Thursday, December 13, 2007
Three Part Series On How To Use The German Shorthair Pointer Pedigree Database
This is the first of a three part series on how to use the German Shorthair Pointer Pedigree Database. I will describe what we are doing and why, the concepts and data rules. How to connect to the web based version and the steps to search for specific dogs.
Part two of this series will speak to the options you have once you have found the dog you are looking for. How to follow a specifc line using the database in-line links.
Part three of the series will walk you through how to send us electronic pedigrees to be included in the on-line and off-line versions. I hope you find it helpful and please provide us with feedback as I am continually improving how this works.
Currently as of this writting there are over 27,000 dogs listed in the pedigrees. Some of them have pedigrees streching back more than 70 generations while others are a little less detailed. So why? Many folks will tell you there is very little to be gained from looking this far back in the pedigrees and from a pure science view that is true, however, not always. Just because a dog does not have a CH in front of the name does not mean it is not a solid representation of the breed nor does it mean that it will not produce champions.
Health records and other information make an informed buyer or breeder so does a dogs pedigree and understand the hours of work quality breeders put into understanding pedigrees before mating a dog and female. Genetic soup and nuts and a lot of help from the Almighty will determine the final result but knowing as much as you can about the possibilities does not hurt.
The other reason is pure research understanding what other breeders did and then working out the why. Why did they breed dog X with female Y, what were they looking to accomplish what little change were they looking for in thier line. Perhaps they were not looking for a change at all perhaps they were looking at strengthing some characteristic in the line. All of these are good reasons to have a solid understand of pedigrees.
Much of this data has been pulled from a variety of resources. I am also working through dogs with similiar names, duplicate regestrations or inaccurate registration numbers. While those make us less than 2% of the overall data I am working dilligently to correct them.
This is what drives my passion for the breed and these pedigrees understanding historically what has been done and why and recording the information in a simple to use format. Once I started on this endevor I decided to publish it on the web site at no cost and share with others who share this passion for German Shorthairs. I have the ability with the tool to store other breeds and specifically do not like the site the information is specifc to German Shorthair Pointers.
Hopefully that helps understand the why. Those that have worked through pedigrees know the work that goes into this research and hopefully we will make that a little less painfull for you. So on to how to search for a dog.
STEP 1 Select the number of generations you will want displayed in the pedigree. For most computer printers printing in Landscape mode, 5 generations is the best choice. This option is limited to 10 generations. Ancestor links are provided withint he webform to look back even further more on that in the second part of this series.
STEP 2 Enter the name of the dog you are searching for. This can be any part of the name but it does have to be the dogs official name not the called name. Now this provides a useful option for a kennel if the kennel name is part of the name. An example: Say I wanted to find all dogs from the Hege-Haus kennel. I would put in Hege-Haus and once I get to the search option every dog with Hege-Haus will be listed in decending alphabetic order. As of this writing that will generate 200 dogs. Now as I am cleaning up this data you may have to try different patterns to find the dog you are looking for.
STEP 3 Select the database. This is already done for you and can not be changed, no action needed on your part.
STEP 4 Select Fast or Slow search. So what is the difference? If you do a fast search for Hege you will only get those records with “Hege.” If you use the slow search you will get every dog with “Hege” any where in the name. Slow search would include “Hege Haus”, “Hege-Haus” or even “Hegendorf.” Slow search is a more complete seatch and takes a few more seconds to complete. In the example in STEP 2 generated 200 dogs using a fast search; using a slow search it generated 587 results. As this example illistrates a slow search is the one to use unless you specifically know the speeling of the dogs official name.
Select the “Search Now” button and after a few seconds the results will be presented.
STEP 5 Find the dog listed and select the option you need
[PEDIGREE w/ LINKS]—displays the pedigree with links so if you want to follow a specific line you select that dog and it will generate the pedigree from that dog.
[PEDIGREE w/o LINKS]—displays the same as above without the link to continue following specific lines.
[BREEDING INFO]—Shows the sire and female all full and half siblings.
[TRIAL PEDIGREE]—Adds the dog to an advance pedigree option to take two dogs and show the pedigree of their get.
[REVERSE PEDIGREE]—Shows all the prodgeny for a specific sire or female for the last 4 generations.
So hopefully you will now be an expert on how to find a dog in the database. As always if you have a question please send me and e-mail.
If you want to link your dogs pedigree there is an article listed under the category of German Shorthair Pointer Pegigree News on how to build and link to the database directly and show your pedigree to the world.
Regards,
Jim
Saturday, December 01, 2007
AKC Syndicated News Consumer Alert
Consumer Alert!
© 2007 The American Kennel Club, Inc.
The AKC and the Council of Better Business Bureaus have received an alarming number of reports over the past few months from consumers who have lost money after responding to online or newspaper classified ad offering free or inexpensive puppies.
Consumers are taken in by the sincerity of the scammer, who will claim to only care about finding a good home for their beloved puppy. Before consumers realize that they are being conned, they will have paid hundreds of dollars in shipping fees for a puppy that will never arrive.
“This is certainly not the only scam to be aware of, but it is a common one,” says AKC spokesperson Lisa Peterson. “Because of the emotional investment, consumers are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of when it comes to a cute cuddly puppy than with any other purchase.”
In an attempt to protect other potential puppy buyers from being scammed, the AKC and CBBB offer the following advice:
Do your research. Ask if the breeder is a member of an AKC-affiliated club and contact that club to verify membership. Request references and speak to other people who have purchased dogs from this breeder—especially if the breeder does not live near you.
Beware of breeders who seem overly concerned with getting paid. Any reputable breeder will be far more concerned with the appropriateness of the potential pet home than what and when they are getting paid.
Don’t be fooled by a slick web site. At the very least speak with the breeder on the telephone and ideally meet the breeder, the puppy and the dam in person. If you locate a breeder online, never send money without checking their references and credentials first.
Take your time. Beware of breeders who claim to have multiple breeds ready to ship immediately. It’s highly unlikely that your perfect puppy will be available for shipping on the very day you call.
Report a scam. Anyone who has experienced a dog-related scam should report it to their local authorities as well as their local BBB (http://www.bbb.org) to file a complaint. Consumers can also direct questions and concerns to AKC Customer Service at 919-233-9767, or e-mail .
“If you are sure you are dealing with an actual breeder who has a dog to sell, there are still things to be aware of,” adds Peterson. “If you expect the dog you are buying to be AKC-registrable, you must obtain documentation when you pick up the dog. Wait until you receive it before you pay for and take home your puppy. Once you have completed the financial aspect of the transaction, there is little recourse for an unsatisfied buyer.”
Posted by J Brown on 12/01 at 09:08 AM
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Sunday, November 11, 2007
Is It Your Gun, Is It Your Dog, Is It You? Quail Hunting Fixes from MDC's Mark Goodwin
Hunting birds in Missouri can be both fun and challanging, not only the hunt but finding the time. Honey do list on Saturday, rain on Sunday ah but it is a three day weekend and Kathy works on Monday sounds like a perfect day to take in a morning hunt.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon like today when it is raining I find it to be a perfect opprotunity to catch up on my reading at the Missouri Conservation Department (MDC) website and also serves as a reminder I need to renew my hunting license on-line.
For those that have not been to MDC On-Line you are missing the countries best conservation department website. Along with all you want to know about hunting in Missouri you can also access the Missouri Conservationist On-Line. Always well worth the read and personally I find it is more relavent to the hunting I do than any publication I could buy in a book store magizine rack.
So what does any of this have to do with Quail Hunting Fixes you ask. Well Mark Goodwin one of the contributors to MDC On-Line wrote the following article, it was such a good article related to our breed and Quail hunting that I felt my visitors even if you are not from Missouri would find it both entertaining and educational. So with no further rabblings from me here is the story.
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Veteran quail hunters know about the highs and lows of their sport. When all goes well in pursuit of bobwhites, the level of satisfaction and pride transcends words. On days when problems predominate, however, feelings are best expressed in colorful words.
Most quail hunting problems stem from hunter mistakes and oversights. The four most common problems that quail hunters face afield involve dogs, equipment, shooting and locating birds. Let’s dive into each of these and identify solutions that will put more spring in your step, more birds in your bag and more smiles on your face.
Dog Dilemas
Quail hunters’ canine woes often start when hunters unknowingly pick a bird dog from the wrong bloodlines. This is one of the most serious errors a quail hunter can make, for an incompatible pedigree often ruins any chance of a good relationship developing between hunter and dog.
Genes serve as powerful influence over a bird dog’s actions, including the most important trait, how far a dog ranges. Some hunters prefer bird dogs that run far and wide in search of game, Others prefer dogs that hunt close. If hunter and dog are mismatched concerning this preference and trait, both hunter and dog will likely suffer.
Before purchasing an adult bird dog, a hunter should ask to see the dog hunt. If the dog hunts well and at a satisfactory range, it’s important to ask if the dog’s hunting style is more a reflection of its nature or of rigorous training. I prefer a dog that is genetically programmed to hunt my way.
When in the market for a bird dog pup, a hunter should buy out of a sire and dam that possess his or her preferred hunting style. By observing an eight-week-old pup, you can’t determine if it will have the hunting characteristics you want. If the parents hunt the way you like, however, chances are their pups will, too.
Pay less attention to a pup’s more distant relatives. Their traits are not likely to vitally important. A pup receives its genes directly from its parents, and those genes will affect a pup’s intelligence, scenting abilities and hunting style.
Regardless of breeding, bird dogs require training. Some hunters buy a pup and, when it is fully grown, think they should have a dog that will find birds, hold points and retrieve. It seldom works that way. To develop their instincts, bird dogs need time afield and training.
A hunter can take a dog to a reputable trainer and, after considerable expense, receive a dog ready to hunt. However, quail hunters must be schooled in how to handle a dog. No matter how well trained, dogs will test their owners. If allowed to disobey, dogs will quickly “forget” what they have learned. Accordingly, most professional trainers make serious efforts to ensure that their clients know how to give and enforce commands.
Before the hunting season, bird dogs also need refresher training. Two weeks of work on commands and time afield will have a bird dog ready for opening day. Hunters who forego this effort before the season usually suffer with poor dog work until their four-legged partners sharpen to task.
You also can over-handle a bird dog. This problem is the opposite of a failure to train. Those who succumb to this tendency are often new to working with bird dogs. A hunter wants to make sure his dog honors its training, so he or she gives command after command: “Here!” “Heel!” “Stay!” This can cramp a dog’s hunting efforts and leave it confused and distracted. Commands should be kept to a minimum, such as “Whoa” when the dog is on point, “Dead” when a bird has been downed and “Here” when a dog is headed in the wrong direction.
It’s also possible to overhunt a dog. Bird dogs are like athletes in that they need time to recuperate from the physical rigors of their sport. Hunting bird dogs for days on end, with insufficient time to rest, leaves them vulnerable to injury. I learned this the hard way.
Some years ago I had only one bird dog. She loved to hunt, and so we hunted birds day after day. I had no idea she was physically worn down until she dislocated a shoulder while running a field edge. She didn’t trip or stumble. Her joints had taken a pounding from overhunting, and her shoulder simply gave out. The injury plagued her the rest of her life.
Preventing this kind of problem is simple; own more dogs. I now routinely keep four pointers. Taking care of that many dogs is a lot of work and expensive, but with four dogs I can hunt two dogs one day and the other two the next. This gives each dog a day’s rest between hunts and keeps them fresh for the season. The same can be done with two dogs by hunting one dog at a time.
Dogs that bring downed birds to hand are a joy, but some develop the habit of “hard-mouthing,” or chewing, what they retrieve. A hard-mouthed dog can quickly puncture and pulverize a quail, rendering it unfit for human consumption.
A dog’s tendency to bite into game is often magnified by hunters who attempt to forcefully pull game out of their dogs’ mouths. Tugging encourages a dog to clamp down harder.
If a dog refuses to give up a bird, place your hand along the skin that joins hind leg to side and pull up while at the same time saying “drop.” The sensation will cause the dog to reflexively open its mouth. With stubborn dogs I have had to lift their hind feet off the ground before getting them to drop the quarry ino my hand, but I never tugged, regardless of how stubborn they were.
Playing fetch games using a frozen quail is a good way to practice this release system. The bird gets slimy and dirty after a couple of retrieves, but it is good training. A frozen bird further discourages a dog from clamping down.
It also pays to feed a dog an hour or so before a hunt. This reduces a dog’s feeding instincts, which makes it less prone to bite into birds. If a dog doesn’t want to eat, drizzling honey or maple syrup over its food is often all the encouragement that’s needed.
Force-breaking a dog to retrieve also solves hard-mouth problems. A good description of this method can be found in Bill Tarrant’s book, Best Way To Train Your Gun Dog–The Delmar Smith Method.
Wing Shooting Problems
Why do you miss when you shoot at quail? You can come up with plenty of technical excuses for your shots straying, such as the fit of shotgun to shooter, mounting of shotgun to shoulder and cheek, stance, swing and lead. However, most quail hunters miss their birds for two basic reasons.
One is a lack of shooting practice. Your mother may have told you to practice the piano when you were a kid. If you didn’t, you probably didn’t develop into much of a pianist. The same principle goes with wingshooting. You have to practice to gain proficiency.
Most of us, even if we gave our best efforts, would never make the Olympic shooting team. That level of shooting requires superior talent, hand-eye coordination and reflexes, but most of us can become solid wing shots through regular practice.
I’m not a great shooter, but I usually connect with quail because I work at it. After quail season I shoot a little hand trap–maybe a box or two of shells every month. In late summer before dove season, I get more serious about practice. Over a two-week period, using a full choke to provide extra challenge, I’ll shoot a case of shells as I work on fundamentals. During dove season I will shoot another case or two of shells. This “practice” hones my shotgunning skills and leaves me ready for quail season.
The other reason many hunters miss quail relates to the choke, or muzzle constriction, of their shotgun barrel. During the quail season I enjoy the company of friends who like quail hunting, but they go only a few times a year. Their guns are choked for general purpose–modified–and they have a tough time hitting birds.
Shooting quail over pointing dogs is close-range business. Most shots are under 20 yards. Accordingly, chokes should be open. Improved cylinder is a favorite of many veteran quail hunters.
A few years back I bought a straight cylinder-bore choke tube for my 12 gauge to see what type of pattern I would get.
In comparison to the improved cylinder choke I had been using, the cylinder-bore choke–in combination with an ounce-and-a-quarter of 7 1/2 shot–provided a wider pattern and one that was just as dense out to 25 yards. This load and choke combination improved my quail success immediately.
Finding Birds
Hunters who can’t find quail in Missouri need to look harder. Granted, density varies across Missouri. In some counties where fescue and clean fence rows predominate, quail may be limited to pockets of prime habitat, but birds are there.
Quail hunters who hunt frequently need many places to search for bobwhites. Once a covey is shot down to eight birds or so, the covey should be left alone to repopulate the area for the next year.
I quail hunt, on average, 40 times a season. That amount of hunting requires lots of hunting spots. So year-round, when in rural areas, I keep my eyes open for new places to hunt. I study county plat books, determine land ownership and ask permission to hunt. Some hunters feel uncomfortable about asking a stranger for permission to hunt, but it does no harm to ask, and often it’s the only way to get new places to hunt.
I do my best to honor the privilege of hunting someone else’s property. I don’t run my dogs through uncut crops; I ask landowners if they would like to join me on a hunt, and I offer them the quail I kill–dressed and ready to eat. I help put up hay, dig potatoes and cut wood. I drop off a pie now and again. I don’t overdo the thanks, but I want a landowner to know I appreciate the privilege of hunting his or her land. In this way I have become good friends with many landowners.
With places to hunt, a quail hunter needs to know how best to look for birds. Persistence is important. On many occasions I have found coveys early in the season but had difficulty finding them on subsequent hunts. The birds were in different places. Last season at one of our hunting spots, my dogs found a covey of 15 birds along the edge of a cut bean field surrounded by timber. We failed to kill a bird on the covey rise and had no luck working singles in the woods.
I worked through that spot four other times during the season and never again found the covey. I thought maybe the birds had moved on. The last hunt of the season, we looked for the covey one more time. On the north edge of the bean field, one of my dogs pointed. We walked in, and 15 quail took flight. This spot is hunted hard by other hunters, which shows that quail can do a good job evading detection.
Another key to finding quail is knowing where to look for the birds in relation to their daily routines. Some bird hunters spend most of their time walking brushy draws in their quest for quail. In doing so they often overlook many coveys.
Quail tend to relate to specific places during different times of day. At first light they are often found in open fields of knee-high grass where they roost. Shortly after first light, quail typically feed. To find them at this time, it’s good strategy to hunt 20 to 30 yards out along the edge of cut grain fields or other feeding areas.
Once quail have filled their crops, they move to brushy areas. Here you can find them loafing until about mid or late afternoon. Later, they move to the fields again to feed before going to roost. With persistence and a hunting approach that matches the habits of quail, hunters in Missouri should find birds.
Equipment
Quail hunting is not a sport that requires a lot of gear. A few items, however, might well be considered necessities.
On most hunts, even with well-trained dogs, hunters will need a leash. Most bird dogs have a rude streak. If a hunt starts close to a farmer’s house, bird dogs may urinate on the farmer’s flowers, defecate close to the front porch or do any number of equally inappropriate things. Discouraging such behaviors by way of commands is usually futile. Fresh out of their kennels, bird dogs are excited and prone to disobey. This is time for a leash.
A leash also has other uses. It offers control and safety for dogs when crossing roads and other hazards. It also provides a means of controlling a bird dog that has disobeyed a command.
For safety, every quail hunter should wear hunter or blaze orange. A hunter-orange cap should be the minimum. Visibility in thick cover is often poor, and blaze orange helps hunters keep track of one another. It’s a good idea to have an extra hunter-orange cap handy in case a hunting partner fails to bring one.
Aside from hunter orange, quail hunters have other specific clothing needs. Boots should be a special concern. Quality hunting boots are expensive, usually well over $100, but what you pay for is cushion, support and comfort–exactly what a quail hunter needs in footwear. On a half-day quail hunt, it’s common to walk six miles or more over rough and irregular terrain, and that can be tough on ankles and knees.
Walking generates a lot of heat, so quail hunters should dress as lightly as possible. On a typical winter day in Missouri, a long-sleeve sweat shirt, game vest, brush pants, hat and gloves provide for comfortable hunting. Going light on clothes also tends to improve shooting. On bitter, windy days when a hunter needs layers of clothes to stay comfortable, the bulkiness can lead to awkward and slow gun work.
For all-day hunts, food is another important concern. I’ve been on bird hunts where the dog work was poor, shooting was awful and equipment broke, but I’ve never had a bad lunch. Lunch offers an opportunity to sit back with buddies and recall the morning–to laugh over the bad shots and compliment the good, to console over poor dog work and brag over that which was admirable. It’s part of quail hunting–a fine sport made finer through thought, planning and work.
This article is reprinted within the provisions of the MDC Copyright Notice Copyright © Missouri Conservation Commission. All rights reserved. Scout’s Paw Tracks is a non profit/commercial website dedicated to German Shorthair Pointers and their owners.
Posted by J Brown on 11/11 at 12:07 PM
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