Breeder Spotlight
How long have you been involved in your breed?
I have been involved in the breed for 14 years.
List three words that you feel best describe your breed.
Loyal, friendly, and athletic.
In your opinion what physical characteristic defines your breed the most?
A tawny coat color combined with an overall balanced, athletic appearance is the hallmark of our breed. A dog with a tawny coat without the proper structure is not a dog that epitomizes our breed. Our breed was created to pull heavy dog sleds over great distances. They are a mid-sized endurance breed. Ultimately the coat color is less important than the structure, but the coat color has become the characteristic that most defines our breed to the casual observer.
In your opinion which behavioral characteristic defines your breed the most?
A solid temperament in any situation. Chinooks are most highly prized for their consistent gentle, loving, and kind temperaments. They should be reliable even in stressful situations.
What is the largest false impression your breed gives?
That Chinooks are out-going. Some people who meet our breed for the first time expect a Labrador personality. However, Chinooks are a reserved breed and are focused almost entirely on their owners. While they are happy to greet new people and dogs, they quickly retreat to be with their owners and will sometimes not even give strangers the time of day. This can give Chinooks a false impression of being aloof. They are actually quite personable but are just very owner focused and extremely loyal to their families. This makes them wonderful family pets.
What should breeders be most concerned about today?
In the universal sense, Chinook breeders should be most concerned with any attempt to force the breed to conform to a narrower breed type. We still have a very limited gene pool and are not making progress in increasing the number of Chinook puppies born each year. We must resist pressure to conform our breed’s appearance to a specific look before we have adequate numbers of breeding dogs to support the future health of the breed. Chinook breeders need to remain focused on reducing health problems within the breed, including temperament problems. On a specific note, breeders need to work on strengthening front assemblies. Chests have become too narrow and the lay of shoulder is too far back. We’ve done a terrific job at improving rears and are making progress on fronts, but need to keep a focus on this issue without letting rears slip.
Is your breed standard sufficient? If you do not feel it is sufficient, briefly list changes you would like to see made.
For the most part, yes. Small tweaks would be helpful, however. For instance, the breadth of chest is not addressed in the standard and thus weak chests are not necessarily faulted by judges. In addition, the various colors in our breed continue to confound judges. There should be a clearer explanation of colors that are acceptable, but not preferred. There is also an inconsistency within the standard regarding “white” dogs that should be addressed. Otherwise, the standard remains a very well-written guide to our breed.
What counsel would you like to give to newcomers?
To take every opportunity available to them to learn everything they can about our breed. We are a small breed with an awesome group of breeders who will share all of their combined knowledge with you, singly or in a group. We have many list serves available to new owners and new breeders. Chinook breeders are always on hand to mentor new breeders. Most importantly, for any new Chinook breeder, my advice is to understand the breed standard, to understand your dogs strengths and weaknesses as compared to the standard, to understand the health problems behind your dog (not just with your dog, but within the siblings, parents, grand parents, etc) and to find a suitable mate who can improve the structural faults and health problems behind your dog.
What is the single most charming attribute of your breed?
This has to be the sweet kisses most every Chinook is ready to offer a passerby. If there is a UKC Judge who hasn’t been kissed by a Chinook, that judge has not had the opportunity to judge our breed yet!
Do you prefer your breed judged moving or standing?
If I have to choose, I'd say moving certainly. The Chinook is a sled dog and its movement is critical to its performance on the trail. However, defects in conformation, particularly lay of shoulder, can cause a dog to appear to move beautifully, while the dog may not be structurally sound. Thus, the breed should be judged both moving and standing.
What is the most common judging mistake in your breed?
I am not sure that there is a common judging mistake in our breed. If I had to choose one it might be not making the dogs gait far enough in the ring. I don't think once around is sufficient for any judge to really gauge the true movement of a dog who is supposed to run long distances pulling heavy loads.
What quality lends itself particularly well to the show ring?
Their easy disposition. They love to work with their owners, love to run, love to be touched and love to be admired. So, Chinooks make great show dogs because they get to do everything they love in the ring!
Who would you like to see judge your National Specialty?
Anyone who has a keen interest in our breed and who will give individual owners useful feedback on their dogs. I much prefer a judge who will help a new exhibitor understand the strengths and weaknesses of their dog to a judge who provides little feedback and just gets to the business of awarding a win. We've had many exceptional judges in the last decade. I'd like to see both Betty Umberto and June Pasko invited back to judge upcoming Specialties. They were both early supporters of our breed and have both already judged a Specialty. It would be awesome to hear their feedback about how the breed is progressing. Walt Pasko and Ron Sacca are two judges who are always on my short list for National Specialty Judges too.
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 Recent News At UKC
11/18/2009: Addendum to the Official UKC Conformation Rulebook-Altered Licensed Classes Addendum to the Official UKC Conformation Rulebook Altered Licensed Classes Effective January 1, 2010 Essentially the altered classes and point system is the same as the classes for intact dogs. The Altered classes are licensed conformation classes and may be offered at the option of the hosting club as... Read more here. 
News Archive. |
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Time is running out to nominate Performance Sires for 2010!
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The Dogue de Bordeaux is one of the oldest French breeds. Its actual origins are obscure but it is probably descended from one of the strains of Mastiff-type dogs that accompanied Macedonian and Roman armies through Asia, Europe, and Britain. By the middle of the 19th century, the Dogue de Bordeaux was little known outside of Aquitaine where it was used to hunt large animals, such as boar; to fight; to guard homes and cattle; and in the service of butchers. The breed narrowly missed extinction during the two world wars but enjoyed a resurgence in the 1960's. Sometime in the early 1980's, the first Dogue de Bordeaux was imported to the United States. |
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Read more about UKC's many dog breeds here. |
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