THE FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER: THE “UN-GENERIC” BLACK DOG (YES, THEY COME IN LIVER COLORED, TOO)
by MARLA J. DOHENY
W hen I was asked the ques- tion why I wanted to become a licensed AKC conformation judge, I would have liked to say that it was because I wanted to make a di ff erence in the breeds I love. Th at would be a lie. Th e di ff erence that I will make in those breeds over my lifetime will be small. No matter how many champions I produce, or how many
accomplishments I have with a particu- lar dog, the di ff erence in the breed will be barely perceivable. My hopes are that through many years of dedication and breed mentoring that I will help some see the very special uniqueness of the Flat- Coated Retriever. Th roughout this article, I would like to put an emphasis on what makes this breed di ff erent from other breeds and what
the well-trained eye, be it judge or fel- low breeder, should be keen to observe. A departure from generic dog judging is what is needed in the AKC conformation world, and hopefully this short article can shed a small glimmer of light on this, finding the “un-generic” dog—this is your challenge. In recent months, I have done a fair amount of observing judging of this breed. Some judging has been surprisingly good,
“A DEPARTURE FROM GENERIC DOG JUDGING IS WHAT IS NEEDED IN THE AKC CONFORMATION WORLD...”
S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , S EPTEMBER 2014 • 227
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