Page 148 - Showsight March 2013

American Cocker. Because of his round-
ness and considerable width, this breed
cannot single track.
V.L. On the table I am looking for soft
roundness—in the rib, the skull, the firm
width of thigh and strong hindquarter.
This is never a breed of sharp angles. I
want to find forechest and depth of body
at least to the elbow. I want to feel qual-
ity of bone that is proportionate to size. I
expect to see a soft expression from a dark,
slightly oval eye that looks straight at me.
The head will have a moderate stop and
good width over the muzzle with a soft
curve of lip without excess flews. I also
assess coat quality—never excessive and
of correct protective texture, not barbered
severely. There is meant to be a jacket
with protective hair and some undercoat.
I want to find a thick, tight foot for this
sporting Spaniel.
On the move, I expect to see a firm,
hard topline, reach in front matched by a
rear that steps under and pushes back to
provide balanced reach and drive. I look
for correct carriage of tail that is carried
off the end of the croup without being
pegged up like a Terrier. Hocks are short.
I want my dog to hold the same shape on
the ground moving that I saw on the table
during the examination. I place a consid-
erable emphasis on the side movement as
I feel it is at this point that balance and
correct proportions are confirmed.
A.J. On the table is the chance to
go ‘hands-on’ and assess real quality. I
hope to find a melting eye and expression
(looking into the eyes of a top rate Cock-
er should be like looking into heaven—
kind, warm eyes looking straight back at
you, saying, ‘Love me’); with that I want
strong bone, straight legs, most important
good width of front; layback of shoulder
and deep well sprung ribs, short loin,
strong and wide back end, well-angulated
and finally a good, well-presented coat.
On the move, confidence, merry charac-
ter, sound and driving movement, happy
ever wagging tail. In short, “all Cocker”.
D.M. On the table I’m looking at the
finer points: eye shape, eye color, bone, feet,
coat condition, depth of undercoat, muscle
mass and condition, ribs well sprung and
back, with a short loin, and correct set on of
the tail. I’m hoping to confirm the impres-
sion I formed as the dog moved in the class.
When the dog is moving again I want to
see how all the parts fit together. I watch
the down and back for soundness, again
to confirm what I feel on the detail table
examination. When I send the dog around
I want to see nice balanced extension front
and rear. The gait should indicate power
and look effortless, no pounding or choppy
front movement. I hope to see the dog float-
ing across the ground with head slightly
forward, exhibiting the proper topline and
outline, and all at a moderate speed.
What do you find the most
challenging about the breed
when you judge?
D.F. We have some really beautiful
dogs in our breed, but I wish there were
more. I suppose the biggest challenge is
trying to stay focused when faced with a
mediocre entry.
B.T. I really find nothing challenging
about judging the breed. If you under-
stand the function of the breed and learn
what constitutes correct “Cocker” type vs.
incorrect “Setter” type, you will reward
the right dogs.
V.L. Without focusing too much on
negatives I think that there are some com-
mon faults I see in the English Cocker in
the ring today. Lack of a Cockery shape—
too often we see the long necked, longer
bodied, narrow, fine-boned dog with an
over-angulated rear that races at great
speed. This is not a Cocker. Too many of
our dogs do not have the bone and rib-
spring the standard calls for.
Dogs that are not in hard muscle and
athletic form are challenging to judge.
Dogs that are emulating the drag of the
breed, the Field Spaniel with a longer body
and different proportions are challenging
to judge. Dogs with incorrect toplines,
high rears, dips and rises and pegged tails
are challenging to judge. Narrow fronts
and the resulting bad front movement are
challenging to judge.
Keep coming back to look for the
moderate, balanced, firm topline and
happy temperament Spaniel that could
do the job it was bred to do. Understand
the differences between the Cocker, the
English Springer and the English Cock-
er. You will have a much better apprecia-
tion of the three breeds if you are clear
on their differences as well as their com-
mon heritage.
A.J. For many these days, seeing past
the hairdressing is the biggest challenge.
On both sides of the Atlantic showing this
proud historic gundog breed is turning into
a grooming contest, so to be a good judge
you will need to use your head and your
hands to see past the sometimes stunning
coiffure. Trust your hands and your eye for
balance and you’ll find the good ones!
D.M. I am not sure the challenges are
that much different from most breeds, at
least the Sporting breeds. There is a lot of
variation of type. Sorting through a class of
dogs where none look similar can be quite
a challenge. I also find with our breed that
they can look wonderful while stacked, and
you see a dog that fits your mind’s eye for
what you like and then they move. Toplines
go off, the tail is down and the attitude
may be less than “merry”. This breed is very
intelligent and can decide not to show off
their merits on any given day. When that
happens, my advice is to choose the best
“Cocker” not necessarily the fanciest mov-
er. When you get both, that’s a good day!
And finally, from Anne Rogers Clark,
second generation ECS breeder and
ECSCA Past President...
A.C. In any breed, the whole dog is
hung on its front end. How the neck is set,
how its topline is, all go to the front.
Must have forechest out in front. We’re
getting a lot of English Cockers whose
fronts drop straight down, a so-called
Terrier front where they’re laid back in
shoulder, are short in forearm and their
fronts are way out in front of them with
no forechest—it’s totally incorrect for a
Cocker. Got to have some forechest!
148 • ShowSight Magazine, March 2013