http://strideaway.com/excerpt-on-locomotion/

Excerpt on Locomotion

The crotch of a rail fence has long been an ideal place to let the rest of the world go by or watch dogs working afield.
“Dat white ’n’ liver pup ain’t never gonna be no good,” old Henry, a Negro sage, once informed this writer from his perch on the next crotch as we watched two young derbies follow an older dog through the sedge of a field below us.
“What makes you think so?” He comes from two of the best field trial Pointers that we’ve ever cut loose.” “Mabbe he do, but look at dem withers a bobbing up ’n’ down lak Miss Irene’s rocking horse. He ain’t wuth his training.”
Henry proved to be right; the pup was a washout for endurance. The reason was that he expended most of his energy in lifting his center of gravity rather than propelling it along the line of travel. His arc was not flat enough for effective travel. He fought a battle against gravity without progress. There are several structural factors, particularly in the forequarters, which bring about this result. Fatigue will cause a marked rise and fall of an animal’s withers no matter how good might be its angulation and conformation.
“Keep your eye on a horse’s withers,” a racing trainer told us once, “and you can tell exactly when he begins to peter out. No rocking horse ever won a stake race…he’s got to keep running level to bring home the bacon.” ……
We once saw a well known Setter cut loose at a field trial streak out across the open and into the cover, working it to the far edges, then swing back into the bird-field with more time than usual for combing that. All along he seemed to be gliding rather than galloping.
The very next brace brought out a dog which at a casual glance might have been his twin, but the moment he was cut loose the resemblance ceased, for even in the open he ran as if leaping a fence at each stride. He scarcely penetrated the cover, never reached the edges, cut the course and flopped into the bird-field just as the time limit expired. He had worked much harder every minute of the time but got nowhere except up and down, wearing himself out doing it.
The major cause of the excess rise and fall of the withers is improper conformation and angulation, especially the conforming of the front and rear assemblies to one another. Two factors, thrust and lift, are involved, and they must be synchronized for efficiency. Fatigue will eventually disrupt this balance in any animal and induce a pronounced rise and fall.



Well balanced front and rear assemblies allow this dog to run with an effortless gait.

Gait & Locomotion | October 4, 2009

http://strideaway.com/forces-in-the-gallop/

Forces in the Gallop

The center of gravity is “C” and the effective forward or backward force is “C F. ” “P” is for paw and “C” is for center of gravity. When the paw is on the ground behind the center of gravity as in drawings 1 and 4, the paw is giving a forward push as indicated by the resultant force “C F.” When the paw is on the ground in front of the center of gravity, the resultant force is toward the rear (DECELERATING the dog) as shown in drawings 2 and 3. These results were proven in Pressure Plate* tests.
Pressure Plate tests prove that during gait cycle forward speed of the body is not uniform, even though variation is not visible to the eye.
At the gallop of any dog, the rear paw must be on the ground in front of the center of gravity (a point about in the middle of the chest) before slow down forces develop. In the gallop, approximately 90% of time a rear paw is on the ground behind the center of gravity, and is delivering a forward thrust about 90% of the time. The front paw is behind the center of gravity only about 10% of the time, and is delivering a forward thrust only 10% of that time proving the old saying that the rear delivers the drive and the front supports the dog is true.
When considering the total energy expended (work done), it takes energy to overcome either negative or positive pressure as recorded on a pressure plate. The total energy expended is in proportion to the sum (not difference) of the positive and negative forces exerted by the paw. Negative forces increase the energy expended and decrease efficiency.
DOWNWARD FORCES
The dog’s front paws carry the extra weight of the head and neck located in front of the shoulder. In theory and fact, the front paws not only carry the greater percentage of the vertical weight but also are responsible for stopping the greater percentage of the downward force due to downward momentum. Tests prove that the front absorbs nearly 3/5ths of the dog’s downward force while the rear absorbs only 2/5ths. For this reason the front foot is always larger than the rear front by about the same proportion.
* Pressure Plates were developed (early 1980s) for quantitative gait analysis. They measure the forces applied by a foot in any direction at any instant of time.
Find “Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis” by Curtis Brown in List of Books.

Chris Mathan, Gait & Locomotion | October 31, 2009

The Amesian Standard

http://strideaway.com/the-amesian-standard/

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The Amesian Standard

Excerpt from National Field Trial Champions 1956-1966 (William Brown), page 8:
Hobart Ames judged the National Championship for the first time in 1902. The last National he judged was in 1941 when Ariel won the first of his three National Championship titles. In that span, Mr. Ames was a judge of the National a total of 31 times, more than any other individual.
Alambagh, a setter dog won the National in 1905, the only Ames-owned dog to do so, albeit about ten years later, Powhatan came close on three occasions, gaining the newspaper distinction of runner-up.
It cannot be said that too many knew Hobart Ames well. Nor were very many familiar with his ideas of what constituted the ideal shooting dog. In the quiet precincts of his library, there were times when he would expand on his opinions, and it was these sessions, as much as anything, that provided the material which enabled Clarke Venable to phrase the type of performance sought in the National Championship and which became known as “The Amesian Standard.”

THE AMESIAN STANDARD
The dog under consideration must have and display great bird sense. He must show perfect work on both coveys and singles. He must be able quickly to determine between foot and body scent. He must use his brain, eyes, and nose to the fullest advantage and hunt the likely places on the course. He must possess speed, range, style, character, courage, and stamina—and good manners always. He must hunt the birds, and not the handler hunt the dog. No line or path runner is acceptable. He must be well broken, and the better his manners the more clearly he proves his sound training. Should he lose a little in class, as expressed in extreme speed and range, he can make up for this, under fair judgement, in a single piece of superior bird work, or in sustained demonstration of general behavior. He must be bold, snappy and spirited. His range must be to the front or to either side, but never behind. He must be regularly and habitually pleasingly governable (tractable) and must know when to turn and keep his handler’s course in view, and at all times keep uppermost in his mind the finding and pointing of birds for his handler.

Hobart Ames

1905 National Champion Alambagh

Hobart Ames, The National Championship | February 10, 2013

Breeding World Class Gundogs

Source : http://www.gundogsonline.com/Article/breeding-world-class-gundogs-Page1.htm

Breeding World Class Gundogs
                                      

by Geoffrey English

Start with the best possible bloodlines you can afford and your days in the field will be more enjoyable.
Photo by: Author

Start with the best possible bloodlines
you can afford and your days
in the field will be more enjoyable.
Photo by: Author

I am often reminded of how much time and effort goes into building a successful breeding program when examining the pedigrees of the top performing dogs at local and national field trials. Field trials have been and will continue to be a place breeders turn to evaluate and prove their breeding program and bloodlines.
Competent breeders seeks to understand the strengths and weaknesses of all the dogs in a four-generation pedigree and carefully evaluate each dog in the pedigree of a potential mating. The goal of any breeding program should be to the continual improvement of the breed. Breeders have an ethical responsibility to do everything they can do to ensure that future progeny are free of both physical and performance faults. He or she must also be willing to eliminate breeding stock from his program that exhibits substandard traits.

Physical Traits and Genetic Testing
Responsible breeders check the genetics of all the dogs in a four-generation pedigree. He or she should have proof of hips being certified and eyes checked for congenital defects. Do not accept a puppy from a breeder who has not taken the necessary precautions to ensure at the minimum that both the sire and dam are genetically clean and can produce the documentation to back up this claim. Ask the breeder for a copy OFA and CERF certifications. If he or she cannot produce such documentation, look elsewhere. Some breeders will proclaim, “My dog’s hips are good” or “My bloodlines have no genetic problems” but cannot produce the certifications on their breeding stock to prove such claims.
Some breeders even breed generation after generation without checking either the hips or eyes of the sires and dames in their breeding program. This is simply irresponsible and can have ramifications that affect a client’s family for many years. Just imagine getting that gundog of a lifetime, which has become part of the family, just to find out that he/she has bad hips or eyes and his/her quality of life is significantly impacted. Don’t get me wrong, genetics are not foolproof, but taking proper precautions can dramatically reduce the risk of genetic problems in breeding programs.

Performance Traits and Field Trials
Identifying performance faults are considerably more difficult than identifying physical and genetic faults. The difficulty lies in the subjectivity of evaluating a dog’s performance. Field trials allow breeders to selectively breed based on performance traits, such as marking ability, desire, trainability, etc. Professional breeders spend countless hours researching potential mates for their dogs in their breeding program. Looking strictly at titles in a pedigree does little or nothing to help a breeder make a determination on a suitable mate. It is imperative that a breeder knows the strengths, weaknesses and dominant performance traits of a suitable mate before making a decision on whom to breed to.
A dominant trait is a trait that is thrown by a sire or dam no matter whom he/she is bred to. A field trial is a great place where breeders can determine dominant traits of a particular sire or dam. Carefully evaluating offspring of a particular dog (sire or dam) will reveal common physical and performance characteristics – these are the dominant traits that a dog throws when bred to.
All this research is important when a breeder is effectively trying to improve on a weakness in a bloodline. In contrast, by doubling up on a dominant trait that is a fault will inevitably cause undesirable results.
A recessive trait is one that is not readily apparent in either the sire or dam of a litter but is present in the offspring. Recessive traits can hide themselves for generations and only reappear when bred to a dog that shares the fault. For this reason, it becomes important for a breeder to critically evaluate each dog in the pedigree.

Common Breeding Techniques
Breeders may seek to improve the qualities of a bloodline by utilizing one of three common breeding techniques: outcrossing, linebreeding, or inbreeding. In essence, the later is less often practiced that the former.
Inbreeding involves either breeding parents to offspring or full brother or sister. This form of breeding is not very common today and requires that both dogs be from fundamentally sound breeding stock and of genetically clean lines.
A variant of inbreeding and a slightly less intense breeding technique is known as linebreeding. Linebreeding involves breeding dogs that are relatives through common ancestors, such as aunt to nephew or uncle to niece. Both inbreeding and linebreeding techniques quickly expose both the virtues and faults of a bloodline. If there are any faults in a breeding program they will be exposed when bred heavily, typically for 3 or more generations.
A common misconception is that inbreeding causes high strung, nervous and aggressive dogs. This is simply not true. The temperament of a dog is determined by the genetic makeup of the parents and the fact that a line was bred closely will not alter the disposition of the offspring. A breeder who uses dogs with volatile temperaments as breeding stock is likely to have problems in their lines. In contrast, a breeder who uses dogs of sound temperament will produce dogs with sound temperaments, even if bred closely.
Careful linebreeding has proven to be the best method to perpetuate desirable characteristics in sporting breeds. However, closely breeding on a strain of gundog for more than four generations will stagnate the line and make dramatic improvements of a strain more difficult because uniformity has been established in the line and the possibility of improvement is no longer possible. The decision to utilize an outcross breeding technique and go to a stud dog from a different bloodline is necessary to mix up the genes that have become uniform through linebreeding. Often linebreeding purist, will take a puppy from the outcross litter and breed back into one of the two lines and recapture the fruits of their breeding program.

Final Note
Remember the goal of any breeding program should be to continually improve on the breed. When selecting a puppy from a particular breeding, ask the breeder what he considers the strengths and weaknesses of both the sire and dam. Stay clear of the breeder that proclaims, “My dogs don’t have any weaknesses.” Every dog, even history making retriever 2xNAFC/2xCNFC/FC/AFC Ebonstar Lean Mac – “Max”, has traits a breeder should look to improve on. Admittedly, a dog like Max has fewer than most. A competent breeder understands the virtues and faults in both the sire and dam and looks to improve the breed through responsible breeding.

Dental Care

Dental Care

2008년 10월 16일 오후 9:00공개조회수 134

[원문, 사진출처 :Strideway.com]
Monday, October 13, 2008
Dental Care- Dr. Joe Spoo

When six-time Champion Hard Driving Bev started missing birds, professional trainer Joe McCarl attributed the changes to an aging dog starting to loose her senses. “She became really unsure around birds,” McCarl recalled. “This was a dog that always just stuck her birds and now she either wasn’t finding birds or was really unsure of where they were when on point.” While McCarl wasn’t going to turn back the hands of time it was possible that Bev’s scenting loss was related to a very treatable condition…advanced dental disease.

Dog owners and handlers are a superstitious lot, and for all of the technology and advanced knowledge of canine health and behavior that we have been given over the years, a reliance on old wives tales and a mentality of “that’s how we’ve always done it” still exists. For years trialers thought removing the tonsils on their favorite field trial dog would help increase scenting ability and performance in the field. When this procedure was looked at to determine how it worked, researchers discovered that at the time of the tonsillectomy most veterinarians were also cleaning the teeth. It was this teeth cleaning that was actually causing the increase in scenting ability not the removal of the tonsils. Yet even with the research out there to show dental care can impact scenting, many dog owners are reluctant to spend the money to have their dog’s teeth cleaned.

For a better understanding of how dental disease can impact scenting ability, it is important to take a look at canine anatomy and how closely associated the teeth and sinuses are in relation to each other. The following picture shows a side profile of a setter with important structures drawn on the photo. To qualify the drawing: I am neither an artist nor an anatomist, so bear with me. In the accompanying picture, I’ve outlined in white where this setter’s teeth and roots lie and in yellow where the sinus cavities are. For point of reference, the red line represents the gum line, and the blue area is the vomeronasal organ. It is easy to see that inflammation and infection of the teeth and surrounding tissues directly impacts the sinuses, the respiratory tissue and the scenting ability. With very severe dental disease, tracts can develop, forming an opening between the mouth and sinuses. Those foul-smelling, atrocious teeth are not just causing problems at the gum line?often the issues extend much deeper.

Now I can just about guarantee there will be skeptics who believe a veterinarian is writing an article on dental disease to drum up business and perform an unnecessary procedure. Too often we hear the argument that people don’t have to be put under for dental cleanings or that we have our teeth for over 80 years without the need for such aggressive measures why is it so important for our dogs? The thing to remember, especially with health issues, is that dogs are not little humans and their medical needs are different than ours, and this includes their mouths. A dog’s mouth health serves as a gateway to the rest of the body, and with advanced dental issues we can see the effects on distant organs like the heart, liver and kidneys, in addition to the local problems it causes in the mouth and sinuses. With too many dogs it isn’t just an issue of bad breath, but rather, a much deeper health concern.
The vast majority of sporting breed dogs will likely never require a dental in their lives. Dental disease is a highly variable condition from dog-to-do and is more prevalent in our small and toy breeds. As with all health issues, though, it is important to treat and evaluate the individual dog and not make blanket statements in regards to health care. Many dogs will have staining and tartar buildup as they age, and with most this will not have a significant impact on their overall health. The most important criteria to evaluate with dental health is the gumline and surrounding tissue. Onc　　　　　　　e there is evidence of gingivitis, it is time to consider a thorough cleaning in order to head off more severe problems. By the time this inflammation has started, there very likely has been an impact on scenting ability.
A big sticking point with many owners is that dogs have to be anesthetized in order for the teeth to be cleaned. Too often owners will want to chip the tartar off on their own or just have the teeth scaled, and unfortunately, this can lead to worse issues. By the time there is evidence of dental disease and inflammation, often times the issues have spread to below the gumline. In order to perform a complete cleaning at tooth level and under the gumline, even the most tolerant dog will need to be put under. As for just scaling or chipping off the tartar, this too is a bad idea, because it can create grooves or imperfections in the enamel, which will give the tartar-forming bacteria a foot hold and can actually accelerate tartar buildup. It is vitally important to both clean the teeth and then to have them polished in order to ensure better dental health.
I strongly recommend to dog owners to take a hard look at the teeth and gums every six months, and more frequently if your dog has dental problems. I certainly don’t advocate across the board dentals for all dogs over a certain age, and some dogs will indeed go a lifetime without needing veterinary dental care. However, with that being said it is also important to not pooh-pooh the need for a dental. In conjunction with your veterinarian, evaluate if your dog will benefit from a dental. This decision may lead to increased performance in the field and more importantly a longer healthier life.
One note on dental care and selection of a veterinarian to perform the procedure: while it may cost more, I would encourage you to find a small animal veterinarian with the appropriate anesthetic and dental equipment. Old Doc SoandSo down the road might be cheaper, but his level of expertise with anesthesia and dental care may be at the same level as his pricing. I always encourage owners to ask questions and understand what and how things are being done to their dogs.
So how did things turn out for McCarl and Bev? After performing poorly in the spring trials due to a lack of finds, McCarl had a dental performed on the Champion. “She almost immediately went back to sticking her birds,” he noted, “I couldn’t believe the difference and I kick myself for not having her teeth cleaned sooner.” The next time you roll back your dog’s gums and reveal those foul-smelling, tartar-laden teeth don’t dismiss it as just teeth. Think of it as the gateway to your dog’s scenting ability and more importantly the major organ systems of the body. Ignoring dental health now can have dire consequences down the road.

Posted by Strideaway in Health at 17:17

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CPSC의 박인성님 번역인데 전문가들 보다 더 매끄러운 번역입니다.

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Dental Care( 치과 치료 )
- Dr. Joe Spoo ( 수의사 Joe Spoo )
6번이나 챔피언을 한Bev가 게임을 놓치기 시작했을 때, 전문 트레이너인 죠는
개가 나이가 들면서 후각을 잃어가는 것으로 생각했다.: Bev는 정말로 게임의
위치를 확신하지 못하는 개로 되어갔다” 언제나 정확히 게임을 인지하고 제압
하던 Bev가 포인 할 때 이제는 게임을 찾지도 못할 뿐 아니라 어디에 있었는지
조차 확신하지 못한다” 라고 죠는 회상했다. 죠는 Bev가 후각 센서가 약해졋을 때
처치해야 할 방법 더 나아가 구강 질환에 대해 충분히 생각하지 못했다.

수 많은 견주와 핸들러들이 개들의 행동양식이나 건강에 대한 지식이 미신적이고
주먹구구식인지 모른다.마치 “습관적인 아내의 잔소리처럼, 지금까지 해왔고
아직도 그대로 존재하지 않느냐 “ 처럼….

수년 동안 필드에서 필드 트라이얼 개들이 편도선을 제거 후 그들의 후각 능력이나
활동이 증가시켰다. 이런 수술을 할 때의 과정을 좀더 세밀히 봐야 할 필요가 있는데, 수의사 들이 동시에 치아를 깨끗이 치료한다는 사실이다.

정확히 말하면 편도선을 제거해서 능력이 향상되는 것이 아니라 구강에 관련된 치료에 기인한다.구강 관련 치료가 후각에 영향을 미치는 것을 많은 연구자들에 의해
밝혀지고 있다. 많은 견주 들이 개의 치과 및 구강관련 에 대해 돈을 쓰기를 꺼려하지만 말입니다.

어떻게 구강질병이 후각능력에 영향을 미치는지 이해를 돕기 위해 비강과 다른 기관과 어떤 밀접한 관계를 갖는지에 대해 좀더 개의 해부학을 볼 필요가 중요합니다.
다음의 세터의 사진에서 측면 얼굴 조직의 그림을 보십시요.
그림에서 흰색은 세터의 치아와 치근의 위치를, 노란색은 비강동을 나타냅니다.
참조로 빨간색은 잇몸을 나타내고, 파란색 부분은 비강내 기관을 나타냅니다.
치아의 감염과 염증이 주변의 비강 조직에 직접적으로 영향을 미치는 것을 쉽게 이해하시겠지요 ? 심각한 구강 질환으로 입과 비강사이에서 어떻게 악화되고 형성되며, 생성되는지 유추해 볼 수 있습니다.나쁜 입냄새와 열악한 치아는 잇몸에만 영향을 미치는 것 뿐만 아니라 다른 질병을 악화 시킬 수 있습니다.


이제 수의사들을 의심하는 많은 사람들이 구강 질환에 대해 쓴 글이 얼마나 불 필요한지 확신합니다.상당한 사람들이 구강질환에 대해 무시하고 그러한 적극적인 측정을 80년 이상을 사람에게는 중요하고 개에게는 중시하지 않는 이야기를 너무 많이 듣습니다. 특별히 구강 건강에 대한 문제는 반드시 기억해야 하는 것이 사람의 치료 방법과 개의 치료 방법이 다르다는 것입니다. 개의 구강은 신체의 다른 조직에
영향을 미치는 입구이며, 다른 국부적인 조직 즉, 심장이나 신장,과 간 특히나 비강에 미치는 영향이 큽니다.나쁜 입 냄새는 단순한 문제가 아니라 건간에 관련한 깊은 문제를 야기 할 수 있습니다.

상당수의 스포팅 개들은 평생 구강에 대하여 신경을 쓰지 않는 듯 합니다. 구강 질환은 다른 소형견 종에 비하여 여러 가지 상황을 유발시킵니다.물론 건강 문제는 개별적인 개의 상황에 맞게 처리 되야 하지만 두루뭉실한 방법으로 모두에게 적용하면 안됩니다. 나이가 들어감에 따라 많은 개들의 치석 그 자체는 다른 건강상의 문제에 중요한 문제가 되지 않지만 좀더 중요한 논제의 범위는 구강 조직과 잇몸의
상태를 재 조명해야 합니다. 만일에 치은염이 보여진다면, 다른 질병으로 진행되기 전에 치료를 생각하기 시작해야 합니다. 이러한 감염의 상태가 시작되는 시점이 바로 후각의 능력에 영향을 미치기 때문입니다.

많은 견주 들은 치아를 깨끗하게 위하여 마취를 해야 하는 점에 꺼림칙해 합니다.
또한 많은 견주 들이 그들 스스로 치석을 떼어내고 스캘링을 하고 싶어 하지만,
불행히도 다른 문제를 야기 시킵니다.이런 구강 질환이 발생한 시점에는 바로 잇몸 속을 생각해야 합니다. 그저 단순하게 치석을 떼어내고 스캘링을 하는 것은 구강에 흠집을 내거나 에나멜을 손상시킵니다. 왜냐하면 치석의 병원균을 더욱 활성시키고 더욱 치석의 형성을 도와 주는 꼴입니다. 구강 건강을 위해 치아를 깨끗하게 하면서 동시에 치아 표면을 마감처리가 필요합니다. 만일 여러분의 개가 구강 질환이 있다면 최소 6 개월에 한번 혹은 그 이상 자주 꼼꼼히 살펴보기를 강력히 추천합니다.모든 개들에게 이러한 방법이 필요하다고 주장하지는 않습니다만 구강에 대한 관심을 그저 그렇게 건성으로 넘겨서는 안됩니다. 수의사의 진료에서 여러분의 개가 건강한 구강을 유지한다면 여러분의 개는 필드에서의 좋은 결과와 좀더 건강한 시간을 보낼 수 있습니다.

Barbaro in the gate

Barbaro in the gate

2008년 7월 7일 오후 9:26공개조회수 00

엽견 매니아냐 썬 오브 빗치 냐??

엽견 매니아냐 썬 오브 빗치 냐??

2008년 4월 29일 오후 10:29공개조회수 115

매니아는 미칠狂 기운氣, 狂氣 미친기운을 뜻 합니다.
본래는 별로 좋지 않은 의미를 가지고 있었지만 지금은 소울 매니아, 째즈 매니아, 오디오 매니아등 어떤 사물이나 현상등에 푹 빠져있는 사람을 지칭할 때 사용되곤 합니다.
물론 프로의 간담을 서늘하게하는 아마추어도 있지만 매니아는 전문가인 프로에게는 사용하지 않고 진행형으로 상당한 깊이가 있는 아마추어를 지칭할때 사용되는 단어입니다.

그럼 얼마나 미쳐있는 걸 매니아라고 이야기할 수 있을까??

매니아로 인정 받을 만한 행동은 무었일까??

많은 시간을 투자 할 수 없지만 틈 나는 대로, 많은 돈을 투자 할 수 없지만 아끼고 아껴 좋아하는 일에 그 아까운 시간과 금전을 투자 할 수 있는 사람이 바로 매니아 입니다.

멋진 엽견의 모습에 반해 엽견을 가까이 하다보면 어느 순간 뜨거운 열정을 뿜어내는 매니아가 되어 나름대로 논리라는 이름의 무기를 갖추게 되는데 그 논리라는 이름의 무기는 바람속의 먼지 만큼이나 하찮은것으로 그 정도는 이미 앞서가신 선배들이 그들의 경험과 논리를 설파한지 오래된 이야기인데 우리는 그때 그들의 이야기를 간과하고 이제서야 우리가 경험한것이 최고인양 떠들어 대고 있는건 아닌지 되돌아 보아야 합니다. 저도 개를 좋아해서 자칭 매니아이고 싶고 이글을 읽는 분들도 자칭타칭 매니아 이고 매니아 이고 싶은 분들 일 것 입니다.

저는 개를 좋아하다가 강아지가 되어버리는 지저분한 사람을 여렀보았는데..............................

이 글을 읽는 분들은 순수한 열정이 살아있는 매니아로 남고 지저분한ㄱ ㅐ ㅅ ㅐ ㄲ ㅣ 가 되지는 맙시다.