Showsight - October 2021

BREEDERS Q&A

3. Do you think your breed is portrayed accurately online and on social media? How is it represented correctly? How is it misrepresented? I do not believe the Rottweiler is always portrayed fairly. Over the years it has gotten better, but I believe that this is only because of the negative press of other, larger working dogs taking the heat more recently. I believe that AKC’s Meet the Breeds is extremely helpful with introducing and familiarizing our breed correctly to the public; the needs of socialization and training for our breed, and everything they can do. The Rottweiler is extremely versa- tile. Misrepresentation is everywhere on the Internet: “HUGE Rottweilers 150+ pounds,” “Block Heads,” etc., etc. There are pho- tos of children sitting on dogs, supposedly to prove temperaments, which is what a Canine Good Citizen Test or Temperament Test would do and be certified by. It’s discouraging, but continued edu- cation of the public is the key. After all, most people actually know what OFA is now, and I remember when they had no idea. 4. What advice would you offer SHOWSIGHT Magazine about providing breed-specific information about your breed? How can we help to educate the general public as well as inform breeders, exhibitors, and conformation judges? To help educate the public and inform breeders, exhibitors, and “judges,” it might be helpful to do some articles on actual working Rottweilers; ones that have not only made their mark in the confor- mation ring, but also in real working venues; obedience, tracking, herding, carting, and Schutzhund as well as nose work, coursing, therapy, agility... I may have missed some. There is nothing like a dog with titles on both ends. Judges, breeders, and exhibitors alike must know that Rottweilers naturally command their space. They are not vicious, but they are aloof. They have undercoat and coarse hair. Bitches are feminine. Please judge them appropriately. Be aware of what is a fault in the official Rottweiler Standard. EDY DYKSTRA-BLUM 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your breed and how long have you been breeding? How many litters have you produced and how many champions? I have been in my breed, Old English Sheepdogs, since 1975. I would say that I’ve bred, maybe, 40 litters, including the lit- ters I bred in Europe, with at least 30 champions from sparingly shown dogs. 2. In your opinion, what is the current condition of your breed overall? Has your breed changed in ways that you consider to be positive? Any negative changes? The overall average condition of our breed needs improving. However, there are several clever breeders who produce excellent quality OES. They study Standards and look at conformation, and they breed to the Standard. Negative changes are from those who just put two dogs together and do not research, resulting in unsound dogs. 3. Do you think your breed is portrayed accurately online and on social media? How is it represented correctly? How is it misrepresented? I do not think social media is helping the breed. Too many opin- ions and online advertising, with photoshopped pictures, gives you the wrong idea. (In particular, the newer owners who might have breeding intentions.) 4. What advice would you offer SHOWSIGHT Magazine about providing breed-specific information about your breed? How can we help to educate the general public as well as inform breeders, exhibitors, and conformation judges?

The Old English Sheepdog is not a visual breed, but is a unique and hands-on breed. I would like to see SHOWSIGHT do an arti- cle about the breed’s structure, with drawings from the Illustrated Standard. Also, refreshing longtime judges about what the impor- tant facts are in the OES; capacious skull, square head, truncated muzzle (a narrow muzzle is a deformity), topline short-coupled, etc. BRYAN FLESSNER 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your breed and how long have you been breeding? How many litters have you produced and how many champions? My breed is Bloodhounds. My wife and I started our kennel 30 years ago. Chris and I became HOF Breeders of Merit in 2012 and have a number of our dogs in the HOF as well; stud dog, brood bitch, show dog, etc., as well as Grand Championships, all the way to Platinum. We “added” Heather to the mix about 15 years ago to mentor and to pass on what we’ve learned over the years. We’ve bred a number of litters over the years, which account for about 50+ champions. (I don’t know for sure, I don’t keep track.) 2. In your opinion, what is the current condition of your breed overall? Has your breed changed in ways that you consider to be positive? Any negative changes? The numbers are down, but the quality is up. I think, overall, the condition of our breed is better than it was ten years ago. I am happier with the breed rings at the regionals and nationals that I attend than I used to be. For instance, at the last couple nationals, at the “top” of the ring, there were several choices that where great representatives of the breed. We’ve always had good dogs, but in the last few years I’ve been surprised/happy with how “deep” the qual- ity goes at the top of the ring, 3. Do you think your breed is portrayed accurately online and on social media? How is it represented correctly? How is it misrepresented? I spend absolutely no time wondering/worrying about our breed’s perception. Waste of time... 4. What advice would you offer SHOWSIGHT Magazine about providing breed-specific information about your breed? How can we help to educate the general public as well as inform breeders, exhibitors, and conformation judges? I don’t worry about the “public’s” thoughts on our breed. Typi- cally, this is not a pet. This is a working hound, and those owners have a pretty good idea what these dogs are. Insofar as judge’s go, our breed is and will continue to be one of the harder breeds to evaluate. Our standard has a lot of room for interpretation, so I think we’re always going to get a range of opinions, which, BTW, is just fine. These dogs are not a “one trick pony.” They’re trailers, trackers, and hunters. The breed of Bloodhound is a pretty big tent. KATHY GERLACH 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your breed and how long have you been breeding? How many litters have you produced and how many champions? Gerlach Ranch was started in 1987. Our children were in 4-H at the time and raising registered Suffolk sheep. In 1993, after several livestock losses, we purchased our first Anatolian Shepherd, Agape Fayda. “Fayda” guarded our sheep and our children, and protected our home. Our first litter was in 1996, when Fayda was bred to Ahmet of Avanos, a working livestock dog. This started Gerlach Ranch Ana- tolians. From this litter, we kept two pups, Gerlach Beau and Ger- lach BeBe. They were not show dogs. We currently have four ASDs

186 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2021

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