Crufts

I'm gutted I have not been able to go this year (or rather chose not to) because it's been an ace show so far. Not that I'm biased or anything (LOL) but I was super pleased to see Melanie Harwood's min take the group last night. I will be so excited / nervous for Sunday now, just watching from home!
 
The West Midlands Police Dog Display Team always put on a cracking display and this year was no exception. Brilliant! (And my favourite part of the four days).
 
The flat coat was lovely. I'm sure the American Cocker is a lovely little dog but to me it doesn't belong in the gundog group, no way any variation of that could work.
 
Ok I'm going to shock you all. That is NOT a typical flatcoat. He is very flashy but not a true workman like dog a flatcoat should be. You probably cannot tell on the TV but he is huge I suspect about 4 inches taller than breed standard. Sorry but I really don't like him. Now ducking for cover
 
Long haired pointer looks like a springer. Never heard of that variety.

American cocker won?! What the heck could that retrieve?! A bloody sparrow?! Massive boo. The feather is ridiculous. Looking at one of my springers motorbiking round the woods today, how on earth does an American cocker compare? It's a lapdog.
 
Had a fun day there yesterday, hadn't been for years and couldn't believe how massive the event is now. Best part for me was walking round the breed tents and just chatting to the owners of all the different breeds, particularly the unusual ones. I really loved the Italian Spinone (I might have spoken to your sister MoC) and also the Spanish water dogs were fab. I could have taken any of those home :) The Spanish water dogs look so strong and fit, really compact little dogs. There were lots of American cockers there, they seemed to be everywhere, so wasn't surprised to see one won the group.

It was also nice to see the Assistance dogs and I spoke to a mum of a little boy whose life had been transformed by their dog, he was there with the dog and she was telling me how before they found him, she couldn't even take her son to the shops. And there he was having a great time on one of the busiest days of Crufts, just amazing.

The only complaint I had was the halls were so hot, especially the upper level halls, it must have been horrible for the really hairy dogs. The owners said the dogs were used to it but even though it can't be healthy for them. Lots of them were panting on their benches. Really glad I went though, its a good chance to support the dog charities and learn more about the fab work people are doing with their dogs.
 
And if you all watch episode 2, on catch up, the opening credits with Clare doing a voice over feature a small child kissing her saluki- that's my child and one of my Salukis!

Nothing in the breed ring for us this year, but judging was true and fair and excellent winners chosen, particularly best bitch.

We then manned the discover dogs stand for the whole afternoon, and enjoyed helping people understand more about Salukis!
 
cinnamontoast said:
Long haired pointer looks like a springer. Never heard of that variety.

American cocker won?! What the heck could that retrieve?! A bloody sparrow?! Massive boo. The feather is ridiculous. Looking at one of my springers motorbiking round the woods today, how on earth does an American cocker compare? It's a lapdog.
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I always thought that too, as not a fan of ACS, however the trainer I use for gundog work also trains some ACS, I met them once, the day after they had been showing, all covered in burrs and muck, very happy little dogs who can actually be trained to retrieve smaller birds. Full credit to their owner for encouraging them to work.
 
The winner of the gundogs would last 1 minute in my brambels my GSP would go through like a knive through butter. i wounder what it would do if someone fired a gun?
 
Thistle said:
I always thought that too, as not a fan of ACS, however the trainer I use for gundog work also trains some ACS, I met them once, the day after they had been showing, all covered in burrs and muck, very happy little dogs who can actually be trained to retrieve smaller birds. Full credit to their owner for encouraging them to work.
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I must admit I was scoffing along with everyone else that the least likely gundog won the gundog group. However, this morning on my FB the first thing I see is an ACS actually retrieving a dead bird - so some must be able to still do a variation of the work at least.

https://www.facebook.com/yellowdog8...744324826824/1270471946354053/?type=3&theater
 
Remember that breed judging is when dogs are judged against their OWN breed standard, and their own type. Not against what another dog's breed and type. That's like saying that a toy poodle wouldn't last a minute against a Rottweiler when doing guard work, for example. They are different breeds, and each has been developed to do a different job. And these are show dogs - the get Sh Ch and some do obtain Field ch status.
 
I will be watching the BOB GSD with interest later, after the backlash last year and the new rules for the breed in place this year.
 
satinbaze said:
Ok I'm going to shock you all. That is NOT a typical flatcoat. He is very flashy but not a true workman like dog a flatcoat should be. You probably cannot tell on the TV but he is huge I suspect about 4 inches taller than breed standard. Sorry but I really don't like him. Now ducking for cover
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Very interesting. I don't know much about the breed but thought he looked great in the ring - not as a working dog, but as a show dog. Would his flashiness in the ring have made him stand out from the crowd?
 
I'm a bit torn about the comments on the ACS. On the one hand, nobody is claiming it's a working dog - it's a show dog, in a show ring, doing a cracking job at showing. I understand that the judge has an interest in ACS so would have been hyper critical of it and must have thought it a top notch example of the breed.

On the other hand, it's an absolute caricature of the cocker spaniel, of which the show type is already almost on the limit of what I would consider acceptable in terms of exaggerated features. I say that with the greatest affection, I spent all day yesterday around the cocker rings with a lovely snoring lump of one on my lap, but he'd be no less a cocker with slightly shorter ears and a less profuse coat.
 
WorkingGSD said:
Very interesting. I don't know much about the breed but thought he looked great in the ring - not as a working dog, but as a show dog. Would his flashiness in the ring have made him stand out from the crowd?
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For me the best flatcoat of recent years was jet aka Vbos the Kentuckian who won BIS at crufts in 2011. He was a fabulous example of the breed with both breed type and showmanship.
Here is a link to his picture
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/flat_coated_retriever/dog.html?id=999224-vbos-the-kentuckian
 
Seven year old female with a lot of wins under her belt both here and internationally from both German and all-round judges. Steve Cox always puts 100% into his presentation in the big ring. A huge improvement on last year but a lot of work still to be done.
 
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