What Good Dog Breeders Do

I’ll return to my ‘regular’ blog subjects next week, but I see from my stats that many people come to this blog from what I’ve blogged about dogs. Those blogs get shared a lot. I have about 200 regular subscribers, but many of the posts have been shared hundreds of times.

I started blogging because I loved dogs enough to learn about them, but a guy (Dan London, out of business for years, & who thinks integrity is a character flaw—like Trump) tried to make my life hell because I refused to work for him—& give him credibility he didn’t deserve. Beware of dog businesses where they address how much their employees ‘love dogs‘ but have never trained a dog to off-leash reliability, have never brushed their own dog, and think ‘breeds’ don’t matter.

There is some confusion among alleged pet lovers: this is the 21st century. there are no ‘accidental’ breedings—just irresponsible pet owners who refuse to manage their pets’ fertility…& they seem to think that the rest of us who are responsible should bail them out. Sort of like people who feel children are a gift from God, but can’t take care of them, so we must morally take care of those kids.

That said, “I’m not a breeder, my dog just had puppies,” is not an excuse or explanation for NOT taking responsibility. If you can’t manage your pet’s fertility, your should be neutered. Yet, the ADOPT DON’T SHOP crowd blames breeders NOT causing the problem of surplus pets—-& tries to guilt the rest of us into solving a problem we haven’t caused. How is that working?

This is what breeders who love their dogs do:

First, when planning the breeding, they do all known genetic and health testing of the breeding dogs. Even when doing this, sometimes dogs are born with genetic defects. I have friends who breed Golden Retrievers, and they have at least 3 generations of dogs that are OFA (CERF) (that means the dogs have had their hips xrayed, fair, normal, or excellent), yet still, when their offspring pups are xrayed at 2 years of age, some have a form of hip dysplasia, It happens. Same with deafness (BAER tests) and Juvenile Cataracts (dogs developing cataracts before age 3). If you love dogs, you want to avoid breeding dogs that will be disabled.

Once the pups are born, they are raised in a normal ‘noisy’ environment, where they get to hear sounds of regular life. After all are accounted for, the breeder checks for cleft palates and missing toes. These problems are more common in toy breed dogs (including designer mixes) and bracheocephalics, and usually humanely euthanized.

Those breeders trying to guilt you into taking a puppy with a cleft palate (which would need surgery) are unethical.

Breeders who love their dogs and puppies will have the litter on an absorbent, nonslip surface. Many use washable pads to avoid paper waste. They will also have what may be described as ‘crib toys’: items hanging down for puppies to interact with. Good breeders want their puppies curious and stimulated.

When the weaning process starts, breeders start cutting toenails and ‘stacking’ puppies individually on a table. Breeders do this not just to get the dogs used to being picked up and handled, but to get the dog used to being groomed. We call this ‘training’ BEHAVIOR SHAPING. Also, if they breed bracheocephalic dogs—especially the coated ones (Shih Tzu, Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons), they get the pup used to having their muzzle held while combing under the eyes. This is so important. If this isn’t done every day until the pup gets used to the grooming motions (the genetic reaction would be to flinch and move away, but this must be overcome), the groomers will not be able to do this without risking injury to the eyes, and the dog will have to be sedated for grooming.

Once the weaning process is underway or completed, breeders put collars on the puppies, and may have them drag a leash, or the breeder may take individual puppies around and coax them.

Once the pups have had their first shots (and wormed, if necessary), the pups can go to new homes, usually between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks. It’s important for puppies to learn to play and fight with their siblings. It’s a known fact that ‘singletons’ and dogs taken too young (under 8 weeks of age) often become unnaturally aggressive towards other dogs.

The breeder should ask you if you own or rent your home, and ask for proof. Animal shelters know one major reason they get dogs back is, “Landlord won’t allow.” Chicago Animal Care & Control—our open admissions CITY DOG POUND —-asks to see a signed lease and they call the landlord as well. I’m shocked at how many pet buyers never consider any of this. Many breeders will ask how long the puppy will be alone during the day, or what arrangements you’ve made for a dog walker. Some will suggest dog daycare. I discourage daycare for a puppy under 8 months old, Why? Most dog daycares are not run by people with ‘dog experience’ : that is—by people who’ve worked in kennels as well as trained dogs, & recognize dog behavior. Loving dogs is not enough. I’ve worked for several businesses that put young puppies with mature toy dogs, ‘because they’re all small’. What happens is that the older dogs bully the puppies. This also makes aggressive dogs.

The breeder will also suggest a crate and why crate training is so important (if your dog is sick or injured, it will be in a crate at the animal hospital—& the dog is always safer in the car in a crate)

If the breeder is selling coated dogs (shedders and nonshedders), she will show you how to brush the dog, and explain what grooming tools you will need and where to get them. I worked for an Afghan Hound breeder, the late Fredric Mark Alderman. He didn’t sell you a puppy if you had never had an Afghan until you spent an afternoon grooming dogs with him. He didn’t want to hear that you had no idea how long it took, or how often it needed to be done, or that you needed a grooming table and a stand dryer.

A breeder who loves their dogs will give you written feeding, grooming, and housebreaking instructions, as well as a pedigree. They will have you sign a contract that says that if you can’t keep the dog, you will return it to them. Keep in mind, everyone wants a puppy. As they mature, they go down in value, not up…unless your dog matures to be a show dog.

A responsible shelter or rescue would also give you care instructions.

This is the 21st century. It’s easy enough to get pet care information. However, it’s a free country. You don’t have to control your impulses or pocketbook. However, if you really are concerned about dogs ending up in shelters, don’t buy or take a puppy from a dog owner who tells you the litter was an accident. that’s not your problem.

I Love Dolly Parton. However…..

I was going to do a book review, but last night I watched Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on CBS, and, having worked with dogs (for almost 60 years…Yikes!), it was the train wreck I could not ignore, I guess I could go online & find out which idiots were responsible for producing this, but it doesn’t really matter. They weren’t dog lovers, that’s for sure!
Dolly—& the entertainers who performed—- were marvelous. I liked the vignette she did on dogs trained to help the physically disabled (they were from Canine Companions for Independence, a well known nonprofit which supplies trained dogs for free to those who need them),

This show could have been so much better without the dog fashion show. You know, capitalism doesn’t exist to meet needs—-it creates ‘wants’. you see it, you want it.

I have owned sighthounds for over 40 years, and unless we have a measurable windchill, my Salukis and Whippets (& now, a lurcher who looks sorta like a Greyhound) go out without coats. They have never shivered. A sweater is a fashion statement, If they need coats (we fanciers tend to call them ‘blankets’—like racing dogs wear). we buy garments to protect them from the chill.

It was sad to see so many obviously stressed out dogs dressed up in glorified doll clothes. Clothes made of satin and lace, with embellishment doodads. All these ‘garments’ would need professional dry-cleaning—using poisonous chemicals….but who thinks of that? I know, I’m a curmudgeon. Chemicals? Seriously? Yes.

You could see by their expressions and body language that these were not ‘happy’ dogs that had confidence. Even the dogs ‘cuddled’ in the audience were overwhelmed. You could tell that (for the most part) these were not ‘show dogs’.

Why do I even mention showdogs? Because dogs that are used to being ‘shown’ are used to strange situations, smells, and noises. If you’ve never been to a dog show, go! The noise you’ll hear will be from blow dryers (I kid you not) being used by obsessive people grooming at the show. You won’t, for the most part, hear barking. It’s funny going to an obedience or other performance trial, seeing the rows of crates & dogs lining up to go into the ring…no noise.

I saw a Pumi (the ears gave the breed away), a Saluki (wearing a ridiculous outfit), what I thought was a Barbet (not wearing clothes, but brushed out, big, black, and wide, that I’m sure was being mistaken for a Doodle of some sort). I saw Asian Fusion trims on Maltese & Yorkies. None of these dogs looked like they were having a good time, In 1 segment when someone was reading, and all the dogs were on mats ( down/stays—in obedience talk), the Afghan got up and walked off the stage. The other dogs held their stays, but I’m sure the Afghan had had enough.

I’m sure most people thought all these dogs were cute, and might have learned something. They were entertained by humans, but it could have been so much better. A trainer could have done a bit on teaching off leash walking, or directing a dog to go away to a target. They could have shown barn hunt, water eetrieving, explained dock diving and scentwork. They could have done something on agility, and lure coursing, They could have given a grooming demonstration showing all the different brushes, combs, and what works on different types of coats! Sure, they can do it again—but will they insist on the dog fashion show?

I know, I’m not their market. Older teenagers and college girls are the ones buying dog dresses. I’m sure their are no college loans. They won’t be going out drinking instead of saving money for a home. Thinking about that is merely irritating. Thinking these women thought the dogs were having fun because their owners are into fashion or pseudo fashion? This is how things fall apart.

Color Linked Personality Traits in Dogs

When I started this blog over 10 years ago, I was a dog groomer. I’ve addressed this before, but when I started learning to groom dogs, in the late 1960s (as a teenager) EVERYONE involved in grooming and training dogs was a DOG PERSON: Meaning everyone was a competitor, or worked for a competition, They all knew the value of learning about breeds, breed/dog structure, animal behavior and husbandry, genetics, and doing our best to understand dogs.

Things have changed. Many of the ‘old timers’ have died and now I am an old timer. The pet industry got a bit more sophisticated about marketing goods, animals, and services, and got less ethical as time went on. The ‘fancy’—as we call ourselves—is small. Are there even 10,000 of us in the USA?

I’m a member of 4 dog clubs, and I’m, sure the average age of our membership is 60. All that indigenous knowledge will be forgotten. Many of the breeders will be forgotten.

I learned about dogs not just from mentors, but from experience. One thing I learned from PAYING ATTENTION was that in many breeds, dogs of certain colors may behave aberrantly. 

I worked for t one of the top Miniature Schnauzer breeders in the country. Miniatur Schnauzers only come in 3 colors: black, black & silver, & salt* peper, Those mostly white with party patches (& blue eyes)? No matter what those AKC papers say, there is no way those dogs can be purebred. But that isn’t the issues I’m addressing, The breeder, for a time, had several black & silver bitches. gorgeous dogs. She had bought them to include into her breeding program, but ended up selling the, She told me they were way more hyperactive than the others, and screamers. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but my sister recently bought black & silver Min. Schnauzer…and it’s true. He’s very hyoperactive and noisy.

I was working in a grooming shop in the early 2000s, and I had several clients with Tibetan Terriers. They come in as many colors as Lhasa Apsos. ”Lion color” in s ; popular (a black masked reddish/fawn. But so are black & white parti-colored Tibetans, and they were all more nervous and noisy int eh shop than the Tibetans of other colors.

I was working for a German Shorthaired Pointer breeder who was also a field trial judge. He was telling us about a client who had a black Labrador Retriever that died, and now she wanted a chocolate Lab. He told us he tried to talk her out of it, for the very reason they were all much more hyper active than the blacks and yellos. It was the reason few regular hunters wanted them.

I was telling all this to a French Bulldog fancier who compete in performance, and she remarked at how interesting that was.  She told me that if you wanted a performance Frenchie, you should get a fawn or brindle, that the parti0coloreds & piebalds didn’t have any attention span.

I am sure this color linked personality has to be true in other breeders, but I don’t have enough experience with that many.

What I do have experience with is designer dogs—the Doodles. Only breeders who breed pets as livestock are breeding mixes, and the irony is thay pull that “F1″ BS, as thouhg theyknow what they’re talking aobut, They know neighter genetics or statistical odds.

I’m Not a Breeder—My (pet) Just Had Babies: It’s a Miracle (of Greed)

Lies Dog Breeders Tell

The irony of this: notice all the ‘ads’ for puppies! Just exactly what this post warns about….

Venus: Eulogizing a Dog

I’ve worked in the pet industry virtually all my working career. I’ve worked for several imbeciles who’ve told me how many dogs they’ve owned, as if quantity proves you’re a dog lover.

We recently euthanized Venus, Yes, it was sad, but as I told friends, the real sadness was knowing that the end was near.

I turn 70 in a few months. ‘My’ 1st dog (that I was responsible for) was Khyber, a black Afghan. What a pedigree…but he was proof that you don’t breed pedigrees…you breed dogs. He was very loyal. He was the first dog I seriously trained. he was good, but i didn’t have the confidence to compete with him: i didn’t know how he’d be off-leash. in fact, when we started training, i was 13, and so many people tried to discourage me, nobody trained an Afghan! That’s what i was told. But my father and I couldn’t imagine why not. this was the late 1960’s.

Unfortunately, he died at age 9: he had a heart attack, so I had him euthanized, and I had an autopsy done, as he had always vomited bile. Turned out he had undiagnosed pancreatitis. 50 years ago, it was almost impossible to diagnose without a biopsy, and even then, there wasn’t really a treatment. However, it is still somewhat common in Afghans,

I got Aswan from Wally Pede when I moved out of my parents home. Another dog with a spectacular pedigree, but who didn’t mature to my tastes. She was to be my foundation, but I chose her (or rather, Wally chose her for me) too young, and she never developed a brisket, had an east-west front, and a very plain head…& no coat pattern. I ended up having her spayed. Still, I put a CD on her (novice obedience title), trained her for Open (jumps & retrieves), but she could never be counted on to do everything on one command. I couldn’t afford the entry fees if she was going to ham it up for applause. She became an ASFA field champion, and was a joy to watch run. She had a gorgeous silky strawberry blond coat. She was a very good dog once I trained her & lived to be almost 15. She became blind, deaf, incontinent the last couple of months of her life, and I knew the end was near, so I euthanized her. This was about 1987.

My husband didn’t want another Afghan after Khyber died, so I got Bari. Another dog with an exciting pedigree, but who also didn’t mature; no brisket, and flying ears. I put a C.D. and Field Championship on him. He was a very sweet dog, but Aswan was a roughneck with him. When I went into Peace Corps (after being divorced and finishing grad school…), several friends wanted him because he was very well behaved. He live to see me return, but his last few months, I could tell he was uncomfortable. When he started vomiting and couldn’t keep food down, I euthanized him at age 14.

During this time, I was involved in Afghan rescue, and ultimately left the Afghan Hound Club of Greater Chicago. This was the mid 1970’s, and no breeders supported rescue. The only club member who was a breeder who supported rescue was Fredric Alderman, and that was because he did an extremely good job of screening potential buyers. The rest of the club members who were breeding mocked me. I got Bali from Chicago Animal Care & Control, from the old facility, which was horrible,. I had been alerted by an employee there. She was in awful shape, down to 28 pounds when I got her. She vomited tinfoil and bottle caps for a few days, and I had to shave her—even her ears. I placed her, but she kept escaping, and finally the person I placed her with asked me to keep her. I have no idea how old she was: over 6—younger than 10. She looked very Belden (bloodlines) She had hookworm disease, and when she started hemorhaging, I euthanized her, but she was so loyal while I had her.

I wanted to consider a larger sighthound, after Bari died, and I called Jayne Harpling (Al Talat), who I knew from lure-coursing, She was no longer breeding dogs, & she referred me to Bill & Cindy Brown, They remembered me from ASFA field trials. I told them that I didn’t want a puppy, and they called me back a few days later telling me they had too many male dogs, and would give me ‘Bari’ whose name I changed to Sadiq. They told me he had never been in the house alone, and my 4 years with him were fraught. He was never fully housebroken: no crate could contain him He loved me & my then roommate, but was very nervous, would steal anything he could reach (fruit from a hanging fruit basket), hated obedience training. and ultimately died of lymphoma (after I spent over $2000 trying to treat it).

I learned about Saluki Rescue Central, which was sort of an ad hoc group formed by the Huron Valley Saluki Club, and there were no Salukis in rescue, but I was referred to a breeder who had kept 2 young males, both over a year old. I drove with my roommate, Melvin, to Fennville Michigan and Nancy (den Hollander) Badra gave me Dazzle.

Nancy didn’t think Dazzle was show quality, but after seeing other Salukis around me, when he was mature, I felt he was, so she said go show him. He finished quickly, We had trouble finding majors, but he got them when he was shown (usually Best of Winners over bitches—where the majors were). I didn’t spend $500 showing him to his title. We tried lure-coursing, but he got disqualified for ‘playful interference’, endearing me (as you can imagine) to all the other people running Salukis. So that was the end of that. He also didn’t like being in a class with common dogs, so we didn’t do obedience, but he was so naturally well-behaved. An anomaly! He was with me 14 years and seemed fine until one day he couldn’t stand. I knew it was the end, even though he showed no other signs of illness or pain. When I had had Dazzle about a year, Whippet Rescue (this was a forerunner to WRAP) called and asked if I’d take a young male. I had been on the waiting list for 4 years! His owner had died, and the person fostering would keep him, but the dog & her bitch played too hard & the bitch wasn’t healing from an injury. I said I’d take him if he got along with Dazzle. We called him BeBop. As soon as he walked in, he walked under Dazzle, a sign of dominance, but they got along fine. Bop was a calming influence on Dazzle, who was also a bit nervous.

Bop lived to be 14, and this was a sad time for me because by this time, Kunihiro was living with me, and he had never lived with dogs. Bop slept with him, and he didn’t want me to euthanize Bop. Bop fell down the stairs one night, and although he seemed ok, he wasn’t. The next day, I returned home from work and found him collapsed in the kitchen laying in a pool of urine. I said it had to be done. By this time, we had been lucky to find Dash.

I put the word out that I was looking for another Whippet.

Dash, who we got from Sarah Shakespeare & Linda Larsen, was returned to them for chasing the cat! Although he and Bop didn’t play a lot, they did play. I managed to put Beginner Novice, CGC, and Rally Excellent title on Dash. We started lure coursing, but he broke his leg in a freak accident (he stepped on a deflector), and that was the end of that. Linda referred me to an excellent veterinarian, and Kunihiro paid at least half the bill—which was very high. Just before COVID, Dash seemed to be dying. We knew he had a heart murmur, but nothing else was showing up. After a few weeks of back & forth with the Vet, and COVID complicating everything, we brought him to be euthanized. Again, Kunihiro asked the vet if nothing could be done. After he died, about a quart of liquid spilled from his lungs.

We had gotten Venus a few months after Bebop died. She was originally named Tosca. She was returned to her breeder, Sally Long, at age 7 due to a crisis her owner faced. Just by networking with other Whippet fanciers, I learned about her, and picked her up at the American Whippet Club Specialty outside Milwaukee in 2008.

Venus adjusted quickly, but aside from being housebroken and walking on a leash, she needed training, She was a nipper, and vocal when she got excited, but she bonded with Kunihiro quickly. I started training her in Rally, and within 3 years she had CGC and Rally Excellent titles. We were going for an RAE, which required 10 groups of 2 qualifying scores in 2 different classes at each trial. We got 3 groups of 2, but she started ‘NQing’ Rally Excellent, usually jumps. However, I had paid the entry fees and did the Advanced exercises. She had so many qualifying scores in Advanced that she was nationally ranked! We did a little WRA straight racing, but by this time she was a senior.

Both Venus and Dash were great hunters. Venus caught a rabbit 1 evening in the yard and ate it. The next day, her stool was filled with hundreds of wiggly black worms. Scary. I brought her next stool sample to the vet I worked for: nothing. Shed them all. Once I saw Dash grab a squirrel right off a tree. I have a friend who has trained dogs and thinks she knows animal behavior, and thinks it’s horrible that I ‘let’ them kill animals. It happens so fast. I was working at a very poorly run kennel that was in an old warehouse, and they both caught mice there all the time.

By this time, I agreed to foster a dog for WRAP. I had taken 1 dog, who initially seemed fine, but after a few days, he started bullying Dash, so I returned him and agreed to take Delilah.

The story I got, which was 3rd hand, was that she came from a hoarding situation.; maybe, but all the dogs they took (at least a dozen adult dogs) (& at least 2 litter of puppies) could walk on leashes and were housebroken. More: Delilah had been obedience trained. I realized this when I started taking her to classes (I am a member of Northshore Dog Training Club, so we’re always going to classes. $50 for a 6 week session for members). Also, it was clear, at least the 1st month we had her, she was looking for someone when I walked her around the neighborhood. She didn’t go willingly from whomever had her.

WRAP found a home for her, but Delilah just freaked out. She got into the car to leave me, but when they got her to the new home, she bolted. They chased her, she bit someone, but they got her back into the car, and they brought her back to me. Not what I had planned, but that’s how it was. She is extremely nervous, but she loved both Dash & Venus, it was clear. She continued to try to sleep next to Venus, but Venus wasn’t having it, By this time, Venus was old, and couldn’t take a rambunctious dog. We have no idea how old Delilah is. I’ve had her 5 years, so 6? 7? She won’t let me do her teeth, and I can’t pick her up without muzzling her.
Sally Long, Venus’s breeder, asked what happened with Venus, and the short answer is: she wore out. As old dogs do, she lost muscle mass. She didn’t have cataracts, buy opacies. Not unusual. Her hearing went. She was rickety, but I knew she still enjoyed her life, What she started doing on walks was sniffing a lot more. I usually don’t let my dogs sniff on walks, because it’s too easy to ingest ‘something’ Khyber got giardia from ingesting.

How do you know when it’s time? By knowing your dog, I tell my grooming clients that they’ll know: the dog will sleep a lot more, not want to go for walks, start pacing in the house—possibly end up stuck in a corner (a sure sign of dementia), but that wasn’t Venus, In the end, she stopped eating, and due to neuropathy in her legs, couldn’t stand.

Kunihiro, her buddy, was very broken up, Just three days before he bought latex boots and some nonslip rugs, He carried her up and down the stairs, but he knew.

My vet is ‘fear free’—so my dogs always liked going because they got cheese and that Henry Shein soft-moist fudgy fake meat. Venus had a peaceful death with us with her at the very end.

Have I really owned that many dogs? I don’t think so. It’s been important to me to have a personal relationship with my dogs. At 1 time, I wanted to own a kennel, but those days are gone. Perhaps if I had married well, things might have been different, but I learned from my dogs and from having a wonderful roommate (over 20 years with Kunihiro), it’s better to have reliable than drama and disrespect.

I have loved teaching my dogs and competing with my dogs. I’ve met some really wonderful people from dog training and performance (which off set the imbeciles who wanted to be in the dog business but never bothered to learn anything about dogs, and disrespected me to the point of sabotaging the success of their businesses).

Now. I’m retired. No more drama. We will begin searching for another dog to keep Delilah company in a few weeks.

Fake Service Dogs

I got myself banned recently from a Facebook feed because I dared to tell a woman her ‘Emotional Support Animal’ is NOT A SERVICE DOG,–& that a shrink bamboozled her.

Ok, I went too far: i shouldn’t have told her a license psychologist was a fraud—but here we are: a lot of them are pandering, writing letters on letterhead, so they look official. These ‘care givers’ know nothing about dog training, but are pandering to neurotics who want pets & want to be treated as though they are special.

Some service dogs DO provide ’emotional support’—like to victims of PTSD, but they often do it in a physical way: by leaning, by guiding, by standing between their owner and someone they don’t trust. They are trained to do that. You can’t train just any dog to be a service dog, There are evaluating tests dog trainers use to determine which dogs are possibly suitable. Because—even after evaluation and training, some dogs just don’t cut it. They are usually given away as pets.

‘Emotional Support Animals’ are not given any training. In fact, neurotics are allowed to buy any dog they want and claim the dog provides a service of emotional support.

Because there is so much confusion CAUSED BY UNETHICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, there are guidelines for how to determine what a service dog does to provide service, and we are allowed to ask, “What service does this dog provide?” Some sense seizures coming on. Some guide the blind or alert the deaf. Some pull wheelchairs. Years ago, I had a friend with cerebral palsy. She didn’t need a wheelchair, but she was definitely spastic and unsteady on her feet. By a miracle, she acquired an Afghan Hound who recognized his owner’s issues, and he was her ‘steadier’. This was before anyone even thought that dogs could do this.

In the case where I offended the woman and the site administrators, the woman wanted to go on a cruise with her ‘ESA’ and the cruise line wouldn’t allow it, and she wondered how to get around this because she could not leave the dog alone! Seems that she made the dog neurotic and the dog now had separation anxiety! Some service dog!

I know a lot of dog trainers because dog training is my hobby, and they get calls all the time from people who’ve bought a random dog and want the dog trained to be an Emotional Support Dog—which they are confusing with a service dog. There’s less than a 50/50 chance that the random dog can be a service dog—but here’s how you get an emotional support animal that will protect you and not be a menace to society: You train the dog.

If you’ve never trained a dog, we start with what we call basic ‘novice’ obedience. The dog learns to walk on a leash without pulling, and to sit. We also teach the dog to come when called, stand, lay down. and ignore other dogs. If you have trained a dog to off leash reliability, you might want to start with a rally class, as it’s more interesting and fun. No matter where you start, you want to teach your dog the basics. This takes patience and persistence. The interesting thing is that by attempting to communicate with the dog, and succeeding, you’re creating an emotional bond with the dog, You get a trained dog, YOU gain confidence, your mind is off your grief or other emotional issues, and everyone’s happy.

And—-to prove you’ve trained the dog—-get a Canine Good Citizen certificate. You can google this—& where a local evaluator is. 1 test. Takes about an hour, and the dog doesn’t ohave to be purebred. You’ve proved you have control at least on a leash. If you’re ambitions, you can go for a ‘Rally Novice’ and /or Beginner Novice title. You go to AKC trials. Some clubs offer 2 chances in a day (you just need 3 qualifying scores), you get a certificate from the AKC, & you’ve proven onleash control.

And Then There Were None: What Happened to Miniature Schnauzers—& many Pure Breeds You Used to See All Over

I hope that you’ll click on these links :https://zwerg-schnauzer.info/dog.php?screen=1&userif=1&id=6896 This dog is Ch. Helarry’s Dark Victory, shown by Larry Downey. He was born in 1958. Lovely dog. Notice the furnishing on his legs.

I googled Barclay Square—a bloodline developed by Dale Miller who bred dogs for over 60 years . Some of her dogs’ pedigrees show up , but no photos of her dogs. I also Googled Blythewood, Joan Huber’s commercial kennel. Joan was accused of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and her dogs were confiscated by a government pound until the accusation was sorted out. Yes, she cropped her dogs’ ears. Her first husband was a veterinarian, and many breeders paid her to ‘do ears’ because she wouldn’t butcher them. Unfortunately, she had the audacity to do it in front of recently hired kennel help , girls who were out to get her because she did, indeed, breed pets as livestock. The difference was, she bred good dogs, had an excellent reputation among her fellow Miniature Schnauzer breeders, and would take a dog back if it didn’t work out. Everyone knew this.

Well, what got the breed really, in the end, is that they went from having coats like Ch. Helarry’s Dark Victory to having way too much undercoat, having a coat you could not ‘roll’, and being almost impossible to get into show coat for more than 10 weeks at a time, You don’t see Min. Schnauzers winning best in shows these days, Not because they aren’t good, but because too few fanciers can afford to campaign a dog, and again, the coat.

You hardly ever see a Rough Collie (“Lassie”) anymore. Besides shedding a lot, genetic issues and backyard breeders have done them in. St. Bernards? Well, how many people can afford to feed a dog that large? Plus, eye problems, genetic deafness, hip dysplasia. Most people who want a giant breed go for Great Danes (which also have so many genetic issues). Cocker Spaniels: eye, ear, skin, and other genetic health issues. Even the so-called ‘well-bred’ ones. The breeders are in denial. It’s no mystery how Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have become more popular.

Why aren’t purebred Poodles more popular? They wer the number 1 breed in the 1960s. Oh sure: paying for grooming. the people who use them to breed Doodles are liars and claim they don’t shed. Well, if you keep them shaved short enough, they probably don’t. But if you don’t want your Poodle to be in a traditional trim, TELL YOUR DOG GROOMER! I’m sure many people who buy Doodles would really rather have a Purebred Poodle, or Portuguese or Spanish Water Dog—-but the breeders of those breeds are pickier about who they sell to.

It’s expensive to raise good, healthy dogs, and the older hobby breeders are dying, Their kids want nothing to do with it. That means fewer dogs of pure brees, and smaller gene pools. If you don’t think that’s a problem… just wait.

My CV

I don’t have one. Nor do I have a resume anymore. When I got my last job working for Rob Engelking at King’s Kennels in Riverwoods, Illinois, I knew that would be my last job. In fact, it was my dream job, for so many reasons. Logistically, I could get the 20 miles to the kennel in half the time it took me to get downtown, where the job I had before that (at K9 University) was. At King’s, I could park in the parking lot and not have to drive around looking for a place to park.

Then, the grooming room—in fact the whole kennel—was wonderful: safe, clean, and had every piece of equipment a dog groomer could want. More, the Engelkings had a reputation among people showing dogs. Certainly, we groomed a lot of pet dogs, but we had a high percentage of dogs being shown or retired from the ring, and of course, they were all well behaved. Also, Rob was the best boss ever. He knew dogs. He knew what we could do and what we couldn’t. He had a great sense of humor, and he respected me.

If you were to look at my resume, you’d laugh. This is the blurb I send out when I submit short stories to journals and they want a bio:

Robyn is a retired dog groomer who has titled dogs  in performance and conformation. She also has placed in grooming contests. She didn’t go to college until she was 30, and  took CLEP exams to avoid prerequisites. She has degreesin anthropology with concentrations in African & Indian studies, and a master’s in urban planning. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. Most of her published writing has been nonfiction in pet industry magazines, though she has published fiction stories. Most recently her essay, “On the Water,” was included in the SCARS anthology for 2022.  She has Asperger’s and sees the world from the perspective of a visitor from another planet.

I went to the New York School of Dog Grooming in Chicago in 1970, where I learned basic Poodle grooming five days a week. I then got several short term jobs until I graduated high school, the last one at Becker Animal Hospital in Northfield, assisting poodle groomer Mimi Colman. Then I moved to Milwaukee, took a short term job also grooming for a mom & pop until a friend saw an ad for a groomer way across town for Jo-Kor’s Klippette. Joan Fredericksen, the owner, was a member of the Waukesha Kennel Club, and through her, I met some amazing people, including Charlie Prager, the breeder of the Center Ridge Bedlingtons & inventor of the first portable dog grooming table and stand dryer. I learned to groom terriers so they didn’t look like Cocker Spaniels.

When Joan sold the business about two years later, I moved back to Chicago, in winter.I ultimately got a job assisting Jan Condurso at The Collar & Leash. Her parents raised Bedlingtons, Poodles, and Boxers. She learned to groom Bedlingtons from Jack Funk. I was there about two years making good money when we had the first oil embargo, and business slowed to almost nonexistant.

Then I got a job working for Jocelyn Slatin, who had Jamboree Airedales. I loved that job, but she also planned to move. About that time, I knew of fellow dog fanciers who had a business out in Schaumburg, Illinois, who wanted to sell their business. My parents lent me the money and I bought Reigning Cats & Dogs. I thought my husband and I would move out there, but that never worked out. He got into law school and we got divorced. I was very demoralized, and sold the business, and went to Arizona and worked for Jocelyn, who had moved to Prescott, Arizona. When I got back, I took a part time job grooming, but got hired as a Project Manager for Literacy Volunteers of Chicago, setting up ESL training sites. We were very successful, but I was a ‘VISTA VOLUNTEER’. I got insurance, but the pay was terrible, so I had to keep grooming dogs part time.

I spent several years as an independent contractor, going to a bunch of different shops, piecing jobs together. So many microbusinesses that the owners either sold or shut down. I shlepped out to Naperville (40 miles from home) several days a week for two years. worked as a dog trainer, training people to train their dogs, going from Zion up north to Flossmoor south, and west to Elgin. Lots of driving. Then, in 1985, at the age of 30, I went on an African safari, and it change my life.I quit the dog training job, went to college while I groomed dogs part-time, at Shear Comfort in Skokie, and for a while (until i couldn’t take the lax management & noise) Critter Cleaners out on Harlem. I also learned I had Asberger’s. Suddently, between anthropology & this diagnosis, my life made sense.

I was a research assistant for the two years I was in grad school, and then there were no jobs again. I took a job at the Velvet Bow in Hinsdale, but quickly got a Peace Corps assignment in Malawi, as a Town Planner. I returned, still no jobs. I took a job for Women’s Self-Employment Project when Connie Evans (a woman who had never owned a business) was the Executive Director. That was 1 of my worst jobs. Our program was based on the Grameen Bank model, which works in Bangladesh, where women are illiterate and not mobile. Not so much in Chicago, where you can borrow money, move a block away, and disappear. Connie really had no idea how we got women into our programs. I got Plantars Fascitis from ‘pounding the pavement’ looking for women who had business ideas. From the very start, I was lied to about how much I would be paid, and ultimately they wanted me to train my next boss. What an insult!I got a job with Grooming by Gerri which was great, but I was offered an opportunity for a job with….BENEFITS!!!

The Chicago Christian Industrial League had a resale store that grossed about $300 a day in quarters! The CFO wanted to know why we weren’t making more. He hired me to be a manager, even though the two people managing, Calvin Franklin & Sally Ross, knew what the problem was. Within a week, I could tell as well. Not to go into petty details—the organization’s land was worth more than their program, but from there, I worked for the Ark—a Jewish based social service agency where I was cheated out of health insurance due to lies and bad management. There was so much potential, but management was inept. I finally decided to return to grooming dogs.

I loved grooming dogs, but it’s so physically demanding. In 2000, I bought a business with the hope of ultimately buying a boarding kennel, but first, we had 9/11, and a big scandal with Arthur Andersen (which some of my clients worked for), and the Enron mess, and slowly, slowly, during the Dubya years, the economy got pretty bad and I could see the writing on the wall. I would have possibly stuck it out, but my core business was dogs that got groomed every week and every two weeks, and as those clients dogs’ died of old age, and the clients either lost jobs or their own clients. I just felt I had bought a job for myself. I tried finding a smaller space with less rent to move the business to, and I could not find a properly zoned building within five miles of my shop. I closed up and continued to work for other people.

I went back to work for Shear Comfort, now in Evanston. I took 2 weeks off to be a UN Volunteer in Bosnia & CY (the owner) practically had a fit. I worked for a PetCo, where I was really taken advantage of, and later for a Pet Supplies Plus. I also spent a very bad year on and off working for Jennifer Stavrianos at Pet Care Plus. That was almost surreal. Another business with so much potential owned by a woman who had never trained a dog and wouldn’t even bathe her own dogs.

I worked for a couple of animal hospitals that either had no practice manager, so nobody was in charge, or had a practice manager that didn’t care and I was put in either dangerous or no-win situations constantly (my ‘favorite’ was the year dog flu/kennel cough was rampant, and the veterinarians had no isolation kennels and put sick dogs in the grooming room).

I took a job with a business owned by a veterinary technician who promised to make the grooming area better and safer, and never did, and who trusted another groomer & didn’t realize that she didn’t have enough grooming clients for a viable business.

I was hoping things would work out at K9 University, as I really like Ruby Madrigal, but she also didn’t manage her own business and her staff didn’t know enough about dogs. The whole place was dangerous for so many reasons. They actually lost 3 dogs the year I was there—either during transport, or dogs that climbed out of kennels and ran away. They kept putting nonsocial dogs right outside the grooming area, stressing me and the grooming dogs with the barking.There was so much potential, but I just couldn’t do it anymore.

So, when a client told me that Rob was looking for a groomer, I called him. Then COVID, Also, we knew it would happen: he got an offer on the land, and the land was worth more than the kennel business…. due to life.

So now I’m retired. I’m not bored. I read, I write, and I irritate the scammers and unethical people selling baby animals on Craigslist. I collect books to send to schools in Africa, I travel, I train dogs. Even though I could hardly say I had a ‘career’, I planned well.

Delilah Got Lost

Several years ago,Ii took in a Whippet (she came from Whippet Rescue & Placement: WRAP) to foster. I really didn’t want to keep her as I already had 2 dogs & she was extremely large. I believe she’s about 25″ at the withers, but…she bonded to me quickly and was housebroken. We tried placing her once, and she panicked, so I agreed to pay her adoption fee and kept her.

The story I got was that she came from a hoarding situation. The ‘rescue’ took in 19 dogs including 2 litters of puppies, and we in Chicago got most of them. Funny thing…they were all housebroken and leash trained. I had taken a male, but he started bullying my other dogs, so I returned y him and agree to take Delilah.

Delilah didn’t seem to have any bad habits, but I noticed she was very dog aggrressive on the street (sometime being tethered to a human via the leash will do that, no matter what the breed). She was also definitely looking for someone. She had been bonded to someone, and I don’t think she was given up willingly…so I am now skeptical about rescue from hoarders unless the person conveying the dogs was actually involved in ‘rescue’.

People on s the street always ask about Greyhounds, “Is she a rescue?” Since my other dogs are definitely Whippets, and did not go through rescue, I tell people the truth—& and people need to know this: Ethical breeders who love their dogs take them back. My male was returned to his breeder for chasing the cat, and my tiny bitch was returned at age 7 because he owner suffered a medical crisis. Delilah, the ‘Grippet (she’s so tall, I think she might be a Greyhound/Whippet mix) was ‘rescued.

I’ve been taking her to dog training for a couple of years, and it’s obvious, someone had worked with her. She knows how to do everything. She can do an ‘about turn’ and a ‘finish’—which can be complicated to teach.The problem is that she’s unreliable. She’s a totally different dog in class than she is in the neighborhood.

Sometimes dogs take a dislike to other dogs and you don’t know why. I had 1 whippet who hated arctic breeds/dog with manes, Some dogs don’t like black dogs. Whatever: Delilah is fixed on small dogs.

Many Greyhound rescues will not give a dog to a family that has smaller dogs or small animals because they will chase & kill. When you take a rescue, that’s the chance you take—but at least Greyhound rescues are honest.

I went on an overseas trip a few weeks ago,and my roommate agreed to take care of the dogs. My tiny old bitch adores him,. You should see how she looks at him. Delilah? Will take food from him and even sleep on him or come up to him to have her chin scratched, but she often goes into the yard and won’t return if he’s standing at the door.

So it came to pass after I had been gone almost a week that Delilah escaped from the yard. We now know how: she had watched up flip the latch on the gate and kept trying herself until she got it open. She was not running AWAY. She was looking for ME.

My roommate messaged me on FB messenger, and I told him whom to contact (Lost Dog Illinois, Pawboots Alert, 311/Chicago Animal Care & Control, and to post on FB). Of course, I was sick at heart. I’ve only lost a dog once before, about 20 years ago when we were in the park and he got hit by a bicycle and took off. He was found several hours later, scared and in the bushes, but I thought I’d go out of my mind. Here I was across the ocean, and I just had to stay calm. A few hours later, I got a message from another friend asking me if I knew Delilah was loose! Someone had seen her a mile away from where we live,took a photo of her, posted on Chicago Northside Greyhounds on Facebook, and my friend, just scrolling through saw her, recognized her, & walked over to my house to get my roommate after contacting the group and the person who had her. In less than 3 hours she was back at home.

I am forever grateful to the care and concern of my fellow sighthound lovers who got her and took her in. Social media is not a waste of time. We are getting dogs returned to their owners.

How Did the Dog Get so Matted?

I am retired now, but as life goes on. I find more and more about dog ownership (I mean how other people are with their dogs) that irks me: 1. People using harnesses. Harnesses are designed for your dog to pull you. Even the no-pull harnesses don’t get the message to the dog that pulling isn’t right. For centuries, we’ve used collars, and dogs managed to not choke themselves. As modern dog trainers say, ‘The collar (harness) doesn’t train the dog, YOU train the dog.’ Harnesses on ‘non-shed’ dogs are particularly bad because they cause static which causes matting.

2. Worse? Flexis—retractable leashes. You have virtually no control of your dog on a Flexi. & why would you put a pinch collar on the dog if you plan to use a Flexi? It doesn’t make sense!

3. People who can’t go for a walk without their phones. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DO!!!! Your dog might eat something, or take a dislike to another dog, or—-some other oblivious person with a ‘friendly’ dog may be approaching you!

3. People who buy ‘non-shed’ dogs and believe they don’t have to brush their dogs.

A few years ago, a dog groomer published an article in a dog groomers’ magazine about teaching dog-owning clients—-particularly owners of dogs that the owners want to keep long haired— how to take care of their dogs at home between professional groomings.   We all know that whoever sold them the dog should have shown the new owner the right tools and techniques to care for their new pet.  We just have to assume, however, that there are so few ethical hobby breeders left, that it falls to us groomers to help our clients be move nurturing pet parents.

I hate dematting dogs…. hate hate hate it!.  It’s one thing to dematt a dog changing coats, who has been taught to lie down and relax, so you are not pulling on the skin, just the hair.  It’s quite another to pander to the clueless dog owners who are in denial about the type of coat care their dog needs to be the length and condition they want to maintain.

Do we all understand why the coat gets matted?  It is the dynamic of the ‘dryness’ of the coat, with moisture, dirt, and static electricity.  Briefly, the coat is untouched, but the dog lives on earth. Earth is dirty.  Stuff floats in the air (let alone what’s on the ground, where the dog mostly is).  Just plain old environmental particulate matter. Then, relative humidity…even dew on the grass. Finally, static. Not necessarily enough to give you a shock, but enough to rub against the cuticle of the hair, opening it up, and all those hairs with opened up cuticles float and stick to each other, the cuticle closes, voila!  Matts.

The only excuse for not informing the dog owner about why this happens, and that the interval between groomings is too long, is not having a relationship with the customer.  I know many won’t care, but most love their dogs and want to do the right thing.  They either have to brush the dog at home, with the proper brush and technique, or pay you to do it, at the right interval.

In the late 1990s and the early part of this century, I had over 100 regular clients with Bearded Collies, Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers (in way too long coat), Afghan Hounds, and Pulik.  I now have 4. What happened?  All my clients did what needed to be done, but as those dogs died of old age, the owners were honest about their finances and personal limitations, and those who got another dog, got: Frenchies, Pit Bulls, Boxers, short-haired mixes, and one former Afghan Hound owner got a smooth Saluki.  What kind of dog owners continue to acquire non-shed dogs which are always matted?  The ones with whom you are not honest.

I worked for a business that catered to elites, and they are having to address this because we are dematting way too many dogs that end up with skin problems. It is taking us too long and costing us too much money.  I won’t go into how this culture developed, but you can guess if you, too, spend too much time dematting the same dogs over and over.

How did they get so matted besides the interval between professional groomings being too long?

The ear fringes:  This happens because you are responding to the owner wanting the ears shorter.  We get the ‘Buster Brown’ blunt cut.  What happens is that the short hair at the tips of the ear leather weaves into the longer hairs, as it grows. Solution?  Try a  C or E attachment on the whole ear, so all the hair grows at the same time…and/or trim the entire ear to the leather (like a Portie).  This is also why you get a matted ‘false skirt’:  the short hair you cut off weaved into the skirt fringe.  A better solution is to make the whole skirt shorter (as an aside…why does a pet dog that is never brushed and  walking  through stuff need more hair than a show dog?)

Around shoulders/neck/armpits:  The dog wears a harness.  The harness causes friction as the dog walks. Solution:  Martingale collar.  It will not choke the dog and only tightens as the dog pulls.  Otherwise, it is loose. The owner has more control of the dog, too.

Matted at the skin, but looks fine:  Everyone’s favorite.  The dog is not brushed often enough, the owner uses the wrong brush or wrong technique. Solution:  offer to show the owner what tools you use, and suggest a system: I start at the rear leg and work my way up and to the front of the dog on 1 side, then do the other side.  & the owner may need more than a brush. They may need a rake, and anti-static.  Sometimes it is too dry in the home, or the dog is on carpet.

Topline:  Dog walks under furniture.  Or, people are scratching/petting the dog.

Only the rear end of the dog (usually at least 2 dogs in the household).  No delicate way to put this. One dog is humping the other.  It could be love, could be stress.  This is why I suggest obedience training, The dog may never actually get trained, but the interaction the owner has with the dog often helps alleviate stress, and it really helps if there is more than 1 dog and the whole family gets involved.

Finally, because people want pets, they don’t understand that the dog bred to be a pet may have a less than perfect coat texture, and certainly, you never know what kind of coat you are getting with a designer dog.  Nobody’s at fault here, except the breeders breeding for the market.  This is one of the reasons many of us buy dogs from hobby breeders.