JUDGING THE LEONBERGER By Agi Hejja
I n judges’ circles, we often hear that winning dogs stand out as they enter into the ring. In Leon- bergers, the same often holds true. We see some of the impor- tant elements of breed type fi rst; large size, proud head carriage with black mask and calm, con fi dent demeanor. Once the class lines up, the silhouette of the breed is vital to the correct Leonberger type. Several elements are highlighted in the general appearance section of the standard. Let’s examine these elements one-by-one. t -BSHFTJ[F t #BMBODFE#VJME t 1PXFSGVMBOE4USPOH t -JPOMJLFDPBU CMBDLNBTL
Large Size. Th e Leonberger is a large dog. Th ough many in the fancy believe that “bigger is better”, it is important to note that Leos are not meant to be as large and JNQPTJOHBTUIF4U#FSOBSE OPSTIPVME UIFZCFUIFTJ[FPGUIF#FSOFTF.PVOUBJO Dog. Ideally, their size falls somewhere in CFUXFFO #JUDIFT IBWF BO JEFBM IFJHIU PG 27 ½ " and dogs are ideally 30". Th e depth of the chest is close to 50% of the height at the withers. Th ey must be large and power- ful enough to be suitable as an all-purpose working dog, but not so large that they lose the powerful, elastic, and agile movement that is characteristic of the breed. Balanced Build. Th e Leonberger will ideally have rear angulation matched to
the front producing a balanced dog. Th e eye should not be drawn to any particular part of the body, but should see the entire silhouette. Th e slightly rectangular body is supported with medium—heavy bone in direct proportion to his size. Th e Leon- berger’s neck fl ows elegantly into well laid-back shoulders, blending smoothly into a level topline. Th e Leonberger has a “full body”, meaning that there is only a slight tuck up. Th e underline is as impor- tant as the topline. Powerful and Strong. Th e Leonberg- er is a powerful dog that shows a combi- nation of strong and lean muscles, good bone, correct angulation, proper length of body, and balance. Well laid-back S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , F EBRUARY 2014 • 219
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