Meet the breeder:
David & Rhoda Payne - VIDEX GSD

  1.     When did you first become involved with dogs?

From the age of eleven Rhoda was a voluntary worker at the local RSPCA Kennels, at Halewood. Rhoda cycled 2miles each way and worked from 7.00am to 8.30am then 4.30pm to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 1.00pm Saturday and Sunday. This voluntary work continued until she was fifteen, when she became employed at the Kennels, staying for another 2 years, leaving to work for a well known poodle breeder/exhibitor. Rhoda learnt a great deal over the next few years connected with breeding, showing and grooming.

My family had a household pet dog throughout my childhood, including a German Shepherd Dog, rescued from the local RSPCA Kennels.

We met when Rhoda was fourteen and I was sixteen, so dogs have been an important part of our relationship from the beginning.

2.     How did you encounter German Shepherd Dogs?

Rhoda looked after many GSD in the RSPCA kennels and I had a GSD named Jack which was a family pet.

3.     Which was your first German Shepherd and did you research before purchasing him/her?

Our first GSD as a married couple was a family pet named Jessica (Tate), quickly followed by two more, Kelly (long coat) and Kate. Rhoda was interested in obedience and trained all of them at a BAGSD training club for a number of years. No research was done before purchasing these Shepherds.

4.     How did you establish your lines?

Whilst Rhoda was doing obedience at the BAGSD training club held at Pebble Mill, I noticed some ring-craft training taking place for Show German Shepherd Dogs and we decided to get involved in showing. We did some research and decided to purchase a foundation bitch bred by the partnership of Malcolm Griffiths and Sandra Somerset, Corona of Deavans (Tasha) sired by Ary vom Reusch out of Bedwins Odessa (Iro vom Pilgersberg x Anja Kompturiehof) sister to Champion Bedwins Onyx, owned by our friends Judy Lloyd (Judamie) and Malcolm.

Tasha was an excellent brood type and we did not show her, for her first litter she was mated to the unfortunately named Mooridge City Slicker (Yozza), owned and bred by our very good friends Alan & Tony Howson. Yossa was a son of Lido Hambachtal and Ramadan Laura, a daughter of Barry vom Status Quo. Yossa was an excellent typey male, black and red, very clean overline with a high wither and a firm back, very sound hocks and an excellent temperament, all qualities which we desire in our breeding. From this mating we produced Videx Havoc who became a multiple Championship Show winner and produced Championship winners in every litter.

5.     What are the origins of your prefix?

We were discussing possible names for our prefix and decided that it must reflect our breeding objectives, after some considerable time we wrote down EX for Excellent, then V1 for Excellent one, then D for Deutschland, we them put them together to form VIDEX, this prefix represented our aim to breed excellent German shepherds.

6.     Did success come along quickly?

Not really, we were very patient because we realised that it would take time to breed a top winner, fortunately in our first litter from Tasha we bred Havoc who was a consistent Championship Show winner. We were very fortunate that Havoc also proved to be an excellent producer, being the mother of Teeza, Dolly, Wally, Yasso & Yola. Tragically Teeza had a hip score unsuitable for breeding and our beautiful Yola had a pyometra infection following her second season and died on the operating table aged 15 months. Tragedy is part of any successful kennel and we have suffered our share, losing Aiko at 11 months, who along with his brother Arak had dominated the minor puppy & puppy classes at all the major Championship show that year, including many times Aiko first and Arak second, including the Two Day show in Wales with over 60 entries in the class. Fortunately we still had Amie who won 1 CC and 6 RCC's.

Losing Quando at 7 years was an immense emotional blow to us, which still hurts today.

Yasso went on to produce our Champion Kurtridge Quando at Videx, Quando then produced Dolly when he was mated back to his Grandmother Havoc, Quando also sired many other winners, and played a major part in Bill Owens top producing Blerio kennel, siring Blerio Affirmative and Blerio Obsession, both top producing females.

We have been very lucky over many years and apart from breeding and owning many championship show winners, winning over one hundred trophies, and hundreds of rosettes, cards and medals, and notably a total to date of eight Challenge Certificates and eleven Reserve Challenge Certificates, we have the pleasure of living with many excellent shepherds, no matter how briefly in some cases, and making many wonderful friends throughout the German Shepherd world. Of course success inevitably brings along with it some of the worst human aspects, envy and jealousy, which culminates into really vicious and hurtful behaviour, these pathetic people should find another sport, well away from GSD's, as they truly insult our magnificent breed.

7.  Have you attempted to breed to a particular type?

We have consistently tried to breed to type which is predominant in our breeds homeland - Germany. We have also tried to achieve a high level of quality and glamour, Videx Yasso, his son Champion Quando were of particular note in this aspect. We are adamant regarding soundness in mind and body, and we certainly do not subscribe to the 'far too frequently expressed view of some show breeders' that you need a degree of 'nervousness' to get the best movers. Far to many Judges promote FAST movers, rather than CORRECT movers, and far to many Judges promote dogs of inferior construction, over dogs of much better construction, just on movement. In our opinion the balance must always favour construction, except where there is a clear fault in a well constructed dogs movement of some significant degree, which may tip the balance. We certainly do not want GSD's looking like Greyhounds, and I never want to see GSD's movement being judged with a stop watch.

8.      What if any, new bloodlines have you introduced over the years?

The introduction of new bloodlines is a continuous process for any successful kennel, it is also one of the most important. Introducing bloodlines that complement and improve your own lines is the key to success and this differentiates the levels of success between GSD kennels throughout the world. Luck can play a major part, however many of our most successful kennels constantly research various bloodlines at our Shows and particularly the German and other European Shows. The German Sieger Show is considered the pinnacle of this research.

Over our many years of breeding we have introduced many new bloodlines with various degrees of success. We have imported Lasso von Fidelius and Xalu vom Batu, who possess many aspects of fundamental importance to the future of our kennel.

Particularly  important to our kennel was the VA Odin vom Tannenmeise line and his Sieger son Jeck vom Noricum, who we consider to be a modern day pillar of our breed. We have introduced the lines of VA Natz vom Steigerhof, the excellent son of Nutz vom Monchberg (Mark Haus Beck) and a Sieger Fanto Hirschel daughter. We have also introduced Yassko von der Roten Matter, an excellent Sieger Jeck vom Noricum son. Yassko has a robust German Shepherd Dog character that he transmits to his offspring. The top producing female Gilla von Bad Boll, Xalu's mother is line bred 2-3 on Gilla. Kimbo vom Monchberg through a quarantine litter out of Yola von Fidelius (Sieger Jeck vom Noricum daughter). We have retained an excellent male Videx Cralo and two females. We are planning to mate one of these females to a top German male during 2000.

The most recent introduction to our kennel is a Male "Bygoly El Devino" out of the 1998 Youth Sieger Esko vom Danischen Hof. Esko is one of the best constructed dogs in Germany and truly bred in the purple, being out of VA Jango vom Furstenberg and a daughter of Vice Sieger Karly vom Arminius. The mother of this Male is the beautiful Wereunas Breeze, an International Champion Rosehurst Chris daughter owned by Sue Hadley of the Bygoly Kennels.

9.     How do you select a stud dog?

We exercise great care, paying particular attention to his character, bloodlines, type and construction. It is of great value if there is progeny from the dog which can be examined, this gives an indication of what he produces. We do not mind how far we travel, or who owns the dog, if we think the dog will enhance our kennels bloodlines we will use him. There are some faults that we will never accept in a stud dog, such as weak character, unsoundness, and poor hip scores or a producer of poor hip scores, and of course they must be haemophilia tested.

They do not have to be Champions, or indeed show dogs, we are interested in what they can produce to our bitch, without introducing an unacceptable fault.

10.    Has any particular dog impressed you over the years?

The dog that impressed us the most was VA Odin vom Tannenmeise. Odin was a most beautiful German Shepherd Dog and he is a model for comparison.

Other dogs that have impressed us are mentioned in the answer to question 8. The UK shown dog that has impressed us the most over the years was Champion Alf vom Quengelbach. The UK bred dog that has impressed us the most was Muscavas Rocky.

11.  Which has been you own favourite?

This is the most difficult question, but we have to choose Videx Havoc. Havoc was successful in the show ring, but she excelled as a brood bitch. Havoc epitomises the saying that a kennels success is in its bitches. She had a personality that was truly unique, and she lived until she was 14 years old, and we still miss her every day.

12.  How do you choose a puppy for the show ring?

We choose the most outstanding puppy in all departments, a puppy that fills the eye, if there is not one in a litter we do not keep any. Showing is a time and money consuming hobby and we can fully understand those enthusiasts that do not show, but when you have 'something special' there is nothing like putting it in the ring to test its attributes against others. Sadly many outstanding dogs do not enter the show scene because of the negative attitudes of UK exhibitors, which is a pity when you consider the falling show entries which will certainly cause The Kennel Club to look at the number of CC's in our breed relative to the number of entries. We should all be trying to develop a much more positive and enjoyable atmosphere at our shows.

13.  What do you look for in the temperament of the parents?

The temperament is most important, and we look for Sound nerves, alertness, self-confidence, trainability, watchfulness, loyalty and incorruptibility, as well as courage, these are the outstanding characteristics of the German Shepherd Dog.

14.  What are your opinions about type, size, movement and temperament in the breed today?

We believe that type generally is very good in the UK today, size is not a problem, an outstanding oversize dog should not be put behind an inferior correct size dog. Movement is improving but we must ensure that it is not wind assisted and that movement does not become more important that overall construction and type.

Temperament is still improving, however we should take steps now to develop an acceptable and meaningful temperament test along the lines of our European counterparts.

Unfortunately there is much less depth of quality in the showring today. The best in our breed are outstanding but there are all to few of them. We believe that 5 years ago the depth of quality was much greater, but since then many top kennels have ceased showing or significantly reduced the number dogs they show. It is a real eye opener to think of the names of kennels that exhibited successfully just 5 years ago, look at a catalogue of our first 2 day show at Weston Park, who do not exhibit today. It could be a valuable exercise for the Breed Council to do a survey and questionnaire of those kennels to obtain their reasons and commence a programme to reverse the trend, a trend that is undermining the overall quality of the breed in the UK.

15.   What aspect of the breed has deteriorated most in your opinion?

Overall balance and harmonious  construction, this aspect is what sets the few best apart from the rest and is clearly seen when the dogs are walking, perhaps this is why Judges in Germany spend most of their time judging when the dogs are walking. Substance, forehands and quality are other important areas that need attention.

16.  Do you think we can learn from German breeders/exhibitors?

Undoubtedly, they and most other European countries have developed and are continuously developing all aspects of our breed. The UK is so far behind and appears to have little or no inclination to adopt these developments that we despair for the breed within the UK.

As far as we are concerned Germany has established the blueprint for the GSD so we have a model to base ours on, we do not have to have exactly the same, but we must ask ourselves "if not the German blueprint - WHY NOT? There has to be clear, justifiable and understandable reasons for us to ignore the German blueprint as adopted by the rest of Europe and many other countries. Many within our breed will wish to exhibit in Europe when quarantine ends in the now foreseeable future. Many more will want to be able to use top German stud dogs, a must if we are to improve our dogs, do not be surprised if you encounter great difficulties getting on the top dogs in Germany, and I believe these difficulties will grow whilst we maintain our 'island mentality' and fail to grasp the issues of compulsory tattooing, DNA testing, BH tests, endurance (AD) tests, gun tests, breed surveys, and working tests (tracking, obedience and protection). We hear the shout, The Kennel Club would not allow this, we say, what a load of cobblers. These issues are a challenge, we should accept the challenge and refuse to be defeated. I hear you say The Kennel Club will never accept 'protection'! Well ask yourself why do the Kennel Club have PD tests? No, there are no hiding places left and we must pick up the challenge and run with it. Are we truly Germanic or are we just tinkering around the edges?

17.  What has been your biggest thrill?

Making up Champion Kurtridge Quando at Videx must rank as our biggest thrill. He was a son of Videx Yasso and Champion Greenstan Elkie.

18.  What has been your biggest disappointment?

Losing Videx Aiko at 11 months of age. Aiko had won at all the major shows, including the 2 day Minor puppy with 66 entries and BATS. MP. with 35 entries, BAGSD. MP 24 entries, his brother Arek was 2^nd at the first two of these shows and at several other shows. We were very excited for his future prospects, many fellow enthusiasts felt he would certainly make up. He suffered an inexplicable heart attack, post mortem by two very reputable vets (Noble & Clifford).

19.  How do you see the future development of the breed?

I see the breed in Europe developing much faster than the UK, as it has done for several years. When we adopt a series of compulsory requirements for breeding stock in the UK, then we will see a rapid and growing improvement of the GSD in the UK. Under these circumstances most casual breeders will stop breeding German Shepherds and probably switch to a much easier breed to continue their casual breeding. It should be remembered that approximately 10% of GSD in the UK are hip scored, and approximately 5% are shown, therefore the vast majority of GSD are from GSD's that would not qualify for registration in any other European country, on just one of their minimum requirements of being hip scored. If we can get our house in order and commence the introduction of compulsory requirements similar to those in Germany then the major winner will be the German Shepherd breed here in the UK.

20.  Have you any advice to pass on?

Many German breeders and exhibitors say that their UK GSD counterparts are far to negative about German Shepherds. They feel that far to many British GSD enthusiasts first notice faults and then dwell on them, even when such faults are obvious to everyone. These people state the fault loudly and repeatedly as if they have discovered it. Many  Germans believe this spoils the sport and stops newcomers entering our sport, which damages our sports future.

Most newcomers start with a relatively poor specimen, so they become targets for these vehement negative opinions, freely expressed by these self appointed GSD experts, and this ensures that the newcomers get out of the breed, or at the very least stop exhibiting. The negative comments about their much loved shepherd being just too much to bear. Germans say that every dog has its good points and these must be brought to the fore, comment about faults should be made with the greatest of care, and only when requested or necessary, and even then said with the utmost of sensitivity. This practice in the UK would make our sport far more enjoyable for everybody and our sport would grow and improve with dignity.

We also believe that the spirit of teamwork should be developed more within our breed, everybody can enjoy helping each other and working together for the success of our breed. Minimum compulsory requirements would stimulate such a development within our breed at local club level, and also at regional, national and international levels.

David & Rhoda Payne

VIDEX German Shepherd Dogs

January 2000