Page 216 - Showsight April 2013

done. Eyebrows should appear natural and
are never scissored—GWPs should not
be trimmed to look like terriers or Giant
Schnauzers. Don’t necessarily penalize a
dog for sparse facial furnishings as very
often excellently coated dogs do not have
abundant furnishings. Remember that the
coat on the dog’s skull should be naturally
short and close fitting. The ears are round-
ed at the tips, not too broad and hang close
to the head and should be set just above the
level of the eye. The correct bite is scissors
and complete dentition is preferred. When
examining a dog’s mouth, there’s no need
to count teeth, but large gaps should be
noted. The jaws are strong and should be
sufficiently deep to carry game.
The eyes are brown and slightly oval
in shape. A dark eye is very pleasing and
adds to the correct expression of the dog.
Although we have dogs with lighter eyes in
the breed, we are rarely seeing the yellow
“bird of prey” eyes that were more com-
mon years ago. A young dog may have a
lighter eye with a darker ring around the
iris. They will darken over time, sometimes
taking up to three years to achieve their
adult color. Eye rims should be close fitting
to keep out irritating seeds, grasses and
other irritating debris. The nose is brown,
never black or flesh colored.
The neck is slightly arched and should
have enough length and strength for the
dog to retrieve and easily carry a good-
sized pheasant or goose. Proportionately,
the body from the sternum to ischium
is slightly longer than from withers to
ground. The forechest is defined, with the
brisket extending to the elbow, enabling
good heart and lung capacity. Although
the chest is developed, it shouldn’t be so
wide as to interfere in any way with the
action of the forelegs. The back is short
and strong with a perceptible slope from
withers to croup. Perceptible means that
you should be able to recognize that there
is a slope, it doesn’t mean exaggerated.
Ribs are well sprung and the underline
extends well back to form a gradual tuck-
up, which is apparent. The croup is gen-
tly rounded, showing no tendency to fall
away sharply and the tail is a continuation
of the spinal column and should be car-
ried at or above the horizontal when the
dog is moving and alert. The entire out-
line of the dog should flow smoothly.
Although the standard calls for the tail
to be docked to approximately two-fifths
of its original length, this is often a per-
sonal preference and the docked length
is obviously man-made. The length of a
docked tail is not a reason to ever fault an
otherwise good dog. The feet of a GWP
are webbed and slightly oval in outline,
with toes well arched and close. A tight
foot with good depth of pad protects the
dog from stones, sand spurs, burrs, thorns
and other sundry hazards on the ground
while hunting. Shoulders should be well
laid back with hindquarter angulation
balancing that of the front. Good angula-
tion facilitates a smooth, ground-covering
stride and balance of those angles enable
correct foot timing and promotes endur-
ance in a dog that is working. The gait is
harmonious, effortless and purposeful and
the topline should remain firm when the
dog is moving. The standard mentions that
the “leg bones are flat, rather than round”,
in reality, the bone is oval, not flat.
The natural functional double coat is
the hallmark of the breed. The standard
states that “a dog must have correct coat
to be of correct type”. The coat is weather
resistant and to some extent, water-repel-
lent. The outer coat is straight, harsh, wiry
and flat lying. It is long enough to protect
the dog against the punishment of rough
cover, but not so long as to hide the out-
line of the dog. The coat on the skull and
ears is naturally short and close fitting,
however the ears may have wisps of longer
hair or a “fringe”. The undercoat is softer
and shorter and may be dense enough in
winter to insulate against the cold but may
be quite thin in summer—but, undercoat
should always be present to some degree.
“the feet of a gWP are Webbed
and slightly oval in outline,
with toes well arched and close.”
216 • ShowSight Magazine, April 2013