Page 66 - Chow LIfe - 2021 04 Winter

Where Do You Sit at National Specialties?

By Kitty Steidel

NATIONALS dead silence is the most telling at a National – not
a sound for the winner. At this point, not merely
It is National time! Excited to attend each year, we a few camps are in shock but there is consensus:
plan our vacations accordingly. The show com- the best dogs were missed. This situation happens
mittee prepares years in advance as to location and rarely, but it does happen.
activities. Selecting judges is a big deal and club
methods vary. We do not agree with everything CLANS AND CAMPS
but Nationals taken as a whole like the whole dog,
rather than in parts, are great! I personally have Clans are bonded by bloodlines and ownership re-
taken in a few Nationals this year and believe these lationship. There is a stud dog owner and his court;
events provide an opportunity to see the best of the this clan sticks together lamenting losses, relishing
best and provide the greatest learning experience wins and/or placements. Between classes or as dogs
for breeder and judge. Most of us agree on this but wait to be judged, there is the judging from ringside.
there are threads of differences and our experiences There is the quiet evaluation of one another’s exhibit.
are varied. Instead of considering the whole, someone is stating
how bad the rear is on this one, the front, the head,
Some Nationals run for days and there is an oppor- the topline on the next. He may actually see this dog
tunity for observing all facets of our sport, from field every weekend in local competition and he knows
trialing and rally and obedience to conformation. his faults better than anyone. His own dog has a less
Some Nationals provide worthwhile discussion of serious fault, of course!
the various disciplines and allow hands on practice.
Some provide special educational events where there Occasionally, on the other hand, everyone seems to
are give and take panels, often consisting of breed- like a certain dog. He is a standout and is different
ers discussing the difficult path to success. However, from the rest. He transcends bloodline; whatever his
though there is camaraderie and reunion, insight fault, it is trumped by virtue. This dog fills the eye.
and “ah ha” moments, it seems we have different No part stands out because his features “fit” the total
responses to what we see. package; he exudes type aesthetically and function-
ally. No one is commenting on individual traits such
QUALITY & QUANTITY as ears, tail, front or rear. There is less chatter; the
decision of the judge is acceptable to most. Ev-
First, the quality is usually high at Nationals, often eryone applauds this winner and is happy with the
quite different from an average all breed show. There judge’s decision.
are numbers of quality dogs and styles within breed
type from which to choose. All have their virtue and I thought it might be interesting to take a look at
fault. A question arises, “Does the judging always what three long-time breeder/owner/handlers feel
stand up to the high quality of the entries?” is typical or atypical of their Nationals. I have asked
some of those hound fanciers who have both won
After personally drifting from one area to another at and lost at their National to tell us how they see it
the Nationals I attended recently, eaves dropping a from judge’s selection to dogs that win. They have
bit, I readily conclude that one’s perception of what not been asked to name dogs and some of you may
is happening depends much on where one sits and recognize who the breeders are. My questions were
with whom one sits, what camp one is in, and with posed a few years ago.
whom you are talking at the moment. In addition,
there are as may points of view as there are seating WOLFHOUND BREEDER:
areas.
1) Please tell us a little about yourself, your breed. Ap-
What I saw and heard: whispers, grimaces and proximately how many Nationals of your breed have
groans, shouts of glee, eyes rolling, absolute quiet at you attended over the years?
pointing to the winners, cheering and pointing to
the winners; surprise, shock. All of these responses This breeder became involved in pure-bred dogs in
are muffled for the most part, our sport in many 1968 and in 1972, after deciding “we were looking
ways being a conservative one. This quiet response for a breed with a consistently mellow tempera-
is good as we could dissuade newcomers from want- ment,” acquired their first Irish Wolfhound. They
ing to become involved if this confusion is what they whelped their first litter in 1973; they have had only
first experience. New people to dogs gradually learn 14 more litters since then and have finished 48 IW
that we can be brutal in competition of the moment of the 107 puppies they have produced. Their dogs
but in crisis mode or need, most of us “dog people’ include multiple regional specialty winners, all-
come forward with support and assistance. breed BIS winners and a National Specialty winner
– all owner-handled. A daughter breeds, shows and
Of all the reactions to judging, perhaps a judges today.

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