Not in Joanne Spencer’s league but I do belong to a photography club and have an interest in photography.
And this is one of my favourite pixs.
Both dogs are Bouvier Des Flandres.
- The swimmers
Light is always important for a photographer. And to be creative, lighting should be unusual.
This is very early morning back light.
Tags: dog photography
For several years, Joanne has been going to dog shows and provides an excellent service for the competitors who wish to buy pix. of their dogs at these shows. It is not an easy task, as the camera does not always show us what we would like to see. (But it is like the mirror, it don’t lie!!!)
My opinion, a good dog with a “good structure” can normally walk into a show pose. The judges must watch with interest and maybe amusement at the handlers that have to constantly fiddle with the front feet and hindquarters. A “good” dog gaiting does not cross its feet, and in most breeds is expected to keep a straight top line.
Joanne takes the pixs. of the dogs set up, standing naturally and in movement. The movement part is always harder but, in my opinion, she does a great job. She has also taken very good agiiity pix. where movement is very fast.
This is several years now, she has supported the show dog community. It takes a lot of effort and patience to photograph animals.
She does a full range of photography services, which would include sports, weddings, special events, families. especially pix. of children.
American Bulldog - puppy
This American Bulldog, imported from the United Kingdom, is 9 months old and his owner told me that he weighs 90 lbs. already.
The American Bulldog would fall under the Mastiff group. It is considered a “rare” breed and is not yet recognised by The American Kennel Club for registration of its litters and for conformaiton shows. However, the breed has several clubs where they hold their own shows. And keep their own registration of litters.
It is a strong breed which, besides performing functions of guarding, tracking, hunting, may also be used in weight pulling competitions.
The one I saw out walking with his master was very friendly and approachable.
Next year should introduce The Kennel Club’s new breed standards. Breed clubs, councils in the UK, have been having meetings and should reply to the proposals for changes in their individual standards by the end of this year.
The breeds which I know are in Barbados and could be affected by a change in standard are:
Hounds
Rhodesian Ridgebacks – Characteristics
Gundogs
Labrador Retriever – Characteristics, body
American Cocker Spaniel – Eyes
Terriers
Bull Terrier – Eyes
Fox Terrier – Eyes
Utility
Akita – Temperament, Hindquarters, Dew Claws
Shiz Tzu – General Appearance, hind quarters, feet, coat
Working
Bouvier Des Flandres – Head, dew claws
Bullmastiff – Head
Dobermann – Dew claws, tail
Dogue de Bordeaux – Head, mouth, neck, body, coat, tail, colour and gait
Mastiff – General appearance, characteristics, temperament, head, eyes, forequarters, body, hindquarters, feet, gait, coat, colour.
Neapolitan Mastiff – Characteristics, head, eyes, neck, body, hindquarters, dewclaws.
Rottweiler – Dew claws
Pastoral (Working group here)
German Shepherd Dogs – Forequarters, hindquarters, body, dew claws, gait
Toys
Papillon – Forequarters, dew claws
The standards under which the Barbados dogs are judged are owned by The Kennel Club and the judges who come down here are the UK judges who should be aware of the standard changes and judge accordingly. The new standards would be published on The Kennel Club’s web site.
Best of Breed Rottweiler BKC\’s show October 2008
A brief video of Cia Von der Hansestadt Bremen in the show ring.
As most of our puppies still come in from the UK, certain breeds which would have been docked in the past, like Rotts, Dobes, Boxers, are coming down with their tails. This is because it is now illegal for the tails of most breeds to be docked in the UK and most of Europe.
I personally know of puppies which have been imported from the UK and the owners here have taken them to a vet and had the tail docked as they prefer the appearance of a docked specimen. One of the puppies I know of, had its tail docked as late as 16 weeks – sounds more like an amputation to me.
But some of the breeders here are leaving the tails on their puppies, the Rottweiler being an example.
The video above is of an imported Rottweiler who came in with her tail. To me, the tail on a Rott. does not look bad and in some people’s opinion, it will give the dog a better balance.
So it will interesting to see what the breeders here do. I suspect most of them will continue to dock the tail and hope that no such legislation comes to Barbados.
Tags: Rottweiler with tail
Top UK Agility Winner
Kathrin Tasker provided me with this pix. of her winning dog, Chi Qui. He’s a young dog, just over 2 years old. She said he did a clear run in the morning which put them into 3rd position in the semi finals and then they did a top performance in the afternoon, to emerge the overall winners.
Agility is a team sport and Kathrin is a top instructor and handler. It should be interesting to watch the dvd of the run later on and see the various breeds and other handlers. Border Collies are still considered the number one breed in the sport.
Tags: Kathrin Tasker agility
Kathrin Tasker in Barbados
We just received the news that Kathrin Tasker won the prestigious Novice Agility Championship at the Olympia Horse Show.
She said 10’s of thousands of people were there, including the television crew.
Kathrin has had quite a long association with our local B’dos. Dog Training Club and when she visits Barbados on holiday, she will usually do a run and a training class with its members.
The B’dos. Dog Training Club is the only venue on the island where agility is taught.
We are looking forward to seeing Kathrin next year and also hope she will bring down a copy of a dvd of her run for us.
Kathrin is a top agility instructor based in the UK. She can be visited here
Tags: agility Kathrin Tasker
Jeez, that pix is the perfect example of what that article about the GSDs is all about with the awful topline!!! Was the judge partaking in the local rum punch for him to put up that dog as the Best In Show??
Tags: German Shepherd dogs
Change in German Shepherd Dogs over the years
German Shepherd Dog
Watch the video above the pix. of the German Sheperd dogs. It shows when the GSDs looked fit for their original purpose and the video traces the change in structure for the past 40 years to where it is today. To quote the video, it depicts “how breeding for fashion and show can ruin a breed”.
This breed is still one of the most popular breeds in the world.
However, its structure has changed a lot. In the UK, “Our Dogs” recently reported that The Kennel Club and 4 of The German Shepherd Breed Club recently met to discuss the breed’s future as there has been quite a lot of criticism from within the breed’s ranks and also from outside.
The Kennel Club’s main concern was “The topline and hindquarters of the German Shepherd”.
“These two issues together produce the picture of the breed as perceived by outsiders. Taken together, the apparent roach back, low hind quarters, excessive turn of stifle, sickle hocks and hind pasterns sometimes flat on the ground when moving, sometimes associated with pacing, is the picture to which many critics of the present state of the breed point. Individual dogs appear able, when at rest, to stand with their hocks touching – demonstrating their extreme cow hocks”.
The majority of the German Shepherd breeders and exhibitors who attended the meeting agreed that the above issues would be faults, and not in their breed’s standard.
.” However the problem is mainly felt to lie with poor judging of the breed, which has allowed exhibits with exaggerations and unsound movement to achieve high awards without being penalised.”
As The Kennel Club is in the process of rewriting breed standards and has already rewritten many of the standards is will be interesting to see what will result.
In the final Barbados Kennel Club’s all breeds championship show of the year, the Best in Show winner was the German Shepherd Dog as shown above, whose picture can be also found under October’s show critique. In October’s show critique is also a picture of the German Shepherd puppy which was awarded Best Puppy in Show.
Tags: German Shepherd dogs
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