Page 25 - ShowSight Presents The Golden Retriever
P. 25
“Stormy” - This is BIS BISS AM/CAN CH. Malagold Storm Warning OS SDHF - Marcia and Connie love the vision of motion of Stormy in the Sporting group at the Garden in 1998.
CGM: Yes! Let’s drink to that! And let’s hope that the future caretakers of our lovely breed will remember that this is the Golden Retriever, a Sporting dog, and that being “pretty” does not always equate to being “proper”.
MS: Here’s a toast to respecting and upholding the breed standard in order to maintain the “Sporting” aspect of this marvelous breed.
BIO
Marcia Schlehr is
a breeder, judge, art-
ist, author and well
known champion of
the Golden Retriever
breed. A long time
breeder under the
kennel name “Kyrie”,
and an active mem-
ber of the GRCA since 1957, Ms. Schlehr has put more than one hundred titles on her own dogs in all areas - conforma- tion, performance and field events. As an award-winning author, Ms. Schlehr’s published works include “the New Gold- en Retriever” (1996) and “A Study of the Golden Retriever” (1994), which is fondly referred to as “The Blue Book” by students and supporters of the Golden Retriever breed, and continues to be dis- tributed by the GRCA.
BIO
Connie Gerstner
Miller began Malagold
Kennels in 1964. Mala-
gold is currently home to
numerous Best in Show
and multiple GRCA
National Specialty win-
ning Golden Retrievers,
having bred, owned or co-owned more than 140 titled dogs in a variety of event areas including conformation, obedience, tracking and field. As a breeder, exhibitor and AKC licensed judge, Mrs. Miller brings a unique perspective of having been involved in all areas of the conformation world. Mrs. Miller is very active in presenting Breed Education Seminars and Workshops focusing on the Golden Retriever, and has worked tirelessly as an advocate for this beautiful breed.
CGM: As usual, I agree with you on the Golden head. But we need more consistent- ly well defined and attractive heads, with a kind and intelligent look to it. I often see a serious lack of underjaw, which indicates an inability to perform their task – carrying a bird. We don’t need the continual baiting to get the ears up all the time. That tends to lose the soft expression that the Golden Retriever is supposed to have. But we do see extra wrinkling or drooping of skin, high ear sets, and a lack of proper stop.
MS: I think so many people today have forgotten that the Golden always was a “dual purpose” dog, at least up until, roughly, the early 1970s. But increas- ing specialization for success in different areas has led to divergence. Many are now strictly specialists in one area or another, rather than the versatile “generalist” that Goldens were for so many years. I do think that the advent of AKC Hunting Tests, and the GRCA’s own Working Cer- tificate Tests, has helped introduce many to at least basic field work.
Have you had the chance to go over some of the working field dogs? We’ve used some in Judges’ Education to show
the students what “hard working condi- tion” really is, and we’ve also found that in many cases the dogs from lines bred for work, are better in some aspects of their construction than what is commonly seen in the show ring. Shoulders, for instance.
CGM: I think the field dogs are always in the best condition and am often appalled at how “soft” some of the dogs in the show ring are. I am a firm believer that muscle conditioning and proper structure all work together to make a dog move correctly. I feel the overall health of the dog is better when it is kept in working condition.
MS: What well-known dogs of the past do you feel would be good examples of a Golden representing our breed and capable of “doing it all”?
CGM: Besides my own Corey, Clover and Stormy, my favorites have to be Dox- ology, Andy, Treasure, Rotten, Buck, Yogi, and your Diel.
MS: Well, there are still a few breeders trying keep to the “straight and narrow”, that is, the classic Golden, and not jump on the bandwagon of whatever is “fashion- able” at the moment. That’s something we could drink to!
