is designed to have things come out if you brush them. Again, our standard calls for a “pleasing fringe of hair.” It does not call for a foot of hair, it calls for pleasing fringe. While we all love the beautiful show coats, don't get me wrong on this, I’m a sucker for the full on press, all you really need is the pleasing fringe. So again I tell judges, do not walk past a dog because you don’t think that he has quote enough hair. If it's good hair and it's the right quality and it's the right color then you're good to go.”

Tune in next week for more from Lorraine Bisso and hear all about the history and excitement at this year’s Morris and Essex dog show.

A passion for sighthounds

What IS a Sighthound?

History of sighthound development

Purebred dogs are history and they are art

Patience is a virtue

Deciding in the moment

1. Know who to learn from. This is key. Seek out individuals you don’t have a natural connection to.
2. Be clear on the purpose. What are you seeking, what do you want to get?
3. Know yourself as a learner and how you learn.