The Irish Breeds: How Do the Country-of-Origin and American-Style Dogs Compare?
BY ALLAN REZNIK
Irish Judge Ann Ingram shares her thoughts
H ave the Irish breeds that are produced in other countries really changed? One of the important things to remember about the FCI is that they always adopt the breed stan- dard from the country of origin so at least all the judges are working from the same template, which is not neces- sarily the case everywhere. I will start with the breeds which are pretty uniform in type and presentation but still have a few anomalies between the American breed standard and the FCI. The minimum size for an Irish Wolf- hound is 1 inch taller and there is no mention of the bite in the AKC stan- dard whilst the FCI asks for a scissors bite with level bite acceptable, so what would we think of an undershot dog? Years ago I was judging in Sweden and found several undershot hounds, including champions. When I got home I spoke to two well-known breeders, one English and one Irish. The former told me not to worry about it, whilst the latter told me it was a serious fault. Confusing to say the least. However, I would be surprised to see undershot dogs taking any high awards nowa- days. In America I guess it would be up to the judge as it is not specifically mentioned. Whilst I was waiting to start judging bitches in Helsinki at the World Show 2014, I noticed a couple of males with quite long white stock- ings on the front legs, which threw me a bit. I was used to white toes and a bit of white on the chest, but this was considerably more than that! Out with the breed standard which wasn’t much help as it merely states, as well as list- ing colors, “Any Colour that appears in the Deer Hound.” Turning to the Deer Hound standard we see that it states, ‘”A white chest, white toes and a slight white tip to the stern are permissible but the less white the better as it is a self coloured dog, a white blaze on the head or white collar is unacceptable.” That seemed clear enough, yet when at a later date I asked a breeder, they were unconcerned about extended white going up the leg, so obviously it is open to interpretation, although I hasten to add neither dog took top honors in
the ring! Another fault which is creep- ing into the breed is flat, thick ears instead of the correct “rose ears.” Again I was told by breeders that it was not a serious fault, but it does take away from the overall impression of the head. There have been several successful Irish breeders who, over the years, have exported all over the world so maybe this has helped keep the type fairly universal. Also the coat and tempera- ment do not easily lend themselves to exaggeration, and whilst they are prob- ably more trimmed down the neck and shoulders, and the body coat is tailored a little more, it does not greatly alter the overall picture. The style of handling can differ in that we would generally move them on a loose lead which allows them to drop their head forward slight- ly and fully extend to demonstrate the lovely, free, ground-covering movement which is desirable in the breed. In the USA some handlers can be seen mov- ing them on a tight lead, terrier fashion, which forces them to carry their head high in an unnatural position and inhib- its their ability to cover the ground in the correct manner. The Irish Water Spaniel also is an inch taller and FCI asks for a strong and regular bite whilst a level bite is acceptable in AKC. Other than these small points the breed standards are pretty similar and presentation is good all over the world with no great varia- tions. Speaking to Sean Delmar on the
weekend I think he summed it up well when he said, “The difference is that the handlers are trying to turn out Group winners!” In Ireland and gener- ally in Europe, we are breeders first and strive to produce a breed winner of the correct type. In this context it would be good if the handlers resisted the temp- tation to present them as if to resemble Barbets with too much hair on the head. The standard admonishes that “the top- knot, a breed characteristic, should not be trimmed in an exaggerated or exces- sive manner,” nor do we want fluffed-up coats! Judges should also ensure they use their hands to check that they real- ly do have a large skull, high in dome, which is asked for in both standards. FCI adds “allowing for a large brain capacity,” so it is not just an optical illu- sion created by clever trimming! It is also important to look for the correct “barrel shaped ribs” called for by both FCI and AKC, which is also reflected in the breed’s movement: “a character- istic rolling movement accentuated by the barrel shaped rib cage.” It is impor- tant that these features are not lost in the breed. The Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier has the same bite differences but the AKC is much more descriptive about the head and overall gives a very good image of the breed. FCI contains DQs: “Black/Tan colour, narrow foreface, or any physical or behavioural abnormali- ties.” It is important to remember that
Irish Wolfhound Club of America, Inc.
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www.iwclubofamerica.org
252 • S how S ight M agazine , M arch 2018
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