Summer 2012
Welcome New Babies:
Blacksheep podengos had 2 litters of Medio Wire
Here are some of the
latest stars at Blacksheep!
See more info and pics at:
http://blacksheepdogs.co
m/Blacksheep_Podengos.
html
By: Cindy Martusius
This year we were honored to have Rui Gonçalves as our judge. Veterinary surgeon since 1984, FCI American Cocker & Portuguese Water Dog Breeder, National and International Judge since 1997 judging in Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland. Currently serving on the Technical Commission of
the Portuguese Kennel Club (cpc). Licensed to judge Portuguese Breeds, FCI groups 7, 8 and many individual breeds. Mr Goncalves was an enjoyment to visit with and was happy to see the quality of Portuguese breeds entered.
The show was on Thursday June 14th and is an event held currently, during the United Kennel Club (UKC) Premier. We had a ring exclusively for our show. Our entry this year was 33. Which was wonderful considering the late start we had and the confusion with replacing our initial judge. The Portuguese Podengo and Portuguese Water Dog were the big entry breeds. WAY TO GO!
Our breed ‘trophies’ this year were embroidered jackets. They were beautiful! Best in Show was an embroidered chair. I have to admit it was gorgeous. The exhibitors were wonderful, I have to say thank you for their patience in dealing with us working our way through the Judges Books and stewarding.
The results!
BISS, BOB, Portuguese Pointer, Kommander Do Berco Do Basalto, owned by Elizabeth and Douglass Dow.
RBISS: BOB, Portuguese Podengo Pequeno, BrokenRoad Tequila Sunrise, owned by Stacy and Susan Faw.
PWD: BOB, Ch Anew Irish Cream, owned by Vera Arnold.
The Parade of
Portugal 2012
EMD: BOB, GRCH McCoy by TrailsEnd, owned by Cindy Martishius.
In regards to Podengo Medio/Grande: Since the Parade of Portugal started in 2006, we have had good entries on the Podgeno, specifically the Pequeno. In the last few years our Medio/Grande entry has grown with this year being the best! We have had a Medio win BISS and place in the top four repeatedly.
Competing against the pequeno in breed ring is difficult, if the Parade of Portugal committee and chair can be any assistance contacting the United Kennel Club regarding a separation of these, it would be a pleasure to do so.
To find out more about the Parade of Portugal you can visit: www.paradeofportugal.com
www.facebook.com/ParadeofPortugal or contact me, I am happy to help. Until next year!
The Podengo at POP -
Mary Dixon - First
breeder/exhibitor of Wirehaired
Portuguese Podengo Medios in
North America with breed
foundation bitch Ch Evita VD
Kleiheuvel (on right) and her
2007 (3rd litter) puppy girl Ch
Mica de Retrouvaille (on left).
Call names of Podengos present included: Joe, Walter, Karma, Libby on the big side and Zeke, Mica, Evita, Chase, on the Medio side. Great showing by some great dogs! (call names used cause registered names waaaay to long.)
Specialty Reminder:
Thursday August 16
th, 2012
At the conclusion of the Rocky Mountain Hound Association show
Island Grove Regional Park 501 N. 14th Ave
Greeley, CO
This is a 4 day cluster with Thursday and Friday dedicated to specialties and all breed show Sat and Sunday. Obedience and Rally offered all 4 days. Premium List for the 4 day AKC events is available at:
www.onofrio.com
JUDGE: Ms Judy Walton - Judy has shown dogs since 1980, has had Whippets for 28 years and Ibizan hounds for 8 years, and have handled and pointed a number of other sighthound breeds. She has judged sweeps at Whippet specialties and supported entries and had the pleasure of judging sweeps at our local Borzoi specialty this winter. She also teaches conformation handling classes, both for people starting new puppies and for novices just beginning to show their own dogs. Soon to apply for her judging license we are pleased to have this long time hound person as the judge for our specialty. Classes will include: Puppy, Bred By Exhibitor, and Open divided by size as well as the option to enter Exhibition only. Premium list and entry on the website – day of show entries are also welcome. Check Club site for additional details: www.podengo-mediogrande.com
Ready – Set – Show
How you can show your Podengo in AKC events!
In addition to Lure Coursing, Obedience, Rally, Tracking, CGC we now have an opportunity to participate in a conformation activity called: Open Show. You can find Open Shows by going to the AKC website and clicking on EVENTS. You will see a tab for open show and you will find a list of these events. These are NEW activities where FSS and MISC breeds as well as regular status breeds can earn Certificate of Merit points. No handlers or CH animals allowed and winners of all groups INCLUDING FSS AND MISC are eligible for BIS.
This new opportunity just started on July 1st so you can expect to see some more opportunities later this year and certainly by next year. So get out there and have fun with your dogs!
Most common questions we get
about the Podengo
If you had not split off from the Podengo Pequeno you would be going into regular status too. Why did you do that?
The original club submitted the Podengo as one breed. It became obvious to us that this original submission had a couple of
problems. The first in the AKC definition of a breed is that the different variations can be bred together. Breeding a 8-12 inch dog to the larger sizes would then lose the 4” gap that should exist between the top of the little and the bottom of the big. This would result in producing dogs that would not fit their purpose of the integrity of the breed.
The second is the Podengo Pequeno is longer than tall – the Podengo is more square. The Pequeno is not a bred down big and the big is not a bred up pequeno. They have different functions and share little common ancestry and no connection in morphology.
So while it might have been faster – it was not the best for either breed when we are trying to stay true to the intent of the breed in Portugal in 2009 the Podengo Pequeno and the Podengo were split into 2 breeds for AKC purposes.
How can I find a Medio or Grande breeder near me?
Unless you live in a few specific states you will not find a breeder near you. This is a rare breed in the US and most of us are working on a breed recovery project.
Breeding is limited with careful attention to the diversity (or lack of) in the gene pool. We welcome new people who are looking to
own or participate in activities and seldom breed without a waiting list.
Are the puppies registered anywhere?
Puppies should be 'recorded' with AKC Foundation Stock Services - which is the part of AKC registration that is available to us. They may be individually registered, or just registered as a litter but they are not eligible to participate in activities without an AKC number. Puppies may also be registered with UKC. It is your job to discuss with the breeder you have selected what the status is. Since the future of the breed depends on AKC recording - we support the registration of all puppies as soon as possible.
How often are puppies born?
Litters are carefully planned and the number of litters is many times based on the availability of suitable homes - if you are interested in this breed it would be helpful to get on a breeders waiting list. Or look at puppies currently on the ground and available young adults.
Can I get one from Portugal myself?
We would be happy to provide some contact information however it is a complex
process and may take a while to establish a relationship. The easiest way is to fly over and bring your puppy back - that way you can get your puppy at 8-10 weeks so you will still be able to socialize it. Anything older (unless from some particular breeders) will have lived in a kennel building with little human contact.
Shipping will be based on the size/weight of the dog and can vary from 500 - 2600 Euros and of course varies with the exchange rate. Purchase price is typically around 500-700 Euros.
I think I have a Podengo - can I register it?
There are so few REGISTERED Podengos in the US and we do know where almost all of them are. Many years ago Portuguese hunters imported some dogs for hunting and have likely had litters over the years. We would be happy to look at pictures of your dog - but as the Podengo is a primitive breed - most mixed breeds - when mixed together enough also look like primitive breeds. If you have what you think is a Podengo and would like it certified for a PAL number with AKC. Please contact us and we will be happy to help.
What health issue are there?
We have little information and no testing from the country of origin. The gene pool in the United States is so small that it is critical to focus on creating a population of greater diversity rather than test for more common issues. To date we know that the structure of the ear – lends itself to
frequent ear infections, we know there have been some environmental and food allergies – we know there have been some issues with Thyroid. We encourage people to share information openly about their Podengo.
What are the most common questions you get asked? Are there questions you get asked that are not noted above? Would you answer differently? The club is always looking to update information as it becomes available – so don’t just think it – say it outloud! Email suggestions to appmgc@yahoo.com
MEET THE BREED: Taking out our Podengos for people to meet at training classes, shows, events is really important for a couple of reasons:
1 – It shows folks what our dogs can do when you go to coursing, obedience, rally activities AND these are all activities that in AKC we are allowed to fully participate.
2 – It is good practice for our dogs to socialize with others (2 – legged and 4 legged). Getting used to noise, human interaction needs to start early on and continue.
3 – It allows people who have never heard of our breed – to get more familiar with them, their character and personality.
4 – A good way for people to consider if the activity level of this dog is something they can live with or deal with. We all know that sometimes the best people – well intentioned as they may be – may not be the right home for a Podengo.
So when you participate in Meet the Breed – it’s good to have information. The APPMGC has brochures and printed information as well as banners that you are welcome to use but sometimes people like to provide information about their specific dog. Here is an example sent to us from Jan Miller of CT. She indicates that she copies this front and back and then can update it from time to time so that it looks fresh for those who may have seen it before. Great job Jan and what fun Bella must be.
The Versatile Portuguese Podengo By Jan Miller
Photo Marc Stumbo/Axis Imaging The first Portuguese Podengo I ever met belonged to a priest. He was born in Spain and he knew the breed well. He told me “Get yourself a Podengo. They know what you need.” The priest was blind.
I got myself a Podengo. For me, this was a carefully researched,
conformation and behavior tested decision. For my husband, it was love at first sight. Both of us were right.
Portuguese Podengos are indeed an intuitive breed. They are intelligent, enjoy working and can learn complex tasks. They are active with good endurance and agility, and they are natural retrievers. The breed was developed in antiquity to hunt hare by both sight and scent, in packs or individually, with the hunter. These breed traits make the Podengo suitable for a wide variety of tasks,
including rabbit hunting, disability assistance work, and Hollywood movie acting. Podengos hold AKC performance titles in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Lure Coursing, and Tracking.
Our Portuguese Podengo, Belle Chance CD BN RA SC CA CGC, is just one example of the breed’s versatility. In one year, Bella has earned a total of seven AKC performance titles in Obedience, Rally and Lure Coursing. She
enthusiastically continues performing in these events, and has also begun training to be a Therapy Dog. We chose to train for AKC performance events because they offer such great instructors for the novice handler. We were pleased to discover that dog training has also given us so many new friends along with our well trained dog.
Bella is a joy around the house. She is quiet and clean, but always
attentive. She is very expressive, and has a kind sense of humor common to the breed. She is happy doing anything; Bella believes life is an adventure. Family vacations and trips are the best, when she can meet new people and do new things. Bella is a sweet girl, and charms everyone she meets. She especially loves children.
For further information on the Portuguese Podengo breed, go to the American Portuguese Podengo Medio/Grande Club website at www.podengo-mediogrande.com.
Copyright Jan Miller, 2012
Portuguese Podengos are
Sighthounds
They Have a
Double Suspension Gallop
