says WHAT’S THE MAIN THING JUDGES OVERLOOK WHILE JUDGING YOUR BREED?
part of the standard that defines rear movement in the breed? The standard says: “The hindquarters drive smoothly and with great power. Seen from the front or rear, the forelegs, as well as the hind legs below the hock joint, move perpendicularly to the ground, with some tendency towards a single track as speed increases.” Why do so many judges want them to sin- gle track if they know our standard? The next time a judge says to me, “I liked your dog but it took a few wide steps before coming in,” I am going to smile nicely and say, “Oh good—that is exactly what our standard calls for.” And while I am not a student of physics, it seems that to accomplish that powerful drive they need to start out wider. The other thing that sometimes needs attention is that this is not a moderate breed. “Substantial yet elegant in build.” The only times the word moderate is used in our standard is to describe specific parts—not the overall dog. —Patty Fanelli Alaskan Malamute—judges often don’t pay enough atten- tion to survival characteristics: i.e. correct coat, feet etc. They also don’t realize that this breed needs to be able to survive and to work in a primitive environment. They have to be sound. —Anonymous
and therefore the mouth is never opened. The judge must feel with their hands for the large, round head and flat, wide muzzle and slightly undershot bite. In addition to the square body and curly tail. —Donnelle Richards The Affenpinscher is supposed to move with a jaunty gait that carries a bit of a spring to the step but not as extreme as the lift as shown by a Miniature Pinscher’s front movement. Instead, they are rewarding Affenpinschers that move around the ring with extreme extension, front and rear, as in a sport- ing dog and moving at a much faster pace than the breed stan- dard describes. —Sheila Wymore Havanese—size; the standard is clear, too small and bitch- es can have whelping issues and c-sections. These dogs are not Maltese; they are robust and characters! And they do need a decent length of neck, enough for a good head set and profile and for movement. —Anonymous “THE AFFENPINSCHER IS SUPPOSED TO MOVE WITH A JAUNTY GAIT THAT CARRIES A BIT OF A SPRING TO THE STEP BUT NOT AS EXTREME AS THE LIFT AS SHOWN BY A MINIATURE PINSCHER’S FRONT MOVEMENT.”
TFT—they miss the standard; not many know the stan- dard. —Anonymous
Bloodhound—correct head including the head planes —Anonymous
Lhasa Apso—unfortunately, now a low-entry breed. Move- ment and correct head—too many only focus on the coat! —Anonymous Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs) —most overlooked trait: gait/movement, in favor of a pretty head! Shelties don’t herd with their heads! —Anonymous Rottweilers should have a dark eye and dark mouth. Pink mouths should not be rewarded and Rottweilers are not a head breed. Balance; not over done or over angulated rears. —Anonymous Chihuahua—they overlook soundness, movement and bites. Picking a head, over a less typey dog with everything good. Bred-By class should be the most important class, as the breeders are bringing to the table what they know, will produce that sound Chihuahua they want! —Anonymous PBGV—most judges completely disregard the very spe- cific instructions in our breed standard regarding grooming and reward dogs so extremely trimmed, sculptured and hair- sprayed that they would be completely incapable of hunting. —Megan Esherick
Faults most overlooked by judges in Papillons: ear place- ment should be 45 degrees when alert! —Anonymous
Shih Tzu—we have many good judges, but many that will put up bad fronts, rolling, badly stained faces, small heads, small eyes, etc. and that, while other nicer dogs are presented. —Anonymous
My breed is Pugs. Judges frequently do not know how to examine the head and bite correctly. We are a thumb breed
144 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , O CTOBER 2017
Powered by FlippingBook