Well, after our tragic death of our baby Tux last summer, I think I am ready to get back out there in the show ring. I am looking at purchasing a few more italian greyhounds and am very excited to be able to show them when I get them and they are old enough (probalby not til next year) but I currently have a nice male IG Cody (Hageman Hounds Code Red) That I am hoping to get to one or two shows this year (he just turned 6 months) and finish him after he turns 1 if my luck stays with me and he does well. BUT I have an issue. His testes aren't really undecended but can be hard to find and are a little off of where they should be. I am pretty sure it will correct itself when he matures, but should I wait to show for this to happen? for more specifics please read my post under breeders den entitled "teetering testes" What are your thoughts on this? I think it would be a little improper of me to flip my dog over and show the judge where the goods are at and prove to them that they do indeed go where they are suppose to, they are just really tiny lol Poor Cody would be humiliated! Also, we are working very hard on the leash, but he isn't much a fan of it. He would rather sit on my feet....how common is it for a dog to just refuse and need carried up to the judges bench? I have time to work with him, I've only had him for about 2 months and it's been so cold out we havn't done much but let him drag around the leash in the house, and he is getting better about it, and even if he gets carried the whole way it would be good for him to go, but do the judges just hate it? Do they cringe when a dog has to be carried up to the bench because it just won't walk? lol The last thing I want to do is annoy a judge.
Meagan
On the dog shows on TV I see alot of the folk with little dogs carry the dogs to the table so I don't think that would be a problem. In fact alot of them get their dogs set up on the table while the judge is still watching the previous dog work. As for the other problem I don't know about that but you say its cold there so maybe when the weather warms up things will stay more where they are supposed to be maybe he's just cold.
Theresa
Is this a question for a APRI show or one of the other registries? If it is for APRI he will need to be able to walk on lead as we must be able to see him track for both sides and rear and front. As a judge this is one of the more important factors. We have had some occasions when a dog has simply refused and they have carried the dog to the table in hopes that they will walk out. However it usually results in point deductions which is not a good thing. If they won't walk it is very hard to give them the points they might deserve. It also reflects on the dogs overall impression which is on our score cards. Keep working on him and I'm sure he will come around. It is most important. As to the testies hopefully warmer weather will help in that respect but we need to be able to find them and they should both be in close proximity to one another. Hope I've helped to some extent and am looking forward to seeing you in the ring again with you IG. Frances
Part of the judging of your dog is the movement. The judges need to be able to watch your dog walk.
If you spend some time with him he can learn to walk on the lead.
Even if he isn't the perfect well behaved boy on the lead at least they will be able to watch him move. I have heard that all a good judge needs is 3 good steps.......not sure if that is true or not. Hopefully someone with judging experience will reply.
We had a little red/white girl that we got when she was 8 months old. She had never been a leash and was a little bucking bronco the first few times on one. She eventually figured out how to act and she is now an APRI Champion.
Good Luck Showing!!! Maybe we will see you there!
Oops.......I was typing the same time Puppes was so I repeated some of her answers in my prevous post!
thank you both. I know walking IS important, and I will keep working with him. I won't be able to make any of the shows in april because they are too far away from me. The Sioux Falls show is only an hour away, and some of the Nebraska and Iowa shows are within a 5hr drive as well (that is my current limit 5hrs, unless i can scrap up enough money to stay at a hotel, then I can go farther). He doesn't buck or bronc
but he just doesnt like to do ANYTHING. He will sit there. I can sometimes get him moving with a lot of encouragement. He just needs to learn that something on his neck is NOT a threat, but rather leads to a reward. I've never had a dog like the igs...they get something around their neck and they just freeze in place, you put on a harness and they are a-ok!
I'll keep working with him on it, like I said we do have time, I'm just afraid we will get there and he will turn into a statue and not move! We will keep our fingers crossed on the testicle thing, they ARE very good at suckin'em up in the cold! The things think they are dying if it is below 80! lol hope to see you at the shows.
Meagan
thank you both. I know walking IS important, and I will keep working with him. I won't be able to make any of the shows in april because they are too far away from me. The Sioux Falls show is only an hour away, and some of the Nebraska and Iowa shows are within a 5hr drive as well (that is my current limit 5hrs, unless i can scrap up enough money to stay at a hotel, then I can go farther). He doesn't buck or bronc
but he just doesnt like to do ANYTHING. He will sit there. I can sometimes get him moving with a lot of encouragement. He just needs to learn that something on his neck is NOT a threat, but rather leads to a reward. I've never had a dog like the igs...they get something around their neck and they just freeze in place, you put on a harness and they are a-ok!
I'll keep working with him on it, like I said we do have time, I'm just afraid we will get there and he will turn into a statue and not move! We will keep our fingers crossed on the testicle thing, they ARE very good at suckin'em up in the cold! The things think they are dying if it is below 80! lol hope to see you at the shows.
Meagan
I may be wrong but you may be able to show him on the harness. Hopefully Mary or Puppes will respond.
Harnesses are not disallowed , but not favored either, so if you can ,please get that little rascal to walk on lead. Have you tried training with the new head leads? I have never used one , but I see tons of folks walking their big dogs in the park using these devises.
Our judges are thurough when going over the dog. Usually a shy or tucked up dog is given the opportunity to relax,(SO TO SPEAK), and if the dog is in fact complete, the judge will know. Other wise if it is questionable, it is the call of the judge and of course we have to live with that opinion. If I were you I definatly would have the vet to check first and if the testes are drawn up and not in the scrotum, I would probably wait for a bit more maturity on that dog before bringing him to a show. However don't let me discourage you as each of us know our own dogs, and if you know they are down sometimes and up other times, you will need to determine if you want to give him a try.
I will state that the days of digging for testes is over, at least for me. If they are not present in the scrotum at the judging then I have no choice but to dismiss the dog from competition. Sorry, holy cow I hate the looks of this post! Makes me feel like a real B. I really and truly am not , I just take my judging very seriously and have to go by the written rules and regs, no matter how much I may love the breed, the
dog or the handler. Those of you that are showing nutered dogs, please disregard all of the chatter on this subject, as your dog can be shown.
Mary
Hi Mary, I understand completely. I took him to the vet, They are not in the scrotum, but can be coaxed there. If they dont decend on their own, he thinks he could still take them out with conventional neuter proceedure instead of having to open him up more if it comes to that. I have really lost a lot of hope for this dog. He is just goreous. He is also now, thank you, walking on a lead beautifully. He stands nice too. His man parts are just not in the right place. They can be brought down physically but don't stay there long. The vet said I can give him until he for sure should be mature, and they might stay in place once they are bigger so to speak, but I am basically faced with the fact that I may have to give him back to the breeder. It is heartbreaking for me, we have come to like him very much, he fits well with us. I just can not keep keeping all the ones I fall in love with, I do have to start being picky. I know I could get him neutered and show him, but I also very much love breeding and I obviously don't want to breed a dog that carries something like that in his lines. I'm supper bummed. I am looking at purchasing a showquaility male soon, if it all works out. I will have to dual register him with APRI but I am very excited about it. I just want to get back out there after Tux died. I have his ribbon hanging on my dining room wall. Thank you for all who answered me and did so honestly. I appreciate it. For those of you who are familiar with this, I have never had a male dog that was immature before, how long should I give him? He is already 6 months old.
Thank you
Meagan
What I am about to say is controversial ... I am not condoning it, just throwing it out there. You can tack his testicle. People do it in the OTHER registry ALL the time, and I know APRI folks do it to-I've met a few myself. Heck, I even know MEN that have had this done (and their kids aren't deformed or born with this "defect") Basically, the testes are brought down into the scrotum, then tacked to the inner scrotal wall. Again, I am not making a suggestion one way or the other ... but it is a very common practice. What you are dealing with is probably NOT a hereditary problem. He HAS both testicles and they both drop, he's not cryptorchid. Cryptorchid dogs have one (or both) testicles retained in the inguinal canal. This isn't the case with your boy, they have dropped into the scrotum ... They just don't stay there. Now, this can be partly due to nerves. Actually, it can be completely due to nerves. I just about bet that if you catch him completely relaxed and sleeping both testes are down. This happens ALL the time! And let's face it, your breed can be a bit nervous/shy. Basically, he has very strong cremastic muscles that enable him to pull those babies up anytime he wants. So ... there's another option for you to consider -many folks don't like it, and it's just not talked about in the show ring, but there you have it. Leave it to me to open my big mouth