Can you imagine that 5 years ago she had only 1 labrador?
“asked Dr. Robert Kaserer in 2006 the people around when 5 dogs poured out of my car...”

The first labrador came to Rita in 1997 from her boss who could not do anything with this energic black demon. At that time she did not even know that the labrador is a hunting breed, she had sepherds and 2 spaniels before. Then she found the retriever club, started to train the labrador and soon they were on the competitions. Her dog became one of the best retrievers in Hungary and she was very satisfied with him - until the German and Austrian dogs came for their Field Trials and she got a blick in a totally different world.

We met with Rita Kökény for an interview:
 

How many labradors you have now? :-) ... dogs or bitches?
I have for the moment 7 adults (4 bitches and 3 males) and 3 youngsters, all bitches. Some of them are living with and handled by friends.
Two of my old dogs are also living with friends, Chance (8,5) is still competing and she goes for picking up, Gianna (10,5) goes only for hunting days.
 

Why do you participate in competitions with your dogs?
First of all I enjoy to compete. It is a kind of hobby for me – and of course „social life”.
On the other hand as a breeder I feel important to know that my dogs can be trained on the highest level – as well as for Working Tests that on Field Trials.

Working Test is more technical, tells more about the trainability – Field Trial on the other hand puts lot of emphasise on natural abilities. So both are important. There is not much to do with a dog which has lot of bird finding abilities but at the same time it is impossible to put him under control ...
 

Do you have a preference for one specific type of challenge?
I prefer Field Trials. I compete all my dogs which are in breeding on Field Trials because I think that working retrievers which were not tried on real (and not cold) game should not be bred. This tells a lot about the nerves, character which in good case reflects in calm nature and steadyness, speed and style, natural game finding ability and birdiness, but sometimes in hard mouth and whining. A breeder should know what is in his hand and must be able to decide what to breed and what not.

Until now all my bitches and dogs in breeding achieved first the FTCH title and then they mated or they gave birth to a litter. With the times it is changing of course – nowdays there are fewer possibilities to participate on good, properly organized and judged Field Trials, so I cannot wait until they get their titles.
 

What made you decide to become a judge?
Strange enough but a lot of people asked me to become a judge, that is the reason why I finished the seminar and the practical training  – I specifically do not like so much judging. I like much more competing ;-)
 

What are you looking for when you are judging a dog in a competition?
I love to see that the dog can work on his own, has his own style and self-initiative but when it is needed the handler can take total control of him. I like to see the communication and mutual work of dog and handler which I think is the highest level of dog training. I look for those „teams” which work together like experienced dancers do – trust in and rely on each other.
 

Why did you decide to start breeding Labrador Retrievers?
It started very personally – like I think every breeder starts. I liked so much Gianna that I wanted to make a litter and keep a puppy. She is GB FTCH Blackthorn Ascella – then it was just a rolling stone.
 

In your opinion, what main characteristics represent a good bitch that you choose to breed?
There is no such. Every dog is different and can be a miracle in itself. I have two different bitchlines with totally different merits – it is a matter of taste which features you like more. In one line I like the cleverness and the natural intention to take straight lines and handling. In the other I like the excellent and efficient hunting style and the big heart. You can have a bitch said by others „ordinary” in which you see „something” – if you can find the proper stud for her then you can produce better pups than the bitch was herself. That is the art of breeding I think and unfortunately it cannot be learned from books – only by experience but I think the best breeders are working on „intuition”, 6th sense.
 

According to which standards do you choose the stud dog?
I always look for a stud which can compensate my bitch’ weaknesses. I look for a solid dog – not for the Championship winner but for a dog which was every year qualified (if possible with an amateur handler) or more consecutive years had Field Trial awards. I always look with my own eyes the dog working – if nothing else then on dummies. How he behaves with other dogs and people.

I try to avoid current superstars and studs which are mating too much – as well as professional handlers’ studs. A pro even can make a Championship winner out of a quite ordinary dog with good training – if an amateur has every year been qualified for the Championship this tells you something about a good dog.
 

Are you considering the various health issues we face within the breed when breeding?
Of course I try to do my best – so much that I always keep a puppy. I do not want to breed crap dogs for myself. I only breed with A or B hips, clear elbows and shoulders as well as clear eyes.

But I try not to  overestimate the DNA tests – so I will never throw a good dog or bitch into the garbage just because he/she is carrier of some disease. With careness you can breed brilliant pups out of a carrier – you can see it on GB FTCH Blackthorn Ascella who is carrier of CNM. Every litter is a miracle after her.

A litter of DNA clear pups is maybe better selling but not a proof for anything.
 

Where do you see risks and opportunities?
I see a very big risk that breeders overestimate the health statistics. Many started to breed for papers and „clear” certificates – and at the same time they do not consider the character and abilities. Unfortunately is easier to sell pups with health certificates than to go on Filed Trials and prove that your bitch/dog is highly trainable and properly sociable – and most of the potential buyers do not know anything about what they should look for.
There are better opportunities to find a good stud – in England serious breeders started to Xray their dogs and many of them do also DNA tests. You can also find more and more good studs in many Continental countries.
 

Over the last few years, what were the major changes in terms of training and breeding?
Training has improved so much, it is unbelievable! Only those people can recognize this who has been competing for 10 or more years – when on a WT half of the competitors were put out for running in and a mark over a line of trees was almost mission impossible for most of the Open Class dogs. Not to speak about 100-150 meters long blinds which are mastered today with one Back command – at that time it was a miracle to send the dog on such a distance with 8-10 handlings. So training is more technical on the WT side – that is why I think the training is splitting nowdays into two different streams, Working Test and Field Trial training. Field Trial does not need so much technical skills – but more natural abilities and cool character. At the same time not every people has the possibility to work with game – but they enjoy very much to work together with their dogs – the Working Test is a brilliant possibility for that!

Changes in breeding – I cannot say so much, I am only a newcomer on this field. What I can see that even on the continent we try to breed more handsome and good looking labis with better bones and coat than what the first working line dogs had.
 

What do you consider being positive and what tends to be rather negative?
Puppy mills and pedigree breeders are very dangerous – the only way to work against them is to improve the knowledge of the potential puppy buyers. The market is controlling the breeding – if there is no need to cheap mediocre stuff the breeders will not be albe to sell such pups and will be forced to breed on a higher standard, for a more sophisticated market.

I think we can see the first signs – the average breeders in Germany and Austria have big trouble to sell their litters and at the same time at good breeders the waiting list is filled up one year before the birth of the pups. So it seems that quality is finally rewarded.

Starred stud-dogs are also dangerous – they do numerous matings in one year, before the first litters would be tested, so possible inherited defects are spread out in great numbers.
 

Where do you see major differences in the breeding and the training on the continent and in England/Scotland?
Most of the training on the Continent are using trial-and-success methods, which is more apt to handlers who love their dogs, live together with them as family members and compete only for hobby.

These dogs are happy, wagging the tale when working – and maybe sometimes they have their own „ideas” which does not always brings the team up to the first places on a competition. At the same time I believe that those dogs can be trained on a much higher level because they want to cooperate on their own will.

In England/Scotland the usual trainer is much harder, the dog is trained on a trial-and-error method – when the dog is punished when he is not doing well so he learns from his mistakes. I do not mean it is always physical punishment but can be as well harsh voice which is enough for a sensitive dog not to show his real personality and abilitis but become a working machine. Of course not every trainer is like that in England/Scotland – some of the „modern” dog-trainers are more open to softer methods and technically built up trainings. But the average trainers do not have the intention and the knowledge/guidance to change from the „traditional” methods.
 

What are your future goals?
As a competitor I do not have too many – after making up my bitch to a British Field Trial Champion, first time from the Continent, I haven’t left too much to achieve. I want to keep my dogs on a good level, of course you are not always gifted with such a genious like Ascella, so I enjoy the victories of my trainees and puppy buyers. But maybe from this „substance” I can breed again one like her in the future...
As a breeder I want to produce pups who make their owner happy – easy to train and live with, good looking and healthy.
 

Thanks for taking your time answering the questions. One last one question: what's the secret for your success?
If I knew, I would tell you ;-)

First of all I love my dogs, I enjoy working with them, they are not tools but friends to me. I like the „creation”- success is not of primary importance... maybe that is why it has been sticking to me ;-)
 

Imprint

Special Thanks to
Rita Kökény
Labrador Retriever kennel “Blackthorn”
Szalafo, Hungary
web site

Questions:

Christiane Stricker, Jarka Svenka

Photos:

Rita Kökény

Copyright:

The interview was given exclusively for the info web site All about Retriever and is protected by copyright. The reproduction and media distribution of these photos and text or its parts is not permitted without prior written consent. Who will publish any parts of the content of this site without permission will be prosecuted.

© September 2011