Page 32 - ShowSight Presents The Pekingese
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facilitate easier maternal duties. All breed- ers can appreciate a bigger strapping bitch, with short tree-trunk legs, that is built like a solid brick house, and I am certainly very guilty of it.
COMMON FAULTS TODAY
Listed here are some of the more com- mon faults and shortcomings you may see in today’s show rings. They include, but not are not limited to:
1. Smaller head size with smaller/lighter
eyes, and narrower underjaw
2. Lacking in bone, body and substance
(weedy and shelly specimens)
3. Bad toplines – roached back, sway back
or high in the rear
4. Flat, or bouncing actions and unsound
(crippled) rear movement
5. Longer neck, longer legs with bodies
that sit on top of the legs, instead of
slung between them
6. Exaggerated wrinkles that give a crowded
appearance to facial features in general.
7. Eyes set too close together, giving an
atypically non-arrogant appearance
8. Tongue tipping, or teeth showing when
mouth is closed.
PROCEDURAL FAUX PAS
There are a few things that you should never do as a Pekingese judge. First and foremost, never try to pry open the mouth of any Pekingese. It is preferred that you open the mouth only when you are suspi- cious of a bad bite or wry mouth. Study the mouth alignment, finish and struc- ture. Look at the lip-line, and symmetry. If anything looks out of balance, ask the handler to show you the bite. A Peke with an exaggerated undershot jaw will usually have a stronger lower jaw and a “trout” fin- ish, while a Peke with the undesired even or overshot bite, will tend to lean toward a very weak receding chin that falls away with the “Andy Gump” expression. What you want is the happy medium of a firm chin and wide underjaw that completes and supports the facial features beautifully.
Kindly do not ask a handler to lift a Peke up from the floor, so you can closer study its head, facial features or expres- sion. Additionally, never lift a dog high up from the table, and swing it around to
check expression. Neither of these “theat- rics” is necessary, nor the proper procedure to examine the head and the Pekingese in question may so resent the procedure that it can affect its attitude after it is put back down on the floor for individual move- ment. If you need a second or closer look, ask the handler to put the dog on the table. In terms of prioritizing when judg- ing, head properties should come first, followed by body and shape, then move- ment and carriage. While the head is an integral part of the breed, always judge and consider the whole package. Overall soundness is of utmost importance.
IN CONCLUSION
Always award breed type, and in Pekingese, this refers to a large (not medi- um nor moderate sized) shallow headpiece with the correct facial features, a compact, substantial, thick pear-shaped body, level topline, high set tail, correct coat, sound- ness and the desirable effortless roll over the shoulders when the Pekingese is moved at a trot. Base your placements on these criteria, and do not get overly hung-up on any single item. Seek and appreciate breed type and virtues, instead of fault judge.
The Lion Dog, and its many pecu- liarities, is near and dear to many. Yet, it is indeed somewhat an intricate breed to study, and one you may never master completely. Even the dedicated and expe- rienced breeders that breathe and live Pekingese on a daily basis, are still learn- ing, so feel free to question, analyze, and explore the breed. As Mr. Nigel Aubrey Jones said, “There is nothing wrong with not knowing, but a lot wrong with think- ing you know when you don’t.”
Welcome to the Imperial Palace reserved only for nobles and royalty – The Pekingese!
BIO
Although Diane Burvee started attending dog shows at a tender age, it was not until the early 90s when she acquired her very own first dog, an
Afghan Hound, when she immigrated to California, USA, to pursue her tertiary studies at the prestigious University Of California Los Angeles UCLA.
Pekingese was her next breed. Diane’s first Pekingese, BISS Ch TuTa Moon’s Royal Rose, became the Number One Pekingese Bitch for two consecutive years in America, and a Pedigree Chum Top Producer, like many of her other Qazara Pekingese, which includes several Nation- al, and Regional Specialty winners. Diane became the very first breeder in America to have successfully bred litters from imported semen, apart from being the first foreigner to travel to the UK on the inaugural Pet Passport scheme to show her homebred, BISS Ch Qazara The American Gigolo, at The British Pekingese Club’s Championship Show. Breeding on a very limited basis, Ms. Burvee has bred/owned over 50 Champions in Afghans, Peking- ese, and French Bulldogs combined, plus a top-winning Toy Poodle, and the current Number One Brussels Griffon Bitch.
Apart from her success as a breeder, exhibitor and judge, Ms.. Burvee also con- ducts special interest research in Veterinary Science, specifically Theriogenology plus Chondrodystrophoid and Bracheycephalic symptoms, as she is a registered attendee of the annual CVC Veterinary Conference. A past Editor of the Lion Dog News maga- zine, Ms. Burvee is currently the Chair for the Judges‘ Education Committee of the Pekingese Club Of America, Inc. She is also the Honorary Patron of the Red Rose Pekingese Club in England, where she is adjudicating at their championship show this year. Diane has also judged in Europe, Mexico, and Australia.
Her attention to details and type, together with her acute awareness of canine health, and anatomy, have no doubt played a major role in her keen eyes to seek out the best dogs, Diane enjoys judging and travelling immensely, and is honored for every opportunity to judge, and meet the local fanciers to exchange knowledge. Ms. Burvee is currently licensed by the American Kennel Club to judge Pekingese, Afghan Hounds, French Bulldogs and all Poodles at champion- ship show level.
