WITH PAMELA DEHETRE, CINDI HUCKFELDT, DOUGLAS JENSEN & COLLEN NICHOLSON
I have also bred some other breeds and I see improve- ment in all of them. When I started showing Dobermans many of them had horrible pasterns and as they aged, it was painful to watch them walk. That problem has really become minimal. Also temperament back then was much tougher than now; many more dog aggressive males years ago than what we currently have. Again, I think knowl- edge of raising pups properly is also a factor. CH: In my opinion, the current quality of purebred dogs in general is very good. In Dobermans, I find the quality in certain parts of the country to be outstanding. I am disap- pointed that dog quality is not as great as bitch quality. I am a firm believer in there always being room for improvement. DJ: The purebred fancy is one that has all aspects of man- kind involved from those that breed, own and show their own animals to those that have their animals with a professional handler being shown every weekend of the year. This is what makes our sport so unique. Advertis- ing has become as important to those working for Top Dog as the conditioning that takes place with every show animal. Nothing comes easy in the dog world and staying true to the values that have been honored for decades by individuals that are successful should not go unnoticed. Purebred dogs are very important to our society and the Doberman Pinscher has a very prominent position in that order. The quality of, not only the Doberman, but also the fancy itself is outstanding. The most significant prob- lem that I see in the world of dogs is the aging population and the lack of new people involved in purebred dogs. I see the same thing in almost all aspects of the world we live in from church attendance to public involvement in much needed support groups. CN: Quality of Dobermans are pretty good overall, but we have so many people using the same stud dogs and less quality breeders breeding, so our genepool is getting limited. We definitely need more diversity. Our quality of bitches is better than in dogs. 2. The biggest concern you have about your breed, be it medical, structural, temperament-wise, or what? PD: My major concern is health. I have been CHIC Chair for the Doberman Pinscher Club of America for ten years (since its inception). We have a major problem with cardio in this breed. Today I talked to two of my puppy owners whose dogs are 12 and 13 years old now. I realize I am pretty lucky to have quite of bit of longevity in most of my dogs, but then I breed for health as well as looks. I try very hard to not double on dogs known to have cardio. However it is there! Its ugly head rears up when you least expect it. Unfortunately, until we have a DNA test that actually works, we will not be able to eradicate it from the breed. vWD is easy to overcome. There is a
DNA test and clear bred to clear only produces clear. Hip Dysplasia is not very common in this breed, but again it can get you when you least expect it. CH: I have several concerns about the Doberman breed. We are all aware Dobermans in general have health issues. Heart issues are at the forefront; there has been and continues be a lot of research done in this area. I don’t think the heart issues will ever be cured in Dober- mans any more than it will be in humans. However, with selective breeding, hopefully, we will see vast improve- ment. I see very few temperament issues with our breed. I feel breeders have done a very good job in breeding for true Doberman temperament. DJ: The backbone of the Doberman Pinscher are responsible breeders that have the duty to do as much as possible to produce animals that are not only beautiful specimens of the breed, but are as healthy as possible. The Doberman Pinscher is an animal that can be distinguished easily at any show. Our standard, which is one of the best in the world, is one that I feel must be constantly strived for and supported by all breeders. I was reminded many times by Frank Grover and Peggy Adamson that what I thought was not nearly as important as the standard held by the Doberman Pinscher of America and the AKC. Serving as a Board Member on the Doberman Pinscher Club of America we discuss this issue at nearly every meeting. We must remain true to the outstanding standard we have and breed to that standard. CN: One of our biggest concerns affecting our breed is DCM. Cardio is in everyone’s line somewhere. We have to all try to make a conscious decision to not double up on it. We should not breed to dogs that have it tripled on one side of the pedigree, because he is a great show dog and think that’s good to use him. Breeders’ bad decisions in breeding will come back and hurt the breed. 3. The biggest problem facing you as a breeder. PD: As in all the breeds problems come up and the breed- ers work hard to improve and so on and so forth. We did have a problem with extreme sloping toplines but do not see as much of that issue as we did a few years ago. However, remember that if the topline is sloping it means many other parts are incorrect. We still see gay tails, which are totally incorrect. The tail should never be straight up. Also we still see a lack of underjaw as well as improper head planes. However, I do think the breed has improved and will continue to do so as we are extremely fortunate to have some magnificent totally dedicated breeders. It is expensive and time consuming. This is a medium size breed that some people would call large even though our standard says medium. That said, and the fact that they need so much attention, it is difficult to always select the best puppy to keep for show. Just cannot keep them all, so for me the biggest problem is
238 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2017
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