David Frei,Angel on a Leash, and the Westminster Finale

Most of you are familiar with David Frei as the analyst of Westminster Kennel Club all breed dog Show. 2010 marks David's 20th year with the club. Dave has been around the dog show world a long time. I remember when he was an Afghan Hound exhibitor and a great ambassador of goodwill at area dog shows.

Dave took all that positive energy and put it into Angel On a Leash. http://www.angelonaleash.org/
People love dogs and it is that power of love that makes therapy dog work so healing for the sick, elderly, and handicapped. My own dog Buddy was a Canine Candystriper and I can attest to the great feeling one gets from training a dog you love to give to others. Therapy organizations like Angel on a Leash have brought a real professionalism into this rewarding charity work.

If you are considering making your dog a Therapy Dog, lay the foundation now with proper obedience training and get your dog certified as a Canine Good Citizen.

http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/program.cfm?page=3


Then research Therapy Dog training and certification in your area...

http://www.midsouththerapydogs.org/



On another note, congrats to Lori and Chanel for their big Hound Group win at Westminster last night. The Hound Group rocked with all girl dogs in the top 3 positions!

Watch breed judging from the 2010 Westminster DogShowhttp://video.usanetwork.com/features/westminster_dog_show/toy_group/v1201774
Most people are only aware of the group and Best In Show judging as it is all that is on TV, but watching the breeds is very educational. I recommend that you study your favorite breed as they are the best of the best and you can learn to identify sound movement, conditioning and grooming from watching the experts.
Tonight Puff and I will be watching and rooting for our old friends and favorite breeds at the Westminster finale...

Shedding is Chic...

When I was showing Afghan Hounds, we had friends from Florida that wanted all the hair we collected from grooming. They also collected hair from Samoyeds and other similiar coated breeds. They spun it into yarn and made stuff like vests and blankets from it. Personally, I didn't want to wear my dog, I thought it was creepy and besides I had so many to groom I was already covered in hair 24/7.

However this post in the L.A. Times is very cool!http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2009/07/pet-yarn-chic-and-the-critter-knitter-guild-give-a-whole-new-meaning-to-dog-blanket.html#more-critter-knitter-guild-give-a-whole-new-meaning-to-dog-blanket.html#more

Just think, this lovely Duchese Brise photographed in Paris is covered in mohair.....perhaps upholstering it in dog hair would solve a lot of our cleaning problems...many fine Persian rugs are woven in goat hair and camel hair, why not a dog hair rug?

Perhaps dog hair could be a substitute for cashmere,after all, cashmere has to be combed out of the goat by hand too, that is why it is so expensive. I can't imagine looking in my closet and trying to decide if I will wear Akita hair or Briard...I wonder would the clothes smell like dog when they got wet?

Well it would be a great way to recycle...

...anyway, it seems we now have an important reason to save the hair our dogs shed....we can sell it to craft people!

Intelligence or Trainablity? Doodle Dogs and Afghan Hounds

Today I met a woman who had with her an adorable fluffy black 12 weeks old pup.
He was an Aussie-Doodle,his new owner had driven 10 hours to meet with the breeder and paid a 1000 dollars for him.
An agreeable little guy,solid black with a straight fluffy coat about 3 inches long. With monkey-like whiskers sprouting out of his otherwise smooth muzzle,giant puppy feet and a long smooth coated tail that curved over his back like a teapot handle,he looked rather like an Afghan Hound puppy. Scratching him under the chin, I made this comparision to his new owner...she replied in a most derogatory manner,''Oh,thank God, he'll be smarter than those STUPID dogs''.
Now, I have owned, shown, rescued and rehabbed more than my share of Afghan Hounds. The grey one pictured here is Camille, look at her rescue picture, matted, weighing 32lbs, full of parasites, including heartworm,she was beaten and burned repeatedly by her owner, yes, I said burned. The owner put cigarettes out on her body. Camille cried and barked so much the owner had her vocal cords cut. The vet called me about her and I was able to rescue her. (The owner went to a mental institution.) It was a tribute to the high intelligence of this breed that Camille was able to recover enough to function in a caring home situation after all she had been through. Look at her 'after' photo, this pic is scanned in from a dogshow paper, and you can see how far Camille came in her rehab.

Afghan Hounds were my first love. And despite what you may have read from 'stupid' trainers and behaviorists, they are not stupid, they are actually highly intelligent and evolved in their decision making.
This breed developed over thousands of years in some of the worlds most rugged terrain. Their masters used them to hunt and kill the dangerous Snow Leopard, a formidable foe and one in which the wrong decision could mean death. These dogs are very intelligent, quick thinking and independent...
The woman I met today with the Aussie Doodle has confused intelligence and trainability.

A dog can be smart and trainable...but a dog doesn't have to be smart to be trainable.
Different breeds learn things differently, and breeds eager to please execute commands with ease, while the more independent natured breeds are more of a challenge to motivate....but don't call them stupid.
STUPID IS DRIVING TEN HOURS TO PAY A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A MIXED BREED DOG.....
She could have adopted a dozen mixed breeds at the shelter for that price...

The doodle dog craze has gotten out of hand,while cock a poos , peke a poos and schnoodles have been around for decades, the doodle dog breeding became a status symbol marketed by so-called dog designers to make a buck. Originally the labradoodle was developed in Europe when security professionals wanted a Labs' trainability with a non shedding easy coat . Labs are really smart, I believe smarter than Poodles, but a Poodle never quits and will work himself into exhaustion,it is my personal belief that it is that 'go, go go, never quit' trait that the Europeans wanted as much as the non shedding feature. Either way they got it, as all the Labradoodles I have met have a more poodley personality than the energetic, but still grounded temperment of the Lab. Originally labradoodles looked much like Otterhounds and only needed a bath and a brush out. Now that the so called dog designers are breeding labradoodle to labradoodle and occasionally bringing in more Poodle for color, they are getting dogs who have to go to the groomer on a regular basis...which completely nullifys the point of the hybrid( as if there actually was a good one)...

so get a Lab, or get a Poodle or an Aussie or a mix breed if that is what you want but remember to consider your dogs nature and natural breed traits when training.
You don't want unrealistic expectations or else you and your dog will both be unhappy. DOGS KNOW WHEN THEY DON'T LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS.
And speaking of Labs, check out this fabu site Sean Green sent me...http://clublabrador.com/
For Afghan Hound Rescue:http://www.afghanhound.net/

( and thanks Rita for giving me the cool 2009 Afghan Rescue Calendar available on this site)