legs—equates with good movement is something I can not understand. Good, efficient gait is not the same for all breeds and all breeds should not be moved in the same way. For that matter, not every dog within a specif- ic breed moves properly at the same speed. Correct speed is dependent on the construction of the individual dog as it meets the requirements of its breed standard. The Sussex and Clumber were bred to be a (sometimes senior) sporting gentleman’s hunting companion afoot. The dog should move at a moderate speed, showing good reach and drive. The Clumber Standard says, “because of his wide body and short legs he tends
to roll slightly.” Further, “the gait is comfortable and can be maintained at a steady trot for a day of work without exhaustion.” The rolling topline that is undesirable in some Sporting breeds is desired in the Clumber. The Sussex is typically lower to the ground than the Clumber and, again, the breed’s Stan- dard notes that it has a typical “rolling gait” and moves deliberately though “is in no sense clumsy.” No racing for either of these breeds. Several Sporting Breed standards ask that the dog to be, as the Golden Retriever Standard states, “moved on a loose lead to reflect true gait”. Yet many handlers (professional and ama- teur alike) hold their charges on quite a
tight, short lead, often leading to move- ment faults in the forequarters, as the dog is pulled off balance from his natu- ral stride. The really clever handler will know the requirements of the breed’s standard and adjust speed to what is best for that individual dog. In Sport- ing Dogs generally, endurance is more important than racing ability. Another change is the accepted method for stacking, both in general and for many of the individual breeds in the Group. Baiting was not done with any of the current frequency 40 years ago, just a few times to show the judge the dog’s expression. Bait was rarely thrown in most breeds and when it was, it was retrieved before moving on so as not to distract other dogs. Stacked dogs were “top and tailed” with the head and tail held, often from a kneeling position. Nowadays, baiting is universal and dogs seemingly are almost constantly baited. It sometimes seems to the uninitiated that the purpose of showing is to feed the dog! Further, the baiting keeps the ears erect on top of the head at all times. This is even true for breeds that mandate specific placement of the ears. Goldens, for example, should have ears that are set about on a level with the corner of the eye; but when you look at the Golden ring, the ears are almost always erect and it’s the rare judge that asks to see the ears at rest. How can any- one tell if the dog’s ear set is correct? In many Sporting breeds today, dogs are stacked with the front legs placed far forward on the body, some- times even under the neck and the rear legs are stretched way out behind the dog. This was not practiced years ago, especially with breed standards which call for a level backline. Sweep- ing rears with extreme angulation are often seen now, though this very often eliminates the desired bend of stifle of many breeds. Seeing a Brittany, for example, stacked well out behind is almost comical in a breed that warns us not to judge angulation standing but only when moving since most Brit- tanys appear to lack angulation when stacked. Over stretching certainly mini- mizes the desired square outline of the breed. Again, I wonder why this prac- tice has become standard, often to the detriment of the dog’s conformation. Don’t agree? Stack your dog in front of a mirror and take a good look at how you are presenting him to the judge from the judge’s prospective. Is that what you really want? Remember that some return of the upper arm so that the front legs are beneath the withers is usually desirable. An example: when I first started showing my Golden Retrievers, the accepted method of stacking the dog
The 1974 Westminster Best in Show winner, Ch. Gretchen of Columbia River, presented with the handler in a kneeling position holding the head and tail. There was much less baiting of dogs done in the 70s in comparison to very frequent baiting seen in the show rings today.
Ch. Jab-Point’s VJK Autumn Roses, the 2005 Garden Best in Show winner. In addition to standing rather than kneeling, the handler here is pulled up the head a bit, showing off the lovely neck into shoulder of this bitch. Handling over the years has evolved into a more stylized display of each dogs best points.
S how S ight M agazine , M ay 2018 • 193
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