GS Breeders and Owners Club (O - 27/07/2019)

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Critique

I felt honoured to be invited to judge the club show of this delightful breed. It was probably over 20 years ago when I first judged German Spitz and have not judged them often over the years. Type is more uniform now then it was all that time ago and I have noticed how this has gradually changed. Although there still seems to be 2 distinct types, the differences between the types is not as marked as it has been in the past. I did find that size with the Klein was good but with the Mittels it was a little more varied. Conformation was good with only a few lacking in soundness and movement was mostly good.

The heavy rain at the edge of the ring did unsettle some of the dogs but not enough so that movement could not be assessed. Someone pointed out that their dog was definitely ‘fair weather’ and I think a few felt the same way.

Several dogs had a rather prominent stop, often coupled with round eyes, which is not particularly attractive and may even be a little uncomfortable for the dogs as they had weepy eyes. Pigmentation was good for both the Kleins and the Mittels. The breed standard states that the German Spitz is supposed to be ‘active and alert’. I feel sure many of the dogs had read the breed standard as they were definitely ‘active’ on the day, enjoying their day out despite the heavy rain.

My grateful thanks to all the exhibitors who were very kind and took my decisions so graciously. Thanks must also go to my steward who did a sterling job keeping track of all the dogs in the many classes. I do hope the day was enjoyed by all!

This was not the easiest of classes to judge as type was varied between my 2 entries

Puppy Dog

1st Chamber’s Musique Born Legacy - A nice youngster to go over; good neck, well set into shoulders; lovely outline both standing and on the move. Moderate rear angulation; good tail set. I thought he was a little bold in eye and perhaps had a little too much stop. BPIB
2nd Gep-Cox’s Manzamas Pearl Driver TAF (IMP SWE) - Similar in age to my class winner but a little longer caste. Good front and rear angulation; he moved really well around the ring. His head was not as mature or masculine as my 1st placing but think time will improve this.

Junior Dog

1st Francis & Pearce’s Ch. Longsdales Blame It On Me – What a lovely example of the breed this 17 month youngster is. Correct head with pleasing expression; correctly set ears; lovely neck and outline; good body length; good tail set and carriage. Moved so well around the ring. Difficult to fault. Extremely well handled.
2nd Chamber’s Musique Born Legacy – (as puppy dog)

Post Graduate Dog

1st Rogerson’s Nosregor Willhe Doo – Nice head with a moderate stop and kind expression; correct bite. Good neck and shoulders, quite well ribbed up but perhaps a little long in back. Good tail set quite high. Movement not as fluid as I would like.

Limit Dog

1st Francis & Pearce’s Longsdale Heat Of The Moment – Like my junior dog class winner, I thought this dog a super example of the breed. Lovely head and expression; correct angulation; good tail set and carriage; correct outline for the breed; well presented; moved so well around the ring. Res Best Dog.

Open Dog

I really enjoyed judging this class as there were some really lovely examples of the breed.

1st Francis, Pearce & Quinn’s IR Ch Longsdales Cool Rider – A well proportioned male which has so many good breed points that I found it difficult to fault him. Lovely head; excellent front; Correct shoulders; super outline with excellent proportions; correctly angulated rear quarters; good feet; in top condition throughout. Had the best movement of the day. Best Dog. BOB
2nd Lewis’s Indizak Hakuna Matata At Louchelle SHCM – Not as strong on the move as my class winner but much to like about this one. Good head, correct bite, nice pigment; good depth of chest. Longer coupled than the first placing and not as strong on the move. Good tail placement and carriage.
3rd Moir’s Jansanleis Loud N’ Proud – A 4 year old with which also had much to like. Good head, level topline; good tail placement. Front action good but not so strong in the rear.

Veteran Dog

1st Francis & Pearce’s Ch. Longsdale’s Willie Win JW – Another very good example of the breed. Viewed from the top I thought his head shape very good but when viewed from the side I wondered if he didn’t have a little too much stop and he was a little bold in eye. Ear placement was good, neck and shoulders good and I liked his breed type. He was moving a little wide in front but that could be a function of age, however when going around the ring, side on he looked lovely. Best Veteran

Minor Puppy Bitch

1st Macpherson’s Kismet Night Fury – Pretty feminine girl with a very pretty head and expressive eyes. Good type throughout; good topline. Currently a little long cast but feel sure there is much growing and maturing to be done. Good tail set with a well carried tail. A little nervous on the day but she is still very much a ‘baby’ in so many ways.

Puppy Bitch

1st Slack’s Fecimus One Of Us – I liked this puppy bitch. Typical head shape; good front; level topline. Nice overall shape throughout for her age. She carried her tail correctly both when standing and on the move. This young bitch did not really rate the wet weather and was not keen to move anywhere close to where it was raining. Best Puppy Bitch. Res Best Bitch
2nd Agar’s Musique Crème De La Crème – Another nice youngster but very much a ‘teenager’ in all ways. Although there is much to like about this youngster, such as good breed type, good head, correct bite, nice neck and shoulders, I felt her movement was not as fluid as my class winner; her movement was a little loose in front and her tail set and carriage was not as good as I would like.

Junior Bitch

1st Slack’s Fecimus One Of Us – As previous class

Limit Bitch

1st Grayer’s Radajasa’s Nancy Wake At Delgray – Mature 3 year old with a nice outline standing and held on the move. I thought she was a little bit short in foreface, which spoilt her expression a little. Viewed from the side, her movement was good but coming towards me, she moved a little wide. I felt her tail was perhaps a little too tightly curled.

Open Bitch

1st Rogerson’s Ch Nosregor Lies ‘N’ Deceet – A gorgeous example of the breed; looked lovely standing with a correct level topline which she held on the move> Her overall proportions are excellent and I found it difficult to fault her. She showed herself off so beautifully. Hard to believe that she is nearly 7 years old as she looked half that age. In excellent condition. Best Bitch. BOS
2nd Francis & Pearce’s Ch Longsdale’s Dilemma – Another bitch I liked but felt that her outline was not as good as my class winner, however her movement was excellent. She has good, small rounded feet; high set tail correctly placed over her back. I thought her head not as flat as required by the breed standard.
3rd Macpherson’s Wildandfree Lady Margareth At Kismet (IMP EST) – An exciting bitch to go over but she didn’t move as well as her conformation suggested. Loved her head and thought she had good eye and ear shape and placement. Good topline.

Members’ Open Stakes

1st Francis & Pearce’s Ch Longsdale’s Willie Win JW
2nd Francis & Pearce’s Ch Longsdale’s Blame It On me
3rd Chamber’s Musique Born Legacy