Pure Dog Talk

Blastomycosis is deadly hazard for dogs Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment of deadly Blastomycosis and other fungal infections. Greer notes that fully 25 percent of dogs affected by this disease will die. Blastomycosis locations from the Centers for Disease Control. Greer is notably not an alarmist, but she is adamant that Blastomycosis is a deadly and dangerous disease. Specific areas of the country, including the upper Midwest and South/East River valleys, are most commonly affected. Blastomycosis infection and incubation from Dr. Marty Greer, DVM This particular fungal infection is contracted by spores inhaled from disrupted soil, particularly near water. Greer also addresses other fungal infections that can affect dogs. Blastomycosis symptoms from Dr. Marty Greer, DVM The most common symptom of Blastomycosis is a dog that is coughing, sounding like pneumonia. The dogs will often also present with a draining sore on the foot that is of indeterminate cause. Diagnostics

Ancient Lowchen breed holds threatened future Alexia Rodriguez and Gracie Lou... Alexia Rodriguez, breeder and Lowchen Club of America Director, talks about these non-shedding, healthy, active “best kept secret” little lion dogs. With depictions dating to the 1400s in Germany, Lowchen see only 80 dogs total registered annually in the U.S. Rodriguez said that in 2015, only 18 litters of Lowchen were whelped in the US, with an average litter size of only three puppies. On its current path, the club estimates Lowchen could become extinct by 2044. “Our numbers indicate only 37 percent of dogs in the U.S. contribute to the gene pool,” Rodriguez said. She added that the tight line breeding required to re-establish the breed following WWII is suspected to be the cause of the low litter numbers. Nonetheless they breed and whelp naturally. Best kept secret Dealer in his "Marvin the Martian" up-do, on the couch watching TV with his owner. “The thing I love the most,” Rodriguez said, “is that Lowchen can be high lev

Her Dance Partner is Her Dog 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 local professional handler, Jack Funk, but since then, Jere has taken over the leash and her top specials are exclusively breeder-owner handled. Listen to the interview that produced the Breeder's Voice article! https://puredogtalk.com/blog/jere-marder-old-english-sheepdogs/

Training Scottish Deerhounds for obedience competition requires patience Cutter with her current star, Blue Moon Ballad at Skyhigh UD OM1 TD The “otherworldly” grace of Scottish Deerhounds first appealed to Debbie Cutter in the early ‘80s as she sought a dog to compete in obedience. Her original breeder told her “do not try to do obedience with deerhounds. They aren’t good at it and they don’t like it.” In the intervening 35 years, Cutter has finished eight UD titled Scottish Deerhounds, including the first and only two UDX deerhounds. While there has never been an Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) Deerhound, Cutter’s current competition dog is well started on her way, “God, I’m hoping,” Cutter said. “That’s my goal. She has 6 OTCH points and her open B first place.” “The basic essential for training obedience with Deerhounds is to be more stubborn than the dogs,” Cutter added. Make it their idea Her secret to success working with an independent breed that is specifically designed to *not* be biddable: make

Bird Biologist's Wildlife Research is Aided by Purebred Dogs Bachman's GWP CC points a Sandhill Crane colt in order to identify fledgling habitat. Dominic Bachman, wildlife biologist, uses his German Wirehaired Pointers to help him conduct research on migratory bird species and habitat management. Bachman spent his childhood with dogs at a wildlife management area in northern Utah, where his father was the manager. “Any chance I get, I try to bring my dogs into my life,” Bachman said. Bachman spent his days with his father in the WMA. He watched his father incorporate their dogs into the work. “Dad would send a dog after a hunter’s lost wounded game,” Bachman said. “The dogs would search hunters who dad suspected had more than their limit. Our dogs would even collect birds killed by disease.” GWP’s diverse and versatile working ability appealed to Bachman’s father, so he grew up with the breed. He has continued living with the breed and incorporating them into his daily life and work ever since. Purebre

The Dark Side of the Dwarf Gene Dr. Theresa Nesbitt talked last week about the purpose-bred dogs that evolved with short legs to do very specific jobs. Today she talks about “the dark side of the dwarf gene” and what happens when things go wrong when you’re trying to do it right. Dwarf genes have been around for more than 4000 years, Nesbitt said. They are solidly entrenched in some breeds that are specifically “fit for function” for the job they were meant to do. “Everything that isn’t normal, isn’t pathological,” Nesbitt said. Too much of a good thing Sometimes, though, breeders can get “too much of a good thing,” Nesbitt added. She also shared tremendous information on the various genetic disorders of dogs who aren’t supposed to be dwarfs. Nesbitt provided layman’s translation for a lot of medical terminology. She helped decipher topics like retro genes, epigenetics, genes that inadvertently land on the wrong chromosome and more. Making words like achondroplasia make sense to those of us without a medi

Foxhounds, Fox Hunting and Dog Shows Dr. Robert Smith judging at Westminster Kennel Club. Two of the most revered and well-known all-breed judges in the American Kennel Club system, Dr. Bob and Polly Smith share their journey starting as breeder-owner-handlers in American Foxhounds. Polly was started by a Chow Chow breeder who tutored her for school. She showed her first dog at the National Capitol Kennel Club when she was 4 years old and won a blue ribbon. She was hooked from that moment. Bob had dogs all his life, eventually adopting a War Dog his brother brought back after WWII. Polly Smith "High Church" “A great mistake is made,” Polly said, “because of low entries at AKC shows, that American Foxhounds are considered a rare breed. There are thousands of Foxhounds out there. The pack hounds associated with horses and riding to the hounds are considered the 'High Church' of foxhounds. Many dogs also participate in Night Hunting and Field trials.” Many different “strains” make up the American Foxhound br

Bomb Dogs: Purpose bred, purpose raised, purpose trained Mark Dunn, AKC’s Executive Vice President, has been leading the charge to develop a program to produce purpose bred, purpose raised and purpose trained dogs domestically for explosives detection work. “There is a growing demand for dogs who can help protect us,” Dunn said. “It is driven by companies and organizations, as well as police and military. Universities, arenas, sports leagues – they are all requiring detection dogs to clear the venue ahead and work the crowds.” All of these dogs are currently coming from eastern Europe, Dunn noted. United States military and independent contractors acquire 80-90 percent of their bomb detection dogs from the same countries where the entire world shops. “We’re trying to outbid Saudi Arabia or Israel or Indonesia to buy dogs from these kennels in Europe,” Dunn observed. In our first conversation with Dunn, he outlined the goal of developing breeding programs in the U.S. to protect our country. “We have to find

Carmen Battaglia's Recipe for Breeding SUPER Dogs Dr. Carmen Battaglia, AKC Board member, judge and author joined Pure Dog Talk host Laura Reeves for a LIVE seminar sponsored by Del Monte Kennel Club. Battaglia shared information about his SUPER dog breeding program featuring pedigree research, supplements, early stimulation and socialization. “I can’t teach everything you need to know on this subject in an hour,” Battaglia chuckled. “Do your homework!” His deep and resource-rich website, Breeding Better Dogs, is an impressive place to start. Battaglia’s SUPER dog program is designed to produce dogs which are mentally and physiologically superior to their competitors, with great stress tolerance and disease resistance. “Anybody who’s willing to do the work can breed these dogs,” Battaglia said. Pedigree research Breeding these outstanding dogs starts with selecting the right sire and dam. The 28 ancestors shown on a typical three generation pedigree tell us nothing heritable, Battaglia observed. “You need

Short-legged dogs and Wrap-around fronts Theresa Nesbitt is a retired ob-gyn physician with a focus on skeletal abnormalities. Her hobby is breeding and exhibiting Glen of Imaal Terriers and Dachshunds. The combination of these two passions led her to extensive study of the conformation of purpose bred, short-legged dogs and wrap-around fronts. “It’s an interesting puzzle,” Nesbitt said. “There is a lot of overlap between the breeds that have this conformation.” Genetics and expression of dwarfism Researchers have just recently identified the genes responsible for this function, Nesbitt said. “It’s a very, very old gene,” Nesbitt observed. “And a very interesting kind of gene. Literally it made a second copy, snuck back into the nucleus and puts itself on the recipe book. Two copies of the gene and the second one doesn’t have instructions. We call it a retro gene.” Understanding how and why genes turn on and off is going to help the medical field understand cancers and more in the future, Nesbitt noted Wha

Ancient Chinese Shar Pei Breed Finds Resurgence in North America Andrea Robbins and "Ever" Andrea Robins, a founding member of the Chinese Shar Pei Club of Canada, acquired her first Pei in 1983. She worked to get foundation stock registered in Canada and this ancient Chinese guard breed recognized there in 1991. According to the CSPCC, “It is generally accepted that the Chinese Shar-Pei originated during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) in the village of Dah-Let near the South China Sea. These dogs were all purpose working dogs to guard the family, farms and temples.” Plea for help In 1972, a breeder in China sent a plea begging westerners to help save his breed from extinction. This missive began the long process for Robins and many other North American breeders. The distinctive appearance of the Shar Pei had a very specific purpose, Robins noted. The loose, wrinkly “outerwear” allowed the dogs to literally turn inside their skin to bite a dog that was attacking them, while the tiny ears made it difficult

NAIA’s Sara Chisnell on Legislative Trends Nationwide NAIA Legislative Director Sara Chisnell and PureDogTalk Host Laura Reeves at the NAIA Conference in Washington, DC October 2017. National Animal Interest Alliance Legislative Director Sara Chisnell is seeing legislative trends develop across the country in several categories. More than just dogs, NAIA is leveraging a larger voice by bringing together groups across the animal kingdom. Pet shop mandates Pet shop sourcing mandates are cropping up in a number of states, Chisnell said. Laws were recently passed in California and Maryland which require pet shops to source the animals they sell only from shelters and rescues, cutting off supplies of commercially bred dogs. “Puppy mill is a genius term coined by the animal rights groups,” Chisnell said. “What was portrayed in past is not true today. No matter how you feel about it, it is a much more regulated source of dogs than any shelter or rescue. There are no regulations whatsoever of shelters and rescues,

Identifying and Treating Orthopedic Disorders Dr. Marty Greer, DVM walked us through the bewildering world of 10 syllable words and scary prognostics when it comes to the various orthopedic disorders than can affect our puppies. OCD, HOD, pano, Legg-Perthes, premature ulnar growth plate closure, HD, patellar luxation, and more are all covered, along with potential infectious diseases that can cause lameness in young dogs. Greer goes through the differences in the diseases, symptoms and treatments for all of them. Primarily disorders of large, fast growing male dogs, a few affect small breed and achondroplastic dogs. Pano Panosteitis or Pano is a disorder in which pain is exhibited in shifting limbs. “You’ll feel the legs and dogs exhibit pain where leg bones join,” Greer said. Pano won’t always show up on xray and it can be difficult to localize the pain. Cause – rapid growing puppy Treatment -- non steroidal anti-inflamatory such as Meloxicam. https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_multi_p

Harriers Are Small in Numbers, Big in Personality Fewer than 300 Harriers, total, are registered in the US, according to breed experts. Just two litters were whelped nationwide in 2017. “There are probably more tigers in the U.S. than Harriers,” said Donna Smiley, the only Master of Harriers in the country. PureDogTalk host Laura Reeves caught up with some of the breed’s most ardent supporters at the Harrier Club of America National Specialty. Ancient breed now endangered Donna Smiley's book about the Harrier is one of few modern resources available. One of the first five breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, records of Harrier packs in England date back to 1100 AD. Harriers are believed to predate both Beagles and Foxhounds in England. They were bred to hunt hare, which was one of three “appropriate” quarry, along with boar and stag, for royalty to hunt. Foxhunting is a more recent tradition. “They are an endangered species,” said Linda Johnston. “And they’re just as cuddly as Pandas!” While ther

Mentoring people in the sport will keep it alive PureDogTalk host Laura Reeves moderated a LIVE Saturday Symposium sponsored by the Copper Classic in Prescott, Ariz. on the topic of Mentoring the Future. Judges Joyce Vanek, Cindy Vogels and John Wade headlined the panel. Become the change you want to see Anna Mysliwiec, Prescott Arizona Kennel Club, said, “We are the start of the change.” “As a judge if I have a novice in the ring I try to help them,” Wade said. “We have to encourage people. Maybe the dog they have right now isn’t show quality, but they’d like to continue in the sport. Encourage someone so they are here tomorrow.” Juniors speak up Juniors attending the Seminar asked great questions, including one that prompted this response from Vogels: “What’s the hardest part of being a judge?” asked by Julia, age 9. Vogels: “…we realize each of you love your dog. We get to please very few people by the end of the day. The hardest part of judging is 5 dogs, 4 ribbons.” Another junior attending, Kyle, ag

"Crowdsourcing" Knowledge for Exhibitor Education Vicki Ronchette, author of “From Shy to Showy,” has created a new exhibitor education resource with online college-type classes available on a wide variety of topics. New owners, exhibitors who want to improve their performance and experienced members of the fancy who want to hone their skills will all find a topic of interest. “A lot of people don’t have access to training classes near them,” Ronchette said. “Or the classes are more socialization and don’t offer a lot of information for training the dog or the handler.” Listeners who missed Ronchette’s previous podcasts, can check out some of her outstanding positive training tips here and here. Variety of courses available Show Dog Prep School Courses include everything from training nail trims, to using Tellington TTouch for better results, to Safe Travel with dogs. Full disclosure, your host, Laura Reeves, is an instructor for SDPS. Her first offering is: Canine Structure 101 and Applying the Breed Sta

200th episode? Celebrate with a positive outlook Let's talk about the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." And making a positive outlook YOUR approach to life and to this sport. How can this be possible??? Host, Laura Reeves Wasn’t it just yesterday that Mary randomly set up next to me at a dog show in Southern California and we started yakking about dogs and mentors and education and possibilities?? In fact, it’s just over two years since I first learned there WAS such a thing as a podcast. Never mind listened to one… lol Since our debut in November 2016, Pure Dog Talk has been downloaded well over three hundred THOUSAND times! Yikes! We’ve aged out of the 12-18 class and we’re running with the big dogs, expanding our reach to more purebred dog enthusiasts every single day. In recognition of the occasion, I thought I’d stop by for a personal one on one visit with all ya’ll. Accentuate the PAWsitive This post went up to rave reviews on a social media group. Many thanks to the original poster for

New Resource Launched for Worldwide Dog Community Cheryl Krajcar with one of her handling clients. Third generation dog breeder Cheryl Krajcar has created a fascinating new community on the information super highway, just for dog people. Her fledgling start-up has “great bones” and tremendous potential for dog people everywhere. On the chain gang “I remember, as a little girl, being drug to FT, winding up on the “chain gang” (stake outs for field trial dogs) after getting in trouble for turning dogs loose,” Krajcar said with a laugh. “I decided I wanted nothing to do with that and went to dog shows with my aunt.” After years handling dogs for others, living with a rough Collie, Flat Coated Retrievers and more, Krajcar found herself full-circle, back at horseback field trials. Today she is a licensed field trial judge, owns Shelties and is using her computer programming skills to create this in-depth resource, Showdogz.org. Cheryl Krajcar running her Brittany in a pointing dog field trial. “It’s time to br

Dog Days of Summer Precautions Dr. Marty Greer, DVM takes us through a few summer dangers, how to avoid them and some excellent tricks to solve some of them. Listen to find out why canned spinach and Dawn dish soap are on her “must have” list. Hot cars Hot cars kill dogs every year. Don't be a statistic! “Nobody leaves a dog in the car on purpose,” Greer said. “They get distracted and lose track of time.” She recommends keeping a leash draped around your neck as a simple reminder. And to never trust the AC in a running car. Leave a note on the car’s dash with your cel phone number in those instances when you need to make a quick dash inside a store, Greer suggested, so people won’t try to ‘rescue’ a dog that doesn’t need it or in case of actual emergency. Blue-green algae These toxic algae blooms in still water are not common, Greer said, but they are dangerous. She recommends keeping Dawn dish soap on hand to wash a dog that has been in questionable water. And not allowing dogs to drink water that is not f

New Legislative Advocate in Our Corner Robert Miller and a WPG puppy named Hoss. Robert Miller, AKC’s new legislative analyst and outreach coordinator, is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breeder of merit and hunter. His background in legislative work and public information is being put to use on the west coast to provide proactive involvement with fanciers. Legislation is constantly popping up that affects everyone’s ability to do what they want with their dogs, or even have the dog they want, Miller said. Fight for your rights “It’s important to recognize that you have to pay attention to that kind of stuff,” Miller warned. “There’s no one fell swoop that will take away all your dog rights. But you’re going to have a lot of little pieces, chips, death by a thousand cuts. Eventually you’ll say I want to get this kind of dog and you can’t because there is breed specific legislation, which is basically animal profiling. There’s a lot of laws that come up, sometimes well-intentioned, that have unintended consequ