Alaskan Klee Kai Move to Miscellaneous Host Laura Reeves is joined by Chelsea Watson for a discussion of the Alaskan Klee Kai moving to Miscellaneous this summer. [caption id="attachment_14178" align="alignleft" width="370"] Versatile, energetic and aloof, Alaskan Klee Kai join Miscellaneous.[/caption] According to Watson, the Klee Kai was developed in Alaska in the 1970s by one woman who wanted to create a “miniature Husky.” The breed was developed using Alaskan Huskies, with additions of Siberian Husky, American Eskimo Dog and Schipperke. The Klee Kai is 12-17 inches tall, with a variety of colors and coats available. Bred as a companion dog, it should still move with the smooth, effortless carriage of its working forbears, Watson noted. The Klee Kai was accepted into AKC's FSS (Foundation Stock Service) program in 2020. An active, even busy, breed, Klee Kai are aloof and reserved with strangers, but excel in agility and other performance events, Watson said. “They are very high energy breed,” Watson said. “They are not couch potatoes. They also are a very versatile breed. You want to go hiking for three hours every day? They can do it. Bike for five hours or five miles a day, probably 5 hours too, they can do it. Kayaking and paddle boarding with them. They could do weight pull. The tricky part is you got to have patience because they're still gonna do a quid pro quo. What’s in it for me? The Husky piece is strong in them, (but) I would say they are more trainable than Huskies. Patience, it just requires a lot of patience. It's like training your cat.” The following links offer additional information about the breed. Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America (UKC) https://www.akkaoa.org/ Breeders List https://www.akkaoa.org/find-a-breeder Dog Breed Information https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/alaskan-klee-kai/

Conditioning for Canine Athletes

Host Laura Reeves is joined by Dr. Ashley Nixon to discuss conditioning our canine athletes, whether for the show ring, dock diving, agility and more.

"Cardio's good for everybody," Nixon said, "but I think it's really important to consider the sport you're doing and what you're asking your dog to do. They can be cardiovascularly fit, but maybe they don't have the propulsion to do some dock diving or agility, right? So I think it's super important to kind of keep that in mind and not just say, hey, I walk my dog, we go for a run, we're fit, we're good.

"I like a ton of stuff you can actually do at home with basic equipment (for conditioning work). You can have them do some push-ups on an unstable surface, like a little exercise ball. You can have them pivot. It's great. Front end up, back end up. I love sit to stands for these guys and you can do a ton of different variations. You can have them do it on a mattress, Fit Bones are great. Cavalettis are great for these guys. You can especially pick up some changes in their gait or change their gait.

"(Cavalettis) are super versatile and if you want some flexion, you can have serpentines over the cavalettis and arrange them in, you know, semi circles, get some nice spinal flexion. Like that."

Listen to the full episode for more from:

Dr Ashley Nixon DVM, CVA, CVMRT, CVSMT, FCOAC, CAMP, CSCC

Chief of Staff

Dr. Ashley Nixon knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was just 3 years old. That passion inspired her to obtain her DVM from St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine, and complete her clinical year at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her CVMRT (massage & rehabilitation) and CVSMT (spinal manipulation) certifications from the Healing Oasis, and was trained and certified in veterinary acupuncture at the Chi Institute of Traditional Veterinary Medicine. She passed additional testing to become a fellow of the College of Animal Chiropractors, and received a certification in arthritis management. She is certified in arthritis case management. 

Dr. Nixon has a special interest in sports and conditioning, and is certified through NC State. 

Prior to the ATC, she most recently worked at a specialty referral practice in the south as a rehabilitation veterinarian. She is active with multiple dog sports. 

Tube Feeding: When, Why and How with Dr. Marty Greer Dr. Marty Greer joins host Laura Reeves for a run down of when, why and how to tube feed neonates. New born puppies who can’t or won’t nurse for whatever reason may be fed with a tube passed directly to the stomach. “I just want people to know that dying of starvation is not an option at my house,” Greer said. “Different people have different thresholds and that's my threshold, is you are not going to die of starvation.” Marty and Laura walk through the “why”s of tube feeding, along with when to make that decision, what to do and what not to do. “Usually it's just for a few days,” Greer said, “sometimes a week or two until they catch on, start latching, start gaining and then they do great. But some dogs are slower than others and I see some puppies that are just really slow to grow. They may be half the size the littermates. And again, they may have swallowing defects. There is a lot of things that (can cause puppies not to nurse well.” Greer cautions that all puppies should be checked for cleft palate to rule out that as a cause for failure to thrive/nurse well. “Number one is pre warm the puppy. The puppy needs to be at least 96° on a rectal thermometer. Do not feed a cold puppy #2 is pre warm the formula. Number 3 is pre measure the tube. You measure the tube from the tip of the nose to the last rib. Have a marker or piece of tape, something that you mark on the tube so that you know exactly how far the tube has to be to go to the last rib because the stomach is behind the last rib. The trachea divides about halfway there, so if you're only in halfway, you could be in the trachea. If you're in all the way, you have to be in the stomach. “When you pass the tube, you keep the chin down and you pass to the left. A lot of people throw the puppy’s head up and look in the back of the oral cavity. And if you do that, you open up the airway. So keep the chin down so that you close the airway, you pass it to the left because the esophagus is left of the trachea. So go to the left. “And then the most important thing before you feed is you pinch the puppy on the tail or the toes and make sure it can cry and you can hear it vocalizing. If the puppy can vocalize, you're in the esophagus. If the puppy can't vocalize You could be in the trachea, so pull out the tube, take a deep breath, go get a cup of coffee, come back and try passing the tube again. Those tips will keep you out of trouble 99% of the time. Is there a guarantee? Absolutely not. But I'm going to guarantee you that your puppies aren't going to thrive if they don't get enough calories.” Marty’s video and more details on Revival Animal Health’s Learning Center.

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Elliott Wentzel and the Patrons Book Club Today's episode is a very special excerpt from our Patrons' After Dark Book Club. The Patrons community is a fabulous place where folks from all levels of knowledge in the sport come together and form a supportive, open, safe space to discuss all things pure bred dogs. Amongst our favorite meetings are our book club conversations where one patron selects a read from the Pure Dog Talk bookshelf and we discuss. In this case, our youngest patron, 18 year old dog show savant Elliott Wenzel, leads the conversation about Pat Trotter's, iconic "Born to Win, Breed to Succeed" textbook. Required reading and, frankly, rereading for every purebred dog enthusiast, the book covers in intimate and informed detail a variety of topics central to our sport. If you two would like to join these uplifting and spirited discussions, join us by visiting Pure dogtalk.com and click the Become a Patron tab at the top of the page. I really hope you enjoyed this brief, fly on the wall, introduction to this very, very special community. "I had always loved dogs, loved dog shows and I had been watching (my) large collection of Westminster DVD's," Wentzel said. "I don't know, something has always just attracted me to Westminster, you know, with it being the show of shows and all that. And so how can you know Westminster without knowing Pat Trotter, who has won the group 11 times? She's a big part of it. So I found the book one day, just randomly scrolling through, and I bought it. "One of the first couple pages of the book (there) was just a quote that I thought spoke volumes about the responsible breeder and what they do in their day-to-day, which was 'The ethical breeder lives for his dogs, not off of his dogs.' "And I think that's just such a valuable statement because I feel like people who look in from the outside think that dogs show people just do it for money, which we all know is not true. I think it's just such a great statement because it speaks to our motives of why we're doing this and what we're doing it for. If we didn't love the dogs, none of us would be here today. "One of the other quotes I found from early in on in the book, she said breed specific knowledge must be added to your general knowledge of the dog's history and origin of your breed, understanding the purpose for which it was bred. "So when I am looking at dogs I want to know what that dog was bred to do. Because at the end of the day it's evaluating breeding stock and I just feel like if you don't know the history of the origin, the purpose of that dog, you're not gonna gain any of that information about why it's built the way it's built."

5 Simple Strategies for Improved Websites [caption id="attachment_12311" align="alignleft" width="314"] Jo Stern, ecommerce and technology specialist[/caption] Ecommerce and technology specialist Jo Stern joins host Laura Reeves with five simple strategies to improve your website, reach potential new homes and make the first page on Google. “Search engine optimization (SEO) is essentially what you are building into your website to make you more findable on the Internet when you are talking about thousands upon thousands of people searching for you as a breeder or your puppies,” Stern said. “Or they're just looking into information about breeds. You want to make sure that your website is easy to find, especially if you've got litters on the ground and you're trying to sell puppies, or you're trying to advertise your studs, or you know you want to connect with other people in the same breed. You want to get your name out there. “It's your ability to make yourself appear on the first page of Google. That's the end goal is when somebody searches your name, your breed, your state, you show up first, and that's the end goal of what you're doing. “(There’s) a little bit of reluctance because technology is scary. But I think it's also not exactly their fault because it's very difficult. It's very convoluted. Google makes it difficult on purpose because they don't want people to game the system. “There are different pieces of this puzzle that is SEO. It seems a lot of breeders are missing pieces of the puzzle because that technology is so hard and that education just really isn't out there. There's not a lot of layman's terms education on how to build your website effectively. How you get your name out there. So there's a lot of guesswork. But I think there's a lot of things, a lot of strategies that breeders can employ. “The first thing, is they need to Google themselves. They just need to pull their kennel name. Just go search yourself and see where you show up on Google. See how hard it is to find yourself in Google. If you can't type in your kennel name, your breed or your state and find yourself, that's a problem. “If you've got a website that you've built and you have not maintained, you haven't gotten any up-to-date content or you haven't made any changes, how people can find you? Google likes addresses, they like locations. “As a pet buyer, I'm not talking about show buyers and people who are very savvy, they're going to be searching their town, they're going to be searching their state, they're going to be searching literally “golden retrievers near me,” as that's a search function of Google. LINKS: Easy Website Builders: - Wix.com - Wordpress.com - Squarespace.com - Weebly.com Important Social Media Platforms: - Instagram - Facebook (Business Pages) - Pinterest - Twitter Listen to the full episode for more of Jo’s great suggestions. Or contact her at Joannahstern@gmail.com for consultation.

Kidney Diseases: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on diseases that affect the kidneys in dogs. They cover symptoms of kidney problems, causes and treatments for various common kidney issues. “The symptoms that most people catch first are a change in water consumption, an increase in water consumption and increase in urination,” Greer said. “Now, that's not the only reason that dogs can need to drink more and urinate more, and what goes in must come out. So those usually go hand in hand. “The most common things are changes in water consumption, changes in urination. Now other  things that frequently cause that are going to be diabetes; which happens in dogs and cats, Cushings disease; which happens in dogs, which is an adrenal gland dysfunction, and other things like pyometra, high calcium that can be related to different forms of cancer. So, there can be other things that we're looking for. But we're going to start looking at kidneys, diabetes and Cushing's disease in the dog most commonly. “We're going to get blood work and urinalysis as our basic starting point. But that's not the only place we're going to go. We're going to start with those two things. Because if the dog is still able to concentrate their urine, well, then that tells us something different than if the dog’s urine was really dilute and the BUN and creatinine start to go up. “Once that happens, that means that only one fourth, only 25%, of the dog's kidneys are still working correctly, unless it's a secondary cause from dehydration like vomiting, diarrhea, other causes of dehydration, so it’s super important. You go in and if your vet says we should do lab work, you shake your head up and down and you say yes, yes, yes we should. Please do not argue with them. Do not fight them on it because you can very quickly tell from a urinalysis and a blood panel. LR: Can a bladder infection go to the kidneys? “Number one, it can. It's not common, but it can.” LR: OK, so what's going to cause a kidney infection? Where's our causation? “It's usually hematogenous, meaning it starts off in the bloodstream, so can start as a pyometra. It can start as any way that bacteria gets into the bloodstream, but usually the kidneys are protected by the fact that the urine is concentrated so that helps to kill bacteria and remember urine is flowing from the kidneys down the ureters and into the bladder so that constant flushing should keep bacteria from being able to ascend up into the ureter and up into the kidney. So can they still happen? Yes, they can. They're not at all common, but they happen. And they're tricky to diagnose because sometimes it doesn't look obvious. So that's where that blood and the urine sample is really important because it is life-saving to a dog or a cat to have that diagnosed and be able to resolve that. Additional causal factors, Greer noted, can include tick born or infectious diseases such as Lyme Disease and Leptospirosis. For additional details on causes and treatments, listen in to the entire episode, or check the YouTube pod, and click to subscribe, @PureDogTalk.

Host Laura Reeves is joined by Kira Hoang and Dan Khanh Tran to discuss Phu Quoc Ridgebacks and their efforts to build a club and registry for the indigenous breed of Vietnam. [caption id="attachment_12275" align="alignleft" width="388"] Phu Quoc Ridgebacks are one of three known breeds with "ridges" of hair on their backs. Photo Red River Kennel.[/caption] Developed on an island off the coast of Vietnam, the Phu Quoc Ridgebacks join the Thai Ridgeback and the Rhodesian Ridgeback as the only known “ridged” dog breeds. Tran notes that most of the breed’s known history is from French explorers who brought them to Europe. Native people on Phu Quoc island have a myth about the breed, that the dogs were born from stone dogs that guard the local temples. They are still utilized on the island as home guardians and independent hunting dogs. [caption id="attachment_12274" align="alignright" width="334"] The breed is medium sized, short coated and comes in a variety of colors. Photo Red River Kennel.[/caption] “Their hunting is different from modern dogs hunting,” Hoang said, “because they're independent thinkers, so they don't need their hunter to actually go with them to hunt. I've actually watched videos of them where they're chasing this pig …you've got three that are chasing this pig and then you've got two that have now split off to go and chase it and (corner) it on the other side. They're thinking and communicating with themselves to go and do these roles. They'll assign themselves roles, which is what I was told by a lot of the breeders when they do go hunt with them … that the dogs will go and do their own roles and they'll distinguish them amongst themselves. The hunter never has to tell them what to do. “I think a good description is just like easy going, that's kind of like the breed characteristic is that they're easygoing island dogs. They'll go hunting with you all day or they'll stay at home with you all day kind of thing. There's so much versatility to the dogs that the people of Vietnam really, really like.” Hoang traveled to Vietnam earlier this year and collected DNA samples from more than 100 dogs, mostly PQR but also other indigenous Vietnamese breeds, to add to the databases at Wisdom Panel and Embark. [caption id="attachment_12279" align="alignleft" width="390"] PQRA is encouraging clubs and owners to allow the breed to participate and title in various sports. Kaladin is owned by Professor Alex Gilewski.[/caption] “We're trying to establish this breed here,” Hoang said. “Not just established it, but we're trying to preserve what it is in Vietnam and preserve those same traits here. They're very rare, obviously. So, it's easy to novelize something that's rare, something that's new, something that's expensive. We don't want that. We want our breed to be loved as it is over there. We want it to be as available and accessible, but we want it to stay true to the breed that is in Vietnam.” “We also want to make sure we're doing it right,” Tran said. “You know that our breed that is so important to us is not just having its history recorded, but it's also that we're breeding for better. You know that we're doing the health testing, that we're making sure that breeders in Vietnam and breeders here have access to information that will help them breed better. [caption id="attachment_12283" align="alignright" width="470"] Hoang with her Phu Quoc Ridgebacks.[/caption] “And that's actually one of the things...

Laura’s Puppy Whelping Tips and ‘Must Have’ Supply List Host Laura Reeves walks listeners through the “Ya Ya Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Collection of Whelping Supplies” in this excerpt from Pure Dog Talk’s LIVE@5 live podcast. [caption id="attachment_12264" align="alignnone" width="739"] Pure Dog Talk's Whelping List, AKA What's In Our Box, AKA "The Ya Ya Sisterhood of Traveling Pants Whelping Supplies"[/caption] Laura lays out the “whys and wherefores” of what everyone should have on hand before the big day arrives. From the size and construction of your whelping box to the traction required in the whelping pads and the heat source to keep puppies warm, she lays out her personal experience acquired over decades and additionally informed by the knowledge acquired during the last six years of Pure Dog Talk interviews. “Your whelping box needs to have sufficient room for your bitch to be able to be away from the heat source, but still close enough for the puppies to get to her,” Laura noted. “It is going to depend (on) how large is your female, how large is your litter? That will determine how large your box is. “For the first couple weeks, everybody's going to be in the box and in some breeds it's going to be a lot longer than that. But you need to also then prepare to have a system whereby the mom can leave the box, leave the puppies. And go back and forth so that she can nurse them but still have some time to get away from them. “Number one priority for your whelping box, in addition to the size, is the ability to disinfect it. I know there are people who have homemade whelping boxes using plywood and two by fours and all the rest of it. In and of itself, that's not a horrendous thing. The only thing that I'm gonna tell you with that is that you, number one, must seal the wood. Because if you use that whelping box for multiple litters, you have contagions that you cannot disinfect from raw wood. “If you are using a hard sided box, you must have what we call pig rails. So those are about two inches wide, and they stick out about two inches above the floor for about two inches out into the center. And it's a place where puppies can get kind of shoved so that mom doesn't lie down on top of them and squish them. “Next up is our strong recommendation that wherever you are placing your whelping box should not be in a high traffic area. Particularly for the actual whelping. Bitches do not want to have their puppies with an audience of 20. They just don't. They would like to be in a dark, cave-like environment. “(You can) lay a sheet over the top of X pens around the whelping box. Put it in a corner. Put it in a separate room. Make sure that the room itself, the ambient temperature of the room itself, (is) about 70 degrees. The whelping box, where the actual puppies are, needs to be at least at least 90 degrees. Puppies cannot maintain their body temperature for minimum the first two weeks. They have to have a way to go to a warm spot and away from the warm spot. Mom is close enough to warm enough, but she isn't always there. “Puppies are like heat seeking missiles. They will find the heat or find a way from the heat. They will find the food or away from the food. That's about the sum total of their abilities for the first ten days. Find heat, find cool, find mom, go to sleep. That's what they do. They're potatoes. “We have found one thing to be super effective is find a piece of linoleum. Cheap garbage linoleum. Cut it to the dimensions of what will be your puppy area so that you can protect your floors. I used tarps for a lot of years. They're terrible. They get torn up. They may be cheaper, but they're not a great solution. The linoleum is an amazing solution. You keep it rolled up, you lay it out when it's time to get your puppy whelping area ready. Lay your linoleum down. Put your whelping box on top of...

Virginia Lyne on Merry and Expressive English Cocker Spaniel [caption id="attachment_12260" align="alignleft" width="431"] English Cocker Spaniel[/caption] Virginia Lyne joins host Laura Reeves for a Love the Breeds episode on the merry and expressive English Cocker Spaniel. A resident of British Columbia, Lyne has been breeding the Ranzfel English Cocker Spaniels since 1960. Her passion and undying love of the breed is evident in this wide ranging and thoughtful discussion. “You have to be prepared for a companion that's going to follow you everywhere,” Lyne said. “(One that) likes to go to the bathroom with you. It likes to wander outside with you if you get up and go somewhere. He or she doesn't seem to make any difference. They have to be with you. They're not prepared to sit on the couch and say, ‘I know where you're going, I'll be here when you get back,’ which we have whippets as well, and that's more their style most of the time. So, this is a Velcro dog generally, they love to go in cars, they love to ride with you. They adore going for walks. One of their pitfalls (is that they are) inclined to be very greedy. Most of them will steal with no conscience table counter if they can reach it. “(They are) very, very easy to live with (and) most of the time relatively healthy. The grooming maintenance for a pet home is “just average,” Lyne noted, “where you have to accept hair, definitely is manageable if you're prepared to do your brushing and combing.” “They love hunting when you're walking with them. If they're unleashed, you have to make sure that you've taught your comeback and come back and retrieve. They will retrieve. They love to carry balls. Generally they like to fetch. They're not big water dogs, which is not part of their history. “(The breeds) were originally separated (by how they hunted) …. springing spaniels and “cocking” or field spaniels. It was a height, weight and how they hunt that made the difference … the cocker was developed by hunters because they wanted an animal that could go into any one of those hedges that run across the fields. Those are thick, dense and they're wonderful hiding places for birds, Woodcock in particular, which is where the name came from. “Geraldine Dodge was very instrumental in her work with the breed. If you ever come across a Geraldine Dodge copy of the English Cocker book, it's quite fascinating, with early pictures, color plates and breed standard descriptions, and so on. Anyhow, in 1946 the AKC recognized the separation of the American Cocker." “He will, on the slightest invitation, leave the cream cakes to follow the guns.” Lyne shared the following excerpt to describe the breed: “In Sport, as in ladies’ hats, fashions have changed with each decade… Though fashions may change, we find that the merry little Cocker has always maintained his place in the esteem of the public and sportsmen alike, by dint of his extreme adaptability and courage and, let us face it, also by his hardiness to withstand the rigors of our English climate. He should never have been allowed to become a pampered pet, although the vast majority are, nowadays just that. Again, blame his adaptability and lovable nature: but anyone who has ever seen these game little dogs working in the field must admit that this is their rightful heritage and the place where they are truly happy. A Cocker that has once tasted the delights of bustling in and out of the hedgerows and thickets and has had the scent of hare, pheasant, partridge, or the humble rabbit in his nostrils is lost forever to the drawing room. He will, on the slightest invitation, leave the cream cakes to follow the guns.” Quote from "The Dual Purpose Dog" by A.W. Collins, circa 1950 (Collinwood Cockers, Kent, England) Watch the entire discussion, including expanded comments on judging the breed,

Veterinary Industry Struggling with Overwhelming Staff Shortages Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves to review her presentation at the NAIA conference on the struggles of overwhelming staff shortages in the veterinary industry. “It is estimated that the veterinary industry is 40,000 people short, not just veterinarians but veterinary staff,” Greer said. “It's a lot of people. So, if you divide that up into every state, that's a lot of people that your veterinary clinics are suffering with trying to get by without. So that's veterinarians, that's receptionists, that's managers, that's everyone. “So again, I know we've talked about this before and I just really need to keep beating the drum that we need to be sure that we're taking good care of the veterinary relationships that we have. I just got off the phone with another colleague a few minutes ago talking about practice sales and how that's impacting the relationship people have with their veterinary clinic and how that changes everything. Greer addresses the corporatization of veterinary clinics and how that is to the detriment of reproductive health, particularly, in our dogs. “It does play a role in all aspects,” Greer said. “I think the reproduction part is especially difficult because a lot of the new graduates have been trained to come out of veterinary school with the impression that breeders are not good people and breeding dogs is this terrible hobby. And so, I think it's really frustrating for people who have all the right intentions to breed healthy dogs to help these nice new graduates pay off their veterinary school loans. I don't really understand where they think healthy dogs are going to come from. “It's really important that we keep the existing good relationships and that we keep our veterinarians happy. From talking to financial planners, you really are in a better financial place by keeping your practice than by selling to what looks like an attractive number because by the time you get done paying all the taxes and all the other things and then you don't have the asset that you developed anymore. I mean we spent 42 years developing this asset. I'm not just going to hand it off to someone that doesn't have the best interests of my clients and staff in mind. So, take good care of your local veterinarian.” One of Greer's top tips is how to manage whelping and when/how to use Oxytocin. Here is her chart to print out and add to your whelping kit. [caption id="attachment_12246" align="alignleft" width="447"] Dr. Marty Greer's Rules for using Oxytocin.[/caption] Greer continues with GREAT tips on how to be prepared ahead of time for any situation, how to work with your vet and how to survive and thrive in this challenging climate. Listen to the full episode for all of the advice from one of our best veterinarians.  

Book Teaches Children How to Train and Socialize a Puppy   Authors Giselle Nevada and Jennie Chen join host Laura Reeves to share the story of their new book, “The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge – Out and About,” a book about two puppies who go on adventures, written by dog people to share with the general public. “As dog people, these dogs are our lives,” Chen said. “Our entire lives revolve around them. So our way of communication is certainly at a different level because we've got the depth of knowledge that the general public doesn't necessarily have. They might have a couple of pets throughout their lifetimes, where we've got dogs that we train, show, live with us, live with somebody else, and those sorts of things. “So being able to communicate to someone who can only take a tiny snippet of what we understand in the dog world is so difficult. And then trying to translate that to a child who may not have all of the communication skills and mobility skills. How do we communicate these ideas to kids, to this different audience, so that as they grow, these are the things that are really important? What does a puppy see when they're out in public? So yeah, we're very passionate about this.” The dog “characters” in the book are a Mastiff and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, the breeds Nevada and Chen own. The two friends met while living in Austin, TX, and developed this project from their combined passions. “You will see a lot of people who are in the dog world also drawn in,” Chen added. “They may not be the characters, but they may be the people you know walking around on the street, the veterinarian, other people, and other dogs that you may already know from the show world. So we try to incorporate a lot of that. We also want to incorporate a lot of the breeds that aren't as well known, like we have a Bouvier in there. “We really wanted to speak to a different audience. Because it's not just, ‘Oh, this is what I'm to do with an adult.’ This is what we need to do as a puppy. And now you layer on a kid, How do you get a kid to understand that? Because they don't understand the same things we understand. They're not able to pick up the visual cues, the body language that dogs have. How do we introduce them to this idea of socialization?” Listen to the entire episode for more details or watch on YouTube.

New Children’s Book Devoted to the History of our Best Friends Host Laura Reeves is joined by world famous children’s book author and illustrator Lita Judge to discuss her newest release, “Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends.” Spoiler alert, Laura and Lita share a friendship dating back almost 40 years! [caption id="attachment_12221" align="alignnone" width="529"] A reunion of old friends as host Laura Reeves visits with Lita Judge, author and illustrator of the newly released children's book, "Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends"[/caption] The book is the result of the pandemic providing Judge the time and mental space to focus on a topic she’d wanted to write about for years, she said. “I think the reason I hadn't written it sooner was because it was just a massive amount of research. It covers 40,000 years of the history of dogs,” Judge said. “And there's so much information about: how did we domesticate them, did they self-domesticate, you know, stacks of books to read. And I felt like I had the quiet space to just really dive into this because I knew that this project was going to be a total labor of love. “It's my second longest book that I've done. And I just wanted to do it. Well, when I was going to do it, you know, I got to research medieval times and prehistoric times and what was our relationship to dogs in 1st century China and how did dogs serve in war and what do therapy dogs do? And you know, all this vast amount of information, I knew this really needed a nice chunk of time to devote to it. So the time was right. A life-long dog lover raised by two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and an Alaskan Malamute, Judge said “the thing I was the most curious about was how did we get from wolf to dog. And that was just so mind blowing. Like, how does that transition happen? And it was so interesting because I had to talk to different scientists and you know, I used to be a geologist and I worked on dinosaur digs. So I knew everybody has an opinion on these questions. The consensus seems to be more and more they self-domesticated and that they have the social skills because they work as pack animals and they understand working together that they were able to make that leap in working with us. “So I think that was the thing I was really fascinated by. The other thing I was blown away with is that dogs were prescribed as treatment as early as the Middle Ages. If you had a stomach-ache, hold a dog. We didn't understand why (then). Now we know it lowers your cortisone, lowers your blood pressure, releases oxytocin. I mean, we know why now, but we didn't understand that why then. And yet we knew it worked. You know, we knew that that relationship with our dogs was that incredible that it's actually healing, and luckily healing for the dog as well.” Listen in to the full episode or watch the interview on our YouTube channel for more insight and special takeaways that apply to the dog world from Lita’s journey from shy, withdrawn teenager to world traveler, doing book tours and speaking engagements for thousands and even how she met her husband on a cross-country bicycle trip.

AKC’s Breeder Symposiums Aim to Level the Playing Field Host Laura Reeves is joined by Vanessa Skou, AKC’s Executive Director of Breeder Development and Erin Myers, project analyst for AKC’s Internal Consulting Group discussing the advent and development of the Breeder Symposium events. Skou and Myers are both third generation dog breeders and former professional handlers. They describe themselves as still very much “in the trenches” of the fundamentals of breeding dogs. “I know I have two litters on the ground,” Skou said. “And so we have personal experiences that we were like, ‘oh, wouldn't it be great to have a class on this.’ Because those are the questions I have as well. So, if I'm having them, I'm sure somebody else is having them and that's kind of where we bring our personal experiences into the play." “We want to be able to offer beginner and advanced tracks for people.” Myers said. “So if you've never bred a litter, you're absolutely welcome to come. If you’ve bred 100 liters, we're gonna have stuff for you. "Education is that one thing, that kind of it puts us all on the same playing field," Skou added. "We all can learn. Education is kind of that common denominator that we have. That we can all gain the insight from.” “Without breeders, AKC doesn't exist,” Skou observed. “AKC sports don't exist and so encouragement of new breeders to even dip their toe in the water or those breeders that are having a hard time and getting downtrodden and feel like they're fighting against the tide? Like anything we can do to encourage all of them. “Because at the end of the day those puppy buyers are what really is what matters, right? They're the ones that love that dog for its lifetime and make our hearts feel warm and fuzzy. We get to have our dogs to, you know, play with and show or performance, whatever it may be. But at the end of the day, we make so many people happy with that puppy. And so if we can do a such a good job to make everybody have a good experience to me, that's that's my job. And that's why I take seriously.” Sign up HERE for the Houston Breedeer Symposium in July!! Visit YouTube for the video version of this interview HERE!

Canine Health Foundation Celebrates 30 years Stephanie Montgomery, CEO of the AKC Canine Health Foundation, joins host Laura Reeves to catch up on what the powerful non-profit has done and continues to do for all dogs. Montgomery, an Airedale fancier, joined CHF as the CEO in 2023, but “I was able to kind of blend my passion for science and dogs and started volunteering for the Canine Health Foundation as a scientific reviewer. And then I always say I'm a failed volunteer because now I'm working here. “We are celebrating our 30th year anniversary this year, founded in 1995. And what I was so impressed by was that folks had this vision. So what we do is we fundraise, right? And we distribute that money. To fund the best research that will advance the health of all dogs. So we do that through awarding grants to researchers that tend to be at veterinary schools. And when we evaluate those grants, we wanna find the most cutting-edge research that's going to have the biggest impact on dogs, and that's what we've done for 30 years. Canine Health Foundation helped fund the work conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center that identified the canine genome. This is the basis for all ensuing DNA testing since 2004. “Prior to 1995 when CHF started, there was no dog genome,” Montgomery said. “The human genome had only been completed two years prior and it was pivotal. It changed the way that we could look at genetic testing and evolution of dogs and develop tools in veterinary medicine. CHF’s contribution to ground breaking science continues to this day with research at hundreds of Universities, including studies into mitral valve disease that impacts millions of dogs. “I'm so happy to see the work being done because mitral valve disease is so common in all of the dogs,” Montgomery noted. “I'm a pathologist and the number of older dogs that don't have some mitral valve disease is really next to none. They all have it and we understand so little about it, even though it's so common. And so I'm so excited that we have new studies going that help us understand the physiology of how this disease develops. It will help us identify targets for future therapies. We also have studies on how to best diagnose and monitor progression so maybe we can make a difference and impact all these dogs that have mitral valve disease.”

Tara Martin Rowell on Drop Coats and Competitive Spirit Tara Martin Rowell, breeder, handler and second generation dog woman, joins host Laura Reeves with recommendations on maintaining drop coats, the genetics of her competitive spirit and pro tips for succeeding at the highest level in the sport. [caption id="attachment_12174" align="alignleft" width="277"] Tara Martin Rowell in her formative years with Maltese.[/caption] “Basically, I was born into Maltese,” Tara said. “My mom (AKC judge Vicki Abbott) and dad had me right after my mom had kind of gotten involved in the breed. In my younger life, it was all about the Maltese and my mom was very successful. (She) had the top winning toy dog of all time, a Maltese that she actually handled. That's how I got introduced into dog shows as a young child. “Something that I always say when people ask me, I think it's very important, especially today for our younger generation, to at least get some sort of a business degree. You want to handle dogs, you got to know how to do the business side of it too, because it's not just the glamour and the walking in the ring and the winning. I mean, that's very small portion of it. [caption id="attachment_12173" align="alignright" width="339"] Tara Martin Rowell with Hank, GCH CH Scylla Small Kraft Re-Lit. Bred by Tara and her mom, Vicki Abbot. Owned by Ron Scott and Debbie Scott.[/caption] “I started my life picking up a lot of poop. A lot of dogs that I never walked in the ring with doing a lot of holding of dogs, doing a lot of keeping my mouth shut. I mean, there's a lot of work that goes into that process of success, you know? Favorite Dog Book “I think Dog Steps would be the one everybody has to read. I think that you should reread it as you get older, especially if you’re aspiring to judge, even if you've been judging. I still think structure and anatomy is so important in a breeding program. In a breed like my main breed Maltese, I think people get away from the structure and the anatomy because they think the hair is so important. Hair’s very important, but it's one piece of the puzzle that makes the whole puzzle work, and you can't have one without the other. Listen to the full episode for Tara’s recommendations on grooming routines, favorite products and secrets for success.

Dr. Marty Greer on Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, this year’s Westminster Kennel Club and Trupanion Vet of the Year, joins host Laura Reeves to discuss Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in dogs. “Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is, as it sounds, an immune mediated disease,” Greer said. “But what it doesn't exactly describe is that in this particular disease, the target cells for the immune response are the circulating red blood cells. So in a patient that has autoimmune hemolytic anemia… people have it, dogs have it. Not as often in cats…. basically the body attacks its own red blood cells. “The dog goes from being pretty clinically normal, to being really profoundly sick, weak, out of breath, really, really sick. Sometimes with a fever, sometimes not, within a matter of hours to days. And when this happens, it requires an immediate diagnosis and immediate initiation of treatment. Sometimes requiring blood transfusions, 24 hour stays in the hospital, all kinds of stuff. So, it is a bad disease. “As soon as you flip the lip and you see that really pale mucus membrane color, like their gums are white or close to white. Sometimes jaundiced, just depends on how rapidly the red blood cells are being broken down and how those are being managed. The dog will look something like a dog with a splenic rupture. Or hemangiosarcoma of the spleen where they're bleeding into the abdomen. It's that same really profound anemia. Now, this tends to be most common, like I said, in middle age, to older female dogs, especially spaniels. “That being said. I've seen it probably in every breed. So, I don't think you can say, well you know, I have a corgi so it couldn't be that. I don't really think that's the case. “The other part of this is to try and determine if there's an underlying cause. It can happen spontaneously in the middle-aged and older female. It can happen after a number of vaccinations are administered at the same time, but we see a lot of it related to tick borne diseases. “(These) are thought to be triggers for this because something makes your body, say that red blood cell that's in your circulation, no, that's not my cell, that's not my protein. My immune system is going to attack it just like it would have bacteria, a virus or other foreign tissue.” Listen in to the entire episode for Dr. Greer’s diagnostic and treatment recommendations. And click over to the Veterinary Voice ALBUM for a compilation of every one of Laura’s in depth and practical conversations with Dr. Greer.

Temple Grandin to headline NAIA Conference in Portland Patti Strand, founder of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the lineup of speakers at the conference scheduled for May 26-28 in Portland, OR. The annual NAIA conference kicks off under the banner “Preserving Our Breeds: Preparing for the looming dog shortage.” Strand shared her excitement about the keynote speaker, Temple Grandin, who has been actively involved in animal welfare for decades. Strand said that Grandin’s most recent book “really speaks to me. It's called ‘Visual Thinking, the hidden gifts of people who think in pictures, patterns and abstractions.’ And if you get into this book, she talks about different categories of work that people get into who have these gifts, and animal people are among them.” Additional topics are focused on preserving our breeds, breeding healthy dogs and raising well-socialized puppies. Dr. Marty Greer, Carmen Battaglia and Dr. Claire Wiley will join the star-studded speakers panel. “I could say the looming purebred dog shortage or the looming shortage of dogs that are deliberately bred rather than random bred or bred in countries that don't have the same standards that we have,” Strand noted. “There always will be dogs available as long as there are street dogs in developing countries. We're going to focus more on the deliberately bred dogs and talk about how we preserve them. “The big part of the conference is dedicated to helping people breed better dogs, raise their dogs better. You know, the socialization pieces are all about that. The DNA piece, Marty coming in and talking about different aspects of reproduction. “But again, in order to preserve their breed, a big part of that is breeding dogs. There are so many breeds today where you have a hundred or less dogs in the entire country. Not just 100 dogs that are intact, but just a hundred dogs of that particular breed. We need to encourage people to breed in a way that supports every aspect of animal welfare and so on, but breed dogs. It's part of this preservation piece, you can't preserve from if you don't breed them." Remember to check out the NEW PDT Albums today!!

Margery Good on the Deep Character of Sealyham Terriers Margery Good joins host Laura Reeves to share her deep love of her beloved Sealyham Terriers, breeding, grooming and the importance of learning. Good started in obedience with a German Shepherd Dog. [caption id="attachment_12141" align="alignleft" width="337"] Margery Good with BIS/BISS CH Goodspice Efbe Money Stache[/caption] “I entered in obedience, but then I spent my day at the dog show stalking the handlers that were sharing their conformation dogs and trying to learn as much as I possibly could, without getting in their way. Peter Green, Bob and Jane Forsyth. Bill Trainor. People that were at the very top of their careers in those days, and I would spend as many hours as I could watching and trying to learn. “Well, I watched a lot of their grooming at their setups and how they handled each dog on the tables and putting them on and off the table. how they brushed them, what direction they use or what tools they picked up. Except for the Forsyths, the handlers were only showing like 6-7 dogs in the show and they’d do some trimming the shows. "So I'd watch how they tweak the  trim before they take them in the ring. And then with like the Afghan hounds and Poodles I watched, how did they brush the hair? How did they pick up the hair they weren't brushing so that they could get from their skin to the tip of the hair. So I picked up a lot of learning from observing how they prepared the dogs. And then I’d go and watch them actually showing the dog. I actually spent more time behind the scenes than by the rings. Speaking to the challenge of trimming Sealys, Good said “I do try very hard to breed dogs with coats that normal groomers and average dog owners, if they apply themselves, they can work and have their successful finish to them. I also spend a lot of time helping people at shows or at my place or wherever I am to help them tidy up their trims and show them a new technique that they haven't tried or encourage them to keep going until they get it right. “Now that we have things like cell phones, I say take pictures, send me pictures, I will critique your trim. I work with people, they're 12-15 hours away. If they send me pictures, I will help. And it works. Sealyham Terriers – Generous, Big Dogs in Small Package [caption id="attachment_12140" align="alignright" width="408"] Stache sparring, showing the stand up character of the breed.[/caption] “They're so generous. And all you need to do is ask and they will say what can I do for you. They're very strong, sturdy, compact little dogs. They are big dogs just in a small package. They have very strong personalities. Their characters are very deep, as opposed to some of the other terrier breeds, whose characters are rather shallow. Which some people like. But it's not for me. I like the depth of the character that I see in Sealyhams. Classic Breeding Advice “(Starting out) I was able to breed forward and not have a lot of faults that I had to breed away from. I had very good virtues to start with. In a breeding program, you need to concentrate virtues and minimize faults when you breed. So, you need to be able to see what a stud dog can give in virtues and what faults you might get and not double on what you have in your female. See what her strengths are and not double on the faults that they have. So, generation after generation, you do that. To the point of Stash, (GCHG CH Goodspice Efbe Money Stache, Terrier Group winner at the 2022 AKCNC) who’s the culmination of 50 years of my breeding." Listen to the entire conversation full of passion, insight and charm.

Kent Boyles and Liz Oster on Breeding Plans and Growing the Sport [caption id="attachment_12133" align="alignleft" width="315"] Kent Boyles and Liz Oster share the spotlight.[/caption] Kent Boyles and Liz Oster of Kenlyn and Marquis German Shepherd Dogs join host Laura Reeves from the International Kennel Club of Chicago shows to share their thoughts on breeding decisions and how to grow the sport of purebred dogs. Boyles and Oster, 2018 AKC Breeders of the Year, are the owners and handlers of Rumor, GCH Lockenhaus’ Rumor Has It V Kenlyn, BIS at Westminster Kennel Club in 2017, #1 dog all breeds in 2016 and winner of 104 All Breed Best in Show awards. Boyles piloted GCH CH Kaleef's Mercedes to win the AKC National Championship Herding group in 2022. Boyles started working for German Shepherd breeders at 16, as soon as he could get his driver’s license. Oster was born into the breed and raised with them as her parents participated in obedience and later developed their breeding program. [caption id="attachment_12134" align="alignright" width="389"] Liz Oster and Mercedes winning RBIS at Rose City Classic dog shows.[/caption] “I think (dog shows) need to be more of a family deal,” Oster said.. Like my mom would drag all five of us kids to the dog show. My brothers weren't really into the dog show, but my sister and I were. And so we would show the dogs. They'd go and play and do whatever at the park or wherever we were. And I mean, everybody helped at home and stuff. “And I think exhibitors need to be more open and friendly to spectators at the dog shows. I mean, even this weekend, exhibitors are kind of like, ‘oh, I can't get through.’ Well, if we didn't have these people coming here, they would not buy a purebred German shepherd...” “I think that's key,” Boyles added. “You see somebody with a little bit of interest, Jesus, I mean help them.” “Some of these German shepherd clubs, just the way things have evolved, they've kind of gotten away from the obedience end of things,” Boyles observed. “And some of the working aspects of the breed. With our breed, German Shepherds, the reason almost all new people come and buy a German Shepherd, believe me, is not to go to a dog show and watch it go around in a circle at an AKC dog show. “They wanna get it because of the reputation that the dog has for being a good, sound family guardian. They want it to look over their home, take care of things … it's got the lure of the police dog type stuff … as far as it being a working dog. So a lot of times people get carried away with … the only criteria that you would have to select and keep a dog is just because of its anatomical features and not what's going on inside that dog's head, and the paying attention to the health and the strength and the fundamentals of what's in that dog's mind, … it gets to be a little bit problematic. “I think sometimes people use the word aloofness as a little bit of an excuse to have (the dogs) be a little edgy and not so accepting, so to speak. I mean, to me, like aloof means it doesn't need to just indiscriminately like everybody, you know? It's just like I can take you or leave, , but it's still supposed to be sound minded and comfortable and confident in the surroundings that it's in. “…One of the things that we always try to keep in mind is we're not going to do this breeding today just to try to get a show winner. You've got a concept in mind as to what that animal is supposed to ultimately be like, how you're going to get there, but then what step you're going to take three generations down the road. Where are you gonna go with that? You have to continue on."

Ears: Yeast, Bacteria and Dr. Greer’s Mind-Blowing Tip for Hair Removal Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for important information on maintaining healthy ears in our dogs, diagnosing and treating ear infections and her *mind-blowing* tip for hair removal from the ear canal. “Ears are complicated,” Greer said. “It's not just go pick up a tube of Panalog and you're going to fix the whole problem. It is not that simple. I wish it were. Everybody wishes it were. Clients don't understand why we have these chronic, recurrent, never-ending problems. “Ears can be as simple as … the puppy got some water in its ears. It was out in the rain, playing around, rolled in the snow, had a good time, came in, got a little water in the ear, got an ear infection. However, a lot of dogs have these chronic, recurrent, never-ending ear infections. They can be bacterial, they can be yeast, they can be a combination, they can be allergic and some dogs just have itchy ears. “Our dogs should not have ear wax in their ears. Cats should not have ear wax in their ears. Children should. Ferrets should. Dogs and cats should not have ear wax. So anytime you see discharge in the ears, if you put a Q-tip or a Kleenex in and you wipe out something that's yellow, brown, icky. If you get stuff out, your dog needs to go see the vet. There's a problem. Pro Tip “Don't mess with a healthy ear. If your dog doesn't have a problem with its ears, don't start cleaning it. Don't start putting stuff in the ear canal if there's nothing wrong with it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it because you've now taken an environment that was healthy and you've changed it, so don't put something in the ear unless you need to. Mind Blown… “You can pluck hair on the ears (to help keep a drier environment). I think it sets up inflammatory changes …You're ripping hair out of the hair follicles. A lot of people don't know, and I learned this at a meeting. So, this is not Marty Greer going off the rails. This is actually from a dermatologist. You can put Nair in the ear canal and get rid of the hair. You wanna make sure that the ear drum’s intact of course. And I usually use the one with aloe. “I'm careful when I do it. I usually put it down with a Q-tip. I don't wanna push a big squirt out of the bottle and into the ear and then have the dog shake its head. Because if you lose an eyebrow as your dog shook its head and then Nair flew out in your face, I am not responsible for this. “All the hair doesn't come out on the first treatment. It takes a couple of times to do it. I put it down in the ear canal. I give it about 10 minutes and then I'll go in with the Q-tip and just kind of spin the Q-tip and the hair starts to just lift out. It's really cool.” Listen to the full episode for more excellent information on healthy ears for our dogs.

Kelly Shupp on Campaigns, Rare Breeds and Generational Change Kelly Shupp, Professional Handler, joins host Laura Reeves for a deeply insightful conversation about running a show campaign, the challenges of competing with rare breeds and the generational change happening in her circle. [caption id="attachment_12116" align="alignleft" width="421"] Kelly grew up with German Wirehaired Pointers bred under the Mountain View prefix.[/caption] Shupp grew up with purebred dogs owned by her mom, AKC judge Claire Wisch Abraham. Starting with Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and transitioning early to German Wirehaired Pointers, the mother-daughter team competed in shows, field events and obedience. In 2012, Phil Booth showed their homebred GWP Oakley, GCH CH Mt. View's Ripsnortersilvercharm, owned by Victor Malzoni, to #1 All Breeds. Shupp was mentored by top professional handlers in the US and Brazil, including Booth, Damara Bolte, Angela Lloyd and Jane Myers, before launching her full-time handling career. In 2022, she showed the Spinone Italiano Josie, GCHG CH Collina D'Oro Solo Un Bacio, to a record- breaking career, capped with winning the Sporting Group at the AKC National Championship. [caption id="attachment_12119" align="alignright" width="419"] Kelly and Josie share a special bond.[/caption] “It is a special thing to run a rare breed,” Shupp said. “They’re not always in the placements. There’s judges that will point to rare breeds and judges that won’t. It’s a game. We learn certain chess pieces that fit and ones that don’t. With a rare breed they’re very specific (pieces) for sure." Generational change is taking over in the handling ranks, Shupp noted. “This year we had so many young people in the group ranking competitions,” Shupp said. “Blake and Arial in the terrier group, me and Joanne in the sporting group.” Planning a campaign includes evaluating a budget, competition and geographical location. “The conversation I typically have with a client the start of the year is you go hard through March, see how it goes. Are you placing a lot in groups? Winning 75% of your breeds? You see if you can start placing more. "You never go into a year saying I’m going to be #1 sporting dog. You see how it goes. Those are things you don’t really say. Those high-end top dog races just kind of happen.” Flashback episode on planning a campaign. More pro tips:

• Ask the right questions to find the right handler for you.
• Have those sounding boards to talk about judges and shows with experience-based knowledge.
• You can’t be better if the people around you don’t want to help you be better.
• Know your standard. Know about the breed you’re presenting. It’s such an important part of our job. To be an ambassador for the breed. To honor the breed.
• Flip flops are deadly….
• Everything happens for a reason.
• The greats never stop learning.

Search and Rescue Titling Events Come to US Melissa Stagnaro, vice president of the American Rettungshunde Sport Association (ARSA), joins host Laura Reeves to share details of the growing Search and Rescue Sport titling events in the US. [caption id="attachment_12086" align="alignleft" width="288"] Dog working in an ARSA test.[/caption] “ARSA started out of a need for some standardizations,” Stagnaro said. “There was an earthquake and flooding in Armenia in the late 1980s and a lot of kind-hearted people showed up to help and it was hard to ascertain what their skill level was. This included search and rescue dog handler teams, but it also included EMT's and nurses and people like that. And so sometimes the well-intentioned helpers caused a little more trouble than help. “So the United Nations worked with the FCI and out of this came an International Rescue dog organization. And so the rule book that we're using is standard across the globe. Most countries, other than the US, use this as their basis for their local community SAR teams.” ARSA offers these tests as a way for people to do titling events that could, if they stick with it and find their dog has the aptitude and they have the aptitude, take them to the point that they could do full on search and rescue missions. “There's three sport levels that get progressively more difficult, and there's a fourth mission ready level,” Stagnaro said. “So the mission ready, if you and your dog were to complete it successfully, you would be a real search and rescue team certified by the FCI rulebooks. The three other levels are just sport. “There's a lot of search and rescue community-based groups in the US and also sheriff's departments who would be more interested in accepting a volunteer that already has the skills. In the US we have many certifications for search and rescue teams, but if you came to them and said, hey look, my dog already has these skills, then they would have an easier time assessing you. None of the sport skills are in conflict with real search and rescue.” The ARSA 2023 Championship is March 31 – April 1 in Leesburg, VA. Listen in to the full episode for more details on this fun new sport.

Dog Food Behind the Scenes: Meat, Meal and Byproducts Defined Rob Downey, nutritionist, researcher and CEO of Annamaet dogfood company, joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on what ingredients lists on our dog food labels mean. “We have to back up a little bit and look at what those statements mean and where definitions come from,” Downey said. “That really comes from AAFCO. You'll see on the package whether it be canned, frozen or whatever. AAFCO is Association of American Feed Control Officials. They don't regulate pet foods. What they do is they set up the guidelines. And then the regulation goes through the FDA and the Department of Agriculture in most states. So AAFCO is actually a volunteer organization. Each person gets a vote, and you have to be on one of these bodies. So each state has the ability to regulate how they view it. And the sad part is, those regulations are open to the interpretation of each state official. So, every state has a feed control official. And as a pet food manufacturer, for me to sell in each state, I have to be approved by that state. So, you have to send your labels in to each individual state. “They are the ones that determine the terminology that we're allowed to use.  And so, for example, fresh meat. If the meat you use has been frozen at any time, it's no longer considered fresh. So as a manufacturer, I wouldn't trust shipping non-frozen meat. What I call fresh meat, I want frozen and I’ll thaw it when I want to use it, but then I can't attach the word fresh to it. “Then you get into the term meal, and meal is actually a processing term where you take raw meat, and it's heated up, moisture is removed, a lot of the fats removed and it becomes a powder and then that's how it shipped as a meal. And then that's also called a rendered ingredient. AAFCO is pretty strict about rendered. Anytime you change the physical component or whatever, you heat it up or you do this or do that now, it becomes a rendered product. So even in the food chain, like for instance my local meat store, if they make a sausage? If it was in the pet industry, that would be considered rendered And the other thing that is kind of interesting, the term meal isn't used in most parts of the world. Like if I use chicken meal, somebody in Europe, they don't have the term meal. They would call it dehydrated chicken or simply chicken. "Now the advantage of using a meal, is that basically the moisture has been removed. So, if I'm ordering chicken meal, a truckload, it's only going to be 10% moisture. I'm ordering fresh chicken, a truckload is going to be 70% water, only 30% dry matter. But when you read the label. On the ingredient list, it's according to wet weight, so it includes all that water. That's why when you see a fresh meat formula or a meat formula, there's always seems to be more meat ingredients, because there's so much water. Of course, when you're doing an extruded product that all gets kicked out. "So chicken meal is basically skin, muscle and no internal organs. Like you can't have organ meat in it, you can have some bone in it. But when you go to byproduct meal, that's when the organ meat gets involved." Mind Blown… When the label gives the minimum percentages of the contents (30/20 protein and fat, for example), it doesn’t have to specify the maximum, which can vary drastically from the minimum! Listen in for more insider details.

Skin is Your Dog’s Largest Organ, Keep it Healthy! Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on skin problems in our dogs, how to avoid them, what causes them and how to treat them. Pro Tip? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In previous episodes, Marty and Laura discuss allergies and external parasites, but today’s topic covers hot spots, seasonal alopecia, demodex and other skin disorders. “The skin, believe it or not, is the largest organ of the body,” Greer noted. “So, it accounts for an important part of our dog's health and it accounts for a huge number of visits. A lot of people have noticed skin problems in their dog. In fact, at some point, almost every dog will have something wrong with their skin during their lifetime. So, the better prepared you are to deal with it, the better off you are. Hot Spots are a Hot Topic “Our typical response to a hot spot, as a veterinarian, is to grab the clippers and shave it. And so that makes it a bit of a challenge for us to try and manage these because a hot spot needs to be treated similar to a wildfire out of the forest -- you have to clear cut it. So, you have to clip out around it so that you're an inch or two out around the hotspot into normal skin to effectively stop the spread of it. And so this is where the show dog people totally freak out because that's that's a year’s worth of hair coat. For some dogs that never grows back the same way. “And this is where having a good veterinary relationship really comes into play. Your veterinarian is gonna be a lot more sympathetic to your needs and expectations if you have developed that relationship. “It's not that we're unsympathetic to it, it's just that we have to balance what your needs are with the dogs health and so that's where this challenge comes in. “It's usually (caused by) a break in the skin of some kind, whether it's an insect bite or they ran into the fence or you know, something that just dinged the skin. Allergies. Anything that causes a break in the normal integrity of the skin then allows bacteria to develop. The official name for it is an acute superficial bacterial pyoderma. It's called a hot spot because it is hot, man. I mean, those things can spread … I've seen them double in size in 24 hours if you don't get it addressed. “You want to keep your dog healthy, their skin healthy. You want to keep them from matting. You want to be careful when you comb them or brush them that you're not breaking the skin. That you reduce their exposure to biting insects because that can initiate it, and if they do have allergies, that you get a handle on those. “Use your shampoos and conditioners carefully. Dilute your shampoo, rinse, rinse, rinse some more. Don't leave any residue. You know, just be smart about how you're taking care of your dog's coat because if the coat is important to you, then treat it as if it's important to you.” Listen to the full episode to learn more on the topic of skin disorders.

Black Russian Terrier: "The Black Pearl of Russia" [caption id="attachment_13770" align="alignright" width="354"] Emily Fagan showing one of her Black Russian Terriers.[/caption] Host Laura Reeves is joined by Emily Fagan, breeder of Black Russian Terriers, for a Love the Breeds episode talking about the “big black fluffy bearded beasts” that have become her “spirit animal.” “Like they are the Black Pearl of Russia and they really are like the hidden gem. Most people, they see them and they're like, ohh, boy, that's kind of this big black scary kind of looking dog. And they’re so stoic and regal in public and then they come home and they're absolute goofballs, complete clowns,” Fagan said. “A short background history that Stalin basically was jealous of the Germans, you know, and their wonderful police military dogs. So he's like, you know what, I'm gonna make a superior breed of dog for military and police work. He got a bunch of scientists, geneticists together and actually started developing the Black Russian Terrier. The four main contributors are the Rottweiler, the giant Schnauzer, the Newfoundland and the Airedale Terrier. So there's the terrier. But they are very much NOT a terrier.” [caption id="attachment_13768" align="alignleft" width="389"] Black Russian Terrier training for "bite work" competition.[/caption] The breed was utilized by the KGB, and still is today by its successor agency, the FSB, as well as being used in the Russian prison system. It’s job, Fagan said, was to terrify people. And they’re very good at their job. The best owners of BRTs are not first-time dog owners, Fagan said. She added that structure and very defined rules are critical. “You do need to be fair because they are very smart,” Fagan noted. “This is not an old school, put the dog on its back. You can't do that. Absolutely not. You would ruin your relationship with this breed because it's built on trust too. You have to build respect. So a person who understands a structured environment is really going to thrive.”

Breeding Theory Q&A From LIVE@5 Host Laura Reeves leads a conversation on breeding theory, replayed from a LIVE@5 live podcast from 2022. “As we all know, dog breeding is something of, to put it mildly, a passion project,” Reeves said. “Doing it well is something we all strive for. There are some tools that we can use to accomplish that goal. No matter what type of breeding program we have, we can all use these same tools to achieve success. Sort of the theory side of breeding, reading pedigrees, breeding concepts and health testing. “Coefficient of inbreeding is frequently shortened to COI. One of the great things is if you test both the sire and the dam of your litter, you will be able to get a predicted genetic COI based on the actual DNA. Then if you DNA test each of the puppies in your litter, you will be able to get an exact genetic DNA coefficient of inbreeding that will tell you exactly (what each puppy is). I think one of the things that many of us find sort of mind blowning is that puppies in a litter do not all have the same COI. They don't all have the same genetics. “And so when I did a half brother, half sister, a straight up inbreeding that I'd been planning for quite some time, and I knew what the pedigree COI was, I knew what the estimated or expected genetics COI was going to be, and I Embarked each of the 13 puppies and the actual COI in each of those puppies varied by as much as ten basis points. “So, it's really, really important to look at some of the tools that are now available to us. Dog breeding has always been a little bit of art and a little bit of science. Science is coming to the forefront and I don't want us to lose the art, but I want us to be able to make good use of the science. “Pedigree, genetic and actual COI is a very, very useful tool in our breeding program as we're going forward. Purebred is a level of inbreeding. That's what makes it purebred. Having a higher or lower level and how you use that and the healthy genes that you're doubling up on or the unhealthy genes that you're doubling up on make any enormous difference in your breeding program going forward.” Listen in as Laura and her listeners interact on important topics from breeding theories, health testing and more. Remember that LIVE@5 live podcasts drop on the Pure Dog Talk Facebook page the first Tuesday of every month! Join us there on March 7 for a conversation on GROOMING! You can get more on this topic at the Dog Breeding 101 seminar.

OFA Launches New Testing for Brachycephalic Breeds [caption id="attachment_11998" align="alignright" width="266"] Dr. Kathleen Smiler, DVM, Pug Dog Club of America Health Committee Representative.[/caption] Eddie Dziuk, Chief Operating Officer at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, and Dr. Kathleen Smiler, DVM, Health Committee Representative from the Pug Dog Club of America, join host Laura Reeves to introduce the new BOAS testing program. “Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is a condition which may cause breathing difficulties in breeds such as Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs,” according to the OFA. “BOAS is caused when the soft tissue in the nose and throat are excessive for the airway, partially obstructing the airway and making it difficult for them breathe normally. "BOAS is a progressive disorder and can impair a dog’s ability to exercise, play, eat and even sleep. Clinical signs of BOAS are variable and may include noisy breathing, exercise and heat intolerance, regurgitation and dysphagia. Unfortunately, many owners are unaware of the disease, and often interpret breathing noises or difficulties as simply normal for the breed. “In an effort to learn more about the condition, increase awareness, and ultimately reduce the incidence of BOAS, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK developed the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme (RFGS). The goal of the RFGS was to develop an objective test to measure the clinical diagnosis and severity of BOAS. The OFA has joined this international effort and has licensed the RFGS for use in the US and Canada. "The exam is conducted by a specially trained and approved veterinarian and consists of 4 steps:

1. A short health survey regarding the dog’s breathing history
2. A brief physical exam while the dog is calm including auscultation where the assessor listens to the dog’s breathing with a stethoscope gently positioned on the side of the neck. This establishes a baseline for any clinical signs of BOAS.
3. A short exercise test consisting of a brisk three minute walk. This is designed to expose clinical signs of the disease in an otherwise calm and asymptomatic dog. It is not designed to assess cardiovascular fitness.
4. A post exercise auscultation after increased airway activity to compare to the pre-exercise baseline.”

“I think the veterinarians were extremely enthusiastic,” Smiler said of the veterinarians participating  at a recent event in Portland, Oregon. “And I think the participants were quite pleased too, I think. I went and sat in the meet the breeds box with the pug people in Portland and everybody was quite satisfied. I think our club in general was very satisfied.” “We examined 54 dogs (at the rollout in Portland),” Dziuk said. “We actually did 60 where we had a couple breeds that weren't on the official breed participant list yet. So, we had 54 between Bulldogs, Frenchies and Pugs and we also had a couple of Bostons and Pekes. “Overwhelmingly (we had) pretty good results. We had 10 Grade 0. So, the grade zeros are basically everything was good. These dogs were good breathers, they had nice wide open nostrils. There were no sounds of turbulence or anything during the auscultation, so everything was looking pretty good. We had 18 grade 1, which is also good. It means that in general, nothing could be heard without a stethoscope and you could only hear some of the minor issues with the stethoscope, but the dogs are basically still found to be clinically unaffected by BOAS. We did have 25 grade twos and we had one lone grade three. “I think that goes to prove the point that not all Bulldogs suffer breathing difficulties, not all Frenchies suffer breathing difficulties, and not all...

AKC’s New Genetic Testing Program to Offer Expanded Insights [caption id="attachment_11992" align="alignleft" width="358"] Dr. Claire Wiley, VMD and her Portugese Water Dog.[/caption] Dr. Claire Wiley, Executive Director of the AKC DNA Program, joins host Laura Reeves with breaking news about the expansion of their testing capabilities. AKC’s DNA program will soon include the option to identify traits and genetic diseases, in addition to simple parentage, Wiley announced. “For the past 25 years, the AKC DNA program has really focused on protecting the registry,” Wiley noted. “And they did that using unique identification, kind of like fingerprints and also using those fingerprints to verify parentage. It had more of a regulatory role to it. “A couple years ago, the AKC developed an ad hoc genetics committee. They listened to the breeders (who) were really interested in having more from the DNA program. And that's kind of why I got hired, because we've listened to the feedback and are trying to bring things into the future to really serve our most important constituents, the breeder.” Wiley, a second-generation Portugese Water Dog breeder, is a board certified veterinary specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine. Her passion for genetic health testing started early in life after losing two PWD puppies to juvenile dilated cardiomyopathy. She later worked on the breakthrough studies to identify the genetic marker for protein losing nephropathy in Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. “I'm a breeder. I lived through it from the very beginning and now I'm back here to help bring the DNA program into the future,” Wiley said. “At AKC, we try to focus on all dog owners, but it all starts with the breeders who are producing the healthy dogs for all dog owners. “The fundamental process will essentially be the same where you use a cheek swab to collect DNA and you go online to activate it. When you first go in to buy the swabs, there will be two products. The original parentage product will be called the AKC Original DNA profile and then the one that includes health tests and traits will be called the AKC Signature DNA profile. “So when you're actually on what we call our shop page where you're buying the swabs, you have an option of choosing either just the Original profile, which is the $50 kit that provides parentage, or you can choose the option that still includes that $50 original profile, but also has health and traits available. “We're really hoping to launch this by mid 2023 at the latest, hopefully April. A lot of these companies say there are over 200 markers that they're testing for, but if you actually talk to breeders, they're probably focused on 2, 3, maybe 0 for that specific breed. So, we are taking the experts, you know, the Breeders, and having them tell us what we should be including as important markers for them. “The parent clubs have what we call parent club health statement letters where they actually say this is what we are concerned about as a breed and as a group, and so we're using those letters to determine which testing is the most important for that breed.” Listen to the full episode for more from Dr. Wiley.

Canine Bladder Stones: Diagnosis and Treatment Dr. Marty Greer, DVM joins host Laura Reeves for a deep dive on bladder stones in dogs, how to diagnose and treat them. The following information is provided by Dr. Greer. Bladder stones are the quintessential “which came first, the chicken or the egg” question. By this, we mean that a dog can have a bladder symptoms that are caused by a bladder stone, or the bladder infection can cause bladder stones to form. Which then becomes a vicious cycle. There are two basic types of bladder stones – the first, struvite stones associated with a bladder infection or second, any of the following other bladder stones, caused by a metabolic disturbance that causes a stone to form in the urinary tract. How do bladder infections cause bladder stones? An undiagnosed, under-treated or recurrent bladder infection can lead to the development of struvite bladder stones. This is the most common type of bladder stone. Or another type of stone can cause irritation to the bladder which can cause a stone to form that is partly any of the types of stone below combined with a struvite stone. These form like a pearl in an oyster – the irritation of the infection or other stone type can cause a struvite coating on an existing bladder stone. Many metabolic stones are associated with a particular breed or disease condition causing minerals to deposit in the bladder, forming stones. These metabolic stones form with long term supersaturated minerals in the urine. With time, the crystals form which develop into a bladder stone. Other factors are the pH of the urine, inhibitors and promotors of stone formation, and macrocrystalline matrix. If something like suture is in the bladder, this can also allow a stone to form. Fortunately, most stones in the urinary tract are in the bladder itself, where they are accessible surgically. Stones in the kidney or ureter (tube from the kidney to the bladder) are not easily managed surgically or by physical removal. Stones that form in the bladder and pack together like sand in a funnel or slip from the bladder into the urethra (tube from the bladder to the outside of the body) cause urinary obstruction. This is a true medical emergency, more common in males that females due to the length and shape of the urethra, the tube from the bladder to the outside. Males have a design flaw – their urethra is more narrow and curved, causing a greater likelihood of urinary obstruction. On the other hand, females have a design flaw, a shorter wider urethra just below the rectum that allows bacteria to ascend into the bladder, increasing the risk that a female will have a bladder infection. That infection can often lead to the formation of struvite stones. Symptoms Symptoms of bladder disease can be virtually non-existent to severe. The symptoms can vary:

1. No signs or very subtle signs of discomfort or urinary accidents.
2. Signs of blood in the urine (often not noted until there is snow on the ground or when the urine is wiped up and blood is seen on a white towel), straining to urinate, frequency of urination, inappropriate urination, +/- fever, pain, and/or urinary incontinence. Dogs are rarely “sick” with a bladder infection – they eat, drink, and act normally other than increased trips outside or urinary accidents on the floor.
3. If obstructed, there will be abdominal pain, vocalizing, vomiting, dehydration, depression, heartbeat irregularities, bladder distension, in advanced cases, bladder rupture, collapse and death.
4. Blood work can show elevated BUN and creatinine, kidney values if obstructed.
5. Blood work may show elevated calcium if calcium oxalate stones are present.
6. Blood work may show liver dysfunction in patients with urate stones.

Below is a table showing the different types of bladder stones, comparing the composition, cause, prevention and treatment...

Routines Create Coping Skills in Traumatic Times [caption id="attachment_11966" align="alignleft" width="352"] Dr. Angel Iscovich, MD, author of "The Art of Routine"[/caption] Dr. Angel L. Iscovich, M.D. joins host Laura Reeves to talk about creating routines as a coping mechanism in traumatic times. An emergency room physician and Miniature Schnauzer enthusiast, Iscovich’s book “The Art of Routine” has great suggestions as we emerge from the trauma of the pandemic years. Iscovich studied older patients and found that consistently, folks who lived well into their older years had one thing in common. Routines. Even routines that aren’t necessarily “healthy” were beneficial, Isocvich noted. “I noticed people that were over 100 years of age, centenarians, I noticed two qualities that they had,” Iscovich said. “One is that they have a stable environment. By that I mean both physical and people around them. And two, they had a very, very regular routine. They had a rhythm, a routine, things that they did with great regularity. “But what I also noticed is what they did varied quite a bit. So, some of them were doing not necessarily healthy things, but that got me to thinking. That may be part of the key is more the *how* than the *what* we're doing. In other words, the routine may be more important than actually what you're eating because here's this 100-year-old having Dr. Peppers every day, you know, and that doesn't seem like the right thing to do, but that there was something to the fact that you had routine and regularity. “It seemed to me that for us as humans in this world where we're using our digital world as we are today in computers and sort, that we're being constantly interrupted and disrupted and being always tempted to do different things all the time, and that maybe, maybe changing things up too much is not really the way to go. “We seek and survive by having kind of stability. Homeostasis is what it's called in some of the physiological terms. And having equilibrium.” Iscovich’s suggestions for building routine for a healthier outcome:

• Recreate your own routine
• Get more exercise
• Get outdoors
• Do daily affirmations
• Quiet time ... get rid of the sensory input
• Self discipline… dopamine works. Do one event, do it repetitively, complete the smallest task. This makes the body and brain chemistry give you a good feeling. Stick with one thing. This stabilizes us in times of uncertainty

 

Bumble’s Story: Behind the Scenes with Donna Beadle Donna Beadle joins host Laura Reeves to share the epic, joyous and eventually tragic story of Bumble the Berger Picard. [caption id="attachment_11955" align="alignleft" width="332"] Bumble, in his glory days as the #1 Owner Handled Berger Picard, with Donna's husband, Mike Beadle.[/caption] Bumble was lost for 10 days in the high desert of Wells, Nevada. Donna shares the lessons she learned, the emotions, the hardships, the dark humor, the kindness of strangers as well as her heartache, hope and second guessing, tips and suggestions for others in similar situations. “If you are looking for a lost pet, especially in an area you don’t know, hire a professional,” Donna said. “They are a wealth of information. I know a lot about dogs, but I don’t know anything about lost dogs. They came they brought their trap, advised me about getting stuff out in the community. Not everybody is on social media, lost dog signs are hugely important. “There were sightings on and around I80, which was terrifying, but that’s where we were focusing our efforts. I had to drive that interstate every day looking for my dog’s body…” Donna traveled from Minnesota to Nevada at the first news of Bumble’s loss. She and a team of trackers, trappers, local residents, co-owners and dog community spent almost a week hunting for Bumble. After losing hope with no sightings and the tracker hitting a dead end on the trail, she returned home. [caption id="attachment_11956" align="alignright" width="337"] Juan, the ranch worker who first sighted Bumble, gave up his day off to help on the search and was instrumental in Bumble's reunion with Donna.[/caption] A sighting by a ranch worker the next day brought her flying back for three more days of searching in a new area. “Why signage and flyers are so important, the ranch owner and the ranch worker’s daughter both called because Juan saw ‘the dog in the picture,’” Donna said. More traps, trappers and local folks restarted the search a mile back on the ranch land. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack Strapped into unfamiliar snowshoes, Donna traipsed through sagebrush and waist-high snow drifts in an area that they’d found new tracks in the snow. Juan, the ranch worker, came out on his day off to help with the search. By a miracle, Donna glanced up to see her dog huddled under a small sagebrush. Donna said, "OMG, I've stumbled upon Bumble." She was able to get a hand on him through a careful approach. He was so weak she had to carry him out. While a bodybuilder, Donna isn’t accustomed to the 6000+-foot elevation of the high desert and struggled through snow drifts until a vehicle was able to reach them. Bumble was raced to the veterinarian, and given emergency treatment, care, and love. The extreme stress on his body caused him to crash four days later and, tragically, he couldn't fight any longer.

Owner Handler Winner: "These Dogs Are Worthy" [caption id="attachment_11905" align="alignleft" width="311"] Dr. Cheryl Stiehl hard at work in her veterinary practice.[/caption] Dr. Cheryl Stiehl, DVM joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the journey that brought her to the pinnacle of the Owner Handled Series with her breeder-owner-handled Irish Setter. Stiehl and Declan, GCHS Bramblebush Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, topped more than 825 entries in the National Owner Handled Series finals in Orlando, FL in December. A practicing veterinarian in Maryland, Stiehl offers her life hacks for succeeding as an owner handler while working a full-time job. And she shares the love -- of her dog and the sport. “I think one of the neatest things about this dog is who he is,” Stiehl said. “His nickname is ‘The Dude.’ He's just good for purebred dogs, if you know what I mean. He's funny and ridiculous and silly and he loves kids and loves cats and thinks everything's an adventure. Declan has friends and friends he has not met yet. That's just kind of who he is. He's a bit of a party animal. The other thing and the way I describe him when people say, ‘well, what's an Irish Setter like, what's this dog like?’ I say, you know the guy at the tailgate pouring shots? That's Declan. “I think that owner handled for me is that there was one more thing I could do with my dog. I can walk in this ring and that ring, I can do it twice. If I get nervous, I can try to work through it. “I can take out a spleen in the OR with an animal that has a really potentially dangerous or scary prognosis and barely break a sweat. But you know, sometimes I think we all get nervous. Is the dog going to behave? Is he stacked right? Does he look OK? Am I giving him his due? “On the other side of it too, I think the interesting part of it is your dog's doing double duty and your dog's going into that group ring and hopefully going into another best in show ring. So, if you were lucky to win both breed and best of breed owner handled that day, you show your dog a whole bunch and your dog has to perform a whole lot more really. I've actually had a few judges say that to me. You know, ‘I watched your dog today and you didn't give up once.’ So, he is a piece of work. He's the dude. “The (NOHS) competition is keen. The dogs are beautiful. They are multiple best in show dogs. They are best in show dogs, they are reserve best in show dogs. They're group placers, group and specialty winners, sires and dams of beautiful animals. These dogs are worthy. I think that one nice thing is, is it's the connections you make. I also will say to you that I love the sportsmanship that I have experienced in those ranks. We are really happy for one another.” Listen to the full episode for more of Stiehl’s insights on the NOHS, dog shows in general, her favorite grooming products and more.

New Tufts University Course: Breeders Teaching Veterinary Students Gale Golden and Susan Patterson join host Laura Reeves for a conversation about the new and exciting AKC Tufts Whelping Program that provides information to veterinary students about dog breeders. Golden, the AKC coordinator for the program, said that the growing difficulties with finding breeder-friendly veterinarians was a huge concern for her. “As breeders, we've faced many challenges and still face many challenges continuing our right to breed dogs here in the United States,” Golden said. “And one of the biggest challenges has been not only the lack of veterinary care, but the lack of understanding of the purebred, responsible dog breeder and how we work and operate. And that has led to, in some instances, lesser care breeders have available to them or even, in emergency situations, outcomes that weren't the desired outcomes.” Change the Conversation Patterson, who has worked with a similar program at the Ohio State University, noted that “we need to change the conversation at the vet school level. How do we show that students, who most likely have never whelped a litter, will never do anything but triage, what a responsible breeder does, what their parameters are, how they make their choices, and how do they whelp their puppies. “So, we are going directly to the students, who have some pre-formed opinions, but they have no experience. And we are sharing super transparently all the good, the bad, the ugly. We've worked with (the staff advisor) to develop what they call a selective, which in normal academic terms would be called an elective. They get to choose. And so, this last semester we had three students, this semester will have five. “The other thing we've done that I think has added tremendously is we've not just focused on these students, but we have opened up our monthly roundtables to all interested vet students and we have brought in veterinarians. We had them in the classroom and we did have a virtual crop and dock just because of timing. Talk About the Hard Things “So, we've addressed the hard things. We've talked about what it takes to produce a puppy that is going to be healthy. And why we do the testing, why we make the choices, why temperament and different breeds. And so they've been able to ask us really hard questions. And I think the interaction has been very positive.” “The total lack of understanding of what a purebred dog was and how they came to be and why they came to be” was an “aha” moment for Golden. She noted that one of the important topics covered in the course is the breed standard. “What is the breed standard and how did it come to be. The fact that they didn't know was a real aha for me. “The other thing I don't feel like they really understood was how we preserve a breed. And as I'm sure most everyone here knows, French Bulldogs have been just bombarded with every kind of influence from outside the breed gene pool there could be. And it's like a breed being attacked on steroids, you know, from fluffy to pink. It all exists. One of the scary statistics for this breed is last year there were 32,000 Frenchie litters registered with the AKC. 294 were parent club members, 294 out of 32,000. And since DNA really can't accurately show us exactly what's behind a dog, after a few generations of breeding to Frenchies, it looks like it's a purebred Frenchie. “Another aha for me was the health testing process, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, that it exists. What kind of data was there, who loads that data and that it is a partnership with veterinarians and breeders that actually populates that database and how we use it to make improvements. So those things were major ahas for me. “The preservation message, however, is one that resonates for us. We don't tell our own story. You know, we're kind of invisible. There might be 90,000 of us in Massachusetts playing dog...

Applied Structure and Anatomy LIVE Join the live studio audience with host Laura Reeves at Bonneville Basin Kennel Association to discuss why our dogs are built the way they’re built. Laura and members of the audience address structure and why our dogs are built the way they’re built. Form and Function go together There are a lot of differences between herding dogs, depending on the type of herding they did, according to AKC judge and Pumi breeder Chris Levy. Tonia Holibaugh Cruz A lot of people think “oh it’s a toy dog, structure doesn’t matter.” What happens is that as companions, these dogs need to be able to live to 10 or 11 years old and still be able to make it to the food bowl. Your expectations of a Pekingese cannot be the same as your expectations of an Italian Greyhound. Even though they're all toy breeds, their purpose is completely different. The construction is different, therefore their abilities (are different.) Linda Culver A properly constructed Italian Greyhound can be just as sturdy as a Whippet Carma Ewer I love to see a beautiful schnauzer moving around the ring with great reach and drive, but you don’t have to have great reach and drive to kill a rate. We are starting to lose some of our other qualities. We have to have strong teeth, muzzle and head to be able to do the job. You need to have good bone, muscle tone, don’t want the rat pulling your dog in the hole because it’s so weedy. Lydia Hovanski Lyon Tail placement on these terriers is so important. My Fox Terrier, when it goes to ground, and it’s pulling out a fox, I have to be able to grab it by the tail and pull it out, to help it. If we can’t grab onto those tails, that dog is useless and going to die. With the dogs that are going to ground, it is essential to pick them up by their tail. It’s showing they can do the job. Hear more on this topic when host Laura Reeves presents on Form and Function at Breedercon this weekend at the IKC show in Schaumburg, IL. Sign up for the seminars HERE.

4Ever15: Choose Kindness [caption id="attachment_11746" align="alignleft" width="369"] Nick Carroll winning Best Junior Handler at the Great Dane specialty in Des Moines, IA.[/caption] Denise Carroll joins host Laura Reeves to share her story of how the twin epidemics of school bullying and teen suicide affected her, after her son, Nick, took his life last month. Nick Carroll was Denise’s adopted son whose happiest place was dog shows. He had friends and projects and felt safe, showing Great Danes in the breed ring and Juniors. “It didn’t matter who was competing,” Denise said. “He would cheer you on no matter what. If he lost in juniors he’d still cheer on his friends. The friendships he made at dog shows were really close ones. He maintained some really good friendships.” But his school life was another matter. Denise said that Nick was routinely bullied at school, including additional attacks around his service dog.

• The 2019 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 22% of students ages 12–18 experienced bullying.

“What I feel is, when Nick started taking the dog to school is what made him an easy target. School was the biggest issue for him,” Denise said. How to avoid costing someone their life “The biggest thing is to realize what we’re all struggling with something,” Denise said. “You never know what someone is going through at the time. So, you should try to be kind. In today’s society, people can hide behind their phone, be anonymous and say things and not have consequences for their actions.” More survival tips from Denise:

• Today’s kids have gone through a lot more trauma than kids did when I was growing up.
• Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes
• Parents need to talk to their kids, that a difference in someone else isn’t a bad thing
• Parents don’t communicate with kids. Kids have electronics that are their parents. They don’t talk with mom and dad or sit down and have meals together.

Statistics from the Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas:

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
• 5,000 young people complete suicide in the U.S. each year.
• Each year, there are approximately 10 youth suicides for every 100,000 youth.
• Each day, there are approximately 12 youth suicides.
• Every 2 hours and 11 minutes, a person under the age of 25 completes suicide.
• In the past 60 years, the suicide rate has quadrupled for males 15 to 24 years old, and has doubled for females of the same age.
• For every completed suicide by youth, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made.

“We went to Orlando (for the AKC National Championship),” Denise said. “It was bittersweet because Nick was supposed to be with us. I took some friends of Nick’s and his sister to Sea World. We’d laugh for a while and somebody would say Nick would have loved this. At one point, the four of us just hugged each other and cried. It was special because they loved him just like we did. “Christmas has been hard,” Denise said. “I put off wrapping presents because I had presents for him that he’ll never open….” Nick’s Message: Be helpful and kind. “His shining moments were when he was helping people,” Denise said. “I want more people to be like that. To give to others. And not be takers and just do what’s best for you.

Resurrecting a Legendary Product

Tasha Mesina, new owner of Cindra, joins host Laura Reeves to discuss resurrecting a legendary grooming product.

“I had used the brand Cindra since the beginning of time on the Belgians and I loved it,” Mesina said. “Unfortunately, Cindra closed with COVID like many things did, supply chain issues, blah, blah, you know the story that everybody has. And I missed it. I really missed it.

“And I maybe didn't realize they had closed for a hot minute until I tried to find Super Coat and then it was like why am I going on eBay to find super Coat? And so I kind of followed the chain, and found out that the company was for sale.

“It was kind of a little bit of a process to buy it, but unfortunately with them closing (during) COVID, it made it affordable for me. I couldn't afford it before so and then closing a grooming shop, selling a property in California, it just kind of all came together at one moment.

“The Phillips started the company. Cindy Phillips was the gal and actually I got to talk to her. I actually bought the company from her son, Seth They have been absolutely fantastic to help me transition. I literally have every document that Cindra ever produced in the history of time, which is really cool. It was a lot, but it was neat to see, you know how the company got started. I mean, they had testimonials from the 80s, you know?

“It was the family owned company. It was the mom, dad and a son that took it over when they retired. Fantastic people. I mean, they're just great. Still to this day, if I have a question, I pick up the phone, they instantly have an answer. I mean, he really, I feel, wants this to succeed because it was their baby for so many years.

“I was a dog groomer. I'm a dog breeder. Like, I didn't understand the nuts and bolts of running a shampoo company. So it's kind of been a huge, huge learning curve for me to understand how all of it works. People can find it at distributors, they can order it directly.

Lessons from Orlando and Holiday Musings The extravaganza of purebred dogs that is the AKC National Championship week in Orlando has come to a close. I skipped the last couple years with the pandemic and all that entailed, so it was really good to be back with the people I so rarely get to see. I think we all learn something new each time… Like how it’s possible to walk 10 miles and never see the sky…. Or just how many shiny suits St. Johns actually makes…. Or what we jokingly refer to as “snacks in Orlando” … where a cheeseburger, an appetizer and two drinks costs $100…. But there are some actually useful lessons to be learned, some that happened to friends, some observed, some that have happened to me over the years, so here we go. Wait, my dog is HIGH? First up, dogs put ridiculous things in their mouths. Even at high-end hotels, be observant and careful when letting your dog roam free in the room. My friend Ingrid learned this lesson the very hard way this week when her Chihuahua found and ingested marijuana in a hotel room on her trip to Orlando. She is now extremely aware of the signs of cannabis toxicity in dogs…. This has become something of an epidemic at veterinary practices, according to Dr. Marty Greer. So, for those who haven’t experienced this, here are some tips. Also, take a listen to our past podcast on the topic of how cannabis can be useful in treating dogs in forms that do not contain THC. Cannabis contains more than 100 different chemicals (or compounds) called cannabinoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the cannabinoid that has the most psychoactive effects. It is also the compound responsible for some of cannabis’ medicinal uses, such as treating nausea and improving appetite in cancer patients. Other compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have shown promise for medicinal use and do not have psychoactive effects. Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors in their brains, which means the effects of cannabis are more dramatic and potentially more toxic when compared to humans. A small amount of cannabis is all it takes to cause toxicity in cats and dogs. Per VCA Animal Hospital, most of the signs of intoxication are neurological. Pets may become wobbly and uncoordinated. They may be hyperactive or sleepy, disoriented, and/or very vocal. Their pupils may dilate, giving them a wild-eyed appearance, and they may drool excessively or vomit. They may also develop urinary incontinence (i.e., urine leakage). In severe cases, tremors, seizures, and coma can result. Physical signs include slow or fast heart rate, altered blood pressure, and slowed respiration rate (breathing rate). Lethargy and increases or decreases in body temperature may also be observed. Fortunately, these side effects are usually short-lived but they can still be dangerous and make your pet quite miserable. Diagnosis is based on an accurate history and clinical signs. Although there are tests to determine the level of THC in the urine, the results take time, making them impractical. Human urine drug screening tests are quicker but are not dependable in pets. The diagnosis is made much more quickly, and treatment initiated, when responsible pet owners provide accurate information regarding the pet's exposure. When a toxin enters the body, often the first line of defense is to get it out. If the...

Food Fight? Science Based Facts on Feeding Your Dog Rob Downey, President and CEO of Annamaet, foundational researcher in pet feeding, joins host Laura Reeves to discuss the pros and cons of raw vs kibble and how to make sure your pet is fed a healthy diet. “The real thing is, with any product, is how well it’s balanced and the raw materials going in to it,” Downey said. “You can’t say all raw is better or all kibble is better. It really comes down to the formulation. Whether or not its AFCO approved, who’s done the testing and the raw materials that are included. “I’ve studied nutrition for close to 40 years. When we put together our products, not only was I there, we had a board certified veterinary nutritionist and a guy who got his PhD in vitamins. The three of us hammered this out for weeks. It just amazes me that somebody thinks I’ll just put this together in my back yard and I’ll add some green beans and everything will be good. “It’s especially a concern right now when studies have shown how important vitamins and minerals are. “The problem is (vitamin deficiencies) are happening sub-clinically. Studies have shown that 60 percent of home prepared diet are deficient of at least one nutrient. “Most veterinarians aren’t really trained in nutrition. Only about 50 percent of veterinary teaching universities even have a core nutrition course. Veterinarians have to learn so much, they just don’t have time. “One of the things when you’re talking raw or home-prepared diets, you want to be careful you don’t go over about 10-15 percent organ meat. Organ meat tends to be really high in Vitamin A and copper. Copper storage disease is a rising threat in many breeds not predisposed to it….. Copper is stored in the body in the liver. “I don’t care if it’s raw or kibble, if you start with the wrong raw materials, you can have trouble. To say one is better than the other is difficult. “People are loyal to raw because so many people want to feed their dogs like wolves… Wolves only ate every three to five days and had to chase down their prey… Dogs have evolved. Dogs were domesticated before any other animal or crop. The ability to break down carbohydrates is through the amylase genes. Dogs have evolved to the point that they have seven times more amylase genes than wolves.” From the Study: “A recent comparison of genome-wide patterns of genetic variation in a large panel of dogs and wolves identified genomic regions that were affected by directional selection during early dog domestication “(Axelsson et al. 2013). Through functional characterization of genes residing in these domestication regions, new light was shed on characteristics of adaptive advantage to early dogs. These analyses identified several genes involved in digestion and energy metabolism, suggesting that the transition from wolf to dog was accompanied by a change in diet. Augmented by evidence from expression analyses and enzyme assays, it was concluded that changes in three consecutive steps in the pathway responsible for starch digestion and subsequent glucose absorption allowed dogs to rely on a diet rich in starch relative to the carnivorous wolf diet (Axelsson et al. 2013).” Find the entire study HERE.  

Holiday Gift Guide, SuperZoo, and Small Business Saturday Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, and host Laura Reeves throw out some GREAT ideas for holiday gift-giving for the animal-loving family. Greer's recent trip to SuperZoo and strong support for Small Business Saturday provide heavy influence on the list! Find links below to many of the products mentioned on the podcast and more. Small Business Saturday

1. Gift certificate for your vet
2. Gift certificate for your groomer
3. Tips for the groomers
4. Goodies for your veterinary clinic – remember them when it ISN’T a holiday!
5. NAIA Giving Tuesday
6. Gift certificate for freezing and storing semen
7. Gift a Pure Dog Talk Patrons Membership for a friend or puppy buyer

APPLE AIRTAGS – WITH CASES FOR DOGS – chose a waterproof case that is durable. These are not meant to be dog-tracking devices – they are for luggage and backpacks

From Chasing to Pacing: Troubleshooting In Ring Movement Issues Laura’s monthly LIVE@5 podcasts offer an interactive opportunity for listeners to ask questions and get personal insight. This particular topic revolved around questions regarding movement. Laura provides techniques to deal with dogs that pull, lunge, lack focus or pace in the ring. Q: (My dog) has this new thing where, on the go round, he pulls very hard toward the center of the ring and starts to gallop. A: Our dogs don't communicate with us, and we don't communicate with them, with our words. What they hear is our tone of voice. Our body language and our energy. So, like our nervous energy, or our negative energy, or our very positive energy, or most importantly our Zen. If the situation happens when going around with a group of dogs, instead of standing there facing the back end of those dogs as they start to run away, I turn the dog. I put him fully perpendicular to that line of dogs running away. I keep him completely focused on me and on a watch me until it is our time to go. We give the dog in front of us three full strides before I start. And then we go and then the dog is going to be more collected, more together. Q: When gaiting, (my dog) always wants to be looking at me instead of straight ahead where we're going, which I feel throws off his gait. A: Don’t look at the dog. It seems kind of silly and sort of simple, but we get so worried about what the dog is doing that we're constantly looking at them. And the dog’s reaction of course because again, they don't respond to words, they respond to body language. If we're giving them eye contact, they're going to give it back. Laura covers everything from chasing to pacing in this great interactive conversation. Don’t forget to check out the next LIVE@5 on the first Tuesday of every month.

Dr. Gayle Watkins LIVE: Socializing Puppies Properly

Four-time AKC Breeder of the Year in four different sports, Dr. Gayle Watkins, founder of Avidog, speaks about how we create working and competition dogs through proper socializing.

Watkins observes that socialization is building social relationships with humans and dogs. And the current method of socialization causes more harm than good. Puppy development should be manners, mental resilience, civility and trust, she posits.

“The vast majority of people think socialization ends at 16 weeks, the sensitive period. Those first four months so important to puppies. But most dogs need socialization or “development work” through 15 months,” Watkins said.

Another misconception Watkins notes is that 8 to 10 weeks is a fear *imprint* period, not a time in which dogs are necessarily more fearful.

“They're not more afraid at that age,” Watkins said. “They're going through continual progression towards fear that starts at 5 weeks. It’s what a canine is. They are fearful creatures. This is inherent in this species, so fear is inherent in dogs.”

“If you go online and you Google socialization and puppies, you’ll get a million hits, over a million hits, and you will get checklist after, checklist after checklist. This is not a checklist. We're talking about teaching skills. What is stability? It’s the appropriateness of the dog’s response to stress.

“I also want to build resilience. Putting them under stress very, very early. So that they can be resilient. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress and frustration. If you think about it, we can't make every puppy bombproof. More than anything else. It is built through inoculation to stress. When we are aiming for stability, we want to introduce stress to teach them the right behaviors. Here we must introduce stress to teach them to be resilient.”

Watkins’ insights on raising sensible, calm competition ready dogs is invaluable. Listen HERE to one of her first conversations on Pure Dog Talk, on bomb proofing your puppies.

Building Trust with Your Puppy During Socialization Dr. Gayle Watkins is back with part two of her presentation on proper socialization steps for raising competitive dogs. Watkins emphasizes the need for the owner and puppy to build trust during early socialization. This means being a “control freak” about safe-guarding your puppy’s interactions with people, places and other pets. “We are responsible for creating trust,” Watkins said. "We do it by being trustworthy and reliable. We are often not trustworthy with our dogs. Teach your puppy they can rely on you. “Civility is the appropriateness of behavior around people and dogs,” Watkins added. “It is keeping your mouth shut, not biting anyone, not climbing on anyone. Not assaulting other dog or people as you are meeting. Civility is not the same as friendly. It does not require physical interaction. More important to teach our dogs indirect interaction, when they see a person or dog and do not interact.” Getting puppies “out” to see urban centers, hear different noises and so forth does not also necessarily mean *meeting* other people and pets right away, Watkins noted. She also advocates for supervised puppy classes long before training classes begin. Puppies handle stress best if we give them cues they can fall back on, Watkins said. If a situation is causing stress for the puppy, have them offer a sit and watch behavior, for example. She adds that forcing a puppy in to a situation that is clearly uncomfortable or scary for them can cause you to break the trust you are hoping to build with the puppy. Watkins also discusses acquired fear or aggression in dogs that can actually be passed on in the whelping box – epigenetics is the name of this phenomena. Her emphasis on raising stable and trusting dogs springs from studies that indicate 80 percent of aggression is genetically based. The bottom line, Watkins said, is that raising confident, stable puppies takes time, effort and commitment.    

Dr. Marty Greer’s Passion Project & Anniversary Episode Dr. Marty Greer, DVM and host Laura Reeves celebrate their fifth anniversary of sharing important veterinary topics on Pure Dog Talk. Greer’s passion project is Breast Cancer Awareness in dogs. “People sometimes forget that dogs get breast cancer too,” Greer said. “It's not an uncommon kind of cancer to find in dogs, unfortunately. It is definitely linked to spaying at an older age. But, in spite of that, there are still some significant benefits in waiting to spay. So that's a whole ‘nother topic. “But essentially we see it in middle age to older, normally female dogs that were left intact after the age of two. So, anybody that's breeding their dog is typically not going to spay before two because of health clearances, because she needs to mature before you breed her. So this means that almost every dog in a breeding program is gonna fall into a possibility of breast cancer. Mammary tumors, same thing, different term, all the same stuff. “And I think it's really important that people know that there isn't a good treatment other than surgery. So early detection and surgery is going to be almost the only thing that we can offer. “So, really, early detection, finding a nodule, taking it off when it's small and then being very attentive for additional ones to develop is very important. “Dogs have five sets of memory glands. The littlest ones are at the front between the front legs, and then they go down a nice string all the way down, usually in a fairly straight line. Every now and then they'll be an extra nipple or something else thrown in, and that's OK. It's just a normal variation. “But what you want to do is go along that chain that goes down, so feel from one nipple to the next and in between the nipples and just gently manipulate the skin so that you can see if you find anything that seems abnormal. A breast cancer nodule will feel firm, like a pea or a little cluster of peas. They'll be firm. They won't be those soft kind of masses. They won't be on the belly button. They'll typically be off to the side. The most common place to find a tumor, and the most serious tumors, are in the glands closest to the back legs. “I strongly encourage people not to spend the money on a fine needle aspirate. A lot of veterinarians want to stick a needle in it and aspirate it, and because most mammary tumors are mixed of different cell types, that is not going to be an accurate assessment of what you have.” Listen to the full episode here and then flash back to the first episode, introducing Dr. Greer.

"In Their Honor We Must Continue Their Paths" Tomorrow is All Saints’ day… It’s also Dia De Los Muertos … So I believe it is fitting to hold up our friends and loved ones today on All Hallows Eve….. Our tribe has lost legends, and legends in the making, just in the last few weeks, never mind during the course of the last couple years. The days are shorter, colder and grayer today. The mottled leaves are falling. The dry grass is wilting. The winds of change heralding the season have arrived to scurry and swirl the fallen leaves in our path. The fog is settling in, the sun tilting on its axis. It feels as if the world is dying around us as the fall equinox wanes and the winter solstice creeps ever closer. When we lose friends and family this time of year, the anguish seems to seep deeper into our bones than at any other time. Nonetheless, within our dog community, we are all, at the core, performers. The show must go on. No matter how devastated. How shattered. How destroyed our souls. So, we push through and push away and push down the heartache and angst and horror and sadness. Even as we collapse, crushed, with a dog on our chests to get through the night. “Thinking of you and all the amazing people brought into your life through the dogs. Does not make their passing any less sad, but oh how it has enriched your life.” This small note brought me such comfort. And I wanted to share this bright spot with all of you who are hurting right now. Our lives are all immeasurably enriched by our community of fellow dog lovers. Whether you started yesterday or have spent 50 years in this sport, the camaraderie and shared love of dogs is literally a lifeline for many. The litany of those gone in the last few years is nearly unbearable. Respected judges. Gifted breeders. Talented handlers. Beloved family. Bastions of passion and commitment to purebred dogs who are so nearly irreplaceable. Joe Gregory Barbara Alderman Pat Laurans Pat Hastings Linda Souza Jerry Moon Jamie Donelson So very many more near and far, bright stars each within their own universes. The smiles and voices that will forever stay with us. I will never forget literally sitting at Jerry Moon’s knee while he taught me how to trim Cockers properly so I could show an ASCOB dog for a new client. Or the time Jerry went down at the old Brush Prairie show site during the Cocker specialty. He had won the variety with his beloved Fosse and would not leave in the ambulance until he was assured I would take Fosse back in for the breed. We won that day under Dale Simmons and against Don Rodgers with the ASCOB dog. That they are all gone now is hard to navigate in my mind. Working with Pat Laurans on the GWPCA board. Even before then, picking her brain about old dogs and pedigrees. There was literally nothing Pat couldn’t accomplish if she put her mind to it. She left her mark on Take the Lead, the AKC Reunite Pet Disaster Relief Trailers, the Parent Club Committee for the Delegates and so much more. She was a fierce advocate for our breed and a good friend to me over the years. Just this spring I spent months working with Pat Hastings, Chris Levy & Nancy Martin on a presentation to vet students at OSU when they were invited to a local dog show. She was such an inspiration to me, not just in her knowledge, but her skill at wielding it to such dramatic effect. Linda Souza’s support and kindness to me as an Irish Wolfhound handler back in the day… in a breed where professional handlers are not the norm … was such a gift to my young self. Barbara Alderman’s kilowatt smile and the mind-bending opportunity to join her for dinner as a fellow judge. Joe Gregory’s dance moves....

Spinone Italiano: Storied Bird Dogs of Gentle Character Long time breeder Allison Schultz, of del Caos Spinoni, joins host Laura Reeves for a Love the Breeds month discussion of the fascinating history and empathetic nature of the Spinone Italiano. [caption id="attachment_10948" align="alignleft" width="264"] Allison Shultz' "Limbo," shown by Nancy Martin, the breed's first Best in Show record holder, with five lifetime BIS awards.[/caption] Schultz acquired her first Spinone in the early 1990s, long before they were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. The breed dates back thousands of years in Italy, to when birds were hunted with nets. “(It) probably started 2,500 years ago. Long before there was a gun, there was a hunting dog in Italy. They were known as the pointing griffon, rough coat griffon, because they have a wire coat. “Interestingly enough, when you go to Italy and you go to some of the palaces as a tourist, you'll see the Bracco in the mosaics and in the paintings, because they were the dogs of the Lords. The Spinone was really the dog of the peasant. [caption id="attachment_10949" align="alignright" width="270"] Spinoni move quietly through even the toughest cover.[/caption] “When they first started hunting, it was either maybe slingshots, but mostly nets. So, they had to be really quiet in the field. (The dogs) had to be intuitive because you couldn't yell at them because the birds would fly away. So, they really became very close working, silent hunters. “They work at a trot so that the human can keep up. They're not one to bolt a half a mile away looking for a bird because it's so ingrained into them and so intrinsic that they had to hunt close (so) the hunters could throw nets over the flocks of birds. [caption id="attachment_10945" align="alignleft" width="312"] Ch. Elettra del Subasio showing correct coat and skin.[/caption] “They developed a really thick skin, which is really, really important to the breed. And the thick skin is as thick as a cow. It's called the skin of the bull in Italy. And the name Spinoni means thorn. They can go through any kind of cover without even noticing it. “They have this ability to move quite silently through even the hardest cover, and even though they could break through easily. They just don't do that. They're very, I hate to say, careful because that implies slow, but they're very, very careful about how they move. “And the other thing they did is that they naturally flush. So, they point and let the human being know where the birds are. Then if the net gets thrown or they throw the net up in the air, Spinoni will then flush the bird into the nets. That's how they provided food long before there were guns and bows and arrows or anything, actually. [caption id="attachment_10950" align="alignright" width="283"] The gentle, empathetic character of the Spinone is paramount.[/caption] “The first thing in the original standard, which the Italians still hold today, is they must be of the sweet temperament. So that means in 1,500 years of record keeping there was never a bite in Italy from a Spinone. One of the reasons their temperament must be so sweet is that they have to live with other dogs. Because the Italians usually had Segugios to hunt and take care of the rats and the vineyards and the gardens, and that's what they depended on for living. "So, the Spinoni had to be

Sealyham Terriers: Favorites of Royalty and Hollywood [caption id="attachment_10929" align="alignleft" width="264"] Leslie Jaseph with two of her Seabrook Sealyham Terriers.[/caption] Leslie Jaseph joins host Laura Reeves for the next in our Love the Breeds Month, by listener request, Sealyham Terriers. Sealyham Terriers were once the favored breed of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, and Hollywood legends from Alfred Hitchcock to Betty Davis, Rock Hudson and Cary Grant. Today they are ranked 139th out of the 197 AKC breeds by registration numbers. Developed in Wales and named for the founder’s estate, Sealyhams were used to go to ground after badgers and run with the Otterhounds hunting otters. Jaseph, a Sealyham breeder, owner and exhibitor for 50 years, showed her first Sealy in Junior Showmanship. “They're tough in the field,” Jaseph said. “And they're really engaging. They love to chase and run and track, but they're not aggressive with other dogs. They are a pack animal, so their pack is their home. Beyond their pack they can be a little more assertive in personality, but within their pack it's a very distinct order. “They're happy to be the boss of the house. If you don't want to do that, they'll take over. They'll be in control. But you might not like how that works. So, you do have to be to stay strong, although you don't want to be heavy-handed with them at all. “They're very bright, they're very inquisitive. They have a terrific sense of humor. They do things for effect and watch if you're paying attention, and then they'll repeat it. Or maybe sometimes if they see you watching, they'll just stop and walk away. “They were bred to be a dwarf breed, and so they have nice bone. I think our standard mentions strength and power something like 10 times within the opening paragraph and getting into the standard. Good bone, not overdone. Not coarse, still able to be agile. “I know Sealys that live very, very happily with cats, that's not a problem. But as far as rodents and other things like that, I think you would need to be very judicious on how you handled that situation. I actually take ours and we've done urban rat hunting in Washington DC and so they do have an instinct to do that. “So the reason why they're white is because Captain Edwards wanted them to be able to be spotted when they were out hunting. Now, granted, when you're in the mud, you're going to get muddy, but you're still going to have that white. But a good coated Sealyham really is a dog that the dirt doesn't cling to them. “If they have that harsh, crisp coat, they really don't stain at all. And they do have a double coat. So you have this 50% harsh coat, 50% undercoat, which was weather resistant and kept them warm and somewhat dry.” “They do love their people and they want to be with their people. They’re wonderful companions. They love to go for walks. They don't need to go running, but they do enjoy being with you as companion dogs.”

Overcoming Obstacles by Giving Grace [caption id="attachment_13611" align="alignleft" width="429"] Rebecca Fletcher with her Dogo Argentino.[/caption] Rebecca Fletcher joins host Laura Reeves to talk about her journey as a service dog trainer and breeder owner handler of Dogo Argentino, while overcoming extreme obstacles after losing her leg. Fletcher, a retired Marine, started her journey by training her own Dogo Argentino as her first service dog. “Don't give up, but give yourself grace,” Fletcher said. “Grace is absolutely vital. And I wasn't very good at it. I get mad myself. You know, I train service dogs for disabled people and I tell them all the time, you know, you gotta be patient with yourself. And I give them some great advice. I'm not always good at taking my own advice. “I got my first Group One under Doctor Keating. And it meant so much to me because I was on the verge of not willing to do this anymore. I don't know if he'll ever know how much it meant to me to actually be in his ring and have a dog that I love so much be awarded. But it was amazing. “I didn't know anybody in the dog show world really. And it was a process, but a lot of people were very, very welcoming and guiding me. It's been a great learning process of figuring out how I can be in the ring with my disability. And again, advocating for yourself, you know, the AKC is not exempt from providing reasonable accommodations to us. "I hope to continue inspiring people to get out there and try and do whatever they can do. My goal is to help inspire other people to overcome their challenges and keep going. "We all have challenges and how we face those challenges I think is what makes all the difference."

Finnish Lapphunds: Trainable, Lovable, Cuddly Dogs of the North [caption id="attachment_10909" align="alignleft" width="273"] Linda Marden and Tori.[/caption] Host Laura Reeves kicks off Love the Breeds month talking with Linda Marden, who imported the first Finnish Lapphunds to the US and worked to have them recognized by the American Kennel Club. “I very pointedly and purposely set out to import Finnish Lapphunds and get them recognized by AKC,” Marden said. “It took pretty close to 25 years to get it done. I couldn't find anybody that would export one to the United States. Back then, we didn't have Internet or anything like that. To them, sending a dog to the United States was basically the same as taking it out and shooting it… it was never going to come back to them. It wouldn't be part of their gene pool because once they're gone and registered in the United States … at that point, because we weren't AKC recognized, we couldn't send dogs back to them. So that line, as far as they were concerned, was lost. Getting a dog was really difficult. [caption id="attachment_10910" align="alignright" width="358"] Finnish Lapphunds are a medium-sized double coated Spitz-type breed.[/caption] “When I first started, I had a breed which had a very definite well-recorded history and we had multiple generations pedigrees. This was not in any way shape or form a created breed. Every dog I imported had at least a three-generation pedigree, which was an AKC requirement. We never had anything that wasn't three generations, and they still made us wait until we had 400 dogs in the United States before we could even take another step forward. When I first started working on importing Lappies. It was before AKC had the foundation stock service. So, it instantly became much easier once that got started. “Finnish Lapphunds obviously are from Finland. That type of breed is all over the northern part of Europe. So, what actual breed you get depends on where in northern Europe you are. So, the “Lapphund” part comes from Lappland, which was an area of Europe that was never a country but "pre-countries" it was recognized area. It covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. And Sammies came from also basically the same area, but it was Russia. So, it's just the area you were in because these were nomadic people that are relatively isolated. So, the breeds that formed, formed because of the human isolation. [caption id="attachment_10908" align="alignleft" width="233"] The breed comes in a wide array of colors, love to learn tricks and are very docile with people.[/caption] “All of those breeds were kept by the nomadic people and their primary job was to help herd the reindeer. Now, the dogs were multi-purpose. They were not exclusively bred as herding dogs. So, we see differences in their temperaments because of that. They were also used to occasionally pull sleds. They were alarm dogs. They hung out with the people. We all joke that we know exactly what a “three dog night” is. It's really cold. The dogs lived very closely with their people, and you can see that in their temperaments. All of those breeds actually are exceedingly people oriented because they lived in the tents with the people.” For more information on the breed: https://www.facebook.com/groups/finnishlappundclubofamerica

Canine Herpes Virus from the Veterinary Perspective [caption id="attachment_10897" align="alignleft" width="253"] BRUCE W. CHRISTENSEN, DVM, MS, DACT[/caption] Dr. Bruce Christensen, DVM from Kokopelli Assisted Reproductive Services, joins host Laura Reeves to talk about treating pregnant dogs and their puppies for Canine Herpes Virus. Last week we heard from Alaskan Malamute breeder Wendy Korr on her experience with this potentially devastating disease in her litter. Today we are joined by the veterinarian who led the treatment of dam and puppies with a refresher course on CHV. “Herpes virus is not something that we typically screen for on a routine basis with our breeding bitches,” Christensen said. “It could be argued that maybe we should, but I guess in our conversation today we can probably talk about why that is or isn't so. “The bottom line is that it's a pretty common virus. And so most bitches, and stud dogs, have been exposed to it and have it essentially, although it's not actively causing disease in most of them. However, the dangerous thing is if a bitch hasn't been exposed to herpes virus and then she's initially exposed to it while she's pregnant, especially in that last half of gestation. “That would be the most dangerous time because the first time that an animal is exposed to herpes virus, they have the strongest immune response and the least prepared immune response, so the virus has more of a head start. Since the body hasn't seen it before, there aren't any lingering antibodies to recognize the virus and mount a quicker subsequent response. So the initial response is a little slower at coming and gives the virus more time to do damage. And that damage during the second-half of pregnancy will involve the fetuses and potentially much more likely infect them. “If a bitch has been exposed before, then she'll have antibodies and she's already got the virus in her, just in the latent state. And if it reproduces or comes back out, her immune system should be adequate enough to protect the puppies that are in utero. So if you find that she's naive, in other words that she has not been exposed to herpes virus, then you need to be hyper vigilant about keeping her away from other dogs throughout the rest of her pregnancy because you don't want her to be exposed for the first time during her pregnancy. “So that dog needs to be on real lockdown and isolation from any outside dogs. If you have dogs in your household that will have contact with her 'cause it just be too difficult to keep them apart, they need to be tested. And if they're negative, then they could continue to have contact with her and no other dogs. If they're positive, then you probably wanna temporarily rehome them to keep them away from her during that pregnancy so that they don't potentially spread it to her while she's pregnant. “Most species have their own herpes viruses and they're not communicable between species. We all know coronavirus jumps between species because of what the world's gone through in the last couple years, right? Herpes virus doesn't do that. It pretty much stays true to the species it's evolved with. “But once you get a herpes infection, the viruses pretty much behave the same. They go into your cells and they stay in your cells for your lifetime. Now they're usually quiet and just sit there, not replicating, just quiet inside the cells. Usually, it's in times of stress that they are triggered. Everybody listening to this podcast is going to be familiar with herpes virus in people, ‘Damn it, I got a cold sore.’ So that's because the virus. Once you've got it, it's in your body forever and during times of stress it'll come out and cause those annoying problems. In the dog, it's the same. “Once a dog becomes exposed to herpes virus, it's in the dog for life, but most of the time it's just quiet inside the cells....

Canine Herpes Virus: Early Detection Saves Puppies Alaskan Malamute breeder Wendy Corr joins host Laura Reeves to share her story of early detection of Canine Herpes Virus in her pregnant bitch and how she managed the situation to produce healthy puppies. This is the first of a two-part series which also includes an interview with Corr’s lead veterinarian. [caption id="attachment_10885" align="alignleft" width="286"] November 2021 4-6 Beginner Puppy. Later, breeder, owner, handler Wendy Corr related his story, told here.[/caption] Corr said she had never really thought about CHV much, as a long-time breeder, but had recently heard a presentation on the dangers of the disease to pregnant females. On a whim, she asked her veterinarian, Dr. Bruce Christensen, to pull blood a CHV titer test on her confirmed pregnant 3-year-old Malamute. She was shocked to hear back a couple weeks later that the bitch had titer levels off the charts. At the direction of Dr. Christensen and his team at Kokopelli Assisted Reproductive Canine Services in Sacramento, CA, Corr started her bitch on a course of acyclovir, a human anti-viral. Corr, who is a clinical nurse in human medicine, said she was concerned about potential side effects from the drug, which could include cleft palate, but committed to the treatment with that understanding. She also opted for a C-section, rather than a vaginal whelp, in order to limit the puppies’ exposure to the virus in the dam’s body. Primary among the handling of the four healthy puppies at birth (none with clefts) was incorporating an incubator to keep their body temperature above 99 degrees, the point at which the virus cannot replicate, for the first 2 ½ weeks. Putting the puppies on to nurse every two hours, monitoring temps and keeping mom and puppies content during that time was a daunting challenge, Corr said. “We had friends who brought us dinner,” Corr said. “We had people who offered to come in and just sit with the dog so I could sleep or take a shower or we could go grocery shopping.” The entire process took place during the height of COVID lockdowns, enhancing Corr’s challenges. Stay tuned next week for insight from Dr. Christensen directly on his experience and recommendations on the topic.