JUDGING THE BERGAMASCO SHEEPDOG By Juan-Manuel Olivera-Silvera Breed Club Historian, Judges Education Chairman; Bergamasco Sheepdog Club of America
P iles of yarn are stacked outside the show ring and the judge is waiting for the next breed to come in. Th e Stewart calls the numbers and all of a sudden the piles of yarn start moving and magnificent dogs flood the ring. Th e crowd starts asking: are they large Puli? Smaller Komondor? But the colors and coat are di ff erent. Here enters the Bergamasco Sheepdog, an ancient herding breed from the Alpine regions of northern Italy and southern Switzerland. Th e Bergamasco Sheepdog is a muscular, heavy-boned herding dog with a large head and a thick tail that hangs down to the hock and curves slightly upward at the end. Th e Bergamasco’s characteristic feature is its unique coat, made up of three types of hair which form flocks, strands of hair woven together creating flat layers of felted hair; those flocks cover the dog’s body and legs, and can be confused with cords. For a judge, an in-depth manual examination of the dog is imperative in order to discover what hides underneath this magnificent coat. It is important to point out that the Ber- gamasco Sheepdog is a 2000 years old natu- ral breed, which has evolved with very little human manipulation. Th e Bergamasco is a true heritage breed, which developed unique characteristics without man-made aesthetics. While the standard has guidelines about the breed traits, it is important to note that the individuals of a natural breed are not cut in one single mold: t ɨF TJ[F UFYUVSF BOE UIJDLOFTT PG UIF flocks grow di ff erently in each individ- ual. Females can have a lighter coat and dogs under 4 years old have much shorter flocks and should not be penalized in the show ring as it is very slow growing. t .BMFT JEFBMMZ TUBOE JODIFT BOE females 22 inches (with only +/-1 inch). Th e Bergamasco is pretty homogeneous
in its size. It is considered a medium size breed, is heavy bones and has a muscular compact built. Some larger and heavier males can be relatively bigger that petite females (85 lbs. vs. 55 lbs). In judging a Bergamasco in conformation shows, one must look for a well-balanced dog with a rustic appearance and with plenty of sub- stance, instead of a cookie cutter image. t .BMFT TIPVME CF NBTDVMJOF BOE SFHBM weighing 70 to 84 lbs. relative to the height of the dog. Females are more femi- nine in body with a weight di ff erence in the range of 55 lbs. to 70 lbs. Let’s examine what one should expect while judging this unique breed. The Head Th e head is long more or less, proportion- ate to the size of the dog, with the skull and muzzle of equal length, parallel to one anoth- er, and joined at a pronounced stop. Th e skin on the head is tight with no wrinkles. Th e skull is slightly domed between the ears and rounded at the forehead. Th e skull is about as wide as it is long, and fea- tures a prominent occiput and a marked median furrow. Th e ears are set high; they are soft and thin and hang down on either side of the face. Th e ear length does not exceed half the length of the head, and the top two- thirds is triangular in shape, with slightly rounded tips. When the dog is alert, the ears prick up at the base, with the top two- thirds semi-drooping. Th e nose is large and black with big, well- opened nostrils. In profile, the nose is on the same line as the top of the muzzle and does not extend beyond the forepart of the muzzle. Th e eyes are large, oval, and set just slightly obliquely. Eye color is brown, with the darkness of the color varying with the color of the coat from any shade of hazel to dark brown; a lighter eye is not a fault as
long as it is not blue. Th e eye rims are dark and the expression is attentive and calm. Th e lips are tight and just as the nose and eye rim, of dark pigment. Th e jaw is wide with a full complement of strong, evenly spaced, white teeth meet- ing in a scissors bite. Th e line of the incisors is straight and perpendicular to the outside lines of the jaw. In conformation shows, only the front teeth are examined. Th e Bergamasco’s neck is strong, slightly arched, and should be about 20 percent shorter than the length of the head, mea- sured from the nape to the forward edge of the withers. In action the neck is carried for- ward with its upper profile almost a continu- ation of the topline, with only a slight angle at the withers. A Body Build For the Mountain A very important structural character- istic, a ff ecting the Bergamasco Sheepdog’s locomotion for optimum e ffi ciency while performing their tasks, is the importance of the length of the body. Th e Bergamasco is very slightly longer than tall, with the length being about 5 to 6 percent longer than the height at the withers. Th e Bergamasco should neither be an even square nor too long in body. If the square dog’s proportions were to be applied to a Bergamasco, the body would be squeezed into unnatural proportions with too short of a pelvis. Th is would cre- ate an insu ffi cient length of the pelvis and its angulations and, in consequence, hind lower limbs too long, ine ffi cient in uphill locomo- tion, as the dog’s center of gravity would rise. A longer proportion of 10 to 20% longer than tall is just as incorrect as it would not be suitable for rapid ascent and for downhill. Such build being better suited for sheepdogs that work on flatter terrain covering larger distances instead of using power traction. Bergamascos always carry out their work in
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