A report from the 2009 Chow Chow Club, Incorporated National Specialty Education Seminar

By Paula Titon of Tienshan Chows

Margaret DiCorleto of Mad River Chows was the National Specialty education chairperson and Zola Coogan of Redcloud Chows was the presenter. Framing the Evolution of the Chow Chow in the Global Arena was the title of this exceptionally well attended seminar. The idea for this seminar derived from the convergence of two current matters of interest in the American and international Chow communities: the newly proposed AKC Northern Group and the evolution of a global arena for Chows in the twenty-first century. As a member of the audience I took notes and I have tried to be true to the spirit of the conversation. I have not quoted people word for word.

Serving on the panel for the discussion were Ginnie Atkinson of Willogin Chows the AKC Delegate, Carmen Blankenship of Chinabear Chows, director of the Chow club’s judges’ education and mentors a, Bob and Love Banghart of Rebelrun, breeders, exhibitors, mentors and national/.internationsl judges and Paul and Minnie Odenkirchen of Mi Pao Chows of Canada, breeders, exhibitors, mentors and international judges, and Zola Coogan breeder, exhibitor, mentor and self-proclaimed Chow rights activist.

I. THE AKC NORTHERN GROUP, proposed for 2012 will initially consist of the following breeds:

In 2012 the Chow Chow will leave the AKC Non Sporting group to become a part of the Northern group. The move to the Northern group provides an opportunity for us as breeders and exhibitors to consider the future of our Chows.

II. GLOBAL ARENA: We live a time of change for our breed and indeed for the world of purebred dogs in general, with the realities of rapid international email communication and global mass media, genome studies, health certifications, DNA testing, the increased importing and exporting of dogs and frozen semen, and powerful, well financed national and international lobbyists who are determined to effect and control the fate of our animals.

The 1995 Convention of the World Council of Europe stated that “breeders are responsible for anatomical, physiological and behavioral characteristics which are likely to put at risk the health and welfare of either the offspring or the female parent.” The National Council of Animal Ethics stated that “to breed or import these animals is in violation of and may be illegal under animal protection acts.” While no responsible breeder would deny this responsibility, currently there is the increased force of media coverage and legislative interventions brought on by the activities of powerful lobby groups who want to regulate, control and in some instances eliminate the practices of purebred dog breeding.

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1. Synopsis: Part I the Impact of the Northern Group

1. Why is the AKC making this change and eliminating the Non-Sporting group?

Ginnie: The AKC Dog Show Rules Committee began discussing a change in the group divisions initially because certain groups were becoming large and unwieldy. New breeds are being admitted fairly regularly and there is a waiting list of 63 breeds that wish to be considered for approval by the AKC.

As this issue was opened the issue of the Non-Sporting Group was also introduced. For many years many breed fanciers have considered the Non-Sporting group as a group that made no sense except as a catch all. It was decided by the committee that the group might best be divided into the Companion and Northern Groups and that all the breed clubs in the Non-Sporting Group would be polled at to their preference of which group they wished to move to.

Polling results for the Chow Chow community resulted in a large response with only 3 or 4 individuals objecting to the idea of moving to the Northern Group. This means that the Chow will be judged at the group level with more like breeds, each however with individual characteristics and qualities.

2. We need new fanciers, breeders and exhibitors for the breed. Will this new group alignment help the popularity of the Chow?

Paul: Only sounder, healthier Chows will improve the popularity of the breed.

Carmen: There has been some progress in getting Chows out of the limelight in terms of breed specific legislation. However, there is still evident bias against the breed. In Britain for example, there is still a policy prohibiting Chows from being kept in military housing.

Additionally, current economic conditions mitigate against more people becoming breeders. (more new committed and passionate Chow breeders is what we need badly)

Love: Working families cannot afford unhealthy dogs. When they select a dog they are looking for a family member who can keep up with their lifestyle. They do not want a dog which will incur huge vet bills or will lack the stamina.

Bob: There are other factors, too, working against us. For example, there are new breeds competing for their “place in the sun.”

General Panel Consensus: The new group should help improve the health of the Chows because

they will be competing with breeds from the Working and Hound and Herding groups who will be in

good physical condition, and have good muscle tone and stamina. Chows will have to show similar

attributes to win at the Group level. This may encourage breeders to make different choices as to

which Chows would be suitable to special,

3. Do you think that group competition is an important consideration in the choices that breeders make about what they breed and what they show?

General Panel Consensus: It would be desirable for a renewed more positive Chow identity to emerge in the eyes of the general public.

Love: If man had not interfered with the Chow breed would such a dog as our modern Chow exist? Are we doing enough to produce healthy family members? Should a person buying a pet have to contend with skin, eyes or leg problems? As long as there is a high incidence of such problems in our breed will anyone wonder why the breed may not be popular with “John Q Public”?

4. What are the various affects this could have on our breeding decisions, when the chow is competing in this new group? Do you think the Chow as a member of the Northern group will do better in the Group and the Best in Show ring?

Bob: The Chow style a judge picks to go into the group will be influenced by what breeders bring to

the ring. Many breeders want to win in the show ring. If breeders want to win in the new group, they

may have to produce healthier Chows.

5. Do you think that when the Chow competes in the Northern group against dogs from a hound, working, or herding background, the Chows will be expected to show the qualities derived from their history as hunting, herding, pulling and guarding dogs?

Zola: Chows have a mystique of surviving for thousands of years. The Chow is an amazing dog with an active, intelligent, alert and dignified essence. This is what attracted me to the breed. We can hope these qualities will be renewed; for they are in the breed genetically. My hope is that membership in the northern group will help to reinvigorate the breed.

Minnie: The Chow historically is a working breed. They must have legs. In Canada when I go cross country skiing after a snowfall there is nothing more beautiful than to have one of my Chows out in front breaking a trail for me!

Carmen: Currently there is not enough quality in our breed. In part this is a reflection of a decreasing

number of large kennels and the high cost of specialing a dog

Ginnie: we must always keep the general welfare of the breed in mind, and not be distracted by fads

that can do harm.

Minnie: Paul’s mantra has always been “If it ain’t moving right, it ain’t built right.”

General panel and audience consensus: Those of us who have been breeding for many years have

seen this happen in the past: Legs too short, shoulders too straight, the loss of proper rear

movement, overly heavy heads, too much loose skin on heads, entropion. This is a really good time

(when entering the Northern Group) to review the Chow standard and to try to breed closer to the

Standard as it exists. Accordingly, judges and breeders need a vital on-going education program.

They need to know that properly built Chows can move out! They need to understand the stilted gait

and what a correct front looks like.

Love: before the judges in the Northern group can reward for the stilted gait breeders will have to

breed for it. It will need to be restored. Breeders will need to identify dogs who can produce offspring

with a stilted gait.

Minnie: To do this, breeders will have to go back into the pedigrees of their dogs and see where the

stilted gait came from. Among newer breeder there are many “open pedigrees,” that is, many

different lines being brought together, so it is important to sort though the pedigrees to know where a

trait came from.

Paul: Structure determines the correct speed and gait of a dog. Different sized Chows have to be

moved Individually. A balanced moderately boned taller dog with a lovely stilted gait, may not win

over a heavier dog without the correct stilted gait.

Bob: Breeders will have to decide what they are willing to sacrifice for a few generations to work a

desirable trait, such as the stilted gait back into the breed. Furthermore, what may seem a desirable

trait now may not go over well in the new group line up. A ponderous head with breathing issues will

not compare favorably in the Northern Group ring.

6. Will being part of the Northern group helpor hurt Chow balance, gait, pasterns, shoulders, toplines, pigmentation. Ears, eyes or temperament?

General Panel Consensus: It will help if winning in the group demands sound dogs.

Bob: If you read the standard with care you will notice that balance is a theme. But how much respect is it afforded? Judges sometimes say they seem to give back to the breed what breeders bring to them.

Zola: We all need to continually reread the standard and envision the Chows we are looking for as

well as tracking down the genetic markers for desirable traits, using frozen semen when it exists from

the old stock that had the traits we would like to restore. Everyone, Breeders and judges, must

continually reread the standard and pick up the subtleties.

How many of you in the audience today had reread the standard before coming to the national? (answer) 10 out of 48 attendees had.

Carmen: In the “Dog Show World” consistent judging doesn’t happen. That is why we keep coming back to the show ring.

A specific example of the problems we can create for our dogs: Two words have been over

emphasized in our Chow Breeding program: “heavy boned.” With “heavy boned” being elevated as a

priority, many other things were thrown out the window. So now, many of our Chows have no necks

and straight shoulders which results in a functionally crippled. dog Loose skin on the head has

contributed to eye problems and is recapitulated internally causing breathing difficulties. Even when a

trait is listed in the standard as undesirable, little is done to correct the problem.

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Furthermore, the conversation at ringside needs to change from one of finding excuses why a judge is

not putting up a particular dog on a particular day, such as dividing judges into those who like

moderate v. heavy, or saying the judge is too political and so forth. Instead the conversation should

be about the dogs’ qualities..

Love: Balance is more than squareness; it is the harmony of all parts.

Paul: The increased importing and exporting of dogs has affected the consistency of types from different countries and in some places breeders are going to excesses. One general observation might be that the newer, younger countries’ breeders look for the extreme for example believing heavy is best. This is not good for the health of the dogs; I believe the four year old mature dog should be what we look at to set the standard.

Minnie: In Beijing we saw a 100 dog kennel; all were heavy dogs; all were from the States. The same seems true in Russia.

Bob: in Japan and Thailand entropion, elongated pasterns, bad palattes are evident; of course at our National we will see the same problems, too.

Audience participant: So we might say that what we see overseas reflects the excesses of the USA where the American mantra seems to be ”bigger and heavier is better.”

General Panel Consensus: In the US today large kennels (of 30 and more dogs) are no longer feasible. No one can afford them. This affects the gene pool available to each breeder. Breeders have to find ways to work with more people. The sad thing is that it is close to impossible to trust many people to be honest about what genetic problems their line may harbor.

Zola: The forming of cooperatives of breeders could be an answer to some of the issues. It would allow us to keep a genetic pool going in a context where honesty about the strengths and weaknesses could prevail and different individuals could also bring their own strengths and weaknesses in working with the dogs to the table.

Audience Comment: The CCCI should be the cooperative, perhaps requiring members to attend seminars and to encouraging further health testing.

Zola: Health testing is a high priority for some breeders. What we are doing is producing a dog that is a pleasure to live with, free of health and temperament issues.

Love: we are no longer just a national Chow club; we are part of an international community. The United States has more health testing available than any other country, we should set the standard for healthy Chows for the world.

Audience comment: Chow fanciers and “beginner breeders” need to go to mentors, not to the chat rooms on the internet for correct information. And the breeders need to somehow project to themselves and to judges a consistent interpretation of the standard.

Audience Comment: Where will the future generations to carry all this out come from?

Paul: This is a confusing time for novice breeders. There are no perfect Chows; in each bloodline there are different strains; a breeder needs to learn how to read a pedigree, and avoid playing “Russian Roulette” when they make breeding decisions.

Love: Knowledge of gene pools and objective experience are essential.

Paul: When someone says: “I want to improve the breed.” The response should be the question, “How?”

Zola: So we must make the education of a new generation our most important long term goal.

Ginnie: Sincere learners who approach a reputable breeder will be mentored. New breeders must be willing to do their homework.

II. The Global Arena

Carmen: Background information: The BBC began an upheaval which has impacted the Chow when it broadcast the documentary “Pedigreed Dogs Exposed” and referred to the dog show as “a parade of mutants.” The United Kingdom Kennel Club, which had until that point had a long supportive relationship with the BBC, was told by the BBC that there were some 13-18 breeds of dogs that could not be shown at Crufts, if the UKKC wanted it to be covered by the BBC. When the UKKC refused to do what they’d been asked the BBC and other previously supportive agencies withdrew their support of Crufts.

So amongst other things the UKKC commenced a rewrite of the Chow standard.

This is important because although historically the “country of origin” for the Chow is China, and in theory the standard for the breed should originate there, there has been no Chinese standard for the Chow, and since in the modern age of Dog shows in the Western world began for Chows in Britain, Britain becomes the default country for establishing the standard.So for nations that do not have theirown standard, they follow the UKKC standard.

Most recently the CCCI has tried to work with the UKKC. A meeting was held in March, 2009. Rodney Oldman of the UKKC reported that a Swedish company that writes pet insurance policies is now operating in Britain and reports an alarming number of ruptured cruciate ligament repair surgeries for Chows, and that therefore the breed must have rear assembly issues. However, it turns out that most of these, according to veterinarians are the result of trauma todogs under the age of 2 years, and are not a degenerative condition.

Love: The CCCi has established a new committee with its own mission statement: to promote the sharing of data for health certification, etc.

Paul: In 1956 the first World chow Council was convened with representatives from England, Holland, France, Germany and Belgium. The goal was to establish a Chow Standard for the FCI. This council recovened in 1980 with representation added from the USA and Canada. North American representatives included Paul Odenkirchen and Joanne O’Brien, the CCCI was rewriting its own standard at the same time. Currently the World Chow Council is not progressing too well. The issues coming out of Britain and the FCI are fairly problematic and because the Europeans have taken all the disqualifications out of the Chow standard it is arguably not helpful for the breed. The FCI affects about 90 countries standards however.

Closing Comments:

Ginnie: These issues are a problem for all of us. However, the AKC is fighting the animals rights lobbyists and the CCCI has control of its own standards, so it is less likely that something like what has befallen the standard in England would happen here.

Carmen: “National Inquiry” TV is a reality, and the general public buys what it sees all too readily. No one has a problem free kennel; there are always heartaches. Problems are not unique to particular kennel. They are endemic to the bred and it is unacceptable to damn a particular kennel. Again, change the conversation at ringside; and in the chat rooms.

Bob: We need to sell good, healthy dogs overseas, to be sure we are not just dumping our garbage in someone else’s back yard . We are a part of the world.

Love: We are the cooperative. We must promote, protect, and share our Chows.

Minnie: Come and show in Canada; a first step to greater international awareness.

Zola: It is important to monitor the growing influence of national animal rights organizations who use a preponderance of their money to pass legislation often detrimental to our breed. It’s vital to use our money to support local shelters, local humane groups and the Canine Health Association where we know our money is being spent on animals rather than lobbyists.