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Are We
Breeding Wimps Or Gladiators?
By
Steve Liversedge – Stelron Bull Terriers
First Published - March 2005
From
the Breed Standard
General Appearance – Strongly built,
muscular, well balanced and active
with a keen, determined and intelligent
expression.
Character – THE BULL TERRIER IS THE
GLADIATOR OF THE CANINE RACE,
FULL OF FIRE AND COURAGEOUS
You
just have to look at the breed standard, the
general appearance and character sections, to
realise that a Bull Terrier is a breed that
should give the impression of being a
prizefighter. It should portray an image of
being a gladiator, with the make, shape and
athleticism to take on any opponent. Even to the
point, that any betting man would put their
money on them based on appearance alone.
There are many aspects of a Bull Terrier to
consider and a breeding program should take into
consideration all aspects of breeding an animal
that fits the standard. A big Bull Terrier with
no quality and unsound turns me off, as much as
a small Bull Terrier that lacks the virtues that
makes our breed the gladiator of the canine
race. No matter what the size of the Bull
Terrier it should have the general appearance
and character that makes it stand out from other
breeds.
I have brought the subject up of “wimp or
gladiator” based on my thinking of late, as
well as a recent visit to the US, comments I
have heard about certain dogs, judging at shows
and the general standard of exhibits we are
seeing in the ring of late.
At a show less than a year ago, a Judges
commented on seeing, Ch. Dajan Skies The Limit
at Sandawana for the first time, that he was too
big for a Bull Terrier. How ridiculous!
Having taken to active breeding again and now
looking at every dog as a potential stud dog, I
must say I am concerned that South Africa has
lost the art of breeding true heavy weight
gladiators and appear to be content with
breeding dogs for the lightweight division. The
hard work of breeders in the 80s has all but
disappeared. When last did you see a thumping
heavyweight that made you tingle with
excitement?
We need to take a hard look at our dogs and the
type of Bull Terriers we are breeding locally.
Could you imagine if there were weight divisions
in Bull Terriers in addition to the standard?
Say for instance, there were three divisions for
dogs, lightweight (20-27Kg), medium weight
(28-35Kgs) and heavyweight (36-43kgs). Now ask
yourself how many locally bred dogs, that are
not fat and overweight, (which many breeders and
judges mistake for substance) would make the
heavyweight division? Very few if any I think.
Clearly we are doing something wrong in South
Africa.
For me it is the lack of heavyweights and
variety in selection that is having the greatest
impact on our breeding locally at present. Could
you imagine the problem a Springbok rugby coach
would have if he had to choose a pack of
forwards, and his selection options were players
only weighing in at 85Kgs. All of a sudden the
whole game plan has to change and you start
playing Japanese style rugby realizing that you
will never compete against the big guns.
Well, it is no different in breeding Bull
Terriers and trying to compare South Africa to
other countries. As long as we do not have
heavyweights around and the depth to choose
from, we will never be able to compete in the
same ring as the English. We might talk about
having better heads or better movement, but will
we ever proudly say, we have better Bull
Terriers. Like you, I look forward to the day
when we can thump them at Rugby, Cricket and
breeding Bull Terriers.
I believe the problem has been enhanced over the
last 15 years through a lack of understanding of
type and the fact that many of the newcomers to
the breed, do not understand type and how to
breed with various types. And don’t give me
that &@?* about there is only one type. The
fact is, type still exists and plays a major
role in breeding. Even in England they still
talk about type. The terminology might have
changed, but the meaning is still the same.
Instead of talking terrier, dalmation, bull and
middle of the road type, you now see in the UK
show critiques and hear in conversions, comments
such as, tall and up standing (dalmation), a
true heavyweight with large bone (bull), terrier
style (terrier) and then the picture of
perfection or hard to fault (middle of the
road). The variation in type is not as dramatic
as it was 20 years ago and there is a greater
leaning towards middle of the road, however type
still exists.
Without an understanding of type, a breeder is
significantly hampered in breeding top class
animals, with luck playing a far greater role in
any success than actual intelligent breeding.
Furthermore, when luck does favour them, there
is always a struggle to progress beyond that
point without an understanding of how they got
there in the first place. To emphasize my point
let us take a look at the breeding of some top
local dogs, in order to get a better
understanding as to how breeders can move away
from the wimps and breed gladiators.
We will start with our Supreme Bull Terrier, Ch.
Dajan Skies the Limit at Sandawana. He is a tall
upstanding dog (I would consider him a middle of
the road/ dalmation type). He has bone and
substance, but is not a heavyweight (bull type),
in the sense that his make, shape, virtues and
faults are not typical of Bull Type. He would
need heavier bone, more powerful muscling in the
hindquarters, a broad, shorter and more powerful
head and perhaps be lower set to the ground to
be a bull type. Don’t get me wrong; he is a
great dog in my opinion and a worthy winner of
the Supreme title. Do you get the point though?
He is middle of the road/ dalmation type, not
true bull type. His power and size says he has
bull type in his make up, but he is not bull
type.
When you look at his breeding you quickly
realise that he is line breed to a dog-named
Kilacabar Rolling Thunder who in turn is line
breed to Ghabar The Admiral. With both these
ancestors leaning more towards middle of the
road/ bull type it is not surprising that this
alone gives him the foundation to be a
substantial dog himself. At the same time his
sire Kilacabar Firestarter is equally a
substantial dog with adequate bull type in his
make up.
On the other hand when you look at his two grand
sires, you note the quality, elegance and
leaning to a similar type to CH. Dajan Skies the
Limit at Sandawana. In short there is plenty of
big, upstanding type, combine with heavyweight
type. You do not see a light or medium weight
dog in his breeding up close. Clearly, type
selection and blending is the foundation of
success, with other points such as movement,
quality etc playing a role.
Personally, if I were using him I would take a
bullish type bitch to him (broad well filled
head, good spring of rib, substance and strong
thick hindquarters), who if possible, is out of
heavier type parents. I would want to make sure
that I have the best chance in pulling through
the heavier, bull type as possible. By doing
this I would like to think that my chances in
breeding a middle of the road type are
increased. Taking dalmation/ terrier type to him
will only further dilute the bull type in his
make up. “Skies the Limit” has the quality
and finish to suit almost any bitch, what is
needed is the right type to go to him.
Let us now look at a local breeding example in
Ch. Lubjan Rock and Stone. For me Rock and Stone
borders on the medium to heavyweight divisions
described above, although to many people who
have not see the heavyweights overseas they will
tend to think of him as a true heavyweight.
Which division he would fit into is not the
point to be debated here, but why was he a
bigger, more substantial dog than what we
general breed in this country? What did his
breeders get right, when so many others are
struggling to breed that “type” of dog?
His sire is Ch. Sandawana Tommy Hotspur at
Kinstonia, a dog I would consider tall and
elegant with nowhere near the substance and
thuggishness of his son. Then you look at Tommy
Hotspurs sire, Frosty Boy, you find a dog that
also did not have the power, substance and true
heavyweight type found in England. In fact on
his sires side there is very little bull type.
The key to Rock and Stones power and substance
lies in his grand sire on his dam’s side, a
dog by the name of Rhinestone Remarkable.
Remarkable in my opinion, was a more substantial
dog than Rock and Stone himself. Broader and
deeper in the chest, massive spring of rib,
thick heavy bone and the muscling typically of
the true heavy weights found in England. He is
one of a limited few in this country that had
enough bull type to have an impact on the breed.
What Rock and Stone’s breeders got right was
the combination of type in the male lines. Take
a look at photos and you will see that Rock and
Stone is closer in type to Remarkable than Tommy
Hotspur or Frosty Boy. Yes, he has virtues from
both sides of the pedigree, but it is the bull
type inherited from Remarkable that makes him a
gladiator. Rock and Stone was a better dog than
Remarkable when compared to the standard and
although he displayed many of the bull type
virtues of Remarkable, he was a dilution of
Remarkable’s type. I mention this, as much of
the breeding I have seen out of Rock and Stone
in South Africa to date has been a further
dilution of the bull type. It is the same old
story. We find a good sized dog and we take our
small terrier/ dalmation type bitches who are
out of small terrier type parents hoping to
breed bigger type dogs, when in reality all we
are doing is diluting the size and type,
particularly in the male line of the pedigree.
What we should be doing is making sure that we
balanced type on both sides of the pedigree.
Based on our current situation I would recommend
that breeders place more emphasis on the bull
type on both sides of the pedigree, but please
do not forget the rest of the dog and look at
the whole picture. Achieving this is always a
challenge.
Look for dogs and bitches that display bull type
virtues and use them cleverly in your breeding
program. At the recent SABTC Championship show I
saw a young bitch handled by Rina Prinsloo. Take
a look at this bitch, as well as her breeding.
She is a big bitch, teaming with power,
substance and other bull type virtues. When you
look at her breeding you notice she is a Ch.
Booksale Harry Hotspur daughter. Now, a bitch
like this I would mate to Dajan Skies the Limit
at Sandawana or a substantial son out of him, (I
am sure he will produce them) knowing that they
compliment one another in type and virtues and
that I have bull type on both sides of the
pedigree.
Other matings I would recommend is putting Rock
and Stone daughters to Skies the Limit, or half
brother/ sister mating on Rock and Stone and at
a later point, doubling up on Skies the Limit
through half brother/ sister mating and grand
daughters back to Skies the Limit. By doing this
we have a chance to build a foundation of good
animals, based on correct and balanced type. If
you take this advice please make sure the
breeding pairs compliment each other. Do not
breed just for one virtue or aspect of a Bull
Terrier take the whole dog into consideration,
remembering that middle of the road (the picture
of perfection or almost faultless) is the ideal.
We do not want big lumps of nothing.
I am sure we will see more imports arrive in
South Africa over the coming years, however,
when considering these animals as mating
partners evaluate them with the same set of eyes
and evaluate their type and decide whether their
type is going to build on the foundation or
dilute it for you.
Lastly, do not make the mistake of only looking
at the two animals you plan on mating, as their
parents are just as important. Look for the bull
type in both the dogs and the bitches on both
sides of the pedigree. If it is not there you
are reducing your chances of pulling it through
in the puppies. Line breeding to a dog or
bloodline can bring great rewards but over the
years I have found that breeding to maintain a
balance of type is even more important,
particularly as we do not have big kennels in
South Africa. Work with other people to achieve
consistency and co-operation in bloodline
develop.
Go back in time and look at the breeding of some
of our good heavyweight dogs. Look at the male
line on both sides of the pedigree and you will
see that success was achieved by balancing type,
as well as other aspects on both sides of the
pedigree and in the males close up.
Examples include:
Ch. Janfel Poseidon (Artline
combined with Royalty) - Dog of the Year
Elmojama Discovery
(Strident combined with Joe Dandy) – Supreme
Ch. Stryel Wolfgang
(Cannonball combined with Ninja) – Dog of
the Year
Ch Booksale Harry Hotspur
(Harry combined with One In the Eye) - Supreme
Ch. Lubjan Rock and Stone
(Tommy combined with Remarkable) - Supreme
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