english springer spaniel Q&A WITH CAROL CALLAHAN, RUTH KIRBY, KATHY LORENTZEN, LINDA RIEDEL & TERRY STACY
create an underline that is short from elbow to knee. Ribs nicely sprung but never barrel shaped. Loins should be short, broad and deep. And a pelvis that slopes the correct 30 degrees creates a proper tail set and a broad, strong thigh. Short, upright shoulder blades and upper arms create short necks, elbows that are placed under the ears instead of the withers, long underlines (the fur- ther a dogs legs are out on either end of its body, the less support those legs give the dog. Legs should be under the body in any breed meant to work and have stamina), and toplines with exaggerated slope. Additionally, this breed should have a correct silhouette by virtue of its actual make and shape, not one that has been craftily carved on it by a pair of straight scissors or thinning shears. Our standard is clear on over barbering but it is almost never penalized nor even mentioned to handlers or exhibitors. It is one thing to neaten an outline in a way that makes the coat look like it grew that way. It is another to put a cookie cutter straight-line outline on a dog. Look past the overly fancy trim to the dog underneath. And get your hands in the topcoat and check that it is of correct texture and sufficient length and correct quality. Topcoats should have a glossy sheen, not be dull, dry, brittle—or cut off! LR: I just would like to go on record as I’m very passion- ate about my chosen lifetime breed. I feel that breeders need more education overall and breeding for “winners” is not the ultimate goal. English Springer Spaniels are a multi-talented breed and we should all strive to produce healthy, multi-purpose puppies. TS: I have heard good things about health testing and hope that more and more breeders will make this their highest priority 9. And, for a bit of humor: what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show? CC: While attending a National Specialty in New Jersey, our hotel was evacuated at 3 am due to smoke in the kitchen area. The specialty judge, a lovely woman who usually looked like she could model for Vogue magazine, looked no better than I do after climbing out of bed at that early hour. LR: Through the years there have been many funny incidents, here is just one. I was judging a large, unruly Working breed. This particular dog was out of control being shown by a novice handler. I tried my best to take extra time and give helpful advice to this exhibitor only to be told later by another competitor that neither the handler nor the dog understood English—truly a social goof by me. TS: Observing a woman exhibitor lose her panty hose gaiting around the ring and simply slipping out of them and kicking them under a table as she continued to show her dog.
like some Poodles do, nor does it mean that the higher their shoulder blade is the more upstanding they are. Please don’t be fooled. LR: I feel so many of the younger, upcoming judges have not had the opportunity to see any of the great dogs of the past from standard bearer kennels such as Salilyn, Canarch, Inchidony and Melilotus that consistently produced lovely Springers of correct breed type. There are still a few “old-timers” who have photos of these past great dogs, which would be a terrific learning tool. I realize you can only judge what enters your ring, but if a judge has a correct mental image of what a good one should be that will give the newer judge more confidence and not just pass out ribbons. TS: Proper Spaniel breed type. 6. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? RK: I think the Springer standard sums it up nicely, “At his best, he is endowed with style, symmetry, balance and enthusiasm and is every inch a Sporting dog of distinct Spaniel character, combining beauty and utility.” KL: Heads in the breed in North America have strayed so far from correct that judges all too often do not recog- nize a real one when they see it. They must be long, lean, deep, flat on top, with a straight nasal bone, deep set eyes, delicate chiseling and distinct brow break up. A correctly made head will have eyes that look directly ahead out from under the brow, a groove or furrow between the eyes and parallel planes. Heads that are short, round, snipey in muzzle with prominent round eyes are extremely objectionable yet we see them on big winning dogs all the time. Front assemblies as well should be strongly considered in judging. Long bones, well laid back placing the elbows well under the body “ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIELS ARE A MULTI-TALENTED BREED AND WE SHOULD ALL STRIVE TO PRODUCE HEALTHY, MULTI-PURPOSE PUPPIES.”
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