while examining the dog to find and eval- uate the landmark points, but your overall impression may be your final guide. GroominG “Any brushing, aesthetic trimming or sculpting of the coat that alters natu- ral appearance is to be severely penal- ized.” The severity of the penalty is up to the judge, but “to the extent of being eliminated from competition” comes to mind. If the brushing or grooming leaves the coat smooth or wavy then, of course, the exhibit should be dis- qualified. Surprisingly the large num- ber of SWDs being shown since Janu- ary has fostered a number of different techniques in preparation for the show ring. The fact that obviously trimmed and sculpted dogs have, on occasion, been rewarded leads to even more dif- ficulty and misunderstanding. Although clipping is allowed under the present standard, “the clipping is always com- plete and even.” A dog in cords with little or no hair about its eyes, stop and muzzle is not even and has probably been trimmed. Handlers, both owners and profes- sional, pride themselves on their groom- ing ability. It is, after all, a dog show. The parent club stresses the importance of discouraging and penalizing aesthetic trimming, shaping, combing out or oth- er forms of grooming prohibited by the standard. Our complements and thanks to those judges who dealt with the issue in the ring and those who have sought Many of the exhibits that have been shown since January display a slight rise over the loin and an amount of tuck-up that exceeds that called for by the standard. The standard is explicit in stating, “The topline is straight” and “Tuck-up is slight.” We wanted to keep it simple. If we were preparing an illus- trated standard, I think we might add in explanation that the topline should be straight and level. Assuming the neck rises appropriately, one should be able to place a board along the back and not see daylight. It’s that level. Excessive tuck-up may either actual- ly exist or be groomed into the appear- ance of the dog. We have seen multiple instances of both in recent months. The words “elegant”, “racy” and “agile” are not found in the standard. guidance on the issue. toPline & Body
“Sturdy,” “robust” and “powerful” are more accurate descriptions. The expla- nation we receive is that the dog “will grow out of it” and this may, in fact be true in some cases, but we judge them on the day and an overall lack of substance that often accompanies the faulty topline and excessive tuck-up most often stays with the dog for life. You all know that the only way to accurately assess the topline, tuck-up, croup and a myriad of other anatomy is to get your fingers into the coat and down to the dog itself. To be brutally honest, it is not easy to do this when the dog smells. SWD exhibitors have been very diligent in recognizing this and bring their dogs to the show clean. We hope you will give each exhibit con- sideration in a thorough examination by reaching under the cords, but there is no reason to tolerate a messy, smelly or unclean dog. Color Under the AKC standard as currently written, roan coloration or “ticking” is entirely permissible. The prohibition for ticking found in the FCI standard was deliberately not carried over into the American version. Roan (in dogs) is described as, “A fine mixture of colored hairs with white hairs: blue roan, orange roan, lemon roan, etc.” That really leaves us a bit out of focus. In SWDs some folks are calling it “tweed” while old hound guys like your writer call it “ticking.” Regard- less, you are going to see some very nice dogs that display fine white hairs intermingled with patches of black or brown. There is absolutely no objection to this. There is a good deal of ongoing sci- entific discussion about the genetic fac- tors that lead to this coat color. “Roan” is not the same in horses (where the roaning is widespread and connected) and in dogs where it may be confined to spots or ticking against an otherwise non-pigmented background. The presence, size and shape of the tick marks themselves are determined by genes separate from those which determine the color. Many breeds, such as the English Setter (belton), the English Cocker Spaniel and more recently the Lagatto Romagnolo have embraced roan coloration and included it into their standards. For now, both the American and UK standards are
silent on the issue thuds fully accepting these markings. In the near future we hope to com- plete a comparative DNA analysis to confirm that the gene responsible for roaning or “ticking” is and has been a part of SWD genetics since its devel- opment. While there is no color pref- erence amongst the allowable colors, dogs with roaning or ticking merit full and serious consideration. the Future After nine months in the ring, Span- ish Water Dogs have delivered two or three Grand Champions and a multitude of other dogs have finished. We’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. We’ve learned to show our dogs better than we did before being recognized and we’ve gained a better understanding of the show process. It has become pretty clear that we have no endemic health issues in the breed, although there are certainly challenges in that area. We’ve also come to realize some of the more common faults in our dogs that were not so obvious before we began coming together for shows. Many of the champions that have been made up so far vary widely in pro- portion, outline, substance and that all- elusive quality known as “type.” This is not an uncommon situation for newly recognized breed and we look forward to seeing “type” stabilize in the coming years. We are also hoping for more dedi- cated breeders and exhibitors to join the ranks bringing their expertise and perhaps some new bloodlines. From this writer’s perspective, one of the most amazing things (and I don’t use that word often) is the excellent reception that the judging community has afforded the Spanish Water Dog. Some judges have had prior experience with SWDs internationally and have tak- en the time to let us know of problems (and virtues) that they have encoun- tered with these first entries. Others have “gone with their gut” and applied decades of judging experience, calling or e-mailing later to discuss their place- ments. We’ve had so much excellent feedback from so many highly qualified judges that I can truly say that it is our committee that is getting Judges’ Educa- tion. If you are one that has shared your knowledge and views, we thank you. You are helping us to bring this exciting new breed into focus.
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