Page 44 - ShowSight Presents The Golden Retriever
P. 44
golden retriever Q&A
KL: I fear that there are very few traits in this breed that are NOT becoming exaggerated.
DM: Amount of coat. Slope of topline.
CGM: Size, proportion, proper coat and temperament.
BP: Yes, sadly quite a few. Excessive coat, followed by exces-
sive grooming. We are losing our wraparound and water proof jackets—an essential for a working retriever. Also over angulated rears and exaggerated movement. Some- how, excessive lift in front and rear is mislabeled as reach and drive. Dogs with legs flying high off the ground are not efficient. The Golden should be relatively short-cou- pled, not long in loin.
JP: Without question, coats have become more and more exaggerated and, in the process, more incorrect accord- ing to the requirements of the breed standard (which specifically faults soft, open and excessive coat). Cor- rect coat should have texture and not be soft and fluffy. It should wrap the body providing a waterproof barrier for the dog’s skin and body. Using products and scissors to sculpt the body in an attempt to create the appear- ance of correct structure will not change the underlying structure of the dog. Good structure comes from good breeding, not creative grooming. Some exhibitors are breeding for fast moving legs flying in the air rather than solid and balanced reach and drive with feet close to the ground at all times. Handlers race around the ring so rapidly that all too often what could be correct move- ment is lost in the scrambling legs trying to keep up with the speeding handler while remaining in an exaggerated trot. Short legs and the resulting change in proportion
to longer bodies, are another exaggeration of the correct just off square body (proportion of 12:11 is required
in the standard) that is desired. A good swimming dog needs correct length of leg to accomplish this in the most efficient manner.
MS: Yes. Far too often we see incorrect proportions (long body, short legs), excess/incorrect coat, poor head and expression.
NT: Coats that are soft and profuse (unbearable in a burr- covered field) and grooming that exacerbates the above (blowing a coat open, back brushing legs and heads or using product that is left in a poor coat).
4. Do you think the dogs you see in this breed are better now than they were when you first started judging? Why or why not?
BA: No, the balance is off and the gait is unsound.
PD: Over the years I think we are seeing a more similar look
in Goldens. I’m not sure if that is necessarily the best thing since we seem culturally to homogenize everything instead of paying attention to details that differentiate one breed from another.
LH: We have some faults that have increased in frequency over the years but that is common when you focus on one aspect to remedy. Are they better or worse? That
is all relative to the competition at the time and the availability of breedings. Years ago we didn’t have fresh chilled or frozen semen. I think that opening up the
availability has helped us to widen our sights on improve- ments. Good dogs in their day years ago were no more or less good than dogs we honor today.
GK: I think that dogs today are straying far from our breed standard, which has not been changed since before I started judging. When many of the dogs in the ring are incorrect in proportion, with legs too short or bodies
too long, then it is difficult for new judges to find correct ones according to the standard. It requires confidence and a judge who will put that one correct dog up—not an easy thing to do.
KL: I don’t think that much has changed in the breed in the past 16 years. There are pockets of very good, correct-to- the-standard dogs and there are many that are far away from conforming to the standard.
DM: It’s hard to say. I do think I used to see Golden Retriev- ers that stopped me dead in my tracks just wanting to look at them... chills on the back of my neck. Maybe because I see more now, I don’t get that chill as often. It could be that I know more now—we will hope so.
CGM: No. The Golden Retriever (like many other breeds) has become a very exaggerated “show dog”, instead of a versatile, hunting dog.
BP: Actually, no, I don’t think they are better, different in some ways, but not necessarily better. We have some outstanding Goldens today, but given the vast numbers, we lack depth of quality. I’m not saying you won’t see many lovely dogs at a National, but on many weekends, in major entries, it’s a relief to find a worthy dog and bitch for Winners and up. Some of the reasons for this, what I’m seeing in the ring, are lack of balance and proportion, some low and long and poor front assemblies that do not match rears. Sadly, many of today’s Goldens are physi- cally incapable of converging at a fast trot. We have also lost our soft, pleasing expression on many—with small eyes, almost slanted, or a harsh look.
JP: In some ways, dogs are better now than when I started judging. Size is more in keeping with the requirements
of the standard, as is the weight of many dogs. In other ways, some important breed characteristics are getting lost. Correctly shaped heads with the correctly sized dark eye and soft expression is disappearing, replaced
by small triangular shaped and sometimes squinty expressions that have lost the softness of expression and intelligent look that is a hallmark of the correct Golden Retriever head. Today I see more dome-shaped rounded, or apple-shaped heads with wedge-shaped muzzles and
a lack of stop than I did in the past. Ears are too often placed low on the head and sometimes too far back on the head, changing the look of the dog. Further, there are a few kennels, especially in other countries, with ears that are too small and highly set, losing their functional need to cover the ear canal when the dog is swimming.
MS: Yes and no. Not so much variance in general appear- ance as back in the 1950-60s, but more “fancy” and less functional. Too much emphasis on pretty—showmanship and presentation seem to be of more importance than the basic dog. True quality is far more than surface appeal.
