May/June 2010

.....

'Question & Answer'

A column on anything pertaining to Siberians.  Is there something you always wanted to ask someone.  You can "Ask Mike!"  Answers will be taken from both international or domestic breeders and owners.  Questions will be submitted to Mike anonymously.  All emails are filtered though Siberians USA prior to going to Mr. Jennings.

.....

I have a larger Siberian that does not single track in some of the show venues that have smaller rings. He doesn't have a problem in larger rings. I have been told that he should be single tracking all the time by a Judge. Is this true?

Actually, the Standard says the Siberian does not single track at slower speeds; only as speed increases do the feet converge toward the longitudinal center. And, yes, larger dogs tend to take longer and need more room to reach that convergence.

I have seen Siberians that have the worst rears, mostly wide and they continue to win in the ring?  Can a Siberian still be a good sled dog and have a wide rear?  If they can function on the trail, then why is it a fault?

Wide rears are not efficient as the feet tend to stay on the ground for a shorter period of time.

Does the tuck up have a function or is it just a characteristic of the breed?

Tuck-up is merely the lean middle you see on most athletes, specially endurance athletes, and is mostly a manifestation of the strength of 
the core muscles. And no doubt these core muscles are important to a working sled dog, especially in the loping gait that made the Siberian famous.

When measuring from withers to elbow, should any of the chest lay below the elbow and why or why not?

No. Doc Lombard once made the comment that he had never seen a good 
sled dog whose chest depth reached below the elbows.

In your opinion, what is structurally most important and what least important? I know this is a broad and subjective question however it is worth merit to those that would like to breed a better Siberian.

Good feet and a strong back, sufficient leg length and angulation, and then, of course, balance would seem to be the primary structural considerations; with a somewhat close rear being the fault that I most easily forgive, as it does not seem to significantly disadvantage a working sled dog.

Since your involvement in the breed, what changes have you seen?

I've never been able to answer this question very well because there was great diversity then as there is now. Then the dominant families were Monadnock, Alakazan, Savdajaure and Marlytuk in the North-East, Frosty-Aire, Karnovanda and Fra-Mar in the Mid-West, and probably Dichoda and S-K-Mo in the West (there were relatively few Siberians in the South at that time), along with Innisfree in all three places (as they moved around a lot due to Norbert's job). So if you look at photos of animals from those kennels at that time, you'll get the gist of that era, I think, and any further generalizations tend to require 
too many qualifiers to be useful.

My question is about ears.  I have a Siberian Husky that has a wide earset and the ears are tall but not any taller than most of the others in the ring, can you tell me what the function is of the ear and is this a disqualifying fault?  It is my opinion, all the ears on Siberians have gotten taller and the set would not be a fault.  Am I correct?

Well, ear set was seen as one of the primary distinctions between Siberians and Malamutes in the early years, and Leonhard Seppala once returned a puppy he had bought from Lorna Demidoff because he felt the ear set was too wide. Ears should be medium sized, well-furred, and be set high on the head and pointing straight up; and I do believe in recent years we've seen more biggish ears, thinnish ears, and those  set too widely apart.

Do you have any advice for an owner that wants to handle their own dogs?

Study the best handlers, study the breed, study your own animal (especially as it moves in its own yard), make it fun for your dog and keep training sessions short, attend handling classes, and practice, practice, practice. Practicing in a mirror also helps. The rest is confidence; show the dog as if you believe it is made of gold. AND DO IT ON A LOOSE LEAD!

Where's "Ask Mike"?  I've been waiting for his column to come back!  I 
do have a question for him.  In his last column, Mike mentioned that 
he had judged abroad, how do the Siberians abroad compare to those 
that are being shown in the United States, both structurally and type? 
 
  I also would like to know that in a lot of European countries they do not allow the dogs to be groomed with products and are only presented in their natural state or they can be disqualified.  No chalk, no coat conditioners, no trimming of whiskers and dare I mention the scissors?  Mike, did you see a difference in the grooming?

Other countries do not have nearly the numbers we do, but the grooming is certainly less obsessive. Many come from the U.S. and show their family backgrounds fairly clearly. Some countries have very beautiful, but not terribly sound animals, but in all the countries I've judged (Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand), I've found animals exhibiting a high degree of type and soundness. As in the States, however, it very much depends on which show you attend. Some clubs seem to encourage very racy animals, and others rather cutsy, fluffy specimens.

I had a singleton puppy which has grown into a beautiful young male 
and has been doing very well in the ring.  My best friend says that I 
should never breed this bitch again because she is not a good brood 
bitch because she only had one.  Is breeding about how many puppies 
you have or the quality in which you produce?

A singleton puppy in one litter does not mean the next litter will be 
small. Try again and see.

How important is it for a Siberian to gait with his head down while on 
the trail?  And why?

Well, the head should be extended and somewhat lowered to allow the 
neck to be involved in the lift of the front end, but that doesn't mean the head should be absolutely level with the top line. It's usually somewhat higher (as described by Natalie Norris).

I would like to breed my bitch, who is not a Champion because she doesn't like the ring.  I guess you could say she is a "dead head."  I have been told by other exhibitors that I should never breed a bitch that is not worthy of being a Champion.  My bitch is very nice and I suppose I could put a handler on her and finish her but I really don't think it is necessary.  Do you agree with the exhibitors?

I do believe that the best breeding policy is to breed the best to the 
best, and that no one new to the breed should make a breeding decision 
without some very good advice, but I don't believe that a CH in front 
of the name changes an animal.

How intelligent is this breed?

Intelligent enough that it takes a pretty smart person to own one. 
Overall, I think Siberians are extremely smart relative to other 
breeds, but of course different lines tend to have different IQs. And 
then you can also measure intelligence in very different ways.

Phenotype vs. Pedigree, Line Breeding vs. Outcrossing or Inbreeding, 
which are your preference in your breeding program?

The first principle of dog breeding is to breed 'like to like.' I have 
best luck breeding diagonally, let the sire of the sire be the 
grandsire of the dam on the dam's side, or vice versa. But, of course, 
you have to have animals that are complementary phenotypically, and 
you have to know your families.

I have a puppy that toes out a little.  The shoulder is laid on 
correctly as well as laid back.  Is this something that he will grow 
out of or into?

A puppy SHOULD toe out a little to make room for when its chest 
matures. And, actually, even an adult should toe-out slightly when 
standing naturally so that when the feet converge under the 
longitudinal center the point straight ahead.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR MIKE? EMAIL US AT THE BUTTON ON THE TOP OF THE SCREEN.

Ch Demavand's Cassio's Secondwind