Reading Eagle: Ryan McFadden

Marge Stiller of Spring Township loves the intelligence and friendliness of her poodles. From left are Annie, Alex, Niki and Libby.

<*|*>Reading Eagle: Susan L. Angstadt

Pat Mock of Robesonia [sic] got together with her Belgian Tervuren, Maizie, _because of the dog’s high activity level and intelligence.

<*|*>Joe Lescisko of Cornwall, Lebanon County, likes the disposition of golden _retrievers. Hoss _is at left and Yukon, right.

Make puppy love the real thing

By Tracy Rasmussen

Reading Eagle Correspondent
Copyright 2007 Reading Eagle

Picking a dog is a lot like picking a spouse. You can think you know exactly what you’re looking for and then - wham - you find your life-long friend in a scrappy Chihuahua instead of a calm and grounded Shar-Pei.

Some people find a breed they like and stick with it, while others shift from breed to breed as they look for the perfect match.

Ultimately, though, it really comes down to je ne sais quoi, kismet or simply that undeniable feeling that this is it.

Pat Mock of Reinholds, who offers obedience classes through the Berks Dog Training Club, has an 18-month-old Belgian Tervuren named Maizie.

“I like the intelligence,” Mock said. “I like the activity level, which is high, and I like the coloring, and she’s just so cuddly.”

Belgian Tervurens aren’t a common sight in Berks County, Mock said, but she had seen the breed at dog shows and when her beloved male champion Dalmatian passed away, she decided to select a new breed to train and show.

“He was just so close to my heart that I couldn’t have another Dalmatian,” she said. “And there are some similarities between these breeds. They are both highly active.”

The Tervuren is known for its herding ability and its attentive and friendly nature.

Check the history

Dalmatians, on the other hand, were bred as guard dogs for carriages. They have tremendous endurance (they’d have to run dozens of miles next to the coaches they were guarding), while tending towards shyness.

Both breeds are moderately sized and take direction well.

That’s not true of all dogs, she said, some of which are highly excitable, or independent or docile.

“When people tell me they’re looking for a dog, I tell them to get the American Kennel Club Guide Book,” she said. “Pick out your favorites and then check out the history.”

Mock said by looking at the breed’s history, you’ll see your dog’s future.

“Some breeds have been bred for thousands of years to be a certain way,” she said. “So if you pick an active dog and you don’t feel like you want to take it out for a walk or exercise it, it’s going to drive you nuts. The dog will start digging or just be too pesty. It’s not the dog’s fault.”

Pit bull prejudices

Ann Wagner, who does pit bull rescue in the Reading area, said it’s breeding that makes her know that her dogs would not attack a human -despite many prejudices to the contrary.

“We own three pit bulls,” she said, adding that Spooky is 9, Danny is 8 and Gomez is 6. “My first dog was a pit bull. I always thought I was a cat person.”

But when she saw Spooky for the first time, that all changed.

“She kind of chose us,” Wagner said. “We saw her at the vet when she was 5 months old, and she was very sick. She was the funniest thing I’d ever seen, and we ended up adopting her.”

Defending her pet

At the time, Wagner said, the only thing she knew about pit bulls was that most people seemed to think they were bad dogs.

Over the past nine years she’s found that nothing could be further from the truth.

However, Wagner said people interested in owning pit bulls need to be ready for criticism.

“You’re constantly defending your pet,” she said. “You have to be willing to deal with the negative comments.”

In Wagner’s experience, pit bulls are great family dogs that are playful, athletic, affectionate and strong.

Good citizenship

Although they were bred to fight with other dogs, Wagner said she’s had no problem among the dogs in her house. Still, when she has placed the 35 dogs she rescued over the past few years, she tried to find homes where the dog would be the only pet.

“Criminals and drug dealers realized how strong and tough they are, so they taught them to be aggressive to people,” she said. “But it’s not a trait of their breed. That’s absolutely abnormal.”

In fact, Spooky has received her Canine Good Citizen certificate from the American Kennel Club, proving that she can interact with other dogs and people in a peaceable way.

Golden guy

No one has problems with golden retrievers, though, and Joe Lescisko knows why.

“I’ve had them for 14 years,” he said. “And they are great dogs that like to work.”

Their popularity has a downside though, as too much breeding brings out health issues.

“They are popular,” Lescisko said. “I read a statistic that one in four will have hip dysplasia.”

Other problems include heart issues, eye issues and elbow issues.

“If you’re looking for a healthy dog, you need to be looking for a guarantee from a breeder, too,” he said.

Prior to owning golden retrievers, Lescisko of Cornwall, Lebanon County, was an Irish setter kind of guy.

Early training

“I like a working dog,” he said. “My Irish setters were really wound too tight for that.”

Lescisko teaches a beginners obedience class through the Berks Dog Training Club, and can immediately see the pros and cons of the breeds that come to class. One thing is certain, though: With patience all dogs can be taught obedience.

“I firmly believe in puppy kindergarten too,” he said. “Even before obedience. You’ll have 10 dogs and handlers who get together weekly and do some simple obedience and can be socialized with other dogs.”

This way, he said, all dogs can learn a little about other breeds and how they need to act around them.

Lescisko’s dogs, Hoss and Yukon, now compete in field competitions, which are similar to obedience classes in that dogs need to follow commands, but different because the dogs are as much as 100 yards away from their handlers fetching items on command.

Best for children

Marge Stiller of Spring Township concurs that goldens are great (she has a 3½-year-old golden named Grace) but it was love at first sight when she saw her first standard poodle.

A friend who bred poodles introduced her to a litter of puppies, and Stiller couldn’t resist one of them.

“I found my soul mate in Kate,” she said. Kate lived for nine years before cancer took her life.

Stiller has had standard poodles - seven of them - ever since. Currently she lives with Libby, who is 14, Alex, who is 10, Annie, who is 8, and Niki, who is 6 months old.

She loves the breed’s intelligence and friendly nature.

“It’s the number one rated dog for children,” she said.

Grooming needed

However she doesn’t recommend the toy breed for families with small children, because toy poodles are fragile.

Standards make great family dogs and are historically retrievers, she said, so they do require a lot of exercise. Also, they’re not nearly as prissy as their reputation might suggest.

“And they don’t have the yappiness and hyperness of the smaller breeds,” she said.

Poodles require grooming, she said, because they have hair similar to humans in that it doesn’t stop growing and must be cut.

“If it’s not, poodles will develop dreadlocks,” she said.

Therapy dogs

Poodles are also famously nonallergic and not so famously duck retrievers. Miller [sic, Stiller] said the name poodle comes from the German for puddle.

And the poodle cut comes from the fact that an overly hairy poodle will sink to the bottom of a lake when retrieving ducks. So the hair was shaved away except for areas where it was needed for warmth or protection while the dogs were retrieving.

What matters to Miller most, though, is the intelligence and warmth of the animals.

“They make great therapy dogs,” said Miller, who is the coordinator of the therapy animal program at Reading Hospital. Her dogs Annie and Alex are a part of the program.

“They adjust very easily, but you have to pay a lot of attention to them,” she said. “They’re very smart, and they want companionship.”

Although they may not agree on the a single breed of dog that’s great for everyone, all of these pet owners did agree that there is a furmate for everyone and every family.

“You have to use some common sense,” said Mock. “I don’t think there are any breeds that someone isn’t qualified to own.”

Contact correspondent Tracy Rasmussen at lifestyle@readingeagle.com.

More pet owners think small

Labrador retrievers still are number one, but miniatures and toys are moving up the list.

By Tracy Rasmussen

Reading Eagle Correspondent

The American Kennel Club recently announced that the Labrador retriever was top dog in the United States for the 16th year. But that doesn’t mean it’s the perfect dog for you or your family.

While the Lab has a lock on number one, there has been a shift on the list away from larger dogs to include smaller dogs, like the Yorkshire terrier, which sits in the number two spot.

According to the AKC, it’s been70 years since a small breed has been that high on the list. Now Americans are looking for cute, portable dogs.

But that doesn’t mean a Yorkie is the perfect dog for you and your family, either.

The best way to choose a dog, according to Pat Mock of the Berks Dog Training Club, is to research.

She suggests looking through the hundred-plus breeds in the AKC guidebook, and having family members mark their favorites. Then read up on the dog’s breeding history and make sure to visit a full grown version of your dog.

“A puppy bull mastiff might be cute,” Mock said. “But it’s going to get very large and might be able to easily knock over your children.”

Size also matters for the toy dogs, too, as their fragile bones require special handling that may be impossible for children to understand.

Joe Lescisko, who owns golden retrievers (number four on the popularity list), said he thinks families with small children should hold off on getting any dog until the kids are at least 3 years old.

“Even the most patient dog doesn’t like to have its ears or tail pulled,” he said.

Size is an important factor, but activity level is probably the most important thing to look at when choosing a breed, he said.

“If you’re a couch potato, you don’t want a highly active dog,” said Lescisko, who teaches obedience classes.

Ask yourself if you like to groom animals.

“All animals shed,” Mock said. “Some of them you have to vacuum up their hair while others, like poodles, need to be groomed as much as every six weeks.”

Dealing with shedding was a huge change when Mock switched breeds from the short-haired Dalmatian to the longer haired Belgian Tervuren.

“They shed three times as much,” she said.

Temperament should also be considered. If you or your children are very active, a high energy dog will fit in nicely with your family.

“But if you’ve got a child who loves to sit and play the piano, you’ll want to get a more laid-back dog,” Mock said.

She said thousands of years of breeding create personalities that are hard to change, and dog ownership will be a much more pleasant experience if you work with the dog’s strengths and personality instead of hoping to train them out of the dog.

Lescisko added that it’s also important to look at the health issues of the breed to see if it’s something you’d be able to deal with as the breed ages.

“A reputable breeder will give you a guarantee,” he said. “Look for that.”

Health issues become more of a problem when you get a dog that has been specialty bred, such as a labradoodle or a cockapoo.

“Then you’ve got the health problems of both lines,” Mock said.

When deciding to get a dog, Marge Stiller of Reading [sic] suggests looking at rescue or shelter dogs instead of limiting yourself to puppies.

“I almost always have at least one dog that is a rescue,” she said of the standard poodles she prefers. “They make wonderful dogs.”

Rescue groups are usually able to discern the animal’s issues and find a perfect fit for a prospective family. And you can sometimes even save the dog’s life.

“It’s sad, but many of the pit bulls that are left in shelters are put to sleep,” said Ann Wagner who runs a pit bull rescue in the Reading area. “But they really can be great family dogs.”

Slices of life

Reading Eagle: Tim Leedy

Joan P. Heater of Bern Township and her Portuguese water dog, Devlin, have enjoyed success in agility competitions, including most recently at the American Kennel Club’s Agility Invitational, a national event.

Competitions are no obstacle
for this high-achieving canine
Devlin, an 8-year-old Portuguese water dog owned and trained by Joan P. Heater of Bern Township, finishes fourth in the American Kennel Club’s Agility Invitational.

By Jeremy Carroll

Reading Eagle Correspondent

Copyright 2007 Reading Eagle

Overcoming barriers is a way of life for Joan P. Heater’s 8-year-old Portuguese water dog, Devlin.

The female canine, with the help of her Bern Township owner, excels in agility contests. These events require dogs to run and jump over and through a series of obstacles on predominantly outdoor courses typically measuring 100 feet by 100 feet.

“Agility is always a challenge and it is always fun,” Heater said. “You never know what is going to happen in an agility contest.”

Achieving success in the sport hinges upon teamwork between a dog and its handler, who may or may not be the owner. Handlers train the four-legged competitors before agility events and guide them through obstacle courses in competition through a series of hand signals and voice commands.

A recent testament to the strong partnership between Heater and Devlin was the duo’s fourth-place finish at the American Kennel Club’s Agility Invitational, a national competition that took place in Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 2-3.

Devlin, who measures 18 inches in height, distinguished herself in a field of 90 dogs of different breeds ranging from 14 to 18 inches tall.

The performance at the invitational was one of the highlights of Heater’s 19 years preparing dogs for success in various competitive disciplines.

After joining the Berks County Kennel Club in 1988, she began training and showing Akitas that went on to earn companion obedience titles. Heater then experienced triumphs with her first Portuguese water dog, a now deceased male named Tango, who earned utility, tracking and water titles.

She and Tango got into the up-and-coming sport of canine agility in the mid-1990s after she and her husband, Allen, moved to Ontario, Calif., when Allen’s job with the Bern Township-based Heyco Metals Inc., where he still works, was transferred.

Heater, who returned to Berks with her husband in 1997, helped Tango earn a Master Agility Champion (MACH) title and later began training Devlin for agility events.

To succeed in agility competitions, dogs must be adept at jumping over barriers, running through tunnels, climbing up ramps, tipping small seesaws and weaving around poles. They are judged on their ability to complete obstacles in a specified order and on the amount of time it takes them to complete a course.

Devlin and other dogs must prove themselves on both Standard and Jumpers courses. Standard courses are characterized by a series of contact obstacles such as ramps and seesaws. When ascending a ramp or tipping a seesaw, the competitor must touch a painted yellow portion of the obstacle with at least one of its paws. Tunnels, jumps and pole weaves also are incorporated in standard courses.

Jumpers courses, which place more of an emphasis on dogs jumping over barriers, contain every element except contact obstacles.

“You have to train pretty hard for the first year and a half,” said Heater, who has been preparing dogs for agility performances as an instructor with the Berks County Dog Training Club for nine years. “Some dogs get it really quick, and some dogs take a little longer. The contact obstacles are hard to train.”

In addition to being skilled trainers, handlers must be able to think on their feet during the competitions as they get little advance notice of how the courses will be configured. Handlers have 10 minutes to walk through and assess the course before an event.

It is then up to the dogs to be attentive to the commands of their handlers and to demonstrate the physical skills needed to complete the course successfully.

“Devlin is a joy to work with,” Heater said. “She gets so excited when she is out there.”

Devlin has earned three MACH titles in her career. In order to earn one master agility title, dogs must be in the Excellent B agility class and earn qualifying scores in Standard and Jumpers courses 20 times. They must attain qualifying scores in both types of courses on one competition day to be credited with one of the 20 required qualifications.

Additionally, the dogs must earn 750 bonus points, which they accumulate in competitions by completing courses at a pace faster than the standard course times. The standard times are calculated by the judges. The faster they finish a course, the greater the number of bonus points they will earn.

Devlin and Heater typically participate in agility events in Pennsylvania and other states such as New Jersey and Delaware nearly every weekend throughout most of the year. They also have traveled to Massachusetts, Georgia and Florida to compete.

In order to qualify for the invitational in California, Devlin had to accumulate enough agility points from July 2005 to July 2006 to be one of the top five Portuguese water dogs in the nation. She entered the event as the number one dog in her breed.

Those interested in watching Devlin in action at the invitational can tune in to the Animal Planet channel, which will air a taped broadcast of the event on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Contact correspondent Jeremy Carroll at lifestyle@readingeagle.com.