TSK has offered these interesting articles with the subject of BREEDING
The Ostrich Syndrome can damage dogs in a number of ways. The ignorance, denial and fear it fosters in breeders can prevent genetic diseases from being identified and studied early enough to keep them from becoming widespread. Breeds which develop a reputation for being disease-ridden risk rejection by the public – including that part of…
This seems like a rather strange question to ask as I sit writing this and beside me, curled up on the sofa and at my feet are 6 purebred dogs of various sizes. I am not going to deny that I am a pure breed fancier, exhibitor and occasional hobby breeder or as I like…
A slipped hock will fold forward with virtually NO pressure, and the dog will be unable to resist it. To determine a slipped hock, place several fingers on the back of the hock lightly pressing forward until the dog either picks up the foot and steps forward or the joint collapses forward . …
No one can predict when or even if a dysplastic dog will start showing clinical signs of lameness due to pain. There are multiple environmental factors such as caloric intake, level of exercise, and weather that can affect the severity of clinical signs and phenotypic expression (radiographic changes). There is no rhyme or reason to the severity of radiographic changes correlated…
I make this statement at the expense of being tarred and feathered but increasingly, the best dog youll ever breed may be the hardest dog you will ever finish. It will be the odd man out and look different from the majority of dogs represented in the ring. Why? Some judges, insecure in a breed…
… meantime we can use the drawings from Alan Mitchells book (with hispermission) to explain what we are looking for in photography. Dish-faced – A slight concaveness of foreface, the tip of the nose is higher that the stop, when viewed in profile. Down-faced – where the muzzle inclines downward from the skull to nose .
Hereditary Cataract in Staffordshire Bull Terriers has been recognised as an inherited condition since the late 1970s. Affected dogs develop cataracts in both eyes at an early age. The condition is not congenital, so the lenses are normal at birth but cataracts appear at a few weeks to months in age, progressing to total cataract…
Your article on bite was very good; however, in spite of the AKC’s breed description as to bite and the acceptability of a “level” bite, you indicate that the “level” bite is undesirable. It may be undesirable in England but in the US, it is acceptable. This leaves judges and others who are not familiar…
Breed Type. You should know it when you see it. Richard Beauchamp put it this way Breed type is such an elusive thing It is something that cant be taught but it can be learned. Even when type is present to the fullest, one person may see it and the person next to him may…
The muzzle should start wide and deep. The depth is achieved by a powerful underjaw which can be compared to a familiar object. Make a fist of your hand and look at the shape produced when you look at the thumbside by the second joint of the first finger down to the back of the…
Imagine a class of fifteen dogs entering the ring. Twelve are similar. Three are different. Those who do not fit in are excused in the cut. The other twelve are again judged. Puzzled, observers question why outstanding individuals walked. Does being different translate as being incorrect to the standard? Why does a judge choose from…
Owing to the different angles of the spines of the vertebrae from the withers to the tail, it will be seen that the top-line could never be absolutely level. Obviously, since the spinal processes are in four distinct areas and in each area they incline in different directions, where they do meet there has …