straighter front legs. It is rare that I see a “fiddle front” in the ring anymore. KP: The overall quality of Havanese has improved in the last 10 years, yet there is always room for improvement. 2. The biggest concern you have about your breed, be it medical, structural, temperament-wise, or what. A&SL: Our biggest concern for the Havanese breed in the show ring is the totally incorrect coat presentation with complete disregard for the description in the Standard for the breed. The double coat should be shown naturally. If the coat is so long as to obscure the natural outline of the dog, that is incorrect. Flat ironing coats to make them look more glamourous, like Maltese or Yorkshire Terriers, is destroying the look of the breed. It is heart breaking for us to see this. More and more judges are rewarding this coat presentation which only further encourages it. FH: Assuming good health practices and testing, I have concerns about our breed’s consistency and adher- ence to breed standards. That is the thread that should drive our breeding program. They are in the toy group so should not be overly large. They were bred for companions, so should be congenial. The unique topline and movement separates the Havanese from other breeds, so should be preserved and so forth. KA: I think we have a breed-wide problem with auto immune issues. UC Davis is now doing a genetic diversity study and while I do not understand it com- pletely, I hope to understand it better in the near future. Since we started with such a small gene pool in the Havanese, some of our dogs, that by pedigree are not related at all, actually are quite related when you compare their DNA! So, by using this as a breed- ing tool, maybe in the future we will have a bit more diversity in the breed and thus decrease the amount of AI problems. Wouldn’t that be awesome? As far as the show ring goes, the judges still seem to be rewarding level top lines (some masked by ratting up the coat, others not hidden by grooming at all) and some also don’t seem to understand the spring of gait. Frequently I see dogs being rewarded with Min Pin like movement in the front, or criss cross- ing, or even worse “egg beating”. None of these are correct! The movement and outline of the Havanese are two of the critical elements of breed type. Very often judges tell me, “You are losing your short upper arm and top lines.” Yes, I agree. So, breeders and judges and even handlers, need to really open their eyes and have a good look at their dogs. KP: My pet peeve with Havanese I see in the conforma- tion ring is no neck, which should be seen as part of
the overall outline of the dog. The proper shoulder structure controls, in part the length of neck and learning shoulder structure in canines is not easy and took me several years to “get it”! Havanese, per the Standard, are to have some length of neck when the dog is stacked, after all, we are an outline breed. 3. The biggest problem facing you as a breeder. A&SL: As breeders who produce one or two litters a year, at most, it is discouraging to see how many lit- ters some breeders are producing without regard to keeping their health testing current. Having a dog’s eyes or heart tested five years ago is worthless if those tests are not maintained annually and the dog is still being used for breeding. FH: My biggest problem facing me as a breeder is that I am getting too old to follow through with all my ideas and ideals! KP: Finding nice studs. 4. Advice to a new breeder? A&SL: Our advice to a new breeder is to never use a dog in your breeding program who has not been tested for everything appropriate for your breed. Don’t breed to a dog just because it is conveniently located or worse, because it belongs to your friend. Don’t make breeding dogs the sole source of your income. Screen carefully where you place your puppies. We strongly recommend puppies being placed on a man- datory spay/neuter contract unless they are going to be shown. Cherish your breeding lines and don’t scatter them recklessly. Exhibitors need to see their dogs on video to see what others are seeing. Judges are not reading and understanding the nuances of the Standards. They get hung up on superficial quali- ties and forget to judge soundness. We cringe when we see a dog with a bad front and/or rear rewarded for a pretty coat. Soundness is essential in every breed, large or small. FH: My advice to a new breeder is study and memorize the standard. Then start with the best Havanese you can afford. Surround yourself with the best men- tor/mentors you can find and learn as much as you possibly can. Ask lots of questions and learn, learn, learn! Expect hurdles and if you’re successful, you will be the object of everyone else’s frustrations. Appreciate and emulate the skills of the profession- al handlers. Set goals for yourself. Why are you a breeder? What do you hope to achieve as a breeder? How can you go about achieving that goal? Finally, assume the fact that being a breeder is a responsi- bility—to the breed, to the puppies you produce, to the families in whose homes they reside and to yourself in making a difference in the world of dogs!
242 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2018
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