Getting in Sync

It was inevitable but I had hoped it wouldn't happen. After so many QQ in a row Whisper and I have hit a dry spell.  We've had no QQs in several trials despite many good runs.

In agility, the slightest error can cost the elusive QQ. A rear cross might cause Whisper to turn in the air to find me and she might take a bar down with her tail. A slight step the wrong direction can send her off to another obstacle or cause her to enter the weaves incorrectly.

The faster the run the more the fun but the less forgiving the errors.

We are sitting on 13 QQs and over 750 points towards her MACH2.

As we enter the hot summer months with no agility trials in the horizon, we will take the time to work together and try to get in sync again.

Meanwhile, here are a few videos to tide you over.

GCH Aragon Mystic Pearl aka Bryn

Bryn became a Grand Champion this weekend by winning Best of Breed at Contra Costa Kennel Club. To earn a Grand Championship a dog has to earn 25 points and 3 majors after they become a breed champion. Bryn makes the third Grand Champion from Lyric's litter.

Bryn started off life the smallest in the litter by several ounces. By the time she was ready for her new home she was the same size as her sisters and as active. Bryn was initially placed with a friend in Virginia but at 16 months she was forced to give her up and Bryn was returned to me. 

As luck would have it I ran into Marie and Tommy Hamilton at a show. While talking at ringside Marie told me she had just lost her blue brindle boy Gunner.  One thing lead to another and Marie took a blue brindle girl home with her 10 days later. Along the way Bryn had changed from the smallest in the litter to the largest girl in the litter.

Bryn had no idea what a dog show was all about. It took several shows and many classes later for her to understand what to do in a dog show ring. It takes a lot of training to teach a dog the basics of showing, how to stand, how to gait, how to let strangers go over her body. From there she quickly earned Breed after Breed and became GCH Aragon Mystic Pearl.

 

Now that her show career is coming to an end.  Perhaps performance next?  Marie taught Bryn how to be a show dog, maybe Bryn can teach Marie a new sport!

Greyhound Ear Set

A greyhound's ear should fold back against the head when they are relaxed and forward into a perfect chinese fortune cookie position when alert. However ears come in all different forms from the ideal.
A perfect ear set is below-the correct fortune cookie position with just a little bell at the base of the ear.

Another equally correct ear set but I don't like the look as much  is one with a large base/bell to the ear. These may progress to upright ears in some dogs as they age.

However significant variations occur, the most striking is the upright ear. All dog's ears from time to time go upright when excited but the dog with upright ears well is upright all the time. It may not be evident immediately but by the time they are a few years old they stand upright. This makes it hard in the show ring to finish a dog as it is such a striking fault.

Next is the upright tipped ear. It is quite unusual and I have only seen it in two dogs before. It adds character to their face.

A fault I seen a few times is the dog with the asymmetical ear set. One ear is set correctly on the side of the head and the other ear is dropped. I have seen it in 3 or 4 dogs through the years. The dog below is an older dog and I wish I had a better photo showing her ears. In the second photo she is the dog on the far right. It looks subtle but in real life was quite evident.

Then there is the ear that doesn't want to rose but curls forward. Again it adds character to the face but is not desirable.

Lastly is the dog with big hound ears. Unfortunately I couldn't get a hold of a picture in time but may be able to add later.

Although greyhound don't run on their ears, a correct ear set adds to a pleasing expression.

Greyhound Sits

One of the greatest myths I hear with greyhounds is they can't sit. If I had a dime for everytime I heard that I would be rich. In fact greyhounds can and do sit of their own chosing. I do think it is more uncomfortable for them to sit on hard surfaces than other breeds but they can even learn to do that.

I start my puppies young and encourage sitting from the time they are 6 weeks old. They get treats when they sit. The above picture is Lyric's litter around 6-7 weeks old(Echo, Darby,Tanner, Becca and Bryn). They all learned to sit quite willingly and readily.

In the video below Echo is about 9.5 weeks. She has learned to sit but is being reinforced for this behavior with a clicker. The video shows sitting, downing, touch and leave it.



One thing I never ask my puppies to do is to sit on hard surfaces until they are rock solid with their sits. I think it must hurt their hocks and rears and  have found they will often avoid sitting on concrete or asphalt if possible.

Occationally in the show ring the puppy gets confused and will sit instead of stand for the judge. So what! I tell the judge the puppy must be confused about which ring it's in and the judges are quite impressed. They even tell me "but a greyhound can't sit".

A good solid sit is important for obedience as well as for photo taking.

Echo has the most rock solid steady sit of any dog. In fact I followed her thoughout the day and caught her sitting several times just  because.

A good sit is useful for so many things so get out and train your hounds!!

Greyhound Carpal Joints

Over the years I have been amazed at the variation I have seen of the carpal (wrist) joint in greyhounds. Since the carpal joint acts as a shock absorber for the foot, it is very important that it is built correctly. 

The correct leg (below) has a slight bend at the carpus.

An overextended carpal joint (below) is very weak and leads to breakdown of the joint.

An upright carpal joint (one with no bend) can lead to a lot of toe injuries since there is no give to the

joint. I have had one dog that had carpal joints like this and he lived in splints and casts through much of his life due to toe injuries. Both of the pictures below depict upright carpal joints.

Probably the worst carpal joint position is one that is overflexed. It is extremely rare and extremely unsound and incorrect. A dog with a wrist like this (below) can never be functional.

                                               

In addition to carpal joint angulation, foot position is also important. Most people believe that the correct foot position is straight forward as in the picture below.

Open field coursing folk would rather have a slight toe-out position (below) as they feel the dog can turn faster and easier thus staying with the hare.

Certainly a "pigeon toed" or "toed-in" front is not functional.  A dog with this foot position, such as the one below, could not handle the stress of running.

In summary, a greyhound is a powerful breed that puts incredible strain on its legs and feet.  A correct carpal joint and foot position is important to keeping the dog sound through the years.