Working Bedlingtons 2005

[TOPPER 1,809]

WELL WELL BEDLY I CANT WAIT TO SEE THE ANSWERS TO THIS ,YOU KNOW MY THOUGHTS

 

Nice pics jack cant see you diggin to one of these show, it a rabbit and it will proberly run away anyway you will get that nice fluffy coat all dirty

[swanseajack 227]

If this is what floats their boat then so be it, I'm not here to knock KC show dogs it just puzzles me when they say they ARE pure bred... other breeds (rumour has it Poodle) have been added to the make up of todays show dogs... end of!!!

 

Back to work...

 

Anyone got any pics or tales of working bedlingtons that they would like to share with us!!!

 

Here's a pic I haven't seen before..

[Guest blodwyn]

This is such a great thread.

 

 

I have a question here. My family would like a bedlington for a pet, but we arent taken with the thin bodied show Bedlingtons particularly. We much prefer the working beddie type.

 

However we live in town and if we had a dog like this, it wouldnt get to work. It would be a pet.

 

 

 

What do you reckon to this? Would we be setting ourselves up for a bored dog, and not doing him/her justice?

 

 

 

Apologies for interrupting your 'working' stories with a 'pet' question - but obviously, you are the people to ask.

[david2363 42]

Blodwyn

I live in a town (we dont all live in gamekeepers cottages) lol and I have such a Beddy.

I'm putting 2/3 miles in morning into him and the same at night. At the weekend he goes everywhere I go and I do intend to work him.

The thing is, He is still full of beans (to the extent of being a pain in the arse) but I'm hoping a bit of ratting and rabbiting will put that right over the next few months.

On the plus side, he is great with the kids and really clean, and quite comical to have around the house.

Perhaps a full Gutchcommon dog may suit you (looks more like a real Beddy but quite laid back)

Some may disagree with me but, I'd avoid a Lakie cross to keep as a pet.

 

What about one of those dogs in Jacks pics - think of the hours of fun you could have with the hairdryer. :11:

[Printer 34]

Swansea,

An interesting fact about that illustration is that it is of a dog called “Peacham†3,422 (1866) shown in two different poses, and it is supposedly the earliest published illustration of a Bedlington. Also every Bedlington today, in some form or other is descended from him.

 

Here's a pic of a dog called Blyth Bob

 

 

 

 

 

"Blyth Bob" born in 1897 belonged to a Bedlington breeder called John Douglas, who apart from being a gamekeeper to the Duke of Newcastle at Clumber Park was heavly involved with gamefowl having I believe created the breed Modern English.

 

Printer

[david2363 42]

That Blythe Bob looked the right sort, and the good thing is that their are still dogs around today who look similar.

 

 

CHECK THIS OUT lrkgoldendoodles.homestead.com/BEDLINGTONDOOD...

Firkin unbelievable!!!

 

 

And Finally - Heres one of Swanseajack as a lad.............................................................................

..............

[swanseajack 227]

That Blythe Bob looked the right sort, and the good thing is that their are still dogs around today who look similar.

 

 

CHECK THIS OUT lrkgoldendoodles.homestead.com/BEDLINGTONDOOD...

Firkin unbelievable!!!

 

 

And Finally - Heres one of Swanseajack as a lad.............................................................................

..............

Cheeky fecker...

 

Blyth Bob's jaw structure... looks a strong dog!

 

How's yer dogs doing printer... any recent pics mate!!!

[T.F.Student 0]

The more recent pic of beddies here doesn't look like the modern show dog either. Seen some terrible spaniels lately...narrow fronted like the showmen did with the setters. The truth will out.

http://www.hakes.com/item.asp?ListID=10&ItemNo=46354

[Guest blodwyn]

David, thankyou for your kind response, and for your advice too. I'm grateful for the tip about gutchcommon and will keep a look out.

[Bedly 1]

Swanseajack,

I think your point is similar to mine. If a show breed moves so far from the conformation and temperament of its working ancestors that it is a different dog altogether, is it still the same breed? You could debate that. If a breed forks at some stage into performance-original type and show type, both types can be "pure", but they are essentially different breeds. In the case of Bedlingtons, the show dogs may have acquired their strange modern features that you listed by breeders sneaking in outside matings, or perhaps by directional selection. I don't know what happened; perhaps a bit of both. If poodles were crossed in, it's easy enough to fake the papers. They didn't get the exaggerated roach from the poodle, but may have got some of the coat. Does anyone know poodles were crossed in, or is it just a belief based upon trait similarities?

This issue is not confined to Bedlingtons, but is repeated for every breed which has retained a working function with working owners who eschew the showing world. Examples abound, but look at Staffords, Springer Spaniels, and dozens of others.

There's no need for conflict between the two types, or for arguments as to which is the real breed. People want different things from dogs, and there's a type of person for the types of dogs. For me, the real breed is that represented by dogs that can do the real work, and the real work keeps the dogs looking like the real breed. Show people may think differently, but who cares? They have plenty of web sites for discussing their point of view.

[swanseajack 227]

 

 

 

Boris Karloff with his bedlingtons

 

There's no need for conflict between the two types, or for arguments as to which is the real breed. People want different things from dogs, and there's a type of person for the types of dogs.

 

I agree totally, that's why I don't knock them .. if people are happy with their dogs then so be it...

[TOPPER 1,809]

Nice pic jack, old boris must ve had good taste fine looking dogs

[david2363 42]

Swanseajack,

I think your point is similar to mine. If a show breed moves so far from the conformation and temperament of its working ancestors that it is a different dog altogether, is it still the same breed? You could debate that. If a breed forks at some stage into performance-original type and show type, both types can be "pure", but they are essentially different breeds. In the case of Bedlingtons, the show dogs may have acquired their strange modern features that you listed by breeders sneaking in outside matings, or perhaps by directional selection. I don't know what happened; perhaps a bit of both. If poodles were crossed in, it's easy enough to fake the papers. They didn't get the exaggerated roach from the poodle, but may have got some of the coat. Does anyone know poodles were crossed in, or is it just a belief based upon trait similarities?

This issue is not confined to Bedlingtons, but is repeated for every breed which has retained a working function with working owners who eschew the showing world. Examples abound, but look at Staffords, Springer Spaniels, and dozens of others.

There's no need for conflict between the two types, or for arguments as to which is the real breed. People want different things from dogs, and there's a type of person for the types of dogs. For me, the real breed is that represented by dogs that can do the real work, and the real work keeps the dogs looking like the real breed. Show people may think differently, but who cares? They have plenty of web sites for discussing their point of view.

 

it is accepted by many show dog breeders that Poodles were introduced to the gene pool in the 1960's but I would think that if it was a short lived practice there wouldnt be much trace left. HOWEVER the modern show "Bedlingtons" are so deviant looking with very "plush" (their word) coats. The educated guess iss that Bichon Frise is now prevailent.

These breeders actually think that it's a positive thing that they have bred the latest "Bedlingtons" to be very benign nervous dogs with all but the last traces of fire and hunting ability taken from them.

 

On a more positive note, I got my first permission today (never asked for permission in my life) I got a strip

of land on the edge of town about a mile wide and 3 miles long bordered by a river and a motorway (few people venture there because of access problems) Its industrial wasteland meets low grade farmland. Anyway , finished work at 12pm today and got home and

took the pup over there, just for a look.

Well firk me! the place seems to be moving with almost every Brittish wild mammal imaginable I saw a Hare,Loads of Rabbits,Pheasants, a Heron and what I'm sure was Roe Deer scat. I didn't find any hard evidence of Charlie but more than once today I got a whiff of Fox whilst walking past a huge patch of Brambles.

On the way back to the car, the pup followed a scent into an area being used to dump bulding rubble, He runs into a lenth of concrete pipe and starts barking (screaming more like) and before I could put my head down to have a look he came tumbling out attached to a very large feral Tom cat (probably more accurate to say the cat was attached to him) I tried to seperate the dog and cat (tried to save my daft pup more like)

and got my hand shredded by both of them.

Needless to say , the big Tom shook him off and headed up the nearest tree with the pup circling with a look of madness in his eyes.

So we will definetley be back to this patch of unloved land and I'll keep you all posted.

 

sniff sniff - all I can smell tonight is cats piss

[matulkoh 66]

Swanseajack,

I think your point is similar to mine. If a show breed moves so far from the conformation and temperament of its working ancestors that it is a different dog altogether, is it still the same breed? You could debate that. If a breed forks at some stage into performance-original type and show type, both types can be "pure", but they are essentially different breeds. In the case of Bedlingtons, the show dogs may have acquired their strange modern features that you listed by breeders sneaking in outside matings, or perhaps by directional selection. I don't know what happened; perhaps a bit of both. If poodles were crossed in, it's easy enough to fake the papers. They didn't get the exaggerated roach from the poodle, but may have got some of the coat. Does anyone know poodles were crossed in, or is it just a belief based upon trait similarities?

This issue is not confined to Bedlingtons, but is repeated for every breed which has retained a working function with working owners who eschew the showing world. Examples abound, but look at Staffords, Springer Spaniels, and dozens of others.

There's no need for conflict between the two types, or for arguments as to which is the real breed. People want different things from dogs, and there's a type of person for the types of dogs. For me, the real breed is that represented by dogs that can do the real work, and the real work keeps the dogs looking like the real breed. Show people may think differently, but who cares? They have plenty of web sites for discussing their point of view.

 

it is accepted by many show dog breeders that Poodles were introduced to the gene pool in the 1960's but I would think that if it was a short lived practice there wouldnt be much trace left. HOWEVER the modern show "Bedlingtons" are so deviant looking with very "plush" (their word) coats. The educated guess iss that Bichon Frise is now prevailent.

These breeders actually think that it's a positive thing that they have bred the latest "Bedlingtons" to be very benign nervous dogs with all but the last traces of fire and hunting ability taken from them.

 

On a more positive note, I got my first permission today (never asked for permission in my life) I got a strip

of land on the edge of town about a mile wide and 3 miles long bordered by a river and a motorway (few people venture there because of access problems) Its industrial wasteland meets low grade farmland. Anyway , finished work at 12pm today and got home and

took the pup over there, just for a look.

Well firk me! the place seems to be moving with almost every Brittish wild mammal imaginable I saw a Hare,Loads of Rabbits,Pheasants, a Heron and what I'm sure was Roe Deer scat. I didn't find any hard evidence of Charlie but more than once today I got a whiff of Fox whilst walking past a huge patch of Brambles.

On the way back to the car, the pup followed a scent into an area being used to dump bulding rubble, He runs into a lenth of concrete pipe and starts barking (screaming more like) and before I could put my head down to have a look he came tumbling out attached to a very large feral Tom cat (probably more accurate to say the cat was attached to him) I tried to seperate the dog and cat (tried to save my daft pup more like)

and got my hand shredded by both of them.

Needless to say , the big Tom shook him off and headed up the nearest tree with the pup circling with a look of madness in his eyes.

So we will definetley be back to this patch of unloved land and I'll keep you all posted.

 

sniff sniff - all I can smell tonight is cats piss

 

nice post mate, but be carefull, cat can hurt pup a lot, but from y words it s seems pup like it. we re waiting for more posts.

[Bedly 1]

Damn me, Bichon!! That'll improve them! My late Bedlington, show bred, had an extremely fine and dense coat that picked up everything it touched. Worst of all, she had ears full of wool, right down the canal and out the other ear, combined with narrow ear canals. She had to have them plucked by the vet under anaeshetic every 4-6 months!

It's true that you can cross in anything and after a few generations the influence would be negligible. However, if you have introduced troublesome recessive genes, you have them forever, and effects will pop up now and again.