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Never thought I would ever get to America,
much less think of receiving an invitation to judge in that country..
Columbia River CTC may be a recently
formed club and from the enthusiasm which I encountered, it certainly is a
club of which any Cairn fancier should be proud to be a member.
One expects a report telling of the
dogs which I went over on the day but sorry this will not be. All dogs have
their faults, some worse than others; all dogs have their good points, some
more than others.
On selecting my BOB, I spoke to its
handler of something, not to my liking, yet told that the overall quality
of the dog enabled it to attain the highest placing of the day – that is as
it should be – the overall merit of the dog, to its Breed Standard, is all
that matters.
At the Dinner in the evening, when
asked to say a few words, I felt these should be words of encouragement but
not those of praise. The point I made was of the dogs entered on the day
were obviously ‘show dogs’ and being show dogs; then the dogs should be in
‘show condition’ – many were not. A stroll on a lead will not condition a
dog – a speed walk will – but free running or chasing a ball for 15 minutes
each day with quality food should bring a dog into a good condition for
show purposes. See the picture below for an example of bodies ‘fit for show
purposes’ at the same age in comparison to most of the dogs entered under
me – no flabby muscles there. Body condition; training; grooming; are the
three essentials needed for all show dogs – regardless of their quality.
Must mention Val Perry’s ‘Sully’; when
on the table I stressed that he needed to be in an harder condition – only
to learn that he had recently come back to her and of already having lost
just over 4lbs in weight – still very young but once Val gets him into hard
condition; then he will be a serious challenger to most dogs.
Another point concerns the forelegs
and feet, as the American Standard reads: “Legs must be covered with hard
hair.” It does not state ‘long hair’; this has a tendency to be soft but
obviously will also hide lack of straightness. Look at the BOB’s forelegs
and then compare them with the dogs in the other pictures. Regular grooming
of the legs will promote a strong growth of shorter hair to enhance the
legs. Nails, especially if walked on grassland, need to be kept short and a
weekly rub with a file or sandpaper is all that is needed for the dog to
stand on its pads. Also, having been taught that the only place to use
scissors is around the foot, have found that it presents a neater foot.
As with dogs in the UK and elsewhere,
all have their faults and their good points and it is only through
competing in the ring that one can compare them with their peers. We in the
UK have been spoilt by having our dogs judged, mostly, by Breed Specialist
Judges and in the past these have been experienced and knowledgeable
breeders from large successful kennels; these guided the breed towards the
Cairn which is shown today. Unfortunately, this is not so common in the
States; so leaving each judge to decided on their version of the breed type
as they see it. Myself, I was looking for daylight under the belly,
balanced out with the correct length of back and ample neck to do its work.
Yes; I did enjoy the appointment.
Judging provides the opportunity and experience of going over dogs, other
than our own, and with these being previously unseen dogs and unknown
handlers; it made it all that little bit more exciting
Graham
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