Page 14 - ShowSight Presents - The Chihuahua
P. 14
CHIHUAHUA
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
SALLIE BUCKMAN
I live in Memphis, Tennessee. Outside of dogs I enjoy going to plays, concerts and cooking out with friends. I also enjoy working in my yard and spending time with my Chihuahuas and Japanese Chin. I am a member of the Danny Thomas St.JudeSociety,asupportgroupforthe St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital here in Memphis. I started showing Chihuahuas during the
1960s and was an AKC-licensed handler for 11 Toy breeds during the 1970s. I have been licensed to
judge Chihuahuas since 2007.
BRADLEY JENKINS
I live in northeast Arkansas. I am a retired nurse after almost 33 years. I have been in dogs for 41 years; showing for 40 years and judging for 18.
RICHARD MILLER
I live in La Harpe, Illinois, which is a very small town in west central Illinois. Outside of dogs I am a stained glass craftsman and a substitute teacher. I am also an avid garden- er and I spend many hours in my yard. I purchased my first AKC-Registered dog in July of 1957. This was a smooth- coated Chihuahua bitch puppy. I exhibited at my first show in 1968 showing a long-haired Dachshund. I judged my first assignment at the Michigan Chihuahua Club in 1992.
1. Describe the breed in three words.
SB: Swift-moving, Terrier-like and graceful.
BJ: Sweet, devoted and watch dogs!
RM: Endearing, intelligent and badly misunderstood.
2. What are your “must have” traits in this breed?
SB: Correct movement, level topline, neck and a balanced dog.
BJ: Long body with short legs.
RM: Must have proper Chihuahua type, which is much more for me than an apple-domed skull.
3. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated?
SB: Heavy bone causing coarseness (the standard calls for a muscular dog, but also a small, dainty foot indicating fine bone).
RM: The muzzle can get so short as to take on an Asian expression/look. This is very offensive and wrong!
4. Do you think the dogs you see in this breed are better now than they were when you first started judging?
SB: Yes, today’s dogs have better movement. Some of the dogs in the 1960s had obvious patella problems, toed in, had crooked front legs and toplines were often not level.
BJ: Yes, the type is stronger than in the past. They are sounder, teeth problems are better and the size of the teeth have gotten bigger and stronger. We still have too many undershot and overshot mouths.
RM: Overall dogs are better today than in the 1990s. Many breeders ignore the phase in our standard “front well under the dog.” Breeders need to concentrate on more than a typical head.
5. What do you think new judges misunderstand about the breed?
SB: The Chihuahua is not a head breed.
BJ: You want a good picture of the whole dog. Tempera-
ment, head, body and soundness, not just the head. RM: New judges too often feel a need to get right in the
face of a Chihuahua and talk simple baby talk to
“SWIFT- MOVING, TERRIER- LIKE AND GRACEFUL.”
