Six new breeds are eligible to compete this year at the 135th Miss Canine Amer, um, Westminster Kennel Club show, bringing the total number of breeds and varieties that can be seen there to 179.
At this rate, they’re going to have to expand the show to three days or move it to Yankee Terrier Stadium. (Can someone tell me why New York doesn’t have any domed stadiums?)
The breeds making their debut at the Garden are Bluetick and Redbone Coonhounds, Icelandic Sheepdogs, Boykin Spaniels, Cane Corsos and Leonbergers. I was fortunate to meet several of these breeds and talk to their people at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship show in Long Beach over the past few years. Here’s a brief introduction to them. Look for the first three in Group competition tonight.
Bluetick Coonhound, Hound Group
Picture a hound with a dark blue, thickly mottled coat, dotted with black spots on his back, ears and sides; droopy black ears; tan markings over his eyes and on his cheeks; and dark red ticking on his lower legs, paws, chest and beneath his tail. That’s a Bluetick Coonhound, formerly a color variety of the English Coonhound before becoming recognized as a distinct breed with the United Kennel Club in 1946. The one who caught my eye at the Eukanuba show back in 2006 was Jebbie, more formally known as OTCH UUD Smokin’ Bullet Jebediah Blue UDX3 VER Bh (NAPWDA Cadaver/SAR). He was there to compete in the National Obedience Invitational and was named third runner-up. Yes, really! A coonhound placed fourth in a national obedience competition. In addition to his hard-earned talents in the obedience ring, Jeb has been a search and rescue dog (his preferred job) and is the Boise Parks and Recreation Spokesdog. I’ve stayed in touch with Jeb’s owner, Paula McCollum of Boise, Idaho, and she says she was first attracted to Blueticks because of their striking markings, but she has come to love their loud bays and goofy hound personalities. In the field, the Bluetick is a cold-nosed hunter with a big bawl mouth (a long, drawn-out bark). With family, they are highly affectionate and loyal, not to mention super couch companions. They are not the easiest dogs to train, as McCollum will attest, but she says that even when Jeb is being naughty, he’s pretty darned cute.
Redbone Coonhound, Hound Group
I love a good red dog. It must be my Scottish and Irish ancestry. Red hounds came to the U. S. with Scottish and Irish immigrants, and they became the ancestors of the Redbone, a 
hound with a rich, deep red coat. The dogs that were probably used to create the breed also included Bloodhounds and Foxhounds. Like every hound, the Redbone has a pleading expression with dark brown or hazel eyes and, of course, a sweet voice that carries over long distances, whether he is working in swamps, mountains or plains. Redbones are cold-nosed dogs, meaning they are good at finding and following old tracks with little scent. Redbones are probably the most easygoing of the coonhounds, not that that means a lot. They still need lots of exercise and a patient trainer. My friend Kathleen Samuelson has become a fan of the breed, and her Syd (Ch. Tree Rizin’ Maine Edition) took Best Opposite Sex at the 2010 National Championship show.
“This breed is just awesome,” Samuelson says. “They can be totally goofy one minute, then disarm you with their empathy and intelligence the next. They do everything with gusto, whether they’re lazing around on the couch, vying for our attention with kisses and snuggles, or focusing intently on the scent of an animal that has just made its way across our wooded property. They have found a very special place in our hearts.”
Icelandic Sheepdog, Herding Group
This hardy Nordic breed is said to have come to Iceland on the longboats of early Viking settlers. I am never sure just how much I believe of romantical-sounding breed histories (Dachshunds in ancient Egypt! Really?), but this one is kinda plausible. At any rate, the Icelandic Sheepdog has the typical prick ears, curled tail, thick coat and barkful nature of his Spitz relatives. I talked to a woman about the breed at the 2009 AKC/Eukanuba show, and I am sorry to say that I don’t have her name recorded anywhere in my notes. Based on our 
chat, though, the breed has been brought from near-extinction in the 1950s, with only about 50 dogs left, to a current population of more than 800 in the U. S. alone. Icelandic Sheepdogs are cheerful, friendly, curious and playful, not to mention self-cleaning. Their coat of many colors sheds dirt (also hair, of course) and doesn’t require frequent bathing. What’s the Icelandic like to live with?
“He’s the best dog. He’s very smart. I take him running every single morning and he goes with me off lead. He won’t approach another dog if I tell him no, and he waits to cross streets until he’s instructed. He really loves children. They typically bark a lot, but we heavily discouraged barking and we won that battle.”
Just remember that you can’t go out and buy an Icelandic puppy and have him behave that well all on his own. To get to that level of behavior takes lots of socialization and training, not to mention surviving the one- to two-year adolescent phase.
Next: the Boykin Spaniel, Cane Corso and Leonberger.
Photo credits: Bluetick, Paula McCollum; Redbone, Kathleen Samuelson; Icelandic Sheepdog, www.icelanddogs.com
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