Have you ever sat outside a ring and watched an unfamiliar breed? Have you looked at the outline or the coat and wondered what is correct for the breed? Or while judging, have you felt like you needed a quick reference? This week we bring you The Affenpinscher Priorities of Type provided to us by The Affenpinscher Club of America.
After the conclusion of judging, we asked the seven group judges and Desmond Murphy, the Best In Show judge, to talk about their assignments and placements.
When Desmond Murphy surveyed the seven Group winners assembled under the lights in Morris & Essex’s Best In Show ring on October 6, he saw dogs of widely varying ages and experience. As he later noted, judges are used to seeing some very good dogs in the Best In Show ring—at a show like Morris & Essex, you expect to find some super dogs. And that is just what he found.
The primary purpose of studying genetics is to understand the inheritance of any given trait or characteristic, so that one may plan breedings intelligently and, through the application of the principals learned, eliminate certain faults. These principals, once understood, may be applied to specific traits and characteristics to the benefit of your breed in general and your line in particular.
On August 7, 2021 the world lost a dynamic woman who broke barriers, lived life to its fullest and was a fearless advocate for animal welfare. Carol Harris was a leading breeder of world-class Whippets and Italian Greyhounds and she was well-known throughout the breeding and show industry as a plain-spoken, honest advocate for excellence in both conformation and disposition.
How many exhibitors leave the dog show after losing the breed? How many exhibitors win the breed and do not place in the group? How many exhibitors will proclaim, “That judge doesn’t like hairy dogs, that judge only puts up his friends, or that judge doesn’t know my breed?” Well, here is the $10,000 question–how many exhibitors or handlers, for that matter, have read every breed standard in their respective Group? Is it fair for the exhibitor of the Standard Poodle to pass judgement on the Bulldog? Or vice versa? They are two breeds with a completely different make and shape, as they should be.
Alva Rosenberg will always be revered as one of the top show dog judges of all time. Although he died nearly 50 years ago, his influence lives on in the pedigrees of today’s outstanding show dogs, and through the eyes, hands, and minds of the most respected arbiters of our time.
Imagine walking into an AKC All-Breed dog show knowing your dog was going to win the group. There are a few small catches: your dog can’t bite anyone, can’t be lame, and has to defeat four class dogs to win the breed, but you have the only special. In fact, your dog is the only champion terrier of any breed entered and, therefore, is the only dog in the Terrier Group ring.
On The Cover Multiple Best In Show and Best In Specialty Show Winner GCHB. Cordmaker Punchinello
Twenty months have passed since dog shows were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while that time seems to have flown by, the fact is we are quickly approaching the two-year anniversary of something we’d all like to forget.
