Our Barbet Puppy Solene is 4 Months Old!

Solene is the puppy that we kept from our Claire x Bango litter. She continues to really please us with her charming personality and correct conformation. Currently she is accompanying me on many of my daily activities, walking in parks and towns, and meeting a lot of new people and dogs. She is enjoying her extra socialization and of course people always want to visit with her.

Changes for Barbet in America

These are exciting times for American Barbet. There are more and more venues opening to the Barbet for competition. Recently the AKC added the breed to the Retriever Hunting Tests. In July, AKC will offer a new level of shows called Open shows, which, in comparison to traditional point shows, do not yet offer American AKC Championships, but will allow the Barbet to compete in conformation with AKC judges. Both of these events offer fantastic opportunities to get this breed out in front of a knowledgeable dog crowd.

I feel that the Barbet is currently one of the dog world's Best Kept Secrets. They are a medium sized, non-shedding, relatively healthy, sane, trainable, rare and fun breed. They are similar to the Portuguese Water Dog, but are less intense. They are similar to the Lagotto and Spanish Water Dog, but are said to be much more kind. Temperament is outstanding on the Barbet. They are anxious to hike, play ball, learn agility, or hang out around the house, as long as they are near someone who loves them. They get along great in a crowd or alone. Their sweet, goofy, somewhat cartoonish appearance always brings out a smile. In fact, the Barbet has all of the attributes that people seek in the Labradoodle, but in a pedigreed, registered, health-tested, time-honored package. Why buy a cross-bred mongrel when the Barbet exists?

We are looking forward to AKC conformation competition later this year.

Some Company for Calla

Calla and Skylar

Calla is on crate rest for at least the next 5 weeks while her bones heal after her surgery. Other than brief walks outside, she is either on the couch or bed with me, or in a crate. No running or jumping for this girl! Skylar volunteered to hang out with her and give her some company. These two are always curled up together and they both seem very happy to be able to snuggle.

Ohio State Veterinary Hospital

Michelle F

If your dog has to have surgery at Ohio State, you will be very lucky if you are assigned to vet student Michelle. She is the best. She fed, walked, and cared for Calla, she sat in on her surgery, and she called me two or three times a day to tell me how Calla was doing during her 5 day stay. I really appreciated the continuity of care that Calla received. It was nice to hear little details of each day and to know that the staff was so captivated with little Calla.

Dr Johnathan Dyce

Calla's wonderful Orthopedic Surgeon was Dr Jonathan Dyce. He is Head of Small Animal Surgery and he very generously spent a lot of time with us on each of our visits.


Now Calla has weeks of crate rest where she will hopefully heal without incident. It is great to have her home again.

Baby Calla and Uncle Skylar

We are really missing Calla Lily this week while she is at The Ohio State University Veterinary hospital having surgery. Here she is almost a year ago, soon after I brought her home from Florida. One of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten!

An International Championship for American Barbet Claire

Only three months after Claire gave birth to her beautiful Bango puppies, she earned 4 V-1 ratings, a Group 2 and Group 3, and a Reserve Rare Breed Best in Show to claim her International Championship. She is now known as BIS Intl/Can/UKC Ch. Niegenuveaux's Ermagarde and she is the most wonderful Barbet in the world. I am so proud of my girl!! She got highly complimentary critiques from all of the weekend's judges and she swept the shows with the highest ratings given by the International judging panel. I was so pleased to be back in the show ring with Claire. She and I loved every minute of it!

Happy Easter!!

Solene

Fun Day at the Dog Show

 I had a really great time today at the WPKA show. A nice sized entry and good vendors made the show interesting for me. I was able to get this Barbet drawing from an 1881 French book of dog breeds. The caption reads "Dress (coat) of a dirty white, or white and light brown. Shag and frieze massing in large flakes. Round head. Ears very long curly hair topped with which covers the eyes. Kidney (back) strong. Member (leg) stocky, covered with long hairs. Foot round and wide. Nails thick." Very satisfying to see this old drawing demonstrating a broad head with short muzzle, stocky build and curly coat.

Le Barbet

Additionally, the same bookseller had a fantastic unframed 1977 Richard Stone Reeves print of Forego that I was able to pick up.

Forego by Richard Stone Reeves

On the way home, I stopped at Paris 66 and picked up a few macarons in very unusual flavors. Yum!

Something New for Claire's Record Book

 

Today we received Claire's CHIC certificate in the mail! As referenced in the post below, "The Canine Health Information Center or CHIC (www.caninehealthinfo.org) is a portal into the OFA health database that has been established by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. National parent clubs determine the testable genetic disorders for their breed. (For example: hip evaluation, CERF examination, and thyroid testing.) Owners and breeders can search online for dogs and view their test results." To receive a CHIC number, a Barbet needs an eye exam certified by a canine opthamologist and scores submitted to CERF, and xrays of the elbows and hips, with the scores reported to OFA. Currently, there are only a few Barbet in North America who meet the CHIC requirements. As more dogs are tested and submitted, we hope that there will be a large database where the health of breeding stock can be assessed. Whether a dog receives a passing score or not, the information is extremely helpful when planning the next generations of healthy dogs. 

Claire's CHIC certificate lists her health results: Eyes clear, Elbows Normal, and Hips Good. She will be CERF tested again this summer.

Careful Breeding Produces Healthier Dogs

Pure Breeds, Mixes, and Designer Breeds

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By: Jerold S. Bell, DVM  Date: 03/26/2012 Category: | Animal Welfare | Canine Issues |

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THE CLINICAL TRUTHS ABOUT PURE BREEDS, MIXED BREEDS, AND DESIGNER BREEDS

We deal with genetic disease every day in our practice in pure-bred, cross-bred, and mixed-breed dogs and cats. There is a general misconception that mixed-breed dogs and cats are inherently free of genetic disease. This may be true for the rare breed-related disorders; but the common genetic diseases that are seen across all breeds are seen with the same frequency in mixed-breed dogs and cats.

There are a growing number of breed-specific genetic tests available for pure-bred dogs.

How many old mixed-breed dogs do you have on NSAIDs versus pure-bred dogs? There is no difference genetically between an old pure-bred dog with hip arthritis and an old mixed breed dog with hip arthritis. They both have hip dysplasia. The pure-bred dog may have received the label many years earlier due to early age screening, but the disease process is the same. We genetically counsel owners of large-breed puppies to feed lower calorie foods to provide for a slower, more uniform growth rate that does not contribute to the development of hip dysplasia.
Autoimmune thyroiditis is the cause of primary hypothyroidism in dogs. The phenotypic test to identify affected dogs is thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAA).¹ Based on thyroid profiles run at the Michigan State University DCPAH, 10.7% of 55,053 mixed breed dogs tested affected for autoimmune thyroiditis. The average frequency of affected in pure-bred dogs is 7.5%.

Mixed-breed dogs often receive health tests only after they have started showing symptoms of illness.

This does not mean that mixed breed dogs are more prone to autoimmune thyroiditis. They are more likely being tested due to clinical signs, while a percentage of pure-bred dogs are undergoing pre-breeding screening. However, these results show us that this hereditary disorder is seen frequently in both pure-bred and mixed-breed dogs.
As discussed in the previous hour, the most common feline hereditary disease is feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD or FUS). This, and feline diabetes are seen most frequently in mixed-breed cats, though some pure breeds have an increased prevalence.² Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is also occasionally seen in clinical practice in mixed-breed cats with Persian or Himalayan ancestry.
Breed-specific genetic diseases tend not to spill out into the mixed-breed populations. Exceptions to this however, are ancient mutations that occurred before the separation of breeds. These disease-causing genes mutated so long ago, that the mutation (and its associated disease) is found in evolutionary divergent breeds.
The same ancestral autosomal recessive mutation for the progressive rod cone degeneration (prcd) form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is found in the American Cocker Spaniel, American Eskimo Dog, Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chinese Crested Dog, English Cocker Spaniel, Entelbucher Mountain Dog, Finnish Lapphund, Golden Retriever, Kuvasz, Labrador Retriever, Lapponian Herder, Norwegian Elkhound, Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever, Poodle, Portuguese Water Dog, Silky Terrier, Spanish Water Dog, Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog Swedish Lapphund, and Yorkshire Terrier.³ This list continues to grow as more breeds are discovered with the same defective gene. The question is not, "Which breeds carried this defective gene during their development", but "Which breeds did not lose this defective gene during ancestral development."
It is also not surprising that prcd-PRA affected dogs (who must receive the defective gene from both parents) have been identified in Labradoodles (Labrador Retriever x Poodle crosses), Goldendoodles (Golden Retriever x Poodle crosses) and Cockapoos (Cocker Spaniel x Poodle crosses).
Collie eye anomaly is another disease caused by an ancestral mutation that preceded the differentiation of breeds. The same causative mutation for choroidal hypoplasia has been molecularly identified in the Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Boykin Spaniel, Lancashire Heeler, Longhaired Whippet/ Silken Windhound, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Rough Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, and Smooth Collie.⁴
The most common hereditary diseases occur across all pure-bred, mixed breed, and designer bred dogs. These include cancer, eye disease, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, heart disease, autoimmune disease, allergies, patellar luxation, and elbow dysplasia. Labradoodles are being diagnosed with hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and inherited Addison’s disease; all recognized disorders in both parent breeds.

The Goldendoodle, a "designer breed," is a cross between a Standard Poodle and Golden Retriever.

The production of designer breeds – planned crosses between two breeds to produce offspring has become a growing trend in commercial dog breeding. Puggles, Yorkipoos, Cavishons, and Labradoodles, to name a few are all coming into our clinics. Owners believe that these pets will be genetically healthy because they are cross-bred. As we treat these patients, we know that this is not the case.
Therefore, the discussion is no longer between pure-bred and cross-bred, but between purposely-bred and random-bred dogs and cats. There is not much that we can do about genetic transmission in randomly bred animals, but for purposely bred animals, breeders must use due diligence to prevent inherited disease. Responsible breeders perform genetic testing of parent breeding stock for breed-susceptible disorders.
Official test results should be made available to prospective breeders, and the pet and breeding-stock purchasing public. This is facilitated through open health databases and genetic registries. It doesn’t matter whether a breeder is a large commercial breeder, or only breeds once. It is no longer acceptable to say that genetic disease "just happens.” In today’s environment, not testing for documented breed-related hereditary diseases is irresponsible and unethical breeding.

OUR ROLE WITH GENETIC REGISTRIES

There are several genetic registries that have been established to assist breeders and owners with genetic disease control. The Canine Eye Registry Foundation or CERF (www.vmdb.org/cerf.html) is a closed database showing only normal eye examination results by ACVO boarded veterinarians. The not-for profit Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA: www.offa.org) has semi-open registries for hip dysplasia & Legg-Perthes disease, elbow dysplasia, autoimmune thyroiditis, congenital cardiac disease, patella luxation, deafness, and several other genetic disorders. In addition, all normal CERF examination results are automatically sent to, and included in the OFA database. Some of the Optigen (www.Optigen.com) tests, if contracted by the parent club, are also automatically sent to CERF and OFA for inclusion in their databases.
It is only through the open reporting of affected dogs and cats that knowledge of disease risk can be identified through the test results or health status of close relatives. It is important that as veterinarians we encourage open reporting of health results by counseling breeders to initial the boxes for open disclosure of test results on the OFA submission forms. For many breeds of dogs tracking hip dysplasia for example, over one-third of the applicants check the box on the OFA form for open reporting.
The days of stigmatizing conscientious, health-testing breeders who have produced dogs or cats with hereditary disease are gone. No one wants to produce affected offspring from their matings, and no one should be blamed if this occurs (unless the breeder is not doing the recommended health testing). It should be everyone’s goal to produce healthy offspring, but this is not possible if the only available health information is about normal dogs and cats, but not abnormal dogs and cats.
The Canine Health Information Center or CHIC (www.caninehealthinfo.org) is a portal into the OFA health database that has been established by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. National parent clubs determine the testable genetic disorders for their breed. (For example: hip evaluation, CERF examination, and thyroid testing.) Owners and breeders can search online for dogs and view their test results. If a dog completes the recommended testing panel, it receives a CHIC number regardless of whether it passes all of the tests. CHIC is about health consciousness, not health perfection. As more testable disorders are identified, few dogs will be normal for all tests. A similar listing of tests is not currently available for cats, however breed related diseases are found on the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB-UK) website: www.fabcats.org/breeders/inherited_disorders.
If a client is contemplating breeding their dog or cat, they can look up the recommended genetic tests to perform in their breed. Veterinarians can also assist prospective breeders by looking up and discussing the genetic disorders, recommended genetic tests, and appropriate age for testing. Prospective breeding dogs and cats (in either pure or cross-breeding) can be researched, and their genetic test results, as well as that of their close relatives can be studied.
Open registries require an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding between breeders, for the benefit of the breed. Breeding practices do not cause defective genes. If breeders are reluctant to identify affected individuals, then the usefulness of open registries will be limited.
Breeders are the custodians of their breed's past and future. "Above all, do no harm" is a primary oath of all medical professionals. Genetic tests are powerful tools, and their use can cause significant positive or negative changes. Breeders should be counseled on how to best utilize test results for the best interests of the breed. Breeders, veterinarians, and breed organizations must educate the general public of the need to check for verification of health testing results prior to their purchasing a dog or cat. As this happens, the overall genetic health of purposely-bred dogs and cats will improve.

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This article appears in the proceedings of the 2012 Western Veterinary Conference, which took place February 19-23, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been reprinted with permission from the author.
REFERENCES
1. Nachreiner RF, Refsal KR, Graham PA, et. al.: Prevalence of serum thyroid hormone autoantibodies in dogs with clinical signs of hypothyroidism. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2002 Feb 15;220(4):466-71.
2. Lederer R, Rand JS, Jonsson NN, et. al.: Frequency of feline diabetes mellitus and breed predisposition in domestic cats in Australia. Vet J. 2007 Dec 20.
3. Goldstein O, Zangerl B, Pearce-Kelling S, et. al.: Linkage disequilibrium mapping in domestic dog breeds narrows the progressive rod-cone degeneration interval and identifies ancestral disease-transmitting chromosome. Genomics. 2006 Nov;88(5):541-50.
4. Parker HG, Kukekova AV, Akey DT, et. al.: Breed relationships facilitate fine-mapping studies: a 7.8-kb deletion cosegregates with Collie eye anomaly across multiple dog breeds. Genome Res. 2007 Nov;17(11):1562-71.

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About The Author

Jerold S. Bell, DVM - Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Jerold S. Bell DVM is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Clinical Veterinary Genetics Course for the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. His full biography can be found at the AKC Canine Health Foundation website, where he serves on the President’s Council.

Claire's Little Brother, Clouseau

Neigenuveaux's Fantome de Lac

Two weeks ago, I left Claire and the babies at home, and took a trip to the Purina National Dog Show in Toronto, ON, CAN. Traveling with me was Claire's little brother, Clouseau, who is owned by Garry Conklin and Sheryl Linck from Pittsburgh, PA. Although I had never worked with him before, Clouseau showed like a champ and won Winners Dog and Best of Winners in the largest ever Barbet entry in Ontario. He won a 3 point major at the Club Barbet Canada supported entry, which earned him beautiful ribbons and a trophy bag full of toys and treats. Clouseau and I had a lot of fun on our Canadian weekend. He handled everything like an old pro and he proved once again what an outstanding temperament the Barbet has.

Last Days Together For Our Barbet Puppies

Solene

Hanna

Claire

Our little Hanna is leaving tomorrow, headed to her new home in Muskoka, ON, CAN. What a sad day this will be for us. We have totally enjoyed raising Claire's first litter of puppies, but it's time for Hanna to move on to her new home. Good luck, Hanna! We will see you soon!

So Proud of My Friends

From Best In Show Daily by Billy Wheeler

"Our next two dogs are in two different groups, but come out of the same kennel. The Whippet, GCH CH Bo-Bett’s Speed Demon won the breed all four days in Louisville and made it all the way to the final ring on two days, adding a Hound Group Two for good measure. His kennelmate, the Italian Greyhound, CH Bo-Bett’s First Class, an 11-month-old wunderkind, won the breed all four days and scampered away with a Group Two on Day One with some of the most withering competition I have seen in the Toy Group in the past few years. Both dogs were bred and are owned by Carol Harris, 2010 AKC Toy Group Breeder of the Year. Ms. Harris has been breeding dogs for an astounding 76 years. Both dogs are shown with an extraordinary hand by Justin Smithey."

Demon also won the Hound group on Sunday of the Louisville shows. Congratulations again, Justin and Carol. Great job!!  Justin is going to be the owner of a Barbet in the future!

Summer in March

This weather is unbelievable!! 75 degrees in the middle of March. I'll take it! Isabel and I were happy to go out and play with the dogs this afternoon.

Isabel with Arthur, Ava, and Claire

Solene

Hanna and Solene

Calla

Claire

Formally Named

Hickory Tavern Intl Intrique - Solene

This is Solene! Choices have finally been made, and my little black girl will be staying here with us. I just love her body, tail, coat, movement, and happy-go-lucky attitude. She has a gorgeous wide head with a short, broad muzzle and considerable stop. We really look forward to watching her grow up!

Neigenuveaux HTF's Intl Hanna - Hanna

Hanna will be living in Ontario where she is co-owned by Veronica Matthews and Florence Erwin. Veronica has a lot of experience training in obedience and agility. She also owns Claire's sister Eleanore, and it makes me happy that little Hanna will be going to live with her aunt. Hanna is such a beautiful puppy too, and it has really been difficult choosing between them. Hanna was the first choice of many who I asked. I am happy that I will get to see her at the Canadian shows and that she will have such a wonderful home with Veronica. Hanna will still be here for a few more weeks so that the girls can grow up a bit more together.

We chose to honor all of the help we had with this litter from Canada, Switzerland, France, Holland, Germany, and other European countries by adding International (Intl) to the girls' names.

Playing with the Big Dogs

Almost 8 Weeks

6 Weeks!

Enjoying the outdoors

Outside to Play!

This is the second time the puppies have been outside; the first being weeks ago. This time they were very brave! I don't think I've ever had a litter of puppies who were so bold on their first outings. What good little pups!

Watching Westminster

Calla is fascinated with the all the breeds at Westminster.

5 weeks already?

Family Portrait! Love these guys!

One Awesome Mom

Four and a half weeks into this litter, I have to give enormous credit to Claire. She is a thoroughly fantastic mother! She had an easy pregnancy and delivery, takes great care of her babies, and still keeps the puppy area spotless. Her happiest times now seem to be when she lays on her side and gently wrestles with the girls. One of the pups is reliably using the puppy pads, and the other is working on it. Clearly they are as smart as their mama. Claire, and the entire Barbet breed, continue to impress me with their intuition and intelligence. I feel so lucky to have gotten Claire as my foundation Barbet bitch. She is one in a million.

4 weeks old today

Black Girl

Brown Girl

 

Today the puppies are 4 weeks old and they posed for their first formal shots. Trying to stack a 4 week old puppy is a bit like holding jello in your hands, but they did great and we were able to get a decent picture of each of them. So far they are really looking nice and correct. They both have a lot of bone and substance, compact bodies, and plush, blocky heads. Plus they are just so sweet!

Hanging Out With the Pups

Calla

Skylar

Since the puppies came, we all spend a lot of time in the puppy room watching the babies. Now that they are older, proud mom Claire is happy to share them with the whippets, Calla and Skylar.

It's a Big World for a Little Puppy