4. What advantages/disadvantages do the sighthounds have as group contenders? GB: Sighthounds have a great advantage in the group ring, because they are often more dramatic and slightly seduc- tive. What is more thrilling than a really beautiful Afghan or Saluki, moving with that characteristic lift, head up, proud and a little arrogant? Characteristics, by the way, which I find essential to type in those two breeds. And a big Irish Wolfhound, noble and impressive, standing over its ground and balanced on all four legs is wonderful to see. Whippets are great group contenders with their, “What you see is what you get”, presentation, combined with the fact that the breed has so many talented breed- ers producing them. MC: One sometimes questions if a judge really does under- stand the function of the Sighthounds, it is very frustrat- ing when a judge tells you your dog lost because it kept jumping over the tape on the mats! Are you kidding me? That dog gets extra credit from me because that’s the one who has a clear outlook of vision and would survive a hunt because they knew to avoid something on the ter- rain. Those with offset planes of the head lack that clear outlook and others run with their heads thrown back and up from either upright shoulders impacting a long, strong neck. Same goes to the judge who runs a Sighthound directly towards a solid wall—no Sighthound worth his salt would not act relucant about heading towards an obstacle—ugh! PS: If you had asked me this when we were showing, I would have told you they had a great advantage. We stood behind any number of Afghan’s over the years: good, poor and in the middle. Today, I don’t see an over- all biased toward Sighthounds. More a tendency to follow a trend in judging on different breeds. RS: It should not matter—quality is quality. PT: The most important arena for any individual to be evaluated is in a competitive breed entry. Having said that, Sighthounds are glorious and at their best, “asking for it” on the move. Their disadvantage is that some are like thoroughbreds in that they are not as steady as other breeds. Judges must always understand the psyche of a Sighthound and judge that element accordingly. 5. What advantages/disadvantages do the Scen- thounds have as group contenders? GB: The Scenthounds are less fancy, more honest in a way, and must impress the judges with their type and overall physical construction. MC: The Scenthounds have their own unique indicators that when engaged need to be acknowledged for their primi- tively abilities. The Basset that finds a scent will fight
experience. Generally speaking, I think Whippets are, overall, in the best shape of the Sighthounds I judge. I have found some really good Wirehaired Dachshunds and PBGVs and, although, I’m not approved to judge them, there are a lot of very nice Basenjis out there. EB&JM: The popularity of The Afghan Hound has declined drastically, from once being one of the most dominant forces in The Hound Group, known as “The King of Dogs,” the Afghan Hound is no longer the constant pres- ence of dominance in the Hound group. The majority of the great Afghan Hound kennels have sadly disappeared, with only a few remaining, thankfully. We do have many consistently strong contenders in the Hound Group, just to name a few: the Whippet, Saluki, Dachshund and Beagle. This is due to the abundance of good breeders in those breeds. MC: I don’t think much has changed over all these years. There seems to be an equal balance between both sec- tors as far as the better ones receiving recognition. PS: Certainly the overall quality and the depth of qual- ity among the Hound breeds is not as high as it was in years past. There was the time where you could look into a Best of Breed ring and find 1 or 12 dogs compet- ing for Breed that were multiple Best In Show winners. Not today, the the large number of shows has diluted the numbers at the shows today, except for the most prestigious of shows, people do not want the competi- tion. People today prefer easy competition and easy wins. There still is today, even at the small shows, some depth of quality of Hounds within the Group ring. One must have competition in order to breed better dogs. This is true of all breeds. You need to see good Hounds with other good Hounds of their breed in order to com- pare and study their fine points. In order to develop your eye or keep your eye sharp, one must practice on top quality Hounds. This is not easily done today. RS: The quality of the Hound Group has always been very high but it seems the Sighthounds have more frequently placed higher in Groups. The Hound Group used to be dominated by the Afghan Hound—not so much any more. PT: The current quality of the group depends on where you are and what show is involved. Recently I judged a group at a small show with too few ribbons to award. It was simply a marvelous array of Hounds. Yet, one can judge the group at many shows and wish for those dogs competing at the previous show. The changes seen are too numerous to address. Overall, the dogs are better groomed than ever and poorer conditioned than ever. In many breeds, standing type has improved but moving type leaves much to be desired.
190 • S how S ight M agazine , J uly 2017
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