Taming the Genie– JUDGING CAVALIERS
J
By Stephanie Abraham
udging the Cavalier well is a bit like catching a genie in a bottle. Just when you think you’ve “got it right,” some new aspect of the breed shimmers before you, to remind you that you really
didn’t quite understand it at all! Nonethe- less, we persevere, and if you are a careful student, you will find that you can succeed in spite of what’s inside the genie jar. For one thing, while the Cavalier is a true Toy spaniel, he should never be light boned nor fragile. Just as his ancestors bred by the Duke of Marlboro had “to be able to go all day behind a horse,” so too the mod- ern Cavalier must be a sturdy little dog with good spring of rib to accommodate adequate heart and lung room. He must be easily able to enjoy a good hike with his family. He must be as sound as any good moving dog is sound—even tho he is not called upon to race or to pull a cart or to bring a wild boar to bay. In other words, his toy status does not give him license to be a weakling or unable to physically exert himself. Th e Cavalier is actually a very sporting dog and those who own one will soon learn that they have a keen penchant to chase things that move—butterflies and birds beware. Size and proportion pose another slippery slope for many judges—and breeders—alike. Th e Cavalier is the larg- est animal in the Toy Group, but a Toy nonetheless. He stands slightly o ff square, although he may “look” square at first glance. He is actually a bit longer than he is tall. While the Standard tells us 12"-13" inches at the withers, it is sometimes di ffi - cult to grasp the very significant di ff erence in appearance that variation represents. Add to that the acceptable weight variation of 13-18 lbs. and it is easy to see that there is considerable—acceptable—di ff erence in size for this breed. Add to that gender considerations and the presumption that
Lovely expression in a whole color.
“THE CAVALIER IS ACTUALLY A VERY SPORTING DOG and those who own one will soon learn that they have a keen penchant to chase things that move— BUTTERFLIES AND BIRDS BEWARE.”
males are larger than females—but not always in every case—you can appreciate the dilemmas facing judges in the ring. Th e best solution is to educate your eye by immersing yourself in the breed—watch- ing literally scores of Cavaliers in order to
sort out what is ok and what is not. Oh- did I forget? Th ere is no DQ for size. So maybe, just maybe, your best Cavalier in the ring will be a little under or a little over that 12"-13" recommendation. We need to remember that the world will not come
4 )08 4 *()5 . "(";*/& + 6-: t
Powered by FlippingBook