IT is very easy to get bogged down in the perceived negatives to pure bred dogs. Sean Delmar, President of the Irish Kennel Club, explained just how important dedicated breeding is. It is often given a negative image in the media and by some veterinary surgeons, relating to health problems associated with particular breeds.

Delmar explained that although close breeding is sometimes required it achieves a lot more than top marks in the showing ring. There are a number of specific breeds that play very important roles within society. For instance: search and rescue dogs, guide dogs, guard dogs and recently autism assist dogs. These dogs are all bred for specific traits and they have definable qualities.

Specific breeds did not come about by accident explained Delmar, they were bred for a purpose: “You know what you are going to get, you can be 80% sure of what they are going to be capable of.” He went on to detail how close breeding is sometimes necessary: “The reality is to get a particular quality, to bed in particular qualities, you sometimes have to breed a little close and you move out again once you bed in the qualities.”

Delmar also noted that recently veterinary surgeons have been playing up some of the exaggerated breeds such as Pugs who naturally have a narrow nasal passage and can have breathing difficulties. Delmar clarified that most Pugs do not suffer from this. Any Pugs registered with the Irish Kennel Club who have breathing difficulties are not allowed to be bred from.

This applies to any breed of dog, if they are suffering in any way they are not allowed to be bred from. The Kennel Club then go back through the generations and try and identify the source of the problem.

They are now also bringing in DNA testing and see if there is any DNA profile going back that is causing the problem.

GENE POOL

There was a point in the 1970s when the Irish Red and White Setter was almost extinct. The Irish Kennel Club put in place a cross-breeding programme over three generations. Although the breed was saved the gene pool remained small. A second cross-breeding programme was implemented using field trial red setters from Norway and France. After another three generations the correctly marked dogs were given full breeding status, widening the gene pool once again.

In the past the only option to widen the gene pool was to bring your dog on the ferry to England. A lot has changed since then. Frozen and chilled semen has transformed dog breedin, making it a very global affair. The Irish Kennel Club have also reported a rise in the number of non-nationals going to their shows and buying Irish dogs.

The Irish Kennel Club have recently partner with Goffs to implement a new DNA testing system. It is hoped that this new system will add to identification measures and also help with the testing of genetic diseases.

ROLE OF THE

IRISH KENNEL CLUB

The Irish Kennel Club separated from the Kennel Club UK in 1922. The Kerry Blue club were the first club in Ireland to register their own dogs. They formed the basis of the Irish Kennel Club which exists today.

The primary role of the Irish Kennel Club is to register and record ownership of all pedigree dogs. The births of all pedigree puppies in Ireland are recorded and the club have established a linage going back generations. Each year approximately 18,000 dogs are registered with the Irish Kennel Club.

The club organises a range of shows and activities for their members. The shows run across all of Ireland, north and south. Some shows are group or breed specific and ultimately there are all-breed championship shows. There are 28 championship shows in Ireland, each show can attract between 1,000 and 2,000 dogs on any given day.

The Irish Kennel Club also have a big field trial section, with over 400 trials run over throughout of the year. Not only are the field trials very important for dog owners, the team also play a very important environmental role. They record bird counts, especially snipe, which are reported to the Government and then to the European Union.

Delmar explain how conscious the Kennel Club field trial team are: “There is a great passion and they look after the bird population. There is no question that they would ever shoot out of season, no question that if they see a specific species in danger they would repopulate and they are constantly watching out for that. They have a great reputation for that.”

Agility is also an up and coming within the club. “Agility is a great sport for kids coming up if they want to get involved. It’s good in every way. It’s good for a bond with the dog. The dogs love it. It gets the exhibitors out, it’s nearly always done outdoors. You can train your dog at home yourself with little jumps and things like that. It’s something I think is going to be great in the future. Most breeds will have a go at it. Probably the faster ones are the collies. I’ve seen other breeds do it very successfully including Pugs!” said Delmar.

GETTING A PUPPY

Separating the wood from the trees can be challenging when it comes to getting a puppy. Sean Delmar’s advice is to investigate what bred you would like to get long before you start looking at litters of pups. A simple google search is often a quick and easy way to get an idea of what breed might suit you.

Once you have an idea what breed you might like it is a good plan to go and visit or talk to Irish Kennel Breed club. These are all over Ireland and will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the breed of your choice. It is important to find out whether the breed will suit your lifestyle. Delmar highly recommends talking to someone who has the breed already. Find out whether they need a lot of exercise or not, if they bark a lot or whether their coat sheds a lot.

Another suggestion Delmar made was to go to a dog show: “You can see nearly all the breeds, maybe 160 different breeds of dogs. Usually after the judging is finished people will be quite happy to talk to you about the breeds and whether they are for you. And you also won’t just see one, you’ll see 10, 12 maybe 20 of them. And it will give you a better feel for the breed, rather than seeing one perfectly manicured on Crufts and then you will also see the work that goes in if you want to show them or run them or agility or field trials.”

Once you have made up your mind on what type of puppy you would like you can start looking at litters. Although websites such as DoneDeal do not always have the best reputation Delmar was not dismissive of them. He said “I think you can get bogged down on where they are advertised.” For Delmar the most important thing when buying a puppy is the relationship you have with the breeder.

There is a problem that when a breed becomes popular welfare often drops down on the list of priorities. Many people are all too familiar with the issues sounding puppy farming and illegal breeding.

“We, the Kennel Club, accept that if the market is there it is going to be supplied. There is no point in saying don’t do this don’t register, it just fills the puppy mills. We put a code of ethics in, in other words how many litters you can breed, what age you can breed at, if its caesarean section you can only have it twice that you can’t breed anymore with that bitch,” explained Delmar.

It is very difficult to create a 100% guarantee but if you are buying a pure bred puppy you have much more comeback if something does go wrong if you buy the puppy from a Kennel Club member. The Kennel Club has a range of disciplinary measure for its members, and anybody who registers a puppy with the club automatically becomes a member. Cruelty usually results in a lifetime ban according to Delmar and small offences usually get a shorter ban.