Breeds

Through the ages, the poodle has been found in many “high” places including a white poodle called “Boye” owned by Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619 – 1682). Prince Rupert was a Commander in Charles I cavalry. Boye was sadly killed at the battle of Marston Moor on 1^st June 1644. There is a poem about “Boye” entitled “Demon Dog” written by Arthur Chappel. Cromwell sighed with relief when Boye was killed as it was thought that this would mark the end of Prince Rupert’s luck and that of King Charles. Sir Winston Churchill also owned miniature poodles his most famous being Rufus, who features in many photographs of Sir Winston. It is believed that the poodle was miniaturised by breeding with small spaniels. The breed became very popular in England in the 1950s and 60s and was often referred to as the French Poodle because it is thought by some to have originated in France, but there is evidence to show that it is more likely to have been German (Pudel, meaning water dog) or even Russian in origin.

Poodles were used as water retrieving dogs and their long coats were of great use to them in this activity, insulating them against the cold and serving as a buoyancy aid. The pom-poms protected their joints and the mane protected the chest and major organs. The topknot was thought to have been tied with a coloured bow which allowed one poodle to be distinguished from another for the purposes of competition. Poodles are very athletic and agile, intelligent and eager to please. They are therefore easy to train for many activities including obedience and agility. Their grace when jumping is well known and their speed is hard to beat. The Poodle made an ideal circus animal because of their eagerness to perform and they were indeed found in the circus in France in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Their style of grooming for the show-ring has changed over the years, but the dog underneath remains the same, full of elegance, style, and fun.

Grooming poodles for the show ring is a painstaking, labour-intensive job. It takes many hours to prepare one dog for a few minutes showing. It is not easy to learn and is more suited to someone with lots of spare time or a flare for dog-grooming. The bath and drying time alone, for one miniature poodle in show-trim is a minimum of 2 1/2 hours. The drying is the most important part as the coat must be clean and completely straight and dry before trimming. The face, feet and tail have to be shaved which, depending on how co-operative the dog is and how skilled the groomer, can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The nails must be trimmed and again the time taken is dependent on how skilled you are and how much the dog will allow. Trimming the coat to the correct shape is an art as well as a skill and you must have an eye for shape and style. An amateur would be well advised to take some lessons before embarking on grooming a show poodle. The cost of all the equipment required is enough to put most people off. Having said all of that, most poodles are quite vain and love to jump on the table for grooming and admiration!

Miniature Poodles make excellent pets. They are biddable, loyal and fun. They can take a lot of exercise or a little. They live a long time (I knew one who lived to 21). If buying a miniature poodle as a pet, you should know that they need professional trimming and clipping, approximately every 8 weeks at a cost of £20 - £30. Good health is important and you should ask about the parents, in particular their eyes as poodles are prone to PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) of which there is more than one variety and which causes blindness.

For the show ring a poodle should be well-balanced with a rising top-line. It should exhibit true reach-and-drive movement, a well-developed, deep ribcage, a long elegant neck with proud head-carriage, a scissor bite with 42 teeth, a small, dark, almond-shaped eye and a deep, dense, course coat of a whole colour. Pigment should be dark. The feet should be small and tight and the nails kept short. The pads should be thick. The customarily docked tail should be carried high but not “gay”. Sadly we are seeing some gay tails with the docking ban under way. This may for a time make the poodle look less “balanced”, but hopefully with careful breeding, tails may become straighter and more pleasing to the eye. The ear leathers should be thick and long. A poodle’s demeanour should be happy, fiery and full of fun. Poodles come in black, white, brown, apricot, silver and red. In miniatures, the ring has been mainly dominated by blacks in recent years, though the other colours seem better supported in the toy and standard poodle rings. Parti-colours are not acceptable for KC registration which is in my opinion, a pity as they look very pretty. I hope one day the Kennel Club will recognise them and there may at least be separate classes for Parti-coloured Poodles.

I bought my first miniature (Myhaven Fancy Footwork) in 1994 from a lovely couple who had been showing and breeding poodles for many years. “Fidget” as we called her, was not a very keen show dog, though she was very pretty. Gayle and I went into partnership with her so she became “Myhaven Fancy Footwork at Pyennebeare”. We did some agility training and she was very fast but liked to make up her own course, rather than the course laid out by the judges. Eventually we bred from her and she had 3 lovely bitch pups (Millie, Mollie and Mandie). We kept Millie and Mandie who both qualified for Crufts as pups. Mandie retired from the ring and Millie continued with a few good wins including a 1^st at Crufts 2000 in a Post Grad Bitch class of 14.

Millie’s first litter was born in 2001, 2 boys and a girl. One of the boys stood out from the litter, always wanting to be noticed and always “show-standing” to be admired. He was a devilish little man from day one and we knew he had to be “the one”. We named him Spike (Pyennebeare Milligan). He has never let us down, always showing his socks off. He has also had many good wins and gained his stud-book number in August 2006 but has now retired from the show ring. Millie had a second litter in 2003 (2 girls and a boy). We kept a girl (Lola – Pyennebeare Sparkles). She is a gorgeous bitch with a wealth of excellent attributes, including a wonderful coat. She had a number of good wins and qualified for Crufts as a pup however she hated being shown so was retired from the ring early. She now lives a life of luxury with Gayle and Mandie.

Along the way we bought in one or two other poodles, including Alice who sadly died at 2 years of age. She did very well in the ring and will never be forgotten. Morris - another Myhaven (A Fancy Fullfilled for Pyennebeare) is now aged 9. We long admired his mother and were thrilled to be allowed to have her son. Sadly he grew too tall for the show ring but continues to live with me and has sired a litter of his own.

Here we stand at the moment with both houses full. We have no show-dog but are training Lola and Morris to do a bit of obedience and some heelwork to music moves. Lola could excel at HTM, her exuberance is a joy to see. Morris is a more slow and “measured” dog. Hopefully one day there will be another Pyennebeare in the show-ring, when the right pup comes along.

The Shetland Sheepdog, as its name implies, comes from the Shetland Isles, the most northerly part of Britain. Here it was used by the crofters to keep the sheep off the crops surrounding the crofts. The dogs barked to warn their owners, a habit still seen in many of their descendants.

More commonly referred to as the Sheltie, the dogs are a small version of the Rough Collie and should have been called Miniature Collies but the Collie club objected. This would have been a more accurate name as they were not used to round up sheep like a Border Collie.

The Kennel Club first recognised the breed in 1909 and in the 1920s some Collie blood was introduced to improve type. This gave rise to problems with size, some of which are still with us, (my present puppy is an example). There are three main colours, sable and white, tri-colour and blue merle. The height is fourteen inches for bitches and fourteen and a half for dogs, give or take an inch up or down. Ears should tip over at the ends giving the typical sweetness of expression. The Sheltie is a popular pet and show dog. Entries at open shows are usually 20/40 and at Championship Shows 150/200.

My wife and I have had a Sheltie or more for most of our marriage, nearly 50 years. The first one helped me get the cows in. Later on my daughter had one for Junior Handling and Obedience and I won out of Novice Obedience with a large one. Despite more successful diversions into other breeds, (Border Collies and Tibetan Spaniels) we now have five Shelties, some of which we show at Open Shows. It is hard to reach the top showing Shelties because it is a highly competitive breed with many good dogs being shown. However the charm of these small dogs makes keeping them a reward in itself. Norman Allcorn

Whippets are wonderful house dogs and love the comfort of 'fur'niture, indeed they are little couch potatoes! They are easy to keep clean and shed little hair. We are fortunate in the breed that they have few inherited health problems.
They enjoy agility, racing, showing and many are joining obedience teams. They are versatile little dogs.However, they are born to run and any small furry critter they spy may cause immediate selective deafness! Caution is needed to prevent tragedy!

General Appearance:

An animal of extreme grace, unless it is running anywhere near something expensive. The general appearance of a
Whippet is that of a raised bump under the sheets and covers of your freshly made bed.

Eyes:

The eyes are the most important feature of the breed. They can be any colour, though Whippets prefer to have dark eyes, as these are more useful for conning their servants out of the best food and softest bedding. However, Whippets can manipulate their servants in many other ways.

Nose:

Cold, wet, long and shocking when it unexpectedly makes contact with the Whippet's servant's bare thigh.

Feet and Legs:

Sharp, long and unbendable. Really good Whippet feet and legs can shove an adult man off the bed, or render him unable to breathe, with all four of the Whippet's feet pressing into his stomach. A well bred Whippet also will impale armpits, eyes, mouths and other sensitive areas with his feet, while sleeping in his servant's bed.

Body:

The Whippet's body is generally either blurry in motion, or flat on it's side. It is acceptable for the Whippet to rest on his back, with his feet straight in the air- remember the legs are not to bend and allow any room or comfort for the human.

Teeth:

The Whippet has very special teeth and cannot eat regular food. If you wouldn't eat it, neither will the Whippet.

Ears:

Ideally, these resemble those of a bat when the Whippet goes for car rides and the window is open. Whippets are deaf at all times, except their scheduled dinner time.

Movement:

As little as possible.

Color:

Whatever colour your bedspread is, so will be the lump curled up underneath of it.

Temperament:

Whimsical, stubborn, manipulative, lazy and all together wonderful.

Disqualifications:

Failure to disobey at least twice a day, sigh loudly with disgust at least three times a day, and to take up more room in the bed than two people, shall disqualify.

- by Jenna
Coleman of Windridge Whippets

The Papillon - Mary Melvin

The Papillon (Butterfly Dog), so named because of the way their large mobile ears are positioned, resembling the wings of the Butterfly. Their thin blaze represents the body of a Butterfly. One of the lovely Toy breeds, it stands 8 - 11 inches in height with a long silky coat and plumed tail, arched over the back. It is a dainty, well balanced little dog with dark round eyes and long Hare-like feet. Very intelligent and easy to train, Papillons work in obedience and mini agility, representing England at the World Championships and are very good at heelwork to music. Today Papillons can be found working in Search & Rescue teams, Dogs for the Disabled, and as Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. They have a long life-span. The oldest recorded died only a few years ago at the age of 27 years! A variety of this breed is the Phalene which has Drop-ears, named after the night moth which drops its

Members are invited to submit short articles about their own breeds and why they love them.