This post is about ...
So I went to the Westminster site and pulled up the 'best of breed' videos for some of my favorite breeds ...
SIBERIAN HUSKIES
WTF??? Okay ... I know there are multiple colors out there ranging from all white to nearly all black ... but there seems to be a real trend towards the lighter color of dog ... ones that are nearly all white but not quite.
I don't like this -- the coloring of a husky has multiple purposes:
- it helps to absorb heat from the sun in the day
- it makes it easier to see them on the snow (when a musher may be having issues with reflection)
- it makes them easier to see in a snow storm (make sure your headed in proper direction)
- distinguishes between dogs (for hooking up)
Although, I can live with this trend more than the one towards a smaller dog ... several years ago, there was a trend to push for a minature standard of the breed, a dog that was about 15" tall (the size of a minature, or small standard, poodle) ... this would render the dog too small to be a decent puller ...
I'm sorry - but for a WORKING group dog, I think the function has to out weigh the form ... while I tend to lean towards the black/white variety, I do like the greys and reds as well ... but I like a DISTINCT marking to the dog, not this washed out batch that made it to the breed ring.
very disappointing. very.
8=8 8=8 8=8 8=8 8=8
(look - dog bones :-)
NEWFOUNDLANDS
alright - this was just funny!
I love these dogs, but these ones have at least 20 lbs on our Addy who we keep trim to lessen the strain on her joints & heart ... Newfs have a LOT of joint & heart issues, and very short life spans ... and these ones are very puffy and brushed exceptionally well which makes them fluffier ...
and much more comical to watch!
Keep an eye on the circle the handlers and dogs run around the ring - it shrinks dramatically as the dogs decide they just don't want to put that much effort into it.
Then there is the dog who is stacked perfectly until his handler isn't looking - so he moves his back feet ... not a disqualification, but it messed up his stack.
The dog with the flash on the chest is just hilarious to watch -- you can just hear him going "Do-do-do-do" as he prances at the camera ... I think the flash is just making it more prominent.
One issue:
The Landseer ... now don't get me wrong, I love Landseers, I would have gotten one if the breeder had had it ... but I do not like the coloring on this one ... and to me the coloring on the front left leg should have been taken as a fault, the coloring (at least to me) is more than just "ticking" it is patched., but that's just me I guess. To me though, it did not meet the standard for the Landseer catagory:
I can't tell from the video if the one I like actually took the group or got 'best of opposite sex' which is where the handler was standing ... to me the only dog there that actually looked the way you would think of a Komondor was dog 3 ... at least ring wise (I can not make out the armband numbers)
The purpose after all of all that cording is so that wolves and other preditors can not tell the front from the back ... and the third dog is the only one with long enough cording, thick enough cording all over the body as well as the tail to allow this to be so.
It is the one dog that actually looks like the pictures that the AKC chooses to represent the breed in their publications & website ... while the length of the coat can be tied to age, of the two dogs that won the youngest was 4 1/2 yrs old and should have had a full coat by now (they must begin to cord by the time they are 2yrs old) ...
I guess I will have to watch the show to see which of these two made it into the BoS ring ...
8=8 8=8 8=8 8=8
LEONBURGER
as you may recall from my other "doggies" post - this is a new breed to Westminster ... and it fascinates me.
as such - I will not comment, just let you enjoy the video
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