JUDGING:
After many years of judges' training, including judging at numerous shows, examinations and assessments, I judged my first British Rough Collie Championship Show in September 2006. Since then I have had the pleasure of awarding Club Championship Certificates (CAC's) in several countries - Rough Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs in Russia; Rough and Smooth Collies in Norway and Germany; and Rough Collies in Sweden, Denmark and Eire.
In April 2012 I judged an Open Show for the Israeli Herding Dog Club where I had the pleasure of assessing Rough Collies, Smooth Collies, Border Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, Bearded Collies, OES, Australian Shepherds, South Russian Owcharkas and Berger Blanc Suisse (White Swiss Shepherd Dogs). I have also enjoyed judging many of the Pastoral breeds in the UK, in addition to judging Open Show Pastoral Groups on many occasions. My next overseas appointment is in September 2013, near Graz, Austria, where I look forward to judging the Rough Collies and visiting the Lippizaner stud at Piber. BOOK: 'ROUGH COLLIES OF DISTINCTION' - by Iris Combe, Dareen Bridge and Pat Hutchinson (published 2001)
This coffee-table, hard-backed book, is a tribute to those British Collies, their breeders and owners who have exerted influence over the breed's global development. Presented as a unique pictorial record Rough Collies of Distinction traces the evolution of the Rough Collie, from the nineteenth century rough-coated farm dog to the instantly recognisable breed that we all admire. The contents have been compiled by breed enthusiasts Iris Combe, author, collie historian, and international Championship Show judge of Rough, Smooth and Border Collies; Pat Hutchinson, breeder, exhibitor and international Championship Show judge of Rough Collies; and breed archivist Dareen Bridge who has produced the principal male and female blood lines charts which form an integral part of this book.
Price: £10.00 (RRP: £25.00) + postage (UK - £6, Europe - GB£11 USA/OZ - GB£21) I am happy to ship bulk orders worldwide with competitive postal rates
TO ORDER please contact Pat on kcollies@ntlworld.com
COLLIE HEALTH ISSUES:
DNA samples can be taken from your Collie and submitted to either to the Laboklin Laboratories, Manchester (www.laboklin.co.uk) or the Genomia Laboratories in the Czech Republic (www.genomia.cz) for testing for the gene mutation which causes some Collies to show adverse reactioms (and even death) to certain drugs or cocktail of drugs.Ivermectin was known to affect Collies and is now banned for use in dogs. However it is a common worming preparation used for horses and any surplus drug passes out with the droppings. Collie puppies love to eat horse manure and one breeder unfortunately lost her Rough Collie from this habit - so beware!
Eyes:
CEA: Collie pups should have their eyes clinically tested at 7 weeks of age, but to get an accurate genetic picture, A blood sample should be taken and sent to Optigen (www.optigen.com). Karibuni Collies are all clinically and genetically tested for this condition.
PRA: There is no genetic test for the late-onset form of Centralised PRA (RPED) that our British Collies have suffered from in the past but, although no cases have been diagnosed over the last few years. the British Veterinary Association still advises breeders to continue with annual clinical checks. It is believed improved feeding methods have led to its decline. Karibuni Collies are tested annually for this form of PRA.
However, Optigen now offers a DNA test for the early onset form of Generalised PRA (rcd2) which affects American Collies and it is therefore most important for any Collies of mixed British/American/Canadian blood lines to be DNA tested to prevent yet another eye disease from entering the British gene pool. Karibuni Collies are all genetically tested for this form of PRA.
Canine Hip Dysplasia is a congenital, inherited malformation of the hip joint where the ball or femoral head does not fit snugly within the hip socket. Most dysplastic dogs are born with normal hips but, due to genetic and environmental factors, the soft tissue surrounding the hip joints may develop abnormally as the puppy grows, with an accompanying laxity or looseness in the muscles, cartilage, connective tissue and ligaments. As the joint is not supported the femoral head and the socket move apart producing an unstable joint. It is this instability that causes all subsequent problems. If the cartilage that lines and cushions the hip joint is damaged by trauma or excessive exercise, it loses its thickness and elasticity. This in turn reduces its shock-absorbing qualities during movement. In an attempt to stabilise the joint and decrease pain the animal lays down new cartilage, but this is a slow process and in the meantime the femoral head is worn and flattened. New bone, in the form of bone spurs, are produced at the edges of the joint surface, ligaments and muscle attachments, all of which serve to decrease the dog’s range of motion. It is a constant cycle of cartilage damage, inflammation and pain – the more the joint is damaged, the less able it is to resist further damage. Environmental factors such as calorie intake, exercise levels and weather can all affect the severity of clinical signs. There are a number of dysplastic dogs with severe arthritis that can run, jump and play as if nothing were wrong whereas others, with minimal radiographic changes, show severe lameness. Hip Dysplasia should be taken seriously as, unlike eye problems, it is a painful condition which affects the life quality of the dog as the arthritic changes taking place within the joint cause great discomfort. The KC/BVA runs a hip scheme, and names of those dogs passing through the x-ray testing procedure are published quarterly in the Kennel Club Breed Records Supplement. Hip Dysplasia can only be diagnosed in dogs over twelve months of age. In the UK the Kennel Club appoints a specialist veterinarian who scores the hips on a points system, up to a maximum of 53 each hip (total 106). The total score of both hips gives the hip score for a particular dog. The nearer the total score is to zero, the better the hips. The mean (average) score for Rough Collies is currently 12 so, in order to improve the breed’s overall hip status, it is advisable to breed from stock with better than average score ie between 0 and 12.
There is no guarantee that a puppy from two parents with good hips, will necessariley inherit good hips themselves. So much is dependant on correct management of the puppy with regards to careful,exercise and prevention from jumping up. The Kennel Club unfortunately does not legislate for imported dogs to be free of HD, although most other countries require a ‘Pass’ for any dogs they import. But now the problem begins – many countries have completely different methods of assessing the x-ray plates so how do we compare the results?
Jay Kershaw of the Aritaur Dobermanns kindly supplied me with the following table which I hope you will find useful. The table below shows the comparisons between the hip scoring schemes of various countries:
Key: OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals, based in Missouri USA): E = Excellent, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Borderline, M – Mild, Mod – Moderate, S = Severe. BVA (UK/Australia): > = no more than SV (Germany): Noch Zugelassen = Still Permitted, Mittlere = Heavy, Schwere = Severe.
More Collie health information can be found on the East Anglian Collie Association's web site: http://www.collienet.com/breed%20club%20pageheadings/EACA/health%20coordination.htm
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