says WHAT’S THE MAIN THING JUDGES OVERLOOK WHILE JUDGING YOUR BREED? One of today’s biggest problems in this breed is the terri- ble movement. A judge does not have to know what is wrong with the structure, because if the breed has the correct move- ment, he obviously has the correct structure.
short upper arms and upright fronts. Lots of fake coats being painted on lately—coat is a hallmark of the breed and must be correct. —Anonymous Berger Picards are being horribly overgroomed and our standard specifically states that overgroomed exhibits should be so heavily penalized that they should not place. Movement should be a big, easy stride, not short and choppy. Some judg- es can’t see anything but fawn—brindle is supposed to be equally acceptable. Far too many breeds are being judged as a grooming contest, not judging dogs. Too many handlers are doing too many breeds a disservice with incorrect or exces- sive grooming. Must have a correct dog underneath the wrap- per that coat is but the coat also must be presented correctly, not faked or overdone. It’s not going to stop until judges get the balls to penalize incorrectly presented exhibits, and not reward major faults that are being overlooked because of pretty window dressing. —Liz Hansen
And one might forgive a judge for not being able to see it all on a rough because of some huge coat disguising it, however, the smooth Collie has it all right out there for the world to see. If the world just knows what is correct and judges accordingly. Forgiving a very minor fault in favor of an animal that has it all otherwise, is not uncommon and acceptable. None of them are perfect. But when one comes at you with feet and legs in all directions, that is not forgivable. The Collie is a Herding breed and if his structure and movement are so faulty as to not be adequate to stand up under a day’s work, then he is not worthy of any win. Second to the movement is condition. I find far too many Collies that have what I call squishy muscle tone. They all should have hard muscle and be able to get from one place to the other without being exhausted. That particular fault is due to the owner and/or handlers not providing the correct exercise for the dog. A 15 degree grade in a big yard would be the answer. Not enough to exhaust the dog but enough for him to work and build the muscle to get him up and the yard with no real problem. —Betty Abbott
Westies should have a forechest, I don’t think most judges know that. —Anonymous
Bouvier des Flandres—square—they have no idea what square is. —Cynthia Thames
Brittany—I have been showing and breeding Brittanys for over 30 years and I feel oftentimes judges do not pay attention to the fact that side gait in this breed is most important. They often put more emphasis on stacking. Since this is a hunting/ sporting dog, the ability to go for hours on end is extreme- ly important and a dog with a correct side gait will be the one who can perform what he was bred to do. The rear paw should overstep the front paw as in the German Shepherd dog when gaiting. A long striding, smooth gait with a topline that doesn’t move is more desirable than a choppy sidewind- ing gait with a lot of wasted motion. A perfectly stacked Brit- tany makes a nice picture but it is not always the dog you want in the field. The Brittany has more dual champions than any other breed and we strive very hard to keep this in mind when breeding. —Anonymous Great Dane—it always seems that the fawns win over any other color. I wish the judges wouldn’t judge by their favorite colors! —Jill Stout IG—I think that some judges do not know the standard and rely on making their choice by who is at the other end of the lead. IGs have a standard on conformation and movement as described by IGCA. Movement is an important character- istic of the breed. Front and back movement should be clean side movement shows drive and lift. Look at the whole pack- age. —Anonymous As a judge myself, I am more aware of what other judges ignore than most other Collie exhibitors. I have shown and finished my own Collies and so I know from which I speak.
Beagles—I think judges don’t visualize size and not calling the wicket when an entry looks too big. —Anonymous
German Pinscher—the number one thing, in my opinion, that judges overlook is movement. I see way too many GP being put up with hackney gait! —Anonymous Havanese—judges prefer to put up handlers even though a breeder/owner may have a more correct dog. There seems to be a noticeable difference in what a Havanese breeder looks for and what a judge is looking for. Judges will ruin a breed this way. —Anonymous My breed is Rottweilers. Number one thing judges over look is looking at the actual dogs and not just the handler at the end of the lead. Number two, overall structure then movement. —Anonymous Salukis—the number one thing judges overlook in the Saluki is running gear and its relation to the original purpose of the breed. The Saluki is a moderate, long distance runner. Exaggerations (overangulated rears, high withers, straight pasterns and long necks) diminish the ability of the dog to effectively kill gazelle or other quarry over deep sand or rocky mountains. As a Saluki breeder of over 50 years experi- ence as well as a judge, these exaggerations drive me wild. — Lesley Brabyn
Irish Setter—I have been breeding and showing Irish Set- ters for almost 40 years. What judges miss in Irish Setters in the
140 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , O CTOBER 2017
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