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A STUD DOGS INFLUENCE

Len Hitch 1999 Issue - © Southern Afghan Club

Having Judged both sexes of our breed in the past few years, I was pleased with the quality of our stock. In some cases my winners were from imported stock mixed with old British blood lines. In bitches particularly I was impressed with the depth of quality.

The improvements were made by a careful blend of import and British lines. The main input from the imports was showmanship, not always in fact but rarely with the correct spring and forward extension to give the impression of floating on a bed of springs when at the reconnaissance trot or show trot around the ring.

Having included two American and one Spanish blood lines into our breeding programme, I don't think I am biased over imports. I am however worried that many judges now seem to think if it is an import it must be good. How far from the truth this is. At one time the all rounder would put up soundness and structure above all. The likes of Bill Siggers and Bobby James spring swiftly to mind. The new breed of all rounder who has shot up the scale by adding class after class of breed after breed seem to lack the old timers depth of quality experience. Many now just put up the winning dogs. One such all rounder to be, sadly no longer with us, actually said in our kitchen "If I was judging your breed I would always pull you out because I know you have good dogs", very nice to hear but what a way to judge! If the all rounder is no longer our safeguard, we breed specialists must take extra care to retain the qualities that so long have set out breed apart.

If you think of using an import at stud make sure that he is made to enhance your bitch, not just match her qualities, but enhance them, not all her pups will benefit but you have to pick out the ones that have.

Imports - yes they do show well. I understand that down under they are encouraged to from a very early age, from what we seen it can have super results, but it doesn't change the actual structure of the dog. It is a fact that with the increase of imports over the last fifteen years or so we have seen far more trimming, mainly of the neck, to make the neck look longer, high tail sets and strange fallaways. Tails I worry about with so many youngsters having perfect rings about the size of a squeezy bottle. When we first used a Bondor dog at stud we were concerned the tails were not ringing. Alan Brooks said quite confidently when they get their new teeth the tails will ring. Sure enough they did. In our lines this still holds true today, early on with our last litter it was disturbing to be told "Tape it round a plastic bottle", as if that was how it should be done! we prefer to breed our ring tails.

I digress. Pacing, yes we always have had one or two dogs that paced. I never heard them called 'wide behind' but they were rare, now they are not. The topline sloping from shoulder up to the pin bones was not often seen but would seem to be commonplace in Europe.

Movement, I go back to the spring from the pasterns, and those of you who have read Linda Races book will see the American Breed Standard does not ask for this so special feature of our breed.

In conclusion, showmanship is an asset but only when it is matched to a correctly made dog, not instead of the correct structure. There are good, bad and ugly British dogs, but at least with little difficulty you can see their father, grandfather and even great grandfather, with the import you get what you see. So treat him with great care.

We in Britain have some good dogs

And not all that is imported is perfect.

And in some cases is just awful.

Breeders take care, in your hands lies the "Future of our Breed"

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Updated 20-06-06