Page 31 - Aussie Magazine - 2023 Issue 2

of him in his offspring, in his very limited stud
work he has so far produced a Junior World
Winner, a European Winner, 2 ASCA Champions
and many more successful show, working and
sport dogs. He has left his stamp in his kids and
his grandkids and will continue to do so for many
more generations in the future.

What improvements do you want to make to the
breed with your dogs and breeding program?
Personally I think it is so important to always
watch the whole dog without fixating on any
individual issue. I really want to have sound
dogs, with strong fronts and rears and balanced
effortless side gaits. I am careful to ensure we
do not get short necks as this will affect the
shoulder and front confirmation of the dog. I am
also careful to keep balance in body length and
strong super toplines and avoid big heavy ears
that can ruin the expression. Dogs need to be
able to move easily and sound in every situation
to perform their original function. I think it’s
always important to remember there is no such
thing as a perfect dog.

Do you health test your dogs, if so please tell us
what you screen for?
Yes of course, I class myself as a bit obsessed
with health testing. I DNA test my puppies at
3 weeks for anything they potentially carry.
The Austrian Kennel club asks we only breed
carriers to clear once which I gladly follow.
With careful selections and testing a full health
panel which includes 10 + tests on all my dogs,
I have managed to create many dogs with full
clear health panels. I X-ray all my dogs for Hips,
Elbows and Shoulder and they all have annual
Eye tests. I also do litter eye screening on all my
puppies.

What do you think makes an ideal A/S for a
show? Does that change for breeding?
A Great show dog must have the will to work
and needs to be comfortable in the environment
of a show but much of that can be helped by
socialisation and upbringing. A great show
dog also has showmanship, he or she needs to
love to present themselves and make the judge
want to watch them. They need to be relaxed