Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Breed Magazine - Showsight

JUDGING THE GREATER SWISS MOUNTAIN DOG by CATHERINE COOPER GSMD Breeder/Judge

“T he Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a draft and drover breed and should structurally appear as such. It is a striking, tri-colored, large, powerful, confident dog of sturdy appearance. It is a heavy boned and well muscled dog which, in spite of its size and weight, is agile enough to perform the all-pur- pose farm duties of the mountainous regions of its origin.” When judging the breed the general description should give you your overall impression of the dog. This dog originated as a working farm dog. You will quickly realize that there are a very wide range of looks or styles that adequately fit that descrip- tion. It is important to note that while this breed is one of the four varieties of Sennenhund or Swiss Cattle Dog breeds, it is a separate breed and should not be confused with its cousins the Bernese Mountain Dog or Entlebucher Cattle Dog. When evaluating size, proportion and substance the standard includes dogs from 25 ½ -28 ½ inches and bitches from 23 ½ -27 inches. Neither the upper nor lower end of these heights are preferred. Judges are reminded that they should always award the best dogs in the ring and not necessar- ily the biggest dogs. The standard uses the word “powerful” which should denote strength and power as well as size and substance. Proper evaluation of the GSMD will put great emphasis on the well-conditioned athlete and penalize the overweight and out of shape dog. A fat dog could never per- form its historic task as an all pur- pose farm dog. Such a dog is not a good specimen of the breed. This is a heavy boned, slightly longer than tall dog. The dog should be neither too leggy nor too low to the ground. The breed carries characteristics of their gender. The dogs are larger and more

massive throughout and the bitches are more feminine although never refined or weedy. This is not a “head” breed although like all breeds correct head type and expression are an important part of breed type. There is great variation in head type. The ideal GSMD head is a comparatively long head with a flat back skull and slight stop. From the beginning, a dog was wanted with a “cow-dog” type of skull, with a flat forehead, in distinct contrast to the St. Bernard. The muzzle should be of approximately equal length to the back skull, but should be blunt and not pointed. Unfortunately most muzzles that approach the correct length tend to be pointed or snipey. Retaining prop- er length and width of muzzle seems to be challenging. The lips and flews should be tight. Most of the dogs with correct width and depth of muzzle tend to be a little lippy, but a Great Dane look is not desirable. The expression should be animated and gentle with dark

brown, almond shaped eyes preferred. Incorrect eyes are very distracting from the correct headpiece. Blue eyes are a DQ. In adult dog the nose leath- er should be black. All GSMD puppies are born with pink noses and the pig- ment fills in as they age. It is not unusu- al to see puppies that still have pink spots on their noses. This should not be faulted. A good GSMD head should all flow together. There should be no sharp angles such as prominent brows and no domey skulls. The head should never appear too big or too little for the body. A common mistake when judging the breed it to award a “big head” with no regard as to whether or not it fits the standard. The standard calls for a scissors bite but with no mouth DQs. The neck should be of moder- ate length and strong and muscular. It should be clean, without dewlap. When viewed in profile the GSMD has a slight protruding prosterum. The body is full with a slight tuck up. The chest should reach the elbow. The depth of

“THIS IS NOT A ‘HEAD’ BREED

ALTHOUGH LIKE ALL BREEDS CORRECT HEAD TYPE AND EXPRESSION ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF BREED TYPE. THERE IS GREAT VARIATION IN HEAD TYPE. THE IDEAL GSMD HEAD IS A COMPARATIVELY LONG HEAD WITH A FLAT BACK SKULL AND SLIGHT STOP.”

174 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J ANUARY 2017

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