NORWEGIAN ELKHOUND FORUM

Welcome to Norwegian Elkhounds Global Forum. This is the place where you can share your news and views, post pictures, start discussions, ask questions and generally keep up to date with things going on in the Norwegian Elkhound world. The Forum is open to all who have a great love and affection for the Norwegian Elkhound breed. It has no affiliation or connections with the Norwegian Elkhound Club of Great Britain

#1

Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Fri Jun 14, 2013 2:21 pm
by kamgaard | 49 Posts

I was recently speaking with some (non-Elkhound) breeder friends after a training class and the subject got round to what wins we had had in the ring of late. I mentioned that the previous week we had made up (or “finished” as we would say here in the U.S.) the Championship on a bitch who had boomeranged back to us due to the death of her previous owner and who was now very happily in a new home with a co-owner she adores and is doing wonderful things in the agility ring as well. I also proudly mentioned that all of her wins to her title had come from our Bred By Exhibitor class – a class designed here for breeders to “showcase their wares” if you will – and one which if you make up a Championship solely from this class, you are awarded a medallion from the American Kennel Club. It is a very revered class here – one in which you are saying “I bred it, and I’m proud of it!” – and not always the easiest one to win from, thus the recognition from the AKC.

My friends wanted to know if The Kennel Club in England offered rewards for wins from this class as well at which point I had to tell them that such a class was (at least to my knowledge) not offered in the U.K. ...which got me to thinking – I wondered why not? and what our U.K. friends think about this situation? Curious to know if it were on offer, would it be a class you would support?

Note: This is unlike your Breeder's class which you hold after tickets are awarded and have multiple entries. The class I speak of is one for a single dog in which the winner would qualify to come back in for the dog or bitch Challenge.


Last edited Fri Jun 14, 2013 10:16 pm | Scroll up

#2

RE: Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:01 pm
by norderhove | 130 Posts

Good point; I know people who are really proud of their wins inn the "Bred By" class in the USA. Would it work here? At this moment in time I doubt it very much since we have hardly anyone breeding AND showing. If I were breeding it's a class I would be proud to enter. What are your entries like generally in this class? We're generally only getting one person in the Breeder class we have now which I know is very different but I can't see entries in a bred by class being much different.


norderhove

Scroll up

#3

RE: Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Sat Jun 15, 2013 7:41 pm
by Brainless64 | 130 Posts

The main reason most of us who could field an entry in the breeders class don't, is that it is very hard to find owners/handlers that will stay to the end of the show as the winners compete after the group.

You also have to go to the secretary with your score book (or buy one there) and enter your group fill out their names etc when your usually quite busy trying to settle your dogs and show. You often are not aware how many of your breeding will be there until almost showing time.

As for the Bred by exhibitor class, you sometimes get this as a variety (mixed breed) class Open at shows.

I would say that about half of the dogs at a show are owned and shown by their breeder, but will check that over the last few shows.

In some ways I think a breeder would be more proud of the dogs winning that they don't own, showing they are wiling to let good dogs go to others. Those coming into the hobby often complain that of course the breeder will always keep the best for themselves, or they are more likely to win.

I think the reason we do not have the class is that traditionally we have age classes and then classes based on what a dog has won, until you get to Open, and of course all class winners go into challenge for Best of Sex, so no class holds more importance than another for winning your title, or toward it.

The Kennel Club has created and encouraged a class for dogs that have won at least Bronze level Canine Good Citizen Awards, so they are open to creating new classes, but in the current climate of falling entries where even the usual classes fail to draw an entry I doubt they will be rushing to add new ones to the available classification. I believe beyond the basic 5 classes the classes scheduled are up to the society, within the range of classes allowed. In very popular breeds you will get Novice, tyro, maiden graduate, mid Limit etc in addition to the standard puppy, Junior Post Graduate, Limit and Open classes. We sometimes get Veteran and Minor Puppy in our breed, and one Championship show still gives us those plus Novice despite low entries.


Barbara and the Grey Curly tails.
Scroll up

#4

RE: Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Sat Jun 15, 2013 8:00 pm
by Brainless64 | 130 Posts

Out of interest looking at the placed dogs from this years NECGB championship (probably our best supported and most representative show), it shows that in dogs there were only Three bred by owner/exhibitor, and 16 not bred by owner/exhibitor.

In bitches not surprisingly there were 10 of each owned by the breeder and by someone else.


Barbara and the Grey Curly tails.
Scroll up

#5

RE: Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:58 pm
by kamgaard | 49 Posts

Interesting comments all. To answer Diana’s query, there are generally only one or two in this class at local Championship shows in this part of the U.S. (keeping in mind that our breed entries have been very low… many shows having no entries at all). However, at specialties, this class is well supported and many times (particularly with a breeder-judge) the eventual Winners Dog or Winners Bitch will come from this class. Yes, Barbara, I am always very proud when dogs of ours who have gone to other owners in this country or abroad have done themselves and their owners proud in the ring… we share in their joy. But I also think it is important for people to have a visual in what a breeder keeps for themselves in a continuing line and improving their stock in doing so. This should be a learning exercise for aspiring breeders in how others combine bloodlines, minimize faults, accent the positive and condition their dogs in general.

Here it is not necessary to completely breed/own/show the individual. You can be a co-breeder and have a co-owner as well. I find that many times the co-ownership is the best solution as it allows the breeder to still present an individual they are proud of. Many times the co-owner is someone who is not capable to presenting a dog due to physical challenges, stage fright, other commitments, etc. So overall, I find this to be a win-win situation for all and the dog earns their “just desserts” as well. And maybe… just maybe… with a little cooperation between breeder and owner it might add another entry or two to each show. Knowing the situation of the number of shows losing CC’s each year, I ponder what can be done to try and get the breed back to popularity once again.

Scroll up

#6

RE: Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

in MAIN POST AREA * ELKHOUND BLOGS & BRAGS Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:50 pm
by Brainless64 | 130 Posts

Yes I wish we could get the breed back to the higher numbers and popularity with the right sort of owners and breeders of course that they deserve.

It seems you have the same situation with the breed being much lower in relative numbers compared to other breeds. I think in the past they used to be around the 40th mark in registrations, and now down to 80th or thereabouts.

We have half the numbers registered of 20 years ago here. Yet in both arenas the rescue situation of Commercially bred stock is ever present :(

Here in the UK there is a huge upsurge among Joe Public in the popularity of wolf/husky type dogs, largely bred by those who are only in it for the money, and hence unsuitable owners, poor and crossbred stock, and huge numbers ending up in rescue.

Yet our breed who would probably suit pet owners far better is almost unknown.

Issues caused by these dogs (savaged small pets when they escape) could have an undeserved negative impact on Spitz breeds in general, if the situation continues. It was bad enough when the Akita had an upsurge in popularity and was bred by the wrong sort of people and some very dodgy temperaments were around in the pet population. I often get asked by young men who think they are 'hard', when walking the dogs, if my puppy Akitas are for sale.


Barbara and the Grey Curly tails.

Last edited Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:54 pm | Scroll up


Visitors
0 Members and 1 Guest are online.

guest counter
Today was 1 guest online.

Board Statistics
The forum has 359 topics and 969 posts.