THE Ph.D. RETRIEVER
the word “clumsy,” I found myself worrying way too much about the “long in leg” aspect. Apparently, a lot of exhibitors felt the same way. Obviously, no one wants a “leggy” Golden (a Golden that is too tall for its body length) or a square Golden. But, unfortunately, there has been a tendency to go in the opposite direction: Low on leg or longer bodies and/or longer loins. Part of this trend ensued because of an effort to achieve the show dog “tremendous reach and drive” (TRAD) that isn’t really the way a Golden Retriever should be mov- ing. TRAD is frequently achieved at the expense of level toplines, “well developed forechest,” short loins, and length of leg. Rolling or dipping toplines, ewe necks, and shoulders set too far forward start to become the norm, all because of the quest for ultimate TRAD. However, Goldens were bred for stamina and endurance, and navi- gating rough terrain of the Scottish highlands—not for racing and sprinting across flat fields. So, even though it is not specifically stated in the standard, the Golden is a Retriever with a 50:50 leg-to-height ratio—the distance from the elbow to the ground should equal the distance from the elbow to the withers. And the proper gait for a Golden in the show ring is a working trot at a moderate speed on a loose lead. There are supporting articles on our GRCA Judges’ Edu- cation page, addressing leg length, judging suggestions, etc. We haven’t really addressed the other priorities the Judges’ Edu- cation Committee has come up with, but they will be addressed in our GRCA JEC Facebook page: • Functional Head with True Breed Characteristics • Coat—Wrap-Around, Water-Repellent Jacket with Undercoat • All Shades of Golden Acceptable (Please see the ShowSight article by Cindy Partridge in this issue.) • Endurance Gait—Effortless, Easy, on a Loose Lead In the meantime, extensive information can be found on the GRCA Judges’ Education page of the website. We have many down- loadable articles, including an Illustrated Standard, At A Glance brochure, and a Quick Study Guide. We also have several videos, including a Golden Retriever Conformation Judges Training Video. For those of you who are confused about the many styles of Golden Retrievers, the Conformation Judges Training Video has several examples of the different styles. As for the “not clumsy nor long in the leg,” our committee’s breed historian and Golden Retriever expert, Marcia Schlehr, says it is a “warning against clunky, overdone dogs on one hand, and racy sighthound types on the other. This phrase has been in our standard since recognition of the breed.”
THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY IS ACTUALLY CONTAINED IN THE VERY FIRST ‘GENERAL APPEARANCE’ PARAGRAPH THAT REFERS TO THE GOLDEN AS ‘PRIMARILY A HUNTING DOG.’
In our effort to emphasize the “retriever” characteristics of the Golden Retriever, the Golden Retriever Club of America Judges’ Education Committee has recently come up with pri- orities/hallmarks of the Golden Retriever that we want judges to look for and emphasize while judging the Golden. The most important priority is actually contained in the very first “General Appearance” paragraph that refers to the Golden as “primarily a hunting dog.” In fact, almost everything you need to know about Goldens is contained in that paragraph. I’ve attended many breed seminars and webinars where the speaker has said almost the same thing, and yet, I read that first paragraph of everyone else’s breed standards and I still don’t always get the essence of their breed. Hopefully, with the emphasis on purpose in our “General Appearance” paragraph, the essence of our breed does not escape you—though you may be like me and just have to keep reading the breed standard to find and remember those elusive traits that are sometimes easy to miss. Another important hallmark/priority the committee came up with is proportion. The Golden is slightly longer than tall (12:11 as measured from breastbone to point of buttocks), i.e., slightly off-square. And yet, ironically, while I was skipping over
1. Judge’s Study Package for licensed and provisional judges. $25 2. NEW Golden Retriever Conformation Judges Training Video ConformationEducation.com 3. The Golden Retriever: An Illustrated Study Guide 4. Golden Retriever Quick Study Guide (suitable for double-sided printing) 5. Golden Retriever-At a Glance (suitable for printing on legal paper and folding into a pamphlet) 1. De un Vistazo” Referencia para Jueces (en español) 6. Articles, and Letters to Judges
1. Breed Function: Food for Thought for Judges of Golden Retrievers 2. Letter to Judges regarding correct coat and grooming practice
3. Size Disqualification in Golden Retrievers 4. Suggestions for Judging the Golden Retriever 5. AKC Video on Measuring and Weighing
7. The Golden Retriever – Structure, Movement and Use (Video) 1. Part 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkbi7a5cTLY 2. Part 2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlX8op7MW_k 3. Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhF24-6PcA8 8. IN REVIEW: JE Postings from GRCA Judge’s Education Facebook site 1. Backline in Review 2. Bite and Dentition in Review 3. Coat Color in Review 4. Length of Leg in Review 5. Profile Movement in Review 6. Upper Arm in Review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Helen Dorrance has been showing and training Golden Retrievers since 1976 and has been judging Goldens since 2002. She is the current Chair of the GRCA Judges’ Education Committee.
280 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2021
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