Barakabook Article
Issue #7


Interviewing Bo Bengtson
Carlo Colonna


Bo Bengtson got involved in Whippets very early in his life. A native of Sweden, he moved to the U.S. in the early eighties and now resides in Santa Barbara, California. He has written several award winning books about dogs and is the editor of top class magazines on Sighthounds and other breeds. He bought his first Whippet in England in 1961 from the very famous Laguna Kennel and has owned the breed ever since, producing a string of beautiful dogs, very titled in the US and abroad. He has also judged major shows all the world over: North and South America, Scandinavia, Europe and Australia.

Can you describe how you started in the breed?

When I was about 10 years old I saw my first Whippet and remember very clearly how ugly it was: a grey, skinny, miserable-looking little thing... Iíve always preferred stronger-looking Whippets since then! In 1958 I saw a picture of Ch. Laguna Lucky Lad, who had won the hound group at Westminster that year and knew I had to have a dog like that. A couple of years later I went to Laguna in England, worked there during the summer holidays, and imported my first Whippets: they are seven or eight generations behind the dogs I have now.

What is the physical structure of your ideal Whippet?

Unbroken curves: the maximum amount of elegance combined with the maximum amount of power. Itís a very delicate balance and to have a perfect Whippet you need to get exactly the right amount of both power and elegance.
Have you ever bred a Whippet that you consider as being the closest to your ideal?
No, I havenít bred the perfect Whippet just yet... Lots of nice ones, even some great show dogs, but not what I consider the ideal. The best one I bred in Sweden was probably Ch. Bohem Mome Rath, whom Mary Lowe described as being close to anatomically perfect. There are some young Bohem dogs Iím very enthusiastic about now, but they are currently being shown, so I donít want to comment on them.

When you have a litter do you grade the puppies before placing them in their new
homes and what do you look for when picking a show prospect up?

I tell people to come back after a year and then Iíll tell them if they got the right puppy... Iím not sure if those people who say they can grade their puppies at birth or at six or eight weeks are just lucky or very, very smart, but I donít think it is at all possible: certainly my puppies change far too much for anyone to be able to predict their future quality with any degree of certainty. Thatís not what puppy buyers want to hear, but itís the truth.
When picking a puppy for myself I go almost entirely by instinct. If I fall in love with a puppy, somehow that puppy usually ends up being a good show dog. It is totally unscientific, but somehow it works. (Of course, I probably wouldnít fall in love with it in the first place unless I really liked the pedigree, so that may have something to do with it.)

Can you give a good piece of advice on rearing a healthy litter?

Common sense: if you canít rear a Whippet litter and keep the puppies healthy, you probably should not be breeding dogs. No breed that I know of is easier to raise than Whippets: lots of food, affection, activities and socializing combined with cleanliness - itís really very simple.

What are your opinions on the scientific diets that are now available on the market?

Certainly the big dog food companies can do a lot more research than I can, so Iíd like to believe that most of them manufacture a good product. But sometimes I wonder if we are getting too far away from nature, and if I had a real kennel (instead of just 3-4 dogs) I would probably experiment more with other types of feeding.

What do you search for in a stud dog or a brood bitch when planning your breeding programmes?

Iím looking for what I donít have, something which might complement my own stock - which can be difficult, since if the dog is too different, it might not work at all. Iím not as much of a pedigree fanatic as I used to be, but I like to have seen all the dogs in the pedigree for several generations back, and I like to know what all these dogsí brothers and sisters and producing records were as well.

If you were suspicious of a hereditary fault, what control would you exercise?

Depends on the fault: are you talking about health? temperament? or conformation? All dogs have hereditary conformation faults, so you try to focus on the conformation virtues and minimize the faults whenever possible. If all you do is focus on faults you will end up with a really insignificant dog without either faults or virtues.
I have on one or two occasions in the past been tempted to compromise on temperament in order to get conformation details I want, but I will never do so again: life is too short to waste on high-strung, unhappy, nervous Whippets. I want my dogs to be independent, easy-going, happy and friendly - my latest puppy, now 12 months old, is probably the sweetest Whippet Iíve ever owned, and she is so much fun to be with that conformation seems to matter much less...

Do you think Whippets have hereditary diseases to be worried about?

Probably no more than used to be the case, except that we are now much more aware and do a lot more research. We test eyes every year at the American Whippet Club national specialty, which is probably not necessary but a good idea before we get the problems some other breeds have. Iím more concerned about thyroid and allergy problems, neither of which are any better or worse that they used to be ten or twenty years ago.

You have judged on several occasions. Who has been the Whippet that has impressed you most and why?

I have judged for over 20 years and seen lots of beautiful Whippets, but very few which really stand out. Ch. Gold-Dustís Twenty Four Karat and Ch. Sporting Fields Clansman in the U.S., and Ch. Novacroft Madrigal in England come to mind. Ch. Pencloe Dutch Gold was breath-taking when I saw him: he was brought in ìnot for competitionî to a show I was judging in Scotland after he had won BIS at Crufts. He was much more exciting than he had looked in his photographs!
I can also think of a half dozen Whippets currently being shown in the U.S. which are as good as the above, but they donít necessary win the most. At the AWC National Specialty this year the Veteran bitch class was one of the most beautiful Iíve seen: Ch. Hound Hill Good Bess, Ch. Elysian A-Few April Showers, Ch. Kezoís Seafoam Florescence, Ch. Hamryaís Teacherís Pet, etc. I donít think any of them has won Best in Show, which says a lot about the low quality of judging in our breed over here right now.

What about Whippets in your country and around the world?

Whippets in the U.S. are really good these days, and not necessarily so much bigger than those anywhere else either. The best ones are probably among the best in the world, the worst ones perhaps the worst... Judging at most of the average all-breed shows in usually awful, since most of the all-rounder judges have little interest or understanding of Whippet type, other than showmanship and glamour. England, in spite of all the criticism in recent years, still has some wonderful dogs and a small core group of really talented, experienced breeders. Australia and Scandinavia have some wonderful Whippets also with a very high average level of quality.

How important is training to win in the ring?

Not very, if your dog is well socialized and knows the basics which any well behaved dog should do.
I know you began handling Whippets at a very early stage of your life, what can you say to help people who are just starting in the ring?
Train as little as possible, but socialize as much as possible: I would rather have an enthusiastic puppy behave like a fool than train them to become little toy soldiers. Just try to channel that enthusiasm into the right behaviour and youíll get a great showdog. Donít ever make the show training boring - if the dog doesnít have fun itís not going to show well. (And Iíve made this mistake as much as anyone, so I know what Iím talking about!)

It is known Americans have a high standard in handling; do you think it is useful
in order to show points and camouflage faults?

The American standard of handling encourages a loose leash and a lot of free-stacking and baiting (too much, sometimes), which is basically a much more honest way of showing your dog than stacking it and holding the outline together by hand.
Of course, in the U.S. many judges are so impressed by this style of handling that they now put up a dog mainly on showmanship without bothering too much about conformation, type or even movement...
The best English handlers can compete with any in the U.S., by the way: Anne Knight presented her Dondelayos superbly, and today for example Patsy Gilmour and Roger Stock do a superb job.

What are the most serious faults in the breed today?

That many top winners, especially in the U.S., are wonderful show dogs but not necessarily very good Whippets. The over-emphasis on showmanship, heads and big eyes is really depressing, because so many wonderful Whippets which do not want to show like Terriers or Pomeranians are overlooked by the judges.

What is your opinion about colours, do you think it is really unimportant, or a well marked or strongly coloured dog can influences the judgeís decision?

Itís a little ironic that when I started, fawn was the ONLY ìtrueî Whippet color - some people actually told me that if I had particolor Whippets I would never be able to win... Of course, now itís the opposite, and solid fawns can hardly win at all in the U.S. under most judges, regardless of quality. Iíve always loved orange brindle & white and black brindle & white, and itís just odd that now everybody else seems to do that too … It helps to mentally imagine what a line-up of particolor Whippets would look like if they were solid fawn. If you can imagine that, you will see how much markings and color can change an outline.

You surely have your own preferred type, but when you are judging are also looking for the other lines? Often judges prefer a line-up of similar dogs; what are your ideas about that?

Of course I have an ideal type, and since I hope that this type is whatís described in the standard, I would expect to find that my top winners came fairly close to this ideal in at least the most important aspects. But it isnít the judgeís job to put up dogs he ìlikesî - he should put up the best dogs according to the standard, so sometimes a line-up can look rather uneven: you can only judge whatís being shown under you on the day.

As any other breeder you have imported dogs to be used in your breeding programme. Who of them has been more important to improve your stock quality?

Of course Mrs. McKayís Laguna kennels have probably meant more to modern Whippets world-wide than any other, and I was very lucky to have been so closely involved with her dogs during their heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s. Later, I am very grateful to Mrs. Garrish for letting me have Ch. Fleeting Flamboyant, who exerted a very strong influence in Scandinavia in the 1970s and whom I can still see in my dogs today. The late Mrs. Bennettís Hardknott dogs never received the recognition they deserved: she was one of the most talented Whippet breeders Iíve known, and two of my champion bitches are sired by a dog we bought from her: Ch. Hardknott Maestro of Bohem.
In the U.S., I have co-operated closely with Barbara Henderson of the Whipporwills, which has worked very well for both of us. Iíve also added a couple of different American lines - most recently a litter of eight puppies by Ch. Starlineís Reign On which Iím very happy with; not just conformation but temperaments, type and general vitality.

What are your projects as a breeder for the near future?

I would like to keep a few more dogs, breed a few more litters, but itís difficult to find the time: my kennel consists only of a 14-year old, a 6-year old, a yearling and a new puppy from Barbara Henderson (out of Ch. Bohem Whippoorwill No String, whom Barbara got from me several years ago). Iíd like to breed another litter out of Betsy (BIS Ch. Bohem Of Thee I Sing), who is one of the best brood bitches Iíve had and loves being a mother!
The general idea would be to combine the Reign daughters out of Betsy with Ch. Bohem Flight Time, who seems to sire some good stuff in Scandinavia - but since heís a couple of thousand miles off, that might be difficult.
I have never, in my 35 years in Whippets, been able to breed more than one litter a year on the average, or keep more than 3-4 dogs. It would be wonderful to have more space and time, to be able to breed a little more and keep a few more dogs!

What are your thoughts about inbreeding, linebreeding and outcrossing?

Inbreeding is fine if you are willing to take the consequences (or have puppy buyers who donít mind). I want happy, healthy dogs first, and genetic wonders second, so I go very easy on the inbreeding. On the other hand, outcrossing is mainly a means to get back into your own lines - and if you cannot maintain a bloodline, then whatís the point of breeding?

Can you give a brief description of structure versus function?

I wish there was more of a relationship, but there just ainít: too many wonderful racing and coursing Whippets have every conformation fault in the book. Desire to run and course is much more important than structure! The best we can say is that if two Whippets have identical desire to run, the one with the best conformation should be the faster one... Just about the only serious fault Iíve never seen in a good racing or coursing Whippet is bad feet!

Do you think that prominent breeders in the world are going to produce a real dual purpose Whippet or two different breeds: one fit for ìshowingî and the other for ìfunctionalityî?

There is already a deep split: you cannot expect to breed for speed for generations and come up with a top conformation champion, or vice versa - although it does happen. I only hope we can prevent the split from getting deeper: although I hardly race or course at all any more, I would encourage a rule which prevented a Whippet from becoming a champion until it has fulfilled a minimum racing or coursing requirement.

Could you say something about your experience as editor of magazines devoted to the several
facets of the Sighthound breeds?

Editing Sighthound Review, a professional publication for mostly Whippets, has probably given me a little more insight into what other breeders, in the U.S. and abroad, are doing, and prevented me from becoming kennel blind. I have also met a lot of really interesting people through the magazine, some of whom have become good friends.
It also means that I have to walk a fine line at the shows, however: I almost never show champions, and if I defeat someone who has just paid hundreds of dollars for a big advertising spread in the magazine I have decidedly mixed feelings! Eventually I would like someone else to take over as editor for Sighthound Review so I can show my dogs and be a little more competitive! Then maybe I would have time to write a little for the magazine, too, sometimes. The new all-breed publication we started publishing earlier this year, Dogs in Review, has forced me to take an interest in other breeds and what they are doing: it is very useful to see your own breed in light of the activities in others. There is a lot we Whippet people could learn from others, but in the main I think we are quite far advanced when it comes to awareness of health matters, combination of work and show, etc.

As a writer of a book on the breed, do you think there is adequate literature available for the
newcomers and more experienced people?

Whippets suddenly have a large number of really good breed books: when I grew up the only ones available were Lewis Renwickís little books and Douglas Toddís classic. Mary Loweís wonderful book and my own came out almost at the same time, and both have done really well: I was lucky to get a publisher who gave my book a much higher quality shape than most dog books get. Since then, both Shirley Rawlings and Patsy Gilmour have written very handsome breed books, and Phil Moran-Healy is working on yet another. I donít think we can have too many Whippet books as long as they are written by experienced people who really know and love the breed.
Very kind of you to share your experience with our readers, thank you very much.