correct angulation, depth and breadth which are the hallmarks of the breed. A dog may look decent from the side but when you come around to the front, the dog should be just as imposing from that direction, as well. Breadth is of great impor- tance in the Mastiff and it is disappearing. 9. Are there aspects of the breed not in the standard that you nonetheless take into consideration because breeders consider them important? We think our standard is pretty thorough, but is based on faults seen long ago rather than focusing on the issues we see in the modern-day Mastiff. Mastiff breeders with deeps roots in the past are worried about the lack of breed type that seems to be the trend now more than in the earlier days. 10. Can Judges Education on this (or any other breed) be improved? Our judge’s education program is very well-rounded and we do a good job of offering many learning tools to further the experience of the attendees of our National judges study group—our hands-on portion is always highly praised, and we offer multiple sessions of ringside mentoring with several different mentors, offering a wide scope of input. We do need more approved presenters and mentors who would be available in other parts of the country. We could also use a little bit of technical updating of our material, but that is a constant issue for all breed clubs as technology improves. 11. What is your funniest experience at a dog show? Funniest thing we can remember was at the first Portland National, during obedi- ence, there was a petite lady doing a Novice heeling pattern. The large male dog was clearly enjoying being the center of attention, was quite a clown and had a big goofy smile on his face. When she was off lead and almost done with her pattern, he got an even bigger smile on his face, a glint in his eye… and from heel position, decided to choose his own “position” and mounted her from behind while she was walk- ing… they kept going, him bouncing along behind her in his compromising position, clamped around her waist, while she turned beet red, was horrified, then started laughing uncontrollably! The crowd roared and the dog thought he was hilarious, the judge was cracking up—they went quite a ways in this manner, then she finally got a lead back on him. He was such a proud and bad boy—it was the highlight of the whole week! MARY LYNN SPEER 1. Where do you live? What do you do outside of dogs? I live in Northwestern Wisconsin in the small town of Glenwood City. I live on a 50-acre farm, most of which is fenced in. I teach 4-H dog training, sell collectibles online and currently take care of my parents. 2. Number of years in the sport? I started in dogs when I was 13 with a Golden Retriever that I showed in Obedience. I bought my first Mastiff in 1989 and became a Junior Showmanship judge in 2003 and became a Mastiff judge after that. 3. What traits, if any, are becoming exaggerated? I am concerned about muzzle length and width, however, after this year’s National I am hopeful that breeders are paying more attention to this trait. “OUR JUDGE’S EDUCATION PROGRAM IS VERY WELL-ROUNDED AND WE DO A GOOD JOB OF OFFERING MANY LEARNING TOOLS...”
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