Celebrate the 2024 AKC Breeder of the Year honorees! Discover their dedication to preserving breed standards, excellence, and passion.
The Weekly Brief
The best of SHOWSIGHT editorials, weekly wins, and breeder commentary — delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning.
Sandi Lyon: My very first Bouvier was far from a show dog or breeding animal, but I fell in love with his temperament. The breed is calm in the home, spirited outdoors, smart, and intuitive. They are only protective when necessary and are socially outgoing if raised properly. They are not needy, but stay close in case they are needed. I am always amazed when they can alert naturally for danger or health risks. They can sense their owners’ moods and react accordingly. Their loyalty is unwavering, and mine is to them as well.
Sandi Lyon: I believe you need a good eye when breeding. A complete understanding of structure and movement is crucial as well as honesty when evaluating breeding animals. The goal is to produce a puppy that is as close to the Breed Standard as possible. The strength of my breeding program is in my bitches. Once they have completed their championships and health testing, I look for a stud dog that offers a bit of what my bitch is lacking. This could be any number of things, which include size, bone and substance, more angulation, better shoulder layback, etc. There is no perfect animal and I can always find something I would like to improve. I only breed to outstanding temperaments and fully health-tested dogs. At eight weeks I evaluate the litter, and only those puppies whose structure and movement conform to the Standard are placed as show prospects. I keep my fingers crossed that they mature into lovely breed specimens. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a crystal ball?
Sandi Lyon: My stud dogs are available to bitches who are titled and fully health-tested. I carefully check the pedigree of any bitch who is presented for any known health issues. After over thirty-five years in this breed, I am familiar with old breeding combinations that produced less than desirable results. I may not be thrilled with the conformation of the bitch who meets my requirements, but I feel it is my obligation to help others find their way.
My bitches are raised and live in my home, so I do not lease them to others as I am very particular about their happiness and environment. With all the whelping issues that can occur, I want my bitches at home and under my vet’s control. I will, however, co-breed my bitch with another breeder to a mutually agreeable stud dog and share the litter. The Bouvier is a small breed and we must be willing to help each other.
Sandi Lyon: The Breed Standard must be followed implicitly. There is no reason to create puppies who cannot adhere to it. A dog that is too long is wrong and is gone! It will not herd cattle and stay out of the way of their hooves. A dog that is out of balance cannot herd or pull a cart. A dog that has a poor temperament is not an asset to its family and could not have performed the job for which it was intended. It is of utmost importance that a breeder not lose sight of the purpose of their breed and that they create puppies that will uphold that tradition. It should not be the goal of a breeder to produce an extreme, flashier dog that does not meet the Standard. I hope the Bouvier judge will recognize what I bring to him as a dog who is structured and moves to fulfill the work he was created to do.
Sandi Lyon: Importation of dogs has not affected me because I have imported semen when needed. However, public criticism of breeds and anti-breeder legislation is a very difficult situation and demands the assistance of the lobbying bodies of AKC and NAIA. We can all contribute by contacting our legislators when a bill is introduced into the legislature, but as individuals we are powerless. Unfortunately, the animal rights activists have maintained a strong presence in advertising and public support. The prestige of purebred dog ownership has diminished, and mixed breeds have become a status symbol. Meet the Breeds events and larger clusters that offer a multitude of events to attract the general public are some of the best ways to educate the joy of purebred dog ownership. The televising of dog events increases public interest. The public needs to see the love and pride that is extended to our animals. Too many breeds today have very few litters produced and are threatened to their very extinction.
Erica & John Bandes: The Pointer is a very smart and biddable dog, with very few health issues. They are very easy to live with, as they have a great amount of energy when outside, but have a good off switch in the house. So, they make ideal field trial, personal hunting companions, and family housepets who easily and happily compete in the show ring. In fact, they do extremely well in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tracking, and Scent Work. Pointers are very clean and social. They easily housebreak, mostly by 8-10 weeks of age when trained correctly and consistently, and love their people, including children. We happily call them the best-kept secret of the dog world.
Erica & John Bandes: Personally, when considering a breeding, our first priorities are health and temperament. Next is conformation and field ability. The dogs we choose for the ring are, in our opinion, correct conformation specimens. We are firm believers, when selecting a stud, that one should breed to the dog, and his pedigree, that best balances and enhances the bitch. Breeding to the top-winning dog, just because one is breeding to his record, is not always the best choice.
Erica & John Bandes: We do not lease our bitches. If we feel they are breeding quality, we will breed them to the stud dog of our choice, and they will, generally, whelp their litter with us. As for stud dogs, we allow our dogs to be bred outside of our bitches after careful consideration. We do not breed to bitches with, in our opinion, serious health or temperament issues. This is a breed with a fairly small gene pool. Breeders tend to stick to their own lines, rarely breeding out of that family. We have bred outcrosses a couple of times, with interesting (some excellent) results.
Erica & John Bandes: This is a tough question. We are a strong believer in breeding to our Standard. Unfortunately, the majority of the Pointers being shown do not always compare well with our Standard. It’s hard to know where to place the blame. We have judges putting up dogs that are not necessarily good specimens. Then again, there are breeders flooding the ring, and market, with Pointers that don’t always match up to the Standard. In our opinion, we need stronger breeder education, better judges education, and judges who have the knowledge and strength of character to withhold when the situation requires it. Hypothetically, we are asking judges to evaluate our breeding stock. We are not asking them to be our friends and not offend us. Between the number of shows (too many) and the economy, show committees fill their judging panels with judges who can do several Groups, and we see these judges over and over. Not all of these judges know, or understand, the finer points of our breed. Therefore, making them less than ideal to be evaluating our breeding stock.
Erica & John Bandes: Our first thought on this is, if the breeders who are cranking out seven or eight litters a year (and yes, we have such people in this and other breeds) would concentrate on quality rather than quantity, the breed, and the appearance of purebred breeders, would be in much better shape. There are breeders who boast about finishing a large number of champions. Sadly, they are finishing these dogs on their own vanload of dogs. This proves absolutely nothing to the educated. But I’m sure the naysayers of purebred dogs are well aware of these games they play. Imported Pointers play a big role in our breed today. We are firm believers in the addition of well-bred foreign dogs in our breeding programs. The trick is to know not only what dog you are importing, but what is behind that dog. Knowing the pedigrees of the dogs you are introducing is key. Sadly, there are too many breeders who have no idea what is behind their dogs. They don’t even know what is within a couple of generations of their own dogs, let alone what they are introducing, be it a foreign dog or not. There are old-time breeders with a wealth of knowledge who would be happy to mentor, but rarely do those new to the breed avail themselves of this pool of knowledge. We have been very fortunate in our overseas dealings. But that came with time and investigations before we committed.
Solutions? Oh boy, if only we had the answer. Breeding less, breeding better, only bringing your best out to the public. If the dog has an iffy temperament, don’t show it, for the dog’s sake and the breed’s sake, and don’t breed it. What is accomplished by showing a dog with a lack of quality and especially with a poor temperament, other than leaving the public with a poor impression of the dog, the breed, and the breeder?
Sadly, dog shows have become a game (of $$ and advertising) rather than a venue to compare and evaluate breeding stock. We believe that a strong parent club can go a long way to educating both the breeders and the general public, as well as promoting the breed to the public. Some parent clubs do a better job of this than others. The AKC’s Meet the Breeds is an effective tool for public education. One of our local dog clubs put on such an event. It was held in a shopping center parking lot and was hugely successful. Perhaps more events of this nature would be useful.
Liz Hansen: Standard Schnauzers were developed as the German farmer’s all-purpose dog, ready to do anything asked of it around the farm, stable, and home. They are a lot of dog packed into a medium size. They are thinkers, good at sizing up a situation and taking appropriate action. They can herd, kill rats or other vermin in the barn, enjoy being around horses and other animals, babysit little kids, entertain adults, and if a threat appears, they will guard—and mean it! Their smarts can get them in trouble if not channeled well, but this just means they’re ready to try most anything with their person. I like a dog that is smart and wants to do things with me, but is also able to act independently when appropriate. They also have a sense of humor, and that’s fun to be around.
Liz Hansen: I have always enjoyed the puzzle that is present when breeding. The Breed Standard is, of course, the template and each dog has its virtues and faults. I’ve bred this line for enough years to have a good idea of what’s there, and what isn’t, and how consistently certain traits carry through from generation to generation. I’m watching and observing from the time they are pups, while I’m showing them and as they mature, and noting what I like and what can be improved upon. I try to make choices that will keep the good traits that I like, and work away from any faults that I don’t want to carry to another generation. At Specialties, I try to have a catalog in hand at least part of the time and take note of the dogs I like. When I find a dog I like, I look into breeding to the sire of that good dog; the dog that produced what I like. I’ll also look at male siblings of the dam. I try to put together the accumulated knowledge of the dogs in a pedigree, as well as the actual dog that I can see and put my hands on. I don’t repeat breedings—I don’t see any point in that other than having more dogs with the same pedigree. If it turned out well, I already have good dogs. If it didn’t, I don’t want more of what didn’t work. If something unfortunate shows up over time, I don’t want to have to dump everything and try to start over. I have used the same sire on related bitches (siblings or mother-daughter) and that has given me a little diversity, and sometimes it’s better in one direction than the other.
Liz Hansen: Standard Schnauzers are a small numbers breed, registering just about 500 dogs nationwide each year for nearly all the years I’ve been involved with them. The breeders have to cooperate and collaborate, and we have to be honest with each other, because it’s not a huge gene pool. I’m always open to discussing what my dogs can contribute to another breeding program, and the boys are available to approved bitches that would be appropriate choices. I have only leased a bitch a couple times, to bring in something needed from another line that I liked and felt would be a good match with one of the boys.
Liz Hansen: The Breed Standard is absolutely the template when making breeding choices, and since Conformation shows are supposed to be about evaluating breeding stock, it should be utmost in the judge’s mind when we’re in the ring. The words “fancy” and “elegant” are not in our Breed Standard. It’s also a breed that should easily cover a lot of ground without wasted movement, but that doesn’t mean moving them as fast as the handler’s legs can run—we have a lot of them being moved much too fast lately. What wins in the ring goes through fads and can change what people think they want if there’s a big winner. Breeding to a show record is unlikely to be a path to consistently good dogs—the pups will inherit traits from the DOG, not from the show record. There are some very good dogs overlooked because the owner didn’t have the funds or the desire to send it out every weekend to accumulate a big record. A big-winning dog isn’t the right choice for every bitch either, so again, it comes down to evaluating strengths and weaknesses, and what the goal for the litter is. We also have dogs being shown that are out of size standard (we have a size DQ). Exhibitors of a measurable breed should know how tall their dog is, and not exhibit dogs that are out of size. Judges should measure if they have any question at all—and if the dog is in and deserving, go ahead and consider it.
Liz Hansen: Preservation breeders, AKC, breed clubs, and all-breed clubs all need to be much better about getting the word out that a well-bred dog is a wise choice for a puppy buyer. Known and consistent size, temperament, coat, and other traits, and health-tested parents that meet the Breed Standard, are far more likely to result in a long-lived, healthy, happy companion that suits the buyer’s lifestyle and expectations than a random accident, or an ill-chosen mix that may be a cute puppy but is very unpredictable in temperament, size, and coat, and is unlikely to have had any health testing. The designer dog breeders have figured out marketing, and even though most of it is not true, people think they want these mixes with cutesy names. We also need to better communicate the planning, knowledge, and life-long support that comes with a puppy from a preservation breeder.
With respect to laws and legislation, we need lawmakers to understand that there are rules already in place that dictate care and welfare of dogs, and how puppies are raised, but in many cases there is not funding or personnel to inspect and enforce what’s on the books. The mills doing things wrong are already breaking rules, and passing more rules isn’t going to make those individuals suddenly decide to do things right. On the buyer’s end, as long as someone will buy these poorly bred and raised pups, someone will produce them. So, education before purchase is important as well. Preservation breeders need to be better about communicating the value of our good dogs more clearly, without coming across as elitist or unwelcoming.
From childhood, I have always been in love with Scottish Terriers. Maybe it was seeing the movie Lady and the Tramp when I was six years old. I just don’t know. But it’s always been the only breed for me. I like the breed’s independent spirit and loyalty. I admire the breed’s tenacity when hunting vermin. They stand their ground, wait as long as is needed, and then pounce. They can get rid of rodents faster and better than any cat—just not as fast as a Manchester Terrier.
Scotties are independent. They will obey but only after thinking about whether they really want to do what you want. They are extremely loyal and loving. Each time I have had surgery for this or that, one or more of my Scotties have stuck to my side, slept next to me, and, in their way, cared for me. What more could you want? I also like that they have a job to do and they do it.
I tend to be someone who focuses on type more than on pedigree. I look for what a bitch has, as well as needs, and try to find a stud that “may” provide the missing links. Being in Scotties for more than 40 years helps in that I have a good sense of what specific lines are producing and have produced. But picking the right dog also depends on what the bitch and my line have to offer.
I do not jump on the bandwagon and breed to the stud dog de jour. If the dog is from outside of my breeding family, I hold off judgment until I see numerous offspring. I determine how dominant the sire is and for which attributes. I personally go over the stud dog and, if possible, his get. Since my assessment and my needs may differ from others, this provides invaluable information. It’s also valuable to visit kennels to find the hidden gems—the brother, the sire, a young dog they have yet to bring out—or to touch dogs that are retired from the ring but useful to a breeding program. While many breeders and judges shy away from the wheaten color, color is the least of my concerns. And I do not use a dog because it’s convenient to my home. If I am going to breed a bitch, I want the best stud dog possible, preferably the one who can minimize the faults I am working on and the one who can possibly bring something I need to the table.
I also don’t care if I like the owner or agree with her politics. It’s the dog that interests me. I will make it work if I want it to work. I have to believe that the dog has something to add to improve my breeding program. If the dog has something I think can help my breeding program, I will seek out the owner and check out the possibility of breeding to the dog. I will likely take my bitch to the stud dog if I do not know the person well.
One tactic I use that may differentiate me is that I always have at least two bitches of breeding age such that I can have two related but somewhat different lines. I was unaware I was doing this until Travis Liujten, a handler friend, pointed it out to me. The alpha bitch is typically the star, conformationally and in the Breed ring. She is my priority when I think about stud dogs. However, she may or may not be the star in the whelping box. While my alpha bitch is being shown by my handler and breeding partner, Rebecca Cross, my beta bitch is at home with me. I try something different with her initial breeding and perhaps her second breeding. But on her final breeding, I usually go with what has worked best with her or with my alpha bitch. Having two bitches that are similarly, and also differently, bred provides me with a safety net if things go awry. As the saying goes, I don’t want to have all my dogs in one dog bed.
The number of Scottish Terriers being produced in the United States, Canada, Britain, and throughout Europe is at its lowest level in the history of the breed. Nine times as many Scottish Terriers were registered in 1936 (8,359 puppies) than were registered in 2023 (only 987 registered Scotties). In 2023, the French Bulldog had the highest number of AKC registrations, namely more than 98,500 dogs in 2023. Taken together, it means that diehard registrations were minuscule—around one percent of the number of Frenchies registered. If these trends continue, Scotties will likely be extinct in 15-20 years.
If my beloved breed is to survive, then we MUST do something different than we are currently doing. For those of us who do breed, we need to breed more. And given that only 12 percent of litters are produced by Scottish Terrier Club of America members, we must also rely on others to keep the breed viable. I choose to work with breeders—national club members or not—and allow “reputable” breeders to use my stud dogs. That means, if they have done the requisite health tests required by the Scottish Terrier Club of America and they can articulate their breeding strategy, I may work with them. They do not need to be show breeders, but individuals who demonstrate they have sufficient knowledge of the breed to successfully whelp, wean, and place Scottish Terriers appropriately. That said, I never want a McVan® Scottie to end up in a shelter or puppy mill situation. I also put in my stud dog contract regulations requiring that companions be placed on spay/neuter contracts and registered on a limited basis. I try to work with breeders and educate them about the Breed Standard.
I have never leased or had a bitch of mine leased. I have whelped litters for members of my breeding family. I likely will not lease out a bitch, because Scottish Terriers can have significant whelping problems. Scottish Terriers can suffer from a dorso-ventrally compressed pelvis which is totally unsuited to the passage of the “fetal head” and “body.” For normal whelping, the pelvis area should be round. This compression leads to a stuck puppy, dead puppies, and uterine inertia. The solutions are either not to breed the bitch or to breed only with a planned c-section. It is inherent upon me to ensure the health of my bitches and their puppies. Consequentially, I whelp my own litters. I will sell a pick bitch out of a litter to get a new person started in the breed. It’s essential to get more people breeding Scotties.
Obviously, we attempt to breed to the Standard. And we show those Scottish Terriers which most closely conform to the Standard. There are, however, limitations to doing this effectively. We can only show what we have. Breeding to the Standard, any Scottish Terrier has faults and needs improvement in one or more areas. Second, any Standard is open to interpretation and nuance. What I consider a heads up, tails up attitude means one thing to me and may mean something else entirely to a judge who comes from a different breed. It is my interpretation of the Standard that matters on a personal level.
There is no easy answer to this question. Rather than work individually, breeders must work together to strike down poorly conceived legislation. I take every opportunity I can to get my breed out-front in terms of the public and legislators. I go out of my way to take them to public events such as Highland Games, grooming competitions, Santa parades, and dog days at elementary and middle schools. Doing this myself is NOT enough. We must teach the public and our legislatures what it is that separates preservation breeders from the pack.
I have long admired Patti Strand, President of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA), and the work she spearheads regarding purebred dogs. But that is only a first step. Rather than react to public criticism and restrictive legislation, we must be proactive and propose solutions first. The United States is one of the most individualistic countries in the world, and individualists tend to focus on their own interests and outcomes over the needs of the whole. We must become proactive rather than reactive and defensive.
Joy Barbieri & Rebecca Movall: Yes, Pugs are unique in many ways, including, as you’ve said, their appearance and personality. And also, the thing I love the most is their overall “squishiness.” With their soft, thick coats and robust bodies, they are the perfect dog to join you on the sofa, or sit at your feet waiting for you to drop crumbs. Our interest in Pugs has been sustained by our love of the breed as pets, a competitive drive that keeps us wanting to create beautiful Pugs to show, and the overall immersiveness of the dog world within our lives.
Joy Barbieri & Rebecca Movall: If there was a straightforward, quantitative answer for this question, everyone would be successful at breeding winning dogs! I do think the basics for successful selection of sires, dams, and puppies (which, though “basic,” are actually not that easy to master) are knowing your breed well, being honest about your own dogs, and also being honest about other people’s dogs. Losing sight of breed type, ignoring commonly unforgivable faults in your own dogs, and being hypercritical of other people’s dogs are common mistakes that people make which slow their progress as breeders.
Joy Barbieri & Rebecca Movall: Pug breeders, in general, are very willing to allow others access to their stud dogs, and this has helped to improve the breed in general. I have bred to as least a dozen other breeders’ stud dogs and feel very fortunate and grateful to have had those opportunities. In turn, I am usually willing to allow other breeders to use my dogs. As for leasing bitches, in our breed—with their small litters, coupled with the inherent risks at birth for both the mother and the puppies—it is not something I would do nor recommend others do.
Joy Barbieri & Rebecca Movall: The Breed Standard should be represented in your mind by the dog you see when you close your eyes and picture the perfect one. I believe most of us try to breed to that standard, and this in itself is where our differences lie, because each of us has a different vision of “perfection.” Presenting the breed accordingly is important, but I don’t think there is too much deviance in the Pug ring. We have seen a few professional handlers who have shown their Pugs like Working dogs, which is not correct for the breed. They are supposed to be playful and active, looking up alertly at their handlers and the judges. Pugs are not a breed that is meant to stand like a statue and stare at a piece of bait placed on the ground a few feet in front of them.
Joy Barbieri & Rebecca Movall: I honestly do not know the answer to this question. All I know is what I can do, and that is to continue to try to breed the best dogs that I can, and to share my dogs, my knowledge, and my experiences (good and bad) with the dog world in hopes that we can, as a whole community, move together into an always better (and dog-loving!) future.
Beth Blankenship: There are dogs, then there is the Keeshond! It starts with their temperament. They are clever, clownish, creative-thinkers, problem-solvers, loving, adaptable, forgiving, and not inclined to do repetitive tasks without offering a little twist. Even into their senior years they keep you laughing with their clever and youthful spirit. The next big attraction is their look. They are regal, yet soft and pleasing in expression. Known as the “Smiling Dutchman,” they almost always look happy but can switch to gorgeous and elegant, which is just breathtaking to me. Once you learn how to groom the Keeshond coat it’s quite enjoyable and becomes a bonding time with your Kees. It works because they are all about spending time with you. Although they have random working traits that show up at times, which makes them fun to do just about any activity with them, they would not thrive as a dog that had to work away from you. Let’s just say I adore my fluffy, somewhat useless, helpers that are perfectly content to lounge around and adoringly watch me go about my day, waiting patiently for a cue that I’m ready for snuggles and pets.
Beth Blankenship: Early on, depth of quality was important to me. So, I would not label puppies as the “pick.” My goal was always to have multiple outstanding puppies in a litter vs. a stand-out. When contemplating a pairing, I write out the positive and negatives of each of the sire/dam and four grandparents. I decide which traits I’m looking to improve and which traits I wish to avoid doubling on. I have been known to select for myself the puppies in the litter that gave me those results, whether they were the “pick” or not. I have found that the long-term success of a breeding program depends on diversity in the breeding dogs kept in the program. Continuously selecting the same look or group of traits over and over limits your options in pairings down the road. Additionally, I will use an outside sire or dam every 4-6 matings. But I won’t jump around to different lines. I tend to select outside stock that has the breed type most similar to my own family of dogs, but might have trait(s) I feel I need to strengthen or add to my line.
Beth Blankenship: Someone shared an idea years ago that they knew about from the horse world and it landed well with me as a fair way to assist bitch owners in making outside studs more available to them. I consider a deposit at the time of the mating, which I feel compensates me for my time and effort spent to facilitate the mating and, in turn, frees up funds for the bitch owner to accomplish the mating. Another variant of the agreement is that I don’t require a full stud fee paid for singletons and I do allow the bitch owner to use the paid deposit on a different sire and different bitch down the road. I like to be flexible so that we can focus on our goals of a successful pairing. I have participated in both lease and lessee of dams. I also think it’s a great way to protect your line with novice owners, but it gives them a chance to acquire a quality bitch.
So, once the bitch owner has fulfilled the obligations of the contract, I sign off. If there is a scenario where I have agreed to let them mate their girl prior to the completed championship, I will lease the bitch to them for the period of the mating. I prefer to keep things simple and prefer Trumpet litters that are whelped and raised at Trumpet, and this allows the bitch owner(s) to have their own start in breeding as well, by not requiring them to co-breed.
Beth Blankenship: I do believe dog shows have become too focused on showmanship and less focused on selecting future breeding stock. While it’s certainly nice to get a beautiful representative of the breed that is also a fabulous show dog, I think that as long as the dog shows well enough to evaluate their traits, then breed type should weigh heavily in the selection process. Breeding to the Standard should be every breeders goal, but I would encourage that we take it one step further and only put out to the fancy (at the Specials level) those dogs and bitches that excel in breed type.
Beth Blankenship: Positive promotion starts with the breeders and other breed fanciers. To be honest, the education is out there if prospective dog owners wanted to look. With social media and the Internet, and more publicity, i.e., shows on TV, we still see a lot of pet owners seemingly okay with getting a puppy from just about anywhere over a reputable, preservation-type breeder. I think we can do more for our image just by being a positive experience for our owners. To prepare my prospective clients, I spend time getting to know their experiences in previous dog ownership and, in turn, share my experience, protocols, and puppy rearing methods. If I believe we are a good match, I share materials and info while they wait for their new addition.
I think it’s important to give our puppy people a sense of belonging to this unique opportunity to own a quality, well-bred dog. To achieve this, I open my home to them and encourage visits. I introduce them to other owners of my dogs and encourage communication at all times throughout the process by sharing day-to-day videos and photos of the adults and puppies here at Trumpet. I remain accessible to them throughout their dog’s life and encourage them to stay in touch. I think breeders can do a lot to create a reason for new pet people to become repeat clients and to share with their friends/family the benefits of seeking out a thoughtfully bred purebred dog.
American Kennel Club (AKC)
