Tarja Kolkka

Finland

I joined the dog world more than 40 years ago and my breed of choice at that time, the Flatcoated Retriever, has stuck with me ever since. 20 years later, the Beagle came along. This breed has taught me well what it means for a dog to have a built-in lust for hunting. Matters of the ‘engine’ and sufficient mental hardness for hunting dogs are the force of my interest, and I’m much more interested in breeding than in competing in dog shows or trials. Traits of an individual, mating suitable dogs, and choosing the right puppy for myself for instance using puppy testing is ‘the thing’ for me.
Highlights of my breeding journey include mating a Beagle bitch with a male I judged at a trial. This mating resulted in an international double champion – probably still the only one of its kind in Beagles. A joint project with an experienced breeder to combine two Flatcoated Retrievers was also meaningful. The bitch I chose from this litter is now included in pedigrees of dogs in many countries, even though she only has one litter herself. I feel I have succeeded when someone else has gotten tools from me to their own breeding work. I would encourage to review the breed standard and the original purpose of the breed more extensively. Those who developed our breeds did not have a Finnish show or trial system and still managed to do a fine job.
It would have been amazing to live during the time when closed registries weren’t hindering us – the most important thing was to create a dog that would be as useful to humans as possible. I have followed with joy the Finnish Kennel Club’s progressiveness in comparison with the rest of the world, with cross breeding projects made possible. Each breed has their own purpose and therefore it’s easy to get a dog – you know what you get. And how do you recognize a pedigree dog? From its exterior, of course. See you in December at the puppy shows!