As per my ending the blog:
1. I may return to it off and on. I still moderate comments. As soon as wind in my sails again, I’ll start writing things again. It might take a month or so.
2. The reason why I am ending the blog for a while is that I am totally burned out. I’ve literally run out of dog related topics to write about. I am currently working on some things for The Bark, which will be out in either February or March.
3. As per my supposed remove to the former British North America, I am staying in the US of A (at least for the near future).
Playing catch up here. I understand getting burned out. A little crispy myself. You will notice that I recycle a lot these days.
Patrick
I will get my innerweb fix from the Junction until
I persuade or blackmail you into returning
No matter how popular anyone is on the internet, real life ALWAYS comes first. We’ll be here waiting, rather impatiently as is expected, for any updates or new topics, even though what you have here already is enough to fill a good book on dogs. If nothing else, show off Miley throughout the coming seasons!
Take care.
I may stick some Miley photos on here in the coming weeks.
She’s got a boxer “boyfriend.”
what is this boxer boyfriend nonsense? she howled outside my winder
all weekend
glad to hear it’s more a vacation than a “so long folks” situation. I’ve really enjoyed the blogs. The video of the simean wolf was the first wolf video I’ve ever seen that showed a stalk and ‘eye” similar to what one finds in Border Collies. Most wolves “stalk” and use eye more like the “looseyed” herding dogs.
I’m hoping that some time in the future you’ll discuss more how the “Nova scotia duck toller” and similar type “luring” retrievers (I understand there ARE similar ones although not AKC recognized) compare to the other retrievers, and when the transition occured in setters from actual “setting” on birds (as used in netting birds) to the pointing mode (as used in shooting birds).
VR, Peggy Richter.
Hilarious how EASY misinformation can get started, isn’t it? The Canada thing sure sounded neat, I might have stuck with that just for fun if it had been me! Anyway, whenever you start back up, I would be plenty happy with a single post and subject a week–give everyone plenty of time to respond and discuss the subjects, too. I wondered how in the world you managed to post all that stuff daily anyway–you and the terrierman are so prolific on the computer, it’s hard for me to keep up a lot of times! Just a suggestion; what do you other retrieverman fans think of that?
Lane, I was thinking the same thing in a way.
I do blogs as the fancy strikes rather than on a set schedule. Sometimes I can crank one out per day for a few days, and then a few weeks go by while I plink around on OpenOffice making sure that everything is shipshape for the topic. Keeps me more willing to write as well as giving me time to discover where my thoughts go, although I have to say, writing blogs all the time does make it look as though I’m actually doing something worthwhile on the computer…and hence, keeps my parents off my back to help out with something else! :D
:-)
I hope inspiration returns and you come back to us sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we’ll look forward to reading you in The Bark. Good luck, relax and enjoy yourself, and come back when you can. We’ll be waiting to read!
With your new free time, maybe you can settle a bet:
What is a “pointing Lab”?
http://www.pointinglabs.com/pages/history
http://www.lankaslabs.com/
I mean shouldn’t a Labrador Retriever either point, or not point? If pointing birds is a real lab instinct, why wouldn’t evet gun dog owner be running one of these dogs? Is this some out cross with a pointer/NAVHDA dog, and now they want me to believe they have they the only strain of pointing Labs in the world?
A pointing lab?
I’m not touching that one with a ten foot pole.
I won’t settle any bets, because it’s so contentious!
I’ve seen photos of goldens that would point, which makes sense considering that they are well-known to have setter ancestors.
Apparently, some Labs were crossed with pointers in England, and it’s possible that their pointing instinct pops up in some lines of Labrador. And there are solid black pointers from the eighteenth century that looked a lot like Labs: http://www.abcgallery.com/S/stubbs/stubbs20.html
However, a Lab is not an HPR, a setter, or a pointer. I don’t think any of them would hold a point as long as an English pointer (a dog that I also wouldn’t expect to retrieve without a long session of force-fetching).
We’ve hunted over several flatcoats that point. They aren’t as stylish as a pointer or a setter, but they do stop and hold their position, indicating the location of the bird, will reposition on a moving bird, and wait (usually) for the handler to indicate that they should flush the birds.
I find it strange that there is not one single picture of an upland bird being retrieved in all of the photos of the lanka labs site. The only birds shown are ducks. And a stick.
I don’t think a dog that points ducks would be all that useful…
One of my Chattie owners recently e-mailed me to tell me that their boy hybrid does indeed point then retrieves. I told them that really doesn’t surprise me since there is Irish Setter and possibly some German pointer in the formula for the Flat coat.
Enjoy you hiatus Scotty. its well deserved after such a long time educating the world. You have touched more people than you may even realize with the view of the rational and sane part of the dog world. The Registries would definitely benefit with more minds like yours behind the wheel.
I say screw the breed clubs with century old standards dreamed up from people who lived in a different world from ours. Its time we modernized those standards and start to penalize the old school standards with fines and possibly jail time for becoming enablers for some disabling breed characteristics and selectively inbred genetic defects.
And…. welcome into the world of the FCR future litters of Yellow gene puppies since our yellow boy recently fathered a litter of 9 pups with the yellow gene. 7 females and 2 males. All going to families with young children and all of whom have the intention of breeding for more yellows….. on the same page with us. Welcome into the FCR… world a genetic booster shot from the Chatham hill gang. I hope that stings the right old school mental cases.
Onward with Sanity. ;-)
May I be the first and the loudest to say that when purchasing ANY puppy (purebred or intentional mixed breed, to AKC and breed club specifications or to one’s own specifications) and ESPECIALLY with the intent to breed future generations, that the pedigree should be carefully inspected for multiple generations of health and longevity, and, should they be working and performance dogs (as all good flat-coats are), that the pedigree–especially the immediate parentage–demonstrate regularly (through practical performance–in other words, actual hunting–or standardized test, or both) the abilities and characteristics of the breed’s history.
A good book on all of this stuff (and is far better than any of my stuff) is Mark Derr’s A Dog’s Best Friend. He talks about pointing, retrieving, and herding behaviors in a very interesting way. I’m not an expert of any sort on pointing dogs.
Awww – your just barely one year old puppy sired puppies. Congratulations. Hope he had some health clearances before the breeding. Nothing listed in OFA or CERF, of course.
You seem to think that the yellow gene is rare. It’s not. It’s just that most fcrs that might carry the yellow gene are DNA tested for it, and carriers are bred to healthy, complementary mates that don’t carry yellow. The resulting pups not only are black or liver, but they aren’t line-bred or in-bred up on the few popular sires that carried yellow.
BTW – please do some reading on the signs & symptoms of bloat & torsion. I hope you never experience it, but it’s behind several of your dogs.
Yellow isn’t rare; in fact, I’m sure there are more yellow golden retrievers than there are black or liver flat-coats.
Is there are genetic basis behind gastric torsion? I thought it was more of a conformation issue, resulting from the dogs having a very deep chest.
But conformation is genetic.
If the uncle of my dog developed it at six and a first cousin at two, I’d be sure to be able to recognize the symptoms and have the number of an emergency vet available.
Just in case.
I’ll just say in the defense of Sengimage that cockers don’t have deep chests, so maybe that modifies it a bit.
Perhaps. But my intent was to give them a heads-up about their flatcoats. Not their mixes.
Just my inexperience here, but anyway…
I’ll see if I can dig it up–there’s at least some evidence that I know I’ve read. Patti probably has something more readily available. I haven’t read enough to know here or there, myself.
At the very least, though, there’s the connection through inherited conformation characteristics; just with following popular Labs the last several years, body type begets body type and I’ve heard of at least a couple sons and daughters of torsion dogs who subsequently had torsion problems. Strictly second-hand and strictly anecdotal, but interesting.
This may take more than google, and I’m tired… But it’s interesting (esp. to us Lab folk).
Labs have also developed an issue with tearing a ligament. I can’t remember which one, but it seems that many Labs are tearing it when they are being run.
That’s also genetic in that the conformation is genetic.
As per Lab ACL issue–that’s REALLY interesting–the current hypothesis is that it seems to be MORE THAN “just” conformation. There is a University of Minnesota study (the folks who tracked down the Exercise Induced Collapse simple recessive that’s shaking up breeding decisions) that is based on the hypothesis that it is actually an inherited factor that may be independent of, or maybe only incidentally related to, conformation. Who knows how that will turn out–but it’s fascinating.
I’ve got a Chinese takeout food napkin (notkiddingseriously) that I’ve been jotting down internet-rumored and actual knee problems of popular sires and their progeny on–I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a specific genetic component nailed down someday.
“These four (4) factors ARE associated with an increased risk of bloat in large breed dogs
1)Raising the food dish more than doubled the risk for bloat
2)Speed of eating -Dogs rated by their owners as very fast eaters had a 38% increased risk of bloat
3)Age: The study found that risk increased by 20% with each year of age. Owners should be more alert to early signs of bloat as their dogs grow older.
4)Family History: Having a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or offspring) that had bloated increased a dog’s risk by 63%.”
from http://www.moonstruckmeadows.com/Bloat%20(GDV)%20Study.htm
This cites a Purdue study that I’ve seen referenced, but I can’t find the study itself (link is not functioning), but I’ll keep trying.
It used to be thought that the ratio of width to depth of the chest was a risk factor in bloat. I don’t know about now. I am quite sure it has a genetic basis; sighthounds have very deep chests, often quite narrow, and a high tuck, but the only sighthound I am aware of that has issues with bloat is the Borzoi.
Do sighthounds bolt down their food in the same way as scent hounds or retrievers?
Yes. My dogs eat in crates and I have more than a couple that can bolt a chicken quarter in the time it takes you to close the crate door after you’ve plopped it in there.
Patti. Yeah I think you have problems that run deep as well. We’ve reviewed the causes of bloat. And apparently nothing conclusive that leads back towards genetics… however there is much that leads back towards feeding, care and activity schedules. All of which are reflective upon a poorly informed owner to begin with. That said… there’s a reason why we’re avoiding some people at this point and there are rumors about some pretty well known veteran breeders that have a history if line breeding that we care to steer clear of as well.
Sexual Maturity is not a timed release of 24 Months. that again is mostly a control issue on the part of the breeder. But I fully expect the exceptional specimens to do well in the ring or as working dogs, as again our clients are a mixed bunch.
You do your thing, We’ll do ours. That said one day we’ll meet and regardless of what insanity is in the air carried over from the elitist dog fancy… We’ll still realize we’re both caring human beings.
It would do the FCR world some good to drop a century old standard developed by people long since deceased. And possibly to come to terms with the fact that the majority of the world does not need to go out for a hunt anymore since the local A&P has it all packaged and shrink wrapped for us now. :-)
Gotta hand it to those PC minorities. LOL.
And for the record Patti…. You continually harp on a dog we got from a line in California. Up in the Hills. A dog which we have no papers for…. Nor any intent to breed with our FCR bitches. He is a pet….. a concept that seems hard to grasp for most FCR fanatics.
Cheers and thanks for caring.
Which makes me question why the original breeder of that dog was so irresponsible in the first place… Oh wait… they have conformation show dogs from the same line…. I guess they are insane after all. ;-)
Actually, I was referring to the two dogs you obtained in PA.
Then you should do some more homework. Or worry about your own lines…….because if you’re referring to uncles and aunts and older relatives that may have had bloat… well then print out a pedigree chart on any dog take a dart and throw it. The odds are about the same of finding a line where a dog from any litter may have had a relative in its past that died of bloat. Yours included. :-)
The parent of our bitch did not die from bloat. The father is still alive. and the mother died of Kidney failure from a breeder that saw dollar signs instead of practicing moral ethics. The other PA bred dog shares the same mother and therefore would not be a candidate for breeding to his half sister based on ethics alone… unless of course we decide to practice line breeding like FCR breeders on the west coast commonly do. Or like some confirmed line breeders in Florida do.
The really odd part is they are proud of it.
If you spent as much time developing a way to save the planet as you do trying to discredit me…. the planet would be a much safer place to live. I however get the joy of laughing at you for trying to take your best guess at how we’re doing things. Keep guessing as I always enjoy a good laugh. ;-)
I’m really not talking about your breeding plans. I’m talking about recognizing the symptoms of bloat, and knowing what to do if you encounter the symptoms. It happens fast, and it is frequently fatal.
The brother of the mother of your dog and bitch died from GDV (Bloat/Torsion), as did one of his daughters. He was six, she was two. A son survived because the symptoms were recognized, and prompt action was taken.
I wasn’t attacking. I was giving you a heads-up.
Some good information can be found at these two sites.
http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/bloat.htm
Again. considering the size of the litters from her parents and the surviving siblings and relatives…. I still would not consider it a chronic problem…. unless we eventually see every sibling from the Mother’s parents die of it and our own dog’s siblings die off from it as well, I think we all have more to worry about from Cancer. Again if the consideration of further thinning the possibility of it occurring by introducing new blood from other distinct lines without immediate relatives who’ve had bloat…. well I’m not breeding Great Danes who are prone to bloat from just their physical structure alone. And even with that breed it is still recommended to refrain from energetic activity for a minimum of 40 minutes to an hour after a feeding. That’s why I gave the example of throwing a dart at any FCR’s lineage chart. That’s how random it really is. And to have as much vested in the best interest of our dogs and not have a veterinarian on call 24 hours and 365 days a year would be irresponsible on our part.
As for the Yellow factor….well the occurrence of it showing in litters is in fact rare. Breeding away from it also thins the diversity for an already poor diversity in the breed. Status quo promotes it. We just don’t follow that status quo.
We do thank you for the concern. But its about equivalent to one of my 5 children growing up and being killed in a fatal car accident. It could happen. But, that doesn’t mean it will. And without conclusive DNA markers to say it is a possibility…. I’m not going to stress out over it. We’ve already saved one dog from death from Parvo. I’d say we’re prepared to get any dog immediate attention when they are showing signs of distress. We’re insured for it and we’re vigilant. Especially with 5 children who will eventually want an FCR and Chattie of their own one day and all of which will be contributing to keeping our endeavors ongoing for generations…yup we’re here to stay, so I would just recommend accepting that.
And the young sire to our current litter is exceptional. Over a year old and far from a puppy, more like a juvenile, but I’m sure you knew that and were just being sarcastic. On the other hand… I’ll reiterate. For the benefit of F&L
OFA and CERf does not guarantee these disorders from presenting in any offspring of the tested specimens at any age. It only verifies that those disorders have not presented in the inspected specimens for the moment. It does not insure that the disorders will not present at a later time even if the tested specimens currently pass. The notion of requiring these tests does however add more income into the pockets of the veterinarians who’ve brainwashed the fancy into believing it does any good, when in fact the occurrence of such disorders have not receded or increased significantly over the past decade. This comes from our veterinary sources who concur that until DNA markers are available to conclusively say this specimen in fact will present with the disorder all attempts to physically inspect for it are futile and more a formality in the dog world to somehow say one line is superior over another line, when statistically they are all in the same boat. So, like It’s been suggested even here on this blog…. most of what has become status quo is driven by belief. A dogma that infects the minds of people who believe what they are told to believe instead of being rational. Thus insanity often prevails in the face of common sense.
I’m back!
Its about damn time. ;-)
I am not impressed by this perceived breeding advantage. One can find ads for pointing labs in “Gun Dog” magazine and other magazines in the back of any issue. It’s a sales gimmick. The dog raises its front paw, so what? It’s nothing special, and as soon as breeders, who promote this nonsense, know we know their game, the sooner it will stop.
In retrievers, we want a biddable dog, that will retrieve upon command, who cares if it lifts a leg up?
OFA does not guarantee that a pup from excellent, good or fair hip status parents will not produce have borderline or dysplastic hips. But breeding dogs that have excellent or good OFA scores to bitches that have excellent or good OFA scores will produce pups that are less likely to have have compromised hips. And the trends are very clear.
From 1980 to 2004 the change in FCR hip scores was dramatic. A change in Excellent scores of +171.1 percent, a change in dysplastic scores of -41.7 percent.
The same holds true for CERF. CERF exams are good for one year, and a dog may develop cataracts or retinitus or PRA or many other conditions, after his initial test. That test may also indicate changes in the eye structure that aren’t hereditary, but are first indicators of other health issues in the dog. It’s information. And I think that the more information one has on one’s breeding stock, the better informed one can be when making breeding decisions.
If you aren’t a member of a breed club, there are no requirements placed on you for any health checks. But choosing to not spend the money, choosing to not know the condition of one’s breeding stock’s orthopedic and ocular health isn’t a badge of honor in my book. It may be a good business decision in your book, better for the bottom line. And if you guess wrong, you may be able to live with that. But the single dog owning family that loves their pet and finds that that pet has a devastating condition might not agree.
The chances do not increase or decrease whether the parents are both deemed free and clear or not. That sadly for many of those who’ve had this fairy tale pounded into their heads over the decades is the truth. If you speak to medical doctors and veterinarians who are NOT running a practice that pushes for income…. then you would get a clear perspective from working professionals. It is a myth. The numbers can presented by anyone to reflect the point they care to make. But when you talk to the professionals who actually work in that field the story is different. They will contend that the numbers coming down are due to actually having a better population of specimens to report from as more data is collected not a trend. It is a changing number skewed by a changing ratio to report from. And the overall practice of selective breeding and more awareness in general to avoid puppy mill operations and backyard breeding operations.
The selective breeding process does not require these tests to prevent more of the disorder from presenting, our ancestors accomplished this and had a healthier population of dogs, greed has and status has brought the canine world to where it is now.. It is in fact very common for dogs tested with the OFA to pass only after having failed on a Penn Hip. That is a fact commonly known in the veterinary circles. And many breeders will drop the results of a failed Penn Hip test and breed anyway from the results of an OFA. With more dogs in the population every year and only increasing …. the numbers will continue to skew positively.
As for the CERF tests. The Setters and even Dalmations are excellent examples from both ends of the spectrum. Setters using science and DNA to map out selectively and breed away from the disorder. Or from careful outcrossing to create a designer Dalmation that no longer has the disorder.
On the other hand even after all the testing, like our current dog’s parents have had, if any offspring still develop a devastating condition….. I don’t think you can stand there and say well the testing should have prevented this. And the breed club in all its glory will just collectively say “Oh Well” it happens.
We had this discussion with a Doctor friend last night in fact. He enjoyed the laugh. So did I. Thanks again.
For the benefit of those who may want to investigate OFA a bit further, let me point out a few words I’d like to respectfully refute, and then point out some statistics.
Sengimage said, regarding OFA, “The chances do not increase or decrease whether the parents are both deemed free and clear or not. ”
Here is a link to OFA, and a synopsis of the information found there. I have posted this before, if it sounds familiar to someone.
http://www.offa.org/monograph2006web.pdf
page 10
Based on 444,451 progeny with known ratings for sire and dam:
excellent rating to excellent rating produced 96 percent normal hips and 4 percent dysplastic.
Fair X fair = 80 percent normal, 20 percent dysplastic
Dysplastic X dysplastic = 64 percent normal 36 percent dysplastic.
Of course OFA hip analysis is not a guarantee (it’s phenotypic information–not genotypic), but I don’t see how anyone can dismiss this kind of information out of hand.
As for CERF… CERF can provide powerful information.
For example, in Labs, CERF information was vital in making the breeding of blind dwarves quite rare, despite the presence of the damaging recessive gene being present in otherwise very valuable genetic lines.
As for Penn-Hip–It measures joint laxity and provides a percentage measurement, which can be a predictor of future joint health. A hip that is not dysplastic can have an excellent measurement or a poor measurement. Penn-Hip does NOT rate, and they are explicit that there is no “fail” designation–it’s merely a measurement, and breeders are encouraged to look at the measurement as one of many factors. OFA on the other hand ranks hip form and condition–excellent, good, fair, dysplastic. My understanding is that there are merits and limitations to both tests.
Your arguement is like begging the public to trust the salesman. Uhhh Sure.
I prefer to talk to the working professionals who scoff at the statistics.
Salesmen. Like the member of the FCR Health Committee that is one of ten scientists elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2009. A professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology and genetics.
I wonder what sort of commission she gets on x-rays & CERFs?
You’d have to examine her practice. You’re good at that. Maybe it will be an eye opener.
I know Scientists who work for the DNA labs in NY, MA and IL. All accredited in their field and A few currently teaching. Which i suspect keeps them current and sane. And Veterinarians acknowledged in their own field for their exceptional work. As well as Doctors and Medical experts within my own family who also have much to say about the difference in numbers and stats compiled over the years compared to real life.
You say it is testing…. I say testing alone does not fix it. But the testing may have prevented breeding of dogs who were clearly diplastic where in the past breeders may not have cared. Times change. Habits Change. The tests don’t change them. Awareness of the problem does. As our vet will say “I can only make them aware of the problem, its completely up to them to act on it and most of them don’t”. That said, it goes without saying that FCR owners and breeders are among the most caring in the dog world. And that alone is an advantage over other breeds who don’t reflect the same successes in preventing these selectively bred and ignored disorders.
If you care to believe there is no vested interest in someone who chairs the FCR committee and is a Scientist then that is your choice. I choose to listen to those who have no connection or vested interest in the agenda of a breed club with one foot stuck in the mud.
Again. Thank you for caring.
Believe whatever you want, Sengimage, and cite your nameless experts if it makes you feel good about your beliefs; if someone believes you and your experts, it’s a free country.
Once again, this is why I personally believe in the information provided by OFA ratings:
Based on 444,451 progeny with known ratings for sire and dam:
excellent rating to excellent rating produced 96 percent normal hips and 4 percent dysplastic.
Fair X fair = 80 percent normal, 20 percent dysplastic
Dysplastic X dysplastic = 64 percent normal 36 percent dysplastic.
And this is just one reason I believe in CERF:
In Labs, CERF information was vital in making the breeding of blind dwarves quite rare, despite the presence of the damaging recessive gene being present in otherwise very valuable genetic lines.
Funny thing the notion of believing in something…. it takes years of listening to a collective bunch to convince you its true based on what they show you. Or a few hours chatting with serious professionals in the medical world for both Human and veterinary medicine to show you the truth.
Sort of like sitting in a pew and believing in the words of the preacher….
or
Actually applying yourself and learning about it firsthand from a scientist.
learning to live in the now is a concept best experienced.
“Funny thing the notion of believing in something….”
On this we can agree. Belief is indeed a funny thing.
I believe in science. I also believe that true science always questions itself.
When you have evidence stronger than unnamed scoffing expert friends and relations that OFA and CERF are invalid scientific tools (I’m saying “tools” on purpose, to clarify that I in no way believe they are anything more nor less), then PLEASE post the evidence and I will read with great interest.
You are welcome to visit us anytime. As is anyone who contacts us as curious or with a chip on their shoulders. They all leave here happy and encouraged there is some good in this world.
I’ll be sure to have representatives from Medical, Veterinary, Genetics and Biological fields here to speak with you and provide their credentials. And either a short list or the long list of real world examples with names and faces that apply to their experience. And have them look over your statistics provided by the OFA arguing their collective successes based off a growing population of selective breeding participants over the decades.
I like the Internet for the vast amount of information it provides pro or con as well. But that would be like sitting at a periodical store that only stocks paparazzi papers.
Anyhow, We’ll surely all have a good laugh.
I find very little that’s amusing in your inability to cite any evidence for your belief that OFA and CERF are without merit as tools in a breeding program. If you choose not to use those tools or the information they might provide, that’s up to you. But as for laughing at others’ ignorance for believing in published, peer-reviewed science, you’ll have to laugh with your still-unnamed experts.
Of course, your yellow boy is too young for OFA or CERF beyond preliminaries, so this is all a moot point. (I wonder how much money these organizations are losing by insisting that dogs be mature before they are tested for breeding purposes? Hmmmmm….)
I’m almost curious enough to visit, but the last time I was in the Poconos, someone tried to sell me an overpriced unbuildable plot of land, and it gives me horrid panic attacks to think of the time I wasted on that hucksterism (but I did get a lovely prize for driving around, trapped, with the salesman for 7 hours–I believe it was an unpolished chip of rock that might actually be a diamond).
Actually, I think a dog can receive a CERF number at any age. Sorry for the inadvertent misinfo above.
Like I’ve said. I can produce those people. you just need to produce your notes.
either way the invitation is open.
I don’t know what notes you are requesting.
I am referring to a document available on-line (linked above) titled “The use of health databases and selective breeding: a guide for dog and cat breeders and owners.” 5th edition. Primary author is Greg Keller, DVM, MS, DACVR, and published by OFA. It covers their databases for everything from
Page 6: “The OFA’s voluntary databases serve all breeds of dogs and cats and
have the world’s largest all-breed data bank on radiographic evalua-
tions of the hip and elbow. The testing methodology and the criteria for
evaluating the test results for each database were independently estab-
lished by veterinary scientists from the respective specialty areas. These
standards are accepted throughout the world and the results are used to
evaluate prevalence and progress in controlling the respective diseases
in the breeding population. The OFA serves as a central source of infor-
mation for breeders and owners based on the standards for evaluation,
and as a major source of funding for studies directed at animal well-
ness.
The purpose of this monograph is to assist the breeder, dog owner,
and veterinarian in accomplishing their goals by providing a summary of
information on the OFA databases, their methodology, and a reference
source for further study. Data on individual animals may be obtained at
http://www.offa.org. This data can be useful for the breeder to determine the
status of potential breeding animals and their family lines.”
Page 10 has a table on hip dysplasia that is used to demonstrate how the document’s breeding recommendations are developed. I can’t get the table to copy correctly–folks will have to go there themselves–but I excerpted some of the information in my two above posts.
I didn’t finish a sentence–
everything from hip and elbow dysplasia and luxating patellas to cardiac to deafness and conditions I am unfamiliar with.
F&L…. I’m sure if there’s anything you are uncertain of or unfamiliar with… My working professional friends and family of geneticists can clear the air.
Other than that. …. Oh forget it. Believing wholeheartedly in something kind of comes to a point when you just can’t waste the effort to address someone anymore. I’m sure that goes both ways. Unless of course one party is particularly stubborn about stamping their feet until they are acknowledged by the world as the de facto standard. If I believed everything in the textbooks from school….. I’d be intellectually blind, too.
I’ll continue to just let the world catch up. I’m here when they’re ready. I have clients to interview every weekend. You can book an appointment just like the rest and we can chat over a lunch served on the veranda. Until then, “just talk to the hand”. Ciao.
Enjoy your material.
I don’t “talk to the hand” and wouldn’t dream of telling someone else to–and in case you haven’t guessed, I’m not only talking to you–I’m talking to those with inquiring minds.
They can inquire into your side of things–which although it claims to address the imperfections of other methods, still remains rather mysterious to me, with all of the unnamed experts scoffing and sniggering behind closed doors, but you can enlighten folks when they come to visit you–and/or they can inquire into the more conventional side of things, which–although admittedly imperfect, as all human endeavors are–at least has documented scientific method in public evidence, and which I occasionally have enough knowledge to point them toward.
Ciao, as well (and stamp, stamp, stamp).
I’ll just introduce my adopting families to the professionals I know who deal with it everyday. And continue to repeat what they tell. And in the case of the stubborn its usually best if they are addressed directly. Two dimensional medium such as text will lose much in conversations.
You’ll learn you can’t change the world or people for that matter who prefer to sit with the status quo. Sometime you need to do it on a personal level… or in our case. its one family at time and one litter at a time. Just add a little touch of your information to the mix, sit back and watch for a while. Less stress that way.
I’m sorry you’re burned out. You write great stuff, but you should be enjoying it, too. If it takes longer and comes slower — or goes on hiatus — that’s how things go, and I’ll be looking forward to the new stuff when it happens!
I’ve never understood the difference between pointing and “standing game.” No matter how many times it’s explained to me… The pointing Lab people say their dogs point, and the “pointing deniers” say the dogs are “standing game.”
Funny–I once heard someone brag that their Lab pointed, and really quickly, someone else said, “I can fix that for ya.” :)
If you want a dog that points and retrieves, all of the “bird dogs” on the European continent have been bred for both, and in the case of those from Germany, they will also bay boars and hunt foxes for you, if you’d like. However, they aren’t retrievers as we know them.
Something tells me, Scottie, that your blog may have a life of its own.
Congratulations.
I think.
;)
It is my experience that the continental pointing gun dogs (GSPs, Vislas Weims etc.) will happily retrieve if trained to do so (ususally through an ear pinch or toe hitch force fetch program).
But this retreive is a world apart form a natural retrieving Lab, field-bred golden, et. al. These retrievers quiver at the line and take off like rockets when sent on a retrieve.
Field bred cokers like mine are an interesting mix. People who know the breed well say that the natural retrieve that almost all have often declines in mid-life, as obsession with finding and flushing live birds takes over. More are force fetched at 5 years old than one year old.
I am VERY torn about whether to go ahead and force fetch my sweet 10 month old cocker next year.
I’m sorry you’ve lost your muse, good luck on finding some inspiration. This is my favorite blog and I’m sad to see it on hiatus, but I understand.
Well, one last parting video…I’m not sure if you’ve seen it but I think you’d like it.
Gosh,
It seems they are i the same boat as the golden retrievers!
What a perfectly done little video. Other than one teensy little gripe, I love it!
Or, instead of them going the way of the golden, one might argue that many dogs are going the way of America’s waistline. Bigger, bigger, bigger…with nothing but poor consequences in the long run!
Eventually they’re going to turn into English Bulldogs! And the circle will be complete. =P
Are the hippo Pitts being bred that way to meet a conformation standard or is that just another Fad taking hold?
I’ve missed you. :-)