For me, my judging started as a replacement judge for a 2004 Canadian Rare Molosser Show and spiraled into judging Nationals Specialties, hosting my own events, and having the greatest opportunity to apprentice under the top FCI Judges for FCI Group Two. Sadly, a medical event put me into early retirement from running with the big dogs. So, my husband and I retired to Florida with dogs and horses.

Coming from 25-plus years of everything Rare Breed Dog, it was a natural step to take up my work with AKC. I joined a great club and they convinced me to start ring stewarding. When I entered a local Brooksville, Florida, AKC Temperament Test (ATT) event, a colleague convinced me to add Farm Dog and ATT judging certification to my resume. It took me about 30-plus ring stewarding assignments to transfer 25 years of FCI knowledge to AKC procedures. Once I put the rules to memory and completed the requirements, however, I was approved to judge Open Shows.

It became a passion project to convince others to add Open Shows. I had a goal of one day making Florida the largest concentration of Open Shows. When I’d arrived, there were between three and six shows per year. I’m proud to say that we are now scheduling over 20 a year. Innovative show chairs from Florida have now added Open Shows in Oklahoma as well, and other states have contacted me for some ideas.

Here is a little tidbit about the future first “table” breed of the Working Group.

Written by the Danish Swedish Farmdog Club of America With Permission from President Aimee Kincaid

The Danish Swedish Farmdog (DSF) was accepted into FSS in 2011 and was moved to the Miscellaneous Class in June 2021.

The DSF served as an able little Farmdog, alerting its owners to the presence of strangers approaching the farm. Its warning bark serves strictly as a “doorbell” function. It must never show aggression, quieting as soon as the owner accepts the visitors.

Side Note by Jeannine Volpe Jeffrey

Danish Swedish Farmdogs are excelling at Fast CAT, Barn Hunt, Rally, Obedience, Dock Diving, Agility, Flyball, Scent Work, and, of course, Conformation. At home, they are natural ratters—and gophers beware. On the flip side, they are little smooch monsters. When working, they have a heart of a much bigger dog. As many people say: it’s not the size of a dog, it’s the size of the heart in the dog. So, whether it’s hunting rats or running an Agility course, these dogs are super dogs.

The Field of Dreams is Expanding

Simple gestures can go a long way, which resulted in our making history in Brooksville. All it took was simply contacting and inviting the parent club when a breed got fully recognized (January and July). By recognizing their achievement and sponsoring a stunning engraved bedazzled tumbler for Best of Breed, the Mudi Club of America paid us back with over 20 Mudi for the entire cluster. This cluster never had a MISC Mudi entered. We can proudly say that Brooksville made history with the first-ever Champion and Grand Champion Mudi. In addition, half of them came back. (I guess they fell in love with Florida.)

Not surprisingly, our Open Shows have grown our MISC Classes from 0-2 dogs to 15-20. New goals are Group rosettes for MISC in regular shows, plus adding MISC and FSS to our special attractions.

Juniors have been asking for something special in Open Shows. Ultimately, I would like to be able to have a “Best of the Best” in Brooksville, based on all the Best in Open Show (BIOS) winners from the previous year.

I wish to thank all the clubs, show chairs, and judges who have donated their time to build a Florida Field of Dreams. Of special note is AKC Field Rep Mike Szabo who put us back into a growing momentum when I’d hit a plateau adding Open Shows. Most important are the exhibitors who have shown incredibly good sportsmanship. I intend on making sure that Open Shows continue to grow, even after I pass. I can’t think of a better legacy.

And thanks to SHOWSIGHT for featuring many FSS and MISC breeds. Let’s all take a page from them and realize there is an untouched “vein of gold” in Open Show exhibitors who are waiting for their moment to shine.

It would be impossible to itemize here all of the many benefits, rules, and tips regarding hosting or judging Open Shows, but here are some bullet points.

Clubs

• Hosting Open Shows will accelerate the process by which breeds are fully recognized; from FSS to MISC to full status.
• Unequivocally, you are investing in your own future entries.
• MISC breeds are now accepted to show 3x per day. So, if you host two Open Shows and one all-breed show, you will be tripling your entries as well as increasing the points available to exhibitors; a much-needed requirement to earn your Certificate of Merit (CM) points.
• In addition, you are also helping the present and future generation of judges. Judges earn two (2) points per show for their initial breed application. After passing the Open Show test, senior as well new judges will earn C.E.U points towards the breeds they judge.
• 411: The biggest mistake a club can make is only putting on one Open Show a day (unless in conjunction with a big cluster).
• In general, the exhibitors in FSS will not travel outside their general area or state for one show. It is recommended to have two per day.

Exhibitors

• Please join your local club. Ask them to host an Open Show (AFTER you offer to volunteer).
• Joining a club gives you access to a smorgasbord of knowledgeable people who can help you. Some of them will become friends for life.

Judges

I found a great article by Linda Hurlebaus in the AKC Judges Blog archives. I am going to quote her, with permission:

“Those of us that judge the Miscellaneous classes are the precursors of the experience. Let’s make it enjoyable.” If you were assigned Open Shows or Miscellaneous, “going through the motions is simply not acceptable by any means.”

Everyone owes a debt of gratitude to the people who have sacrificed and worked relentlessly to get their breeds recognized. I challenge you to pay that debt back by adding Open Shows and writing about your great judging experiences welcoming the future generations of AKC exhibitors.

The post Open Shows Are AKC’s Field of Dreams appeared first on Showsight Magazine.

As of January 1, 2023, the Japanese Akitainu entered AKC’s Miscellaneous Class. Contrary to what some may jokingly say, the breed is not an American Akita Pequeño, nor is it a Shiba Inu Grande. Known as the Akitainu in its country of origin, it is the largest of the six existing native breeds of Japan (Shikoku, Kishu, Kai, Hokkaido, and Shiba are the other five). With JACA as the parent club, various committees and members have been working together along with advisors from the ACA and other breed communities as we move forward towards full recognition.

Our committee members are often asked the following excellent questions, and we are happy to have the opportunity to respond to them here.

1. How was the breed name chosen for the AKC?

Upon examining documents translated from Japanese into English, JACA’s AKC Recognition Committee opted to use Akitainu out of respect to the world’s first Akitainu breed club, the Akitainu Hozonkai (AKIHO), which was established in 1927 in Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, and to the Japanese-American community in Southern California who formed the first overseas branch of AKIHO in 1970. There is already an Akita breed in the AKC (what much of the world calls the American Akita), so to avoid any confusion, Japanese Akitainu was selected as the breed’s name. Furthermore, the breed name is written as 秋田犬 (Akitainu) and not 秋田 犬 (with a space between the characters which would translate as Akita Inu) in Japanese kanji, and that is how it appears in publications penned by early AKIHO North American members.

2. Why Non-Sporting Group?

This is the question that seems to be the most puzzling for Conformation enthusiasts since nearly everyone assumed the breed would follow in the ACA’s footsteps and enter the Japanese Akitainu in the Working Group. This discussion by our AKC Recognition Committee was not taken lightly. What was the historical work of the Akitainu? The Matagiinu, the slightly-larger-than-medium-sized landrace ancestor of the Akitainu, was a snow country hunting dog. Later, some Matagiinu were crossbred for larger size and used to guard the property of the well-to-do. Another landrace ancestor of the modern Akitainu was the Karafutoken, a sled dog. Eventually, selective crossing with western breeds such as Great Dane, Pointer, Bull Terrier, St. Bernard, and Mastiff produced the next set of ancestral iterations, the Shin Akita and Ōdateinu, which were both fighting breeds. Dedicated Japanese breeders worked hard to restore and preserve their breed over many decades.

Ultimately, the committee took into consideration that the modern Akitainu had been restored more as a companion dog, unlike the Kishuken which is still used as a hound in Japan, and that the Non-Sporting Group in the AKC is home to other Asian breeds including the Chow Chow, Chinese Shar-Pei, and most notably, the Shiba Inu, as well as other Spitz breeds, and thus, seemed an adequate fit for the Japanese Akitainu.

3. Is the Japanese Akitainu the original breed of Akita?

The American Akita and the Japanese Akitainu have the same historical origin. The divergence began in the 1950s when Americans started importing the breed to the US while it was still in a transitional phase of restoration in Japan. It was always the intention of Japanese breeders to preserve the breed in a way that would eliminate the influences of crossbreeding to western breeds and to reflect the other five native Japanese breeds. For a more in-depth look at the breed’s development, please visit the history page on JACA’s website.

Judging Japanese Akitainu in the AKC Conformation Ring

Because of recent history, JACA is cognizant of the need to remain in step with the breed in the country of origin. It is significant to note that the majority of JACA’s founding members were members of AKIHO North America, and most breeders today in JACA are also members of the North American AKIHO branch. As the Japanese Akitainu progresses to full recognition by the AKC, the club has the responsibility of judges’ education and conveying the essence of the breed.

To that end, we began the distribution of an illustrated general quick guide and a color quick guide for AKC FSS/Miscellaneous Class Open Show judges that we hope judges will continue to find helpful. Our Judges Education Committee would like to offer additional notes that may prove useful. (This information and more will also be included in JACA’s AKC Judges Education Guidebook that the club will publish in the near future.)

Type

While some western Conformation judges are inclined to prioritize structurally sound dogs that can do the original work they were bred to do, the Japanese Akitainu had three jobs in its past (hunting on rough mountainous terrain as opposed to flat ground, guarding, and dogfighting), but the priority in restoring the breed in Japan was type over movement. In particular, head features such as correct eye shape, ear set, and pigment are emphasized in evaluating type. Another aspect of type deemed important to maintain is sexual dimorphism—males and females possess clearly distinguishable facial features and body structure. As the AKIHO judges have taught us, males have a more robust physique and masculine expression while females possess more refinement and a yasashi (sweet) facial expression.

Structure and Movement

Regarding overall structure and movement, the question of angulation has lately been a topic of discussion within the communities of native Japanese breed enthusiasts, as there seems to be a trend in the west toward what may be considered a more extreme angulation in Conformation dogs for flashier movement. The Japanese Akitainu has moderate angulation and takes moderate strides. They should not have a “big side gait,” nor should they have a kick in the rear while moving, nor the stilted movement of a Chow Chow. Look for balance between head and tail, with an obvious tuck up. While the hair at the tip of the tail should be long enough to reach the hock, exhibitors and their dogs will appreciate a judge’s ability to visualize tail length. It is not necessary for judges to physically extend the tail to the hock to measure correct length.

Approach

The Japanese Akitainu should be approached in the ring with respect. Thus, a judge who is heavy-handed, suddenly grabs a dog’s muzzle, or engages in close direct eye contact may give a novice handler and their dog an unpleasant experience. Asking the handler to open the dog’s mouth to check the bite and teeth is recommended. Some dogs of this breed may have a tendency toward same-sex aggression or be intolerant of other dogs; therefore, leaving adequate space between dogs is strongly suggested.

It is an exciting time for Japanese Akitainu enthusiasts in the AKC. If AKC judges are interested in receiving a hard copy of the quick guides, please feel free to send an e-mail request to: hope@akita-inu.com

About the Authors

Lonny Cohen

Lonny Cohen became an AKC judge in 1996 and is a current Committee Member and former President of the Akita Club of America. She first fell in love with the Japanese Akitainu in 1998, has been an owner of JAs and a member of JACA for 10 years, and is Chairperson for JACA’s Judges Education Committee and a member of the AKC Recognition Committee. Mrs. Cohen lives in Connecticut with her husband Marc (also an AKC judge), their Shiba Inu, Akita, and Japanese Akitainu.

Hope Furugen

Hope Furugen is an original member and former Vice-President of JACA. She is currently Co-Chair of the club’s Public Education Committee and serves on the Judges Education Committee and AKC Recognition Committee. Hope is also on the Akitainu Hozonkai North America Branch Board of Directors and loves researching breed history.

The post Japanese Akitainu – An Up-and-Coming Breed in the AKC appeared first on Showsight Magazine.

The International Kennel Club of Chicago (IKC) has announced plans for the inaugural International Open Show Extravaganza, with an unprecedented focus on Foundation Stock Service (FSS) and Miscellaneous breeds.

“These breeds boast some of the most dedicated patrons in the dog world,” states Erika Wyatt, IKC Principal and Chief Financial Officer. “They deserve to be center stage and to have an event that will truly showcase their breeds and offer a chance for significant prizes.”

Toward this end the Open shows will be highlighted at both the Winter and Summer IKC shows, with special attractions at both. Both shows will offer large, highly visible rings with prizes and rosettes comparable to the all-breed shows. The Best in Show winners from all three days of shows will compete on Sunday in the regular group ring for the Open Best of the Best Challenge, which brings with it a $500 prize.

It doesn’t end there. The Miscellaneous group winners and FSS group winners from all 3 days of the Schaumburg IKC 2023 winter shows on, January 6, 7, and 8, will be invited to compete at the Summer IKC crowning event, the Chicago Challenge Cup, which boasts a very large cash prize to be announced soon (plus  a huge contribution to a charity chosen by the winner from a list of amazing charities). This event will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Both events will welcome FSS and Miscellaneous breeds to participate in Meet the Breeds exhibitions. The Winter and Summer events will offer expansive judges education series in which FSS and Miscellaneous breed experts are invited to present.

“We invite the best of the rare breeds to come and exhibit in two world class venues and to introduce their amazing dogs to an expected 60,000 dog lovers, judges and spectators,” says Scott Pfeil, Principal and IKC President.

The Winter IKC show cluster will be held January 6-8, 2023 at the Schaumburg Convention Center just outside of Chicago and minutes from O’Hare International Airport.  The Summer event will be August 25-27, 2023 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

FSS parent club representatives and other interested parties may contact Wyatt at Wyatt@ikcchicago.com to inquire about opportunities.

The post International Kennel Club of Chicago Announces Inaugural Open Show Extravaganza appeared first on Showsight Magazine.

The Jagdterrier: A Working Terrier with the Heart of a Hunter. An interview with Richard Reynolds by Dan Sayers.

Some Terriers are working Terriers and then there’s the Jagdterrier. This German original is a formidable hunter—skillful when it comes to dispatching quarry, certainly—but with an energy level that puts its British and Irish cousins to shame. The tenacious “Jagd” is as handsome as he is hard-wired, but this doesn’t mean he’s just another pretty face. In fact, the breed is anything but angelic. The Jagdterrier is a devil on the trail and a demon in a hole. Hunting is his birthright and he often bears the scars to prove it.

To help us introduce the Jagdterrier to ShowSight readers, Richard Reynolds has kindly answered our questions about the breed’s development, its unique temperament and its usefulness as a hunter. — Dan Sayers

What exactly is a Jagdterrier?

The Jagdterrier (pronounced yockt-terrier) is a German working Terrier originally bred to hunt fox and badger below ground. In the eyes of many it is the consummate hunting Terrier and a favorite amongst hunters the world over. Perhaps its most valuable quality is its unique temperament and unequaled energy level. Most Jagds that have had the benefit of early socialization and training are friendly, always inquisitive and able to get along with other dogs. However, most everything else that breathes is regarded as legitimate quarry. That prey drive—along with the proper conformation to get the job done—makes it a valuable partner in any pack of hunting Terriers. “German Hunt Terrier,” “Deutscher Jagdterrier,” “Lovaki Terrier” and “Terrier de Chasse Allemand” are the names by which the breed is known.

When and where was the breed developed?

Like most breeds, the initial origin and humble beginnings of the Jagdterrier are long forgotten. Perhaps the earliest beginnings were with Walter Zangenberg in the early 1920s who came into possession of four Terrier puppies. Some say these were black and tan Wire Fox Terriers, but I’m a bit skeptical of that. There were several others in Germany breeding along the same lines as early as 1911.

Between the two World Wars, there was a movement in Germany to eradicate non-native game species and reinforce native breeds. Lutz Heck was a zoo keeper and dog fancier who took up that challenge and, along with his brother Heinz, bred a lot of German Hunt Terriers. The Hecks were acquainted with Adolph Hitler and Hermann Göring and Göring took up the challenge of breeding Jagdterriers. At one time during the war, Göring was reputed to have 700 dogs in his kennel. A few left to go to hunters, but for the most part the kennel served as a facility to improve and solidify the temperament and conformation of the breed. While this sort of thing may be objectionable to some, it is the same concept that has been applied by organized foxhunts. The hounds produced by the hunts have evolved over centuries whilst Jagdterriers became a distinct breed in a couple of decades.

The Nazis don’t get all the credit for the breed’s development. There were and are dedicated breeders—nearly all of them hunters—working through the Deutscher Jagdterrier-Club which is similar to a US parent club, but on steroids. For all of this widely spaced effort, the breed remains remarkably consistent, unique and stable.

What is the breed’s intended purpose?

From what has been written, the original intent was to breed a German Terrier for use in hunting badger and fox in the earth; a true working Terrier. The smaller size and smaller girth of the original dogs lend credence to this initial goal as does the current FCI standard. (The standard places an upper height limit of 16” at the withers.) The simple fact is that there is no real boundary to the breed’s talents. It wasn’t long before it was adopted by hunters of wild boar, deer and even bear. As the breed slowly spread throughout Europe its job description diversified to hunting all types of game as well as blood trailing. In the US, the breed found immediate favor when they were brought here between 1951 and 1954. The Jagd’s diverse hunting (and retrieving) skills made it a quick favorite with hunters of boar in Texas, Florida and Louisiana.

This superior ability to hunt pigs has proved to be both boon and bane to the Jagdterrier. While the breed was developed for earthwork, even the Germans quickly recognized its ability on boar. The 16” height limit quickly gave way to the larger, faster, stronger dogs that could more easily handle the larger quarry. In the US, fully 80% of the Jagds are entered to boar, while the remainder are entered to raccoon, fox or nutria. A very few of us hunt rats and woodchuck. (“Entered” means simply that a hound or Terrier has been trained to hunt and has successfully hunted a certain type of quarry. In foxhunting, young hounds are “unentered” for their first year with the pack. There are unentered classes at hound shows. It’s less formal in Terriers.)

In what way is the breed similar to British and Irish Terriers? To German breeds?

One has only to look at a Jagdterrier to see the evident similarities to many of the British Terriers, particularly the older strains of Patterdale, Lakeland, and Fell Terriers. There is a lot of resemblance to the old English Red Terrier as well. Each of these dogs was purpose-bred and their similarity of purpose would necessarily require similar conformation. But a visual comparison may be misleading. The tan point markings of many Jagdterriers (resembling the Dobe, Rottie or even some Dachshunds) give rise to the suspicion that one of these German favorites might be hidden somewhere in the mix. Today’s breed experts deny that theory.

The most telling similarity to all Terriers though, is the typical prey drive and affinity for earthwork and hunting that is the cornerstone of all the Terrier breeds. In the Jagd, these qualities have been bred to the highest level and are instantly recognizable. The coat, the straight shoulder, the moderate stop and strong tail all speak to the Terrier breeds. There is none of the dignity, restraint or biddability of the German working breeds.

How does the Jagdterrier differ from other Terrier breeds?

It really doesn’t differ all that much in appearance or conformation. It’s sometimes got a better broken coat than the rest and it appears a bit leggier than many. Jagds are free of many of the congenital anomalies that beset other Terrier breeds. We are now testing for Primary Lens Luxation (PLL), but it is not endemic in the breed. My thinking is that it should be easier to breed good Jagds because of the rock-solid gene pool that still exists today.

Jagds are undeniably attractive and never more so than to knowledgeable dog people (like EL and LG) who can envision what they could do with the breed. They are not as showy as a WFT, not as racy as a good Irish and far less elegant than a fine Welshman. No other Terrier projects a look of sheer evil along with the innate ability to fulfill that promise.

It’s the temperament though, that is the major difference. That temperament is responsible for many Jagds ending up in shelters across the country. The uncontrollable urge to hunt and an energy level higher than anything imaginable means that the average owner lasts about four weeks before giving up and surrendering the dog.

When did you first become acquainted with the breed?

I’ve hunted with Jagds owned by others for years. For the most part, they were too “hard” for my style of hunting or too large for our smaller quarry on the East Coast. Mostly though, I had a team of Dachshunds and Norfolks that satisfied my needs very well. Three or four years ago I was privileged to hunt with a well-known rat hunter in California who had recently acquired a Jagd bitch. He allowed me to hunt her and I found her to be everything I wanted in a Terrier for woodchuck (as well as rats). While most of our group keeps Patterdales, I thought I’d try a Jagd and the rest is history.

As a dog fancier, what appeals to you about the Jagdterrier?

As a dog fancier? Not much. They are hard to keep, hard to train and  destructive if they don’t hunt regularly. People and other dogs appear to be “protected species” to a Jagd, but virtually everything else is regarded as quarry. Early on I noticed that most folks keep their Jagds tethered. I was told that proper Jagd husbandry involved tying the dog on a thick chain out back of the property and throwing it a live chicken every other day. We don’t do the live chicken bit, but my Jagds are tethered out
of necessity.

As a hunter though, I am thoroughly enamored of this great breed for its determination, relative freedom from congenital problems and the conformation required to do the job I require, which is true earthwork. It doesn’t hurt that the breed also excels at rat hunting. You still need a team of different breeds to hunt efficiently, but the Jagdterrier is a really effective all-rounder.

One noted breeder is the US is carrying on a project to breed back to one nearly perfect male. I asked him why this particular dog and he cited five qualities: size; hunting ability; conformation; and the predictable quality of his offspring. The fifth quality? I was told, “He healed up quickly.” I’ve come to recognize this virtue only lately.

Do you work with your Jagdterrier? Is your dog R.A.T.S. tested?

We try and hunt at least one day a week and, if possible, two or three. “Rommel”, my number one Jagd has been hunted on fox, woodchuck and, of course, rats. At a year-and-a-half, he has firmly developed his instinct and hunting ability. His skill and efficiency in dispatching quarry still need to be honed to prevent self-injury, but he speaks the truth when indicating quarry and is an overall joy to hunt with. Moreover, like any good Terrier, he will hunt with and for anybody.

Has your Jagdterrier been entered in AKC events?

Rommel easily qualified for a Junior Earthdog title in two consecutive tries. A perfect record. However, the idea of leaving the liner without quarry in his mouth is a foreign concept, so it is doubtful that he will ever progress to a Senior Earthdog title or beyond. The hunting instinct is far stronger than any recall command, so any activity that involves being off-lead for very long is out of the question. I’m still looking for a training professional that can get him to “Come.” I think we may try Fast CAT if the opportunity arises.

Amongst the many litters of Jagds that are born in the US, Rommel came from one of the few that included conformation in its planning. With that in mind, he has been shown in three AKC Open Shows, winning Best in Show at two of them and the FSS Group at the third. That was enough to gain his Certificate of Merit, the FSS equivalent of a Championship. I had intended to get into some more shows, but his hunting commitments and my judging assignments have so far made that impossible. Owning a working Jagd brings new meaning to “honorable scars” and I can only hope that any future judges will be forgiving of his active and eventful career.

How much support does the Jagdterrier enjoy in the US? Globally?

The American Hunting Terrier Association, Inc., the Jagdterrier breed club, provides most of the stewardship of the breed in the US. Several of its members have imported some of the best breeding stock that Europe has to offer.

The club holds several multi-faceted events every year which includes “Pig Bays,” conformation judging and several other field events. It’s a hunting club for a hunting breed. Still, the majority of breeders are as skilled and as conscientious as any in our world, and are looking after the welfare of this still-evolving breed. The AKC Foundation Stock Service provides the largest reliable registry for the breed and will ultimately bring together the breeding records and pedigrees that are currently scattered throughout several registries. That same FSS registry has opened the door for the Jagdterrier to AKC performance and companion events as well as AKC Open Shows. Like most emerging breeds, there is some resistance to full AKC recognition. For now, the AHTA and its breeder members are doing a first-rate job of promoting the breed while protecting its conformation and singular temperament and ability.

Globally, the breed is fully recognized by the FCI (Group 3, Section 1 Large and Medium Sized Terriers, 103) and the FCI breed standard is in
use worldwide. Relatively small numbers are shown at Crufts and 20 German Hunting Terriers were entered at the recent World Dog Show in Amsterdam. Nearly all the major activity globally is centered around hunting and there are many great dogs that never see the inside of a conformation ring. National breed clubs, particularly those in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary are the base of most activity. For all of that, it is the individual hunters worldwide, who may or may not even register their dogs, that are responsible for the preservation and advancement of the breed.

The post The Jagdterrier: A Working Terrier with the Heart of a Hunter appeared first on Showsight Magazine.