THE
STANDARD SCHNAUZER
1. Where do you live? What do you do “outside” of dogs? 2. How many years in the Standard Schnauzer? Showing? Judg- ing? Breeding? 3. What, in your opinion, is the secret to a successful breeding program? 4. What do you feel is the condition of the Standard Schnauzer breed today? Pros and Cons? 5. What do you feel breeders need to concentrate on to improve the quality of the Standard Schnauzer? 6. How do you feel about the influx of new judges, specialists and all breed, to our breed? Do you feel they have a grasp of the standard, do they know what compromises a good the Standard Schnauzer? 7. One of the smaller specimens in the Working Group, the Stan- dard Schnauzer certainly has plenty of fans. Do you think it’s hard to get noticed in the Group ring? 8. What is your favorite dog show memory? 9. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. PENNY DUFFEE Penny and her hus-
to beautiful swan!) I enjoy the challenge of breeding and showing dogs myself. The secret to a successful breeding program is knowledge of the breed standard and the ability to objectively evaluate your own dogs are the foundation of a good breeding program. There are no perfect dogs. One must be able to identify the strengths and weak- ness of the dogs, know the pedigrees in depth to know where those traits came from and then pair up those animals that compliment each other. Each breeding should be done with the next genera- tion breeding in mind. Show records should not influence breeding choices. A successful breeder is always open to advice and sugges- tions from others. What I feel is the condition of the Standard Schnauzer breed today? In general I think the temperaments are better than when I started in the breed. Most Standard Schnauzers are steady and confident which is necessary for a proper working dog. Coats over all are better, especially the black dogs. Standard Schnauzers are a healthy breed. The parent club conducts periodic health surveys to monitor any issues which may be developing so we can be proactive to protect our breed. Currently we are seeing some large dogs in the ring. Standard Schnauzers are a measurable breed but sometimes judges are not confident in their ability to “eyeball” the size of a dog and perhaps hesitate to measure because it takes extra time and they are under pressure to stay on schedule. While body coats are generally good, furnishings are becoming very profuse. This is in part a grooming issue, perhaps because more handlers are coming from Minis into Standards. Another concern is “squirrel tails.” Poor tail set is an indication that the total rear assembly is not correct. Breeders and judges need to remember that SS are the middle- size breed, between Minis and Giants, with a DQ for both over and under size. The breed standard states the “ideal” size for dogs is 18 ½ " to 19 ½ " but a 19" dog appears small. (Bitches are 1" shorter.) The breed should be sturdy and robust—but there is a fine line between proper working dog substance and overdone. Historically the breed is an all-round farm dog. Hence the dogs should be solid and correctly built so they can work all day long but they must also be very agile. Understanding correct movement is a concern. We also need to understand the structure and conditioning that is required to produce proper movement. A working dog should move freely and with minimum effort. From the side the dog should reach out and cover ground. On the down and back there should be a nice “V” shape—a straight line in the front from shoulder to the foot and in the rear a straight line from hip through the hock and down to the foot. Movement needs to be evaluated on the coming and going as well as from the side. I think that most new judges are making an effort to understand the breed. We have always had good judges and some not so good. Judging is partly an art—the person needs to “have an eye” for dogs and the subtle nuances of each breed. Those who are newer to the dog world often seem to lack knowledge of basic dog structure and movement. “Back in the day” our breeders and judges came from a more rural society where animals had to perform the job(s) for which they were bred. Those that could not perform were not bred. Today most of our dogs no longer have to perform specific jobs— poor structure can get around a show ring and look pretty. As I said earlier, movement needs to be evaluated from three angles—coming, going and around. (Actually had a judge tell me
band, Bill, got their first SS in 1971—the old story of wanting a pet, breeder suggested show- ing, won first points and “the rest is history.” She has done lim- ited breeding under the Morgenwald name since the mid 70s. Their foun- dation bitch, Ch Skico’s Alpen Glow, was their first owner-handled BIS winner, followed by Ch. Morgenwald Izod, Ch. Katon’s Kismet v Morg-
enwald and GCH. Katon’s Eye of the Tiger v Morgenwald RATO. Professionally Penny supervised clinical practicum experiences for graduate students in Speech Pathology at ISU. She also devel- oped the Audiology program for BroMenn Healthcare, retiring from that position 15 years ago. Penny was a founding member of Prairieland SSC and been active in Standard Schnauzer Club of America, serving in multiple positions, including president and co-chair for four National Spe- cialties. She has also served in many positions in Corn Belt KC as well as Heart of Illinois cluster committee chairperson. I am a Midwest gal—I live in Bloomington, Illinois. Most of my activities seem to be centered around dogs. However I enjoy doing some craft and art work and spending time working in the yard. We got our first SS in 1971—just wanted a pet but the breeder talked me into showing him just once (with some grooming help from Sue Baines)—he won his first point and “the rest is history.” In 1973 we bought an eight month old bitch. Several Schnauzer handlers (including Lanny Hirstein and Dick Smith) said to send her back. Denver airport was fogged in, we kept her as an obedi- ence dog and she was our first Best in Show winner. (Ugly duckling
256 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2019
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