Becoming: Breed Type, Breed Type, Breed...
BY JACQUELYN FOGEL continued
Kerry Blue Terrier? Where are the elbows on these dogs, and how laid back are the shoulders? How many of them have forechest or sufficient upper arm to meet their standard? Does that Bedlington have a V-front, or is it cut into the hair? Many faults are no lon- ger visible from a distance and must be found with a good hands-on examina- tion. Unfortunately, I have watched several judges do only cursory hands- on exams of sculpted breeds. Very few judges actually check Bedlingtons for V-fronts the way Gracie Brewin taught me to examine them. The real question of the moment is, what parts of the standard describe things that are mandatory for breed type vs those things that are desirable in a dog breed? I personally like to study the opening paragraph of a breed standard describing general appear- ance, then I look for those things that are unique to the breed. Bassets are described as short-legged, heavy-boned for their height at the withers, and never clumsy. Then further into the standard you find some of the charac- teristics that distinguish the breed, like a prominent sternum showing clearly in front of the legs, pronounced dewlap, extremely long ears, prominent haw, massive paw and distinct wrinkles on a lowered head. All of these contribute to good Basset type. Forgiving the lack of these traits is like saying the dog doesn’t really need to look like a Basset as long as it moves soundly. I am particularly fond of the Basset standard because it is so easy for a judge to work with. Once you determine the dogs with correct Basset type, then you must determine which ones have the soundest running gear because all of the serious faults except two (bite and ears) are found in the construction of the running gear. As much as I dislike a saggy topline, or flanged and short ribs or light eyes, those are just faults, not serious faults and those traits should be prioritized as such. If a dog exhib- its good Basset type and has a properly constructed front that allows for great reach and a well-constructed rear that is well-let-down in stifle and hock, then some of the other minor faults must be forgiven. What about the breeds that can be sculpted? I don’t know any breed stan- dard, with the exception of the Poodle standard that specifies appropriate traditional trims, that says the trim of the hair is of utmost importance in the breed, yet I see many judges fooled by hair. It is easy to build a forechest, straight legs, level topline and square
structure on dogs that do not naturally posses those traits. It is easy to hide flaring elbows and cowhocked rears or round eyes with strategic trimming. I am not talking about appropriate tex- ture of hair—another issue all by itself. I am talking about the sculpting and use of products to hide type-killing and seri- ous faults. Judges may believe that they aren’t fooled by grooming, but I don’t think that’s true. I have seen unfortu- nate markings on a whippet and a bas- set that have tricked my brain into see- ing a bad topline where none existed, so why not a well-sculptured Kerry Blue or Bedlington Terrier? A skilled groom- er can easily build a topline or straiten a turned-out front. As grooming has improved, the ability to see beyond it seems to have diminished. Most good breeders will insist that soundness in their breeds contribute to breed type—and I do not disagree with them. But soundness in a Basset Hound is not so different from sound- ness in a Sussex—and the two breeds certainly do not look alike. The devil is
in the details—and that’s what type is all about. I have noticed a disturbing trend in the past two decades. Judging that is finding the generic, sound dogs, but missing the really beautiful, exqui- sitely typey dogs that have a couple of minor faults that are easily recognized by anyone, but not seen as significant by most breeders. I think this trend is the result of judges that have not had the time to immerse themselves into all of breeds they judge. This kind of judg- ing has the potential to change breed type over time as breeders breed to what the judges put up rather than to their breed standard. I don’t have a solu- tion for this problem. I can only hope that parent clubs get better at teaching the judges those characteristics that are essential to breed type. And I can only hope that breeders will continue to place emphasis on those characteris- tics of their breed that make it different from other breeds. Type—not style—is what we should all be looking for and breeding for.
“I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT PARENT CLUBS GET BETTER AT TEACHING THE JUDGES THOSE CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL
TO BREED TYPE. AND I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT BREEDERS WILL CONTINUE TO PLACE EMPHASIS ON THOSE CHARACTERISTICS OF THEIR BREED THAT MAKE IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BREEDS.”
80 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2018
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