Czechoslovakian Vlcak meet the breed booth at Eukanuba

Rona · 12-27-2012, 22:08

Maybe I have other idea of good PR, but proud and courageous Czechoslovakian vlcak, descendant of wild and free Carpahian wolves squeezed in a tiny crate does not appear a nice advert for the breed.

I only hope it's a matter of bad photo and the poor dog didn't have to stay there long

draggar · 12-27-2012, 22:10

Cytat:

Napisał Rona

Maybe I have other idea of good PR, but proud and courageous Czechoslovakian vlcak, descendant of wild and free Carpahian wolves squeezed in a tiny crate does not appear a nice advert for the breed.

I only hope it's a matter of bad photo and the poor dog didn't have to stay there long

That crate is actually a good size for her and she wasn't in there long. She was in there while I set up the booth.

She had a lot of time out of there during the show and wanted to go in there a few times for a break.

Gypsy Wolf · 01-02-2013, 20:13

We actually let Luna decide whether she wanted to be in the crate for a break from time to time. For most of the Meet the Breed experience, she was up on the table at the front of the booth - that way she was more comfortable with strangers staring at her - she was not in a submissive position but on almost the same level. I find that a lot of sensitive dogs do not like being "dominated" unintentionally by strangers who lean all over them or are agressive in their body language. Vlcaks can be sensitive to that, especially when those people are staring, too.
She got lots of high-value treats to make the experience pleasant, but it still was stressful from time to time with the amount of people she attracted. So when she would purposely jump off the table and open up her crate door and go in and lay down, we knew she wanted a break.
20 minutes "refreshed" her enough to do some more meet 'n' greet time.
Right across the aisle was the Labrador Retriever booth - which illustrated for a lot of folks - that Vlcaks are not the breed for everyone. Someone asked me if I thought it was a "good idea" to show off Vlcaks - the concern was that by showing Luna off, there would be even more people interested in the breed... I actually think the opposite - we informed the public all about the breed - the good, the bad and the ugly. Most Americans want a pet dog with the personality of a Lab - something very different from a Vlcak. I think those people initially interested in getting a vlcak saw for themselves that they are NOTHING like a Labrador! Better they learn that now, before they get one as opposed to getting one and then dumping it into rescue because they didn't realize that vlcaks are not what they expected them to be.
So I think it was a success overall - Luna did very well despite the stresses of the event - and we not only got to educate the general public, but also had professional "dog people" stop by - judges, mostly, who had never seen one in person and were curious. It will probably be a long time before a judge sees them in the breed ring in AKC shows, but it's nice to create interest and show them a nice representative of the breed.

Mikael · 01-02-2013, 23:22

Good Work Ed !!!

And nice to hear that Pongo / Pollux are tipp topp

Very best regards / Mikael

12-27-2012, 22:08	#1
Rona Distinguished Member Zarejestrowany: Aug 2004 Skąd: Kraków Postów: 3,509	Maybe I have other idea of good PR, but proud and courageous Czechoslovakian vlcak, descendant of wild and free Carpahian wolves squeezed in a tiny crate does not appear a nice advert for the breed. I only hope it's a matter of bad photo and the poor dog didn't have to stay there long __________________

01-02-2013, 23:22	#4
Mikael Scandinavian Member Zarejestrowany: Dec 2007 Skąd: Stockholm Postów: 1,089	Good Work Ed !!! And nice to hear that Pongo / Pollux are tipp topp Very best regards / Mikael __________________ _________________________________________________ Hronec, Rasty, Zilja Kennel, Wolfdog of Sweden* http://kennelwolfdogofsweden.vpsite.se/Home.html http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wolfdo...53067971392916

01-02-2013, 20:13	#3
Gypsy Wolf Junior Member Zarejestrowany: Feb 2010 Skąd: Florida & Minnesota U.S. Postów: 252	We actually let Luna decide whether she wanted to be in the crate for a break from time to time. For most of the Meet the Breed experience, she was up on the table at the front of the booth - that way she was more comfortable with strangers staring at her - she was not in a submissive position but on almost the same level. I find that a lot of sensitive dogs do not like being "dominated" unintentionally by strangers who lean all over them or are agressive in their body language. Vlcaks can be sensitive to that, especially when those people are staring, too. She got lots of high-value treats to make the experience pleasant, but it still was stressful from time to time with the amount of people she attracted. So when she would purposely jump off the table and open up her crate door and go in and lay down, we knew she wanted a break. 20 minutes "refreshed" her enough to do some more meet 'n' greet time. Right across the aisle was the Labrador Retriever booth - which illustrated for a lot of folks - that Vlcaks are not the breed for everyone. Someone asked me if I thought it was a "good idea" to show off Vlcaks - the concern was that by showing Luna off, there would be even more people interested in the breed... I actually think the opposite - we informed the public all about the breed - the good, the bad and the ugly. Most Americans want a pet dog with the personality of a Lab - something very different from a Vlcak. I think those people initially interested in getting a vlcak saw for themselves that they are NOTHING like a Labrador! Better they learn that now, before they get one as opposed to getting one and then dumping it into rescue because they didn't realize that vlcaks are not what they expected them to be. So I think it was a success overall - Luna did very well despite the stresses of the event - and we not only got to educate the general public, but also had professional "dog people" stop by - judges, mostly, who had never seen one in person and were curious. It will probably be a long time before a judge sees them in the breed ring in AKC shows, but it's nice to create interest and show them a nice representative of the breed.