Page 44 - ShowSight Presents - The French Bulldog

Judging the
FRENCH BULLDOG
W“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” —Aristotle
hen judging the
French Bull- dog the most important func- tion we expect from Judges is to
adhere to the official FBDCA Breed Stan- dard. The standard was written and accepted by AKC in 1897 by The French Bull Dog Club of America, the first organization in the world devoted to the breed. Let us take a look at the standard as it relates to the various “parts” of the French Bulldog. When judging the whole French Bulldog FBDCA stresses to judge the merits of a dog and not the faults.
General Appearance
The French Bulldog has an active, intelligent appearance. Muscular dog of heavy bone, smooth coat, compactly built, and of medium or small structure. Expression is alert, curious, and interest- ed. Any alteration other than the removal of dewclaws is considered to be a mutila- tion and is a disqualification.
Proportion & Symmetry
All points are well distributed and bear good relation one to the other; no feature being in such prominence from either excess or lack of quality that the animal appears poorly proportioned.
Size, Proportion & Substance
Weight not to exceed 28 pounds; over 28 pounds is a disqualification. (If weight is a concern, call for scales. No judge should lift dogs off of the table as an indi- cator of weight.) Proportion—Distance from withers to ground in good relation to the distance from withers to onset of tail, so that the animal appears compact, well balanced and in good proportion. Sub- stance—Muscular, heavy bone.
158 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2014
By Becky L. Smith