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Hi Jane,

One thing I would suggest is try to visit some other clubs and talk with some Czech/black sable dog owners about what they like or dislike about their dogs'. I think there are several clubs in the midwest that have members with Czech dogs also. You might have to make a few phone calls to club contacts, but even if you don't have the time to go and vist these people, I'm sure they would be willing to answer a few questions on the phone.

My club is in Western, Illinois, and we have 9 Czech dogs in our group right now. Some of these dogs wouldn't be appropriate for a beginner, but others would be. I mention that because we always welcome people to come and visit. Over the years I have seen a lot of people make bad choices, and the dog, the person, the persons family etc, all suffer. On the other hand I have seen lots of people that have made great choices and wouldn't trade their animal for anything. The latter are generally people that do a little research.

Be a good consumer is basically what I'm saying here. Use the information you gain from visiting the different dog clubs, make some phone calls, or better still try to have some hands on experience before making any decisions. You can rule out certain dogs or blood lines once you identify what you personally like and can live with.

Picking a SchH prospect based on anything other than working abillity can close some doors for you with breeders. That being said though, if you do your homework, there are breeders that do in fact have darker pigmented dogs, breed for SchH work, and would be willing to explain their breeding programs to you.

That's where your friends and your SchH club can help you. Don't be in a hurry, and get some folks you trust to help you with your selection process.

Al Govednik

 

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Hi Jane,

The reason I turned to czech dogs a long time ago was because I had 2 West German dogs in a row that had health problems. Jack had a elbow problem that really cut into his SchH work by the time he was 5 yrs old. I never used him as a stud for that reason. Then I had a pup that had the same problem, that I basically gave away at 6 mo. of age.

So I turned to Czech dogs and haven't turned back. I have had reasonbly good luck health wise with my guys, ie their bloodlines for over 14 years now. My first Czech dog Gonzo just passed away last November. He had a shoulder problem from a helper falling on him when he was 5 yrs old, so no jumping. He sired a few litters over the years and no one had any health issues that I know of.

Lea also passed away last year from a cerebral hemorage while giving birth to my last litter of pups. I had 3 litters with her, and the pups are all doing well. We did have some issues with actually having the first litter of pups, where the pups were basically turned the wrong way. We had some experienced help with us that night as well, but we are an hour from a vet. So we lost several pups that night. Her other litters were fine though. She was 7 years old

Gita lived to 7 years as well, and did have problems getting pregnant. She was a great girl, but only had one pup. Gita developed cancer.

When I got Hex, he had some terrible ear problems, but I believe that was from the previous owners' neglect. He will turn 5 at the end of January.

All of the dogs listed about earned at least SchH3, IPO3, FH2, They all had good hips and elbows. Like most everyone else that does our sport, I pretty much know when my dog is having a problem since we are together a lot of the time. As I mentioned above, I'm pretty happy with the health side of things with the older dogs I mentioned.

I also have a couple of youngsters coming up, Armor & Dobre that seem to be very strong active dogs without any health issues to date. My wife also has an older Czech/DDR female that she never did SchH with, and is 12 years old and is in great shape.

So to sum things up, I feel my 2 girls passed on way too early, but I'm not sure if the problems that did them in would be considered genetic or not. I never had any problems with food, allergies, teeth, etc. I also never had problems with dog aggression either. I'm not sure if that would be a genetic thing, or more environmental.

Al Govednik