HERDING GROUP Q&A
You can tell the difference between a fearful and a naughty dog.
books, magazines, movies, and TV. Their stories dramatized their interactions with humans as well as their “reasoning” ability. The Herding Group has added more than a dozen breeds since 2000. How competitive are they? Quite a few of them are very competitive, mostly those that have a strong core of dedicated breeders and exhibitors. Do I have any advice to offer newer judges of the Herding Group? Learn from some of the parent club mentors. Try to attend the nationals and/or major specialties as you learn about them. JOYCE VANEK I have had dogs my entire life. My family raised and showed Cockers. I began my conformation life with Miniature Schnauzers and Beagles, with a couple of Border Collies and Golden Retrievers. In 1975, I blended my Lippizan and Tennes- see Walking Horse family with Old English Sheepdogs and then Portu- guese Water Dogs. I began showing my OES in obedience, attaining a few High in Trials and Herding Certificates along the way (even with my first Portuguese Water Dog). I am the proud breeder/owner-handler of many champion, obe- dience, herding, water, agility, Group-winning, and Best in Show Timbermist PWD and OES. I am an AKC judge for the Herding, Working, and Sporting Groups, some Non-Sporting breeds, and Miniature Schnauzers. I have judged in Asia, South America, Australia, Europe, and Mexico. Some of my most interesting assignments have been West- minster, Morris and Essex, Kennel Club of Philadelphia, Woofs- tock, and Fargo ,North Dakota, as well as national and regional specialties. I recently became a Hunt Test Judge for Beagles, Bas- sets, and Dachshunds. I live in the beautiful mountain town of Evergreen, Colorado. I have been “in dogs” my entire life. My mother raised and showed Cockers, which encouraged my interest in exhibiting. Two years ago, I received a solid gold :) medallion from AKC commemorat- ing 25 years as an AKC judge. Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? I have many interests and hobbies, most that can include the com- pany of my dogs; Peak Bagging, aka Mountain Climbing (four of the Seven Summits), kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, horseback riding, biking, rodeo, XC skiing, baseball, sculpting, golf-lite, wildlife, and landscape photography, I am a sommelier and a dental professional. I have guided den- tists and hygienists through wine tastings to raise funds for no-cost dental care for low income families. I have been on the dental sur- gery team at the Denver Zoo and wildlife sanctuaries, working on lions, and tigers and bears (and an ark-full of other exotic animals)! Can I talk about my introduction to the Herding breeds? I had a very persistent Border Collie in the early 1970s. My dream was to have an Old English Sheepdog after having Cockers, Min- iature Schnauzers, and Golden Retrievers. I gave my husband a Golden Retriever puppy after we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (1975) and he gifted me with an Old English Sheepdog for an engage- ment gift (diamond ring, too). Our first home was next to a vast Hereford ranch. “Pippin,” our Old English Sheepdog puppy, felt a strong duty to keep the livestock in line. Along with our first
unwilling to stack without being frightened. A dog that is tense and high-strung should be watched further to see if it gets itself together. You can tell the difference between a fearful and a naughty dog. The Herding Group has added more than a dozen breeds since 2000. How competitive are they? Many of the newer breeds recog- nized in the last twenty years have gone into the Herding Group and quite a few of those have become big winners. A couple that come to my mind are the lovely Canaan Dog, “Gale,” shown by Linda Clark, and the vivacious Pumi, “Casper,” shown by the Harpers. I think most judges are interested in the new breeds and are willing to give them a good look in the Group. Can I speak to the value of a performance title in a Herding dog? I’m all for performance titles. Although, as a judge, I have no way of knowing if a dog has one or not. But for the breed, it dem- onstrates that the dog can still do the tasks it was bred to do. For a judge, I think it is vital to go watch dogs working in the field. I really think it should be required for a judge to study dogs herding in all the various styles, such as tending or doing close work like penning or separating livestock. Seeing this makes the standard come to life and illustrates the reason behind the wording. NEENA L. VAN CAMP I now live in the Knoxville, Ten-
nessee. I moved here from outside Cincinnati, Ohio, at the end of 2010. Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? I like to garden. Since Tennessee has a longer growing season, I take advantage of this to grow a larger variety of my own fruits and vegetables, extend- ing their harvest in some years even through fall and into spring. I am
also able to have longer flower blooming seasons with an even larg- er number of plants than I did in Ohio. I also really enjoy traveling. I just hope I can begin to do that more as the COVID pandemic, hopefully, resolves. Can I talk about my introduction to the Herding breeds? As a child, my family had a pet Collie. After college graduation and marriage, I bought a “pet” Pembroke from a notable breeder and judge in the Charleston, West Virginia, area near where we were living that year. Having come from a home with two Collies as house pets, I knew that a Collie would not fit into our apartment. Plus, I confess, I really did not want all of that hair in my house. Very soon after the Pem came into my life, I became interested in owning a “show dog.” I learned more about dog care, exhibiting, and breeding through a local training club, an all-breed club, and later, the specialty clubs. Can I speak a bit about breed-specific presentation? Most of the Herding breeds are what I think of as free-stacked dogs. They usually are not those with handlers kneeling behind them, hold- ing them in position, except, sometimes, on the individual exam. The Herding breeds’ job is to work with—and to move—livestock around to a certain degree. There are a variety of required move- ments within the Herding breeds and they MUST be able to move properly for their specific breed. Several Herding breeds have enjoyed enormous popularity. What makes them so iconic? To me, it is that they were the stars in
246 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2021
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