MEET Donna:

Interview With Donna Conod

Hi everyone! The month of May is upon us and it is time for another article for The Great Dane Gallery. This month is the first of what I hope will be many interviews with breeders from within the world of Great Danes. If there is a breeder that you would like to see interviewed please just drop me a note. There are a number of wonderful programs across our country. Many of them have flourished for decades. It is always nice to hear the opinions of those that have made a difference in our breed.

This month’s interview is with Donna Conod of Whisper Hills Kennel in Canada. I hope you find it interesting…

Q. Any interesting facts about how you obtained your first Great Dane?

A. It was my mother, Betty Conod, that ensured my introduction to Great Danes. In fact it was in 1953 that I went with my mom and my brother visiting an aunt out of town. We returned on the train with our first Great Dane. Her name was Delta of Tollhurst, her breeding went back to the Finguard and Cairndania lines. She quickly finished her Canadian (CKC) Championship. Since that day on the train we have not been without Great Danes in our homes – owning, showing and breeding many memorable dogs and bitches. I carry my mother’s passion for this wonderful breed which owns my heart. My mother passed away 4 years ago, but my father still helps with looking after the dogs and kennel work.

Q. What color's have you owned/bred?

A. I have owned only fawns and brindles to date, but carry admiration for all the colors in our breed. I have also owned and shown German Shepherds and Shih Tzus.

Q. How much of your exhibiting has been in CKC? AKC?

A. We have shown primarily in Canada to CKC titles, but we have finished several American titles on our dogs as well.

Q. Which of your dogs (1 or more) would most people readily recognize?

A. Dogs of recognition that have been associated with Whisper Hill Kennel would include Multiple BIS, BISS Am Can Ch. Bonneville’s Warmth of the Sun, “Brooke” was the Number 1 Dane in Canada and the Number 5 Working Dog. BISS Am Can Ch Whisper Hill’s Tuff E Nuff, “Tuffy”, Multiple Group Winner Ch Whisper Hill’s In Vogue, “Fire”, and multiple BISS Am Ch and multiple BIS, multiple BISS Can Ch StandByMe’s Believe in Magic, “Honey”. She was the Number 1 Dane in Canada for two consecutive years and Number 3 Working Dog. Honey was out of our male, Ch Whisper Hill’s Simply the Best. She was bred and owned By Scott & Helen Johnson and Dave & Kirby Sylvester. I had the pleasure of helping the Johnson’s campaign this bitch from time to time. We’ve had many Specialty winners at Whisper Hill… too many special ones to mention here. However these here have impacted the breed the most.

Q. Who was the person(s) that was the most influential when you first began to learn about the Great Dane?

A. Naturally, my mother was the most influential person to me. We were fortunate to have good friendships with breeders like Dale Tarbox of Sandale Kennels, Alice Bonne of Bonneville Kennels, Helen Watliong of Dane Acre Kennels and Bonne and Gayle Klompstra of Shebonne Kennels. All these people mentored us and helped in our breeding program decisions. We were very lucky to have a team like this group in our corner…so to speak.

Q. What breeding programs do you most admire?

A. I admire some of the old breeding principles from Dinro and Mountdania bloodlines. These lines have really stamped their look and qualities into their line. You can still pick their classic heads and body qualities in some dogs we even see today. More recently, lines that interest me have been Sandale, Bonneville, Shebonne, Magnus and StandByMe Great Danes. These too, not unlike the former have their own looks and trademarks due to their line breeding practices. Their qualities are easy to pick out in their offspring.

Q. In a previous article I gave my opinions on the following topic… The owners/breeders of “color” have often remarked as to how they do not compete on a level playing field with the Fawns and Brindles. Your thoughts…

A. It is my belief that a dog that is structurally and mechanically closest to the breed standard should win. Color should be invisible to the judge as long as it fits within the constraints of the breed standard. Breeders of color are usually outnumbered by the fawns and brindles particularly in most all-breed shows. Consider in all-breed field of 12 dogs, if 8 fawn, 2 black and 2 harls are competing, the fawn will have the advantage of the numbers game. One must also consider if they are showing to an “all-rounder” or “breed expert”. Specialties frequently are the exception where I see color better recognized. Color breeders have a smaller and more complex gene pool, so opportunity to produce certain qualities seems more difficult based on the sheer mathematics involved. It must be heart breaking to have a beautiful bodied puppy and to lose the opportunity for showing and breeding due to a serious color fault.

Q. In today’s show ring, which aspects of the breed do you think are the strongest? weakest? Do you find these strengths and weaknesses throughout North America or in more isolated pockets of activity?

A. It is my belief that our breed is in trouble today and that we need to back track to a point in time where we less variations in dog type. Our standard is full of many adjectives which leaves too much open to interpretation. It needs to be more specific and really define words like elegance, heavy bone, balance and the mental aspect of our breed. We have forgotten what our dogs were bred for and that is a sheer demand of the standard, that they be both of sound body and good mind…and just how do you define those characteristics? We have heads that are becoming way too extreme with planes that have lost their levelness and hugely overdone dewlaps popping up. Really good fronts have become difficult to find, many lacking angulation and correct shoulder lay-back and placement. The rears are considerably better. Unfortunately, if our rear qualities do not match our fronts, we are left with poor balance and an uneven gait. We badly need to improve our fronts, regain balance and get back the free flowing movement that truly sets our breed apart. There’s nothing more beautiful than the effortless gait on a well-balanced Great Dane.

On the brighter side, top lines seem to be very good and rear assemblies seem stronger and well developed. Poor eye color has almost become a thing of the past; at least I rarely see it in the show ring. Dogs in my area and the Central Northern USA seem to have very reasonable bone and substance characteristics. I am not so sure of the Southern States (as my experience is mostly in the North…”eh” (Canadian English = “huh” in America). I find it very interesting that some people refer to something called California Type, which I think to be a more elegant style of Dane. I really don’t believe there is that much difference in the “California Danes” vs. the rest of the country. I don’t mean to sound so pessimistic but when I see what is happening in our show ring, it makes me feel very sad. Truly good movement has become difficult to find. As far as this being the trend across North America I would say generally YES. I will be judging in Australia this summer and I am looking forward to seeing if there any differences there.

Q. If you were to mentor a new owner in the breed, which areas would you stress the most?

A. In mentoring new Dane people, understanding Dane temperament and what it should be needs to be the first order. There seems to be a real misconception out there in owners new to the breed. General care would be next assuming the owner is new to dogs in general. If I was to mentor a true “dog person” as far as breeding and showing goes, different points would come into play. Health would top the list and pedigree understanding is key here. Structure, balance and general well being are very important to me. I believe a strong, well balanced Dane that is structurally and mechanically sound has the best opportunity for good health and longevity. Given that and the proper health clearances, one should be off to a good start. Conversely, a dog without proper balance will become overworked quickly, become sore and be generally unhappy. Despite any health clearances this dog might have, he would become prone to health issues.

Q. The AKC has, in recent years, dramatically increased the educational requirements for individuals wishing to apply for additional breeds. Do you think the quality of judging has been impacted by the more stringent requirements?

A. I really don’t think that the quality of Dane judging has been impacted by the recent increase in requirements…at least not yet. Most judges have a good idea as to basic structure (or they should). There are always certain aspects that make a breed e.g. head, size, coat and sets them apart. I do believe in answering this question you have to differentiate between the breed experts (Dane breeder judges) and the all-rounders. Breeder judges know our breed well and whether they have preferences to specific type matters not. Judges from the Working Group do fairly well also. I believe it’s the all-rounders that will make the difference because there are more of them. These people can only benefit from the increased training and exposure to the intimate qualities of a specific breed whether it be Great Danes or other breeds as well. It’s too soon to tell yet but I do believe it will create a more informed judging process.

Q. Any other comments you would like to make about the Great Dane?

A. Being a breeder, professional handler and now a judge, I do believe that the quality of dogs n the ring rests on the judge’s decision. Too often, substandard dogs finish their titles due to politics, money, advertising, and handling expertise. Some even go on to Specials careers. Judges need to withhold awards on poor quality animals. It will make better breeders. Breeders want winners in their breeding program. If they don’t win they will need to make adjustments in their breeding program to fit what is happening in the show ring. I do believe today, a truly good example of our breed will get recognized regardless of the current politics. Sometimes considerable effort is required to overcome the trend at the moment, but good dogs will win with persistence because I believe most judges do try to reward the best dog. And this is good.

A BIG Thanks To Donna!!!!

Please address your comments, and questions to…

Bill Stebbins
cherdane2@msn.com

  Bill