Posted on 02/16/2011 6:36:57 AM PST by Immerito
A 5-year-old named Hickory pulled a huge surprise Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club, winning best in show and the title of America's top dog. She became the first of her breed to capture the purple-and-gold ribbon and shiny silver bowl.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.foxsports.com ...
I was privileged to have one of those guys for 13 wonderful years. We now have a phenomenal 2 year old GSD, but I will never quit missing my Caesar. There will never be another dog like him.
Your dogs are beautiful to my eyes.
“Knowing my Dad...”
Giggle, giggle!!
Thanks for the correction!
I guess like the “turkey” the “Australian” Shepherd got misnamed by mercantile association! Apparently some of the original members of the breed came over with a shipment of Australian sheep!
My point is that as a working breed they were selected for working, not appearance, and the “standard” reflects that in that it covers a wide range of appearances and conformity.
Yup, Dagny is quite a gal. Miles, or helicopter head as he is sometimes called, is fitting in wonderfully. They have had a few discussions regarding dominance and so far Dagny has made the most compelling arguments. :{)
Yes, the toys were bred down from bigger breeds but they aren’t those breeds anymore.
I’ve known some German Shepherd show people. Their dogs are not the norm. There are other breeds that have specialty types (show dogs that can’t win under all breed judges/ dogs bred for function to the point of losing breed characteristics). A few people go for extremes and in those cases form is following function, it’s just that the function is something else.
You keep picking out GSDs but it’s an outlier, an exception. The oddity of it is that the GSD people I’ve expressed concern to about their dogs agree that extremes go too far. Without the standard pulling them back from the edge, I’m sure GSDs would evolve into 3 or 4 different breeds, again with form following function.
“What one judge see’s is not what another judge sees too.”
That’s true. Different people look at dogs through different lenses. I used to show and kept track of judges decisions. Individual judges were overwhelmingly consistent in their choices. Judges who didn’t care about movement, never cared about it. Those who insisted on dogs with certain kinds of coat didn’t waver either. I did well but I avoided certain judges like the plague and showed under others every time I could (I almost never knew any of them).
I showed in obedience too and those judges also have preferences that shade their judging.
That dog was awesome. When I see a wolfhound I always think of one day in one of those small European elevators, a man brought in his Irish wolfhound, and the doggies butt would not fit in the elevator. So he tried his hardest to bend the dog into a curve so he would fit in. It was hilariously unsuccessful and they headed for the stairs.
The person who told me this is the Aunt of a participant. They have what they call in England a “stately home,” or manor, and horses and dogs and horns and tweeds and all that stuff. Evidently what they do is give the dogs the scent of the man and they go after him.
very true.
I find herding , agility and obedience to be better and more exciting.
For instance I have a Belgian Terv and have had those and German shepherds and before that a collie, Old English sheep dog.
All are herding and I just think that the mark of a good dog is what they are for.
For my dogs herding ,agility obedience.
If it is a bloodhound then they should be used for scent, hunting etc.
Conformation for me is just a judges view with politics behind it. The other comps make it so that it goes on what the dog does and how they perform to get the points.
Some of the people in conformation are very bitchy too.
Ever see that funny film about the dog show?
I always thought Australian Shepherds should have been renamed American Shepherds! Their standard is pretty general on colors/coat etc but it’s very specific for herding dog conformation. They definitely belong in the herding group. I’d have one by now if they had a tail...
really
I’ve just called a few family and friends in England and they too had never heard of this.
Not saying what the person told you is wrong but do you have any articles about this as I am curious how this came about and how the get this organised as it sounds like something out of a movie.
Thank you
Elkhounds always seem to follow the axiom, “Never go outside on a snowy day without first powdering your nose.” :-)
That is what I mean when I say the standard is a mess.
Some are born with a tail, some without. Those born with a tail usually have it docked where that is allowed - talk to a breeder and they can certainly accommodate your desire for a “Australian” (that isn't really) with a tail!
Some have brown eyes, some have blue, and one blue and one brown is also fairly common.
Blue merle with black points, red merle with copper points, and just about any other color scheme is perfectly acceptable.
They are super great dogs, although some are “too smart”.
I loved it all. The best part is having a dog you can do it all with. I agree with you about herding dogs. Doing herding helps you understand the dog. Seeing them getting to do what they were bred for is a thing of beauty. I had a friend whose Terv started herding at the age of 10. She said the light turned on in his eyes and it was like he had waited his whole life to do that.
“Best in Show” was very funny. It’s parody of Westminster was hilarious.
Dogs can’t be too smart. It’s the smart ones which are the most fun!
When they started mentioning 0h0m0 and his stupid dog, I turned it off. I’ll be damned if I’m going to watch a dog show when it starts getting all political. That dog did not deserve to win that group. I have no doubts that the judge was a rabid liberal.
That was my pick. Movement was as good as it gets and the dog literally dripped type. Good win.
You’re absolutely right. Do you show dogs? I don’t care how lovely a dog is, if it hates to show, it will be an uphill battle. It’s great to get really good representation of the breed along with attitude. Some could practically show themselves, no handler needed. Those are the great ones.
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