Barbara J. Andrews, Seminar Introduction
We are told that Mother Nature cannot be improved upon. Well, that’s not so. First
of all, if Nature were so perfect she would have given dog people three
hands instead of two! Seriously, Nature is not our mother, it is a ruthless, totally
objective tool used by an infinitely
Higher Power in the process of creation. If this is mom, she’s practicing primordial tough love!
I believe in Divine Creation but
as a dog breeder I see Evolution at work in every litter.
Fitting together those seemingly
incompatible beliefs has allowed me to become a fairly successful
breeder, and understanding our roles in the process of evolution can make our jobs easier.
Let’s
start with things you know but may not have realized. (Yes, there is a
difference.) Nature is constantly experimenting but mistakes
are not tolerated for long. The
Creator is only momentarily amused by a bad
design like the duckbilled platypus so in the true sense of time, the useless
mistake exists only a minute! Nature corrects it or throws it out. As the original
architect, Nature has done an extraordinary
job on the canine species and if we interfere too much with the blueprint,
we can expect consequences. If we
bend a stifle joint too much, like any
good engineer, Nature will
compensate for the imbalance.
Then, being human we are compelled to tweak
something else. Therein lies the problem and we have only to look around
the show ring to see the results.
We must not select
for extremes because
Nature will surely compensate. Then, savvy judges and breeders will have to walk
backwards as many of us are doing today. Although genetic
problems seem to happen overnight, they are always the result of pushing the
envelope to get the judge’s attention or selecting for a trait that is just
too “outstanding.”
First, we must throw out a certain myth.
Taking the judges’ side, I used to say “Well, you can only put
up what breeders bring to you.” I
say that no longer because abnormalities have gotten significantly
worse due to everyone
soft-peddling the issue. The
fact is, Breeders will bring to the ring what they think the judge will put
up! And being human, most judges will be drawn to something more extreme
(noticeable) than something quite ordinary (correct) so let's all just
share the blame here.
If we each understand Nature's script and play our part
well, breeders “evolve” a good line - you judge it
well - and neither of us creates a platypus!!
Step back and look at creation. Weather, war, and whimsy;
all have an effect on the planet and its inhabitants. Let's assume the
master plan has assigned mankind a primary role in constantly modifying the canine form in order to meet the demands of an
evolving civilization. To insure
harmony, the master architect divided Carnivores into Bears, Hyenas, Cats, Raccoons, Weasels,
and Mongooses each fitting into a non-competitive slot in the ecology. Then, the Bear
Family further divided into Wolves and Coyotes, Jackals and Foxes.
(First test. Do you know which three have been bred with the domestic dog?)
12,000
years ago, Man began to tinker with the wolf as evidenced by the oldest
documented remains of canis
familiaris, found in of all places, Idaho and Iraq!
Gradually, man's first friend and hunting companion developed into one that rarely
hunts for food or depends on fitting in to its surroundings. Since man
learned how to control the environment, there was no harm done. Indeed,
we developed interesting variations called
“breeds” and the Creator was not offended.
It was only in the last 100 years that man began to select for traits that
markedly interfere with functionality and overall health.
We’re told it’s important to know Breed History.
I think it’s more helpful to know how a breed evolved. Acknowledging
our human compulsion to mess with Nature’s design, you need only look around
the show ring to know that we’ve made some really bad mistakes.
In just the last fifty years, we’ve gravely insulted the careful work
of evolution by creating genetic misfits with eyes that can’t see, ears that
can’t hear, legs that can’t run, and in many pure breeds, natural reproduction
is a thing of the past.
Were it not for the compensating measures of science, the domestic dog
would be teetering on the brink of extinction.
One might say canis
familiaris is looking over the edge because after all, our lifetime
is but a blink in the eye of
evolution. We are observing an astounding increase in deadly genetic problems and a corresponding
decrease in reproductive ability.
As a tool of Evolution, you know what that means.
You just got handed a new title – custodian
of the canine gene pool.
So before we talk about this breed, we need to understand our personal accountability
for having changed the domestic dog more than any surviving mammal on the planet! Consider
this. The Sabertooth became the
Bengal. The Mammoth, the
Elephant. Not too radical a
change right? But then, Modern
Man created the Chihuahua. And the Great Dane.
Think for a minute how incredible this is.
Twentieth Century Man has actually created a new
sub-species. Let’s call
it canis purebred.
AKC gave you a license to judge. Nature
has given you a license to develop canis
purebred, but
with knowledge comes responsibility.
Would you fault the too-big, too-wide, floppy, soft foot of a lioness? No. She is a stalking
predator. The overly
flexible pastern allows her to precisely
place each foot, advancing softly toward her prey without snapping a
twig or rustling a leaf. When she
charges, the oversized feet are an
impediment, which is why she can’t run far but if she’s timed her
rush well, they become extraordinary grasping
tools with the power to knock a wart hog senseless!
What if a novice breeder decides the cheetah would be better served with the
lion’s foot because it is after all, so functional?
A good judge would know
the cheetah is designed to hunt smaller, faster game.
Non-retractable claws on
a small, tight foot means traction, not silence.
The deep chest, extreme tuck-up, lighter bone, and long legs clearly
signify that this animal does not compete with the stalking-pouncing cats for
food. No indeed, this cat is equipped
to go zero-to-sixty in six seconds!
Knowing what the cheetah is, you award it
for Cheetah virtues, not as a Lion!
Let’s
go back to canis lupus. Narrow chest, flat
rib cage, long legs and short back, big floppy feet, east-west front,
cow-hocked rear, oh, and did I mention the light eyes?
Right away we want to improve that
design! Can’t keep our hands
off of it. Let’s shorten the
leg. Give him spring of rib.
Lengthen the back and tighten up those snowshoe feet so he can trot
more efficiently. And for
Pete’s sake, darken the eye.
Whoops, the wolf died out the very first winter.
Couldn’t plow through deep snow with the wide, deep chest and shorter
legs. Couldn’t traverse packed snow with those small tight feet, couldn’t
run down his prey or pace behind the herd for days.
And snow glare blinded him. Sort
of like the platypus he was …..
Here’s where you come in. As a newly
licensed tool of evolution, you will recognize the wolf’s superb design for
survival and endurance …… you might level the topline and tail
carriage, tighten the foot-pad and lengthen the back just a trifle because our
dog will tirelessly trot a packed trail.
He is no longer the ice hunter. The
well-fed, carefully developed purebred has a new purpose.
Northern Man created the incredibly functional Siberian Husky, evolved
through our need for endurance, beauty, and speed.
Would a Malamute do as well? No.
But man also needed to move heavy loads, so he selected for a shorter,
broader back, heavier bone, denser muscle and the greater body weight needed
for an unsurpassed Arctic freighting dog.
Judging is done in a day. Breeding in
less than seventy but it doesn’t stop there.
I truly believe we’ve been given permission to shape canis purebred to serve
modern man’s needs and desires. Given that
power, then every single decision we make has an impact on canine evolution.
We’ll
talk about “Breed History” but with the thought in mind that we are
responsible for developmental history. If
I’ve done my job here, you will select stock, whether in the ring or in the
kennel, with a whole new appreciation on how “form follows function.”
Of course you can only judge what we bring to you. That is no longer an excuse because today you lost innocence.
It’s like learning about sin, once you know it exists, you can’t
ignore it any more. We bring to
the ring what we think a judge will put up.
Now you know how crucial your decisions really are.
Depending on the flexibility of the Breed Standard (which may not have been written with
the insight you now have), you must weigh and reject that which you now
recognize as detrimental to the purebred dog.
If you judge with the objectivity of Nature, and if you share your
profound knowledge with Breeders, they will respect and learn from you.
Having created canis familiaris, we must each do our part to prevent the untimely
extinction of an evolving sub-species, Canis Purebred.
