PH: First I would like my readers to know a little bit about your background.  How did you get started in dogs?  Did you start with Goldens or another breed?  How did you get into Goldens?   

AA: I was born into the dog world. My grandfather (who is an international all breed judge and past Councillor on the Canine Control Council Queensland) was also born into the dog world as his Aunty used to show pugs. He met his wife (my grandmother) during his naval services in Sydney. When they married, he wanted to move back to Brisbane. He wanted to get a pug, but my grandmother was not too keen on the breed, so he bought an English Cocker Spaniel for her. They showed it and then started breeding them. My mum was the youngest Junior handler to win a BIS at 9 years of age with her English Cocker which was home bred (Ch. Waratah Winterwind). His record has never been beaten of 27 BIS's. She first started handling and won her first handlers at the age of 3. So I was also raised with Cockers. However when my mum was pregnant with my brother she was given a gift from my grandfather of an English Setter. This bitch did some top show winning. And at 10 years of age she whelped a litter of 10 pups, this breeding was a record, due to the fact that out of the 10 pups, 8 became champions, with 5 of them being individual All Breed BIS winners. Then it was my turn to get up and have a go at handling. I will always remember my first handlers competition, I lied about my age (in Queensland the rule is you have to be 10 to be able to handle a dog, in other states it is 7). I was given a Cocker to show, and my mistake was I went between the dog and the judge. I came out crying, and my mum took me back to my grandparents place and between my mum and my grandfather they made me practice and practic I learned quickly by my mistakes and did so well in handlers, that I made the state finals a number of times before I was ineiligible to go into handlers. In seniors (14 to under 17 years), they changed the rules that if you won with the breed you had to change to another. Plus you could only win a heat 3 times and then had to wait for the finals. I won with a Cocker, and I won with an English Setter and I had one more go at competing. But with what?! We were out of breeds :). So I was standing at ringside looking around, and a friend of my mothers knew a woman with Goldens. She told me to go and ask her. I didn't know her at all, but I looked behind and here, leaning up against the railings was a lady in jeans, with 3 Goldens laying on the ground, waiting to go in the showring. My mums friend introduced us and asked if she had a dog available for handlers. This person said "Yes, you can take Harry in." This person was Karen Hollis, and the dogs name was Ch. Alubyc S.S Enterprise. Well I was placed 2nd that day with him, but then as time went on, we did qualify again. I had a choice to what dog I wanted to take in to the finals, and I requested for Harry, we were placed 3rd in the state finals, it was my last year to compete and Harry was ready for retirement. My love for Goldens was from this dog. I always wanted a Harry pup, however we couldn't have a Golden at this time, due to the fact that we had an English Setter who had an issue at a show with a Golden, and from then on didn't like Goldens. So I got my fill from being taken around with Karen to see litters of pups sired by Harry. Finally I left home and wanted a dog of my own. I love English Setters, however they take time to win and get in the ring. I call them ugly ducklings that turn into beautiful swans, and not many judges understand this about the breed. Plus we had been out of showing for a while (my mother went through a divorce) and I was just interested in a pet pup, nothing major. And to find a pet English Setter in Australia is quite hard as there are not many breeders around. So I went through a newspaper and found an ad for a litter of Goldens. I called the woman up and asked what she had and what colour. She went on to tell me the breeding and she mentioned Alubyc. I laughed and told her that I knew Karen as I used to show Harry. She then stopped me there and told me not to touch the litter as it wouldn't do for me and to wait for the right dog. Two days later, at dinner, I got a phone call. It was Karen. The other woman had contacted her and told her I was in search of a pup. Karen had a litter available close by to me and it was sired by a Harry son. I was there the next day!!! The pups were $600 each, and I picked my boy. It was "Rowdy". Ch. Abshe Excel. My brother gave me $200 towards him as well, and I brought him home and he was the family pet. We loved him. At his first show he was placed 2nd. The judge told me his teeth were like a mangrove swamp, all up and down. However when he matured, he went on to do quite a bit of winning. He was a fun dog and a true delight. And my start from there on in Goldens. Since then my mum and I have travelled Australia with our dogs. English Setters, English Cockers and the Goldens. I'm now licenced to judge Gundogs and my first 2 shows were judged with my Grandfather being the General Specials judge. (A bit of pressure on my behalf to have my mentor judge my judging).    

 PH:   Since I know that you've imported dogs from the US, why do you favor the American style of Golden over the British style?  How were you first exposed to the American style of Goldens? 

AA: I had moved to Perth, Western Australia, by the time Rowdy had turned 6 months old. Consequently his show career pretty much was based there. However, I moved back to the East coast about 12 months later for a few months. I was sitting with some people I knew with Sibes who had just returned from the States and had a few breed calendars. One was from the Golden Retriever club of Canada, and she gave me this copy as I had a Golden. I fell in love with this Calendar and a few dogs in it. One that I remember clearly was Ch. Pioneers Battle of Jericho. I then started to check out the Internet (this was all a new thing for me to do), and I found a few websites to look at. I bought a few Golden books also. I just fell in love with the style. It was similar to what I had, but I wanted to improve. I wanted Rowdy in style but I wanted more leg, and better muzzle with a bit of glamour. I guess the "setter" part in me was coming out. I felt that everyone had brought in all the UK breeding they could and still had not received that one balanced style in their kennels. (Coming from having Cockers and Setters you can stamp out your style in the breeding lines). So I thought, why not take the step and bring out an American dog. For someone so young, I took a step, took a chance, and took a lot of knocks along the way. I even had breeders tell me that there was no place in Australian show rings for American Goldens. I had breeders tell me that the American Goldens had problems. I had breeders tell me that I had no time for what I was doing.....and the list could keep going. But I didn't listen. I went ahead and did what I wanted to do, and what I thought was right. And to this day, I know I did right. I brought out the first US import Golden for showing....Aust. Ch. Cornerstones California Tan CD ET. I thank Gina Bryant for helping me with Tanner. Some of these same Aussie breeders have since settled down, and are now noticing the US lines and what they are producing here. And I am proud to say that I had something to do with that.     

PH: I really want the American and Canadian dog fancy to get an idea as to what it is like to show in Australia.  Therefore could you please describe how dogs in Australia get their championships in comparison to here in the US, where I know you have also shown.  I would also like you to explain your system in how the reserve winners in group and BIS competitions are picked.  Who do the winners defeat?   

AA: In Australia you only need 100 points to gain a Champion title. You need 1000 to gain a Grand Champion title. In one day, the minimum points you can gain is 6, and the most is 25. However please bear in mind you don't need to beat a dog to gain points. You earn 5 points for winning a challenge (equivalent to your winners award), and 1 point for every dog you beat. So if you are the only one on the day representing your breed, you collect 6 points. The rules for Grand Title has just recently been changed, due to the fact that there are dogs out here that were gaining their Grand Champion titles and not beating another dog. Nor going through to win anything in group. So now you have to win 4 Best in Groups, or a BIS, plus gain your 1000 points. We have similar classes to the US, except we have baby puppy class. Baby Puppy is 3 mth to under 6 mths. (these are not able to compete in a challenge line up.) Minor puppy is 6mth to under 9mths. Puppy class is 6mths to under 12 mths Junior class is 9mths to under 18mths. Intermediate class is 18mths to under 36mths Aust bred is 6mths and over so long as they are bred in Australia. Open class is any dog over the age of 6mths. We do not have a champions class. You can enter a champion in any class it is eligible for. So of course if a dog has made its title at puppy class, it can be a junior dog and have its title. Open dog can be either a champion or not. Also we have the rule that if a dog is not entered in the correct class, it MUST go straight into open on the day. So you could have a very unhappy exhibitor with a pup, in open class. However I have this happen to me and won BOB with a minor puppy that they made me take into open. We have a Challenge winner and a Reserve Challenge winner and then both male and female Challenge winners go in for Best of Breed. Whatever sex gets chosen, the Reserve Challenge winner of the BOB's sex goes back into the ring for Runner up BOB. Then we do the run offs for class of breed. (the winners of each class go against each other so to pick best male or female of each class). We then have Best in Group. We are not like in the States where you have 4 placings. In Australia we have Best In Group, and then Runner up BIG. Then we have the class in group awards. So once BIG is chosen, the runner up BOB winner of the winning breed then goes back into the ring and competes for Runner up BIG. A Best in Group win gives you 25 points, so long as there is over 25 dogs in the whole group. Then we have Baby in group, Minor in Group, Puppy in Group etc etc. Of course then we go to In Show awards, and the same with this. The winner of BIS, his runner up BIG winner then returns to the ring to compete for Reserve in Show and so on for the classes in show.  

 PH: One of the things that has fascinated me in our private emails is your description of the show grounds in Oz.  As you know, here in North America, the shows are held in all sorts of different venues.  I believe that is not the case in Australia.  Could you please explain to my readers where your shows are held? 

AA: We used to be like your showing. Wherever there was a park we had the shows. However once the shows got a bit bigger, parks were not an option as parking was a problem and council regulations were getting stricter with dog laws etc. So the individual states started to buy their own grounds. Queensland has Durack Showgrounds, Sydney has Erskine Park, Melbourne has the KCC Grounds, South Australia has their own and so does West Australia. My favourite of all is Western Australia, as they have out doors and an undercover area and their ammenties block is right between both. So you can sit on the balcony and over watch the show outside, or sit in the bar area and look outside a huge glass window for the under cover area. Queensland feels they don't get the amount of wet days to compensate having a covered area. All shows are held on the grounds for their particular state. Of course some are still held elsewhere and these are mainly country shows. Which only will have around the 200-300 dogs entered. (if that, recently there was a country show with only 30 dogs in it.) Of course you are looking at a good drive and sometimes even a plane flight to get to these shows. These country shows don't need to worry about sizing of areas. Your major shows are always held on the main showgrounds of each state (except our Royals) and the clubs pay a fee per entry to have the show held there.   We are going to stop here for this month. 

Interview with Australian breeder & Judge, Anthea Adamopoulos

PART 2============= Last month you all learned a little bit about my friend, Anthea Adamopoulos, who is a well known Golden breeder and judge in Australia. This month, is the second half of our interview, where Anthea covers some notable dogs, showing and grooming differences between here and over there, as well as exporting to Oz and quarantine. 

PH: Could you please name some of the great Goldens , both living and gone, that are/were in Oz (Australia)?  Why? 

AA: Ch. Buffalo Woodbuff. This boy is behind so many top golden retrievers in Oz. Ch. Leoline Golden Comet. This breeding was repeated about 5 times. If it was today, he would be considered close to a grand champion, as he did so much winning in his day. And a fav of mine from a bit closer to now was Ch. Goldtreve Wild N Wicked.   

PH: As an Australian judge as well as a long time breeder, what are some of the faults that you see prevalent in the breed in Oz?  How does the overall breed quality compare to Goldens in other parts of the world that you've seen?

 AA: In my opinion, we lack in good hind quarters within the breed. This is one area that I feel needs a bit of work on over here, I pride my dogs having sound rears, and have in the past, placed a dog that was winning but lacked in this area. She was given to me by a breeder and I did well with her, but I couldn't deal with her rear end. It was very much cowhocked. Overall the dog was great, but it is something I have always had drummed into me, so I placed her. In Australia we are lucky that we have a lot of breeders willing to extend our breeding lines, so imports are prevalent within the breed here. However with this comes so many styles within the breed, which makes it hard for judges to pick a style they like and stick to it.    

 PH: Would you please describe the differences, if any, you have seen in grooming and handling styles between America and Oz? 

AA: We are more relaxed in our handling. We don't have professional handlers and even if we do have them, we are not allowed to be paid as dog showing is regarded as a hobby here. Of course we do have some that get paid, but this is a gratuity not a living for these people. As for grooming. We are more severe with our grooming around the necks. A pet hate of mine as well. I feel that some are getting close to clipping the necks in Australia to make the dogs appear more like setters in sillhoette rather than retrievers. But over all, the goldens in the US are groomed not to be left as drip and dry dogs. Many in Oz are grooming and then just brushed dry or blanketed to keep the coat down, not blow dried down like in the US. They don't use sprays for legs etc. You have to remember though, our shows don't have grooming tents, or wash tubs supplied etc. We go to shows and have our own tents and take picnics, meet up, chat etc. The grooming is done before you get to the show, and the dogs sit under the tent till we are ready to be called. Some are different, and now we are seeing a little more of generators being brought to shows, with blowdryers, grooming sprays, etc etc. A few are learning little tricks here and there. Which is great, as now we are seeing more Goldens going through to "in show", as they are able to compete against dogs such as Poodles, Poms, Setters, etc.   

PH: Could you please name some of the Goldens (again both living and deceased) outside of Australia that you've admired? Why? 

AA: LOL there are many that I have admired. But most just by pictures. Of course US breedings too :). Which I know most wont agree but of course you always have ones that you see and stick in your mind no matter what. Of course the first being... Am Ch. Asterling's Wild Blue Yonder SDHF. The next, due to me having the chance to see him in person and just loving his nature, is: Am Ch. Summitts Crocodile Rock. My first boy (Tanner) sire...Am Ch. Auric's Sunshine Boutoniere SDHF. Tux was a true character and a lovely honest style of dog. I got to see him when he was about 8 and then just before he past away. The list could keep going, but these are a couple I have admired.     

PH: Living in a country where there is a quarantine, I would like you to discuss the difficulties of acquiring new stock for the fancy as a whole.  Do you find it difficult to get breeders from other countries to export to Oz?    

AA: Sometimes it is quite hard. First you need to find a willing breeder to send a dog to Oz. Then you need someone to help with shipping the dog. It takes 150 days of waiting from time of the rabies titer test (so the pup needs to be at least 4 months of age before the 150 days starts). Some breeders are negative about shipping. However I look at it this way...I once sold a dog to a person only 2 minutes walk from me and the dog was neglected, however I sold a dog overseas and still to this day I get emails and phone calls from the owner to tell me how this dog is doing. He is now 12 years old and lives on the sofa and has a great life. So tell me, how does someone say that international homes are no good and you cant keep an eye on them?? It is up to you as the breeder to first trust the person who is taking the dog and second, hopefully, judge the buyer correctly. Recently I had 2 puppy buyers that I cancelled their order. I just didn't like their tones. They were not happy, but I had to be happy that my pups were going to be cared for. And these were local buyers.   What does an exporter have to do to send a dog to Australia? You have to wait till the pup has had its rabies, then 4 weeks later it has its rabies titer. From the date the blood is drawn for the titer you count 150 days till the dog can leave the US. There are final tests that need to be carried out before they leave as well. Which is done only just prior to leaving and then the shipping to Oz. Then 30 days Quarantine.  What are the quarantine facilities like? The kennels are great. They are clean and large enough for the dogs to go in and out for the 30 days. On visits to the place for my own dogs, I have seen the carers take some dogs for walks around the premises. You can visit twice a week, however if you are needing to groom the dog for its coat conditioning, you can add an extra day to the weekly visits. We had an English Setter who whelped a little early in Quarantine. They were great to the point that they allowed us to have a bed set up in the kennel with the dog and have a TV in there and we could spend the night in the kennel with the dog and pups. However I have been told they are trying to change the rules that the quarantine might be done privately. However this is not the rules as yet, and is only something that is being considered or talked about.    

 Again my thanks to Anthea and I hope that you all learned something about dog showing in the land down under. As always if you have an idea for a future interview please contact me at: Patriciaherschman@webtv.net Pat Herschman, Camelot