As a breeder of reputation of many breeds, Danes, Mini Bull
Terriers, Beagles, Borzoi and German Wirehaired Pointers, I have
experienced a need for placing emphasis in a varying number of
areas. I do however, find that in two of those breeds, Danes and
Bull Terriers, type is hallmark, the one singular virtue that sets
the breed apart from all others. Two breeds that have physically
been manipulated and hybridized through the efforts of talented,
conscientious breeders. Is the breed standard a guide for
breeders to breed better dogs? Is the standard a guide for the
judges to judge dogs better? I am not certain we could ever
agree on that answer, but I can say with certainty, most new judges of our breed,
judge them with a “generic “ flare that does in no way contribute
to, nor benefit the efforts of a well balanced, breed specific
program.
As judges, our sole purpose is to judge breeding stock. Much too
often is the case that judges are passing over the truly good
specimens in a breed for dogs of much lesser quality who are lacking
severely in breed characteristics. Judges tend to error in the
favor of performance related characteristics and reward dogs that
tend to do nothing wrong, but when you actually study them, they
rank terribly low on the scale of breed virtue, almost to the point
of insignificance. If an individual had the confidence to judge our
breed with the eye of a breeder, I feel that the results would be
very different. Far too many judges concern themselves with how
their decisions might be received by ringside, or the fact that
someone might notice that the best dog in the class also has the
most noticeable fault! When judging dogs, a certain phrase comes to
my mind “the total sum of his parts” that says, averaging the
good with the bad and the highest score wins!
Let’s say for example, a judge that is capable of recognizing
good breed type in a Dane, has before him, two dogs:
Dog #1 Shows steadily, uses his ears, stands perfect for his
examination and moves smoothly about the ring, BUT lacks severely in
breed characteristics, ie, size, head type and correctness of bone
shape.
Dog #2 Has correct angles but is restricted by the ring size, moves
with hesitation and lacks flow. He has excellence in breed type, but
stands with his back slightly soft although in motion, carried his
top line correctly. This dog is slightly less experienced and not as well
trained as dog #1.
Which dog should win? Most of us would probably agree that
dog #2 should win hands down, however, in most cases dog #1 is
winning the higher number of times. As a breeder I feel that having
a dog with a generic ability to show well and lacking angles and is
able to negotiate himself around the ring fairly well and most
offensively lacks any breed excellence is truly like having nothing
at all! When you have a dog like #2 before you and you reward him
for his positive attributes to the breed, it becomes no real
contest! What is wrong with the system or our sport that allows this
to happen weekend after weekend? Have we become more interested in
personally winning than preserving the breed? Are we actually
striving to produce dogs that fit that “show dog” mold instead of
striving to produce the magnificent, remarkable creature we know as
the Great Dane! Have the real guardians of our breed surrendered
their efforts, discouraged by the fact that they are so easily and
frequently passed over for animals that have no place or value in
any breeding program?
If you are a judge or breeder who holds
movement in high regard equal to physical breed virtues, please
consider when it was, that you last saw a dog that exemplified the
breed standard in motion, possessing long, powerful and strong easy
strides holding his backline parallel to the ground. It’s been
a very long time since I have ever seen a Great Dane that exhibited these qualities and much
longer since I’ve seen one with great breed virtues added to the
mix!
Unfortunately, the lack of good education at
many levels and the absence of quality mentoring, may very well be
the cause of this atmosphere and rapid decline in true quality breed
specific judging. If as a breeder, exhibitor or judge you should
ever find yourself compelled to produce or select a dog based
strictly on the most common denominators and judging “within the
box” I can assure you that it will not be received by most as
favorable. It takes courage dedication and knowledge to stand up and
do what is right! It takes even greater discipline to be different
from the rest and go where your conscience leads you, even if it may
be against the flow. Whatever your interest may be or the extent of
your involvement in our beautiful breed, breeding , rewarding or
merely recognizing true Great Dane type will always be an asset and
your gift to the breed!
