Club Show Valtice 2004

Thank you so much for the invitation to judge this show. And thank you to the committee, especially Petra Spoustova, Karolina and Jaroslav who worked so hard to put on such a super show. Thanks to Petra who kept the ring running so smoothly and also Petra’s sister, Katchka, who did a great job as Ring Secretary patiently typing a whole load of English words she wasn’t familiar with. Many thanks, also, to Michal, the Club’s whizz-kid photographer.

The show, indeed the whole weekend, was run so professionally and calmly and those involved are to be congratulated.  Having heard what a success the Euro-OES-Show was in the Czech Republic – unfortunately a show I wasn’t able to get to – it’s no surprise to see such marvellous organisation.
 

I found some really first-class dogs out of a very nice entry of 39, but as at any show, the entry was mixed. Dogs were entered from Austria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic with 6 absentees.  Unusually, I found better depth of quality in the males than the females.
 

Generally heads were good with only a few needing more stop. Nearly all had good wide forefaces, only one needing more strength in jaw. Bites were correct except for two: one whose mouth didn’t properly close and another who had had an accident. Eyes were mostly well-pigmented. Eye colour varied, with only a few having that beautiful dark eye giving such a beautiful expression. Others ranged from light to several whose eye colour could have been a little darker. Amongst these we had several wall eyes too. Ears, with a few exceptions, were generally small although not always flat to the side of the head. Fronts, as we find in most countries, need improving on many dogs.  Shoulder placement is too upright and this of course, restricts front action and many dogs lacked a good reach of neck. Toplines were mixed, some good and some non-existent. A correct topline is the hallmark of our breed. Bone was generally good. Several dogs had very weak hindquarters and so, even tho they were reasonably typical in conformation, they had to be marked down in grading. I awarded 4 Very Goods and 4 Goods, nearly all due to weak rear ends. A bobtail has to have strong hindquarters and so be able to move. There were very few good quality coats, something that needs watching. Several of the bitches were far too big as well as being too long in loin; one was almost untypical in her length of body. We need to remember our breed should be compact. Yes, we need a strong loin, of course, but often the length in loin was far too long in relation to the rest of the dog.
 

Several dogs were too heavy and this really spoiled movement. Please don’t confuse good condition with a fat dog.  There is a happy medium between thin and fat but a too heavy dog is not good news, especially in young dogs, considering the hip problems our breed suffers.
Having said all this, I was lucky to find a good proportion of dogs out of the very top drawer, being compact with good depth to body and spring of rib, good topline, well boned, with good angulation front and rear and with a nice reach of neck and moving well.

I was surprised to have several dogs growling as I handled them – perhaps something that should have been mentioned before anything else. This is simply not acceptable in our breed. I didn’t disqualify as they didn’t actually bite but this is something that really needs watching. I heard one or two fracas outside the ring too. This is not a bobtail temperament and needs eliminating from a breeding programme.
 

Some dogs were beautifully presented and handled but there is room for improvement with many exhibitors. It’s worth spending time watching the more experienced exhibitors moving and handling their dogs.  If the dog isn’t moved in a straight line, it’s hard for a judge to assess movement and your dog can lose out when it’s simply a matter of good handling. And remember, it’s really important the dog moves on a loose lead so he can properly extend and drive. Dogs who are strung up can’t extend properly and take little mincing steps. When you consider the time exhibitors put in going to the shows, not to mention the expense, it’s really worth spending time training your dog to move properly.  One of the best things in showing a bobtail is that it really is a partnership between you and the dog and it’s up to you to show off your dog to the best of your ability.

Each dog had its individual critique, of course, so there is no need to write in detail here but from the entry, the following dogs really impressed me:

I particularly loved the first two placings in the Junior Male class. 1. Aryaka’s Callipous , son of BIS & 2. Argovian English Waltz at Kaynara. Both very promising youngsters. The second in the class paying the price for carrying too much weight and whilst he moved well, I know he would have moved even better with less weight. Two very exciting young dogs here, both super to handle and two dogs I’m sure we’ll hear more from in the future. Congratulations to their breeders.
Winners Class Male was a really good class with 5 nice dogs, something hard to find these days. 1^st place, Best Male and BIS, Ch. Reata’s Cosmopolitan, was the star of the show for me, absolutely in bloom, beautiful to handle and really floating around the ring. Beautifully presented too. It was his day. The 2^nd placed dog and Club Winner, Ch. Anthony od Chumbarku who was very close up, movement very solid, not putting a foot wrong and sporting an excellent quality coat but he needed more of it to complete the picture. Two excellent males leading a very nice Winners Dog class.
Loved the pretty, compact Puppy bitch winner, Enchant Wisecracker Bell who easily took the Best puppy award.
The Junior bitch class was won by a pretty bitch, Katie Scarlett Modry kanon sporting a lovely quality coat for her age. From the Open bitch class came my Best bitch and Reserve BIS, Agata z Udoli stesti.  She caught my eye the minute she entered the ring, compact and moving beautifully. Coat on the change but her construction and movement won her this placing.
1st placing in Winner class bitch was a lovely and well-known bitch, Ch. Manrose Primadona with a truly fantastic head and shown in beautiful profuse coat. I appreciated the amount of work that has gone into this bitch’s coat and into her excellent presentation. However, excess weight spoiled her movement on the day.
I was also liked the Best Veteran (bitch), Aneta ze Stribne strane who moved well for her age and was shown in an excellent quality coat.

I’d like to thank exhibitors for accepting my placings in a very sporting manner. The atmosphere at this show was marvellous with applause for every winner. People even thought to applaud when there was only one entry in a class. Very nice.
Mention, of course, must be made of the social events of the weekend! The evening before the show we were treated to a wine tasting in a wonderful old cellar in the village. What characters the vintner and his assistant were, plying us, as they did with small amounts of each type of wine. Unfortunately there are no photographs of that evening as the battery in my camera had run out – well, that’s my excuse!

The gala dinner after the show was so much fun and held in a wonderful cellar in the hotel with marvellous massive wooden tables and benches. Slavek is a wonderful DJ, with a superb collection of music and it didn’t take long for everyone to be up on his or her feet dancing the night away.  But we didn’t just dance, we were entertained by a very pretty petite lady (whoops – well actually She was He!) and we laughed and clapped and cheered her on. I didn’t understand a word, of course, but somehow I knew what she was saying! Later, I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of red roses (petals like velvet) and given some truly beautiful Czech wine glasses. As you’d know, the Czech Republic is justifiably famous for its stunning glass and the beautiful hand-made glasses Petra had chosen for me will be treasured forever. They’ll also be used!

It was so nice to get to make new friends and get to know old ones better.
So good to see Joachim Pilz at the show. He is one of the breed’s staunchest supporters with boundless enthusiasm and encouragement for all. I’ve known Joachim for years but it was so good to have the opportunity to properly chat and get to know each other better. I was also happy to have the opportunity to talk with Petra Spoustova. Now, there is one knowledgeable and caring breeder who speaks the same bobtail language as me. Great to get to know Jaroslav, the President, and also sweet, always laughing, Karolina, who gave me a treasured guided tour of that most beautiful of cities, Prague.

Thank you, Bobtail Club of the Czech Republic – you are wonderful!