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| © onEdition 2013 |
Here's the Best of Breed Basset from Thursday's Crufts...Ch Switherland Touch N The Dark with Sasilasy. And, below, is the 2012 Crufts BOB that failed the vet check, Buzz Lightyear at Dereheath.
It's quite an improvement, isn't it?
Now as this picture from a different angle shows, the Bassets are not yet home and dry. The 2013 winner's eyes do not look sore or inflamed, but he has clear and evident ectropion which will always put his eyes at risk.
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| © onEdition 2013 |
It's perfectly possible to breed for a tighter eye in Bassets - as this hunting Basset from the Albany pack illustrates:
For fairness, here's Ch Switherland Touch N The Dark with Sasilasy, from a similar angle - pretty clean, too.
So well done the Bassets. It made my day to see this.
And I'm not just saying that because co-owner Calum Twaddle was fined recently for threatening to beat the crap out of one particularly obnoxious small-time poodle breeder who had insulted him on line. Now of course I am not one to condone violence but in this particular instance a medal would have been more appropriate.
Oh my gosh, the BOB this year looks like he could actually HUNT!!!! I LOVE him. He looks like he could hike half the day, easily. Which is wonderful because bassets are such sweet, happy dogs that they should make good pets for lots of families, but the extreme conformation of the show line dogs means that they just can't be active enough for what most families want to do.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, everyone around here had rabbit dogs, or so it seemed. Mostly beagles, but a few bassets. You always had to sort of look twice to tell the biggest beagles from the smallest bassets; they were clearly different dogs but not so dissimilar that you could not tell they were meant to do the same sort of job.
That is greatly improved, there is hope after all! Well done Jemima for posting this, in my view its clear evidence that you are not bullying those who choose to bury their heads in the sand, this is very clear evidence that the exaggerations and sometimes deformities we humans have bred for can be corrected in a relatively short space of time which begs the question why aren't the rest doing more?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to take either out to the field, but this is certainly an improvement over last year's winner. Who knows, we might have a functional Basset within a decade - which is actually pretty exciting!
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, what did the rest of the dogs in the ring look like?
Let me guess,the obnoxious Mike Davidshon lol
ReplyDeleteAs said before Jemmima, it will never be enough for you will it?
ReplyDeleteSo you say that the breeders are breeding better Bassetts? Those two dogs will not have been bred within a short period of each other. I would suggest that actually what is actually happening is that breeders are SHOWING different Bassets; they were always breeding these good, healthier dogs, they simply were not showing them as this was the type that the judges were going for.
So what has happened? The dogs now have to undergo Vet checks to check for problems, the breeders are recieving education regarding the conformation problems that exagerations cause, and the Judges are being monitored to ensure that they only reward health dogs.
And who is responsible for all these changes? Why its the Kennel Club of course, the very organisation that you are obsessed with trying to bring down!
This just goes to prove what Proffessor Sir Patrick Bateson said in his indepenetant report into breeding dogs that Dog Shows can be a positive force for change.
As you have indicated, the BOB Shar Pei is not heavily wrinkled. Unlike the ones bred by the puppy farmers for the public who want heavily wrinkled dogs.
Perhaps dog shows are not such a bad thing after all?
the BOB winner is 6 years old and has been shown successfully since a puppy.Joe Public still want "wrinkly squidgy long eared short bow legs"" cute" not.
DeleteDog shows can be a good thing as long as they reward a healthy type. Granted, breeding for functionality would still be preferrable to breeding for the look of functionality, but it is certainly better than breeding for the type of last year's winner.
DeleteStill, show breeders will always breed to what wins in the ring. Therefore, the ring must be set up so that moderate dogs win and exaggerated dogs lose. Which seems to have worked here and should be kept up.
Dog shows IMHO have been the demise of every working breed.
DeleteJemima may think there is an improvement, but for me that is not enough! Last year's dog is standing in grass so his paws are not visible. there is not nearly enough leg for my taste. Have a look at other bassets....they are far higher on the leg and have proportionally shorter backs.
Well, I wouldnt think this one could go hunting,legs are still too short and the body too heavy for a working basset , but definitely an improvement on last year's winner. A move in the right direction at least
ReplyDeleteYou're implying that the improvement has been done in a single year, when that would of course have been genetically impossible. Obviously dogs such as this year's BoB have always been out there and being shown and bred.
ReplyDeleteNo, the point is that less extreme dogs are already in the gene pool (in fact, it is very hard to keep dogs so extreme and many pups born won't make the cut for breeding stock if your target is at the extreme end of what the gene pool allows).
DeleteBut by putting up the less extreme dogs in the group, in a very short time you can move away from the worst features without compromising much of anything else, because again those dogs are already there.
You have shar pei's with less wrinkles, bulldogs with more leg and less weight, less massive great danes, cockers with less coat, already out there--- in many cases coming out of the same kennels that produce the most extreme dogs and being placed in pet homes and thus removed from the gene pool.
Reward the less extreme dogs and you have a very marked normalizing effect very quickly.
But perhaps what is happening is that owners are thinking twice about exhibiting or breeding from the more extreme types, and at least some judges are giving putting up sounder and more moderate dogs with fewer of the defects associated with extreme type. And if that is the trend, it will have longer terms effects on what is being bred and what will be shown in years to come.
ReplyDeleteCongratulation to Calum Twaddle (and not only for the BOB at Crufts)!
So there were Bassets at Crufts but no brouhaha!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get the chance to go this year so I can only pass comment on the pictures of the BOB winner and I, like the majority, would agree Touch N The Dark is a big improvement on Buzz Lightyear.
But this is one small step for the Bassets. Undoubtedly breeders will still be breeding hounds like Buzz, they just won’t be showing them. But this is an important step, as if continued; the effect will be a gradual improvement as top breeders above everything else want to win. If you reward hounds that are less exaggerated, you will see hounds in the show ring with less exaggeration. This after all is only a reversal of what has happened over the last 50 years.
The Albany hound pictured above is Rocket. She and her pack mates went out hunting yesterday and covered 15 miles in 2.5 hours. The terrain was muddy plough, stubble fields and woodland. Just a little reminder of what Bassets can do. None of our hounds stand more than 14 inches at the shoulder, they just don't have the exaggeration.
I just hope the KC maitains pressure on the BHC for continued improvement. An additional focus on wider gene pools would also be a massive step forward juding from Touch N The Dark's pedigree.
www.albanybassets.co.uk
This years winner was shown at Crufts last year and stood fourth to the dog who failed the vet check. A dog of whom the judge in 2012 said was chosen because he was healthy and free from exageration.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who knows 'Kings' owners and has seen him running with their very energetic Standards, I can tell you he has the turn of speed they have and the stamina to keep going. Yes he can do the job Bassets were bred for.
As for eyes yes he does have some visble 'haw' but the rims are clean with no turning in or out - he certainly does not have ectropian or entropian. If he had he would have failed the Vet Check and he has now passed it more than once.
He is bred from top show lines and has always been shown throughout his life (he is I think 6) in fact in 2011 he was an all breeds Campionship Show Reserve Best in Show winner and that was before the Vet checks were introduced.
Congratulations to his owners and his Breeders and to the Judge who put him through.
Well done Jemima.All your hard work is having an effect.
ReplyDeleteThis dog is 6 years old ,so was planned by his breeder long before the pedigree exposed program , His father is an international champion and holds a trailing certificate. King has been shown successfully since a puppy,lives runs and plays with standard Poodles and whippets .He rabbits and goes over plough,if his photo is taken with him looking up as is the Albany hound his would eyes look the same.So well done his breeder and his owners for showing that show bassets are real dogs still fit for function unlike many back yard pet bred "lovely long eared wrinkly" pups
ReplyDeleteAs owner of Ch Switherland Touch N The Dark with Sasilasy I will not comment on last years dog.
ReplyDeleteAs a breed in general we are slowly improving but these things do not happen overnight.
To make things clear..I do not condone my threatening behavior but I did what I felt I had to after an attempt to bully me on Facebook.
I did not receive a fine from the Kennel Club and thank all those for the positive comments on my dog.
I checked out your kennel's web page and while you seem to have a range in type, even some of your older dogs were not as extreme as what I saw this year at Westminster. Nicely done.
DeleteI hope that the move towards less extreme dogs comes across the pond. Your winning dog this year appears not as long, not as heavy, has tighter skin, and most importantly his undercarriage doesn't look like it's scraping on the ground.
I watched the Bassets go around at Westminster (on the telly, not in person) and several of the males had genitalia that scraped the ground, or nearly did. It seems a bit impractical to say the least.
Are you now breeding Bassets, Calum, or do you have any plans to breed? How would you like to see the breed continue to improve?
ReplyDeleteI personally do not breed Bassets at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI do plan in the future to hopefully do this but I am very careful who I buy from and look at what they show themselves and what I like. I am not a person who likes overdone Bassets with bad eyes over long ears etc but this is just my feelings as I know many friends who show heavier dogs. Each to their own as long as the dog is healthy.
As said above my dogs catches at least 9 rabbits per week and runs with Whippets, Standard and Miniature Poodles and get's exercise and has a life outside dog showing as do all my dogs.
Calum Twaddle you breed poodles but you and your wife do NO health testing at all, how can you say you are breeding for the better of the breed? Maybe with all the cross breeding you do you can better the world of dogs that way.
DeleteDid you not get a writtern warning for your behaviour from the KC?
1st Point here.
DeleteDid I say I never received a written warning from the kennel club?
I said I received no ban. I do not remain anonymous because I am big enough to put my name out here.
I also was big enough to say I did not condone my behavior and I am not proud of it as I lowered myself.
For the record I do not believe the KC health tests are relevant to Standard Poodles but I can assure you my miniature poodles are fully health tested for PRA both Optigen and when ready to be bred from PRA tested from an eye specialist.
As for cross breeding this is something which Is no ones business but we as a couple have decided NOT to be involved in anymore. Our business and our decision.
Now man up and put your name on please.
Good luck with your breeding, and I hope your success with a sounder, more moderate dog at Crufts this year will help to convince others that it doesnt take an exaggerated type to win and that a basset who can still hunt is more fun to live with!
ReplyDeleteIn tears for most of Crufts this year. Just about all the dogs looked fit and happy. Well done Jemima. Just a few breeders cursing because they couldn't get their way. They only listened because it was costing them money.
ReplyDeleteAs for last year's winner: First off, he is a champion, some how leaving off the CH in front of his name is belittling and shows a lack of knowledge to start with. It's easy to Google the dog and read what other vets (specialists) even have to say about this dog. The vet that disqualified him at Crufts was an Animal Rights Vet with an agenda, just as JH has towards breeders. For more accurate information without breeder/breed bashing bias from JH, please read this link (it also includes a better photo of last year's winner).http://www.dereheath.com/CH_Buzz_Lightyear_at_Dereheath.php
ReplyDelete"I EXAMINED THE BOB AT CRUFTS, CH BUZZ LIGHTYEAR AT DEREHEATH DIRECTLY AFTER FAILING THE VET CHECK."
"AS A VETERINARIAN AT A LARGE 'SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARY CLINIC' IN THE SOUTH OF THE NETHERLANDS AND THERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALMOST ALL OPTHAMOLOGY, HAVING MANY BASSET HOUND OWNERS AS CLIENTS AND ALSO BEING A BASSET HOUND BREEDER AND JUDGE I WANT TO STATE THAT THIS SPECIMEN IS A VERY SOUND DOG, WITH SOUND EYES AND ABUNDANT BUT PERFECTLY HEALTHY SKIN. HE IS AN EFFORTLESS, SOUND MOVER WITH ENOUGH GROUND CLEARANCE, AND CERTAINLY FIT FOR FUNCTION"
RUDY SMITS, DVM
As if a "breeder and judge" of said breed didn't have an agenda... Naive thinking
DeleteVets who are also breeders are not entirely objective. I know several like that!
DeleteI'd like to know if that Dutch vet goes out hare hunting with his dogs!
I am 99% sure that last picture has been Photoshopped....no lower rim on the eye and it's been photoshopped so poorly the iris isn't even round any more. I have zoomed in on Photoshop to have a closer look and there are lots of pixels around the lower part of the eye that look as though they were cloned in to cover something up. The sclera is also far too white.
ReplyDeleteIt would be very nice if Beagles actually did have eyes like this! I looked at the Albany Basset website and although their dogs eyes are much improved, there is still a small amount of 'sagging' visible below the eye.
It is true that some Albany Bassets show a small amount of haw. But not on every dog.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Rocket has most definitely not been Photoshopped. I have the original here. You are welcome to email me for it so you can see for yourself from the metadata that it has not been modified.
Jemima
Hi Jemima,
ReplyDeleteIf you are confident that it hasn't been edited then I obviously trust your judgement! It really does look odd, though it could just be the angle. It would be interesting to see more photos of Rocket, I can't seem to find any more of that particular dog on the website. I know that metadata can be edited, although I highly doubt anybody would go out of their way to be that deceptive.
I'll ask the photographer if they have any others of Rocket... and if they do I'll post them. Have to say that I don't think the pic looks odd at all.
DeleteJemima
Have just come across this thread and I am disgusted really. Whilst fawning over Jemima and how she seems single handedly to have changed breeds for the better what seems to have been forgotten is that dogs should be fit for function. Eyes are only a small part. what about construction. Having actually seen both dogs being discussed, this year's best of breed is not typically constructed. His shoulders are incorrect in that there is not enough layback there to give him the correct reach in front. He has no drive from behind and the result is that when he moves his feet have to make several steps to cover what a better constructed dog would need over the same length of ground. This flashy but fast movement seems to fool some judges but is not right for the breed. In a working situation this dog would tire quickly and put extra strain on his heart and lung function. He might manage one season of hunting but he would not have a long working life because his stamina would break early. The statement I read above from the dutch person seems to be very fair and I saw Ch Buzz Lightyear last year. In my opinion - you will probably wish to disagree, he was great moving dog who covered the ground easily. Have you any idea why the special features in bassets are there and have been there for so long. There is a purpose to them. This years best of winner lacks breed type and the characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI must comment on another remark made that the dog's owner should have been given a medal for threatening a 'small time ' breeder. I think this is a reprehensible remark to condone or encourage or praise violence. I have no idea who was threatened but also curious as to the small time being used as an insult really. Is this a small kennels you refer to or someone who only breeds when necessary. To me small time is someone who is not trying to make money from a breed but enjoys showing and adding to their stock only when necessary. I am surprised to see that the crufts winners owner admitted to his violence and also to having something to do with crossbreeding. I did notice he said he wont be doing it again but as a 'responsible ' breeder why do it in the first place. The general murmur round the basset ring at crufts was shock and disappointment at the winners dog. Winners bitch was far better and according to the ringside experts was more deserving than the best of winners. Beth I saw Westminster and would disagree with your opinion. you say you hope this trend comes across the pond. I don't. What you describe - not as long not as heavy tighter skin and higher off the ground is a beagle. God forbid this does not trend over the pond. My opinion is that I did not enjoy my visit to crufts this year. I saw untypical dogs, and many of the overseas judges agreed with me and were pessimistic for the breed.
Seems strange that such an a typical dog has done so much winning under breed specialists and all rounders then and how does this know it all about this dog reply to the fact that it can and does run with a group of Standard poodles and Whippets on a daily basis ,no winning dog pleases all,that is the nature of the game but to vilify someone else's breeding just because it does not suit you're ideal is pathetic bearing in mind that the perfect dog has yet to be born .This dog was bred and is still owned in partnership with the UK ,s top breeder for many years ,if the dog was so untypical of the breed would Switherland kennel have let it be shown never mind have shown it them self s .me thinks a case of sour grapes here!!
ReplyDelete