Stabyhoun UK Today News, Views and Advice About the Friese Stabij Issue 4, December 2015
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Stabyhoun UK Today News, views and advice about the Friese Stabij Issue 4, December 2015 BFinrdineg ethde riighnt mgal eS, caprineg fcori mauml and pups, and owning a UK stud dog The First 100 Days with Jelske and Hoover’s puppies First Class Dog Being a reading therapy dog Cover: Brianna Vittachi ...plus articles on dog training, the 2015 with newborn Utske photography competition and more... Welcome Assessment & Social Day The annual UK Stabyhoun After our UK assessment day, Pam Assessment & Social has now White and Inca made the journey to become a permanent fixture in the the Netherlands for their Breeders calendar, and is a must-attend event. Day on 31 October. We knew this girl This year, several dogs were bidding had lots of breed qualities and the for their second Very Good or most wonderful temperament. So Excellent score which would qualify Christina had arranged two formal them to breed – subject to the assessments of her with two different relevant health tests of course. And judges – courtesy of the Dutch they weren’t disappointed as both Breeding Panel who always show us males and females impressed Dutch great support and kindness. judge, Godelieve de Wit-Bazelmans Despite waiting all day for their turn Can you believe it; after a whole year with their looks and temperaments. to shine, the pair pulled it out of the with no UK-born Stabyhoun, we were Newcomer Mac had travelled all the bag and cashed in one Very Good and blessed with three litters in 2015. way from Yorkshire to say hello to his one Excellent score! Judging is Jelske went first with seven puppies, sister Wilma at the event, and he sometimes more art than science and including the first brown and white claimed Dog The Judge Would Like To a couple of months can make a huge one. Mieke then delivered four Take Home – taking everything in his difference for these dogs. beautiful girls and three stunning boys stride at a very young age. Congratulations and well done guys. on 12 November. And finally, on 23 November, Rikje blessed us with another big litter: Five girls and five boys. That takes the UK Stabyhoun population to over 50 dogs. Of course the great news is that all of these puppies will be registered with official Dutch pedigrees. As I write this we are tentatively planning potential matings and imports for 2016. It is both exciting and complex work to lay a sensible genetic puzzle when there are so many factors involved. Luckily we have a lot of help from our friends in the Netherlands, as always. Excellent: Inca took the judges by storm. Picture by René Rigterink This issue is a breeding special. Because the thing that characterises the Stabyhoun is that, mostly, litters are bred by ordinary families that may never have had puppies before. There My First Dog are so many questions and, thankfully, The Stabyhoun is a loyal companion an equally abundant bank of to people of all ages. Here is what knowledge and experience amongst nine-year old William Harrington had our members and the board. to say about his very first dog... Perhaps the most important thing to Blijke is nice to people: She jumps up remember is that help is always on and licks them in the face. Recently hand. We will to guide everyone she has been trying to bend the rules, breeding a litter of Stabyhoun puppies which I find amusing. It is fun letting in the UK through the process step by her out in the morning. It is a shame step – from first mating until the last that I have to share her with the puppy leaves for their new home. others. Playing with Blijke has improved my agility because I have to Christina Savage dodge around the garden trying to President, UK Stabyhoun Association catch her. It is good rugby practice. Measure for Measure: The Great British Inventory At our September event, Klaas breed; how often they occur and eyes, ears, fur, tail, body, legs and gait. Zonnebeld and Gerrit V. D. Veen had whether there were enough healthy The Inventarisator also asks whether travelled from the Netherlands to dogs to continue breeding. Because the owner has experienced any perform and teach us about the we also see a lot of variation in the problems, notes how and where the ‘inventory’. Now, Klaas explains why... looks of the Stabij, sizes and key breed dog lives, and what they are fed. characteristics were later added. Finally, comments are made about the We always love to see Stabijs and, in Inventory is not a test that you can nature and behaviour of the dog. All in such a small breed, dogs in other pass or fail – we simply describe your all, it takes about 30 minutes. The data countries are very important. In dog’s looks, health and character on plus photographs are entered into that isolation, it is all too easy to distort a paper. Judges look at the appearance dog’s individual profile on our breed population. Therefore, the Stabij of a dog. We record the facts and take database, ZooEasy. breeding experts in the Netherlands careful measurements. are strict. They also appreciate that, For breeders, all of this information within a couple of years, your dogs During the inventory, your dog is helps inform decisions about which could play a part in preserving the measured as follows: The height at the combinations are sensible. Data about genetic diversity of our breed globally. withers, its body length, the a dog and its relatives gives a more dimensions of the head, circumference complete picture of which traits the All breeding Stabij must pass certain of the chest and the length of the legs. parents are passing on. The breeding assessments but, overall, the dogs The weight is noted too. In addition, experts use the information to make should meet the physical character the following are examined and sure no two ‘extremes’ are combined. and behaviour requirements as described: Forehead, nose, teeth, specified in the breed standard. Over time, this data allows us to measure changes in the population. If All breeding dogs should also ideally necessary, action can then be taken to have undergone an official inventory prevent unwanted developments in by a qualified ‘Inventarisator’ before a looks or behaviour. And now, your very mating. But this exercise is not just own Helen Withey knows how to important for those who hope to perform the Stabij inventory too. breed. Allowing your dog to be measured helps us monitor key Gerrit and I had a wonderful time in features of the whole population. the UK. We were impressed by the quality of your dogs and hope that you The inventory was established in 1980 all feel responsible for your role in to gain an understanding of which preserving this truly special breed. health problems were present in our mean that the Alpha dog gets We have to consider why we have a Busting the everything first, but it does have the dog and what rules and boundaries right to whichever resources it wants. we want in our own homes. If you like And yes, it would fight any other pack a cuddle on the sofa with your dog Alpha Myth member for that resource if and it is more convenient for you to Despite widespread use of the term necessary. A true Alpha dog, however, feed the dog before you have your ‘Alpha’ in dog training, Helen Withey very rarely needs to fight for anything own meal, then there is no reason explains why it is impossible for a as the other pack members respect whatsoever why you can't do that. them enough not to challenge them. human to be that member of a pack. Dogs enjoy structure in their lives. Dogs are conspecific which means Many behaviourists still advise dog Implementing rules and boundaries is they can only form a true pack with owners to eat before their dogs. what we need to have a happy dog. Why? Surely we should eat whenever their own kind. They will always Our four-legged friends are we want to, and feed our dogs when recognise their mother and their opportunists and if we don't teach it suits us. And no, letting your dogs siblings through smell, touch, sights them what is acceptable, they will do on furniture does not heighten their and sounds. Dogs are born whatever is self-rewarding. Stealing position in the pack either. completely blind and deaf; able to food, chewing furniture, chasing the feel things and have the tactile sense Most dogs do not want to be leaders. cat are all high on the list. But if they but no sense of smell until They only get on the sofa because it is are taught and trained to behave in approximately two weeks of age. comfy and because they can. If a dog an acceptable manner, then they will Dogs form a close bond and a lasting becomes aggressive over food, live happily alongside us without the relationship within the pack, inside a furniture or toys, this is normally due need for anyone to try or pretend to hierarchical structure. This doesn't to possessive aggression. be the Alpha. 3 Once upon a time there were two young Stabyhoun, Jelske and Hoover. Who would have guessed at their first When Hoover met Jelske meeting in August 2013, just after Owning a stud dog, by Annie Alexander Hoover had arrived from Holland, that they would fall in love and produce a wonderful litter of puppies.