Page 338 - ShowSight - September 2019

Thoughts on Judging the Leonberger BY MATTHEW TOWNSEND continued
A fun photo of some puppies from a recent litter of mine.
THE COAT MOAT
Very few breeds have as much variety in coat as the Leonberger. The standard names the many colors in shades of yellow, gold, red, brown, and sand and describes the black mask and lightly colored undercoat. Add- ing more variety, the coat comes in varying lengths, coarseness, and textures. The guard hairs, coat, undercoat, and furnishings also differ in length, coarseness, color, and tex- ture. There are literally thousands of accept- able combinations of color, length, coarse- ness, and texture that could end up in your ring. Most Leonberger people think about coat like hardwood; if it’s beautiful and can do the job, it’s probably fine.
Though not explicitly explained in the standard, the adult coat is not monochro- matic; there should be multiple colors in the coat: two or more shades of the main tone throughout the body, black hairs on the face, and a light undercoat. There may or may not be black guard hairs on the body and they may be quite abundant. Depend- ing on sex, climate, care, and season, Leon- bergers are constantly in different stages of being in and out of coat. My advice: don’t get too caught up in coat with Leonbergers. You are about as likely to find a DQ with
coat in the Leonberger ring as to discover a hen’s tooth in a gerbil.
THE SIZE PRIZE
The Leonberger is a large, working dog similar in size to the Great Pyrenees. Func- tionality and agility may be compromised when Leonbergers are sized outside the standard. Achieving more size than out- lined in the standard does not constitute a merit and there should not be a “size prize” in the mind of the judge. In today’s rings, you are likely to see a great variety in Leon- berger height and size; a ring can easily have an eight inch span between the tallest dog and shortest bitch. If all the Leonbergers in consideration are within standard and the merits of two exhibits are in close conten- tion, judges should be mindful that the standard states that the preferred height of a bitch is 27.5 inches and the preferred height of a dog is 30 inches. You are more likely to have a larger than preferred Leon- berger in the ring than an undersized one. Proportions, color, and the height of the handler can all work together to trick the eye, so some diligence is due when sizing up the ring. A reality check you can keep in the back of your mind: the ideal height of a Leonberger bitch and Doberman Pinscher dog are identical.
THE RECTANGLE ANGLE
When in doubt, remember that the Leonberger is constructed of rectangles built upon rectangles. The muzzle is a broad and deep rectangle, longer than wide. The backskull is a rectangle set wider than the muzzle. The neck is longer than deep and the body is rectangular, slightly longer than deep. These rectangles work together to pro- duce a Leonberger that is sturdy, elegant, and balanced.
Something you will observe along the rectangle angle: in adult Leonbergers, the body tends to follow the head and vice versa. A short, coarse head will usually be attached to a square, cobby body. A long, narrow head will usually be in front of a similarly long, narrow body. If you find a great body, the head will usually match. This can be particularly useful in judging young Leonbergers where the head is very slow to mature.
THE FRUMPY PUPPY
In Leonbergers, we tend to talk more of promise than of quality in Leonberger pup- pies. You can guarantee Leonberger pup- pies won’t get any shorter and that the bone won’t get any heavier, but almost everything else is subject to change. Angulation can be lost or gained. The coat will change color,
336 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019
The rectangles produce both power and elegance.