Erica Max | Des Montagnes Berger Picardy

Interview with Erica Max, Breeder of Des Montagnes Berger Picardy

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
3. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days?
4. How important are Performance Events to you as a Preservation Breeder? As an Exhibitor?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?

Erica Max

1. Our kennel name is Des Montagnes Berger Picardy. Des Montagnes means “from the mountains” and we are located at 7,800 feet, outside of Durango, Colorado. My husband and I got our first purebred dog in 1986, a wonderful Airedale Terrier named Burnleigh. We really knew nothing about Airedales other than that we liked the way they looked. We lived in Lincoln Park in Chicago and I walked her in the park every morning for an hour and a half, and my husband got home from work around 2:30 and he took her out for another hour. I got interested in doing Obedience work and showed her to her CDX. It stretched my sense of humor doing Obedience with an Airedale, but it was a lot of fun. We then got her a companion, a Border Terrier, and in 1991, I bred my first AKC litter. We had five Border Terrier puppies and they were so much fun. Two human children and 20 years later, I got a Berger Picard. We had a Giant Schnauzer and another Airedale at the time, but the Picard changed my life. My friend enticed me into showing him and he just kept winning the Miscellaneous Class. When he was two years old, I got a Picard bitch and when she was old enough we had our first litter of puppies. The rest is history.

2. I think, in general, Picards are a healthy breed. For the most part, our breeders tend to be concerned about keeping the breed healthy and do health testing, which is posted on the OFA website. One of the particularly unique attributes of the Picard are the large ears. I am concerned that there are some breeders who seem to be breeding smaller ears. I love the big ears, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to a dog that listens well.

3. As a former President of my local AKC all-breed club, I am a big supporter of our sport. I spend a lot of time explaining to the public the value of purebred dogs and why we show our dogs. I have, for the most part, felt the judging is good. I understand that my dogs are not going to win every time we enter the ring, and frankly, I show my dogs for fun. I do enjoy winning and have done a fair amount of that. Because I live a two-hour drive from an interstate and I have plenty of commitments at home, I don’t show as much as I would like. My dogs are family dogs, so I am an owner-handler because they prefer to be with me.

4. I do several different performance events with my dogs. We do Herding, Barn Hunt, and have dabbled in Scent Work. I encourage all of my “Puppy Family” to do performance events and try to be supportive of them. My dogs live on a working horse ranch and they also work on herding sheep on a weekly basis. They seem to love doing what they were bred to do. One of the things I am most proud of is that a bitch that I bred has the CH in front of her name and 24 titles after her name. I believe that means I bred a fantastic puppy.

5. I think social media is great when people try and be supportive of their fellow exhibitors. Unfortunately, it often seems like people lose all compassion and manners when they decide to post on social media.

6. I think the biggest challenge is educating the public on why it is worth buying a puppy from a reputable breeder. I fully support our local humane society, but I believe it’s important that we work hard on spreading the word about the time and effort that good breeders put into their programs.

7. I think the broadcast networks showing the Philadelphia/National Dog Show as well as Westminster, with knowledgeable commentary, has been very helpful. I also think the AKC Reunite program is doing a fabulous job supporting dogs in natural disasters as well as supporting communities. In our small town, AKC Reunite has helped to purchase a dog for our local sheriff’s office K9 unit.