THOUGHTS ON THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER
GREGORY A. ANDERSON 1. Have your Labs competed in any performance events? Did that experience affect judging decisions? I’ve actually I never worked with Labs in field work, but I have seen them (so great to watch). 2. In order, name the five most important traits you look for in the ring. Proper make and shape, not too tall but not low legged, good depth of body, front legs underneath the chest, thick muscled loin area and hard level back. A great tail with that otter like look! A dark eye with the beautiful Lab expression and sound walking is a must! 3. Many people feel show Labs are overweight. Can you address this? I really don’t think show Labs are fat, they lack condition- ing, muscle tone etc. I’ve seen more thin Labs than fat 4. What, if anything, do you feel non-breeder judges get wrong about the breed? I find non breeders look at too tall, too short or not bal- anced dogs. They also seem to look at larger heads. 5. What do handlers do in presentation that you wish they would not? I feel handlers don’t let the Lab show on it’s own, let them naturally stand and move them too fast! 6. How does the breed in North America compare to other parts of the world? There is no comparison of the Lab in the US and other countries. American breeders are doing quite well! PLUIS DAVERN 1. Have your Labs competed in any performance events? Did that experience affect judging decisions? I have worked all my Labradors in the field, hunted them for upland game, in the duck blind and competed up to the Master level in Hunt Tests. Because of those activities I have always evaluated the dogs with function in mind.
My concern about the breed today is the shift in propor- tions. The standard states that the distance from elbow to ground should be half the height at the withers, many exhibits are a 60/40 ratio. The length of body is also changing so that the typical short-coupled Labrador outline is not so typical anymore. I try when judging, to reward those dogs that most closely follow the propor- tions described in the standard. 3. In order, name the five most important traits you look for in the ring. Are there any unforgivable faults in the Labrador breed? The five most important traits I look for is outline, sub- stance, head, coat and movement. The fault that I find hard to forgive is lack of coat, surely this is a Hallmark of the breed and defined it as a cold water Retriever. 4. Many people feel show Labs are overweight. Can you address this? Unfortunately many are! It breaks my heart when fellow judges remark, “Oh I see you are doing Flabadors today”, because often they are not wrong. Many people confuse weight with substance. The good thing about weight is that it can come off. 5. What, if anything, do you feel non-breeder judges get wrong about the breed? Non-breeder judges have mentioned they find it difficult to sort through a class of Labradors because there are so many different types. If the exhibit has the requisite structure with a correct coat and tail ,then the different headpieces can be a matter of personal preference. 6. What do handlers do in presentation that you wish they would not? The wonderful thing about Labrador exhibitors is that they have taught their dogs to free stack. The not so wonderful thing is that in most cases they have not
taught their dogs to stand stay when the judge approaches so a lot of time is consumed trying to get the exhibit settled.
7. How does the breed in North America compare to other parts of the world?
Looking at Labradors here and in other parts of the world I would say we have areas of great strength as in coat and substance but we are lagging overall when it comes to balance and proportions. Most of the dogs that I have seen in Europe, Australia and the UK are more correct in those areas and carry much less weight without giving up on that wonderful rib spring and strong broad loin.
2. What are the most controversial judging topics for this breed? How do you address them?
S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2017 • 229
Powered by FlippingBook