Going for the Blue Read Online Free PDF Page A

judge or good,
     responsible breeder wants to see passed along to the next generation. Bottom line? Flash is pretty, flash is fun, it’s great
     on a leash in your neighborhood, and you can get to meet all kinds of nice new neighbors—fantastic social glue—but glitz’s
     value in the ring is problematical. And, unlike movement and the way the dog is structured from the skeleton out, it tells
     you nothing of importance about the dog. Remember, in the show ring we are looking for genes that will make this individual
     dog’s puppies as close to 100 percent of the standard as possible.
    Flash and glitz should not be confused with condition. They are two very different things. The standards specify what the
     coat should be like, and it is a matter to which a great deal of attention must be paid. Don’t even bother showing a dog whose
     coat is “blown,” not up to standards. A dog is supposed to look terrific, and its coat is a big part of that. An Afghan Hound
     whose coat isn’t elegant and flowing or a Labrador Retreiver who isn’t glistening with robust good health might as well hang
     it up until grooming and diet have brought them up to a competitive level. I have seen many otherwise terrific dogs dumped
     by the judge because they looked like grubby unmade beds. If ever there was an uninspiring sight, it is an unmade bed going
     around the ring in company and competition with elegant, glistening hunks.
    This is where tone comes into play. No judge prefers soft, mushy dogs over well-conditioned, well-toned specimens. No matter
     what its assignment, to be a perpetual motion machine like the Border Collie or a lap sweetie like the Cavalier King Charles
     Spaniel, a dog should have exercised appropriately and be strong and well toned when the curtain goes up.
    FAULTS
    Those dreadful things called faults can be rather more precise to deal with than the concept of perfection. There is usually
     less opinion involved. It is easier to determine if a dog has two tails (I am sure that would be considered an unforgivable
     fault) than it would be to determine if a dog’s one and properly only tail is perfect in every respect. Faults are found in
     every breed: in the Bichon Frise, cowhocks (where the midleg joints, or hocks, on the rear legs, turn inward and the feet
     turn outward), a snippy muzzle, poor pigmentation, protruding or yellow eyes, undershot or overshot bite, are all listed as
     serious faults for the breed, as are a cockscrew tail (perish the thought!) and black hair in the coat.
    When faults are considered really egregious, they can be the basis for out-and-out disqualification. The judge is expected
     to dismiss any Papillon that is more than twelve inches at the withers (the upper portion of the third to the sixth dorsal
     vertebrae, generally called the “shoulder,” where dogs are “sticked,” or measured for height) or if it is liver colored or
     if its coat is any solid color, including white. White patches on the ears or around the eyes and a pink, spotted, or liver-colored
     nose will also assure what otherwise might be a handsome little dog an invitation to leave the ring immediately and become
     a full-time pet. An Italian Greyhound will usually get the old heave-ho if he has tan markings normally found on black-and-tan
     dogs of other breeds. The lovely little West Highland White Terrier, or Westy, can get into trouble back aft. It is a fault
     if the tail is set too low on his rump, or if it is too long or carried at half-mast or over the dog’s back. The tail is never
     docked, so a certain length is natural and required. The Westy can also get in trouble up front, since excess timidity and
     excess pugnacity are both to be discouraged by judges to whom the dog is presented. The German Shepherd Dog is disqualified
     if it is white in color; if its nose is not predominantly black; if it has cropped or hanging ears, a docked tail, an undershot
     jaw; or for attempting to bite the judge.