Article 1
Farmer's Weekly January 27 1995 (written by reporter)
Dog breeders country wide, as well as worldwide, should examine their ideas on the type of dog they should be breeding. They should be breeding functional dogs which have aesthetic appeal, not the misshapen dogs seen at shows. This is the contention of dog breeders Susan Spencer and Julie Prinsloo of Soutpan, near Pretoria.
"Take German Shepherds, for example. The German Shepherd has gone through many changes over a number of years, to such an extent that it has become a strange looking animal with an almost unpredictable disposition says Ms Spencer. Ms Prinsloo agrees. She says German Shepherds of which people are so proud in this country are nowhere near what was intended by the original master breeder of German Shepherds.
"The original dog had a straight back and straight hind legs. German Shepherds bred mostly for show purposes have sloping backs and severely bent hind legs. No amount of argument for this kind of characteristic holds water. "The show dog of today is no longer a working dog. Too much fiddling around to give the dog a sloping back has caused a weakening of the back. Such dogs can't jump and will be injured by jumping, part of a working dog's function. "The spine - especially from the middle of the spine towards the tail becomes stiff and inflexible. Too much stress on this section causes it, literally, to disintegrate."
Another problem with the build of these dogs is unnecessary stress is placed on the front legs, says Ms Spencer. "If you look at the way greyhounds and bulldogs are built, it becomes even more clear dogs are bred to look like something someone somewhere visualized, with out taking function into account. "Greyhounds have thick chests and thin hindquarters. When running, these dogs tend to bump their chests on the ground. Bull dogs' noses and necks are too short which causes the perpetual ruckling or snorting sound when they breathe.
"In view of these defects, we decided to go back to "grass-roots level, and that's in Sussex, England, where the true line of German She herd has been maintained by renowned breeder Mrs. Anne Butler. "Many years ago, she originally imported four lines of working dogs from Germany - dogs which looked exactly as they did during the Second World War. We managed to secure breeding stock from her." Ms Spencer says Mrs. Butler managed to keep her lines pure and her breed is known the world over as the Olderhill Shepherd.
These dogs are being used by the Sussex Police Force, where they number more than 50% of the dogs used by the force. "This dog has a straight back and straight hind legs, which are strong enough to support the body. Also, although the Olderhill is a big dog, the head is more delicate and not so heavy. It's much more pleasing to the eye than modern show dogs."
The two breeders want to convince other breeders to adhere to the same standards and also import Olderhill dogs to strengthen the gene pool in SA. They've already had problems in getting their breed registered. They must register as breeders before their breed will be recognized country wide. "The qualities of our dogs clash directly with standards set by the local registering authority," says Ms Prinsloo. "They set standards such as an X-ray certification for canine hip dysplasia, a "good" grading at shows, a minimum age of 18 months for bitches, maximum height of the dog and a registration tattoo.". She says the so-called "good" grading at shows is out of the question for them as their dogs don't conform to local show standards for German Shepherds.
"It seems we'll have no choice, but to form a federation of our own, especially for Olderhill Shepherds, if other breeders will be willing to pool their strength with us." The Olderhill Shepherds come in three original colourings, black-and-tan, black and brindle. Both women are adamant brindle colouring be fully recognized by the Olderhill kennels as an original colouring. "The main characteristics," says Ms Spencer, "which make these dogs outstanding is their big, strong build, outstanding tracking and catching ability, sense of smell, long lifespan and amazing temperament. They're ferocious with intruders, but gentle with children - and highly intelligent.
"A dog expert, Kohler, says usually only about one in every one thousand dogs is a good guard dog. But every Olderhill is a good guard dog. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?" They aim to maintain all the good characteristics in the dogs they breed and are making an effort to bring breeding standards "back to normal "
"We don't see any sense in breeding an animal which suits the whims and fancies of people, but are otherwise useless. A person in Germany, supposedly the birth place of German Shepherds, shouldn't be allowed to dictate breeding standards to breeders all over the world simply because he or she thinks it fashionable. "Sound reasoning should prevail and we should all be breeding good looking animals which are functional."
Interested breeders can contact the two breeders here.
Article 2
Farmer's Weekly April 12 1996 (written by me with an introduction by the editor)
A little more than a year ago a battle of words raged in Farmer's Weekly. It began when Susan Spencer pointed out why she considers her Olderhill dogs better. The reaction as it always is with dog breeding - was fierce. Ms Spencer then decided to do research on the arguments used against her. Here are the results.
The Olderhill German Shepherd dog article in the Farmer's Weekly January 27,1995 issue was fat in the fire. It sparked a fierce debate with phone calls from the public and an article (Farmer's Weekly, April 28) in support of it, while the "SA German Shepherd dog fraternity" was up in arms about this issue in the Farmer's Weekly issues of March 17 and June 9, 1995.
What did the initial article say? It simply voiced the worldwide concern that breeding dogs with exaggerated features for the showring has led to many breeds suffering crippling defects and that a re turn to breeding more natural shapes is necessary for the well-being of these dogs. The German Shepherd dog fraternity denies that its dogs have any problems, claims that their man-made sloped shape is more efficient than nature and is aggressive about any criticism of the dogs that it sells so well. Standing accused of being subjective and lying about the Olderhills, I would like to reply with authoritative references.
Examples of what we're talking about include:
* Bulldogs' respiratory problems because of their squashed faces;
* Dachshunds' hind-quarter paralysis due to their long backs (there are four in intensive care at Onderstepoort at the time of writing this);
* Shar Peis' eyes having to be stitched open because of the wrinkles;
* Pugs' eyes popping out of their sockets because they protrude;
* German Shepherd dogs' hip dysplasia and other spine-related problems because of their sloped backs.
Even without exaggerating features, breeding for looks alone is dangerous, especially when people want to do well at dog shows at all costs. A fashionable "champion" dog will be over-used for stud regardless of its health and temperament, possibly spreading serious faults throughout the breed.
There is a movement wanting to stop dog shows altogether (1) while at the World Congress of Kennel Clubs in Ireland recently some countries recommended that 60 breeds be banned from breeding because of hereditary disorders (2). The problem is serious and widespread and that's why I and many others advocate holistic breeding - selecting for temperament, health and function before looks, just as nature does. I was lucky enough to have stumbled on a German breeder who has applied holistic breeding since 1961.
On a quest to find a line of real working German Shepherd dogs in Europe, I was directed to Ann Butler and her Olderhills in England. I was impressed. These were large, big-boned dogs with human-like intelligence and emotions. These Olderhills, stemming from old German working lines, have been selected for working ability and health since 1961 and for real police work since 1973.
"Living in" with the handlers, police dogs over there have to be good family dogs too. Like police forces in other countries, the Sussex Police have helped Ann and others with their Olderhill breeding programme by allowing their best performing Olderhill dogs to be used as stud dogs (3).
The result of this selection is that practically 100% of these dogs are "born" police dogs, magic to work with, having stable, loving natures and good health (3)+(4). I saw several between 10 and 15 years old and they looked fit. My dog's sire Police dog Olderhill Lofty ("Ben") is 10 and is so fit and strong that he's been given special permission to work beyond the retirement age of a police dog. (He won the City of London and Home Counties' trophy three times in a row - the Sussex Police have won it eight times, seven with Olderhills and not the National Police dog trials as stated in last January's issue. Another dog, Olderhill Ripper won the tracking trophy at the Nationals and was overall reserve champion twice - in 1994 losing by a mere point out of 1000. (3)+(5).
In her March 17th article, Mrs Ewart Brookes made certain statements about the Olderhills in the Sussex Police. The latter confirmed in writing last year that what she had written was incorrect - they had never obtained bitches from Ann Butler and that, out of 30 operational police dogs, 12 were 100% pure Olderhills with two more in training. With these two now trained, that makes 14/32 for 44% pure Olderhills. (3) Other success stories that I've heard of are:
After World War Two, a Swiss programme - selecting strictly for working ability as army, police and guide-dogs for the blind - raised the percentage of puppies bred that proved suitable under field conditions from 35% to 95% (6). An American guide-dog programme took 12 years to reach 70% suitability (6). Another American guide-dog programme took 14 years to reach 90% from a starting figure of 9%.(17)
Several East and West German "working lines ' have been selected purely for working ability with the result that they dominate the working Sieger (championship) show held annually by the German SV (German Shepherd Dog Federation). Like the Olderhills, they have kept the flat backs and straight hind legs of their ancestors, and in the words of a well known German Shepherd dog judge here "almost look like a different breed from today's show shepherd".
At the Sieger Show in 1993, I saw only a couple of dogs with sloped backs - the rest were these flat-backed working shepherds. What is the difference between dogs that are the product of years of selection for working ability and health and those that are the result of years of selection for shows? Show people deny any difference, but common sense and facts suggest otherwise.
Dogs can be produced after many years whose puppies are nearly 100% suitable for field-work - that is, out of a 1itter of 10 puppies all 10 will be suitable. The suitability of the well bred show dogs that these programmes started off with ranged from 9% to 35% - one to four suitable puppies in a litter of 10.
For the past two years, the SA Police have been able only to train successfully 5,5% of the 1 800 shepherds donated to them due to defective health or temperaments (8). That is fewer than six dogs out of 100 less than one puppy in a litter of 10 suit able for field-work. Sounds shocking, but probably fairly accurately reflects the decline noted in all the shepherd books I've read. The police commander says that 15 years ago the success rate was much higher (8) and this corresponds with what many working people have told me - that the dogs 10-15 years ago were much stronger in body, temperament and health than today's "modem" show shepherd. (After the fraternity's June 9th accusation that British dogs have bad temperaments, it's amusing to note that this decline corresponds with the increase in the number of German imports.) There is, therefore, a huge difference in the percentage of puppies suitable for field-work in a "working" or "show" litter.
German Shepherd dog breeders argue that dogs with working qualifications ob trained at working shows are equal to real life working dogs. This is not usually true. Many dogs perform inconsistently at shows, doing well one day and badly the next, and even those who don't might not perform in non-show situations. I've heard of a police dog that won all the working trials, but refused to get out of the van at the scene of the crime. Nearly any dog of any breed can be taught anything with patience and expertise - what is required in a working dog is that it learns quickly, co-operates keenly and performs consistently in any situation. Working qualifications give no indication of how long a dog took to gain them, how consistent he is and how he performs outside the "ring" and so is not a real test of character and, therefore, of little use in breeding programmes. (9)
The difference between a bred working dog and a show dog that's one of the small percentage suitable for real work can still be like the difference between a car and a go-cart. Both will take you from A to B, but it's so much quicker and less work with a car. With no training, our Olderhills have joined in advanced obedience classes, retrieved articles hidden away, performed perfect scent discriminations (retrieving an object with the owner's smell on from a group of other objects) and found explosives. With training, one of their puppies in George - Olderhill Fame - won her first obedience test entered (with 99,5% at six months of age). Show them something once and they do it. That's the magic of genes programmed to work. Dogs bred for the showring have sloped backs and bent hind legs. All the working lines that we know of have kept the flat backs and straight hind legs of the original shepherds.
Scientific
The slope is supposed to improve trotting efficiency, but no scientific trials have ever been attempted to prove this. The experts just know it. Onderstepoort for some reason decided against scientifically comparing sloped with flat-backed shepherds.
The only trials that I've heard of are the following: Czechoslovakian Wolf dogs (German Shepherd dog x wolf) took three to four hours to recover after a 100-km trot while German Shepherd dogs took 12 hours to recover after 50 km.(10). The dog that proved the best for speed and endurance in Scandinavian Pulka racing (one-dog sled with a musher following on skis) was the German Short hair Pointer. (11) As Mr Campbell points out (April 28), wolves and the champion endurance dogs, huskies (who run 200 km per day for 10 days in the Iditarod race in the USA), have flat backs. Any dog can complete the federation's 20km "endurance" run.
When the slope became fashionable about 15 years ago the upright scale jump (up to 11 feet high) was changed to the "A" frame ramp. Why? Was it because rigid sloped backs are more easily damaged by the jarring of landing from an upright jump? Or perhaps that they are not able to jump as well? Again, unfortunately, there is no scientific data to answer these questions on how slope affects function, but there is evidence that it is associated with hip dysplasia (HD).
In 1985, Dr Verryn scientifically proved that "excessive slope of back" and a "crouching hind quarter" were associated with increased hip dysplasia. (12), (13)
Prof Geerthsen, involved in several breeding programmes for working German Shepherd dogs in the past, says that it was noticeable how selecting against hip dysplasia resulted in dogs with shorter, flatter backs.(13)
West Germany's sloped show dogs have compared badly with East Germany's fat-backed ones in hip dysplasia statistics. In 1968, 90% West German's German Shepherd dogs had hip dysplasia compared to East Germany's 44%, and by 1975 83% compared to 12% (14)
We are not aware of any genetic faults in the Olderhills or other working lines. Not surprisingly, some of the genetic problems common in show German Shepherd dogs concern the spine. Examples are German Shepherd dog myelopathy or CDCM (paralysis of the hind quarters); immature nerve growth (inability to control muscles enough even to walk); hip dysplasia; and anal furunculosis (pus forming boils in the glands under the tail often needing tail amputation or euthanasia. The latter is thought to be due to the steepness of the tail-set required in angulated show dogs. (15)
Hip dysplasia is the abnormal development of the hip joints leading to painful arthritis, varying in degree from only noticeable in old age to having to "euthanase" a puppy. Although present in some other breeds, the German Shepherd dog is by far the worst affected by hip dysplasia The federation's own statistics from 6/11/'93 to 6/11/'95 show that only 53% of the 620 dogs x-rayed for breeding were hip dysplasia-free and these include many flat backed hip dysplasia-free dogs. (KUSA's statistics not at hand).(16)
Some breeds insist on 0-0 hips in both parents for breeding. Others allow one of the parents only to have up to 1-1. German Shepherd dogs' are allowed to breed with both parents 2-2.(17)
There is no reason why a bitch with hip dysplasia should be mated to a dog with hip dysplasia - there are many males to choose from. In my opinion, this practice is unscrupulous. The worst non-spine related hereditary problem is pancreatitis - a malfunctioning pancreas (often becoming cancerous) causing inability to digest food and a permanently thin dog. Requiring a "lean" show dog masks that dog's inability to get fat. The above shows clearly that "holistically"-bred working dogs are healthier and vastly more suitable for real-life work.
REFERENCES:
1. International Express (newspaper)
2. KUSA M.magazine Oct 1995 p 399
3. Fax from Sussex Police 25/5/95
4. Fax from K9 Protection Services
5. Letter from Sussex Police Constable Baker
6. Captain W.M. Goldbecker/Ernst H. Hart. This is the German Shepherd p 220
7. William Koehler The Koehler Method of Guard Dog Training, p 23
8. Fax from SA Police Dog School Pretoria 9/10/95
9. Dr M.B. Willis, The German Shepherd Dog p l3
9- 1/2 Certificate showing first place
10. KUSA Magazine, May 1993 p 161
11. KUSA Magazine, June 1994 p 240
12. Willis p 261
13. Letter from Prof Geerthsen 25/5/95
14. Wills pp 267 and 268
15. Willis p 237
16. Federation's HD Gradings
Article 3
Farmer's Weekly April 19 1996 (written by me with introduction by editor)
What happened to the black German Shepherds? And the white ones? And what about hip dysplasia and haemophilia? And why did a test at Onderstepoort never materialise, asks Susan Spencer in the second instalment of her series.
Surprising news to many of us is that the show shepherd has never been bred for real work. Real working lines have either not been regis tered with the German Shepherd Club (SV) - as in the case of sheep-herding shepherds still in Germany today (18) or have been registered, but kept apart from show-shepherd blood.
When the breed was first registered in 1922 by a small group making up the SV, it was supposed to be judged as a sheep dog. However, from the start judges weren't shepherds themselves and no sheepdog trials were held to test the dogs' ability. Dogs that looked as though they could do a day's work with sheep won. What makes this even more amusing is that the real working sheepdog shepherds from which show dogs originated and that still exist today in Germany vary enormously in appearance - size, shape, hair length, colour. (l 8) In 1922, of 239 dogs examined for the SV's breed survey book, only four worked with sheep. (19) Today, 72 years later, German Shepherd dog breeders still judge their dogs as sheepdogs - not just "nor mal" sheepdogs, but those that can do a flying trot for a whole day (so the story goes). Maybe the SV are secretly breeding rnarathon-fit sheep specially for these dogs. The SV, back in the twenties, SOOIl realized the problems they were breeding when temperaments and health became poor. Alex Westfalenheim was banned from further use and his son, Erich von Grafenwerth, was exported to America owing to their bad temperaments. But the damage had already been done. (20)
Descended
By 1936, 96% of registered dogs and 76,5% of the bitches were descended from Erich's son Klodo von Boxberg. Flora Berkmeyer, the female pillar of this line (and Erich's grandmother) also had a poor temperament. (20) Schutzhund tests were introduced to test for temperament (why not sheepdog trials?), but these are of no use in breeding working dogs. Friederich Muller argued that there was a need for new blood from lines known to be physically and mentally sound and urged breeders to use working lines, possibly from old herding families to strengthen existing fashionable breed lines. (21) Von Stephanitz felt a return to the old working type was needed when he chose his 1930 Sieger Herold aus der Neder lausitz, but show breeders ignored him and didn't use the dog for stud. (22) He couldn't stop the fashion he'd started.
Dirty politics
The breed itself was becoming fashion able worldwide and top show dogs were exported from Germany for vast sums of money. As in all big business, this led to dirty politics.
It seems that in the 1930s the Nazis increasingly took over the SV, purportedly even threatening Von Stephanitz with imprisonment until they forced him out in 1935. (23) - Although he had said that dog colour was of no significance and shouldn't be part of the breed standard(24), the SV campained against white dogs. They blamed them for genetic faults and encouraged a "buckets of bullets" solution to get rid of them.
Fanatics even committed atrocities against them. (23)
White had been a popular colour of early sheepdogs and every German Shepherd today is descended from white dogs. Horand's grandsire, Greif, was pure white, and Beowolf's son Berno von Seewiese was white and registered in the SV Stud Book. His picture was in early versions of Von Stephanitz's book, but removed in later versions. Hettle Uckmark and Flora Berkenmeyer 's daughter Blanka van Riedekenburg isn't pictured anywhere despite many photos of her famous parents and son Erich von Grafenwerth. She was white and her name is incorrectly spelled Bianka in pedigrees. (25) Finally, the SV banned the colour (along with brindle and chocolate/liver) and only the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs stood up to the pressure and con tinued to register all German Shepherd dogs regardless of colour. The white shepherds are today known as American Canadian White Shepherds and are popular even in Germany.
As well as discriminating against certain colours, the SV has discriminated in favour of a "handful of kennels and a smaller handful of lines". (9) From the beginning, the SV has been authoritarian, only its president judging the adult males at the annual "beauty" Sieger show and the chief breed warden judging the bitches. (26) For the past 40 years (1955-1995), three SV presidents on their own determined which dogs were Siegers and so which lines were "in". (9) The extensive over-use of these few lines resulted in dogs being bred with exaggeratedly sloped backs and a large percentage of bad temperaments and hereditary disorders. But the SV and its political mouthpiece, the World Union of Shepherd Clubs (WUSV), seem increasingly unable or unwilling to publish factual material on failings (in the dogs). (27)
When the Americans discovered hip dysplasia in their dogs after World War II, the SV simply said that it was an "American disease", unheard of in the fatherland. (28) This was a fact that need ed no proof, no x-rays. In 1968, x-rays showed that more than 90% of their dogs had the "American disease". In the April 1991 issue of the SV magazine, there's an article on hip dysplasia. It summarizes statements and relevant reference books in six blue boxes concerning what factors might influence hip dysplasia. In five of these boxes, Dr Willis's book is referred to, but in the sixth box, which states no correlation has ever been found between sloping back or hind angulation and hip dysplasia,
Willis is left out. (29) His book notes Dr Verryn's scientifically accepted finding that there is a signifi cant correlation. The SV deliberately refuses to acknowledge it because it's a threatening piece of evidence against the sloped dogs that they are promoting.
In the 1980 issue of their magazine, four haemophiliac dogs descending from Canto V.D. Wienerau were reported. Many more haemophiliac descendants of his were discovered in France, Norway Denmark and Britain, but the SV "have reported no further cases and there is almost a wall of silence about implicating (him)". "It would appear that the whole German Shepherd Dog world sees haemophiliacs except Germany. It will be tragic for the breed if the W.U.S.V. and S.V. do not appear to recognise this defect and its source."(30)
A friend's show dog nearly bled to death from his mouth before reaching a vet the other day. The injury was a puncture smaller than a match's head. I'd say that it's already more than tragic for individuals affected - it's horrendous that the SV seems to knowingly allow breeding with carriers. Unfortunately, the SA German Shepherd dog "fraternity" in the federation (or is I the federation?) has connections with the German SV.
Described by themselves (June 9th) as being dedicated to fighting against "fringe opinions" and "members of other breeds attempting to undermine the development of the German Shepherd Dog", they sound like a political group rather than dog fanciers. The development that they are talking about is business development in the "dog share market " (it's a new one to me, too) and exporting and this explains their aggressiveness towards criticism of their products. Undermining their success "may have more serious consequences than the perpetrators envisage", they threaten.
After last year's Olderhill article, the reporter who wrote it was harassed in his office. Julie was expelled from the federation. They sent the Advertising Standards Authority of SA a list of allegations about the Olderhills (which we disproved with written evidence) to stop our ads in the classifieds.
Scientifically compared
And they campaigned orally from their head office, in their clubs and in articles against the Olderhills. When the fraternity heard that the physical performance of flat-backed and sloped shepherds was going to be scientifically compared at Onderstepoort the enterprise was stopped. Why? All breeds are being damaged by show people "cliques". The majority is excluded from success in the ring so that the gene pool of "champion stock" becomes so small inbreeding is inevitable. Some even refuse to allow their dogs to mate "non-champion stock" bitches with the result that "ordinary" dogs are sharing fewer and fewer ancestors in common with "show"'stock (and invariably fewer genetic faults).
Solution
It is obvious that attitudes have to change. The show world has to admit breeds' faults and correct them by gearing written breed standards and judges' interpretations of what health is. This will en courage show-dog breeders to breed holistically. At the moment, the FCI (International Dog Federation) rules that a judge is not allowed to interpret a breed standard "in any way that is detrimental to the dog's health" and yet most have promoted "over-typification which is detrimental to health and functionality". What is worse, breed standards themselves contain a number of requirements that prescribe physical abnormalities. In the words of the president of the German Kennel Club in his paper "Breed Standards from a Health Profile", all this has led to the show world being "wide open to severe criticism by the general public and more so by the scientists and members of the veterinary profession". (31) This leads me to the most important part of the solution - the veterinary profession and public. Every vet I've talked to - including scores at Onderstepoort - is aware of breeds' general problems and unhappy that the show world apparently promotes them. I would like to see articles by them in popular magazines such as Farmer's Weekly - publicizing this because public opinion is the most powerful tool for change. Dog breeders cannot keep all the dogs that they breed. So, if the public demands healthy dogs, they will have to start producing them. Buyers of puppies should demand a written guarantee against hereditary con ditions common to the breed and stipulate that should their puppy have such a condition they would keep the puppy and get a full refund of their money or what ever would satisfy them. I know German Shepherd dog breeders who "guarantee" their dogs' hips, but then expect people to give the defective dog back for a replacement knowing well that most people will be too attached to their dogs to do that.
Same genetic fault
Breeders, who knowingly mate a dog and bitch with the same genetic fault, but still "guarantee" the puppy free of it, can be legally held liable - not only for the purchase price of the dog, but for medical expenses resulting from the defect. If breeders are held responsible for the medical and temperamental defects they breed, then they will seriously reconsider their criteria. Making this a reality is in your hands, as is the future of all dog breeds. As far as working German Shepherd dogs go, if show people want their dogs to perform well, perhaps they should follow Mr Muller's advice and put working lines free from physical and mental defects to their show stock. Better 60 years late than never. For enquiries about the Olderhills and their progeny in South Africa (all KUSA registered), telephone (01214) 82131 or Cel 082 416-4961.0
REFERENCES
17. KUSA Magazine, March 1994 p 98
18. Faxes from Germany re the Association of Old German Sheepdogs (Alt deutsche Hutehunde) 19. Brian H. Wootton, The Gerrnan Shepherd Dog, p 21
20 Brian H. Wootton, The German Shepherd, Dog p 21 21. Wootton
22 Nem and Percy Elliot, The Complete German Shepluerd Dog, p 21 23. Dogworld Magazine, June 1989 p 109
24. Dogworld Magazine, June 1989 p 106
25. Dogworld Magazine June 1989 p l05
26. Wootton, p 74
27. Willis p 14
28. Willis, p
29. SV Zeitung, April 1991
30. Willis, pp 224-227
31. pp 1, 4.
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