the most competitive entry (over National and Regional Specialties), with such top-notch puppies, I am perhaps a wee bit biased toward beautiful puppies. But puppies of such caliber don’t come by every day, so when I find one, I have no problem rewarding it (despite its tender age or even stubbornness) and take it to the top award, if it so deserves. Then, there is also nothing more glamorous for me than a glorious correctly-structured adult Peking- ese in full bloom staring back at me with its expressive dark soulful eyes daring me to deny him of his due royal rights! It gives me goose bumps just to think about it! This is a breed where a puppy can win top awards. JRJ: How do I feel about puppies vs. adults? I will judge them on the day. If I have an outstanding puppy and a medio- cre adult, then the puppy wins! RL: You have to judge entries at the age they are presented and evaluate them according to the standard on that day. As a breeder, I may know how my dogs develop, but can- not extrapolate my experience to other Pekes from other breeders. CKN: I strive to choose the best example of the breed on the day of the show; i.e. not the potential of the exhibit but the appearance and exhibition of the dog on the day. If a puppy exhibits superior attributes and movement, they should be rewarded regardless of age. MR: I love them both! 5. What is your opinion about the statement in the breed standard that obvious trimming is to be severely penalized? DB: I don’t agree with that statement although I respect it as being part of our Breed Standard today. I vividly remem- ber the shows in NY where many prominent personali- ties complained of excessive sculpting in the breed, and hence, this verbiage was later adopted into the Standard. The breed standard is supposed to be the blueprint of any breed. But let’s not forget that these standards are also written by mankind with their individual bias, preju- dice and favors. While coat is an essential attribute in a Pekingese (especially more so in a special), it is but only the icing on the cake. I feel it is vastly unfair to punish a good dog for the trimming skills (or there lack of) of the handler/owner. Besides, coat can grow, but the founda- tion of good structure and type cannot grow or change. I have judged Pekingese not just in this country, but also all over the world, and I have yet to encounter a Peke in my ring that I would consider to be so severely and deliberately trimmed and sculpted, that I would consider penalizing it! JRJ: Another loaded question. I have to judge by the standard. If trimming is “obvious”, you go to the end of the line!
RL: Obvious trimming is at the very least unattractive. However, the dog should not be penalized for the actions of the exhibitor. A good Pekingese is a good Pekingese regardless of how they are presented. Given a choice of a well groomed versus a badly trimmed specimen, I would put up the entry with the best attributes of the breed that were bred into them. Needless to say, the obviously trimmed specimen will not be put up for top honors due to the standard. CKN: The only trimming that should be done on a Peking- ese is under the pads of the feet—not the toe fringes because they are an important characteristic of the Pekingese. If the Pekingese is groomed on a regular basis, trimming with scissors or a razor is not necessary and should be avoided—especially on the top skull. MR: I think all exhibitors, both amateurs and professional, are guilty at some point in their careers of over trimming. It happens with most breeds and goes through a phase of an extreme nature that eventually finds tolerable moderation. I personally believe that some trimming is necessary to properly maintain the health and well being of any dog. Most people take things to extremes and end up with a living fur mat that can neither walk properly because the pads of the feet have been left untrimmed or worse, they become impacted because the rear end was not trimmed and they never noticed a problem. Done correctly and respectfully, trimming should not be an issue unless it becomes offensive and out of sync with the breed standard. 6. What is your overall impression about the state of Pekingese? DB: It is my opinion that thankfully, the Pekingese is once again in an upswing of things again, in comparison to a few years ago when it was certainly in the downward spiral and slump! There are certainly a few key diligent people to thank for this positive effort. I was privileged enough to be invited to judge the very first Pekingese Top Twenty competition held over the National week in Reno recently, and I must say the breed looked to be in a very healthy place with great opportunities for further growth and progress. And I am referring not just to the good people involved in the breed, but also the quality of dogs. Like most breeds, breed type is elusive and hard to capture, but our best Pekes can hold their own anywhere in the world, and our best handlers can out-groom and out-handle the best in the business anywhere! Having said that, I still stand by my convic- tion that the best Pekingese are still in the “Pekingese Motherland” of England, while parts of Europe and Asia are also coming up with some stellar world-class quality Pekingese to be noted.
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