My favorite thing about Thanksgiving, other than calling dibs on the crusty part of the exposed stuffing from inside the Turkey, is the Purina Dog Show that follows the Macy’s Parade.
O'Hurley and his four legged pals
For all the dog lovers out there, the National Dog Show sponsored by Purina is a good time to check out the breeds and root for your favorites. The National Dog Show, sponsored by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, will feature more than 2,000 of the top dogs in the country.
Back on February 12th, Uno the beagle made history as the first of his kind to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club competition. In honor of his new title, Macy’s commissioned a special float and he will ride on it with dog expert and commentator for The National Dog Show, David Frei.
Uno the Beagle
Following the parade Uno will make an appearance at The Purina National Dog Show where he “pose” with fans – the fees for this will be donated to the non-profit therapy dog program called, Angel on a Leash. These real earth angels train dogs to work at hospitals, hospices, schools and correctional facilities.
The National Dog Show Presented by Purina is every Thanksgiving Day.
David Frei and John O’Hurley took time out to talk to Monsters and Critics with other journalists about everyone’s favorite four-legged show coming to NBC.
Are there hypoallergenic dogs?
John O’Hurley: Hypoallergenic - I understand the President-elect is looking for a puppy. I’m going to have to pick David’s brain and find out what type of dog would match a lifestyle that is both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time? I don’t know.
David Frei: I’ve already done a couple of bits on - with MSNBC and Inside Edition about this. But in the first place he’s going about it the right way. They’re doing their homework. They’re making a decision as a family. And that’s the first point you’ve got to start with. And that’s great.
If somebody out there is telling him that there is such a thing as a totally hypoallergenic dog - you’re telling a story like that to the President - that’s probably a violation of some federal law somewhere.
Because there is no totally hypoallergenic dog. There are some breeds that are a little less likely to cause challenges like Poodles and Bichons and things like that.
And they’re going to get traits from both dogs. And it’s not always going to be a perfect Poodle coat only and Golden temperament only. In the first place there’s nothing wrong with a Poodle temperament. But those dogs are not the answer.
Dogs end up in rescues sometimes for the silliest reasons. And you can get a dog that you know the background of pretty well.
If it’s a purebred dog, the predictability of knowing how that dog is going to grow up and what kind of coat they’re going to have and things like that, I think that’s what a purebred dog has to answer - or has to offer.
But at the same time I think they should just continue going about it the way they are. Keep asking questions and keep trying to find the right dog that fits their lifestyle.
How important is such a focus that they’re putting on this? How important is it to the national scene as far as dogs are concerned?
David Frei: Well I think it’s very important, If you’re going to add a dog to our family from a personal standpoint, this dog is going to be with them longer than anybody he’s going to be named to his Cabinet. And I think that’s why it’s important to ask these questions ahead of time.
Now from a national focus standpoint, look you’re adding a member to the family. It’s a dog that’s going to have great visibility for eight years in our world. In the dog world it means that they’re going to help us educate the public about responsible ownership. And I think that’s a key issue there.
I think we also need to be careful that we get a dog that has the right temperament and personality to be in the White House. You know, we almost had an international incident there the other day...
Barney took a piece out of the Reuters reporter. And I think years ago I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who had a dog that bit the French ambassador. So, we don’t want to create any international incidents.
I think it’s important to get a dog that can be there and stand a lot of noise and a lot of things going on because they’re going to be in the middle of it everyday.
Canaan dog
What about the Canaan breed?
David Frei: Well they’re still dogs that even though they’re recognized they’re still a little bit rare. And I think judges don’t always have confidence in what they’re seeing because they haven’t seen enough of them to form an opinion.
You’re supposed to judge each breed against the standard that describes the written - or the written standard that describes the perfect specimen of that breed - the ideal specimen of that breed.
If you haven’t seen enough of them to apply what you read, then it’s difficult for you to say this is the best dog in the group compared to the 20-some other breeds that are in there. And I think that makes it difficult for judges to step forward even if a dog is the best Canaan they’ve ever seen.
If Barack Obama picked up the phone and asked you what breed would you recommend knowing everything about the White House, what would you say to him?
David Frei: I would say a Standard Poodle, a Portuguese Water Dog or an Irish Water Spaniel.
John O’Hurley: David I want to echo what you were saying. I don’t think that is matters as much what he chooses as how he explains his process of choice.
Because I echo what David was saying earlier - that it’s kind of heartwarming as a choice as it seems, it does say a lot to all of the people that are potential dog owners in the country. And it can help or it can hinder depending on what his - the nature of his choice is.
David Frei: We face this every year at Westminster. We face this every year at Westminster. Whatever dog goes Best in Show at Westminster the phone starts ringing the next day at the National Beagle Club.
And whatever dog he picks the same thing is going to happen. It happened when Nixon got an Irish Setter. It happened with (Paula), the Scottish Terrier, that FDR had. It happened when President Clinton got a Labrador. Suddenly everybody sees that dog. It looks pretty good running around the White House and looks good in pictures.
So they say I think I should get one of those. It happens at Westminster with our winners. It happens at the National Dog Show too. And just because a dog is in the White House or just because a dog looks good on television on Frazier doesn’t mean it’s the right dog for you.
There will be a big challenge to people who are involved with those breeds to educate the general public that it may not be the right breed for you.
What do you think of the movie “Best in Show”?
John O’Hurley: I’ll say it’s funny because it’s a wonderful parody of a wonderful institution. And really as G.K. Chesterton used to say the test of a good religion is how well it can take a joke.
I think the fact that it’s a wonderful parody on a wonderful institution I think makes it - it solidifies how important these type of shows are and the fact that they can be parodies.
EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
David Frei: That’s well said, John. I’ve done the Westminster on television for 20 years. And this will be my 20th year coming up. So we were right in the middle of it as they were asking to film some things here. And we wouldn’t let them because of space considerations.
But we were all concerned about the movie, of course. We’re flattered that we’re the object of satire like that by some very talented people. And when we went to the how we saw that they didn’t make fun of the sport.
They didn’t make fun of the dogs. They only made fun of the people.
We say all the time and we admit readily to the fact that we are a target rich environment in that respect; that there are a lot of characters out there. And we watched the movie and sat there and said, I recognize that character. And I recognize this character. And I remember the day I didn’t bring Mr. Bumblebee and I was in trouble with my wife and things like that. So it was great fun.
And as I say I have the DVD right here in my office. I carry around with me most of the time.
What is a good age to introduce a dog with kids?
John O’Hurley: I have a little bit of experience in it having a two year old son now and recently acquired two new additions to our household - two puppies.
I think it sometimes it’s very difficult to introduce puppies to children because puppies can overwhelm the child at a time when they are forming, their kind of views of the world. And sometimes it can be a bad experience of dogs that are jumping up on them all the time.
So sometimes I think a parent really has to decide whether six is too young and whether six is a responsible age when they can a) start to enjoy the dog without it being, you know, intruding physically on them; or b) actually assumes some responsibility for them.
Because we have two puppies. The two puppies are puppies for each other as well so they - it’s been very entertaining. But we’re still having a lot of trouble housebreaking them.
David Frei: John and I each have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from the same breeder in California.
John O’Hurley: David has been an enormous influence on the dogs in my life.
David Frei: (Why) thank you.
Any dog show scandals?
David Frei: I guess that would be a great story if that were true. But really I think we’re all there as a competitive sport and the competition ends in the ring.
I think outside the ring people are - this is someone’s circle of friends. And the social things that they do many of their friends if not most of them are dog show people who have the same interests.
David Frei: Yeah we’ve got a great organization called Take the Lead that is within the dog show world only. And it’s less than 20 years old that raises and provides funds for people who have life threatening and (devastating) - or physically or financially devastating illnesses. And that organization is strictly within the dog show world.
But it’s raised and distributed more than $2 million in its time. So that’s the kind of things, I think, that evidence that fact that we do kind of consider ourselves family.
What are some of the best characters that you’ve seen out there over the years hosting this?
David Frei: Well I remember John’s great line actually when a Puli was on the screen one time. This really (was to) the dog. But he said oh Whoopi, we found your hair.
Yeah sometimes people match their dogs to their outfits. And sometimes they match them in personality. And yeah a lot of times people look like their dogs. But it’s not always a good idea to point that out.
But I think that people are drawn to dogs that have similar personalities and characters as their own. John you see it every year walking around back there.
John O’Hurley: Yep. There’s a lot of primping and preening there. And there is a certain stage mother quality to what’s going on. The dogs can’t groom themselves. So they take great concern over the way that their dogs look. And it really is to be commended that they get them, you know, in such beautiful shape.
Any other animals appeal to you?
John O’Hurley: Well you’re getting now into the red states and the blue states issues right now. It’s kind of like the Red Sox and the Yankees. They’re just different people. People like cats and there are people that like dogs. And I just find them different people.
David Frei: I’ve had cats in the past and I’ve had horses. And I’m pretty much a dog person. But we’re very accepting of the cat people in our world.
I actually went to the CFA Cat Show here at Madison Square Garden last month. And I walked away from there thinking I don’t ever want to hear anybody kidding me again about how dog people look like their dog.
Any interesting stories or unusual happenings?
John O’Hurley: Hold it right there. I’ll tell you exactly what happened. David will not admit this. NBC doesn’t like when I tell this story. But darn it I’m going to tell it.
Yes in the second year that we were doing it, a Great Dane came out and right in front of David and I at the NBC booth he squatted down and left us a package right there on the floor as only the size and aroma of a Great Dane could do. And it didn’t stop the show.
David Frei: And, surprisingly no dog fights. If you go back there with 2000 dogs and you don’t see any dog fights. You see squaring off and a bark or two here. But it’s, if 165 breeds can get together why can’t we?
John how did you come up with the name of your second book "Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework First You Have to Do It"?
John O’Hurley: Well I do a lot of corporate motivational speaking. And that’s one of the things that I do talk about. I talk about the object of separation and that’s really what that’s all about.
I have other chapters called When All Is Said And Done More Was Said Than Done. That’s just - it was just a title. It was actually a title from the original book. It was a chapter that I pulled out of the original book and make it the focus of the second book.
Sammies!!!
Why aren’t Samoyeds more popular at dog shows? It seems their natures and showy coats and large size are made for stardom?
John O’Hurley: David that’s probably a better question for you...
David Frei: I guess the main thing would be that they’re a dog that needs a lot of care and who needs a lot of attention because of the coat. Why aren’t they more popular at dog shows? I think they are pretty popular at dog shows.
I don’t know where they stand. Before this is over I can get you their ranking in the registration lineup. But they’re wonderful dogs. They’re athletic dogs. They’re beautiful in appearance and fun to be around. But they do require some care.
And I think we see more and more dogs, I think, being registered that are dogs that require a little less care and time because of coat or size or whatever. So I don’t think that’s a fair statement about Samoyeds.
What’s your opinion of the Boston Terrier?
David Frei: Well I think they’re still competitive. You know, they’re wonderful little dogs that are so people oriented that they respond well to their handlers in the ring. And they look good in the ring. And, they have to be judged against the standard.
But there’s kind of a variation in type within the breed. So I think that makes it challenging sometimes to judge them because they have different sizes and different body types that need to be considered as opposed to one consistent size and shape that many other breeds have.
So I think that makes it a little more difficult for them to compete. But nonetheless I think they can be competitive. They’re in the right group - the non-sporting group. And I think that that makes it a little easier for them to compete.
What breeds are considered hot these days?
David Frei: Are you talking about in the world of shows or in terms of breeders or owners?
You can answer both of those because I think both would be interesting.
John O’Hurley: David - what breeds are showing well this year?
David Frei: Well the number one dog in the country right now in terms of most other dogs defeated is a Giant Schnauzer from California. And the number two dog is a Pointer. And I think maybe the Terrier - the Sealyham Terrier might be the number three dog.
But, it’s all a question of where they’re competing and how often they’re going to shows. The dog that goes to 100 dog shows a year is to going to get as many points - is not going to be as high in the rankings as a dog who may go to 150. And that may not - that probably doesn’t mean a thing in terms of which is the better dog.
But those are the top three dogs. I mean there’s always going to be some surprises out there. It’s just - you’re supposed to be judging on the day. Whoever looks the best on the day should be getting the attention.
John O’Hurley: And in terms of breeds that are hot right now. I’ll tell you my wife and I take our son over to a little park in the area here in Beverly Hills. And I’ve got to tell you. I’ve never seen more Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs in my life. Every other dog is a Cavalier King Charles.
David Frei: Over the last ten years the AKC says they’ve gone up something like 400%. But - and Havanese are in the same ball park.
John O’Hurley: And that would be the other dog that we got.
David Frei: That’s your other dog. They’ve gone up almost twice as much as Cavaliers. But French Bulldogs - I see French Bulldogs everywhere, Brussels Griffon. I think smaller dogs seem to be getting the greatest increase in registrations. And the larger dogs are going down a little bit.
How many dogs are there in this country do you think?
David Frei: How many dogs? I think that the actual number is like 70 million or something like that.
John O’Hurley: Some of them are here illegally so they don’t want to register. It’s hard to put a finger on it really.
What breeds to you think are the healthiest?
David Frei: That’s a tough question to answer. There are probably health issues involved with just about any breed. And, you know, there are health issues that cross the breeds. They’re not necessarily limited to one breed.
But there are a lot of parent clubs in this country that have foundations of their own that they raise money and dedicate that money to health research for their breeds.
And the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of America is the American King Charles Spaniel Club is one that has raised thousands of dollars over the years and devoted it strictly to health research for their breed which is another reason we talk about getting involved with purebred dogs and purebred dog breeders and responsible breeders.
John O’Hurley: And they’ve actually improved the life of the breed.
David Frei: Yeah I think that’s one of the reasons we keep hearing about registrations going down with the American Kennel Club. But I think that one of the reasons that they’re going down is that we take better care of our dogs.
We’re getting smaller dogs that live longer. We take better care of them. We’ve got health insurance. We treat them as members of our family. They live longer.
So if you’ve got a dog that lives to be 12 or 13 years old that awhile back would only live to be ten years old, you’re getting - they’re going to have fewer dogs being registered over the course of time. And I don’t know statistically how that all works out. But it seems like intuitively that that would mean there are fewer dogs being registered.
Has a vet ever had to come to the aid of a dog while competing?
John O’Hurley: Not in the show arena. And I don’t know in the breed competitions back there. David have you?
David Frei: There’s always a vet onsite. And if people have issues they can get to them. Like if maybe a dog got caught in a door or God forbid a dog bite of some kind that - there are vets there to attend - to help tend to them.
John O’Hurley: David has had several makeup issues. But those were attended to by someone else.
David Frei: It takes two or three people with my makeup.
Should people venture backstage at dog shows?
John O’Hurley: I think the greatest mistake a first-time attendee of a dog show makes - especially at the bench show - is to miss what goes on backstage back there in the breed competitions and with the owners and walking up and down the aisles.
I think most people grow up with a knowledge of five or six different breeds because they happen to stop by a pet store or something like that. But you don’t realize that even with the AKC there is 165 breeds that represent the rich history of breeding. And it really is an education to see these dogs that really are the best of their specimen.
And additionally I equate it to watching the Kentucky Derby. When you’re watching these dogs that all are the best of their breeds in the ring there, it is like watching these thoroughbreds walk down towards the starting gate. It is just thrilling to see the perfect specimen in these dogs. And you go wow. It’s a wow.
Do each of you have a favorite dog in show business history? Is there one dog that sort of did more for dogs than any other dog?
John O’Hurley: Yeah Lassie. She was the best. And I also love the theme music from the show. Every dog should have a good theme. And that was a great one.
David Frei: In show business - is that the question or a dog show? Well I would say Rin Tin Tin. Lassie certainly I think brought it to a new level. But I think Rin Tin Tin was one of the first dogs that really had an impact in the entertainment world.
Do either of you have anything more that you’d like to add about your experience with dogs?
John O’Hurley: Well I want to add we’re doing something fun this year. We’re doing several things that are fun this year. For the first time ever my partner in crime, David Frei, is going to abandon the booth and is going to be moving into the judging ring. David you want to talk about that?
David Frei: Well I’m judging Afghan Hounds - my original breed. I’m judging. I have 29 Afghans to judge. That will probably be about an hour’s worth of work in the ring. And that’ll be fun. We’ll get to see whichever Afghan Hound I pick for Best of Breed in the group ring on television.
John O’Hurley: Yeah it would be the equivalent of John Madden dropping out of the football booth and running down to officiate a quarter. And I’m not too happy about it I’ve got to tell (you) leaving me with the rest) of the show.
The second thing that we are - we’re doing every year we have petcentric.com which is a parallel to the show providing all sorts of interesting tips and information.
How many dogs are there usually entered for each breed?
David Frei: It can be a function of several things. But sometimes Brittanys, for example, my breed now they’re I think rank about 30th on the registration list. But there are only four Brittanys entered on Saturday at the National Dog Show, the Kennel Club of of Philadelphia. And so it’s not truly a reflection.
There are more labs registers in this country than any other breed. And I don’t know that labs are too high up the entry list. But we do have 36 Golden Retrievers. We have 96 Bulldogs entered.
Wow.
David Frei: Yeah wow - But that’s because of associated specialty shows. And sometimes they’re having specialties and doing special things and having special competitions with bulldogs before and during and after the dog show. So it draws a larger entry.
So there’s 60 Siberians entered and I think 36 Goldens. Those are the three largest entries. And Goldens are what, I think, third now on the - or fourth on the AKC registration list. So that’s a reflection a bit. But sometimes it just depends on who’s judging and what else is going on.
What dogs are considered to be the most intelligent?
David Frei: Oh don’t get me going. A few years ago a guy named (Stanley Corn) wrote a book called The Intelligence of Dogs. And it ranked the intelligence of dogs in three ways. One was their innate intelligence. The other was their adaptability. And their other was their trainability.
And they use trainability to decide which is the most trainable and which is the least trainable. And the most trainable then they became their PR deal. That the most trainable was the smartest one and the least trainable was the dumbest one.
Well the most trainable was the Border Collie - no surprise. Poodles I think were second. But last on the list was my breed. And I happened to be President at the time of the Afghan Hound Club of America.
So, who do I think is the most intelligent? Probably Poodles and Border Collies - that’s probably true. But Afghans - maybe they’re not very trainable but they’re smart in the other ways.
I had to go on some talk shows with this guy who was talking about Afghan Hounds being nice fashion accessories. So we had a deal with that.
But I think, Poodles, Border Collies, dogs that work at man’s command are dogs that are the most trainable. Are they the smartest? Well maybe they are in terms of doing what we tell them to do. But in terms of being able to stay alive when they need to and things like that I think that’s a whole different deal.
When they started breeding dogs, I mean where did they come from?
David Frei: Wolves.
How did they get so many different breeds? It’s unbelievable.
David Frei: It is amazing because they all basically came from the same place. And it’s just a question of selecting for certain traits whether it’s physical trails or trainability - things that they do for you. Just...
John O’Hurley: Well yeah as I said you go back to the history of breeding and most of them were functional oriented. The dogs had functions. They weren’t just companions.
Society wasn’t evolved enough to have enough disposable income so that you could have dogs as pets. They were actual functions. And so if you go back to the individual function of each of these breeds, they were bred for a specific purpose.
Some of them - as David pointed out - were even providing just something as simple as body warmth. The Chinese used to use dogs for just keeping your feet warm.
And how long did it take to get all of these breeds? When did it all start?
David Frei: Well depending on who you read, 8 to 10 to 12,000 years - maybe even longer - farther ago than that. But it’s taken awhile.
We originally bred dogs to perform jobs for us whether it’s herding or hunting or protecting the family or whatever. But, nowadays most dogs are bred for companionship. And even though that’s the case they still retain the ability to do the things that they were bred to do.
You can see that in their, we talk about Collies still herding children around the house and things like that.
So in the dog show ring the judge has to be able to picture the dog in front of them - how’s this for a segue bringing it all back - the judge has to be able to imagine the dog performing the task that it was originally bred to do.
Are there some dogs that have longer lives than others?
David Frei: Yes I think so. Generally speaking the smaller - big generalization - but generally speaking smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs.
And what’s the usual lifespan for a dog?
David Frei: It could be anywhere from 6, 7, 8 years on up to 20 - 22 years for some of the small dogs.
John O’Hurley: Well our Maltese is nearing 19 right now. He was the inspiration for the second book there.
What do you think about the proposal to divide the Hound Group into a scent and sight Hounds?
David Frei: I think it’s a logical division for a couple of reasons. One is that - one is the job that they do. And the second is the difference in shape and size for most of them - generally speaking for most of them.
So you would go along with that?
David Frei: I wouldn’t have a problem with it - no. Yes I would go along with it.
Do Afghans make good pet therapy dogs?
David Frei: Yes I’ve seen a number of them. I know of a number of them that do it. Sometimes the reason they don’t do it is because they’re larger and they’ve got a lot of hair and things like that.
But they do have, I think, that temperament - that sensitive temperament to people that would make them very good at it if people could get through all the other issues with hair and size and independence.
The conflict in Afghanistan. How is that affecting the breed over there?
David Frei: We hear people all the time that have gone over there and come back with pictures of Afghans not so much in the wild. Buy they’ve run pretty independently.
They kind of perform at the direction of the people that "own them." But they’re almost a free roaming dog over there and help the hunters.
You mentioned earlier that you’ve been doing shows and hosting for Westminster for 20 years is that correct?
David Frei: This will be my 20th year.
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