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How did the first
bobtail appear in your life? Why was it exactly a bobtail? Please
tell us a little about your first dogs.
As long as I can remember, I've loved dogs. I'm the only one in
the family to love dogs, so no matter how hard I'd beg for a puppy
my parents never allowed me to have one. Instead I had snails,
silk worms, fishes and hamsters, which of course are not exactly
the same as a dog.
When I was 12, I started a collection of dog cards. That was the
first time I saw a picture of a bobtail. As I always knew I would
have a dog, no matter how long it would take, I began wondering
about it. It had to be a shepherd dog (as I rate sheepdogs the
most intelligent and friendly dogs), a medium sized dog, not too
small nor too big (something around 55-65 cm would do), with long
hair (short coated dogs are not actually dogs, for me …), and
light coloured. Given these "requirements", my "list" was
restricted to only two breeds: Briards and Bobtails. As Briards
were said to have sometimes a nasty temper, and I liked the
white/grey look, I decided on the bobtail.
Bobtails are rare in this part of Europe, so it took a long time
before I actually saw a bobtail in the flesh. He was shaved down,
but nevertheless was very much appealing.
In the mean time, I finally convinced my parents to allow me to
keep a dog. It was a mongrel puppy bitch (with some Yorkie blood
somewhere) that became my companion and lived to the age of 12.
When Noucky died, after surpassing the grief of loosing her, and
as I was finally living on my own, I decided that it was the time
to finally have a purebred, bobtail puppy bitch. It was not easy
though. I finally found out that there was only one breeder in
Portugal, and managed to get his contact. He said that one of his
bitches was going to have puppies soon, so I got really excited. I
waited for good news in the next couple of months until I phoned
the breeder again. He said that the litter was born, that there
was only a female and that he was keeping her. It was total
disappointment! After all those expectations it was hard thinking
of waiting a whole year to have a puppy. So, I bought a French dog
magazine and started to look for bobtail advertisements. Luckily,
there was a litter available from a breeder near Perpignan, close
to the Spanish border. I contacted him and soon we were heading
towards France to collect my first puppy. She was to become
F.Wendy d'al sola de Bonabosc (Ch. Amadeus Lover des Korils
d'Armor x Up and Down du Moulin du Pont). As you can see, we had
not much care in choosing our breeder, but we were lucky. M. Danoy
showed us the photos of the ancestors and their show achievements,
the commercial that he had made for Pedigree, and convinced us
that we should show our little girl. When we received the
pedigree, we found out a lot of funny names and a lot of Champions
too. So we decided to enter Wendy in a show. Wendy took Best Puppy
and I got hooked on shows.
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Fleur - Fleur d'al sola de
Bonabosc - 5 months |
Unfortunately Wendy died when she was only 6 months old (nobody
knows really why, but it was probably an electric shock), and I
almost gave up having dogs, after losing 2 loved ones within one
year. Of Wendy I remember she was a somehow fat, lazy bitch, with
a sweet temperament. I still remember her, in the back seat of the
car, licking my ears and the feeling of it.
After some
thought I decided to have another try. I contacted M. Danoy
again, hoping that he would not refuse me a second chance. He
didn't, so soon we set off to France again, and brought Fleur
d'al sola de Bonabosc. She was to become my foundation bitch.
She is almost 12 now, and is the leader of the pack and my
constant companion. She always had a nasty behaviour towards
other dogs (especially Poodles, the little white ones - who
can blame her?), so for the day-to-day life it was not so
simple to live with. |
But I always loved her
extraordinary memory, her sense of humour, the ability to learn
quickly (the things that she accepted to learn) and the true
bobtail behaviour regarding humans. It was her that truly hooked
me on bobtails and proved that my choice, how silly it could be at
the start, was absolutely right. Since she was 3 months old, she
goes to work with me every day and is adored by everyone. When we
arrive every morning, she visits my colleagues, who always have a
treat for her. She can smell food from a 20 m distance and likes
to play the "starving dog" act, with great success I must confess.
Despite having good bloodlines behind her, it soon became obvious
that she would never be a good show dog. Deciding if I should
breed from her was not simple but eventually it proved to be a
good decision.
Why is your kennel called just so? How did
you choose the name for it?
When I decided to breed, I began thinking of a kennel name. As
it was a british breed and I was thinking of giving English names
to the dogs, the kennel name should be English too. I first had
chosen "Woolygan's", for obvious reasons, but it was refused.
Eventually, the affix "Sealords" was accepted (back in 1992) and I
started breeding under that prefix (with the first litter being
born in the beginning of 1994).
Why "Sealords"? I think that the affix should have something to do
with the dogs you breed, with the breeder, and/or the place he
lives in. For those who don't know, back in the 1400's, Portuguese
sailors set out from this little lost country in small ships to
discover the world, which was really a great feat. For 3
centuries, Portuguese sailors were truly the Lords of the Sea
(hence Sealords, as an homage to those heroic people). Our logo is
also based on that. Behind the Bobtail profile, you see a
triangular (or latin) sail, which allowed sailing against the
wind, and was a revolution in sea sailing at the time.
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In the
sail, you see a cross - named "Christ's Cross" - as you could
find in the Portuguese flag at the time (as well as in all
documents and even monuments). |
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And
 is
actually an "astrolab", an instrument of arabic origins that the
Portuguese improved, that allowed to measure the height of the
stars and so to determine the position of the ships when they were
in the middle of the sea.
Where do your dogs live?
For me, dogs are man's companions. I think that a dog's life is
not complete if it is not shared with the owner. So, my dogs live
as normal family dogs, that is, in the house, and sleep in my
bedroom, around my bed (OK, sometimes on my bed, which is not so
simple as they like the pillows as much as I do). But when I'm
away, they stay in a sheltered place (you can hardly call it a
kennel), where they are protected from the sun, the rain (and the
neighbours …). It is in that place (that measures 14 m x 2 m) that
we play ball, their favourite activity, that keeps them fit (the
kennel is also used by the kids to play, I think the
"police-prisoners" thing …). Besides the "kennel", and when I'm at
home, they may roam around the house, but normally, if I'm not
playing with them, they prefer staying quietly inside the house
with me (which is very puzzling to my mother, who really doesn't
understand why the kennel, which is supposed to have dogs inside,
is always empty).
Do you have assistants in the kennel? What
is their task?
No, I don't have kennel assistants. For the dogs to live a
normal family life you have to have a limited number of dogs (I
think that, with 6 dogs, I've reached my limit …) so you can
hardly justify an employee to look after the dogs (you don't make
the money either …). I hope my daughter will grow up soon so she
can help me with the grooming and can stay at home looking for the
dogs when I'm away for a show.
What kind of breeding dogs, in your opinion,
should be:
- male,
- bitch.
This question has to do with the following (question 6). I
like males that look like males (that is, over 65 cm) and bitches
that look like bitches (around 58 cm at the shoulder). Both have
to be good specimens of the breed, healthy and with good
temperaments. They have to have good bloodlines behind (I don't
believe in good dogs coming "out of the blue").
What do you emphasize in the breeding?
I think that in all breeds good breeders will tell you that
there are 3 things to adhere to when breeding:
- the standard: you should breed to get dogs as close to the
standard as possible. The standard is your Bible as a breeder.
- health: a good dog is a healthy dog. Our breed was a working
breed, so a sick or a cripple dog would be of no use. A sick dog
is also a bad publicity for the breed. In Bobtails we should keep
hip dysplasia under control. I don't think that eye diseases are a
problem in the breed, but of course you should be attentive to
that too. European dogs seem to be free from thyroid problems
(contrary to their american cousins) so no need for wide testing
but again we should keep our eyes open. The same applies to heart
problems. In fact, it would be a great deal if there was some kind
of club or institution to which we could report the cause of death
of our dogs, so we could have a picture of the real problems the
breed is having.
- temperament: let's face it, the vast majority of our dogs end up
as pet dogs, living with families that probably don't have a deep
knowledge of canine behaviour and how to deal with it. So we must
give them "easy to live dogs", that is, dogs with stable, bomb
proof temperaments, and the true bobtail sweet, playful
disposition. Very dominant, nervous, unstable dogs should not be
bred from. And remember, the wrong dog in the wrong hands can do a
lot of harm to the breed, in terms of negative publicity.
As to working abilities: I must confess that I love to see a dog
working - and enjoying it. I find that the herding tests are funny
and allow taking good pictures. However, I don't think these tests
are crucial as:
· Bobtails aren't built to be herders but drovers - and that was
the reason why they were "out of business" already in the
beginning of the 20th century
· you can't expect that farmers will ever use Bobtails for
herding, Border Collies will fulfil the task much better.
The world has changed a lot in the 20th century, with a lot of
ancient human occupations disappearing and new ones emerging. The
same applies to our dogs. You shouldn't expect to see Bobtails
working as they were in the 19th century. That doesn't mean that
Bobtails shouldn't work. It means that we need to find new "jobs"
for our dogs: PAT, rescue, tracking, agility, etc. So we must
strive to breed well built dogs, with good character and
intelligent, as Bobtails normally are. A dog with these 3
qualities can learn and perform any job. A stupid, vicious or sick
dog is of no use to anyone nor easy to live with.
Was there a litter which remained in your
heart and which you are especially proud of?
My last litter is always my best litter, so I don't think I can
say that there was a special litter to me. They were all special
at the time, and I'm proud of them all. But there were individual
puppies which were special to me, for a reason or another - from
those who I couldn't keep and left home to live with other
families, I fondly remember S. All you need is Love, S. Devil in
Disguise, and S. Eye See You.
How important is the eye pigment?
The standard is the "bible" of the breeder and the standard
says "pigmentation around the eye preferred". So it's not
essential (the American standard doesn't even mention this
detail), though I prefer a well pigmented eye.
If you refer to eye colour, this is also a characteristic that I
rate as "aesthetic", it doesn't alter the dog or its ability to
work, and you shouldn't throw away a good dog just because it has
somewhat light eyes. But again, I prefer dogs with dark eyes and I
think that we need to be watchful if we don't want to loose this
characteristic - there are at the moment too many dogs with light
eyes.
Are the champion's titles obligatory for
dogs' breeding?
Of course not (though it looks good on the pedigrees …). There
are numerous reasons for a good dog not achieving high honours in
the show ring. On the other hand, many shows are judged by people
who are not very familiar with our breed and that are easily
fooled by presentation, glamour and coat length. The opinions that
count are of those people that have owned and bred the breed for
several years, and I think that it's more important to get an
"Excellent" with such a judge, especially if the classes are well
filled, than a CACIB with an all round judge and from an empty
class - which is getting more and more common, given the drop of
entries in shows.
If you look at my litters, you'll see that I have used dogs - and
bitches - that weren't Champions but who have got "Excellent"
grades with specialist judges.
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What do you do with a dog which gets too old
for breeding?
All our dogs are essentially and first of all pet dogs so
nothing special happens to the oldies. Perhaps I cut down a little
bit on the food and the treats so they don't get overweighted as
they get older but that's all. I couldn't part with any of them,
and I really can't understand people who are capable of doing so.
What is
the happiest moment in your life concerning bobtail?
The winning of the obligatory CAC for the Portuguese
Champion title with Fanny (Sealords Breakfast at Tiffany's),
who was to become my first Champion. It was a strong class,
and I had entered hoping not to end up in the last place. When
the judge pointed at us, I couldn't believe she was putting us
in the first place! It was really a thrill and a dream come
true - and that came sooner than I was expecting.
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Fanny - Ch Port Sealords
Breakfast at Tiffany's
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Did you experience misfortunes and how did
you avoid them?
Do you refer to problems with the breeding? I can't say I have
had misfortunes - some mismarked puppies, but all healthy. My
worst nightmare is not making the right puppy pick for my line and
ending up in a "no return point". What I fear the most are health
problems - so I control HD, though there isn't an official scheme
in Portugal, and I stay attentive to any health problems that may
appear.
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Nana - Sealords Back to
the Future |
Blossom - Sealords Eight
Days a Week |
What criteria do you use to choose the
best puppy in the litter?
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Happy - Sealords Don't
Worry be Happy |
Living as pets in the first place, I
always choose a puppy whose character I like - and I like the
puppies for different reasons: Nana was the sweetest, Happy was
the smartest, Blossom was the most mischievous.
Of course
they have to be well built, as they will be used to continue
the line. I take a lot of pictures, which allow me to better
compare conformation. The pictures at 7 weeks old are
particularly useful, as the proportions you will see in the
adult dog are there at that age. And as they will live in a
pack, and I already have a dominant dog (Fanny), the puppy
must be accepted and get along well with the older ones. So,
it's possible that I don't keep the pick of litter for myself. |
What forage do you feed
your puppies and adult dogs with? Do you give them additional
forage and what kind of?
From 3 weeks old, I start giving a Premium dog food. By 6 weeks
the puppies are completely weaned - I don't like them to suck from
their mothers too long, and they don't get any benefit from it
either. From 3 months, they all eat the same kind of food - one
for Adult dogs, with 24-26% protein and 14-16% of fat. Because
Fanny is one of the few anorectic Bobtails I know of, I usually
mix a little something with the food (cheese, cooked meat,
whatever), so they eat it all faster.
In the morning we all eat toasts with butter and before I leave
the house for work I give them dog biscuits, hoping they will stay
calm - but the effect is very short …
Do you do make
selection among the future owners of the puppies from your
nursery? What can be a reason to refuse to sell a puppy to a
particular person?
I have been lucky as the people that come to me to have one of
my puppies are generally "selectionned" already. First of all,
they must know the breed and understand the amount of work that is
necessary to keep a dog in tip top condition. Believe it or not,
people who had never heard about a bobtail have contacted me on a
couple occasions - and I quickly ended the conversation saying
that bobtails wouldn't be a good breed for them. There has to be
an empathy between me and the prospective owners - this is hard to
explain but if I don't like the way they interact with the puppies
I don't sell. I don't make many direct questions, but I try to
read "between the lines" in order to understand what kind of life
the puppy is going to have in its new home. One time, the
prospective buyers ended up saying that their last dog used to
destroy things at home, so they shuted it in the store-room - no
need to say that these people never got one of my puppies. I don't
sell to people who think that the dog's place is outside. And
since Oliver was returned as a puppy, I don't sell to a family
where the lady in the house doesn't really want the dog and is
only trying to be nice with her husband.
The dog breeding for
you is:
- your life;
- a hobby;
- an art;
- a way to earn you living?
Dog breeding is definitely NOT a way to make money. Indeed, I
get really happy if I can get back the money I spent on the litter
itself (stud fee, travel, vet bills, food, damage to the
furniture). Dog breeding has conditioned all my life: from the
house I live in, the holidays I (don't) take, the opportunities at
work that are lost because there is no one who can stay with the
dogs for a couple of weeks, the (lack of) social life. It is a
hobby, because it is necessary to have a job to have the money to
feed all those big mouths - a good job, with no rigid schedules
(and a good boss). And it sure is an art, so there are a lot of
candidates to breeders, but only a few really good ones.
Could you give a piece
of advice to a beginner breeders?
First of all, analyse your real motivation for breeding.
Breeding good dogs is very expensive, so if you want to make
money, choose another activity. Breeders are the guardians of the
breed at the time and your goal should be to leave the breed
better than you found it when you started. Breeding is not just
increasing the number of dogs, it's about increasing the number of
good dogs. Before your start, study a lot - genetics, nutrition,
dog behaviour, everything. Study dog conformation. Study the
standard and understand why each part is to be that way. Go to dog
shows. See what lines appeal to you the most and try to understand
why. You will end up making your own image of how a good Bobtail
should look like - and then you will try to breed that elusive
ideal dog.
Study other breeders' plans and try to understand what they are
looking for and what makes them successful (or not). To understand
the pedigrees, you should actually know the dogs behind the names
- so gather information, all the information you can get (photos,
show reports).
Begin with a good bitch from the line you like the most. Look at
your bitch objectively and find out what you would like to
improve. Then choose a dog that is suited to your bitch. Don't
just choose the dog that is nearest, that has done the most
winning or that is the most used by others.
Go to dog shows and get impartial opinions on your dogs. When the
dogs are at least one year old look at them and find out if you
really got what you were looking for when you made that breeding.
And then decide about the next step.
Don't despair if results are slow to come: if you are doing the
right things, success will come. Getting to the top is not really
difficult, the real problem is to keep there. Getting to the top
may be a question of luck; keeping there is reserved to the ones
that have the knowledge and the "touch" that makes them really
good breeders.
What is you opinion
about what had happened to the breed in the World and your country
for the last 15 years?
I'm in the breed for only about10 years, and most actively
since I bred my first litter back in 1994. In Portugal, quality is
generally high - the breed has not a big demand, and this
discourages the "dog sellers" who have no concern for quality.
What I think of the breed in other countries? There are some very
good dogs - but not many. Too much emphasis is put on length of
coat instead of quality of coat. Too much emphasis is put on
presentation - this discourages the novice exhibitors, who seldom
stay "in the business" for more than a couple of years. And
because there aren't big kennels any more, it's getting more and
more difficult to find good males. Most breeders keep only a
couple of females and can't afford to keep any males. At the last
Euro-OES Show it was clear: many excellent females, but no really
exciting males. Neck length has improved but eye colour needs to
be watched: too many dogs have light eyes.
Breed clubs. Are they
necessary in your country? Why?
With only 2 regular breeders, there is little place for an OES
club in Portugal. But I think that clubs are necessary to put
breeders together, discussing about the problems the breed faces,
giving them education, and working together for the good of the
breed - not an easy task, in this world where individual success
is what counts the most.
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What is an exhibition
for you?
I think that dog shows are important, especially if you are a
breeder. It's a way to show your work and to evaluate your
decisions when breeding.
It's a way to
get an outer opinion on your dogs, so you can keep yourself
free from kennel blindness. It's a way you can compare your
dogs to others' and make plans for the future. It's a way to
find males you can use on your bitches. And it's a way to meet
other people, to share views, to learn something new about
dogs - and to have some fun. However, I think that the
traditional "beauty" show doesn't fulfil our needs as
breeders. I think that there must be more objective
judgements: if the head is to be square, why not measure it?
If the dog is to be square, why not measure it? Why not rating
eye colour (there are colour charts for other breeds)? And so
on, so the dog could receive an objective grade.
I would also like to see a class for
clipped dogs, so the pet owners could participate - especially at
Club Shows. |
Oliver - Ch. Port.
Sealords DragonHeart
( EURO-OES-SHOW 2000) |
Beginning from what age
should a dog start being prepared for a show-career? What is the
best way to do it?
A good show dog is a dog that can cope with the noise of dog
shows, with other dogs and being touched by strangers, and that
knows how to run on a lead. That is, a good show dog is above all
a dog that has been well socialized. So from an early age you
should get out with your puppy and accustom it to a lot of
different situations. You should also teach it to stack - a few
minutes at a time. And a good show dog is first of all a happy dog
- make your dog's life a good dog life.
What of your dogs did
perform most successfully at the shows?
Without any doubt, Ch. Sealords Breakfast at Tiffany's. Being a
dominant dog she moves with the head up and so she fared well even
at the Group level - though she really isn't my best dog. She got
her title quickly in 5 consecutive shows - gaining 5 x Exc, 4 x
CAC, 1 x CACIB, 1 x RCACIB, 3 x BOB, 1 x Group 1, 1 x Group 2. I
don't see any point on showing the dogs after they have gained
their titles, so I didn't continue to show her, but if I did she
could have achieved a good placing in the Top Dog competition (all
breeds) in that year.
What is your attitude
toward professional handling? Do you use services of professional
handlers?
I have nothing against. I think it is a good solution when you
do not have the time to take your dogs abroad, or if you simply
are a lousy handler. Though I'm one of these, I have always
handled my dogs myself.
I'm more critical at dogs being handled by international judges.
Believe me, when you see the judge of the day cheering effusively
the "judge of other days" on making another BOB it makes you
wonder why you are stupid enough to insist on entering your dogs.
Please let us know your
attitude to usage of lacquers during the dog's preparation for an
exhibition?
As long as judges favour overly groomed dogs and don't dismiss
lacquered dogs from the ring - why not? Being a lousy groomer I'd
prefer a more natural look, though. I think that the present show
grooming gives a false image of our dogs and keeps potential new
owners away - most people get an idea that Bobtails are
sophisticated and "sissy" and thus completely useless.
Would you like to wish
something to the Russian OES owners?
Anyone who chooses to live with an OES is surely an educated,
good humored person - just as the dogs are. So I can only wish a
long happy life with your dogs and that you give them all the love
and attention they deserve.
31.08.2002
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