Hello dear readers.
This weekend saw another show that still scheduled Canaan Dog classes – the National Dog Show at Stafford County Show Ground. As at Paignton it was split between inside halls and outside rings with tents although no benching. We made two journeys, firstly for Gundog Day with my sister’s Portuguese Pointer – a lovely day with plenty of space in the halls and a few rings also set aside for grooming etc. Then again on Saturday 25th September to ring 18 to be Judged by Mr Stephen Minogue. With one absentee he had 5 dogs to judge. He found his Best Dog and Best of Breed in our Sulu, Micha de Solemel at Nizzana (Imp Fra) owned by myself Alison Byrne, Ivan Kaye and Anne Barclay and bred in France by Laurence Aries. It is with much sadness that Laurence no longer breeds Canaan Dogs but her lines continue internationally, to represent her Kennel. Reserve Best Dog and Best Puppy in breed was Mrs Ellen Mintos home bred Anacan Dancing on the Wind. Best Bitch was Anacan Poetry in Motion and Reserve Best Bitch was Anacan Bring the Dawn both owned and bred by Mrs E Minto. Our next outing is Scotland, fuel and covid permitting.
We have owned and been breeding Canaan Dogs for 23 years. There was much discussion around the ring from those spectating waiting for their classes. This is in no way to disrespect any owners or any breeders over the years but comment and questions were asked about the temperament of the Canaan Dog.
In the breed standard from the UK Kennel Club it states; – ‘Confident and vigilant. Aloof with strangers. Steady and loyal to owners.’
The FCI international breed standard states; – ‘Alert, quick to react, distrustful of strangers, strongly defensive but not naturally aggressive. Vigilant not only against man but other animals as well. Extraordinarily devoted and amenable to training.’
The Kennel Club of America states; – ‘Alert, vigilant, devoted and docile with his family. Reserved and aloof with strangers. Highly territorial, serving as a responsive companion and natural guardian. Very vocal, persistent. Easily trained. Faults – Shyness or dominance toward people.
These are the probably the three most widely used kennel club standards.
When I started showing all of the dogs here in the UK were generally steady enough in the ring to allow judges to handle and assess. There are few that would regularly enjoy this hobby of ours but they tolerated it and sometimes took some pleasure in the craft. We show to allow the spectators to see our dogs. This is one way that we can promote our numerically small breed hopefully to allow it to grow and not become extinct. Thankfully we are far from that.
Comparing the dogs of today I find that perhaps no progress has been made and maybe a few steps back. We all train our dogs to toilet outside, to sit when asked or do some tricks to keep us bonded and them mentally stimulated. We walk with them on a collar and lead which they need introducing to quietly and with some patience. Showing is no different – when we meet prospective puppy owners one of the main things that we emphasize is socialisation. If you live and work on a farm, your dog needs to be trained to behave around and animals or to keep clear of machinery and hazards. We live in a town, we walk from the earliest dates around our local area, into town, sit outside cafes, and attend training classes. Most, honestly prefer to be in the woods or fields for their walk but accept that there are other environs they have to be in. Some, once confident in us and our ability to keep them safe do start to relax and enjoy all our walks. They will greet new people, including those who offer food, with some suspicion then acceptance after a quick check and allow contact to take place if they like them.
Having travelled to many countries and attended seminars in those countries including their country of origin – Israel, I feel that this behaviour meets the standards. We work hard with our breeding and training. It pays off, our dogs are generally very confident in their own skin to show well. However, when we were told by another breed exhibitor watching that the dogs should display the extreme nervousness that we have seen I question what has been portrayed to them as our beloved Canaan Dogs. We don’t want any other breed, we want our dogs to be happy, we have one at home that we don’t show, she didn’t get the same training and time due to our personal situation at the time of her youth. We don’t show her. No dog should be scared or put in a position that could lead to them biting someone, due to being overwhelmed and resorting to a fear bite. Dogs can only tell us from their body language how they feel. We then have the responsibility to keep them safe and make sure we don’t ask of them more than they can cope with. Especially on a regular basis. The UK has many lovely Canaan Dogs and the Judges have the responsibility to keep our breed safe, to judge to the standard and preserve our wonderful dogs, in return the exhibitors should bear the responsibility of showing dogs that give the best representation of the breed that we can. This is an international responsibility. The World is considerably smaller that 20 plus years ago when we first found the breed. The opportunities are limitless to create a wonderful community that all have the same principals and goals. It’s not all about the showing, when we breed the majority go to families and need to be able to be happy and have fun. So, let’s all hope for some steps forward for the Canaan Dog.
Alison Byrne