Kennel Perdita

~Topic~

Breeding theories

Breeding theories

On this page I`ll write something about my ideas and expierences when it comes to breeding dalmatians and everything connected to this difficult task. I will welcome your views, hoping some of us will have a fruitful discussion. After I myself had had a few litters with so and so results, I understood that I needed some kind of goal for my breeding. I knew that I could not manage too many details, and so TYPE became the most important word in my head. Ideally there should be only one type. The one that is described in the standard, but we all know that different breeders read different meaning into the words of this document and so we end up agreeing only on the measureable and countable requirements in the breed standard. At that time as today dalmatians looked very different from each other which goes to show that understanding the standard is depending on the dogs you are used to seeing. I myself was a great admirer of the Dallas dogs. They had correct proportions with good length of body strongboned with level backs and many had beautiful heads. On top of this page you can see a picture of my favorite bitch, Dallas Petticoat Lane born in 1986. I still feel the same way about her, and I have yet to create something quite as lovely, but I believe I have dogs of the same type. Many years ago at our grand special show, Mrs Hammarlund won BOB with a bitch called Dallas Nellie Flag, I was very surprised when I heard her say that this was a bitch she did not like very much. Then I realized that you have to decide how you like your dogs to look, and keep to your ideal regardless of what different jugdes or for that matter other breeders may feel about them. At the same time you have to keep an open mind to constructive critisism, to avoid your dogs to become too "typy" I should wish that our breed had more confirmity, but as said above the types vary, and every breeder has to decide which type of dalmatian he or she prefers.The important thing is that you have a type, and that you are true to this when choosing your breeding stock. I have only recently become a user of internet and as I am surfing to all kinds of homepages. I can see that a good dalmatian has different meaning in different parts of the world. Even though I know exactly how a good dalmatian should look in my eyes, I will not try to convince others to see it my way. However, don`t try to decide your type of dalmatian by using a negative approach.Some breeders start all their sentences by saying what they dont want,they dont want their dogs too heavy or too elegant or too long or too strong. Why not think positive and decide how you do want them? I have found that correct proportions according to the standard is of the utmost importance. It is amazing to see what a difference it makes when this is disregarded. Dalmatians shall also be well muscled from top to toe, have a strong level back not only when standing alert and consentrated but even when they start moving.Correct waywinning and strong movements prove that your dog has a good construction. Once you have decided how you want a good dalmatian to look, you have to set about creating them!!! You can either choose to breed from looks or from pedigrees, if you are lucky you can choose dogs that fulfill both requirements, but that is depending on finding a breeder that is linebreeding on the type of dogs you like. Anyway you find a puppy having parents that look the way you want them to and if she proves to develop into a healthy and sweet tempered adult, your luck is done!!! Then you "only" have to find a stud dog that is of a similar type as your bitch, dont look for his titles or great wins, only that he is of the correct type as you see it Also good health and sweet temper are a must. Should he prove to have a title so much the better, but this is not of prime importance.After having seen him, you study his pedigree, should he be related to your bitch through a common forefather of good quality you can jump with joy, but even if he is not you are lucky to have found a dog with the right type according to your view. Once you have your litter you must again pick the right puppy. Never mind if she should have a bit too many or too few spots, or similar shortcomings. Do you have two puppies that you like, keep them both for the time beeing. Most of the time one of them will develop into becoming better than the other, and so you hopefully end up with the best one. Also remember that small faults that may be a disadvantage when it comes to showing may not cause any problem when it comes to breeding. Showing must always be your second consideration when choosing a good brood bitch. We have so many that fit into the first category and so few in the other. This is my theory, but don`t believe that practicing it is easy. If you linebreed too close for too many generations you will have to outbreed sooner or later, and so the problems start all over again. If on the other hand you breed dogs for generations that only look alike, but are not related, you will find that as soon as you choose a stud dog of a different type, your puppies will also vary in types. To strengthen your bitches impact on their off.spring, you have to linebreed them, and so you start balancing on an edge. It is most important that the bitch you start linebreeding on is a very good broodbitch with no weaknesses in health or character. After two or three generations of linebreeding, you can try to outcross again, to see if this third generation bitch passes on her own type. If not you will still have to linebreed for yet one generation, with all the risks this implies. But without linebreeding you are only creating more and more dalmatians that will never have much impact on the breed. The above is what I myself has expierenced through the years, maybe you know a better way of setting about creating good dogs.I sincereley hope you will join in and give your point of view. I`ll try to come up with another topic next month. Kind regards and good luck to us all.

~Topic~

Breeding theories

Breeding theories

On this page I`ll write something about my ideas and expierences when it comes to breeding dalmatians and everything connected to this difficult task. I will welcome your views, hoping some of us will have a fruitful discussion.

After I myself had had a few litters with so and so results, I understood that I needed some kind of goal for my breeding. I knew that I could not manage too many details, and so TYPE became the most important word in my head.
Ideally there should be only one type. The one that is described in the standard, but we all know that different breeders read different meaning into the words of this document and so we end up agreeing only on the measureable and countable requirements in the breed standard.

At that time as today dalmatians looked very different from each other which goes to show that understanding the standard is depending on the dogs you are used to seeing.

I myself was a great admirer of the Dallas dogs. They had correct proportions with good length of body strongboned with level backs and many had beautiful heads.

On top of this page you can see a picture of my favorite bitch, Dallas Petticoat Lane born in 1986. I still feel the same way about her, and I have yet to create something quite as lovely, but I believe I have dogs of the same type.
Many years ago at our grand special show, Mrs Hammarlund won BOB with a bitch called Dallas Nellie Flag, I was very surprised when I heard her say that this was a bitch she did not like very much. Then I realized that you have to decide how you like your dogs to look, and keep to your ideal regardless of what different jugdes or for that matter other breeders may feel about them. At the same time you have to keep an open mind to constructive critisism, to avoid your dogs to become too "typy"

I should wish that our breed had more confirmity, but as said above the types vary, and every breeder has to decide which type of dalmatian he or she prefers.The important thing is that you have a type, and that you are true to this when choosing your breeding stock.
I have only recently become a user of internet and as I am surfing to all kinds of homepages. I can see that a good dalmatian has different meaning in different parts of the world. Even though I know exactly how a good dalmatian should look in my eyes, I will not try to convince others to see it my way.
However, don`t try to decide your type of dalmatian by using a negative approach.Some breeders start all their sentences by saying what they dont want,they dont want their dogs too heavy or too elegant or too long or too strong. Why not think positive and decide how you do want them?

I have found that correct proportions according to the standard is of the utmost importance. It is amazing to see what a difference it makes when this is disregarded. Dalmatians shall also be well muscled from top to toe, have a strong level back not only when standing alert and consentrated but even when they start moving.Correct waywinning and strong movements prove that your dog has a good construction. Once you have decided how you want a good dalmatian to look, you have to set about creating them!!!

You can either choose to breed from looks or from pedigrees, if you are lucky you can choose dogs that fulfill both requirements, but that is depending on finding a breeder that is linebreeding on the type of dogs you like. Anyway you find a puppy having parents that look the way you want them to and if she proves to develop into a healthy and sweet tempered adult, your luck is done!!!
Then you "only" have to find a stud dog that is of a similar type as your bitch, dont look for his titles or great wins, only that he is of the correct type as you see it Also good health and sweet temper are a must. Should he prove to have a title so much the better, but this is not of prime importance.After having seen him, you study his pedigree, should he be related to your bitch through a common forefather of good quality you can jump with joy, but even if he is not you are lucky to have found a dog with the right type according to your view.

Once you have your litter you must again pick the right puppy. Never mind if she should have a bit too many or too few spots, or similar shortcomings. Do you have two puppies that you like, keep them both for the time beeing.
Most of the time one of them will develop into becoming better than the other, and so you hopefully end up with the best one. Also remember that small faults that may be a disadvantage when it comes to showing may not cause any problem when it comes to breeding. Showing must always be your second consideration when choosing a good brood bitch. We have so many that fit into the first category and so few in the other.

This is my theory, but don`t believe that practicing it is easy. If you linebreed too close for too many generations you will have to outbreed sooner or later, and so the problems start all over again. If on the other hand you breed dogs for generations that only look alike, but are not related, you will find that as soon as you choose a stud dog of a different type, your puppies will also vary in types.
To strengthen your bitches impact on their off.spring, you have to linebreed them, and so you start balancing on an edge. It is most important that the bitch you start linebreeding on is a very good broodbitch with no weaknesses in health or character. After two or three generations of linebreeding, you can try to outcross again, to see if this third generation bitch passes on her own type. If not you will still have to linebreed for yet one generation, with all the risks this implies.
But without linebreeding you are only creating more and more dalmatians that will never have much impact on the breed.

The above is what I myself has expierenced through the years, maybe you know a better way of setting about creating good dogs.I sincereley hope you will join in and give your point of view.

I`ll try to come up with another topic next month.

Kind regards and good luck to us all.

How we all depend on eachother.….whether we like it or not…..

Almost all breeders you meet, talk and behave as if they have invented the dog they are showing !!.At least if it is a very nice dog. What they seem to forget is that their dog has a pedigree!! When a breeder has kept a nice puppy from a litter, this puppy seems to have no father, if the father comes from another breeder.All you hear about is the mother bred at the same kennel as the puppy. I have also discovered that some puppies even seem to have lost their mother, if she is bought from another breeder. Actually this makes us all seem a bit ridiculous We all want to be acknowledge for our good work as breeders, and ”forget” that our breeding stock is built on what others have achieved in the past. When a breeder uses a ”star stud dog”, hoping to get a star himself ,( a son or daughter from this famous father.) one of the following reactions are certain: If they do get a nice puppy, they soon ”forget” that the puppy has a father ,travelling around from show to show being very proud of their newborn star..On the other hand, should the offspring of this famous stud prove to be a disappoinment, the father is very well remembered, being the only parent responsible for the unwanted result. How can one, having this philosophy succeed in the difficult art of being a dogbreeder.? One cannot!! As mentioned before, I got my first really good litter from Ch. Timankas Talented Clown. He was a son of Ch. Timankas Single Ace, who was born as the only bitch in a premature litter at kennel Timanka. It took a lot of work and knowlegde to make her survive. The breeder did not sleep many hours during the puppies` first weeks of life,but ”Trixi” lived and produced one of the most important stud dogs in Norway. He fathered my own Ch.Perditas Long Live Love. I also used Ch. Dalmos Educated Edgar,He was from pure english lines,his mother being the result of imports, while his father was a direct import from England To get breeding stock from England has never been easy, and the breeders getting them to Scandinavia spent a lot of time and money in the process. Another important dog in my breeding is Dalmings Easter Parade,I bought him from Trine Senderud. He is the father of Ch. Perditas Just in Time,Ch. Perditas Keen Observer and Ch. Perditas Inkasso. These three dogs have produced more than.40 litters, both at home and abroad. The fourth stud dog I tried from another breeder was T-cart Unicus. Here I got Ch. Perditas Inside Information . At home I have a very promising young bitch fathered by Ch. Jillocs A Man in The Mirror. So you can see that the ”Perdita dogs” are built on other breeders work At present I find it meaningless competing in the showrings.If the dog I show should be the winner,it will in many cases only be a matter of beating my own work- having bred many of my competitors or their parents in the past.This is the case with all breeders of some standing. Still many of them seem to enjoy competing against their own dogs. This you must agree is quite ludicrous. Maybe we should leave the small shows with 20 entries to the private owners, while breeders should compete only at the big events. Here they have the opportunity to compare the results of different combinations involving their own dogs, which is the important thing for a breeder.. As this year is moving to its close, I would like to remind us all about the fact that we are only a small part in the chain called dalmatian breeding.. All we can achieve at the most, is to give the next generation of breeders a better quality breeding stock than we got from the generation before us. This can only happen through co-operation between breeders, in spite of how all kinds of competitions makes us very self- centered , and gives us all a very short memory!.

How we all depend on eachother.….whether we like it or not…..

Almost all breeders you meet, talk and behave as if they have invented the dog they are showing !!.At least if it is a very nice dog.
What they seem to forget is that their dog has a pedigree!!
When a breeder has kept a nice puppy from a litter, this puppy seems to have no father, if the father comes from another breeder.All you hear about is the mother bred at the same kennel as the puppy.
I have also discovered that some puppies even seem to have lost their mother, if she is bought from another breeder.
Actually this makes us all seem a bit ridiculous
We all want to be acknowledge for our good work as breeders, and ”forget” that our breeding stock is built on what others have achieved in the past.

When a breeder uses a ”star stud dog”, hoping to get a star himself ,( a son or daughter from this famous father.) one of the following reactions are certain:
If they do get a nice puppy, they soon ”forget” that the puppy has a father ,travelling around from show to show being very proud of their newborn star..On the other hand, should the offspring of this famous stud prove to be a disappoinment, the father is very well remembered, being the only parent responsible for the unwanted result.
How can one, having this philosophy succeed in the difficult art of being a dogbreeder.?

One cannot!!

As mentioned before, I got my first really good litter from Ch. Timankas Talented Clown.
He was a son of Ch. Timankas Single Ace, who was born as the only bitch in a premature litter at kennel Timanka. It took a lot of work and knowlegde to make her survive. The breeder did not sleep many hours during the puppies` first weeks of life,but ”Trixi” lived and produced one of the most important stud dogs in Norway. He fathered my own Ch.Perditas Long Live Love.

I also used Ch. Dalmos Educated Edgar,He was from pure english lines,his mother being the result of imports, while his father was a direct import from England To get breeding stock from England has never been easy, and the breeders getting them to Scandinavia spent a lot of time and money in the process.

Another important dog in my breeding is Dalmings Easter Parade,I bought him from Trine Senderud.
He is the father of Ch. Perditas Just in Time,Ch. Perditas Keen Observer and Ch. Perditas Inkasso. These three dogs have produced more than.40 litters, both at home and abroad.

The fourth stud dog I tried from another breeder was T-cart Unicus. Here I got Ch. Perditas Inside Information .

At home I have a very promising young bitch fathered by Ch. Jillocs A Man in The Mirror.

So you can see that the ”Perdita dogs” are built on other breeders work

At present I find it meaningless competing in the showrings.If the dog I show should be the winner,it will in many cases only be a matter of beating my own work- having bred many of my competitors or their parents in the past.This is the case with all breeders of some standing. Still many of them seem to enjoy competing against their own dogs. This you must agree is quite ludicrous.
Maybe we should leave the small shows with 20 entries to the private owners, while breeders should compete only at the big events. Here they have the opportunity to compare the results of different combinations involving their own dogs, which is the important thing for a breeder..

As this year is moving to its close, I would like to remind us all about the fact that we are only a small part in the chain called dalmatian breeding..
All we can achieve at the most, is to give the next generation of breeders a better quality breeding stock than we got from the generation before us. This can only happen through co-operation between breeders, in spite of how all kinds of competitions makes us very self- centered , and gives us all a very short memory!.

What to look for when buying a puppy

At present I have a litter seven weeks old (November 2002),and quite a few people from abroad have asked me about the puppies, having seen pictures of them on my homesite. So what are breeders from abroad concerned with? I would expect to get questions about the parents health and temper, and whether they have given some nice individuals in earlier litters. But no, all they want to know is if I think the pups will get all teeth as they grow up. Of course I cannot promise this, only give information about the parents and their previous litters. Why this is so important is because in some countries you cannot use dogs missing a tooth or two for breeding, nor show them with any success. This might be a waste of good animals.!!!!! Let me say straight away that I, like everybody else, prefer dogs with full dentition. But it is only as important as all other details. If I should want to buy a puppy I would first consider the type. This must be what I want: The next thing is the parents health and behaviour and how many puppies with faults there were in the litter, meaning blue eyes, deafness and pigmentation faults.(yellow/orange/tricolour) Then I ask about the parents previous litters if any, and if I can see some pictures of the puppies I have not already seen.. I would also like to know about the litters the parents came from. Then if the answears are what I want, I buy the puppy. I have never asked about details like teeth ! During my more than twenty years with the breed I have had some very good dogs missing one or two teeth. My best brood bitch ever, missed a lot more. If anybody can explain to me what is so important about teeth, I would be forever grateful.! I have asked both some breeders and judges, but never got an answear that makes sense to me. Somebody says that the dogs jaws will change in shape. If so this will take something like a million years! Others proclaim that the dogs get indigestion because of their missing teeth. That might have been so when the dogs were living wild, but the way we feed our dogs to day, they do not need teeth at all. I do appreciate peoples wish to keep a dog as close to the original as possible, but why should this only be an argument when it comes to the question of teeth? What about weak puppies that we help and sick mothers that we treat, Cecarians that are performed, not to mention insemnation and in general choosing breeding stock from different credentials than what would have been the case where our dogs still living in the wilderness. If we want original dogs, we should perhaps not breed them at all! How do you expect breeders to succeed if they have to throw away good individuals because they miss a tooth.? Lately it has also become more and more normal to test a dalmatian for deafness (BAER).This would be a good thing if it was used in a sensible way, but I am sure some countries choose to discard unilateral dogs from breeding as well. Then we all know that the spotting is very important in some countries, more so than the general construction of the dog. To sum up, the result is as follows: Breeding councils and judges in some countries ask the breeders to choose their stock from the following qualities in the following order: 1.The dog has to have all teeth. 2.The dog has to have A-hips. 3.The dog has to have 100% hearing 4.The dog has to have nice spotting. 5. The dog has to have some quality show results. This results in the breeders having enough problems getting any breeding stock at all, and words like type and confirmation cannot be given the importance it should have. The same goes for linebreeding and being able to establish the correct type according to the standard The importance of movements might have to be disregarded as the dogs you know with a correct waywinning stride are missing a tooth each In short, giving so many, to me unimportant rules for breeding, results in the breeders not getting used to think for themselves, but being satisfied when they find dogs that complies with the rules for breeding in their country. If instead all breeders could unite, and put some of the countable and measureable qualities at the bottom of their list when choosing breeding stock, I for one is sure the breed would benefit, especially as we then could afford to set aside all animals with flaws in their temperament and general health .We would also get breeders that are forced to look at other reasons for choosing a combination than that the animals are in accordance with the demands of a breeding council, where they enjoy counting and measuring. Kind regards Kari

Hobby or lifestyle

What to look for when buying a puppy

At present I have a litter seven weeks old (November 2002),and quite a few people from abroad have asked me about the puppies, having seen pictures of them on my homesite.

So what are breeders from abroad concerned with? I would expect to get questions about the parents health and temper, and whether they have given some nice individuals in earlier litters. But no, all they want to know is if I think the pups will get all teeth as they grow up. Of course I cannot promise this, only give information about the parents and their previous litters.

Why this is so important is because in some countries you cannot use dogs missing a tooth or two for breeding, nor show them with any success.

This might be a waste of good animals.!!!!!

Let me say straight away that I, like everybody else, prefer dogs with full dentition.

But it is only as important as all other details.

If I should want to buy a puppy I would first consider the type. This must be what I want: The next thing is the parents health and behaviour and how many puppies with faults there were in the litter, meaning blue eyes, deafness and pigmentation faults.(yellow/orange/tricolour)

Then I ask about the parents previous litters if any, and if I can see some pictures of the puppies I have not already seen.. I would also like to know about the litters the parents came from. Then if the answears are what I want, I buy the puppy. I have never asked about details like teeth !

During my more than twenty years with the breed I have had some very good dogs missing one or two teeth. My best brood bitch ever, missed a lot more. If anybody can explain to me what is so important about teeth, I would be forever grateful.!

I have asked both some breeders and judges, but never got an answear that makes sense to me.

Somebody says that the dogs jaws will change in shape. If so this will take something like a million years!

Others proclaim that the dogs get indigestion because of their missing teeth. That might have been so when the dogs were living wild, but the way we feed our dogs to day, they do not need teeth at all.

I do appreciate peoples wish to keep a dog as close to the original as possible, but why should this only be an argument when it comes to the question of teeth? What about weak puppies that we help and sick mothers that we treat, Cecarians that are performed, not to mention insemnation and in general choosing breeding stock from different credentials than what would have been the case where our dogs still living in the wilderness. If we want original dogs, we should perhaps not breed them at all!

How do you expect breeders to succeed if they have to throw away good individuals because they miss a tooth.? Lately it has also become more and more normal to test a dalmatian for deafness (BAER).This would be a good thing if it was used in a sensible way, but I am sure some countries choose to discard unilateral dogs from breeding as well. Then we all know that the spotting is very important in some countries, more so than the general construction of the dog.

To sum up, the result is as follows:

Breeding councils and judges in some countries ask the breeders to choose their stock from the following qualities in the following order:

1.The dog has to have all teeth.

2.The dog has to have A-hips.

3.The dog has to have 100% hearing

4.The dog has to have nice spotting.

5. The dog has to have some quality show results.

This results in the breeders having enough problems getting any breeding stock at all, and words like type and confirmation cannot be given the importance it should have.

The same goes for linebreeding and being able to establish the correct type according to the standard The importance of movements might have to be disregarded as the dogs you know with a correct waywinning stride are missing a tooth each In short, giving so many, to me unimportant rules for breeding, results in the breeders not getting used to think for themselves, but being satisfied when they find dogs that complies with the rules for breeding in their country. If instead all breeders could unite, and put some of the countable and measureable qualities at the bottom of their list when choosing breeding stock, I for one is sure the breed would benefit, especially as we then could afford to set aside all animals with flaws in their temperament and general health .We would also get breeders that are forced to look at other reasons for choosing a combination than that the animals are in accordance with the demands of a breeding council, where they enjoy counting and measuring.

Kind regards Kari

Hobby or lifestyle

Many times when I get sad, angry or frustrated about issues in our dalmatian world, people try to calm me down by saying ”Well, well it is only a hobby” Little do they know that if possible this makes me even more upset.To me breeding dalmatians is not a hobby: It is a lifestyle..

I have asked myself many times what made me so interested in breeding dalmatians that I gave up almost everything else in life. I moved into the countryside, saying goodbye to a well paid job as an accountant, lost a lot of ”friends” that did not like doghair on their clothes, gave up on holidays,- who wants to look after six, seven or more lively dalmatians? In short I have changed my whole lifestyle due to these spotted dogs, so please do not call it a hobby.

On the other hand I have made these choices myself, nobody has forced me.So what is it that makes me tick??? I have no other answear than that breeding dogs for me constitutes an art, and everybody knows that artists are odd people. They cannot help themselves.

If I were a writer it would be accepted, maybe even expected that I kept to myself, writing on my book, if I were a painter likewise, busy painting while others pursued more social lives.

What makes creating dogs even more difficult than many other forms of artistry is that you cannot destroy the result if you are dissatisfied . Once you have a litter you have to spend a lot of time and energy on looking after the little ones, even though you can see that the result of the mating a few weeks ago did not give the result you were hoping for.You have to find good homes, picking the buyers just as carefully as you do for the most promising puppies.

Maybe this is why some breeders, even the expierenced ones, insist on their puppies being promising when they are not. It involves too much work to have the guts to see that the result is plainly not good enough. How easy it would be if you could undo the whole litter, go back to the mating and choose another partner. Now you have to wait untill the bitch is ready for a new litter in one year time…………

I remember many years ago, I had a litter of 13-thirthteen-blackspotted puppies. I should of course be in heaven as blackspotted dalmatians are always more popular among the buyers than liver ones., but as they grew I could not find one puppy that I liked- I got a visit from another breeder whose opinions I really valued, and I will never forget how she stared and stared franticly trying to spot a ”star”. At last I made her comfortable by saying ”you are right, there are not one very promising puppy among them!” Thank heaven they all developed into very goodtempered and healthy dogs, but as a breeder you want more than that.In other litters I have had one or more puppies that gives me great satisfaction to study. Some of them develops to become nicer and nicer every day, and my heart is warm with anticipation.

Every day I feel pure joy watching these lovely puppies, and most of the time I cannot bear to sell them straight away. I must wait for a buyer who can appriciate the same qualities in the puppy that I myself do.I once listened to a painter who described exactly these feelings when he had once finished a painting that made him happy to watch, he too had to keep it on his own wall to see it every day. In the end he did give it away to a poor relative who was facinated by it. Money was not important, only that the painting should ”live” with someone that appriciated it.

Of course some people misunderstand and think I am very conceited and selfcentered ,when I cannot help but exclaim ”Oh. look at him now!!!” Sometimes I try to explain, saying that if I did not like this youngster so very much ,he would not be living with me, but would have been sold along with the rest of the litter. Whether this puppy grows into becoming a great winner or not, does not matter. The important thing is that this particular dalmatian gives ME so much joy in everyday life that I get inspiration and courage to have yet another litter….

Kind regards from Kari

How does a good dalmatian look? (according to my wiew)

Many of you have asked me to write something about how I think a good dalmatian should look.This is not at all easy, as I very often ”feel ” for a dog without always being able to explain why, but I will give it a try. As all breeds, the dalmatian has a breed standard which is a bit different in the F.C.I. countries compared to England and not to forget America. I will keep to the F.C.I. standard, which is the one bred and judged from in my country.In Norway we have just finished a compendium about the dalmatian as a complement to the standard. Through this work, I have learnt a lot about which details goes to make up a correct dalmatian. I have studied a dog`s skeleton and asked a lot of questions to well known ”dogpeople”.In this way I have been forced to learn about details,something that I had not bothered much about earlier as I was then as now mostly concerned with type.What I know now is that type is made up of all the details…. Even so type and overall impression are the most important issues. A dalmatian has to have the correct proportions according to the standard -- which is 9:10-height:length. Even small discrepancies from this gives a dog that is too tall, too low, too long or too short, all of which are equally wrong. Neither should a good dalmatian give a narrow impression, reminding me of those newly born puppies I cannot make thrive.We all differ when it comes to what we most easily accept regarding wrong proportions. Some are used to see tall elegant dalmatians and will more readily accept these, while others are used to the strong low ones, not always free from corseness as the standard say they should be. In the dalmatian standard you do not find the word elegant either, and personally I dislike it when people call a dalmatian elegant. It should be strong and well muscled, at the same time totally free from lumber. Then we come to the details: One of the most important features of a good dalmatian is a long beautifully arched neck flowing into a strong level back which should be of fair length. By flowing I mean just that , no sharp or abrupt lines.The dogs should not loose their topline when moving, as sadly many dalmatians do.They roach their backs, get a dip just behind their shoulders, or roll their backs from side to side. The last you can always see in promising puppies, but hopefully they will grow out of it, as they gain strength and muscles. Good fronts are rare to see, and I feel they are also difficult to judge as they have so many dimensions. The chest should be deep and long, running smoothly up towards the abdomen. To get this smoothness, the last set of ribs have to be deeply placed in the dog, almost as deeply as the ribset next to the last one. This is also important when it comes to giving the chest the correct length. Regarding the front, this must neither be too narrow nor too wide, but most important it must not be totally missing. I have seen dalmatians with almost nothing between their front legs and with a very poor front angulation to complete the disaster. On the other hand, if a dog is too wide in front they seem to be carrying their legs on the ”outside” of their body. Watching such a dog coming straight towards me makes me think of a barrel more than of a dog. I am afraid I have been guilty of creating some of this last kind.I am however working on getting rid of it. We must remember that the front is only connected to the dog through muscles and ligaments and if a strongly built dog is in poor condition this will result in an impression of a dog falling on its nose. The hindquarters have to be well muscled, and the thighs, both the upper and lower, should be strong, with muscles showing directly under the skin. We do have a lot of dogs which do not have enough strength in the lower thigh which in my eyes is so important.You get the impression of a dog having suffered from polio when very young.To make the hindquarters perfect the dog must have well defined buttocks as well. This also gives the correct impression of length in the silhouette. Then we have the tail!!! To me a beautiful correct slighty curved tail is a must. How many times I have been worried about a promising pup, carrying the tail too high, curved over the back, I cannot count. Will the tailcarriage come out right in the end or will it not???? We all know that six weeks old puppies have a terrible way of showing off and this gives them the most unbecoming and incorrect tail. Sometimes it develops correctly and just as many times it does not . Feet also concern me .They must be tight and rounded like the paws of a cat.Flat feet are not only sad to see, but they also give the dog a problem if it should trot all the miles a dalmatian is supposed to be able to.. .Heads are to me very difficult to say much about. We have the head well described in the standard. I feel there are not many dalmatians with totally correct heads, but if it is not too awful I`ll let it pass.Very seldom have I seen a dalmatian with such a terrible head, that I cannot excuse it, if the rest of the dog is lovely. The important thing about heads is the expression. This will not be the best if the eyes are too light,as this gives the dog a hard expression instead of a friendly one. What I do feel strongly about is the lack of premolars. Why is it that some people give this detail more importance than almost any other? In some countries in Europe a dog missing one or two teeth cannot be used for breeding nor shown at a dog show.What a pity!!!!! How can the breeders afford this? If it is a mediocre individual it does not matter much, but what about a dog that is far above average when it comes to quality but is lacking a few teeth??? I do not think I could bear having to sell such a dog as a pet, not being allowed to use him as a stud.-I would probably have to move to a country where they are more sensible about this problem and where missing premolars is no more nor less than all other faults. I cannot jump the issue of spotting when I write about our spotted friend, but I feel that some put too much importance on a dalmatians decoration. It is after all not too difficult to find nicely spotted dogs to breed from much more difficult to find a correctly built dog with an acceptable spotting. A dalmatian should be distinctly spotted (breed standard) I do feel that a pure white coat with clear spots is important and the spots should be of an even size without too many ticks. I do prefer a dog with a bit too many spots to a dog with too few spots.

Movements come next.

(This is IMPORTANT to me)

Many of you have asked me to write something about how I think a good dalmatian should look.This is not at all easy, as I very often ”feel ” for a dog without always being able to explain why, but I will give it a try.

As all breeds, the dalmatian has a breed standard which is a bit different in the F.C.I. countries compared to England and not to forget America. I will keep to the F.C.I. standard, which is the one bred and judged from in my country.In Norway we have just finished a compendium about the dalmatian as a complement to the standard. Through this work, I have learnt a lot about which details goes to make up a correct dalmatian. I have studied a dog`s skeleton and asked a lot of questions to well known ”dogpeople”.In this way I have been forced to learn about details,something that I had not bothered much about earlier as I was then as now mostly concerned with type.What I know now is that type is made up of all the details….

Even so type and overall impression are the most important issues. A dalmatian has to have the correct proportions according to the standard --

which is 9:10-height:length.

Even small discrepancies from this gives a dog that is too tall, too low, too long or too short, all of which are equally wrong. Neither should a good dalmatian give a narrow impression, reminding me of those newly born puppies I cannot make thrive.We all differ when it comes to what we most easily accept regarding wrong proportions. Some are used to see tall elegant dalmatians and will more readily accept these, while others are used to the strong low ones, not always free from corseness as the standard say they should be. In the dalmatian standard you do not find the word elegant either, and personally I dislike it when people call a dalmatian elegant. It should be strong and well muscled, at the same time totally free from lumber.

Then we come to the details: One of the most important features of a good dalmatian is a long beautifully arched neck flowing into a strong level back which should be of fair length. By flowing I mean just that , no sharp or abrupt lines.The dogs should not loose their topline when moving, as sadly many dalmatians do.They roach their backs, get a dip just behind their shoulders, or roll their backs from side to side. The last you can always see in promising puppies, but hopefully they will grow out of it, as they gain strength and muscles. Good fronts are rare to see, and I feel they are also difficult to judge as they have so many dimensions. The chest should be deep and long, running smoothly up towards the abdomen. To get this smoothness, the last set of ribs have to be deeply placed in the dog, almost as deeply as the ribset next to the last one. This is also important when it comes to giving the chest the correct length.

Regarding the front, this must neither be too narrow nor too wide, but most important it must not be totally missing. I have seen dalmatians with almost nothing between their front legs and with a very poor front angulation to complete the disaster. On the other hand, if a dog is too wide in front they seem to be carrying their legs on the ”outside” of their body. Watching such a dog coming straight towards me makes me think of a barrel more than of a dog. I am afraid I have been guilty of creating some of this last kind.I am however working on getting rid of it.

We must remember that the front is only connected to the dog through muscles and ligaments and if a strongly built dog is in poor condition this will result in an impression of a dog falling on its nose.

The hindquarters have to be well muscled, and the thighs, both the upper and lower, should be strong, with muscles showing directly under the skin. We do have a lot of dogs which do not have enough strength in the lower thigh which in my eyes is so important.You get the impression of a dog having suffered from polio when very young.To make the hindquarters perfect the dog must have well defined buttocks as well. This also gives the correct impression of length in the silhouette.

Then we have the tail!!!

To me a beautiful correct slighty curved tail is a must. How many times I have been worried about a promising pup, carrying the tail too high, curved over the back, I cannot count. Will the tailcarriage come out right in the end or will it not???? We all know that six weeks old puppies have a terrible way of showing off and this gives them the most unbecoming and incorrect tail. Sometimes it develops correctly and just as many times it does not .

Feet also concern me .They must be tight and rounded like the paws of a cat.Flat feet are not only sad to see, but they also give the dog a problem if it should trot all the miles a dalmatian is supposed to be able to..

.Heads are to me very difficult to say much about. We have the head well described in the standard. I feel there are not many dalmatians with totally correct heads, but if it is not too awful I`ll let it pass.Very seldom have I seen a dalmatian with such a terrible head, that I cannot excuse it, if the rest of the dog is lovely. The important thing about heads is the expression. This will not be the best if the eyes are too light,as this gives the dog a hard expression instead of a friendly one.

What I do feel strongly about is the lack of premolars. Why is it that some people give this detail more importance than almost any other? In some countries in Europe a dog missing one or two teeth cannot be used for breeding nor shown at a dog show.What a pity!!!!! How can the breeders afford this? If it is a mediocre individual it does not matter much, but what about a dog that is far above average when it comes to quality but is lacking a few teeth??? I do not think I could bear having to sell such a dog as a pet, not being allowed to use him as a stud.-I would probably have to move to a country where they are more sensible about this problem and where missing premolars is no more nor less than all other faults.

I cannot jump the issue of spotting when I write about our spotted friend, but I feel that some put too much importance on a dalmatians decoration. It is after all not too difficult to find nicely spotted dogs to breed from much more difficult to find a correctly built dog with an acceptable spotting. A dalmatian should be distinctly spotted (breed standard) I do feel that a pure white coat with clear spots is important and the spots should be of an even size without too many ticks. I do prefer a dog with a bit too many spots to a dog with too few spots.

Movements come next.

(This is IMPORTANT to me)

Watching a dalmatian move should make you happy inside and give you the feeling of watching something outstanding. A waywinning stride where all energy is put into getting the dog forward, looking if it moves without effort. I do have a problem with dogs lifting their frontlegs high like a circus horse or almost kicking themselves in the ” bum” with their hindlegs .This seem to impress some jugdes but nevertheless it is not correct, as it is a waste of energy. I am not too happy with floating movements either as such a dog is missing the correct strength in their movements. You should hear the 1.2.3.4.trot-trot-trot-trot- when a dal is moving correctly. The last and very important issue is a dalmatians charm and carisma, they must have both.!! Being a bit mischievious without being aggrivated. A dalmatian looking as if he is carrying all the troubles of the world on his shoulders or jumping around completely without dignity does not charm me. Well, there you are!! Now I have done what many of you have asked me to- telling you what is important to ME in a good dalmatian… Regards from Kari…..…

Watching a dalmatian move should make you happy inside and give you the feeling of watching something outstanding. A waywinning stride where all energy is put into getting the dog forward, looking if it moves without effort. I do have a problem with dogs lifting their frontlegs high like a circus horse or almost kicking themselves in the ” bum” with their hindlegs .This seem to impress some jugdes but nevertheless it is not correct, as it is a waste of energy. I am not too happy with floating movements either as such a dog is missing the correct strength in their movements. You should hear the 1.2.3.4.trot-trot-trot-trot- when a dal is moving correctly.

The last and very important issue is a dalmatians charm and carisma, they must have both.!! Being a bit mischievious without being aggrivated. A dalmatian looking as if he is carrying all the troubles of the world on his shoulders or jumping around completely without dignity does not charm me.

Well, there you are!! Now I have done what many of you have asked me to- telling you what is important to ME in a good dalmatian…

Regards from Kari…..…

Showing contra breeding

I have often been asked why I do not show my dogs more than I do. If I thought that showing my dogs would make them better in any way, when it comes to their value as breeding stock, I would of course join in the ”fun”-I am however quite sure that this is not the case, sometimes I am even afraid that we may give the show results too much importance when choosing a partner for our broodbitches. The showring is for instance not the best place to jugde a dogs temper. The shy and aggressive ones are easy to see, even though sometimes they are only beeing awkward because they lack training. But what do we really know about those that do behave.? I do remember the first CC. I got - I was in heaven!!!! Of course to me the dog was the best dalmatian that walked the earth, and the judge was from that moment the best qualified among judges ,beeing the first one to recognize my dogs`excellent type and confirmation. Leo did have a few blue ribbons from earlier encounters in the show ring. He made champion after some more C.C.s and blue ribbons, the last ones I chose to overlook, blaming it on the judges bad taste .A few people began to ask me if they could use him as a stud dog-I was of course thrilled, and ”forgot” to tell them that Leo inspite of his sweet way with people .hated other dogs, not bitches but DOGS!!!!!!! In the showring I watched him as a hawk, and he was never allowed to come near other males-And the spectators only saw a tailwagging , happy young dalmatian. So it would be up to me to tell them about his aggressive behaviour towards his own sex, something I did not do-I told myself that he was like this because he had changed owner(I got him as a one year old)His brothers and father behaved in exactly the same way, but so what.. Thank heaven, he never became a stud dog, but that was not because his owner did not try. Maybe I am the only one that has commited the sin of withholding information about my dog, not telling others about his weak points which is so important when it comes to breeding. Then we come to a dog`s health You cannot see if a dog is healthy in the ring, and if you have a great winner do you have the courage to tell those interested in him that he has a weak stomach maybe due to stress, maybe he limps after having been on a long walk His skin may be irritated as soon as he is in the rain, and so on. All these weaknesses is important to know for those that may be interested in using him for breeding. Maybe the bitch has similar problems and then what will happen to the puppies ! It seems to me that the more a dog wins, the more important it becomes to try to introduce him as a dog completely without weaknesses, this might be because everybody is looking for something to critisize in a great winner, probably out of envy ..Many breeders will also be interested in a great winner only because he is just that, they do not stop to consider whether he has the qualities that their bitch may be lacking. Some breeders also hope that the puppies will be easier to sell if the father has a lot of titles, and I am afraid that might also be the case. The strength in a kennel is the bitchline and if this has a lot to wish for it does not help using a great show dog, especially if he has some of the same weaknesses as your bitches. What would help is using a stud dog linebred on the qualities your bitch is lacking. If you have a great winner, you also have a great responsibility to inform interested breeders about what might be his shortcomings, as he, like the rest of our dogs are sure to have some. As you might have guessed I am not at all sure that showing and breeding are compatable. I have been asked to come to see a few week old litters, and I have straight away seen a strong promising bitch which is a future broodbitch if everything goes well, but no- the breeder is concerned that she is missing a little bit of pigmentation or that she has a few too many spots. They even compare the puppies sides, if the leftside (show side) should be the least flattering that does concern them too. They choose the most beautiful spotted one, one not beeing too strong, but flashy and at the same time they want her to be a good broodbitch. I am going to be a little personal-I have often been asked why I sold P.Let`mTalk P.Knock on Wood and P. Kiss me better, all of these three bitches have had a wonderful success in the showring and I am grateful to their owners for having shown them so much .At the same time I stayed at home with their sisters, P. Long Live Love and P. Key to Heaven and both have given the breed individuals that have become important not only to me but also to many, many other breeders. Both these liver bitches were too strong for the showring at least for some jugdes, and even with a much better handler than myself,(which is not difficult to find) ,would never have had the same success in the ring as their blackspotted sisters. If you want to breed good, healthy and correct dalmatians, and at the same time enjoy competing in the showring, I think you should keep one sister for breeding and one for showing, then you might have the same success both as a breeder and an exhibitor. I have now read through the above and I can see that it seems like I am very full of myself, having the correct ,easy answer to everything-Let me haste to deny this. I have had many disappoinments both in the ring and in my litters. Nevertheless I am convinced that breeding and showing usually requires different qualities in the dogs, exceptions goes to prove the rule. The showwinners are flashy, showy with floating movements bordering to the extreme. Good breeding stock is sturdy, strong and maybe a bit boring!! If you enjoy showing and competing , please do !! We need people beeing happy in this world, However, when it comes to choosing your breeding stock be aware that you might be wise to at least look elsewhere, before you decide. The great winners have parents, what about them!!!!! This time I am sure to get some reactions to my topic!!!!!! Kind regards Kari

Showing contra breeding

I have often been asked why I do not show my dogs more than I do.

If I thought that showing my dogs would make them better in any way, when it comes to their value as breeding stock, I would of course join in the ”fun”-I am however quite sure that this is not the case, sometimes I am even afraid that we may give the show results too much importance when choosing a partner for our broodbitches.

The showring is for instance not the best place to jugde a dogs temper. The shy and aggressive ones are easy to see, even though sometimes they are only beeing awkward because they lack training. But what do we really know about those that do behave.?

I do remember the first CC. I got - I was in heaven!!!! Of course to me the dog was the best dalmatian that walked the earth, and the judge was from that moment the best qualified among judges ,beeing the first one to recognize my dogs`excellent type and confirmation. Leo did have a few blue ribbons from earlier encounters in the show ring. He made champion after some more C.C.s and blue ribbons, the last ones I chose to overlook, blaming it on the judges bad taste .A few people began to ask me if they could use him as a stud dog-I was of course thrilled, and ”forgot” to tell them that Leo inspite of his sweet way with people .hated other dogs, not bitches but DOGS!!!!!!! In the showring I watched him as a hawk, and he was never allowed to come near other males-And the spectators only saw a tailwagging , happy young dalmatian. So it would be up to me to tell them about his aggressive behaviour towards his own sex, something I did not do-I told myself that he was like this because he had changed owner(I got him as a one year old)His brothers and father behaved in exactly the same way, but so what.. Thank heaven, he never became a stud dog, but that was not because his owner did not try. Maybe I am the only one that has commited the sin of withholding information about my dog, not telling others about his weak points which is so important when it comes to breeding.

Then we come to a dog`s health You cannot see if a dog is healthy in the ring, and if you have a great winner do you have the courage to tell those interested in him that he has a weak stomach maybe due to stress, maybe he limps after having been on a long walk His skin may be irritated as soon as he is in the rain, and so on.

All these weaknesses is important to know for those that may be interested in using him for breeding. Maybe the bitch has similar problems and then what will happen to the puppies !

It seems to me that the more a dog wins, the more important it becomes to try to introduce him as a dog completely without weaknesses, this might be because everybody is looking for something to critisize in a great winner, probably out of envy ..Many breeders will also be interested in a great winner only because he is just that, they do not stop to consider whether he has the qualities that their bitch may be lacking. Some breeders also hope that the puppies will be easier to sell if the father has a lot of titles, and I am afraid that might also be the case. The strength in a kennel is the bitchline and if this has a lot to wish for it does not help using a great show dog, especially if he has some of the same weaknesses as your bitches. What would help is using a stud dog linebred on the qualities your bitch is lacking. If you have a great winner, you also have a great responsibility to inform interested breeders about what might be his shortcomings, as he, like the rest of our dogs are sure to have some. As you might have guessed I am not at all sure that showing and breeding are compatable.

I have been asked to come to see a few week old litters, and I have straight away seen a strong promising bitch which is a future broodbitch if everything goes well, but no- the breeder is concerned that she is missing a little bit of pigmentation or that she has a few too many spots. They even compare the puppies sides, if the leftside (show side) should be the least flattering that does concern them too. They choose the most beautiful spotted one, one not beeing too strong, but flashy and at the same time they want her to be a good broodbitch.

I am going to be a little personal-I have often been asked why I sold P.Let`mTalk P.Knock on Wood and P. Kiss me better, all of these three bitches have had a wonderful success in the showring and I am grateful to their owners for having shown them so much .At the same time I stayed at home with their sisters, P. Long Live Love and P. Key to Heaven and both have given the breed individuals that have become important not only to me but also to many, many other breeders. Both these liver bitches were too strong for the showring at least for some jugdes, and even with a much better handler than myself,(which is not difficult to find) ,would never have had the same success in the ring as their blackspotted sisters. If you want to breed good, healthy and correct dalmatians, and at the same time enjoy competing in the showring, I think you should keep one sister for breeding and one for showing, then you might have the same success both as a breeder and an exhibitor.

I have now read through the above and I can see that it seems like I am very full of myself, having the correct ,easy answer to everything-Let me haste to deny this. I have had many disappoinments both in the ring and in my litters. Nevertheless I am convinced that breeding and showing usually requires different qualities in the dogs, exceptions goes to prove the rule. The showwinners are flashy, showy with floating movements bordering to the extreme. Good breeding stock is sturdy, strong and maybe a bit boring!!

If you enjoy showing and competing , please do !! We need people beeing happy in this world, However, when it comes to choosing your breeding stock be aware that you might be wise to at least look elsewhere, before you decide. The great winners have parents, what about them!!!!!

This time I am sure to get some reactions to my topic!!!!!!

Kind regards Kari