q&a͖ reCӿFCP̒
14. Describe ideal Great Dane movement and its importance in judging. As previously stated the correct movement for evaluation should be a gallop. That being said the Great Dane, in general, is a lazy moving breed. You can have a beauti- fully constructed dog that simply refuses to use their angles when they move. Good reach and drive is not as prevalent as are the dogs whose structure should allow them to do so. Other than a puppy we do not see a lot of crossing over or other forms of incorrect foot placement. 15. Which breed traits are strongest? Which need improvement? My 5 major traits mentioned in question 4 would be well repeated here when it comes to needed improvement. Our cosmetics can be less than wonderful... washed-out, insufficiently or too heavily marked, etc. In general our heads are pretty good, certainly much better than the overall quality when I was exhibiting. Our Harlequins, over the last 20 years or so, have improved dramatically. 16. Do you have anything else to share? Even though a giant breed may not be appropriate for everyone, most people that have had an opportunity to be around Great Danes really love their personalities. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to become involved with this breed and I welcome all the new owners that are yet to come. DALE SUZANNE TARBOX 1. Where do you live? Number of years in the sport? I live in Canterbury, CT. I have owned and shown Great Danes since 1968. I did not breed my first litter until 1980 when I bred my first of many homebred champions. I have bred or owned 75 Great Dane champions with a limited breeding program. I felt it necessary to show and learn about Danes before I attempted to breed them. I was lucky to have many successful mentors like Rose Roberts-Dinro, Anna Mary Kauffman-Mountdania, Mary and Gerri Johnston-Marydane, Bob and Carolyn Thomas- Harmony Hill and Murray and Lois Michaels-Murlo. I started judging Danes in 1990 and Dobes in 1995. I have judged almost every Specialty in the US, including the Breed at our National Specialty twice and will be judging it again in 2016 and I have judged 2 National Specialties in Canada and one in Finland. I have also judged 2 Spe- cialties in Sweden. 2. What parts of the standard need clarification? I think the Great Dane Standard is very clearly written. It is specific as to what we are looking for as Breeders. 3. What are the most controversial judging topics for this breed? How do you address them? I think judging the dogs is at an all-time low. Advertis- ing does not make a good dog and I wish judges would
decisions based upon incorrect prioritizations. The entire dog must be judged; anything less is merely fault judging. 6. What do handlers do in presentation that you wish they would not? The Great Dane is one of the best presented breeds with- in the AKC. Whether shown by an owner, breeder or han- dler a judge rarely sees a poorly presented specimen. Like any breed we can always experience the dog and owner that are both at their first show. These are the ones that you encourage and spend an extra minute or two with to make certain that they are aware that everyone at the show that day once stood in their shoes. 7. What traits do you see popping up these days that are going in the wrong direction? What’s better? An age-old problem in our breed has been proportions. I probably do see more truly square specimens than I used to but it is certainly not at an acceptable level. Poor tail carriages seem to be more problematic than in the past. However, this fault is more disturbing to the overall impression of the entire dog that it is to its ability to do the work for which it was bred. Temperament/stabil- ity issues are simply too pervasive. This is the Apollo of Dogs and these sorts of problems are totally wrong and against the very essence of the breed. 8. What previously campaigned Great Dane come close to your ideal? Please explain. Over the years some truly great dogs have come and gone. I fear that my memory will not recall all of the ones that I really liked. Two that I do recall were Rainbow’s Atom Smasher and Dagon’s Truly Fair. 9. How does the breed in North America compare to other parts of the world? Danes in foreign countries often do not even exist in the show ring. When there are entries they run the gamut from good to pet quality. Now and then you might see a truly great specimen. 10. Does the show ring help determine if a dog is able to perform its intended job? Like other breeds in the group the Dane’s performance when moving should be at a gallop rather than a trot. Sometimes the ring size barely allows for a decent amount of space to perform a trot. 11. Are there any closely related breeds? The Dane’s size is the primary separation factor between them and other breeds in the Working Group. Once you have a grasp of the head types in other breeds what the Dane should possess in structure is similar/identical to what is desired in other breeds (proportions, shoulders, topline, movement, etc.). 12. Explain the importance of size to breed type. This is a GIANT breed and lack of size is not an asset. However, as I tell attendees at a JE presentation, “Big does not mean good, but big does mean correct.” Great size with no redeeming value is of little use to the show ring or for doing the work for which they were bred. 13. What head characteristics are most important to breed type ? Squareness of both muzzle and skull and good mask when applicable. Heads with correct sexual phenotype.
t4 )08 4 *()5 . "(";*/& 4 &15&.#&3
Powered by FlippingBook