Going for the Blue (11 page)
The second form of dog bite is just that, a bite by a dog. Fortunately, most occur on the extremities; there will be teeth
marks on both sides of the hand or ankle. Clearly, whatever happened was intended. This is bad news for man and dog, and careful
consideration has to be given as to whether the dog can stay in the family. There are trainers who specialize in aggressive
dogs. They are very expensive (and rightfully so), but they are usually successful and are probably your only sensible choice.
The sooner an expert takes over after an incident the better.
It can get quirky. The late, great film director Stanley Kubrick bumped into me in the then MGM studio, Elstree, north of
London in Hertfordshire. He invited Jill and me to join the Kubrick clan for dinner that night. Coincidentally, he wanted
to talk about dogs, creatures he dearly loved.
When we arrived, he gave me the background story while we had cocktails. He had bought a West Highland White Terrier for his
three young daughters. The Westy is traditionally one of the sweetest dogs there is. In my whole life I have known only two
cranky ones, and Stanley owned one of them. It had bitten him; his wife, Christiane; all three of their daughters; along with
assorted aides, servants, delivery men, and service people.
I went to see the dragon in the kitchen, where he was napping in his bed under a small table.
“Hi there, Pup, what’s the problem?” I asked, pulling up a chair slowly and being ever so soft and friendly. I was careful
not to be threatening.
I made the hit list anyway. The
T. rex
. of dogdom with the nonstop cute face came out from under the table like a cruise missile with teeth painted on its warhead.
From what little I could see, this was one dog that wouldn’t make it in a house with kids coming and going and sleeping over.
With considerable reluctance I suggested that Stanley select a different breed or at least a different Westy from a different
breeder. His problem would not lend itself to a quick or sure fix. The Kubrick dog had a screw loose.
But Stanley was a true dog lover and he went for a second opinion. He said that he wanted to give the dog every chance. He
called the late lion tamer and circus owner Jimmy Chipperfield and told him the story he had told me. The Westy went off (in
a Rolls Royce, as was only proper) for a brief stay with the Chipperfields. There the subject of biting could be given very
careful attention. When the Westy with the teeth finally came home, he no longer bit like a spunky little frizzled-face terrier
but like a lion instead. I didn’t hear where the Westy finally landed, but his time terrorizing the Kubricks ended abruptly.
Jill and I had moved back to the United States when a letter from Stanley made it clear that an appropriate dog breed had
to be found for life in an English manor house with walled grounds and a loving family. I recommended a Golden Retriever (they
breed them superbly well in the United Kingdom). Stanley accepted the plan, and the last time I saw him he had three or four
of them, all bouncing around him, rejoicing in their own life and his. Sadly, his is over. But he did love dogs.
Some Goldens do bite, it must be admitted, not many, but some. Most Westies do not, so what does this anecdote tell us? If
you get your dog from a person you know and whose dogs you know, you will, in all probability, have an opportunity to meet
at least one parent of the puppy you are considering. That doesn’t necessarily prove anything, but you can get a pretty good
indication of what your chances are for a sweet-dispositioned easy keeper. Do your research.
The third level of biting dog involves savaging instead of just biting. There has been a lot of that kind of thing reported
in the news in the past few years. It is a very troublesome matter, and more than a few human deaths and a great many terrible
mutilations have resulted from this ultimate level in intolerable canine behavior. It is rare that a healthy, well-bred, well-trained,
and conditioned dog turns out to be a savage, but when it does happen, the owner will discover soon enough that showing is
not really an option. There is no point to it; the individual dog in question should not be bred under any circumstances.
A note in passing: Some of the sweetest dogs I have known have been Pit Bulls. When they are raised as pets and properly obedience
trained, the kind of behavior we hear about and hate just doesn’t become an issue. Breed-specific prejudice makes about as
much sense in dogs as it does in people.
Some people, an awful lot perhaps, want a visual deterrent like a Doberman Pinscher or a German Shepherd, but the number of
people who want a gregarious, responsive friend who is always reliable is far greater. It can be either of those two breeds
or any other, but a dog, certainly a show dog, should be handleable even by strangers. It is a demand that is going to be
repeatedly made of it in the show ring, and that is for certain. A dog that acts like a kite on the end of its leash just
because a stranger approaches has as much chance of going Best in Show as I do of winning the Kentucky Derby afoot, carrying
the horse.
There is a way that almost always seems to work in the evolution of a supernice dog, no matter what the breed. Handle him
from the day he is whelped; have family members and friends handle him, too. Take turns carrying him around. Have him beside
you when you read or watch television. Scratch him in all the good places and talk to him. The “good places” vary from dog
to dog, but I find that a few inevitably elicit that glazed look of extreme pleasure. On the chest, between the front legs,
is one, and another is lower down on the sides of the neck, from shoulder point to the lower jawline. On the back, at the
base of the tail, a good scratching will often bring forth a reflexive kick or hunch-up. If you walk your dog often and find
reasons to praise him, you will genuinely enjoy his company and he will rejoice in yours. Getting him to set up properly in
the ring and move in keeping with his breed standards will be much easier if you two are a team with a history of interaction.
It really isn’t all that different from raising kids or being married. It is the story of giving and getting as played by
two entities in goodwill for the pleasure of each. Rare is the dog that doesn’t want to play that kind of game.
Setting up, or stacking, properly is a lovely thing to watch. That is when the dog looks his best. He has been trained to
it and is doing it with the guidance of a thoroughly professional handler. While he is home he should practice stacking every
day. Stack him on the floor if he is or is going to be large. Offer treats, make it fun. Practice walking with decorum on
a lead, no more than five to ten minutes a day. Don’t be a bore.
If his breed is normally shown on a table, practice that as well. Have strangers approach him and examine his body, his bite,
his coat.
Go to matches; get him used to the ring, the judge’s role, traveling; socialize at every opportunity. Be sure to make play
part of his show experience. Keep the dog “up.” A squeaky toy is a good thing to have in your pocket.
(Before going to a match where he can sniff around other dogs, make certain his shots are up-to-date. Check your plans with
a veterinarian.)
A ring full of smart little terriers is one of the prettiest sights there is. Plucked and trimmed, in sparkling good health
and coat, they are alert and snappy. I was watching a class of Lakeland Terriers years ago when all of a sudden, seemingly
out of nowhere, a mouse appeared and shot across the ring. You will never see a smarter bunch of dogs.
Vermin!
The whole class went on full red alert. The mouse really had their attention. I don’t know what eventually happened to the
mouse, but that ring was clearly not the healthiest place for it to be. Long after it had vanished, the dogs were still rigidly
alert and quivering.
I
nevitably the question is asked, How much? What do high-quality puppies from really fine breeders cost, especially when they
are mature enough to exhibit what appears to be show potential while still puppies? I have seen a Toy Poodle puppy sell for
$10,000. Although that is admittedly high, the ten-month-old puppy was ultimately worth the price. The puppies she later produced
were awesome, and her own show career proved to be very impressive. I have seen a Bulldog puppy sold for $2,500 and examples
of lots of other breeds that went for between $250 and $300. There are a number of factors that are responsible for these
widely divergent prices. If you are about to launch your dog-showing career, start with the very best puppy you can possibly
afford. Try not to stint any more than your wallet absolutely mandates.
There are a number of questions that are inevitably going to play a part when you set out to create the budget for your dream
dog and its career:
1. Has the puppy started to show yet? Are there any points on record for it, or is it under six months? Does it appear to
have real show potential? Is there a knowledgeable person who will go with you to visit the breeder? What does he think of
your possible puppy? Try not to fall in love until the questions are answered and the results are in. There will be time enough
to get goofy as the affair progresses.
2. What is the show record for the puppy’s dam and sire? Are they both champions; how old were they before they finished (became
champions)? How many champions have they produced in previous litters? How many Group Winners, how many Best in Shows? It
is generally far easier to create a champion from champion stock, obviously. Don’t be afraid of being snobby (just keep it
to yourself). You are about to pick a team, cast a play, nominate a contender. There is one big difference: your dog is supposed
to eventually be the foundation stock for your kennel name, and that was never so for quarterbacks, infielders, or presidential
front-runners. But we do breed our dogs when the future needs their genes.
3. What is the puppy’s genetic background when you go back further than its parents? Have there been genetic diseases like
displastic hips or progressive retinal atrophy? This can be all-important.
4. What does the puppy look like at this point? Is it already a showstopper? Do people stop and try to engage you in conversation?
If they don’t now, they probably won’t later. Do people ask you how much you want for the puppy? All good signs.
5. How about personality? Is it a reasonably assertive puppy not exhibiting undue shyness or timidity, or untoward aggression?
Is it going to take on the show world with the same spirit Snickers has?
6. If the breed standards call for a specific color range or preferred markings, does the pup exhibit them? This can be a
very important point, as with Dalmatians, for example.
7. How is the puppy’s present health? What kind of health records did its parents have? Is your choice bright-eyed, with a
nice wet, cold nose and a healthy coat?
8. What is its breed? Is it a hard order to fill? Are there many quality puppies of that breed available? Since Bulldogs usually
have one or perhaps two puppies, at most, and they are frequently born by Caesarean section, they can be quite expensive.
That very large Bulldog head does not come without a price.
Anywhere between $250 and $10,000, and you should have your show dog to start out with. (In a lifetime of showing, you will
probably never approach that higher figure. You will certainly edge up and well away from the lower.) Take extremely popular
dogs like the Golden and Labrador Retrievers. They can be had for $300 to $900 ($1,000 to $1,250 for exceptional examples),
but although they may be sensational companions, they are probably not going to look like examples of the same breeds that
sell for $2,000 to $2,500, at least not prime examples. The difference between the $1,000 and the $2,500 puppies is in their
predictable individual approaches to 100 percent of standard and the winning career of their parents and siblings from earlier
litters.
There are additional factors in the price of a puppy.
1. How much does the breeder have invested in the parents?
2. What is the size and apparent quality of the rest of the litter?
3. What does the marketplace look like? How much in demand are puppies of this breed?
4. How badly does the breeder need money? (You probably won’t ask.)
5. How badly do you want the puppy you have found? Are you consumed by the prospect of hugging it and later its ribbons and
trophies? How daffy will you allow yourself to get?
6. How does the breeder feel about you? This is not like a normal business dealing. The breeder wants to feel “comfortable”
with your having a puppy. The breeder will want to know how much you will love it and how earnestly and therefore successfully
you will show it. I have seen dogs go for both more and less than they should have because of this factor—the breeder’s comfort
zone. A sale very often launches new and lasting friendships.
A question often asked: Can a buyer have the puppy “vetted”—that is, examined by a veterinarian? Some breeders would treat
such a suggestion with indignation, some would not. You guys will have to work that out between yourselves. One way to do
it is to have a contractual return period. That could give you twenty-four to forty-eight hours to take the puppy to your
veterinarian and check for discernible problems. Not a bad idea at all.
It is impossible to know in advance if you are going to be able to buy a puppy from a dam the quality of Snickers. There are
just too many variables. Not until close to the end of the sixty-three-day gestation period is the number of puppies known—and
then usually without absolute certainty. You don’t know their actual number until they have all been whelped. It is not until
months after that that the breeders know for sure how many promising show dogs there are in the litter. When that is known,
the breeders have to decide how many, if any, they will keep for themselves and use to win more plaudits for their kennel
name and how many they are going to be willing to sell.
