The Entlebucher vs. the AKC

By Kathy Marshall

I have been looking into the effect that AKC recognition would have on the Entlebucher Sennenhund. One of the people I contacted was Sally Lacy because I respect her opinion due to her qualifications and expertise. She is a founding member (1975) of the United States Border Collie Club and has been a Board member or Officer for 23 years. She has trained her own dogs for sheep herding on her farm for 22 years and has trialed them nationally for the past 8 years. She is on the Board of Directors of the Registry, the American Border Collie Association, and Vice-President and Chair of the Eye/Hip Genetics Committee at the present time. I asked her what she thought about the Entlebucher Sennenhund (she is familiar with the breed) becoming AKC and her response is as follows:

The principle genetic reason (for avoiding AKC recognition) is that you have a far too small gene pool to permit the type of breeding favored by most show breeders. They tend to line breed to set type. There are an amazing number of bad genes floating around in any dog population - genes that will cause disease when two copies of the bad gene show up in a dog. Mutations happen all the time. Most don't double up if there is a large population where diversity is preserved.

The principle political reason is that you will lose control of your breed within a very few years to people who (and most breed founders will agree to this) may not have the devotion to health and temperament that you do. They have one thought only, making a name for their kennel in the AKC show ring. Corollary: a prominent name leads to bigger prices for the puppies.

Sally asks some good questions:

Why do you have to show your dogs at all? Can you get along without a "standard?" Have you had a discussion about whether there is value in using a physical description to define a breed? What does it do to improve the breed? Does it make it more desirable, healthier, and prettier? Are there negatives to consider? (i.e., reduction in the gene pool).

And she talks further about some reasons why people may want to be part of the AKC:

1) Registration. No contest. The AKC isn't necessary for that. You can program a stud book, forms and certificates for your breed requirements far better than anything that registers 2 million dogs a year. You can charge much less. You can provide much more detail about your breed - eye checks, hip checks, allergy checks, whatever your breed needs to be careful about. By the way, I mentioned the Entlebucher to Dr. Gregory Acland, who is the principal researcher in the Collie Eye Anomaly study at Cornell and one of the leaders in mapping the dog genome. I told him that your club was on the fence about joining the AKC or keeping the breed independent. He knows the dog and said you already "have problems." He did not amplify, but I think he would say that letting a breed with a small gene pool place an added burden of conforming to a physical standard on its genetic base would lead to more problems.

2) Social reasons. People want to participate in the group activities AKC provides. You have to decide if you think the social reasons are worth the possible (probable) negative effect on the dogs' genetic health and the founder club members.

Ms. Lacy's reasons are well stated for not becoming involved in AKC. The personal experiences she has shared with me over the last year have helped me come to the conclusion that the Entlebucher Sennenhund should not be a breed category in the AKC (American Kennel Club) at this time. Here are my reasons:

1. I agree with Sally Lacy that the Entlebucher Sennenhund is a rare breed and NEMDA is trying to establish its' integrity, purity and health of the lines. When a breed has AKC status it popularizes a breed. When a breed becomes popular it can lead to back yard breeding with no control thus thwarting the progress that is being made at present. The Rottweiller was a rare breed in the 80's and look what has happened to that wonderful breed. It was bred for aggressiveness and size and now most states require extra homeowners insurance if you have one of these dogs. There are many more examples of what the American breeders have done to European dogs, but let's not go there.

2. Entlebuchers have some serious health problems: PRA, Cataracts and Hip Dysplasia. We need to get a handle on that first in North America. It makes sense to have the PRA test available and used before AKC status is even a serious consideration. We need to have a healthy and diverse gene pool before this breed becomes more popular. This needs to happen regardless of AKC involvement.

3. NEMDA is a young club with a growing list of BCOE breeders. There needs to be many more BCOE breeders before any AKC status is sought after. We need to agree on what are correct breeding practices. There should be a concentrated effort to breed healthy dogs and try to diversify the lines as much as possible. We need a club with a strong and older foundation.

4. When a dog is popularized the breed is bred for conformation and not temperament or other breed qualities. That was the big argument that the Border Collie Club had with not wanting to have an AKC category. Similarly, temperament and the preservation of the Entlebucher qualities need to be high on the list of breeding criteria as we move forward into the future. The AKC tries to fit the dog into a little box; they define the breed by strict conformation standards. When the PRA test arrives and we start breeding dogs that are clean and free, those dogs might not fit the standard. In fact the standard might even change after we get the PRA test as those that are clean and free might be undersized, oversized, underwhite, overwhite, brown coat, blue eyes, white ring around the neck, etc.

5. Another reason the dogs should not become more popular is the type of home that is required. The ideal size of the Entle, the short hair, low shedding, handsome appearance, is what sells people on this dog. They tend to overlook the fact that they need lots of exercise, attention, socialization, training and an alpha family. We already have a growing rehoming and rescue population simply for those reasons. These dogs, as we know, need the right home and they would find themselves in the wrong home time and time again if they were more available.

6. As for the Entlebucher in the conformation or obedience ring, there are other options besides the AKC. There is the International All Breed Canine Association of America, ARBA (American Rare Breed Association), UKC (United Kennel Club) and most states or regions have their own All Breed dog association that you can get involved with.

7. I agree wholeheartedly with Sally Lacy with regards to the registry. NEMDA's registry is up and running now and is now recognized by the CKC. Now all Entlebuchers have FCI status and are recognized in Europe. NEMDA registry needs to be the central place where all North American Entlebuchers are registered regardless of whether their owners are club members or not. We are in the best position to gather all the information required for preserving this breed, why depend on an outside registry?

In conclusion, I would simply say that for now AKC recognition should not be a priority for the Entlebucher, there are too many things that need to be accomplished before that happens. Slow and steady wins the race; the turtle way and not the rabbit way is the path to follow presently.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Katlin@entlebuchers.net