Showsight October 2017

says WHAT’S THE MAIN THING JUDGES OVERLOOK WHILE JUDGING YOUR BREED? Vizsla—tail set and carriage. —Anonymous

the standard states slightly taller or slightly smaller should be equally considered so again, choose soundness over size. Hackney movement and tight rears are completely wrong. When in doubt, ask a long time breeder, they will be happy to clarify. —Helene Belanger

Pointer—balance and outline. —Anonymous

Belgian Sheepdogs are my breed. Judges tend to overlook correct shoulder and rear angles and beautiful movement. —Anonymous Irish Setter—judges miss functionality. There is no dis- qualification as to size, however we have some very large males, in particular, who would never hold up as a gun- dog, yet look impressive in a stack in the confirmation ring. —Anonymous Chinese Shar Pei—patterned dogs being awarded points that should be disqualified. Ignorance is a huge issue! —Nancy Sedlacek German Shorthaired Pointers— Deviations of one inch above or below the described heights are to be severely penalized. Yet time after time, significantly oversized dogs and bitches are awarded prestigious wins. We have breeder judges who have publicly stated they believe other attributes are ‘more important’, in complete disregard of the standard. —Beth Ritchie

Pekingese and movement! —Anonymous

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are to be show in a natural coat without trimming. Judges are awarding heavily trimmed/ groomed dogs so exhibitors feel they need to do this in order to compete. Eventually, it will be the accepted practice even though it goes against our standard. —Anonymous

Afghan Hounds—they consistently overlook breed type correct movement! —Anonymous

Cairn Terrier—movement. —Pat Joyce

Borzoi and Whippets—they seem to think flat toplines are correct. Short back with long loin is what the standard calls for, please don’t bother measuring the flank area! Slight rise over the loin does not mean flat. What judges should and need to award in both my breeds is a correctly placed and angulated front that is moving from the shoulder and not from the elbow. That being said they won’t see that many, all the more reason to award it when they are fortunate enough to get one in an entry. Even if they have to sacrifice perfect soundness. The fronts are being lost in many breeds. Lots of straight fronts with too much rear. —Cindi Gredys Westies—judges miss proper fronts with shoulders that have layback. They don’t recognize that a Westie with a straight front is not proper and will not move properly. —Anonymous Bloodhounds—the breed’s purpose, therefore bigger is not better. Bloodhounds must be typey but they must be able to do their job of trailing/tracking. And a true working Blood- hound might be required to trail all day for multiple days. So before you point to your Best of Breed Winner, please think if that is the Bloodhound you would pick to go out in the forest to find your lost grandchild or to go out on a wintery night to find your lost elderly family member. —Anonymous

Dachshunds—shoulder placement, too far forward. —Anonymous

Tibetan Spaniel—the complete dog, so many judges say it is a head breed, it is not, nor is it a cookie cutter breed. — Anonymous Norwich terriers—they forget to judge based on our offi- cial standard. They put up large dogs and unlocked even though we have a docked breed. —Anonymous

Border Collie—fronts. —Anonymous

English Cocker Spaniel—judges over look type and balance. —Anonymous

Alaskan Malamute—judges overlook correct movement frequently. —Anonymous

Great Pyrenees—they overlook correct fronts and proper coat. —Anonymous

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel—correct Breed type! —Anonymous

Lakeland Terrier—judges fail to realize that these are working dogs and their job is unique and extremely difficult. They must have the build, the athleticism stamina, the intel- ligence and game ness to travel 30-40 miles in the course of a day, on foot with a pack of hounds, over rugged, treacherous mountains in the severest of weather conditions in pursuit of the large (20-25") and when the fox took refuge in a rocky den, kill the fox. —Anonymous

Dalmatians—color and markings. —Anonymous

The dog! I breed and show French Bulldogs and many judges look at the wrong end of the lead! Our breed is inun- dated with pro handlers. —Chris Hill

Doberman Pinscher—correct movement. —Anonymous

128 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , O CTOBER 2017

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