Posted on 07/10/2006 8:41:39 AM PDT by girlangler
AKC dog registry welcoming coonhounds to purebred world
By Coke Ellington Associated Press
Raleigh | The American Kennel Club is trying to make coonhounds couth.
The nation's largest and most recognized dog registry is in the early stages of a major push to add coonhounds to its prestigious rolls, hoping both to increase its membership and to assure these sad-eyed symbols of country life stick around a while longer.
"We're interested in the registration of these dogs and their litters, but we're most interested in preserving these dogs for the future," said Steve Fielder, who moved to Raleigh in late 2004 to launch the club's coonhound initiative.
To meet its targets, the AKC has found itself negotiating with governments to assure there's ample hunting land for the dogs, setting up competitive hunts and working to enlist more of the estimated 1.2 million coonhounds in the nation.
It may seem like unlikely work for a club with headquarters on swanky Madison Avenue in New York City and more closely tied to images of pouffy poodles than howling hounds, but Fielder insists it's right in line with the club's mission.
"The AKC wants to be all things canine," said Fielder, one of about 300 people at the AKC's operations center in Raleigh.
To help with its initiative, the AKC began offering free registration last year to coonhounds already enlisted with two other national clubs. The move resulted in about 10,000 registrations, up from about 500 the previous year. The club expects to have another 10,000 registered by the end of this year, pushing the total number of AKC registered coonhounds to 22,000.
Still, coonhounds make up a tiny part of the club's registry. Labrador retrievers were the most popular breed in 2005 with nearly 138,000 registered by the AKC.
Registration costs just $15, but acceptance by the AKC is invaluable to breeders and others who need or want to prove their dogs have pure bloodlines.
For coonhounds, registering also opens the way for the dogs to compete in AKC-sanctioned hunts and competitions that offer titles, trophies and cash prizes of as much as $25,000. Just in July, the AKC is sponsoring about 70 coonhound competitions across the nation, including contests for youth, field trials, water races and night hunts.
Night hunts tie most closely to the tradition of the coonhound owners across the South who once led packs of dogs on late-night winter hunts, forcing the raccoons up trees where the hunters could get a clear shot at them. The raccoon hides fetched $20 to $30 each in the late 1970s, according to Perry Sumner, a biologist with the state Wildlife Resources Commission. With demand dwindling, a raccoon hide today is worth about $5, he said.
A good coonhound can sell for $4,000 to $5,000, with some bringing up to $100,000, said David Gardin, the president of the North Carolina Coonhunters Association..
The AKC first registered black and tan coonhounds - one of six coonhound breeds - in 1945, but during the past 60 years there had been little mingling between hound owners and the AKC. Coonhound owners were more likely to register with the Professional Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club and the AKC didn't seem to mind. Now, their interests seem to have merged.
"The coonhound has been kind of like a subculture in the world of dogs," Fielder said, "but with the AKC involved the spotlight is shining on the breeds."
My uncle's B&T was AKC back in 81 or 82.
This is KEY. Oh, and yes, the GRNews is a wonderful resource. I have boxes of them going back to 1988, and refused to not move them when we moved (hubby kept telling me we were paying by the pound). ;)
I wish more people who get involved in the working aspect of their breed, there is nothing like the bond you get working with a dog. However, if that were the requirement, I fear many breeds would simply cease to exist.
susie
I watched one once and laughed myself silly (trying to persuade a cat to do something is entertaining for the observers but not for the persuader.)
But with Siamese generally there actually are performance issues (though not performance competition issues). The Siamese traditionally is an extremely athletic cat, and with their hyperactive personalities they HAVE to have something to do. Whether it's mouse-catching or drapery-climbing or retrieving (or unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper), they are very busy kitties.
Where we saw the conformation-oriented breeding hurting the Siamese was in structural changes that led to orthopedic problems (not to mention the narrowing skull that made for some VERY dumb cats . . . I hate to see a stupid Siamese, it's the antithesis of the breed.) When a Siamese breaks a leg just jumping off a table, it's a terrible shame. I had one who used to leap off the tops of doors in the house (onto people's heads. We locked him up when people came to visit. He fancied himself a Stalking Panther in the Jungle.)
AKC has added a few breeds lately, I just went to their site and was surprised to see that Dogue de Bordeaux was added. I stood in a vaccination line yesterday next to one of those beasts.
The Redbone Coonhound has been AKC since 2001. They are great dogs, but that bark!
Black and Tan coonhound has been AKC since 1990.
95 lbs is probably oversized for a male golden. People DO breed very large ones, but that is not the standard. I don't think you can blame THAT one on show people! My girls run about 50 - 60 lbs. I haven't had a boy in so long, I forget what they weighed at adulthood, but I would guess in the 70 to 80 lb range.
FWIW when I walk my goldens around town, I frequently get stopped by people asking me why they are so small. They are not small, they are within standard. But most of the goldens they have had or seen are larger. I don't get why anyone would want a larger golden, however, people seem to like them.
susie
Two conformation ladies in the New Jersey club decided to take their Goldens to a Hunting Retriever Club training day. It was side-splitting -- they drove their show van, their Goldens were perfectly groomed because they had been to a show the previous weekend, one of them was wearing an "I (heart) Goldens" T-shirt -- they show up at this gnarly swamp site, everybody's driving pickup trucks and wearing camouflage, "and their dogs -- their dogs had WHISKERS!"
I made copies for all my hunting retriever friends (especially the Golden owners.)
That is a great book. Like Cold Mountain, one that I refuse to watch the film version of. I have these pictures in my head that do just fine.
I remember that one, it was pretty funny. One thing I have to say is that any time I've taken one of my fluffies to a field event, even the serious field people are very nice and helpful. There is also a golden who just finished his conformation CH who also has a Canadian FC. That is an awesome achievement (altho I think there are several labs who are dual CH alive, yes?)
susie
He's a young adolescent, still at the all elbows and @$$ stage - and watching him and Shelley play is hysterical! He's probably faster in a straightaway sprint, and he can muscle her around . . . but he can't catch her because she has figured out that a quick change of direction means that he spends 20 feet or so with pinwheeling legs trying to turn! When she leaps over his back and runs off in the opposite direction, he gets this look on his face like "How did she DO that?" Then she runs back and yells, "TAG! You're it!" When they're both exhausted they flop down and nuzzle each other -- it's totally cute.
I heard Plotts were best for boar, bear and mountain lions.
Its also my understanding that coonhound breeders and huunters really aren't too eager for AKC registration.
The breed standards for workinig dogs are more concerned with performance in the field than with conformity in appearance - which appears to be the case with AKC breeds.
I'll give you the German Shepherd as an example.
Years ago when I was a kid, German Shepherd dogs were long in the body, but their hips were more like a normal dog's. American show Shepherds look deformed. From the side the hips on the animal look much lower than the withers and it appears like its running in a freakish way.
Check out the breed "Shiloh Shepherd" in the net. Aside from their really gigantic size, they DO look more like German Shepherds did decades ago than modern show Shepherds.
The last thing coonhunters want is for their breed to deteriorate into something that follows a model's type recipe for appearance but couldn't run a coon or a bear.
By the way, where can you get a good Plott? I do a lot of hiking in the woods, like to hunt and think a Plott would be just right for me.
Besides its really an AMERICAN dog - like most Coonhounds - not some foreign import.
My girl is Candlewood on her mom's side.
I've seen that on the net. Looks like a good magazine to me. I think I'll subscribe.
If coon hounds become legit can Black Mouth Curs be far behind?
I know a young Golden who is doing well in conformation and just got his WC. His owner comes out and trains with us. And he does look like a movie star amongst a bunch of dirt track drivers . . . but everybody's very welcoming. The hunting types are glad to see the conformation folks come out and use their dogs for what they're intended for!
Sight hounds are nice. But I don't think too many people use them for hunting these days in the U.S.
I think the A-rabs use them a lot - Salukis and Sloughis and Azawakhs ( now THAT'S a sighthound).
"Like Cold Mountain"
Is that next to "Brokeback Mountain"?
(What do you expect from Sheep herders?)
Sorry. I couldn't let that go by.
She used to try to get in my lap. LOL! I would have to have my daughter rescue me because I couldn't get up. Oh, I miss her!
Hey, yer talking about my dog. LOL
I agree, I hope this doesn't lead to the death of yet another good breed.
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