Page 57 - ShowSight Presents The Golden Retriever

BW: My advice to any new breeder is to remember while breeding with clearances is extremely important, the dog must also be of great quality. Pieces of paper do not mean the dog should be bred! Nor should every bitch be bred to the big winner. The big winner may not be in any way right for the bitch.
6. Advice to a new judge of your breed?
RA: Learn the 4-5 key “breed-type” elements that distinguish the breed from others. Learn from breed mentors on how to prioritize these elements to help you make in-the-ring trade-offs when making selection.
LD: Judge Goldens with as much care as you would like your breed judged.
RH: Judge the whole dog and be honest to the breed and yourself.
EH: Study and apply the standard to your ring.
JM: Judge the whole dog and not just the certain parts of the
dog that you consider important.
BP: Seek in-depth understanding of our standard, ask for
mentoring and help in applying it to real dogs and don’t make it so complicated. There are many styles in our breed, but a correct Golden is a correct Golden, so under- stand what that means! Set a template in your mind and seek that when judging.
JS: New judges should really study the breed standard. Do not be afraid of awarding a dog that doesn’t fit in with the rest of your exhibits. It may be the best one.
GW: Go hunting with a Retriever of any breed. Go to both an upland and waterfowl hunt. Although fewer and fewer Goldens are used for hunting, that activity underlies a correct Golden Retriever’s structure, substance, tempera- ment, coat and proportions.
BW: They need to get themselves to some field events in order to better understand what the breed is meant to do. And to understand there are a number of different styles and colors of Golden Retrievers, all of which are correct within the realm of our standard. Try not to worry about finding look alikes, find the best ones.
7. Anything else you’d like to share—something you’ve learned as a breeder, exhibitor or judge or a par- ticular point you’d like to make.
RA: My ability to prioritize breed-type (“Make and Shape”) attributes has improved the more I have judged. As I add other breeds, my goal is to understand these priorities from breeders perspective. I think its important to have a breeder-judge mentor to help sort priorities and select based on what those breeders are trying to accomplish. We are there to preserve and improve the overall breed/ dogs—not just award the generic show dog.
LD: With some exceptions, of course, judging in general has become a political “game” with too much emphasis on the game and not enough on the quality of the dogs.
RH: Read and study your standard. It is surprising how much you learn each time.
JM: Owners that think that their golden is the best that there is, especially when they may have had only one or two Goldens to compare it with.
BW: In the past few years I have traveled with and assisted an AKC RHP Handler. I have learned how hard most
of these individuals work and have seen first hand the amount of care and conditioning it takes for a dog to be a ranked Special in its breed. Along the way we have never forgotten to let them be dogs, have fun and spend lots
of time allowing them to enjoy themselves. Dogs must always come first!
8. And for a bit of humor, what’s the funniest thing that you ever experienced at a dog show?
RA: I recently showed my own dog in the Sporting group. As I took off on the down and back, I suddenly looked up to see I was headed toward a building post close the ring mat. With nothing else to do, I let go of my special’s lead and he kept going as if I wasn’t there! I collected him at the corner and was asked to repeat the down and back. We won the group despite my handler error!
LD: At the National in Asheville, Senior Handling Class, a handler entered with a crutch, then the dog took the crutch away and carried it all around the ring. It was a full size crutch! Spectators went crazy!
Many years ago in the Open Obedience class, (36" jump) my dog went over the jump, fetched his dumbbell, came to the jump, peeked around it at me, decided I wasn’t happy. He backed up 15', jumped the jump, sat in front of me with his dumbbell, then barked with the dumbbell still in his mouth
JM: Started to drive to an event without loading the dog in the truck. I had to turn around and go back to get her.
BP: The funniest thing that I ever experienced at a dog show was years ago when a “novice” friend was showing her Golden to Ann Rogers Clark for the first time. She was beyond nervous and when asked to make a circle, she spun herself and her dog around in a small circle to the right. Needless to say we all cracked up, but Annie was very kind with her.
JS: I was doing the down and back in some show, wearing one of those wrap around skirts that were popular at the time. My dog decided to grab the ‘wrap’, exposing me from the waist down on my dog side. When I reached the judge, he turned to me and said with a laugh, “Tell her that isn’t going to influence your score!”
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2017 • 301