Page 24 - The Labrador Retriever

labrador retriever Q&A
WITH GREGORY A. ANDERSON, PLUIS DAVERN,
JANIS GRANNEMANN, JUDY HEIM & DR. MICHAEL J. WOODS
JANIS GRANNEMANN
1. Have you worked your dogs in the field or attended field events? How, if at all, has that changed how you evaluate Labs in the ring?
I have done both. After watching dogs in the field, I am more aware of the fact that “form does indeed follow function.” For example, a short nosed lab will have a much harder time carrying a large goose. The dog will most likely have to take a harder grip on the bird and will probably damage the bird in the process.
2. What do you feel are the most controversial
points in judging this breed today? How do you address them?
The tendency to award dogs with length of loin/body because they move “better.” I judge first on type and then movement. The second big problem is that more is better. If the coat should be “short and dense,” then longer and fluffy is better. Or if “the legs should have good bone,” then tree trunks for legs are better. If the Lab reminds me of any other breed, it does not have breed type.
3. Name the five most important traits, in order, you look for in the ring. What one fault do you find hard to forgive?
Breed type, balance, expression, coat, tail and movement. I find that lack of balance is the hardest fault for me
to forgive. Not only front to rear balance, but also body to bone balance. Too many Labs are front heavy and this does not make for a very good swimmer.
The bone should also match the body. A heavy bodied Lab should not have fine or weak bones.
4. Many people feel show Labs are overweight. Can you address this?
Many are overweight. People think that fat equals body. The body type with lack of tuck up and the heavy double coat can give the impression of being overweight. I have often taken weight off a dog
and have been horrified by how thin they are when they shed.
5. What do you feel most non-breeder judges get wrong about the breed (if anything)?
Labs have been so popular for so long that it is hard for a non-breeder judge to find the correct Lab in a ring with so many different styles. Some people are breeding more for hunting, agility, another search and rescue, and so on and so on. The true Lab was bred as a water dog and should be built like one. The non-breeder judge needs to
remember to judge to the standard and hopefully find a “strongly-built, short-coupled, athletic dog.”
6. What do handlers do in presentation you wish they would not?
Not only handlers, but many owners stretch out the hind legs. A Lab should have his legs under him. He does not have a slopping top line that comes with hind legs behind the body. Let them stand on their own or stack them with their hocks perpendicular.
7. How does the breed in North America compare to other parts of the world?
Our labs tend to have heavier bodies, more bone, shorter muzzles and broader back skulls. But our dogs also seem to have better angulation front and rear. I do not see as many “Terrier fronts” in the US.
JUDY HEIM
1. Have your Labs competed in any performance events? Did that experience affect
judging decisions?
When I first began in this world of the hobby of dog breeding, showing, etc., I was involved in all aspects available at the time. I started in obedience and that was what hooked me into this very addictive sport. I contin- ued on in competition obedience for several years and became an obedience instructor, qualified and competed in the Gaines Super Dog Competition as well as the Western States Top Dog Competition. I did not have field trial dogs but admired them for their ability. I hungrily read everything I could find on structure and anatomy
of the canine. I watched my dogs in obedience and went out with the local field club to work my dogs in the field. I learned correct structure for a dog to do his job long before I went into the ring to judge. I also learned that in this, ‘size truly does not matter’. If the structure is cor- rect, the movement and ability of the dog is also correct.
2. What are the most controversial judging topics for this breed? How do you address them?
It is very obvious that the big controversy in our breed today is ‘weight’. I cannot believe the rude comments I have heard from ring stewards and judges. To have a ring steward make the comment, “Here comes the sausage
on toothpicks”, as a really great Labrador is walking into the group ring is one of the rudest experience I have ever had. The dog he was speaking of is actually a dog who swims every day and was Best of Breed this year at the world’s largest Labrador specialty. Judges who think that our breed overall is too heavy do not understand
234 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2017
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