My advice to prospective judges is to devour the standard and find the dogs that you believe come closest to that standard. Be true to yourself and trust your instincts. That’s what got you to this place. KA: Breeder: Find a good mentor. Listen to everything you are told. Never get to the point that you think you know it all, because you never will. Be open to learn something new everyday. Remember you are only as good a breeder as how well you stand behind your puppies. Keep in mind that the longer you breed, the more apt you are to produce some- thing bad. This does not mean you are a bad breed- er, just like it does not mean your competitor is a bad breeder when they produce something bad. It happens! Judges: when judging, remember the six critical elements of breed type. Remember the top line rise should be slight but should be visible on the move. Handlers can hand stack a dog to increase a rise (so it looks correct) and even stretch them out to decrease a rise (making them look level or even reversed). The Havanese has a specific outline and you should be able to tell from across the room that it is a Havanese, no matter if it is eight and a half inches tall or 11 ½ . No Havanese should be shy or scared. A first or second time puppy may be appre- hensive, especially on the table but you have to judge the dog on the day. And a questionable temperament should not be rewarded. Remember, the Havanese is supposed to be a sturdy, happy family dog. KP: Hopefully you have a good mentor, someone that understands what it means to “improve the breed” and has been showing and breeding Havanese for a while. Judges: Contact the parent club for approved ringside mentors that can answer your questions. While the word “slight” might have a different meaning to many, when it’s used in our Standard, it doesn’t mean “extreme.” 5. Anything else you’d like to share—something you’ve learned as a breeder, exhibitor or judge or a particular point you’d like to make? FH: “Oh, the Places You’ll Go, and the People You’ll Meet!” Showing and breeding Havanese has been a most rewarding experience for me personally. I have met so many great people, many of whom have become my best friends. Many breeders have shared their expertise with me and I am grateful for the opportunity to pass it on. Being a Havanese breeder is a labor of love in many ways! KA: Please remember our standard says natural and natu- ral does not mean, flat ironed, hair sprayed, thinned, ratted top lines and head coats, or sculpted coats. If the dog has a correct coat, shampoo and condition- er and a good brushing should be adequate. That is
consistent with good grooming. Also, head coat is supposed to fall over the eyes. Plucking at the very corner is allowed, but I am seeing more and more plucking that goes lower on the nose and up over the brow to keep head coat back. And how about those bums! Some trimming around the bum is ok but up the tail and down between the hind legs is excessive. 6. And for a bit of humor, what’s the funniest thing that you ever experienced at a dog show? A&SL: During 48 years of showing dogs, we have cer- tainly witnessed many very funny things at dog shows. Alice writes: one thing that happened about ten years ago occurred when I was in the ring, show- ing to a very proper, conservative Canadian gentle- man. He told me to go ‘down and back’ with my dog. I did so. Coming back to the judge, the dog did a rather dramatic free stack—planting himself like a little statue. At that exact moment, the elastic waist- band on my slip gave way and my slip fell around my ankles. Cool as a cucumber (not!) I stepped out of the slip and flung it to my husband standing outside the ring. As I proceeded without hesitation to do the “go around,” everyone was convulsed with laughter. The judge turned beet red. But never said a word. Neither did I. FH: As a newbie owner handler I was showing my bitch, Tinker, at my first National Specialty in Houston in 2003. I kept her standing at full attention the entire two hours while my mentor, Jan Stark, kept franti- cally waving and signaling across the room to me. Though distracted, I stayed the course and did not allow Tinker to break attention. I later learned Jan was trying to motion for me to let the poor puppy relax. She won BOS anyway! KA: I was showing my boy in the group ring in Wash- ington State. The judge asked me to do a triangle. If you think of the show ring like a baseball diamond, I headed straight out towards second base. I could hear all the murmurs from out side the ring, “what is she doing? Where is she going?” I realized what I had done, but I kept going, trying to figure out in my head how I was going to turn that into a trian- gle. I got to second base and turned towards third. Unfortunately, there were big urns of huge flowers set up in the middle of the ring. Having to step over those flowers on my way to third base caused the crowd to lose it. Hysterical laughter was coming from all directions. Luckily, I can laugh at myself too but best of all was my dog never missing a step. He went around the urns, I went over and we turned left again and headed back to the judge. Luckily he was laughing too and believe me, I sure know how to do a triangle now!
244 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2018
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