About the Author

  
 
Claudia Waller Orlandi, Ph D
author of
The ABC's of Breeding
What Every Breeder Should Know!
&
Practical Canine
Anatomy & Movement

Getting her start in the dog fancy as a Junior Handler over 40 years ago, Claudia Waller Orlandi, Ph.D., has been a successful breeder of Basset Hounds for over two decades under the Topsfield prefix. Topsfield Bassets hold numerous Breed and All-Breed show records. Claudia's enthusiasm for breeding is matched only by her passion for teaching and working with other breeders.
 

Her ABC's of Dog Breeding Home Study Program is based on the enthusiastic response to her educational seminars on breeding and her belief that anyone can and should understand the practical rules of animal breeding and canine genetics in their quest to breed better, healthier dogs.

 

Claudia’s involvement with the dog fancy began in the 1960’s as a Junior Handler of the St Bernard, Ch Bowser Waller. Although she has shown various breeds of dogs since, for close to 25 years her passion has been breeding Basset Hounds. The Orlandi’s Topsfield Kennel is located on 200 acres in Vermont and houses between 40 to 50 Basset Hounds.  Claudia and her late husband, Dom, have owned and produced over 150 champions.
 

Topsfield Bassets hold various Breed & All-Breed records and National Specialty winners at all levels. Nationally campaigned hounds include Ch Topsfield Bumper Cars, CD, ROM; Ch Topsfield-Sanchu Sports Car, ROM; Ch Topsfield Beethoven; SGCH Topsfield American Express, Ch Topsfield Vision Silver Noodles &GGCH Topsfield-Sanchu Eeenie Meenie Miney Moe all handled by Bryan Martin.

Ch Topsfield-Sanchu Yahtzee, Ch Sanchu-Topsfield Go Cars; Ch Topsfield Mozart and Ch Topsfield-Sanchu Pop Art O’Bridi & SGCH Topsfield-Sanchu Bibidy-Bobidy Boo have been handled by Sue Frischmann.

Bumper Cars, a National BISS Winner, was the Number One Hound All Breeds in 2001 and Number Two Hound All Breeds in 2002 and is the top Group Winning Basset Hound in the history of the breed with 250 group firsts. Winner of 45 Bests in Show, Bumper Cars also holds the record for most Hound Group firsts (117) of any hound breed won in a single year.

Ch Topsfield-Vision Silver Noodles is the top winning Basset Hound bitch in breed history.  Topsfield Basset Hounds have won over 120 All  Breed Bests in Show, over 500 Group Firsts and numerous Best in Specialty wins.

They have also received a record breaking 4 Hound Dog of the Year Awards, which is awarded to the hound winning the most group firsts in a calendar year. They have been Number One Basset Hound All Systems for a record 9 consecutive years and a total of 14 years Topsfield Bassets hold a unique 2002 BHCA National Specialty record, receiving Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Dog, Winners Bitch and Reserve Winners Bitch, 3 Awards of Merit and BOS in Sweeps under 4 breeder judges at that one National Specialty (entry of 330).

Topsfield Basset Hounds have won multiple Pedigree, Nature’s Recipe and Dog of the Year Awards and have been Westminster Breed winners.  Topsfield Bassets hold a unique 2002 BHCA National Specialty record, receiving Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Dog, Winners Bitch and Reserve Winners Bitch, 3 Awards of Merit and BOS in Futurity under 4 breeder judges at that one National Specialty (entry of 330). Topsfield bred a 2003 Top Producing Basset Hound Sire and the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Top Producing Basset Dam. Ch Topsfield Jingle Bells, ROM, is the Top Producing Basset Hound Dam in the breed’s history, with 21 titled offspring.

Claudia has served on the Basset Hound Club of America’s Health and Research Committee and has chaired Member Education for which she has designed an innovative concept called Basset Hound University. Since 2009 she has been Chairman of BHCA Judges/Breeders Education and since 1997 she has authored the column, “Breeder’s Toolbox,” in the BHCA newsletter. She speaks at numerous National Specialties and dog clubs and has been a speaker for the AKC/CHF Breeder’s Symposia, the Eukanuba Breeder’s Symposium and various AKC Judge’s Institutes and has developed a home study program for breeders called the ABC’s of Dog Breeding, which is sponsored by the American Kennel Club and the Canine Health Foundation. 
She conducts the following seminars:
The ABC’s of Dog Breeding;
Practical Canine Anatomy and Movement for Judges and Breeders
Hands-On Angle Evaluation in Dogs
BHCA Judges’ Education Seminar
on the Basset Hound. 
She has been a speaker for the AKC/CHF Breeders' Symposia and the AKC Judges' Institute
 

Claudia judges Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, PBGV’s, Beagles, Basenjis, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Junior Showmanship.

She is a 2009 Dogs in Review Outstanding Breeder nominee and winner of the 2009 American Kennel Club Breeder of the Year award. She has conducted over 150 seminars on dog breeding and canine anatomy and movement.

2009 AKC

Breeder of the Year